Warm mine up, please.......

A palate I love, warm with a touch of sparkle


A warm, rich mix of fabrics


Yesterday I blogged about how being a keen observer of spaces can help you start to identify your personal design style. Designers, by nature, are keen observers. We are always disecting components of rooms and evaluating why the choices made in a space work or don't work together. I can't tell you how many, countless, interior magazines, books, trade shows, design centers, show houses, hotels lobbies, restaurants, etc... I've poured over and been in awe of how the details bring it together so elequantly or think about what could be tweaked to give it harmony. Our job is to take all the countless elements of a space and bring them together so they are pleasing to the eye and create an atmosphere that is comfortable to be in.

In my job, I am exposed to many different styles, but am always, personally, drawn to warm, cozy, eclectic spaces with an element of the "unexpected". There are certain types of details in spaces that, everytime I see them, I feel comfortable and want to have in my own home. For me, personally I choose:

• Warm, rich paint colors, such as browns, deep taupes, rich celedons
• Textured fabrics, chenilles, velvets, silks all mixed together
• Subtle pattern mixes (as discussed in a previous post)
• A mix of accessories different styles and periods for that eclectic look, alway with a touch of sparkle!!
• A variety of furniture styles. I don't buy matching sets, even my dining room table and chairs are variety.
• The unexpected, this can be a modern piece of furniture or painting in an otherwise traditional room, a color that goes well, but is surprising in how it's used, formal and informal pieces mixed. Something that works very well in the room but is out of the norm.

Although I appreciate many different styles and types of design, I know what I like to live with and have learned to identify these things; even through the endless amount of choices out there I know what range to look for that will continue to please me. Start evaluating your own style, start to recognize the types of things that you always look at twice or give you a comfortable feeling when you are around them. Keep a list, learn to recognize them when shopping, hire a designer to help you sort them out. After all, isn't creating a home that is distinctly yours and a pleasure for you to be in the greatest luxury of all?