The New Simplicity: Today's Style for Food and Home
Make yourself at home with a more relaxed style at the table — and in interior design
A very rustic, organic style of food photography and styling has taken hold in the last few years. The pristine food photographs that previously graced the pages of magazines have been replaced with in-progress meals and simple dishes that highlight the natural beauty of the ingredients.
The same style is becoming more prominent in interior design as well, with designers using colors evocative of the earth and its flavors and with photographers like Quentin Bacon using natural lighting and shadows to create warm scenes that suggest you make yourself at home. Quentin says he finds "peace in capturing life in stillness, conjuring the inner life through use of light."
The holiday season is a perfect time for you to discover a similar peacefulness and style that welcomes your guests and encourages them to stay the night — without requiring you perpetually play hostess. Read on for a home and a meal, in four courses:
All photographs courtesy of Quentin Bacon
The same style is becoming more prominent in interior design as well, with designers using colors evocative of the earth and its flavors and with photographers like Quentin Bacon using natural lighting and shadows to create warm scenes that suggest you make yourself at home. Quentin says he finds "peace in capturing life in stillness, conjuring the inner life through use of light."
The holiday season is a perfect time for you to discover a similar peacefulness and style that welcomes your guests and encourages them to stay the night — without requiring you perpetually play hostess. Read on for a home and a meal, in four courses:
All photographs courtesy of Quentin Bacon
First course: Appetizer. Careful preparation makes this dish look effortless. But because there is little else on the plate to distract the eye, the artichoke needs to shine even more than it would if it were one among many ingredients.
First course: The Kitchen. The kitchen is where all meals and dinner parties inevitably begin. The room reflects the natural object, as the green is reserved for the lower cabinets and the walls and open shelving are painted white. The most practical kitchens (and delicious appetizers) are often the simplest: dishes are easily located, an island provides extra workspace, the farmhouse sink allows ample room to wash pots or pile dishes.
Second course: Salad. Greens with radishes and only a hint of oil play up the natural flavors of the salad. There's no need for complicating things with a dish this fresh.
Second course: Kitchen island. There's nothing formal about this dining space — that's saved for later. The island invites people to gather around it, pull up a stool, and enjoy the food. White is a perfect color to be used in the kitchen, as it allows the company and meals to shine. Dishes are kept on the top shelf of the island for easy access and extra bowls can be grabbed from the open shelves.
Third course: Entree. Plating an entree doesn't need to be a complicated process. Here, neutral dishes allow the pasta and the pesto to command the spotlight.
Third course: Dining room. This farmhouse-style dining area invites everyone in — even the pet goat. The wood table and chairs could be antiques or new purchases; either way, they have a charming rustic feeling that encourages every guest to imagine the home belongs to family. More greens, browns, and other neutral colors create a seamless boundary between what man made and what nature provides.
Fourth course: Dessert. This plum cobbler highlights the sweetness of the fruit. It does not need to be dressed in gold flakes or topped with ornate icing patterns. This dessert is hearty and indulgent while also being somewhat sensuous in flavor and texture.
Fourth course: Living room. Somehow, eating dessert at the dining table rarely feels right. After a delicious meal, the party typically retreats to the living room, where comfy seating is a necessity. This room continues the rustic style with pitchforks on the wall and earthy colors set off by a shock of deep red in some of the chairs and accents.
Natural textures are incorporated in new ways, like the rope used to make the railings of the stairway, and the same sensuality from the dessert is found in soft materials used on the furniture. The large windows let the sun in during the day and allow the moonlight to streak in at night, lessening the boundary that exists between the outdoors and indoors.
Extra course: Guest bedroom. There are no frills here, only absolute comfort. This bedroom looks like it could be found in a farmhouse a century ago. The right sheets can give the rustic bed a more modern feel. But most importantly, this room is simple; it's easy to imagine waking with the sunshine or when the rooster crows.
Extra course: Master bedroom. You may not be able to see it all, but this photograph captures the feel: the metal headboard, the white sheets, the warm touch of linen with red striping, and the old wood table that provides some contrast to the sheets.
Extra course: Bathroom. The same rustic, organic style continues in the bathroom where a simple white sink is used. The simple seat with red and white stripes continues the color scheme from other rooms in the house.
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Easy Living: 10 Cheap and Chic Decorating Ideas