styled living simply achieved by Jacqueline deMontravel
Chances are that when returning home after a long day, your most anticipated place to be is the sofa. It’s the ultimate symbol of leisure–designed to relax, entertain and host the occasional nap. Whether you’re a coach potato or busy mom, sofas deserve proper design treatment.
A sofa’s design is elevated from an attention to accents.
If we were to set this boy’s bedroom to music, we’d select The Beatles’ “Come Together.” An attention to mixing prints, customized pieces, and a unification of bold colors elevate a basic boy’s room to a sanctuary with a P.O.V. When designing your child’s room, follow a few simple guidelines and then have fun–this is a place for kids with a penchant for cartoons and Crayolas.
In my son’s California bedroom, the nautical theme set the direction with a modern twist.
If you’re decorating a new home or redoing a space, resist that click-happy impulse to fill shopping carts with a load of stuff you may not need. (Sorry Amazon). A skilled room planner knows that restraint is necessary for a clean arrangement that leaves more room for design creativity.
The main room in our Laguna Beach home is multifunctional while delivering on a modern take of the British West Indies style.
Wall art has a tendency to accumulate in a speed more associated with buying earrings, it seems disloyal to keep it all stowed away. There’s an impulse to hang all the art you own like those trendy gallery walls that merit their own Pinterest board. Or cram a wall hanging into every bare space, which treads into an overly accessorized look. As an artist who paints for creative stimulation, we have many canvases to choose from and I am not inclined to sell unless there is a full-on interview. (Think getting approved by the condo board process). I’ve found that simplicity calms the design, which aptly sets off the chosen art to create a less manic space.
When deliberating on art work, arrange the candidates in the intended space to have a visual of what looks most appealing.
After living in shelter-in-place, we have our own takeaways like the war-era granny who maximized the lifecycle of soap. 2020 has become the most challenged year in most people’s lifetime but there were positives from a year of adversity (without undermining the loss of life).
Skills that value resources and increase an awareness of consideration will have longterm effects that will promote good living. Please tune in to the Happy Healthy Home’s podcast on the positive home trends learned from quarantine.
Happy Health Home: Home Trends After Shelter In Place
There’s a tragic quality to the growing number of tear downs in my Connecticut neighborhood. New homes are quickly erected, blocks of white structures accented with black steel-framed windows. The interiors are so new Wipe-Its must be readily available to remove damaging smudge prints. The thought of living in such a home can be alluring in that wearing new clothes kind of sensation. However I have too many things to ever make such a home work, from past down belongings to sentimental acquisitions, parting with them would be a breach in loyalty. This is why I return to the sensibility of my Parisian family. Their style is not influenced by Pinterest boards but what is rich in quality, provenance, and furnishings that can’t be described in a paragraph of copy beneath a shopping cart icon.
Every space in my cousin’s Paris home spotlights an important assembly of fine pieces, as seen from this view to the office.
Don’t let the title fool you, this is a happy holiday story. Imagine a Christmas without installing so many outdoor lights power outages occur. Or losing your house keys in the clutter of decorative fa la la. It was our goal to seek the positives that came from 2020 and we are continuing the stress-free agenda till the year ends, notably for the the final and richest holiday. While Christmas delights the maximalist in us, this holiday a lighter approach to the decor will reduce anxiety so you can enjoy the simple beauty found in the season.
Buy a basic wreath and tie a ribbon bow. This year we chose pink as our holiday accent color.
It’s like found money, creating additional kitchen space when square footage is compromised. When we designed our kitchen that had limited room, we considered knocking down a wall to usurp the adjoining office. (This was pre-quarantine so we’re especially thankful we didn’t go this route.) A smart use of the area was to not install a cumbersome island but add on a few inches of countertop to create an overlay. It’s simple, not too costly, and now there’s an added place for dining.
A kitchen overlay creates additional seating without infringing on too much valued space.
Decorating for the autumn season doesn’t have to be about layering on chintzy decor that will be hitting the bargain aisle in a few weeks. From pumpkins to linens, use decorative flare that is more classic and seasonal than plastic novelty items. Here, we feature ideas that will add festive yet understated touches to your autumn home.
The colors of fall are decor on their own, compliment nature’s spectacle with a simple bunting hung across a gate.
When we dress, we put everything into it. From the clothes to the shoes and all those accessories you bought on those click-happy pop up ads–you want to be noticed. Design is the same way, you just live with the vignette a bit longer. It’s also interchangeable, as you don’t have to style a table once the way you did with the coffee table you grew up with from elementary school till college. (Our moms evidently did not have click-happy pop up ads to feed shopping whims.)
Summer coffee table with no-fail accessories like a candle, books and tray.
