how to explain layering in design

 Situations have recently come up wherein I need to explain how "layering" works in interior design.

Sometimes clients just don't understand how "layering" can create balance in a space by using dissimilar things to swing from opposite to opposite in a pleasing way.

I start by explaining that it consists of many juxtapositions, like rough vs. smooth or shiny, traditional vs. modern, curved vs.angled lines, neutral vs. vibrant, saturated colors. 

Texture is no. 1 in my style book. So, for instance, I might pair a grasscloth wallcovering with velvet upholstery and lacquered finishes on wood. Perhaps a bit more shiny with mirrors or smalls to round out the texture story.

I like to use color as part of the layering picture but mixing periods, while being very stylish can be tough to convince a client to do.

If you can talk to someone in  simple terms of textures and finishes, i.e. rough vs, smooth and of traditional vs. modern the conversation gets easier.

It recently came up with a client that actually had wonderful taste  but could not find her balance between "mother's traditional" and a not too modern updated chic version of something that had relevance to her, like her mother's home.

I showed her a few classic fretwork patterns, mixing color, scale and purpose while keeping her hardworking  needs in mind for finishes and it made sense.

photos and art for the boudoir

My room

I really feel that what you hang on the walls in your bedroom is extraordinarily personal. All art choices are personal but your private retreat is just that, private.

My bedroom vanity

 

 

My personal preference around my home is to keep most family photos in less public rooms. Upstairs hallways and bedrooms are my main spots for baby and wedding photos.

My favorite baby pictures adorn the walls as do a few choice wedding portraits and the odd sassy photo of a kid. I now have two pieces that have waited years to find their place in my house.

"Baby Art"

 The photo above is a "scribble" made by my, now 16 year-old, son when he was 18 months old. I instantly recognized the pictorial quality and snatched it from him with the best of intentions for framing it. It works perfectly near the baby pictures.

Also, apropos is the antique Chinese baby's tiger headdress, framed in the shadowbox in the photo above. It is  meant to repel disease, evil spirits, and general mayhem from the tiny and vulnerable members of one's family. I really like it. It faces the door so those bugaboos stay away.

What sort of art adorns your bedroom?

You should be in the news

 

No, it's not Belgian wicker. It is actually a chair made from recycled newsprint. I ran across it HERE on sale for $149, originally priced at $595.

cool lighting

I'm becoming a bigger fan of Etsy everyday. I have been browsing through lighting and finding all sorts of great stuff like this Hydrangea pendant. HERE

My parent's had one of these lamps that was a combo floor lamp/end table in the early '70s. Find a little nostalgia HERE

I find this fixture particularly interesting but not sure if I could commit long term. Look at it HERE

This is my favorite (for now, it's easy to be fickle with so many options) it is made with an Ikea pendant and little kid's "fortune tellers" . You know the folded paper that tells little girls who they will marry.

HERE

Local art

Happy Day by Kerry Steele

I can't get enough art these days. I've been a regular on eBay and Etsy to round out my collection and even browsed locally.

Ana Rendich

Fredericksburg, Virginia has several galleries worth seeing including Art First.

Currently, they are featuring an All Member's Exhibition that opens tonight.

Ruth Ann Loving

The galleries in historic old town Fredericksburg all work together to promote local artists. That alone is worth supporting. I have yet to attend an opening but its on my busy list.

Shirley Whelan

I saved this painting by Shirley Whelan for last to give you a little food for thought. The style reminds me of the iconic American painter Edward Hopper. Not so much in the subject matter, but rather the technique and general feel. 

My question is: Does that make it better art? What do you think?

Edward Hopper, House by the Railroad, 1925

Chinoiserie shopping fun

If you don't often stop here, you might not notice that I am not only an art fiend but crazy about chinoiserie.

Here are a few of my picks:

This Bergere chair in a pagoda fabric is not for everyone but I like it. HERE

If the chair is too pricey these shakers are a darling use for $8.

HERE

This is great. HERE

Gump's of San Francisco is having a sale and a girl could go nuts over all of the great decorative items.

At $599 it is not exactly a bargain but lovely nevertheless. HERE

Hard to resist HERE

I find these figures so charming. Check out all of Gump's Asian inspired decor in this section.

My pagoda fabric

This screenshot from my Spoonflower page is a little difficult to see but it is my Pagoda fabric.

The process started with me drawing a pagoda and photographing it ( my scanner is not working) and then uploading it to Spoonflower.com

Mid-process of removing shadows

In order to get what you really want at Spoonflower you must be sure that there are not too many colors in a simple design like mine. This can take a while to tweak. I wanted a very small pattern on white ground. As you modify a design you can see the size in the "ruler" along the sides.

I have ordered a swatch--can't wait to see it.