Pale & Interesting comes just in time - with the launch of our new pastels. Here's a book dedicated to decorating with whites, pastels and neutrals. Spring is here!
This is a book, by stylist Atlanta Bartlett and designer Dave Coote, dedicated to helping you create a relaxed and comfortable home that reflects your individual lifestyle and personality. Who doesn't want that? According to Pale & Interesting you just need to follow these 12 simple steps for lasting appeal:
1. Functional furniture: Make sure your dinner table is large enough to accommodate the whole family plus guests and be used for family meals, dinner parties, homework, hobbies... Another big ticket item is your sofa: spend as much as you can afford and opt for something that will stand the test of time. (With Bemz slipcovers you can easily change the look to suit your decor, season, mood...)
2. Think about form: Form gives a room structure, perspective and visual appeal. Juxtapose forms, like a mismatched selection of dining chairs, helps add depth.
3. Use color carefully: Color adds contrast, warms and softens, or can accent and highlight. A couple of blue cushions in an all white scheme add interest, while a strong neutral shade on one wall will bring depth and structure to a room.
4. Less is more: Don't lose sight of really matters in making a happy, comfortable home and celebrate the simple things in life. Keep only what you need,use or truly love. (See the seven deadly sins, sin number five!)
5. Ways to display: Choose one or two key pieces and let them have center stage. If it's something ornate, give it space to breath, if it's a collection group it to give it coherence.
6. No stress decor: Anything that makes you worry is a no-go in a relaxed home, like white carpets, surfaces that need a coaster, pale-colored upholstery that cannot be thrown in the machine (we hear ya!). Work within your frame of reference. If you have kids, pets, parties then plan accordingly.
7. Keep it real: Don't succumb to trends that aren't true to you. Create an interior that is honest, soulful but also functional and durable and works for everyone in the house.
8. Work with texture: As a general rule smooth, shiny and silky equates with formal while heavier, coarser textures portray a more relaxed look. Combine them, like mirrors and wood, or silk and linen, to add depth.
9. Plan the space: Open-plan gives a more fluid, laid-back look, and great for keeping an eye on children, but remember you need areas for privacy too, especially if those children are teenagers!
10. Become a curator: Display your treasures without cluttering by grouping items.
11. Storage is key: A tidy, well-organized home, free of clutter will look, and more importantly feel, bigger. Build in storage so it appears to be a part of the architecture of the room or invest in statement pieces that give the room character.
12. Cultivate contrast: Identify the focal point of the room and then add something that will juxtapose it. An elegant, antique gilt mirror would look stunning in a sleek, contemporary, minimalist room.
Credit: Elle Decoration UK; Photos: Pale & Interesting
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