Welcome to Design track mind by Melissa Gulley

I am an interior designer from Newton, MA having a lot of fun writing this blog between client appointments, kid stuff, kid school stuff, dog stuff, husband stuff, husband's company stuff (http://www.fueldog.com/), life stuff, old house stuff, family stuff, extended family stuff and the rest of the detail stuff. I am not a writer (clearly) so please ignore the typo's, spelling mistakes and desperate need for proofreading.

Minimalism SUCKS!

As I’m sure you’ve gathered from the title, I am not a minimalist.  I personally think minimalism is cold, boring and just plain no fun! I need to borrow some quotes from the USA’s resident fun decorator, Jonathan Adler.  In his manifesto he says, “We believe in irreverent luxury,We believe that your home should make you happy, We believe minimalism is a bummer, We believe handcrafted tchotchkes are life-enhancing, We believe tassels are the earrings of the home, We believe in being underdressed or overdressed always, We believe dogs should be allowed in stores and restaurants, We believe colors can't clash.” 
Back to me.  Now I must stress- the opposite of minimalism is clutter and that is also something I’m not into at all (AT ALL- it really makes me crazy!) 

I advocate controlled vignettes that allow personality to permeate your interior.  Achieving this, however, is something of an art form and is personal to the people who live in the house. 
You also need a place for the eye to rest, so be sure there is empty space. 
A vignette is a still life arrangement on a table, mantle book shelf, nightstand etc., that is balanced with tall and short, textured and slick, color and lack thereof. 

Most of all it’s a collection of things that make you happy and mean something.
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
Cote de Texas
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
Lindsey Harper
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
Melissa Gulley Portfolio
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
Jane McGarry
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
Ludwig Interior
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
Melissa Gulley Portfolio
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
House Beautiful
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
Lindsey Harper
www.melissagulley.com , www.designtrackmind.com , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Newton MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Wellesley MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Weston MA , Melissa Gulley Interior Design Boston MA, Melissa Gulley Interior Design Needham MA, Best Interior Design, Favorite Interior Design
Branca Interiors
Here are some links to articles on how to create the perfect table top Vignette:
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/10820?utm_campaign=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery5
http://www.ehow.com/how_5143987_design-tabletop-display.html
http://www.thelennoxx.com/?p=4713
http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/8-tips-for-making-beautiful-vignettes/index.html
http://interiordecorating.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_style_and_accessorize_a_coffee_table
I will leave you with a little more Jonathan Adler.  Here are a few of his “10 commandments of a happy chic home”  totally Hysterical- go to his web site www.johathanadler.com for more fun!
#1
Thou shalt embrace maximalism.
Thou wilt find minimalism to be something of a bummer in thy abode. Thou wilt grow tired of an endless sea of beige and thou wilt long for a splash of color & a dollop of pattern! Bargello pillows, Furnace bottles, and rustic modern lamps - these shalt be the accessories that add some panache to your pad. #3
Thou shalt buy an X-Bench.
Then, thou shalt buy another. Thou shalt use them in pairs, perfect under thy console or placed near thy sofa. Thou shalt rest thy feet upon them & so will thy guests. In fact, thy guests might even fight over who gets to rest upon them. Therefore, thou shalt establish house rules about thy X-Benches. Perhaps thou should consider a sign up sheet. #5
Thou shalt mix fancy with frisky.
Thou shalt not be overly formal, for if thou art, thou will be sad. Conversely, thou shalt not be overly whimsical, for if thou art thou will not feel chic. Therefore, thou shalt embrace a mix, pairing the chic classical foundation - excellent proportions, classic furniture - with a layer of playful punctuation. Then thou shalt rest.
#6
Thou shalt honor the funsters of yore.
David Hicks, Alexander Girard, Piero Fornasetti, Bonnie Cashin, Bjorn Wiinblad - if thou dost not knoweth them, thou should. Thou can use Google Images to learn more about them and thou shalt channel their fun, idiosyncratic, playful spirit in thine own interiors. Thy home will be fun, happy, and chic.
#7
Thou shalt not commit murder,
unless thou art murdering for a decorative accessory. If thou should find thyself at one of our stores and seeth the last bird bowl on our shelf, thou shalt feel free to use whatever means necessary to obtain that special something.

4 comments:

  1. I actually have Bjorn Wiinblad plates - on my wall, even. Love this - hate beige.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am a minimalist, but I designed my home to be warm with lots of color. You can check out my designs at www.styliciouslysocial.com (see my DIY Home) post. I enjoy a zen lifestyle with no clutter. I only include items in my home that I love and make a statement.

    -Andrea
    www.styliciouslysocial.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love your blog! Starting my own, love the way you write. Most blogs to me are very uneventful. I agree with you as well. I think the minimalism trend is very uninspiring. The designers that embrace this trend I personally do not like their designs at all. Very cold not inviting! Keep up the great work! Looove your design style!
    Joyce

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, you clearly have no idea what minimalism is, judging it purely by what you see in blog photos as opposed to the actual philosophy.

    ReplyDelete