It has been said that no idea is original. I am not that cynical, but I understand the context. Great ideas flow from other ideas. I like to call it ‘inspiration’.
JoDee has a friend who uses her Living Room as a space for coffee and gossip by rejecting the traditional sofa and chair set up for a circle of rocking chairs. Perusing a furniture store catalogue, we noticed a similar arrangement with Wingback Chairs. So it was as if the Decorating Fairies put a new collection of perfectly sized and relatively inexpensive occasional chairs into Pier 1 just for us.
We still need to hunt for the perfect round low coffee table and a chandelier with the right balance of sparkle and iron. We borrowed an idea from the internet when we planned to create a mural of family words and quotes as a background to children’s portraits. From feng shui we took the idea of a tabletop gallery of family snapshots.
All these ideas are incorporated into one unique design, perfect for a special family.
Analysis Paralysis
Too often we are so concerned about “making it right” that we give up before we have even begun. I recently had a client who expressed wonderful ideas in our time together, yet hadn’t taken steps to do anything. When I asked her why, she said “I get so nervous about making a decision that I just can’t get anything done. I am afraid that one mistake will ruin everything.” She confessed that when a bedding set she had been admiring for months was finally deeply discounted, she couldn’t bring herself to take it to the counter.
I try to encourage my clients to have fun with their spaces, and to remember that if they love it, than it will work. Learning to identify what it is you love will help you have the confidence to make excellent decisions. Peruse catalogues, magazines and decorating books and take notes on what appeals to you. Notice colors, shapes and sizes and don’t get too hung up on sticking to a particular design style. Go with your gut reaction. Listen to your immediate response. When it is finally time to make a selection, recalling your previously chosen preferences will come easily.
There is no Magic Formula. There is no Good Taste Indicator. Remember, it is YOUR SPACE. If you like it, then it works for you!
I am going to finish my exaltation over my friend’s house today. I want you to see some of his artwork.
I managed to take a few photos before my camera died. The whole house is full of well displayed art.
This piece of pottery would look perfect in my home.
A large photo of Arijit’s family was taken by a famous photographer in India and printed on steel.
This is their “temporary” lower Kitchen. (They have an upper area with custom cabinets of which I didn’t get a photo.) I love the rich, bright color scheme. It in no way diminishes the fact that this is a serious cooks’ Kitchen– former restaurant owners that they are.
The warm use of woods is only half the story over at my friends’ house. Kirk and Arijit used tile to add color and energy. The fireplace serves as a repository for many wonderful tiles encountered throughout the entire home.
Guests are greeted by the tile stairwell upon entering. The angles at the bottom welcome you into the Living Room.
The upper Kitchen area features a bar made from Indian tiles. The bar once stood in their restaurant.
The Master Bath features a second room of slate tile walls. A rain-type shower head was installed in the center of the room. The large bank of windows overlooking the property creates an effect that nearly mimics showering outdoors.
All the windows and doors have tile accents. The ceiling transitions have decorative brackets, but sadly I have no picture. My camera motor is dying and needs a lot of rest.
The moment you enter Kirk and Arijit’s home, you feel an instantaneous connection to nature. Surely the naturalized landscaping helps set the scene, but the prominent use of wood throughout the space delivers the message.
Arijit designed the windows and doors. Bold swaths of teak, inset with colorful tile dominate, but does not overwhelm. On the contrary, this space is in perfect balance.
Their coffee table was designed by Arijit’s mother. The legs telescope up and the sides hinge out so guests need not relocate from their position of comfort to partake in a meal.
I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with my wonderful old friends from college. The reunion was wonderful and, just as before our long separation, we have much in common.
But Kirk’s house stole the show.
(Be aware of the magnitude of this statement. We went to BROADWAY….)
Kirk is very much an artist. A Renaissance Man, really. Having owned an art gallery and a restaurant, and now selling high end real estate, Kirk understands good taste. He and his partner, Arijit, who is a landscape architect, left the rat race to create an oasis in a field. A short train ride from the heart of the largest city in America, they have created a sophisticated country haven full of art and beauty. I loved everything about it. Their home is rich and warm, full of teak and tile. Yet it still remains modern and clean. It is a little bit Indian, a splash Santa Fe, a touch mid-century, a smidgen country cottage, reminds you that you are few miles from Manhattan, and pays homage to my hero Frank Lloyd Wright.
The original house was comprised of a tiny room with a bedroom above and a lean-to kitchen. Most of that structure is now the guest room. Arijit designed the rest of the house to gracefully project behind. Full of wood, windows and light, the home seems to be rise naturally out of the landscape.
Sitting at the table, enjoying the benefits of having friends that owned a restaurant, I noticed the light over head. Kirk adorned it with holiday decorations before we arrived.
I do things at my job that I never dreamed of when I planned the operation of Decorate Your Space. One thing I didn’t imagine was how many times I would hang and rehang pictures.
I spent a long day hanging portraits of board members for a government office. I was hired to choose and order the frames and the information plaques, designate a spot for them, and arrange them.
But aside from such obvious hanging jobs, I often find myself rehanging the pictures in clients’ homes. And in the majority of cases, I’m simply moving down the nail.
Note to all potential hangers: It’s probably too high!!
Most sofas spend their existence sitting against a wall. But it needn’t be this way. Sofas look wonderful in front of a bank of windows. Mine floats perpendicular to the fireplace.
But since in most homes the sofa is in its expected place against the largest open wall, there is an area above it that needs addressed. A large picture will suffice. Or a collection of smaller prints, grouped as one large.
Rebecca purchased a wall system from At Home America. I worked with her yesterday to hang it. We incorporated a large clock from their collection. Two of the rods have clips that will hold four yet to be bought black frames.
Coincidentally, when I got home I had an email from a client who has been working with me on her apartment. She sent me a picture what she had just done with her blank space above the sofa. She hung squares of Amy Butler fabric on canvases. The colors are wonderful and give life to the white walls.
Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair from Design within Reach, Meurice Chandelier from Jonathan Adler, Orange Princess Cut Diamond from Leibish & Co., Eva Zeisel Coffee Table from Design within Reach, Piel Leather Tiles from Ann Sacks, Herman Miller Eames Lounge and Ottoman from AllModern.com, Thomas Arvid “Shine Like it Does” Original at Art Brokerage, “Welcome to Your New Lifestyle” by Shag Original unavailable, Artecnica Glasses from Apartment Zero
Tie Dye Ornaments for CB2, Emeraldine Flock Ornament from Anthropologie, Sparkle Ornaments from Chiasso, Mini Ornament Vase Filler from Pottery Barn, notNeutral Frosty Ornament Set from 2Modern, Star Candle Holders from Ballard Designs, Cone Ornaments from Wisteria, Phillips LED Hues of Blue Lights from Target, Kurt Adler Peacock Ornament from Macy’s