September 8, 2008
Learning from the past can often be a good thing. I was leafing through one of my vintage design books, "The Doubleday Book of Interior Decorating" by Albert Kornfeld and found some great photos that back up this point. The book was published in 1965, and it is a great reminder that, just like fashion, if you wait long enough the trend will come right back around.
The den/guest bedroom shown above draws me right in because this color combination is very popular today. The rug provides a large block of color that serves as the perfect backdrop for the striped and floral fabrics. The look is bold and crisp against the white woodwork. The canopy roman shade gives a fresh, beachy look while drawing your eye out the window (a view of the Golden Gate Bridge always helps!). The only items that clue us in on the date are the patio furniture and size of the paper lantern, which I would scale back a bit.
While the color palette of this living room is a bit more dated, I chose it because of the quality of the individual elements. A very warm and vibrant room that was the epitome of modern at this time. First of all, I love the Danish modern server in the background with the collection of photos above. They provide visual interest and the colors are well balanced. The rug does not catch my fancy but the coffee table is perfect to show the pattern off. The chairs and sofa work well together with similar back heights and lines. If you tweaked the color palette, the rug and flooring, you'd be surprised at the change. Just check out the black and white version below to see the difference.
Please feel free to share any past decorating memories you have from the house you grew up in or one you decorated yourself. I would love to hear your thoughts!
"Home is the most popular, and will be the most enduring of all earthly establishments." ~Channing Pollack
Lorrie I My Design Secrets
Comments
GranitaToGo (anonymous) says...
I'm decorating my daughter's college apartment right now. I've gotten some great ideas from your pod casts! I'm concentrating on the kitchen now which is a strange color of maybe greenish brown. But it has lovely tiles over the sink in peach, blues, grey and green. My daughter loves maroon and pinks so I'm trying to use fabrics that have many colors in the same shade (tone?) as those in the tile. So she has plaid curtains on the kitchen door window but a Hawaiian inspired tablecloth which includes the colors in a big flower design with lace and a narrow peach ribbon on the border for detail. Her seat pads are more sedate: one color with lace around the edges (she's a girlie girl) hooked to the chair with green ribbons. Maybe I'm taking too many risks!!!
September 20, 2008 at 12:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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