Archives for August 2016

On a two-lane street seamed with cheerful homes America happens. The road is graffitied with chunky chalk drawings. Bicycles swirl by in lazy speeds. A neighbor returns a muffin pan. This is the avenue of our home, which was built when young men were shipped overseas to serve their country in The Great War. It is a humble, charming home with a pointy roof that blends with the block’s neighborly atmosphere. Inside we made it our own.

Dogs, kids, snacks are all welcome on the couch, which is meant for sitting and less stress with washable slipcovers and cases.

Imagine falling into Jeannie’s bottle, a lair so comforting it in no way relates to the ornamental bottle. Our house traipses into the fantastical with unexpected colors and accents.  We chose pieces that won’t be the subject of a freak out when kids spill chocolate milk or the dog snags a spot on the couch when we are out–all regular occurrences here.

The main living area that is the focal point in our house, which also seamlessly flows into the dining and kitchen area. Can you spy the string of a helium balloon and arrangement of blocks?

There are always games in motion. Artwork is created. Food is prepared and enjoyed. There are helium balloons that get caught in the rafters that take a week to fall to the ground. Neighborhood kids wander in and out.

I grew up with the understanding that you wore hand gloves to the theater and tea is served with squared blocks of sugar. A mix of old values and new traditions collide in our home. While we respect the past, value special passed down pieces, we scale back to fit into today’s lifestyle and design.

Kitchen with retro, modern appliances.

Task List for a Modern Retro Home without the Clutter:

1. Quality Pieces: Fewer furnishings loaded with style can carry a room. Consider when to splurge or style with simple, trendy accents like pillows and throws.
2. Add Color with Accessories: Painting the walls white is the ultimate blank canvas. This allows you to design with statement pieces, like wicker furniture painted in a punchy color, art or appliances.
3. Use Washable Upholstery and Fabrics: Eliminate anxiety when someone drinks something aside from water on the couch. Use slipcovers and washable pillowcases to keep a home stress-free and comfortable.
4. Retro Kitchen Appliances Add Impact: A new refrigerator in a mod design, supported by a microwave, espresso maker or appliance with a period look, distinguish the kitchen.

The Accent Pieces:

1. Linked-In style: When designing a room bring in like-minded pieces for keep a cohesive theme.
2. Picture frames: Family photos are the personal accent to a lived in home, which are connected through the shell frames.
3. Wall art: Simple pictures with spots of color like prints from books or maps, expertly framed, bring interest above and add style.
4. Toys: To keep the “family” in family room, kid toys should always be available. An easel or blocks concealed in baskets or drawers make the room more inviting for the 10 and under crowd.

You’d think my cupboard had a celebrity colorist considering all the colors it has been, which is  currently painted in Windy Sky. It has been in my former living area and son’s room, displayed children’s books, beach artifacts, linens and currently showcases kitchenware. But how do you master the art of a display?

An attention to the right pieces and color over clutter creates an effective vignette.

Thoughtful Displays of Affection:

1. Consider the Space: With limited shelf space avoid cramming all of your favorite pieces. (I am so guilty of this). Be prepared to do an edit where some items may not make the cut. Simply stow them away in a clearly marked container and revisit to use again for when you entertain or want to rejig a theme.
2. Scheming: In this vignette I picked items that have colors represented in the adjoining kitchen and living spaces. I added pink for pop, whimsy and it goes with the playful theme in our household as we are always experimenting with recipes and party ideas.
3. Create Levels: Pick a variety of objects in different heights to fill in blank spaces. Pedestal plates, trays and the decorative boxes they were packed in are great accessories to stack pieces and add interest.
4. Mix It Up: From modern basics to heirlooms, traditional and updated accents come together to make a personalized look. Dainty porcelain you thought was destined for your Great Aunt Polly’s 90th birthday need not be relegated to storage. Rose printed china looks cool against simple colored pieces.

While the idea of a front parlor room where you can make embroidered cushions and read letters delivered on silver platters is quaint, we had uncertainty if the original room would make sense in our modern lifestyle. After giving the home a few test months, we valued the separation of the front and back sections of the first floor. Since this is a smaller home, different areas for family to retreat in is key. Thus we transformed the original parlor room into a “calm room.”

The “calm room” is minimally furnished to nurture restful activities for modern times, like reading, homework or games.

The bay window brings in natural light and added seating, which helps keep the room uncluttered and relaxing. I kept the furnishings to a few functional pieces that are low to the ground–movable chairs like the rope poufs and stools, with plenty of books tastefully displayed. The home’s primary palette of blues and seaglass green is amply represented. A sisal rug is always key to bring in warmth and seamlessly integrate into the design scheme.

Upholstered pillows allow you to control the design.

The design theme of this room has a combination of influences, notably favorite places I have lived in like the Hamptons and Laguna Beach. Both coastal regions, though on different coasts, which share a casual elegance–comfortable, ethnic-inspired, light with beachy shades. I upholstered the pillows, valances and seat cushions with a Kravet fabric.

My most dependable design accent is coffee table books. If you saw my last storage facility you would say it is an obsession. Being an author of a few titles I am partial to what’s inside the book, though they also have design cred in accessorizing. I painted a brick wall white and kept the shelving for my books, which I organized by scale and color with a few accents here and there. (More to come later…)

Every home should have book shelves in at least one room.

The coffee table is an anchor piece in a designed home. What makes it on the table are favorite books chosen for size, color and style–peppered with supporting accents. When I came across Bitten by Witch Fever (which is actually a lovely book on colorful Victorian wallpapers) the scheme seemed intended for the room.

Coffee table book chosen for its pattern and color, which fits with the room’s theme. Design wise that is.