You Wouldn't Think It Would Work...But It Does
Anybody can create a room where everything matches. It's not hard to roll through a furniture store or catalog, picking pieces of furniture and accessories that are designed to go with one another, and to end up with a room that looks pretty decent (if a little boring).
When it comes to design, what separates the proverbial men from the boys, I think, is the ability to combine design elements that don't necessarily seem like they'd fit together, but that ultimately create great spaces. I'm always impressed when I look at rooms and think, "You know, I'd never think to put those pieces together. But I love them."
Rooms like this span style - they can be traditional or modern, stuffed full or fairly spare - and they're not right for every home or person. But when they work, they work, and they're impressive.
So here's my tribute to rooms that wouldn't necessarily work on paper, but look great in real life:
When it comes to design, what separates the proverbial men from the boys, I think, is the ability to combine design elements that don't necessarily seem like they'd fit together, but that ultimately create great spaces. I'm always impressed when I look at rooms and think, "You know, I'd never think to put those pieces together. But I love them."
Rooms like this span style - they can be traditional or modern, stuffed full or fairly spare - and they're not right for every home or person. But when they work, they work, and they're impressive.
So here's my tribute to rooms that wouldn't necessarily work on paper, but look great in real life:
There's a lot going on in this space and in theory, mismatched linens on the beds should be distracting. It's not, though, since the beds and the walls are a calming white, which provides an anchor for the color. Plus, even though the linens don't match, they do match in terms of color intensity and that makes all the difference.
When I saw this space for the first time, my initial thought was, "Why don't that rug and table clash?" I like them together - very much - but taken separately, I wouldn't think to combine them. I think that it might come down to a sense of delicacy - the frame of the table and the sweet pink of the flowers fit well. But from a theoretical perspective, I might have thrown it out before it ever made it to the house!
From a practical perspective, an open shelf pantry sounds like a nightmare, or at least a recipe for a big old mess. But in this case, a little organization - and a whole bunch of baskets - turn the pantry into actual decor.
Q