I had the pleasure this weekend of visiting a Designer Showcase House. For those of you not familiar with the idea, a group, usually a local charity will get their hands on a house and then invite members of the local design community in to decorate, then open it to the public for tours. Typically a different designer will do each room. I am a tremendous fan of the concept as you get to see Designers whose work you may be familiar with, work unfettered by client desires. This is a place to go for great ideas and new concepts. Quite frankly I came away a little disappointed. Most of the rooms seemed heavy and overdone (there were some notable exceptions). Where was the light hand? Most seemed unable to edit, so it inspired me to write this piece about simplicity of design (LOL I will try and keep it brief).
- When designing your room, plan. Lack of planning leads to an inability to stop, the old saying is true, if you don't know where you are going, how do you know when you get there.
- Don't be afraid of open space. An undecorated wall, in the right color can be beautiful, or the simplicity of using only one fabric throughout a room, can be liberating.
- Give your favorite pieces room to breathe, there is no need to keep piling things on, pay attention to scale, and one piece could be perfect.
- Use the architecture of the space as your starting point, whether you are designing within the style or creating a counterpoint to it, reference the room, it will make your statement clearer.
- Finally, when you are done, take one thing away.
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