Purposeful Design with Chinoiserie Chic
Last Wednesday, I introduced
my new series, Purposeful Design
. This series focuses on the importance of interior design as it relates to how we feel in our homes. The design choices we make all work toward setting a tone. The highest priority of interior design in our homes should be to create a setting that makes us most happy.
Beth, from
, is here today telling us what she's done in her beautiful house to create her perfect surroundings.
For me, nothing establishes the tone and feel of a home like your choice of color. It is always where I start. I am definitely not a white walls kind of girl. There is nothing white in my wardrobe and there is not a white wall in my home. Tony Duquette said "Coral is my neutral" and that is definitely me. I use color in my home to reflect my personality. I would describe myself as -
*feminine
*glamorous
*sophisticated
*happy, upbeat, high energy
The feminine side of me is reflected in my love of pink. My dressing room is pink and I use pink everywhere in my home, except in those rooms dedicated to my husband like his man cave and his private bathroom.
My dressing room
My living room
To add glamour to any room, nothing beats gold.
My office
My living room
To keep things sophisticated, I have two tips. Tip number one is to always have some black in the room. It will ground the room and keep the pretty colors from becoming too sweet.
My laundry room
My living room
My second tip to keep things sophisticated is to not go "pretty" with your paint colors. I like soft and subtle colors on the walls that are somewhat muted and grayed. I attended a Farrow & Ball lecture one night and the British speaker said "We like our colors a bit ugly." I knew exactly what she meant. That is why I love the subtly of the Farrow & Ball color chart and the Benjamin Moore Historic Colors collection. I am also very partial to a flat finish on walls. Here are some paint colors on walls in my house. They are the perfect backdrop for all the colors I love to use in my home.
To keep a mood that is happy, upbeat, and energized, I surround myself with all the colors I love - especially pink, blue, and gold as well as touches of green and yellow. All pastels look great together, and I mix them all with wild abandon. But, I am a VERY high energy person who likes lots going on in my life and lots of stimulation. This might not be right for you.
My office
I also love the happy vibe of a blue and white room and keep adding them to my home. I have a blue and white foyer, laundry room, bedroom, and bathroom. Blue and white rooms to me are uniquely calming and soothing while at the same time uplifting and energizing.
My laundry room
I hope you have enjoyed this peek into my home and my philosophy for setting the tone in your own home.
. . . . . . . . . .
Thank you, Beth, for sharing your gorgeous house with us, and for explaining how you've created the upbeat, energetic, feminine, and sophisticated environment you prefer.
This topic is fascinating as it combines both interior design and psychology. So many of us think of our interiors in terms of what's current or what's trending instead of considering what will make us feel our best in our homes.
If Beth hadn't shared in this post how she wants to feel in her interiors, I would have been able to make a list of her objectives that would correlate almost identically with what she's written here. Obviously, she's been very successful accomplishing her goals.
