Lifestyle

Sofa shopping can be a painful experience. I know this firsthand. Finding a couch with the right combination of comfort, price, size, style, fabric selection, and durability isn’t easy. Since moving back to America a few months ago, we’ve been searching for just the right look for our new place. Our last apartment in Copenhagen, which was very small, didn’t provide us many options. We needed something that could be taken apart and transported through the nooks and crannies of our old home. This time around, with a larger home, we have had a more difficult time finding a sofa and complimentary loveseat to fill the space.

The history of interior design teaches us that furniture styles were not generally mixed together as a cohesive design. Take the Victorian era. In a Victorian room, Victorian furniture was used along with Victorian curtains, Victorian accessories, you get the idea. It’s not until relatively recently, I’d say even the last 15 years, that the “eclectic style”, the formal meaning of the word as not sticking to one designated style, has come to be common. Desireable even. That said, I think it’s pretty tricky to create a room with furniture of various styles and eras effectively. Oftentimes, it can come out looking like a hodge podge of garage sale finds. When it’s done right, it can be super beautiful. There are three ways to make it work.

When it comes to injecting personal style into your home, I tend to favor choosing items that reflect who you are and how you look at life. For projecting a sense of relaxed confidence, there’s nothing better than adding mid-century modern pieces into your existing mix. Here are a few ideas on how to do just that.

There are many ways to bring the outside in: using nature-inspired artwork and accessories; comfortable furniture and textiles; or even an abundance of plant life. But this vacation home, redesigned by Franco-Argentine Luis Laplace, provides a modern and minimalist approach to living with the outdoors. Set along the rocky coast of Ibiza, here are 6 ways this home ensures that nature remains front and center.

Although I don’t have children of my own yet, I’ve learned a lot about how to have a kid friendly home from designing for several couples who have young children. These jobs always have a different focus than my other projects: a design that keeps the house looking clean and stylish even though everything needs withstand being jumped on, spilt on and knocked over.

I like to make up new words to describe how I view certain types of interior décor, and I have one for just this situation: “glamasculine”. That’s what I call the great combination of glamorous and masculine in a space. I think of it as one of those tasty treats—like when you combine peanut butter and chocolate—and today I’m going to give you some of the tricks behind creating it yourself.

I’ve written here in the past about working from home, providing tips for creating your own home office haven. Now it’s time to talk adding an industrial feel to your home workspace.

A few years ago, I settled on the concept of a ‘non-kitchen.’ Rather than creating a distinct and recognizable space, I envisioned a dream kitchen that simply extends from my living area – a well-decorated and absolutely tasteful corner of the room where one also happens to prepare food. The idea originally came by way from a design magazine editorial. It featured an eat-in kitchen with artwork in lieu of upper cabinets and a gorgeous wooden bookcase for storage. “That’s not a kitchen,” I thought. “It’s a non-kitchen,” the perfect solution for those with small and/or open layouts. The goal is to minimize visual disruptions by incorporating the kitchen into the overall design concept.

Everyone knows the kitchen is the heart of the home, but what’s the heart of the kitchen? I think a kitchen island can fit that role perfectly. It’s the place where company inevitably gathers while meals are being prepared. And a kitchen island can create a welcoming sense to the space in a way that other countertop spaces can’t do. A kitchen island is inviting, functional, and aesthetic. Plus, it’s a natural place to gather.

Once, several years ago, I interviewed at a company that I really admired to work in their style department. I wore a bright red gingham men’s shirt tucked into high-waisted pants. The lady I interviewed with was the style editor and I was familiar with her taste: bold, bright, and fun. I loved her. And I liked to think that we had similar fashion styles. I specifically remember myself saying shamelessly and cockily, “I don’t do pastels” thinking that they must be a swear word around the office. They were in my book at least. Fast forward a few years and I cannot get enough of them. I wish I hadn’t been so brash! But then again, styles ebb and flow and what’s in one day is out the next.