Great Style and How To Achieve It
Group accessory items to keep them from becoming boring.
Great Style is most often the result of being relaxed enough to try different options and compositions without fear of making a mistake. Most people are their own worst critic or afraid of being judged. When creating and selecting for yourself, it does not matter much what others think. On the other hand, your friends and family may offer constructive criticism. You can usually determine if their suggestions are logical and would be an improvement.
Good style often comes down to details, like employing shades of the same color to bring visual interest to a room. Courtesy of Aleal Interiors
While it is helpful to have a chill attitude, there are basic tenets of interior design which are more likely to lead to excellent results. With color - think restraint. Red painted wainscoting on the lower half of a room packs a lot of punch. To go to the ceiling with that same red color all around the room is a lot less tolerable. Applying that color on the ceiling as well would be absolutely intolerable! Less is definitely more. In all neutral-colored rooms, shapes and textured become more important. When employing a single color it is much more interesting to bring in various shades of that color. This creates depth and nuance which will level-up your style.
One way to open up confined spaces is to remove crown moldings and fussy window coverings. Keep darker colors low in the room and lighter ones on the upper portion. Upholstered seating on legs has a lighter visual appearance. Area rugs without borders are more visually-expansive. Solid color area rugs are more enlarging because the eye does not stop to land on a carpet pattern. Use the walls to house taller and bulkier furniture so the floor area will be more open and inviting.
To keep accessories from being boring and basic, group objects together in interesting ways. These could be similar pieces in different sizes. Contrasting objects tend to enhance each other when they stand on their own and are in balance with the negative space between them. Books mix well with accessories. Go for what you are drawn to. Accessories can be almost any object. When bringing in plants, a single well-placed tall floor plant or a group of intentionally placed smaller plants will add depth and interest. A balanced ratio of plants-to-furnishings will keep the space from looking like a jungle.
While the ‘guard rails’ for interior design assist in developing a good style, truly great style is more about out-of-the box thinking, about something unexpected that enhances a space to create a moment to stop and absorb it. Consider rooms with high ceilings. The additional volume of space allows for scaled up pendants and chandelier sizes and shapes. A fireplace facade soaring up in a tall space becomes a dramatic focal point - especially when clad in a unique material. In these taller spaces walls themselves can be accented to emphasize the ceiling height. They can be rendered in floor-to-ceiling glass or disappearing glass panels which open to the exterior. Flush LED lights can create an accent and visual interest with only a simple pattern of light - for example a line near the top of the ceiling or repeating circles or squares.
The key to success in achieving great style is experiment without worrying about the result. If someone walks into your re-designed space and says, “What did you do here?”, you may want to regroup and reconfigure. On the other hand, if they say, “Look at what you’ve done here!”, you’ll know you’ve nailed it.
Readers are encouraged to submit design questions, which may be printed in a future column. To submit questions, email design@sherryscottdesign.com.
Sherry Scott is a Certified Interior Designer in California, professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers and the proprietor of Sherry Scott Design in downtown Los Altos, 169 Main St.
