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.

Season 2: the curtains are gone and the turquoise wallpaper is replaced by a black/red floral. somehow the black makes the room feel more sleek and clean.

 

Season 3:  total redec! the protruding feature wall is leveled out. the closet door frame is gone. new carpet. the vanity nook is opened up and a window cut through to the kitchen (?). as for the theme: brights are pretty much tossed out in favor of shades of mauve and lilac. all new carved bed, wall sconces. the bedroom has a french/english country antique vibe too it. (the living room is a cross between french and asian.) the whole apartment has gold as it's accent. a few soft pieces remain hot pink. and the new wallpapers - which vary by room - fantastic! what is this, apothecary chic?

And, Season 4: belle buys a house and adopts white as her new color with accents of grey. and every piece still does triple duty bringing color + texture + pattern to every room. she maintains the dainty retro-with-modern-touches vibe of S3, adding a chandelier to the floral sconces. and the chinoiserie touch remains with that satin bedspread. her new metal is silver which holds its own among all these patterns. and the bedframe is the most ornate of all.

I would kick her out in a minute!