Color Texture Pattern: Eastern Influence

How can you say no to rooms like this? Dark woods, rich shades of berry, bright woven silks, nubby rugs and glossy finishes? Turn them into outfits that wow at every turn, combining brights, darks, silks, jute, velvet, chinoiserie, animal prints and timeless metallics. 

If you had to choose: would it be the rooms or the outfits?

Photo Credit: Tom Leighton for Livingetc

Single-Girl Style: Eclectic in Copenhagen

Scandinavian style strikes me as both refreshing and cold. The way an all-white room sets off accent colors is striking, and the minimalism certainly gives you a sense of mental lightness. But the white also seems so darn cold. (Maybe it's because I hail from the snow belt.)

This apartment is everything I love in a home. The resident, Trine Harbo, uses eastern influences sourced from her travels to create a home that is grounded, warm and incredibly interesting. The colors, textures and patterns don't clash here. They all work together to create one snug harmony. 

I wonder if Trine does home swaps? I've never been to Denmark...

Call Me When the Heatwave is Over

There was precious little shade at mid-day but, I used what little there was to do a tiny bit of shopping and make it home Frogger-style.  Inside temperature: 90 degrees of sweet, blissful cool. Didn't turn on the air conditioner for three hours.

This is where I'll be 'til the Big Bake is over...

Git Gustavsson's utterly dreamy bedroom makeover featured in House & Home, April 2011 (Photo: Joanna Helli)

Dream Palace: Rooms to Cool Down In

This heatwave is stunning. Like WTF? I left work at 6pm and could not fathom the temperature on the streets. Is there a massive a/c vent somewhere? A massive grill? After much walking and shopping and a cool ride on the local train to Brooklyn, I finally came home to a blissful 88 degree apartment. And it was a sweet relief... 88 degrees! 

So, I hunted around for some visual relief and found it in these rooms which embody all that I am feeling right now. Stay cool and stick to the shade. 

From stylist Christine Rudolph:

this Livingetc photo shoot inspired me to buy a similar console table from target, for my desk. and it has played no small part in my mix of textiles and colors: my place

Decorating With Textiles: Sloped Ceilings

Back in the '90s, when I was sharing a cramped bedroom in my sorority house, the best we could come up with for decorating our sloped ceilings were posters. That's right. I lay in my little corner and looked up at "The Little Mermaid" (the one that was rumored to have a penis hidden amongst the towers). 

What this room does that we never thought to? Define the "head-bump space" in rich detail. Not only do the colors vary from rug to rug, but also the patterns and textures themselves. This is probably delightful even on a rainy day. (Notice the chair is centered under the peak so you don't get knocked out standing up.)

Any clever display ideas for your best textiles? Decorating odd walls? 

source: marie claire maison

Color Texture Pattern: Words to Live By

For sure, the same basic things attract me in home design as attract me in fashion. Color + Texture + Pattern. Then throw in Shape as the final criterion. Every item in a space should possess those three aspects. Particularly spaces that are Eclectic or Bohemian. And all of these things work best in some kind of balance that soothes the eye. Brights with neutrals, shiny with coarse, stripes with florals, large prints with small, and round with angular. 

Observe the various bedrooms from each Season of the series Secret Diary of a Call Girl:

Season 1:  the room features an ornate, carved bed with upholstery that has an earth tone smooth background and a bright velvety floral print. the wall is done in a floral brocade wallpaper. and the feature wall is accented in satin, brocade curtains in a rich deep purple. as an eclectic touch: the bedside table is a modern ghost, and the lamp is a retro mod in bright blue and red. and the round cocoa chairs add another opposing style.

Let's try this again...

After a month trying Tumblr, I've decided to try blogspot again. The pace is just so fast over there.  It feels like a beast you have to constantly feed.  And so many of the people seem to be teenagers interested in neo-bohemianism.  So it's back to blogspot to say my peace in my own time. 

One thing Tumblr does well is allow you the visual reference to consider aesthetic balance in the images you post.  I could refer back and say "too much pink, add some blue" or "too much color, add some neutrals."  So The Mermaid's Tongue will live on...