The Unexpected Element....

Decorating a room can be an intimidating task. Where do you begin? Or more importantly when do you know you are finished? One of the most common questions that i am asked, is how do you make a room that is co-ordinated and put together, but at the same time, does not look like the pages of a catalogue. One of the hallmarks of my design work is that it is totally a reflection of the people who live there and has an almost effortless looking, undecorated style. If I were to narrow this down to one thing I think I would call it the "unexpected element". It is that one thing in the room, that, on paper probably doesn't work, but in execution gives the room a bit of a shake up and stops it from feeling too "done".

As an example take a look at the image above, it is a home Library that i did a few years ago. The color palette is very neutral and the story is really all about the texture of the room, but then, out of nowhere comes this rug in magenta and orange. It gives the room a confident, just thrown together kind of feel, it is the unexpected element.

Here are some tips on how you can introduce this into your designs, and bring them to life even more:

• Pick a piece that can stand alone from the rest of your design, a rug or an occasional chair are perfect pieces for this kind of approach.
• While you want it to stand out from the rest of the room, pay close attention to the other design elements of the piece. For instance, if you are using a piece in an off color, pay close attention that it ties to the room in scale and texture. Or if you are using something that is over scaled, make sure that the color works with the other pieces in the room.
• A piece can become unexpected by using it in an unusual location. For instance, using outdoor furniture inside, or a great French antique chair in a bathroom. It is the context that can create the tension that makes the piece interesting.
• One or two of these elements in a room is usually more than enough to create the desired effect, more than that and you start looking like a random assortment of cast-offs.
• Mixing periods is also a simple way to create this sort of visual texture. I just designed a Dining Room with a great old antique table and then paired it with a classic modern chair, the Brno Chair.

Remember the key to making this work, make it look effortless! Happy Designing!

Designing With Books

Collecting books is one of my great passions, so much can be learnt about someone, by a casual glance through their bookcase. Here are some ideas about making your collection a bit more decorative. Enjoy!


1. I love to use books to create warmth and personality in a room. The different topics speak about your interests and values.

2. I like to use books stacked on tables to lift and provide height for lamps or framed pictures, they provide a wonderful opportunity to give height and scale to your collections.

3. A lovely corner in a Living Room is an ideal spot to create your own personal library, if you don’t have a whole room you can dedicate to it. A comfortable chair, a small table and a lamp and you are good to go.

4. When organizing your books, be a little freer, don’t be ties to anything as rigid as the Dewey Decimal System, what about organizing by author, topic or even by color. Just be sure to have some order, there is nothing worse than spending hours trying to find your favorite tome.

5. One of my favorite rooms of all time is a small Library that I turned into a Dining Room for eight. It created the perfect backdrop for intimate dinners surrounded by works of wonder.

6. Paperbacks? We all have them; I like to cover them all in heavyweight paper. Usually I use an off white, but I have been known to use splashes of color, or what about alternating black and white for a stark, rhythmic look, or even choose a different color for each or your favorite authors or subjects (my Dianna Vreeland books are all in red of course).

7. My favorite places to buy books? Nothing completes a trip to New York without a trip to Potterton Books or Rizzolli, San Francisco of course has Stouts, and who can go to Santa Monica without a quick stop by at Hennessy and Ingalls for a few “essentials”? Paris I always stop in at the Librairie Des Antiquaires for an amazing selection of antique books on the decorative arts, and in London Thomas Heneage Art Books, can take me a whole day.

8. The internet is also a great resource for all sorts of books too, some of my favorite sites: Amazon.com (I am addicted to the 1-click option), Alibris.com is a search engine that combs the collection of a huge group of independent booksellers across the nation, and of course Ebay.com (who knew I need a book on how to create my own parade float)?

9. My favorite book is Old World Inspiration for American Architecture published by the Portland Cement Company in 1929. It is a constant reference for historical precedents, a constant inspiration.

10. I love to give and receive books that I or my friends have already read. There is something romantic about poring over pages that others have already gleaned, it like sharing the experience together.