Dressing ourselves is easy, right? But why is it that so many people get stumped when it comes to decorating their homes. Just like fashion, people often times don't choose the best pieces for their spaces. As you may have noticed from this April issue, most of the fashion rules apply to home decor. See how these 8 fashion rules apply to your home design.
Classic and Timeless Pieces
Fashion Rule: Choose classic pieces that aren't on TREND but can transcend generations and styles.
Design Rule: Spend the biggest portion of your decorating budget on pieces that will have a long life: a beautiful dining table, well-constructed sofa, a classic rug, or a gorgeous armoire. (pictured below)
Beige is Boring
Fashion Rule: Spice up your wardrobe - don't be afraid of color.
Design Rule: Beige is so passe. Add fun and personality to your space by adding a bit of color.
Learn more: Using Color in your Home
Scale is Important
Fashion Rule: Too tight a fit is uncomfortable, too loose is unattractive.
Design Rule: Scale is important! You can't have a huge entertainment space in a small room - likewise you can't have a small sofa in a large space. It just doen't work!
Highlight the Best Things
Fashion Rule: Highlight features you like; play down what you don’t love.
Design Rule: Call attention to your room’s best features by using color, lighting, or furniture placement. Likewise, downplay less-than-attractive parts of a room by covering them or painting over them. For example, an ugly radiator can be made prettier by using radiattor covers and designing the top with home accessories. Also, if you have a beautiful fireplace, show it off by placing this as the focal point of your room.
Color Schemes
Fashion Rule: A well-constructed color scheme helps bring an outfit together.
Design Rule: Consciously work with one main color in a room and one lesser-used secondary color. Add a third accent color (usually the brightest hue) in smaller amounts -- on artwork, trims, and accessories.
Great Shoes are EVERYTHING!
Fashion Rule: It;'s all about the shoes! Fabulous shoes can make an outfit.
Design Rule: Perfect way to get a color scheme is to pull the colors out of a great beautiful rug or a pretty carpet. You can accent the room with pillows and throws in complimentary colors from these pieces.
Learn more: It's All in the Details
Great Basics
Fashion Rule: A few great wardrobe basics like jeans or a cardigan - can take you from day to evening, just by changing accessories.
Design Rule: Upholstery in plain textured fabrics are like wardrobe basics – they’ll allow you to decorate around them as you change your mind, update seasonally, or move to a different home – simply by swapping out pillows and accessories. So, choose a chocolate brown chenille sofa for the long-term, and outfit it with orange pillows for fall, red for winter, and baby blue for spring.
Versatility is Key!
Fashion Rule: Choose fashions that can be worn with a variety of other pieces; for example, a great tweed jacket that looks as good with a matching skirt as it does with jeans.
Design Rule: Versatile pieces are worth their weight in gold. Whip off a summer slipcover and your upholstered chair will be ready for fall. A great chest of drawers or armoire can take on many roles – in many rooms -- as your needs change or you move from home to home. And a roomy ottoman can stand in for a coffee table or extra seating. These workhorse pieces will give you more than your money’s worth over time.
$3300 By Layla Grace Innovative and timeless, Benchmade by Brownstone personalizes their artful blend of yesterday's influence and of-the-moment designs through a variety of custom selections. The Napa sofa reinterprets classic elements with modern panache, resulting in a statement seat for the transitional living room. Rich button tufting lends the furnishing indulgent texture, while nailhead trim and exposed wooden feet offer compelling accents.
$3300 By Layla Grace Innovative and timeless, Benchmade by Brownstone personalizes their artful blend of yesterday's influence and of-the-moment designs through a variety of custom selections. The Napa sofa reinterprets classic elements with modern panache, resulting in a statement seat for the transitional living room. Rich button tufting lends the furnishing indulgent texture, while nailhead trim and exposed wooden feet offer compelling accents.
$1896 By Zinc Door This traditional dining table from Noir provides an eye-catching characteristic with its one-of-a-kind base. Finished in a rich distressed black, the furnishing's three legs and distinct stretcher come together in timeless style. 60Dia x 30.5H; Birch; Distressed black finish
$1896 By Zinc Door This traditional dining table from Noir provides an eye-catching characteristic with its one-of-a-kind base. Finished in a rich distressed black, the furnishing's three legs and distinct stretcher come together in timeless style. 60Dia x 30.5H; Birch; Distressed black finish
$3285 By Zinc Door Across the Gate armoire's glass doors, overlapping wood circles express geometric allure. Exposed legs deliver the retro DwellStudio storage piece a refined stance. 38W x 18D x 84H; Belgian gray veneer finish on engineered wood; Solid hardwood base; Nickel hardware; Silver finish interior; 3 adjustable shelves
$3285 By Zinc Door Across the Gate armoire's glass doors, overlapping wood circles express geometric allure. Exposed legs deliver the retro DwellStudio storage piece a refined stance. 38W x 18D x 84H; Belgian gray veneer finish on engineered wood; Solid hardwood base; Nickel hardware; Silver finish interior; 3 adjustable shelves
Home Furnishings
