An Exercise: Designing "undesigned" spaces

There are many different types of rooms to love.  The types of rooms I'm thinking of today however, are "undecorated" decorated rooms.  The "undecorated" rooms feel as if they were created effortlessly & naturally.  They're very personal, just as a decorated room can be.  They can be done in any design style- be it traditional, modern, cottage, etc.- but they just feel as if they've been created over time, without a ton of thought, and if they've come to be almost by way of  chance.  They work, but at first glance we don't necessarily know why.   But when you see them, you just want to be there. 

(image above, Atlanta Bartlett)  Although these rooms look effortless, it often takes great thought to create these "undesigned" spaces on a schedule.  Often these rooms develop naturally over time...  Things get added in, others are removed.  Sometimes function trumps beauty.  I personally find it much more challenging to create a room that looks as if it's been created without much effort.  When I'm hired by a client, I'm on a timeline.  I can't just say, "Well, let's do this and that and let's let the rest develop over time."  I have to create a space that looks as if it's been created effortlessly & naturally over time.  It's a very fine line to walk.  On one side you have beauty & perfection and on the other side you have mismashed & junky & odd/cluttered or unfinished.  (The room below is a location offered by Beach Studios...  not finished)  I want to create rooms that are beautiful yes, but that also feel extremely personal & a bit "off"/ not perfectly done.

There's something intrinsically beautiful & interesting about imperfection or the not-so-pretty to me.  I don't mean worn finishes or chips, but something "off." Aspects of a room that just shouldn't quite work, yet do. In my wall of Leonardo Da Vinci sketches, I couldn't help being drawn to the "grotesque" drawings of people that Da Vinci did. (He believed that to truly appreciate & create beauty, we had to first understand the grotesque. Hmm.... Deep thoughts. But I see that. ) But something about the ugly drawings & purposefully hideous & gnarled faces is interesting and somehow beautiful to me. I can't quite explain it... Dave kept asking me why I was putting up all of the ugly pictures. Can't help it!

 Don't get me wrong, it takes a a ton of skill/ talent & an amazing eye to create a space where the room is coordinated beautifully and is perfectly "designed..."  I'm in love with plenty of rooms that look carefully coordinated, with the right blend of new & old, high & low, color & texture and creativity.  I ooooh and aaaaah at rooms with tight matching color schemes.  Some of my favorite designers often create these types of spaces.  I know I do.  But right now I really want to delve into the "undecorated" rooms.  When I do a client's home, for the most part, I want it to look as if I haven't been there.  I don't want it to look as if a designer did the space...  more as if they're just a homeowner with an amazing eye & style.  (Now of course, some clients do want the "designed" look & if so, we go for that.)  But in general, my goal is to tread softly while still creating something unique & beautiful & stylish & real.  It has to be "perfectly imperfect." (below pic of our LR as it was this past fall with paintings that aren't perfectly balanced.)

 I've been noticing lately that a lot of photographers have this look in their homes.  Check out photos of Victoria Pearson's home featured in House Beautiful a while back.  (One of my favorites, the photos are taken by Victoria herself):   

 A lot of the other rooms I've noticed with this look also belong to designers themselves.  I guess it's beacause they have more time, more freedom to create these amazing spaces.  They can throw things in without knowing they "why" and do it "just because."  Or maybe we're just more fearless in our own homes...   I think this also comes when there is a high level of trust between designer and client...  when the client is willing to take risks with the designer.  Design blogger Alek of From the Right Bank totally has it nailed down:

In these types of rooms, things seem to be almost thrown together by a truly stylish person, although I'm sure in reality, the {stylish} person doing the room took great care & put lots of thought into the process.   It seems like a lot of beautiful rooms come about through a long process of tweaking & editing & rearranging.  Color combinations are often a bit more complex or even extremely simple.  They're often unexpected or layered.  (image below from Downtown Chic)

For example, in my aqua family room (below) when deciding on a fabric for my white to-be-slipcovered ottoman, I was deciding between 2 fabrics: 

The first was a pretty linen damask in aqua & brown  (the colors are off in the pic but the aqua pretty much perfectly matched the walls)

and the second was an orange & golden geometric print with tiny spots of aqua.:

As you can see, I went with the geometric print in golden hues, even after my husband told me he thought it was ugly.  I knew it was the less obvious choice but it was the one that gave the space more character & a sense of age & I just loved it.  (Also knowing that it's a slipcover that can be easily removed made me feel better...  although we haven't taken it off yet ;)

Creating "decorated" or "designed" rooms vs. creating rooms that feel as if their creation was effortless, unplanned, and happened over time & possibly on a whim takes both thought and planning, especially when doing it for others.  (The space below is photographer Amy Neunsinger's home featured in House Beautiful, photo by Amy herself)

Since this is a learning process for me and I haven't quite figured out what element it is exactly that created this type of room vs. a perfectly designed room, I just wanted to jot some notes down.  I've included some pics but mostly random thoughts.  (And of course the characteristics I've listed aren't present in every "undecorated" space but they're trends I've noticed.)

 "Real" home vs. Gorgeous "Showhouse" or "Pottery Barn"

1) Color schemes & Depth: 

          -Their color schemes aren't perfectly coordinated or "matchy"...  (I know 'matchy' is regarded almost negatively these days, but I'm not referring to it negatively...  just stating that it doesn't really work for this "undecorated" look.)

          -They sometimes have unexpected color combinations:  often an "off" color added in can do it. 

          -It seems to be harder to get this "undecorated" look with bolder color combinations (which can feel "plastic" or flat to me if there's not enough of a range or depth) but it can be done & when it is, it's awesome.  ...I think it seems to work when lots of texture and/ or older furnishings/ finished are added into the mix 

          -There are often colors that are subdued or fairly neutral with hits of color.   (room below by Nate Berkus & Assoc)

 

2) Formality:

         -It seems more difficult to create this feeling in more formal rooms because formal rooms often feel decorated/ designed because of their very nature..  yet it's still possible.  Think of a large formal dining room with the goal of getting it to feel "undecorated."  It much more difficult than it would be to do this in a small intimate dining room with doors flung open to a patio.. (image below, Southern Accents)

3.  Age/ Patina

        - Even in a modern space, there needs to be some items with age/ patina:  possibly in furniture, rugs or fabrics..  This creates a sense of history & makes the room look as if it wasn't done in a day (or 3-6 month period, etc.)  (See Nate Berkus room below)

4.  A mix of finishes in both woods & metals

          -"Perfect" rooms (which I do love) often have all of the same metal finish, but "perfectly imperfect" rooms do not. Check out {the insanely talented} Brooke Giannetti's gorgeous powder room with varied finishes for example:

5.  The Personal Aspect

           -When a room feels extremely personal it feels "real"

           - Decorators should draw out a client's passions & create spaces that embody them

           - Truly personal style is much more interesting & beautiful than a beautiful "everyman's" (or "everywoman's) room     (As seen in the totally personal child's room done by the super-creative & fresh Anna Spiro of Absolutely Beautiful Things.) 

6.  Fabrics:  Patterns vs. Solid

             - Sometimes it's a mix of patterns and/ or artwork that come together uniquely and could possibly be perceived as "too much" but somehow isn't and is instead "just right."  (See master of "undecorated" rooms Celerie Kemble's room below)

       

     -Sometimes there's not much pattern at all, but rather a combination of solid, textural materials:  (room below by Atlanta Bartlett)

         

   -And sometimes it's a natural-looking  (vs. perfectly coordinated looking) combination of patterns & solids  (See room below by Steven Gambrel)

7.  When art/ prints are personal vs. mass-produced:  Again, this goes along the lines of personal.  But it does make a difference.  For example, think of flea market oil paintings vs. beautiful glicee reproductions...  (I do use glicees but try to limit them to unique works that I've never seen before.)

8.  How the room is accessorized:  is it "perfect" or "lived in?"  Not overstyled, not overedited yet not cluttered.    In magazines & online, I also think the way the room is photographed & styled has something to do with it...  All photographers & stylists & magazines have their own unique styles and  as I learned through the BHG shoot:  If your house was shot by 3 different magazines, it would have 3 totally different looks/feelings depending upon what they wanted to focus on & the look they're going for.   In 'real life' the way  you style a room can really change its mood/ feeling and turn it from looking perfectly decorated to "undecorated."  (Think about informal balance.)

...  Ok, I could go on & on...  But in the end it all comes down to creating a room that's loved.  Include lots of things that the homeowner truly loves in the space and create a mood with color & pattern & texture that sings to the homeowner's very soul.  (yeah , I know I'm getting cheesy ;)  Use  items full of memories, fabrics that really speak to them & show who they are, furnishings that will be the comfortable backdrop for life.  Personal choices...   include items "just because they're loved" rather than because they "go."  This is often really a challenge when working with clients (many of them younger) because not everyone really has "stuff."  If people haven't really collected or acquired things over the years, it's the designer's job to help find things the client loves & that speaks to them without forcing it.    It's why the designer must be insanely perceptive & able to draw people out of themselves. 

One of the best classes I ever took in college that's prepared me more for design work than almost ant other was Nonverbal Communication.  I find that it's not so much what people say they like, but it's how they react to suggestions or pictures or ideas that shows me what they really like.   What excites them?  What deters them?

So how to design the undesigned room??  Again, I think that these spaces need to be & look "loved."  I know that might sound like a cop-out because it's not a tangible thing you can just do, but I think I'm really coming to the conclusion that all of the spaces I'm talking about are deeply personal & loved & used.  These are the spaces I want to create for people.  They can be beautiful, they can be interesting, they can be spare or cluttered, but they must be loved. 

Your thoughts?

xoxo,

lauren

ps- Happy birthday to my mother-in-law Sharon!!   She was probably one of the first people who truly believed in me when I first started out decorating.  She trusted me & let me experiment on her house and gave me confidence when I wasn't so sure.  She's supportive of all we do even when our crazy ideas scare her.  She reads every single comment on this blog because she cares that much & feels she knows so many of you.   Not only is she incredibly good to Dave & our kids, but she's good to me & I love her.  Happy birthday Sharon, because I KNOW you're reading!! ;) ;) 

Pure Style Project #9: How To Make Wax Drip Candle Covers for Your Chandelier

Hope you had a great weekend!  We painted the nursery, organized it (finally!) & I started hanging things on the walls.  wahooo!!  Our washing machine broke and our house got so trashed from working on the nursery and neglecting everything else,  that we decided to head over to my parents' house and do laundry & order pizza & watch movies Saturday night.  They'd gone out for the night so we got to relax in their newly finished basement (redone after the flood.) (For those of you who haven't been reading this blog since the beginning, Dave & I had moved into my parents' last year to save up for this house.  It was one of the best things we ever did, although at the time it seemed like an eternity.)  It was cool to be back in our old "home" (the basement) Saturday night and remember all of our saving & dreaming & planning for a new house and to realize that we were there.   

Also, I've decided that because so many of our projects are decorating-related and not necessarily organization projects, I'll include both.  (BecausetTicking stuff off of my "to do" list gets me more organized even if it is purely decor-related.)

For this week's project I wanted to share with you the wax drip candle covers we made.  The stark white candle covers always bothered me on our old chandelier.  (We'd had to rewire it and replace the old damaged candle covers that were oroginal to it.)  I wanted pretty wax drip candle covers. 

So we made glue drips down the sides of the 30 cent plastic covers with Elmer's Glue.  I let a layer of drips dry before starting another one.  Here's the first layer (below).  Just start at the top with a glob of glue and let it drip down.  (As you can see from the pics it was a learning process.)  And use something better than a paper towel as the surface...  it sticks to the candles.  ;)

Once they'd dried and I had enough layers, I painted them with a cream paint we had lying around:

Here's a close-up:

I'm really way more into the orangey-aged color of the one wax drip candle cover below on the left (It adds so much to a chandelier) but I didn't have the right paint lying around. 

 So here they are for now & when I get the chance, I'll be recoating in a more orangey paint & antiquing:

But so much better for now.  (At least I don't cringe when people look up & examine my poor chandy or I put pics up on the blog.)  So if you have any chandeliers that are in need of new wax drips, please join in and link up!!  

xoxo,

lauren

ps-  This project's at your own risk.  I didn't use heat resistant paint, which I'm sure would be the smartest thing to do...  We checked our covers (prior to painting) and they don't get warm so we went for it, but that's up to you.  :)

On a Crafty Scale, I'm probably above-average for normal people but below-average or average for crafty bloggers/ blog readers/ DIYers.  I get very impatient & sloppy and like quick & easy projects.  This was sooo easy.   

*update -  also I didn't come up with this myself-- I think I must've read it in a magazine a few years ago**  :)

The Nursery

It's gametime.  I still haven't done anything with Justin's nursery and he just hit the two-month mark.  eeeeeeek  (I also haven't sent out baby announcements yet-  arggg!!)     But he's starting to spend lots of time in here, is looking around more (and just started laughing this week! :)  and it's time to give him something special to stare at.  Right now the poor kid looks at this: 

...  And it's actually much worse than that.  (I replaced his shell mobile with his beautiful owl mobile since the picture was taken which doesn't work at all in the room's current state, but now the room is a huge mess because -  like I've said before- I don't take care of my "undone" rooms...  It gets so messy because I never want to spend any time in here.  bad mama)  I did put up shades to keep the un out at naptime...

I was really floundering with this room.  We didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl so I decided to go with a general theme of owls & some fun colors and kind of a pale nature/ tree feeling...  I planned to do the room once the baby came because I just couldn't get into it but had a general idea that it would be soft & pale & realxing.  Dave painted the walls in a soft pretty cream.  I bought a few great accessories:

... And waited for little one to arrive.  When it was a HE and not a SHE, I really found that the direction I was going in just didn't appeal to me anymore.  I forgot about the space for a month in the midst of new baby busyness.  After he was a month old, I started saying to Dave, "We really need to do his nursery."  It's taken another month for me to actually get around to designing it.  But better late than never I guess.  (In all honesty, I know the nursery at this point is more for my hapiness than Justin's...  kids are fine anywhere when they're this tiny...ALthough I must say he LOVES his owl mobile and that thing is a Godsend.)

BUT I'm going in a really different direction.  The owls will stay but I'm going a little nutty in here.  I want it to have sort of a vintage, unexpected, Alice-in-Wonderlandy-curiosity-vibe.  I want it to be darker and higher-contrast so baby Justin has lots to lay his little eyes on.  The furniture we had was fron our old house & just doesn't fit well in here so I'm also reworking the shelving to fit this space.  And finally, we've got some beautiful vintage lighting from our old house that I can't wait to get installed!!

So this weekend we're repainting and I'm ordering fabrics- finally!!!  Here are some hints:

Don't be scurred.

Have an awesome weekend!!

xoxo,

lauren

*images from last sequence:  Domino via Windlost, Domino, Markham Roberts via Cote de Texas, Grant K Gibson, Elle Decor Magazine cover, Apartment Therapy

I Got a Feva!

It Sounds Warmer Out...

This morning when I woke up, it was just a little better.  My shades were down but I could hear the birds!!  Chirping like they should be!!  (Under the crying/ yelling of my two year-old who had just woken up on the wrong side of bed in his bedroom.)

There was more light at 6:40 AM than yesterday and it's seeming to get better each morning.  Could it really be here??

I'm afraid to open the shades, because I know there will be puddles of muddy snow and a mudpit of a yard to look at, so for now I'm just chillin in bed with #1 (Christian, our 2 year-old) and I hear #2 (Our two-month old, Justin) starting to squalk in his nursery.

I don't know about you but I'm so ready for these:

 ...  I did see red buds on our maple tree last week so it's on its way!!!

Are you as ready for Sring as I am???

 When I was a little kid, my grades used to drop a little in the Spring.  I looked out the windows more and rushed through my homework.  In the second grade, my teacher, Sister Marian, called my mom in for a chat about my grades.  (They were usually straight-As but she'd noticed that my work wasn't as good.)   She thought maybe my parents' divorce was having an effect on me.  (I was 2 years old when they'd split up so it had been 6 years and honestly I'd never known what life was like with married parents.)  My mom listened patiently and then simply explained that I got a little less into school in the Spring.  Call it "Spring Fever" if you will,  but it's almost got me now.  (And it "gets me," it's that strong.)  I can't wait!!

Anyone else got a feva???

xoxo,

lauren

ps- I need more cowbell!!  (Saturday night Live)

And Don't forget to check out the Love List Libraray!!

Guest Blogger Before & After: Camila From High-Heeled Foot in the Door

Please welcome Camila of High-Heeled Foot in the Door!!! :)
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Hi Pure Style Home readers,

Me and Lauren go back a long time. I think I’m actually the first non-family member to ever comment on her blog! Since then we’ve become great friends  and everyday I wish that she lived closer to me! I of course jumped at the chance to guest blog and be in Lauren’s neighborhood (virtually speaking) for the day.

 

I’m so excited to be here showing you a little before and after that recently took place in my own home. During our many talks me and Lauren came to realize how close we are design wise. We share many of the same beliefs when it comes to decor even though I tend to go more bold & bright in my color picks the basics are the same.

Here is a before picture of the guest room in my home. When we first moved in I had found a paint color I loved and simply painted the walls, added left over furniture from around the house and eventually put some window treatments in place. Ah bad decorator I know!



As other rooms got finished in the house I finally set my eyes on finishing this room.  Because the paint was relatively new I decided to keep that as is. This helped the re-vamp process, because I didn’t need to prep the wall again, prime print.

It now looks like this and is waiting for Lauren to come and stay in it!



It’s a multiple purpose room with a small office area and a trundle bed with pillows  made Roberta Roller Rabbit napkins! The massive bulletin board was another DIY project that was made from supplies from Home Depot.



Like Lauren I believe every room needs a little greenery and in this case I decided to go with some sunny sunflowers.



Storage boxes are piled up top for my office supplies. My individual craft storage cubes got a unified built in look by adding a wood countertop that I stained yellow.




I didn’t want the walls to be too busy.  So I placed some token pieces on the wall in a very organic manner. No measuring here!

One of the crucial elements to the room that helps tie in my introduction of yellow are my DIY striped curtains.



The room encompasses everything I love, is simple and chic and feels very much like me all essentials for good design according to both myself and Lauren .

I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into what happens over at High-Heeled Foot in the Door!

xoxo,
Camila

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What a fun fresh happy modern space!!  I love the color scheme & all of the cheerful touches. (One of my favorite being the turquoise beads on the white gourd lamp-  just perfect!!!)  Camila, than you so much for walking us through this beautiful happy space of yours!!! :)  Hope you all enjoyed!!

xoxo,
lauren

A New Painting for Our Kitchen Nook

I'm crazy about this oil painting painting I recently found for our kitchen nook.  It's by a German artist named Decker and was done in 1886.  You know when something just calls to you?  ("Buy me!!" ;)  I didn't know where I'd put it (I rarely do with art...  If I love it, I know I'll find a spot) but for $60, I was thrilled. It's full of my colors and I just love its moodiness. 

I've been meaning to  get something up on the left side of my kitchen nook for a while now...   Here's a photo of the right side with the chalkboard:

The green in my cabinets (Behr's Witch Hazel in Semigloss) works perfectly with the Decker painting:

I'm leaving it unframed and I love seeing the tattered sides of the canvas.  The painting is so beautifully aged.  

And here it is up in "the nook." 

I'm never one for permanence in my home, but it'll be staying in the nook for a good long time!  While I do appreciate museum-quality art (who doesn't?)  I'm always on the lookout for beautiful inexpensive original paintings.  (And by inexpensive I mean under a $100 and preferably in the $30 - $50 range...  I know that's cheap, but I feel no guilt at checkout! ;)   

xoxo,

lauren

ps- The white floor vent register seen in the pics has finally been replaced!!  wahooo 

Pure Organization Project #8: Tupperware Storage

I have to be honest with you:  I'm fading fast on the organization.  I'm sorry I never got Mr.Linky up last week & especially sorry that I haven't been able to check out everyone's projects. 

Last week was a crazy week for sure, but I'm having trouble seeing how it's going go get any less crazy now that I'm back at work with 2 little ones at home.  SO, in the interest of sanity (my own of course ;)  I'm taking a teensy chill pill about the Pure Organization.  They won't be every week.  (There I said it!)  I just can't make it all happen right now.  There may be 2 in a row and they may be every other week or I may have a good month and get them all in, but I just need to take some pressure off right now.  I hope you can understand & since you're all usually extremely sweet, I'm pretty sure you will ;)

But, I do have one for you this week!  Organize & purge the tupperware.  This one came out of pure necessity.  When all of our tupperware was clean & unused, it got to this:

Eeeeeek!   No joke.  We'd made a bunch of meals & frozen them for when the baby would be born, but when we ate the meals, we had way too much tupperware!  (Add that to the inherited tupperware from family who'd dropped off meals.)  Anyway, here was our drawer before:  lots of the lids and bottoms had no mates...

And here it is now:

Ahhhhh so much better.  I ditched all the mateless pieces (recycled them) and put the inherited stuff in a bag to return, and now it's feeling so much better.  The key is this:

I kept one of the mateless containers and filled it with all of the lids for easy matching up.  Makes it so much easier! Good luck on this one if you join in!!

xoxo,
lauren