At Home: Finishing touches for a contemporary home

Accepting a visitor/decorator into your home to deconstruct it in words and pictures is not for the faint of heart.  There's  an element of trust in this endeavour, trust that I will represent the home in a truthful and pleasing way. Knowing this, I am always so pleased when homeowners accept my proposal to highlight their home and discuss elements of their decor that I am interested in writing about.  Once again I have willing participants in my At Home series.  

Come along to see what the Erls have been up to for the last six months since they moved into their new home in the east end of St. John's, NL.

WELCOME

The entrance to this home provides a pleasing welcome with it's bold colour scheme and inviting landscaping.  As you move inside you soon realize that the exterior is an extension of the overall feel and colour schemes utilized inside. 

A neutral background

It is very obvious that Gail and Gary are  detail oriented people because  great attention is given to  both the  permanent fixtures  in their home as well as the smaller details. This is a warm home even though the majority of rooms are painted  Benjamin Moore CC40 cloud white, a tried and true warmish white.   Thankfully I don't have to try to put a positive spin on a cool white (e.g.,  Benjamin Moore decorator's white) which I am not in the least attracted to.  Thanks for making my job easier!

High contrast

One of the most striking aspects of this home is the high contrast between the  darker wood finishes

( hardwood, doors, stairways), and the light tile, walls and windows.  The stained glass transoms created by Don Ryall were designed to parallel the one in the entry.  Two additional transoms over the entries to the kitchen carry this patterning and contrast into the centre of the house.

Vibrant accent colours

Gail has broken up the neutral framework with her love of vibrant colours liberally employed in her accents.  With each room having a different accent colour ranging from blues to orange and red you are kept interested as you move from room to room.  There is definitely an up beat feel to the space.   Knowing that Gail is a gardener, I would describe her accent colours as a garden palette.

Function and form

When you choose basic colours you can move things around to see where they look best. Gail's accessories for the most part are functional objects: pillows, clocks, baskets, vases, candles, trays, throws etc., which are easily interchanged.  While I was photographing, I had the urge to do just that to show the versatility in her collection of objects, but that might be another post. 

Use what you have

One of the struggles many people have in a move to a different style and size of home is carry over.  Often what looked great in one space, just doesn't work in another even when you keep much of the same furniture.  When I questioned Gail about this she estimated she reused about 80% of her things.  She believes  her interest in certain colours remains constant, and much of what she purchases can be used in a variety of settings.   Pillows are quickly updated with new covers, while vases, a particular favourite, alway work in a space for flowers/greenery, or to add a sculptural element to the simplest arrangement of objects.    Re-using accessories is a responsible approach to decorating, and it also provides the much needed time to find the final finishing touches.

Wood tones as a backdrop

Since the vibrancy of her accent colours are reminiscent of a riot of colourful flowers,  a range of wood tones in furniture and accessories  provide  a great foil this the bold intrusion of colour. Mixing wood tones throughout a space creates warmth and carries hints of nature throughout  a home.  While some people get carried away with efforts to perfectly match wood tones,  a more eclectic approach provides greater interest.  Choose one to dominate and be flexible with the rest.  For more on  how to integrate wood tones like a pro check out this post.

Inspiration

When asked about sources of inspiration, Gail admitted she has a  weakness for decorating magazines, and also watches  certain decorating shows.  But there is no doubt in my mind that she takes much of her inspiration from nature because it is referenced repeatedly in her home.

A good example of this is the art work over the bed in the master bedroom.  Not only does it bring us into a relaxing day by the sea it also relates to the lake that is visible through the windows.  As you can see, window treatments are minimal and frame the great views.  

European travels  have obviously had an impact on how The Erls' choose to organize and furnish their home from the single European duvets to the  clean lined aesthetic evident in every room.

The soft cream accents from the bedroom are darkened to a soft gold in the ensuite. Again, you can see nature references in the grain of the storage boxes and the content of artwork.

Seasonal decorating

If you choose the right accessories there isn't much you need to do when special events roll around. Gail and I  have the same decorating philosophy about seasonal decor!  The answer to all her seasonal decorating is colour specific to the season supported by what else - flowers and greenery.  Pop in a few orange flowers in the tray you saw in an earlier pic  and you're ready to go. That's where her vase collection comes in. She  also liberally uses fruit and vegetables in her arrangements.

Vignettes

Chuckle, chuckle... decorating speak for arranged objects.  It's the perfect word in my book, but I've gotten some strange looks from clients when I use it.   There is definitely an art to arranging objects in a pleasing way.  In essence, you are creating a 3 dimensional composition.  Check out this post for lots of tips on the various lines of design you can use when composing  arrangements.  In addition, the top three things to remember are: 1) odd numbers of objects; 2) varying heights; and 3) variety in colour and texture. Then there's: repetition, balance (symmetrical and asymmetrical) and overlapping. I see all of these elements/ principles used in Gail's arrangements.

For many people decor decisions are usually made at the  instinctual level.  Each of us is attracted to various colours, shapes/forms, textures, etc., and how  they can be organized.  Often we may not be aware of our biases.  I told Gail I would seek hers out for the post.  As you can see in the collage of kitchen shots above, she has a definite attraction to vibrant colours, repetition of form and threes.

Notice the repetition of rectangles above in the art, tray and the counter, as well as a strong vertical orientation in the vase and flowers. The curves in the apples, vase and flowers help to  counteract the straight lines.

Of course, you have to completely ignore the electrical collage behind the interesting one! Wouldn't we love a house where all the functional elements could disappear into the walls?

A fresh apple green is repeated throughout her powder room.  Here there are threes again and a strong vertical orientation in the daisy art work.  I've made my own vignette/collage and added the bottle and branches from her stairs. It really does work better on the stairs, but you get the idea about moving objects from room to room when you have accent colours that work well together.  See the hint of orange in the tissue box and the the centre of the flower.... ah, the possibilities with this green and that dark wood.

Sightlines

Sightlines are often forgotten elements in home decor.  Looking through into another room or down a hallway and having an anchoring element/focal point to tease your eye is a way of providing interest.

When you enter the foyer in the Erls' home and open the door to the living area you are greeted by this eye catching photograph of  their daughter, Karen taken by J. Reid Studios.  Not only does it provide a focal point from the entry, it continues to have a strong visual pull in the living room and dining room. 

Arranging things below such a striking piece  takes restraint because the portrait  has to shine.  You can see that the majority of  objects are darker, simple forms of varying heights.  Adding colourful things to this vignette would not have worked  half as well. The plant provides softness and connects well with the other plants/flowers in the room.   Also notice how the objects form a zig zag effect as they are arranged across the long expanse of table top - one of the best strategies for console tables. Balance is created without symmetry.

When you walk out of the guest bedroom or up the main stairway this vignette greets you.

The red is carried forward into the guest room and ....

...the orange from the kimono is used as an accent in the main bath.

There's so much more I didn't write about, but I've generously sampled the finishing touches in this home.  Thanks so much to the Erls for graciously agreeing to have us tour their home.

 Perhaps you have a favourite element or room or you  would like to share your ideas in the comments.

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Are you a design rebel?

What's your first instinct if someone tells says you shouldn't do something?

Do you automatically want to do it?  I do! 

 Most people would agree that there are rules/guidelines in interior design. They impact decisions about all sorts of things,  e.g.,  hanging lights, choosing the right scale furniture, selecting colour schemes, etc.   I guess following them is a little like following a recipe - you get a predictable result. Someone else has done all the thinking for you which makes it easy but, you also get a very generic looking space where everything looks controlled.

 I always think about those generic spaces  as the "Pinterest look" . You know  the rooms, all  beautifully organized, cutely accessorized with whatever is trendy at the time, and perfectly matched.   Does that make them wrong?  Definitely not.  I firmly believe we should all live in spaces that make us happy and comfortable.   What I am saying is that there are options in design that produce interesting, one of a kind spaces that are  usually achieved by playing around with design elements and principles. They are not for everyone.

 Take the room below.....

 

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  Have a close look at this space  and decide what you like or don't like about it.  Check out my thoughts  at the end of this post. There are no right or wrong answers.

 How closely you adhere to rules is dependent on what results you want to achieve, how well you understand the elements/ principles  of design,  and how creative you are at applying them.  You can do anything in decorating, you just need to act bravely, and figure out how to pull it off.  But, before you can break the rules you have to know them.

Can you spot which  rules/guidelines were  thrown to the four winds in these rooms? 

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Here are the results: 

 

1. Stick to one style 

 These spaces show that when you mix traditional and modern the juxtaposition draws attention to both.  If only one style was used the various elements would be lost in their sameness. I particularly like the richness of wood and lots of curves with modern furnishings.  Of course art of any style works in any space.  

2. Use consistent finishes (don't mix metals)

This is definitely a good place to start your little rebellion.  You certainly can mix metals. Just make sure you have some of each one in the space.  Think about a piece of jewellery that uses white gold, pink gold and yellow gold. It works. Check out this post on the topic.

 

3. Pay attention to scale when selecting furniture/objects
I have to admit this is the one I have the most difficult time ignoring because  I am so attuned to scale considerations in drawing and painting.  I think I also have a  thing about objects too large bearing down on me. They make me uncomfortable. Large scale objects make riveting focal points. You can also have objects that are too small in scale, and end up looking insignificant and/or cluttered. Scale is usually the issue when a client tells me there is something wrong with a space, but he/she can't name it.

 

 
4. Every room needs an accent colour
Definitely not! Monochromatic rooms are so relaxing and depend on value changes and texture to wow.  If you want a quiet room, forget the pops of colour.

  

5. Keep wood tones consistent
When you slavishly adhere to this dictate you end up with a very boring space.  Check out this post for ways to mix wood tones effectively.



6. Choose light colours for small spaces
That would be your first instinct, but the two rooms in #6 shows that breaking this rule produces distinctive and very different spaces.  Sorry, but I couldn't live in either of them.  I am a neutral colour gal in my own home. This post provides various options for painting small spaces.

How did you do?

And now back to the reflection pic....

 

There's no doubt this space breaks a lot of rules, but it sure is memorable, and no one could call it boring. 

•  styles are mixed freely, moving from traditional to modern;
•  the colour scheme is monochromatic, no accent colours here;
• scale is manipulated big time in the high back chairs, plant, circular light fixture as well as in the smaller lamp shades in adjoining room;
• wood tones are liberally mixed.

And here's another take on some of the points above and few new ones. Modani modern furniture specializes in modern furniture and accessories.  Check them out online or at their newly opened modern furniture store in Toronto. Remember you can combine modern elements with any decor.

 

How do you feel about breaking design rules? 

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5 Tips for painitng small spaces

 The one topic I've written about on my blog that gets attention from thousands of decor happy readers is decorating small spaces.  I think that is because rooms and homes today are smaller than they once were.  People living in condos or apartments must be conscious of using every trick in the book to enlarge their living spaces. So stay awhile and see how colour can solve some of your small space dilemmas.  Perhaps in these suggestions you will find a treatment for your small space.

Use one colour everywhere

This might seem like an extreme solution but it isn't really.  Using one colour all over a room makes the different planes blend together  to give a more unified look.  You can even use the same colour on the floor and ceiling if you wish.  Since your eye continues to move  freely around the room you have no sense of the boundaries of it.

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If I could change one thing about this room above, I would paint the trim a soft pink too to keep the eye moving. Painting  trim white creates vertical and horizontal lines that your eyes automatically go to and follow. You can see the difference in the room below where the trim is painted out.  The room has an unbroken field of colour that is certainly expansive even though a dark colour was used.

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More blue, but the trim is painted a coordinating colour that is closer in value to the walls decreasing the emphasis on  the trim which seems to just blend in.

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Use cool colours 

 The rooms above are using the same colour almost everywhere, but they  are also utilizing another colour trick. Cool colours like blues, blue grays etc. make the walls of a room recede thus making the space appear larger than it actually is. Blues are an excellent choice for small bathrooms, laundry rooms, spare bedrooms, etc.  When walls recede you tend to notice the furnishings rather than the  "box" that contains them.

There's nothing like a cool lavender with white and light grays to expand a space.  

 

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Use a dark colour on the walls

That's right, a dark colour!  Would you ever think that would work?  It does because  the corners disappear in the shadows and your eye moves around easily. Darker colours are often perceived as  visually deeper. There are  decorators who take the opposite approach to keeping walls light in a small space.  And the final trick with dark colours in small rooms is to paint them in a semi-gloss or gloss to reflect light.  This approach is not for the faint of heart,  but it can be quite stunning.   If you're afraid to go really dark choose a mid value gray or taupe.

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Use a colour you see outside

Blues and greens give the impression that the room continues beyond the windows. You can paint the walls an outside colour or use one  in your fabric choices.  I love the freshness of the room below. It certainly is reminiscent of  plants.

House Beautiful

Designer Christina Murphy uses green to great effect  to visually extend this room by connecting it to the view outside the window.  Keeping a simple colour scheme is also visually enlarging.

 

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Everything about this room invites the outside in and blends the two together. Lighter floors always enlarge a space.  There are no dark hardwoods in my life, I like light and airy all the way.

Keep walls and furniture a similar colour 

 When you keep the furniture and walls close to the same colour you are blurring the lines between them. As a result the mass of the furniture is decreased and the overall volume of the room is increased.  If you don't wish to have all the furniture the same colour consider having at least  the bigger items like armoires and chests close to the wall colour so they will begin to blend into the room and widen it out.

Jennifer Brouwer

I also want the cabinet for the TV to be a lighter colour, but it is undeniably a focal point in the room  and every room needs one. I'd also skip the dark wood rods which your eye travels to automatically because of the contrast, but I also understand why the decorator chose them (all the woods in the room are dark).   Overall I love these two rooms.  They are warm and inviting.

Laura Bielecki

I equally love the cool minimal look  of this room, but it isn't for everyone.

Paint a Focal Wall

 

 I'm not a large fan of painting a focal wall.  I think sometimes it works to great advantage, but most times it is a less than creative solution in a space. This strategy  can work wonders in a small space, Don't be afraid to paint an accent wall a darker receding color thus  making the space look larger.

Harrell Remodeling

 And there you have it.  The only thing left to do is decide which of these solutions will work in your space. 

 Happy painting.

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