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.

Cote de Texas



Lindsey Harper

Melissa Gulley Portfolio

Jane McGarry


Ludwig Interior

Melissa Gulley Portfolio

House Beautiful

Lindsey Harper

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.

Books Books Books

Organizing books can be very personal.  Really the person who’s books they are needs to be part of the organizing.  Now some of you may be saying to yourself- “yeah, of course who else would do it?”.  Well as an Interior Designer, I am asked very frequently to reorganize peoples built-ins to look really Fab.  This is tough if the person is really into books.  Which have they read, which are in cue to be read, does this person need them by subject or author?  This is very important to most people, and is very different to how the book shelves will look best.  They look best if arranged by color:

When they are arranged by color there is a visual calm that's achieved.  Otherwise they seem chaotic and visually cluttered:

If you need your books to be by topic, author, or been read or not, then making smaller collections of those categories and separating them with some interesting objects is a great way to visually organize them:

or spread the arranging to other areas of the room as well, like the mantle:

 

Or the coffee table or console/hall table:

When people visit your home they are unconsciously looking for personality cues on the people who live there.  Who are they, what are they passionate about, where have they traveled?  By giving them those cues (books,accessories,art) your home instantly has more character, depth and warmth, not to mention instant conversation topics.  Without these things your home resembles a furniture showroom void of all human touches.

I am also (very often) asked to shop for all accessories, picture frames, art and books for a home owner that currently does not own anything.  This can be interesting, I am essentially creating the personality of the client, which people will see and adopt as the client’s identity.  Usually by this point in a project, I have a very detailed idea of who these people are so I’m not pulling personality out of thin air. 

There is the rare client who makes me wish there were more books on garden variety sociopaths – that way I could help them portray their true personalities to their visitors.

Can grown ups live with pink?

Well - Yes!!!  First of all I love to see men wearing pink- it evokes a nice confidence about them and flatters almost all complexions in such a healthy way.

This is taking it farther then I expect for most men but how Fab are these guys?

(Carlton Varney and friends)

Pink in decoration of our houses usually starts with a girl’s room - until they outgrow pink and want the space to reflect the grown-up they are in their own mind.  But at what age can we accept pink again.  Some just never get back to it and dislike the color but then their are some - like me - who really love the color.  How can it fit into our current houses with husbands and boys running around who may not gravitate to pink?

Maybe it’s just an irreverent splash of color in a masculine setting (above - Ned Marshall) or as accents (below - Brad Ford).

This (immediately below) is a picture of my Dining room and another picture (below that) of my Foyer with splashes of pink (thank goodness my husband is secure - if not daring!)

 

So, if you liked pink once – maybe it’s time to revisit pink again.