Anatomy of a Room
This is the first of a new series on the blog called
"Anatomy of a Room"
This series was created because I am always asked " how do I figure out what colors or style to put in a room. " or " How do you know things are going to work in a room?"
I believe that "all good design comes from seeing the potential in every space." I love being creative but it is always the architecture of the house or room that calls forth the design concept. That is not to say that client's likes or dislikes or personal affects don't play a role - they do and a very big one but I am always lead by the architecture.
If I pick a favorite room by a well know designer and we break it down to basics, I think we can reveal some secrets of how some room work and why other don't. This may even help you with your own design decisions so here we go….
A beautiful dining space by one of my favorite designers, Jean Louis Denoit.
The Anatomy of the room -
a. long and narrow
b. open to 2 other spaces
c. beautiful light through the windows
d. warm wood floor
These are the first impressions one gets if you saw the room without furniture. So you ask yourself how do I enhance these elements of the room so that the room sings! If a, b ,c ,and d are the make up of the body of the room then what is added is the clothes and jewelry. Just like when you dress yourself you want your clothes to complement your body not overwhelm it.
This room works because the designer:
a. enhances the length with vertical stripes but uses soft taupe, gray and metallics. The walls are the single focal point even though they are subtle. Everything else works to complement this choice.
b. leads your eye to the ceiling with the moldings added to the ceiling and the addition of the metallic
c. complements the other adjacent rooms by using similar colors but the vertical stripes help your eye travel from one room to the next
d. the use of metallics in the stripes and table base and the glass table top plays with the beautiful light coming through the windows
e. by pulling out the gray in the chairs and drapery, the room is softened
f. the jewelry is the rug - contemporary by choice it anchors the room
g. A black and white piece of art is the perfect. It stands out because the negative space makes it as sophisticated and calm as the room.
