Outfit to Room

What's your inspiration? As mentioned in the last 'Outfit To Room' posted last week, all well designed rooms start with a form of inspiration. Without it, the room often feels (and looks) disconnected. Inspiration can come from anywhere. I once had a client bring me a set of her grandmothers dishes. They were actually only 2 colors, blue and cream, but the pattern suggested the style of the room and the rest of the space fell into place.

This weeks J.Crew ad invites viewers into their glossy pages by using soft, summery hues, pretty flowers and a dainty, romantic, feminine whimsy:

I pulled this bedroom, designed by Charlotte Moss, because it conveys everything the J.Crew ad portrays. I love the way the floral curtains and the chair cushions pull the flowers out of her hair. The pretty pink toile bed skirt and canopy have the same light-hearted feel as the girl in the picture's make-up. The ruffle atop the canopy mimicks the soft, fluttery wave in her hair. The tiny flowers which make up her shirt convey a garden-like feeling---found in the botanical prints hung on the walls. Lastly, the ribbon and netting woven in her hair has a natural, organic feel---much like the texture of the natural sisal carpet on the bedroom's floor.

Translation: Outfit to Room

In design, I often explain to clients that they need an inspiration to begin their new room makeover. Something to grab their attention and set the room in motion. This inspiration can come from anywhere.


Today I decided to use an old Hermes ad as my inspiration picture and found a completed room that easily could have evolved from this. It's really that simple!


{Via Design Sponge}



{Via Hermes}



Translation:

• Notice how the blonde colored wood floors are placed in a herringbone pattern across the floor? This mimicks the zig-zag patterns found in her scarf.
• See the bright colored walls and the colorful floral fabric the ottoman is covered in? This represents her gloves and satchel.
• The tatty and worn paint that appears to be peeling off the walls? This imitates the background in the ad...sort of like faded scenery.
• The black and white framed artwork on the walls? This mirrors the color of the ad's snowy, mountainous background.
• Finally, the warm, rustic color and texture of the throw on the leather chair and the books piled high behind it? This picks up the overall feel of the ad, like the woman is traveling, somewhere cold and far away. There is a level of rawness found in both pictures and the textures in the room and the scenery in the ad both share a tribal quality.
• Perhaps some of the items sprinkled around the room, such as the kilim rug, the books, art and mirror hung above the fireplace are all treasures she has picked up on her journey....