Disclaimer: this layered style doesn't suit everyone. Which is great because it keeps things fresh and interesting which in my opinion are two of the most important pieces about design in general. Who wants to live in a cookie cutter home that only uses stark whites and mass produced prints (Spoiler: you will not find it here). So where do you begin? AT the beginning, of course!
“Start with the things you love.” - Bunny Williams
It seems so simple, but this quote has always rung true. And if you feel yourself getting lost along the way come back to the things that bring you joy just with their presence. It could be a chair you found at a junk store, a small piece of art that no one but you notices, or even a set of coasters (like my vogue covers coasters that make me smile every single time I pick them up!). Or maybe its something big like a statement rug,a giant tapestry, or a collection of dolls. Whatever those things are that you love beyond rhyme or reason, let them guide your process, and the result will be a home filled with love and interest that reflects the life you live in it.
Start Small, Think Big.
Start identifying what it is that sparks your interest ( I have a basket where I keep all of my favorite things: fabric swathes, ribbon scraps, pictures, magazine cut outs, some people like a board for this, I like a basket of organized chaos). If there is something that you keep coming back to consider making this the center of your design web (like this incredible floor/wallpaper combo from one of the incredible Bunny Williams designs). Go for a variance in size and density when mixing patterns to keep the eye moving from detail to detail. Patterns with same-sized repeats tend to read together and can be anchored by the clean solids and made to really pop! * Note the solid upholstery of the chairs and simple elegant lines of the table, chairs, and sideboard.
Finding Balance and Humor
Much like we have talked about pattern size and lines to create balance, I am a firm believer that room scale has a lot to do with how a room balances properly. You want to feel the eye moving across the room like you might observe a painting at length, noticing new details the longer you study, but not overwhelming all at once. I am also a fan of hiding tiny "jokes" around your home that invite guests to explore and feel included when they notice these little details. If you are like me ( and my mother in law) and enjoy a whimsical sense of humor you will find immense joy in knowing they are around in whatever form they appear. For my mother-in-law it comes in the form of a very traditional victorian oil painting featuring two blonde children ( who somewhat resemble my husband and his sister at a young age) and on the boys shoulder is a squirrel painted in minute detail and cradled gently like a doll that is only noticeable when viewed from a certain angle, along with "smoking boy" a tiny dutch painting depicting a young dutch boy happily puffing away on a joint. For my grandmother it is a primitive carved box with a large beaver rising up out of the lid. And for me, it is my gallery wall filled with nothing but dog paintings!
And while it strikes a very different tone to Mario Buatta's "ancestors" pictured to the left, it bring me such happiness to curl up on my sofa with my warm pups snuggled up and read a book under the watchful gaze of my wall of hounds.
I see it a lot, where people get so caught up in designing their house to read a certain way that they forget that they themselves are the ones living in it. A home should be filled with things that are for YOU just as much as they are for your visitors.
Happy collecting!
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