OvErSiZeD ART!

I love playing with design elements...looking at strategies a different way, reversing the norms, etc. For the last few years, a trend of reversing the size of wall decor over furniture has been booming.  I love it!  It really gives a new sense of energy and enthusiasm for rooms by playing with proportion and scale, and of course, I always love it when art takes center stage! It works brilliantly in creating a strong focal point and can give the illusion of enlarging a small space. In addition to being great examples of oversized art, below are also some of my favorite rooms of all time.  Enjoy these fabulous examples, and please, try this at home!!!  If you're not sure how to make it work, let's talk!

What can I say...one of my all time favorite designers.  His mix of styles, patterns, proportions, and colors always makes me smile. Miles Redd

Another of my fave designers. As Jamie has said, if you're looking for all beige, don't come to me.  I agree! Design by Jamie Drake & Assoc.  Art by Lana Gomez

 Cool Liz Taylor art--Love the image of her in her slip with a drink, the pinky rosy hues of it, the retro feel, the way it fills up the wall, but in a child's bedroom? Hmmm...not so sure about that. I think future therapy will be in order. Vogue Archive

A mirror also does the trick.  Make sure it has a substantial, interesting frame.  Elle Decor


Steven Gambrel

So minimalist, yet feels so complete. Garret Cord Werner Architecture & Interiors

Don't hesitate to tuck the art behind the sofa if too large -- of course, this also may depend on the image. Design by Annabelle Selldorf of Selldorf Architects. Photo by Nikolas Koenig.

Notice how the sconce shades, on either side of the photograph, blend into the wall giving the art even more focal power. Amanda Nisbet Design

Photograph or painting, I see this design strategy as a sure winner and a classic, yet avant garde approach, that will never go out of style.  Go for it!!!

XXOO Susan

A Mirrored Wall Alternative

I love this wall of framed, antiqued mirrors by famed interior designer Kelly Wearstler for the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, California.  It reminds me of two things: Initially it reminded me of the old mirrored walls, usually of 12"x12"mirrored tiles, found in dining rooms, typically one wall, in the 1960's, 70's, and 80's.  But after more contemplation, I realized this approach is an updated version creating so much more depth, interest, and repetition -- which brings me to my second point.  It also reminds me of a patterned wallpaper.  The positioning of all the mirrors fills the walls so completely and exactly that the overall effect is the illusion of wallpaper vs. a wall grouping.  Brilliant!

Can you think of a space in your home where this would be a good option?

Toodles!!  Susan

An Array of Pillows? Yes? No?

So often throw pillows are thought of as a mix and match way of bringing color and pattern to a room, AND so often, that is exactly what the room needs.  Which is why most people have oodles of extra pillows floating around the house.  Easy to buy, easy to change out, and relatively inexpensive.  However, sometimes a room needs a different direction.  It needs the pillow as an accessory to have a more structured and planned presentation.

For example, take this room from Mia Malcolm, the pillows are displayed in a very structured format, and isn't it perfect?!

Mia Malcolm Design

Would an array of mumbo jumbo pillows work above?  Not as beautifully as the precisely placed gold and white rectangle pillows do.  I love this room.  It is classic yet cozy  -- why is that?  I mean, it is very minimalist and clean.  It's the curves.  Curves have a way of making a room inviting, and this room is a perfect example of that.  There are so many arced angles playing off of each other with the sofa, the cocktail table, the side table, the small glass balls in the table lamp, the soft curves of the glass vases, the round shag rug, and the round marbleized sculpture in the left corner.  Yet with all that, it doesn't feel overwhelmingly "rounded".  Mia did a fabulous job balancing the minimalist style of furnishings with soft, curved lines creating a beautifully, balanced environment.

You ask:  what if my furnishings are more slouchy or traditional and not quite so contemporary?  Use the same principle but make sure the pillows reflect the softness of your furniture.  In the living room below, I used the same concept with four large pillows, but their soft style transitions well to the softness of the sectional style.

Susan E. Brown/Lisa M. Bond Photography

If you like Mia's casual clean California style, check out more of her work by clicking here.

Now that you've got a whole new way to look at pillows and their placement, have fun accessorizing!!

Cheerio!  Susan

Simple, and Sooo Stunning!!

Using complementary colors, and bold simple patterns, with blocks of color, this bedroom is simply stunning!  By Massucco Warner Miller

~~~  Susan~~~

Meow...Grrrrr...Animal Patterns!

Animal Skin--either you love it or you hate it in your home.  That's what I've learned in my many years of design.  I, for one, like the animal skin look in interior environments.  It really adds a wonderful exoticness to the room using texture, pattern, sense of nature, and an overall warmth to the room.  Whenever used, however, it is always best done as an interruption or accent in the room vs. a main or large proportion ingredient.  In this day and age, you can easily have the look and feel of the real thing without having to use and abuse the real thing as technology of fibers and yarns have come so far. I love its use in the red tiger ottoman above with its contrast and complement to the Jim Dine painting. 

I saw the above chairs on the blog Stylecourt ~ actually the post was from 2008, and I can't remember how I ended up there.  The whys, ways, and means of surfing, huh?!  I love these chairs!  The style and detailing of the chair fits perfectly with the use of a leopard pattern.  The leopards' success is also derived from its limited use on the back and seat only.  The chairs could so easily be used as accents or extra seating in the dining room, as a vanity chair in the bathroom, or a small accent chair in the living room or bedroom.  The uses are endless!

 With all the soft, airy colors above, the leopard rug is hugely useful in grounding the room.  A little bit of black in a room will often do that.  It also adds a real sense of exotic whimsy so the room doesn't feel too stuffy with all the traditionalism.

Fabulous use as an accent on just the two end chairs.

I love the use of the animal skin pattern as an accent in one piece only!

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SHOCK ALERT!!

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AAAAHHHH!  Help!  Please remember...use your animal patterns sparingly!!!

~growl~  Susan

Add That Punch!!

Good Morning!!  I wanted to share two things with you this lovely, albeit getting colder, morning -- One: I love this room pictured below!  It is so eclectic, so many different patterns and colors, and yet, it all works because it it carries a "feel" throughout the room even up to the ceiling.  What initially caught my eye in this room was the orange throw at the end of the bed and the orange border on the blue/gray quilt.  What a wonderful and easy way to add a very focused punch of color to a room, huh?  I like it!!!

Oh, and the second...  I have a bathroom on a magazine COVER!!  OK, you've probably received a press release, seen it on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, or somewhere else, but I just couldn't help myself blurting it out again!  Also, a wonderful 8 page article with more rooms inside the magazine -- SPACES Twin Cities!

***Cheers!  Susan***

The Shining--Patterns

Hello, hello!

Last night my family and I watched the movie The Shining with Jack Nicholson, and Shelley Duvall, remember it?  Actually it was my 13 year old daughter's suggestion that we watch the movie, if you can believe it!!  It wasn't quite as horrifying as I remember when I was younger (of course, not that much younger ~~ tee hee :)  It's really about the last 10-15 minutes it gets gruesome and scary--the rest is a huge build up.  All I could think about through a lot of the movie were the sets, particularly the awesome carpets!  As soon as it was over, I immediately got right on line googling images from the 1980 movie.  Talk about history repeating itself.  The patterns and some of the colors are currently very popular within the design industry right now, and of course, I was in love with them!  Let me show you!

 This was the main carpet throughout the Overlook Hotel in the movie.  Isn't that awesome, and that pattern is sooo popular right now.  It also totally makes the space, granted I would have added a bit more color to the pale, cool walls going down the hallway.

This was the fancy ballroom/party room with gold, textured walls.  Look at the carpet pattern again~~the scale is magnificent!

This pic is a bit dark.  Sorry!  I think you can still see the purple/green rainbow arcs, large scale patterned carpet, can't you?

And this was the men's bathroom!  It would be a wonderful commercial bathroom even in a large hotel today.  Interesting how modern it is when the rest of the hotel was so elegant.  I wonder if that was intentional for some reason as part of the subliminal messages.

And here are some examples of carpets and fabrics today:

 Sheets from The Company Store

 Designers Guild fabric

Carpets from Vanderhurd

 Sara Gilbane Interiors/Travel for Design

Vanderhurd carpet

 Amanda Hammond

 Candice Olson for Kravet

Thom Filicia for Kravet

I thoroughly love the bold expression and repetition of patterns!

~~ Susan ~~