Slipcover that is Chic but not Shabby

A few years ago a store opened here in Santa Monica called "Shabby Chic" and it specialized in loose slip covered furniture and almost single handedly created a design genre. The look of loose white slipcovers were everywhere. Well I am pleased to say that the store is still going strong and it is still serving the market for which it was designed. I personally am not a fan of that look, it's a bit loose for me, but nonetheless I am thrilled that it has brought slipcovers back into the mainstream.

I like slipcovers to be much more tailored, like the one above. This was a chair that I did for a client years ago, for her bathroom. In fact, I found the chair sitting forlornly on the side of the road, so I threw in into the back of my car and took it straight to my upholsterer. Since it was for a bathroom, we decided that terry cloth was the ideal fabric, but since it was going to be sat in while wet etc, that we should make it a slipcover, so that it could be taken off and washed on a regular basis.

This, to me, is the key to using slipcovers. I think they are great for people with kids, who want the freedom to pull it off the sofa and throw it in the washing machine, or the other great reason is for people who may want to change their look from one season to another, a summer and a winter.

A couple of things to remember:

• ALWAYS wash your fabric before getting the slipcover made.
• When selecting a fabric go with a blend of natural and man made fibres, like a cotton/rayon. The natural fibre will allow it to breath and the man made fibres will keep it looking tidy.
• When getting a fitted cover made, be sure to tell your upholsterer to keep his velcro ties in hidden spots, that way you can still have a great looking sofa when the cover is off.
• The tighter, more tailored the fit on the cover, the more challenging it will be to get on and off, so you may want to garner some help and not try to tackle the job by yourself.
• I like to use an inexpensive fabric to cover the sofa, under the slipcover, rather than just using ticking. It's a little more expensive, but gives you two sofa's for the price of one. Just be sure to use a heavy enough fabric on the cover, that you do not see the lining fabric bleed through.

Warm Modernism

Some people who read this blog are probably surprised to find out that I am a huge fan of modernism. I feel very strongly though that just because a room is modern, there is absolutely no reason for it to be cold and uninviting. I give the above room as an example, it is one of the favorite rooms that I have ever done, it was for a young family and they wanted something that felt modern, yet at the same time, somewhere where they could relax and hang out with their kids.

When approaching a modern room, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Keep the color palette neutral, let the architecture be the star
• I like to have only one or two patterned fabrics in the room. In this case I put a very subtle damask on the sofa, it gives a sense of tradition, but the silhouette of the sofa, keeps it feeling very modern.
• Make it all about the texture, I like to use all sorts of textures, from a luxurious wool rug, to silk pillows to venetian plaster on the wall, they all create a sense of the hand of man, that I think is crucial to making a space feel inviting.
• Modern doesn't have to be new. One of the hallmarks of modernism was that form was defined by function, this is not a new idea, I included a Japanese table and a pair of African stools, both of which the form was driven by it's function.
• Please don't ignore the windows, they often look, clearer, taller and more expansive when there is drapes, and boy does it make it more inviting.

Well I hope that you are now willing to attack the new modern house!

Answer Day: Lighting

I received a question during the week, asking me to share some thoughts about how best to light a room, and what kind of fixtures were best to use. I like this question because I have very definite feelings on the subject, and I hope you will find this illuminating (sorry I couldn't resist).

Fundamentally, there are two types of light, one that falls on vertical surfaces (walls, artwork etc) that provides depth to a room, and light that falls on horizontal surfaces (floors, tables etc) that provides drama to a room. You can use different types of fixtures to provide the different types of light. For instance, a recessed ceiling light will provide almost exclusively light on horizontals, while a wall sconce almost all the light falls on vertical surfaces (remember that when people are in the room, you are usually vertical, so this kind of lighting is good for rooms where you entertain, and is considered flattering).

So the short answer to the question, is that you want to create a mix of different light sources, so that the room has a good dynamic feel.

Here are some tips you might find helpful:

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  Start with the light on horizontal surfaces, use it to create a visual path through the room, it will stop the space from feeling too chaotic.


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  Fixtures that provide this kind of light include recessed lights, ceiling lights that are very close to the ceiling, not hanging low, and table or standing lamps with opaque shades.


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  Remember that the ceiling is usually part of the horizontal surfaces in the room, make sure you place some lamps in a way that will get lighting up there too, it will make a huge difference.


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  When adding lighting onto vertical surfaces, pay attention to where people are going to be sitting and standing, you don't want light falling directly in your eyes.


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  Try and create one or two focal points on the walls around the room, that can be lit a little brighter, this will make the space feel larger and provide some depth.


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  When there are other spaces leading off your room, be sure to pay attention to their light, you don't want black holes!


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  Lastly experiment with bulbs of different wattage and color, it can make a big difference too and enable you to create warmer and cooler spots more easily.

I hope this brightens your day :)

Luxury of Simplicity

I recently did a shoot with a well known photographer, Tim Street Porter at a house that I did down in Newport Beach, California. I was going through the images, which will be seen in an upcoming issue of The Robb Report, and thinking how calm and tranquil they looked, and it gave me the idea for today's posting....The Luxury of Simplicity.

In many of the homes that I design there seems to be a rush to fill the space, and this is not always a good thing, sometimes the magic happens in what is left out, not in what is put in. In the image above, a small Sitting Room is turned into a charming nook, by a single, simple gesture, of a curving sofa that follows the shape of the room.

I have heard my women friends say that the key to successfully accessorising an out fit, is to dress and then take one item of jewellery off, I think that interior design would be well served by the same approach, here are some ideas:

• Take one of those decorative pillows off the bed, keep it open light and simple
• Find a fabulous fabric that is simple and timeless and use it on the upholstery, and the window treatments, simple color palettes create lightness and air
• Don't overdo the drapes with valances and tiebacks, let them hang and move with the breeze, it will bring your senses alive.
• Treat yourself to one great indulgence in a room, it will look more special, and raise the feeling of quality of all that is around it.