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As you know, I am not afraid to admit that a large amount of our furniture is from IKEA. If you’re smart about how you use each piece, you can’t beat it for affordable style. Well, IKEA has a new site where people share pictures of their IKEA purchases in situ. There are some great examples of stylish homes that use IKEA furnishings imaginatively. I particularly like this all-white home in Germany.
Great use of blackboard as cupboard doors.
I spy Ferm Living wallpaper offcuts…
More evidence (if we needed it) that an IKEA kitchen can look fabulous. I like the idea of using mosaic tiles to make the look less cookie-cutter. And, believe it or not, I blogged about using a ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster as a kitchen backsplash over a year ago – looks like someone else was way ahead of me!
A teeny tiny office space still manages to look airy with all that white shelving.
If you like checking out what real people around the world have done with their interior spaces, this is a good site to visit with lots of inspiring examples of creativity on a budget.
I read some advice from interior designer Vicente Wolf in a magazine interview the other day. He said that a space should have ‘flow’. “Like water flowing down a river. There might be a little rock here or a little bit of rapids there, but the river never stops flowing”. I take this to mean that the eye should move effortlessly from one end of a room to another – and between rooms – without visual obstacles or interruptions. His words struck a chord. The fact is, when you’re exposed to hundreds of photos of gorgeous interiors every day, it’s easy to confuse interior design with the creation of a still life. Recently, I have found myself thinking about how a room would look in a photo, rather than how it would feel to be living in it. I’ve been thinking about the placement of furniture and the layering of textiles and finishes as a two-dimensional composition. It’s an easy trap to fall into when the world of design is influenced by heavily-styled and meticulously arranged images. But it doesn’t make for a truly successful interior scheme.
So I decided to take a closer look at what Wolf means by ‘flow’ and try to learn some lessons from this. First, he uses a lot of white to create continuity through an entire space. He does the same with color by picking up the same tones in fabrics here and there throughout a home.
So far, so obvious (although I’ll admit it requires considerable discipline to stick with the same palette throughout a home – most of us need to express another side of our design personality by experimenting with different looks in different rooms). Wolf also eschews pattern, preferring instead to keep his spaces clean. Oops, having just decorated three rooms with ‘feature walls’ using wallpaper or contrasting paint, I can see the appeal of a ‘clean’ background, as Wolf puts it, allowing the shapes of the furniture to speak for themselves.
Studying his work, it’s clear there’s more to this idea of ‘flow’ than color and pattern though. The way Wolf uses interior space is unusual in that he isn’t at all constrained by structure. He says he likes to avoid putting up boundaries in a scheme, but I think he goes beyond that to create living areas that seem to float within a room while the walls and ceilings seem to melt away, using reflective and transparent materials. Sometimes he achieves this just by the way he places the furniture, refusing to hug the walls or follow conventional layouts.
Wolf mixes up styles and eras fearlessly, which helps create a more organic, relaxed vibe. Thinking again about that idea of flow, if you look at the way these contrasting pieces of furniture are arranged, you’ll see that they’re meant to be appreciated by someone sitting at the table or on the sofa – not just by an outsider looking at the room through a lens.
That’s not to say you won’t find great styling in his spaces though. Throughout Wolf’s interiors you see antiques and artifacts from his store, VW Home, arranged in pairs or multiples. These must be the ‘rapids’ he talks about: they certainly inject energy into a space.
It’s tempting to conceive a room scheme in the same way you’d frame a beautiful photograph, but it helps to remember that an interior must look and feel cohesive from every angle.
Credits: All images except the first one are from Vicente Wolf Associates‘ web site. The first image is from House Beautiful.
You’ll recognize photographer Laura Resen‘s work from the pages of several interiors magazines. She counts among her clients the likes of Architectural Digest, Harpers Bazaar, Elle Decor, French Vogue, Living Etc, House Beautiful and Domino magazine. But, despite this stylish line-up, the homes she photographs all seem to share a key quality: they’re truly inviting.
Flooded with clear, natural daylight, the spaces in her pictures are both elegant and comfortable. There’s a restrained palette throughout her portfolio but attention to details such as texture ensures each photo is one you want to step into (and sit down and curl up in…)
It helps that Resen has worked with designers such as Thomas O’Brien, whose house in Bellport, Long Island ranks up there with one of my favorite interiors ever. (In fact, she collaborated with O’Brien on a book that just came out this year).
But, whether it’s cool white living rooms, effortlessly styled bedrooms or glorious sun-washed patios, this is one stunning portfolio. In fact, I had a hard time picking just a few images to post here.
There’s also a lesson to be learned from Resen’s still life photos. I was struck by the use of layers, particularly layers of objects in harmonious colors. The effect is not only beautiful, but can also be applied when styling a home to achieve that lived-in, inviting vibe. From layering whites…
To different blues…
To metallics…
To dramatic black…
And contrasting hues…
All in all, I encourage you to check out Laura Resen’s site for inspiration. You won’t be disappointed.
I don’t know about you, but one of the small pleasures I look forward to every month is the arrival of Living Etc in the stores. Of course, here it’s usually several weeks after the magazine comes out in the UK, but that’s beside the point. This month, however, I was more than a little surprised to see the cover was based on this extremely familiar image:
Don’t we all have this room embedded on our memories from when it appeared in Domino in 2007? At first I thought it was a stock image from an agency, perhaps being used as part of a shopping or styling story. But no, it’s actually the dining room of Laura Vincent Poole, whose North Carolina home was featured as the magazine’s cover story.
Is it me, or is it rather odd for a major league magazine like Living Etc to run the same cover story as another (albeit folded) magazine did a few years earlier? If you recall, Poole’s house made the cover of Domino too (and, subsequently, the Domino book).
It’s the same photos, originally styled for Domino by Dara Caponigro, including the one that was used on Domino’s cover. (Photos are by the talented Laura Resen, whose impeccable work I’ll post on later…)
Don’t get me wrong. I love Living Etc. In fact, I’ve bought almost every issue since it launched. And I absolutely love this house, from the de Gournay wallpaper and retro sideboard combo in the cover image, to the smaller details such as this red and white plate wall:
The mixture of wood, marble and colored glass in the kitchen:
And the juxtaposition of Asian, Moroccan and French elements in the living room.
I know that magazines rely on stories sold by agencies and I have no problem with the model. But recycled cover stories? I guess I just expect a little more from what is arguably one of the finest magazines for accessible modern interiors today.
What do you think? Am I being unfair or would you like to have seen something else on the cover?
Ok, it’s time for another round-up of all-time favorite design pieces. This time: mirrors. When I was compiling this list I realized that I lean toward more ornate, glamorous mirrors. Perhaps its because of their ability to transform an otherwise ‘safe’ scheme into something altogether more fanciful and exotic. Perhaps it’s because I believe a fabulous mirror doesn’t just reflect light and create the illusion of space, but can also be a work of art in its own right. All of the following have a magical quality to them that tells you something about their owners.
Coco stick mirrors conjure up images of beach huts, sandy feet and easy living. At least, that’s what this space below says to me (from House Beautiful, via Ill Seen, Ill Said).
Ever on-the-ball, West Elm has just brought out its own version. Not too bad, eh?
Now, the ultimate luxury mirror in my opinion is the peacock feather mirror – this one’s from Wisteria. You only have to check out my blog header to know how much I love this look. The mirrored circles sparkle like over-sized sequins, while the textured metal surface gives the whole piece that vintage appeal. What’s more, it works equally well in a modern space as a traditional interior. Whatever the space is like, this mirror lends both glamor and charisma.
Bone inlay (and mother of pearl inlay) mirrors are another favorite because of their spectacular craftsmanship. Many of them are made in India and bring the romantic aesthetic of that country to a space. Graham and Green has an amazing selection of bone inlay mirrors and furniture.
For something altogether simpler, I like a round mirror like these below. It pulls a room together so effortlessly. I’ve used the image below before and don’t recall the source unfortunately. But I love how the clean lines of this mirror offset the ornate fireplace. I used the same technique at home by adding a simple round mirror to balance out a display of photos and ceramics on our dining room sideboard.
Here’s the same technique used again: an ornate bed and stools (more bone inlay!) contrasted with the simple mirror. From Domino.
At the other end of the scale, Venetian glass mirrors are anything but simple and clean-lined. But these mirrors are so pretty, almost like lace, they add a luxe element to any room. And what is it with Venetian glass and pink bathrooms? Maybe it’s their sugar-plum quality, but this has to be the perfect pairing! The first image here is from Domino.
And this one’s via A Life More Fabulous.
A more homely, toned down version of this look is the shabby chic white-framed mirror. Just one stand-out piece works well in a mostly-white scheme (via The City Sage):
Or an entire wall of smaller ones (via Kika Reichart).
Finally, what better way to add polish to a space than with a starburst mirror? These have a more upscale look but are anything but staid. Their shape adds energy and movement to even the most tailored room.
Via Dwellings and Decor.
Now it’s your turn. Anyone got any other favorites that should be on this list?
I bought some coral-colored parrot tulips the other day. As I watched them change from bright orange on the first day to faded apricot at the end of their life, I was reminded of how amazing coral can look in an interior scheme. It’s been a sadly neglected hue in the past few years, but recently I’ve spotted a few rooms that combine coral with totally-now gray – to fantastic effect.
This was Coco and Kelley’s room of the week recently.
The splashes of orangey-coral look great against the neutrals and grays. This would work well in both summer and winter.
This coral bench is a good way to punch up the delicate grays of the sofa, wallpaper and flooring. Via Peacock Feathers.
This coral borders on orange but the tones are still soft rather than citrus-y. Via Style at Home.
Remember this outfit-to-room story from Domino? I was reminded it of it looking through an old issue recently. This coral has pinkish tones and, with wool, fur, felt and tweed, makes a cozy space for winter.
Looking through my files I also found this coral and gray montage from Coco and Kelley last year. If you needed proof that these colors are fabulous together, here it is…
(Tulip photo by my husband).
As usual, the latest issue of Lonny magazine is jam-packed full of rooms I just want to step into and soak up. If I could repost every single image here, I would, but I guess that would be, well, a little unimaginative.
But one thing stood out to me as a flipped through Lonny’s virtual pages: zigzags. They’re everywhere in this issue. Yup, we’ve been obsessed with zigzag rugs for a while but here they are on curtains, pillows, wallpaper, and even furniture! I can’t think of a better way to add a burst of energy to a room.
Yellow zigzag curtains are cheeky without being OTT – just like the ostrich wallpaper in this room.
What is that piece of furniture at the end of this stylish living room? A two-toned mirrored sideboard? Who cares – I want one!
Then there’s this almost-zigzag wallpaper, used to great effect in this master bedroom…
Doesn’t it look fabulous with the dark floors and white bedding?
Ah, the appeal of a flame stitch pillow in an otherwise calm and neutral room…
I love this room (first spotted on Bromeliad). I have the West Elm rug, so am of course already a fan. But it looks great here with the teal Louis chair. I have a Louis chair in our living room which needs reupholstering. I’m planning to do it in turquoise and so am heartened to see how great the combination could look.
Who knew the zigzag could be so versatile? How do you use the zigzag effect?
When I posted about this lovely ocean-front home, one of the aspects I loved about the place most was the use of interesting textiles. Erin over at Slipcover Your Life asked where the Suzani pillows in the living room were from. While I haven’t been able to track down the exact source of the ones in that house, I have been finding numerous examples of rich Suzani embroidery everywhere. Of course, Suzani has been a hot trend for some time now, so it’s hardly a surprise to find that so many retailers have brought out their own versions. But these beautiful textiles still have the ability to inject warmth and personality into a home and, perhaps, will be an enduring feature of design for many years to come.
I’m sure you’ve seen these memorable rooms with Suzani textiles:
Via Decorpad.
Via Elle Decor.
So, now, how to get the look cheaply by adding a pillow or two…
I love these slightly off-center versions from the ever-stunning Graham and Green collection.
UK-based Niki Jones has perhaps my favorite selection of Suzani cushions in off-beat pinks, purples and grays.
For a more traditional look, try Wisteria, which is always good for reasonably-priced ethnic textiles.
This one is from Area Home.
There’s a huge selection of antique textiles form around the world at Tessera. Uzbekistani pillows come in all sorts of colors and designs, like this stunning pink and coral one. The site also has Ikat textiles and pillows from Turkey, Tibet, Peru, India and all over Central Asia.
And, of course, Madeline Weinrib has a selection of attractive Suzani pillows, including more unusual designs like this one.
Anyone else found a good source for these textiles? I don’t currently have a place in my home for a Suzani throw or pillow, but I’m definitely going to try and find a little corner somewhere one of these days…. Perhaps even for outdoor seating when the summer is fully upon us. I’ll keep you posted.
Oh, and by the way, apologies for the cheesy title of this post – I just couldn’t resist!
After the florals and frills of the last few posts, I’m feeling the need to highlight some rooms with a more edgy aesthetic. (Maybe it’s the nesting instinct that’s drawing me to clean-lined, minimal spaces!?) Luckily, I came across this stunning house by designer Nacho Polo on Vintage + Chic, which fits the bill entirely. Cool, calm, collected and utterly stylish. Not sure I could live in it, but I sure wish I had the discipline to create something this stunning.
This is my favorite room. I love those dining chairs.
Interesting use of contrasting shapes here. It makes the simple color scheme more exciting.
Clever to use the all-white frames as a form of art in itself.
Love that black chandelier and rococo wallpaper in an otherwise modern minimalist bathroom.
Even if you can’t handle black and white in every room, I think it’s perfect for making the most of a small bathroom.
What do you think? Could you live here? And even if not, wouldn’t you love to visit?
My brother-in-law and his wife became the proud parents of a little girl this week (their first baby). So, in honor of the occasion, this post is devoted to all things girly in interior design: it celebrates baby pink and bubblegum pink, frills and flounces, feminine shapes and floral patterns. And, why not, I say?! Besides, what better way to usher in the spring than with the color of cherry blossom? Enjoy.
Via This is Glamorous.
Via Automatism.
Via Casapinka.
Nicole’s living room from Making it Lovely.
Via House of Turquoise.
Via Peacock Feathers.
Via A Life More Fabulous.
Via JPM Design.
Via Apartment 34.
Via Beauty Comma.
Via Pink Wallpaper.
Via Automatism.
Now let’s raise a glass of pink bubbly to my brand new niece. Welcome to the world! May it always be rosy!
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