Tis the season for getting stuck! Aside from the normal holiday delays, this year so many people have gotten stuck at the airports and train stations with this wild weather- from west coast floods to east coast blizzards! I have learned to be more patient when stuck and even with just about every techie gadget in my bag, I still love people watching... There is something really interesting about watching people and seeing how they interact with others and seeing who they are with... If it gets to be a really long delay I will pick out a couple and make up "their story"...I like to pick a couple that at first glance doesn't seem to make sense and imagine how they met, what it was that made them fall in love and end up together...and of course- what their house must look like!
Take a seemingly odd couple like Nicole and Keith; she is a global fashionista, he is a good old country boy and yet love conquered all and now they make three! While in all respects I believe that the core values need to be aligned, be it a couple wanting the same future or furnishings that share fine craftsmanship. No matter how opposite, if a couple loves each other and shares the same core values and the same dreams for their future- they will find a way to make it work through anything. With art and furniture- no matter how opposite pieces may be if you love them and they reflect on your personality they will find a way to work together within a space.
So take one person that loves traditional, cozy comfortable spaces and plop them right into a life with a more chic and modern person who loves fashion and design...
His cozy farm house suddenly gets an infusion of pink and some girlie-ness without being fussy, keeping the dark tones below the chair rail, the natural weave of the big basket, the old classic zebra hide and the clean lines of the window treatments lend to a feel on masculinity against the pink damask
Classic Barcelona chairs and ottoman are the perfect addition to the safe neutral traditional sofa and the buttery leather pops the antique sancai horses on the mantel
What could be more classic than tufting, nail heads and dark wood? but adding bold purple pillows and the graphic wall give these traditional elements a fresh update
and speaking of walls... using powerful color contrast and over-sized scale- classic icons like anchors (or the bird and quote above) suddenly turn his passion for sailing (or birdwatching and literature?) into a piece of art
I love the very subtle addition of the mirrors above the windows- it makes the room seem larger but it also adds a sparkle to an otherwise subdued room. The sideboard under the window is, in its own right a traditional piece, but the custom paint finish gives it a modern sleeker feel than if it was in a dark stain.
I adore the femininity of this scene- the utter reality of bras and slippers scattered about but the bold wall paper against the traditional sink and the playful mirrors are enough to help any man feel at home amongst the chaos that is a woman's bathroom
And when two opposites come together to make a third...
traditional pieces like the pine dresser and metal crib are given a fresh new life with the utterly modern yellow and grey color scheme and sweeping modern line from the lamp in the corner
the traditional sweet color scheme of this nursery is updated with the modern rocker and crib and the graphic squares of the rug really take these safe colors into a fun fresh space
This nursery screams that at least one of the parents is an adventurer but the eclectic global pieces are grounded and balanced by the classic moses basket and crib
So what happens when water loving sailor falls for a chic city girl... using classic stripes and bold navy against white teamed with cleats instead of drawer pulls -the two pull off the ultimate eclectic modern nursery
and that little sailor gets his own bunkroom when he gets older...still keeping true to the modern sensibilities of graphic color pairings and clean lines
Or perhaps the odd couple is expecting a surprise... traditional gender neutral schemes and classics like the framed nursery rhymes work well when teamed with bold pops of color like turquoise, orange and pink. And the over sized giraffe takes me back to my childhood where I dreamed of having every single item in the FAO Schwartz catalog yet still lends an air of being modern simply because it is so unexpected.
So don't have irrational fear about falling for someone so different from you as long as you love each other... and if you find a piece of furniture you love- even if it is inexplicable at the time- get it! you will find a way to make it work even if at first thought it seems too different, if it speaks to you- there is a reason for it...
photos: Alkemie, Coastal Living, Cole and Son, Design Boston, DesignSponge, Domino, LittleLovables, Reuters, Style at Home, Walls Need Love
