Door Handles

Door furniture, the way we open and close doors. I have been looking at a selection of sleek, brushed nickle door handles. The kind that with a gentle curve that fits into the palm of your hand, slender, elegant, stylish. Got me looking and thinking about the old kind, the old brass door knobs on carved doors, the glass door knobs on paneled doors, the old latches, elaborate key holes and how sometimes they were difficult to open.

A Blend of Styles

Many times I am asked about how do you mix contemporary with traditional,  how do you bring together different styles to make it look like you own it. I often respond with it depends... it depends on the architecture of your space, the light and then your materials.

This very beautiful apartment in Paris of two designers Gilles and Boissier have balanced all of these elements. They have a stunning light filled apartment with very traditional molding and paneling. It appears each wall, door and ceiling has paneling or delicately carved molding, making it very traditional, perhaps from the late 18th or early 19th century. Painting it all white restrains the architectural features and using very classical and traditional marble and quality wood but leaving it very minimal blends the styles. Limited patterns and colors but using the textures of the materials to carry the patterns and colors. Installing furniture with simple lines but comfortable. These are some of the techniques designers use to bring together and blend styles across many periods.

The use of black along the ceiling defines the molding, very elegant feature.

Simple gathered curtains rather than swags and tails creates a far more sophisticated room.

Ahhh, Carrara marble...

And the kitchen a blend of wood and marble, uncarved, unadorned , just the pattern and colors of the materials speak. This very beautiful apartment can be seen at Affante.com.

Greige

Greige is a color between gray and beige. It is an easy color to live with, it is more calm than stimulating so it makes very good living rooms and bedrooms. It is has an air of sophistication, not choosing a subjective color. However because of its neutrality any color will look very good next to it. Yellow is particularly good, pink definitely, black is striking and red enriches it. We see it with a touch of orange often.

Which style does it suit; almost always with a faded chateau look, looks very good with contemporary clean lines and most suited to a renovated industrial space. It also has an effect on the light making it softer, diffused.

Some would say it is safe, I would say it is good taste. Some materials are particularly suitable for this color: wood, brick, stones, metals and glass. Its best fabric companion is linen.

And there is the fantastic blog: Greige Design

all images via Pinterest

Elements

Some things I like

Who Has Enough Storage Space?

When you rip everything out of closets and cupboards to renovate you have a few thoughts about your stuff and what you need and what you don't need but another aspect is storage. Who has enough storage living in a city?

It is great to have a big country house with rooms to put all your stuff. Or a house in the suburbs with a garage to store all the things you do not want to throw away. But in town most of us have a little hall cupboard or an alcove next to the chimney wall, so schemes are worked out to maximize the the amount of space you can get from shelves and drawers and poles and hooks and boxes.

Still in the midst of renovating my flat, another thing I ask is do you need that?

Thinking of storage and shelving I took a look at some cupboards, wardrobes and armoires that are available.

Rococo, carved medallion a very pretty armoire from French Finds.

From Oka more of French style with the interior lined with curtains.

India Jane has a wide selection of styles, this one with louvered doors reminds me of Southern Europe or from New Orleans. The louvered doors are actually very practical, they let the air circulate but keeps the dust out.

Room and Board has a more modern aesthetic with a very attractive and simple double wardrobe. No carvings and ledges for dust to collect, just straight lines in good quality wood.

West Elm has some good simple pieces for storage, discrete and would fit into the alcoves or recesses.

A charming single wardrobe from Laura Ashley and a lovely double one with simple embellishment.

And Ikea, who doesn't have something from Ikea? forever useful, forever practical, forever affordable.

A Home in the Country

 With the coldest weekend this winter, I was with my dearest friend in the country. The home is warmed up with a wood fire, throws over the chairs and lots of conversation. We walked in the snow, visited a friend and tasted some Vodka flavored with a blade of summer grass, a drink that warms you from within.

 A country home has many textures, but this home has the warmth of wood, textiles that are embroidered, rugs hand knotted and throws hand woven. The pottery is hand thrown that show the potters thumb print and the ridges from the clay being spun on the wheel.

Vases of fresh flowers make the room redolent with fragrance and bulbs are sprouting in pots, promising blossoms in a few weeks.

A delightful weekened and with no service for iPhone, no email, twitter, blogs, it was another world.

Reclaimed Wood

Over the Christmas vacation I was staying with family in the Carolinas, it was warm and lovely and beautiful country. The home was lined with reclaimed wood: the walls, the kitchen, built in cupboards and consoles, all yanked from an old tobacco barn. It gave texture and warmth to the house so each place, each corner was cosy. Truly a one-off house. 

To have a home of reclaimed wood is a dream for most of us. I have a dream of building an eco-house too, solar powered, reclaimed wood, insulated... but I digress. The essential element of a house or furniture of reclaimed wood is its texture, the wood will be solid, dark, weathered and rich. 

While most of us are not going to build our own homes, there are some very attractive pieces of furniture from our favorites that are either made with reclaimed wood or are using wood exposed, the grain, the color, the texture left to sing, only using wax or oil to preserve it. A change from the painted look.

From West Elm

From Eat Sleep Live

From Anthropologie

Collaboration

These photos by Keith van Loen was part of a collaboration between a client and an architect on a London house. The refurbishment and design was by Ian Hume of Totem Studios.  


I was introduced to Keith by a mutual friend and after many emails we met up in a Soho cafe. After a good talk and a view of his portfolio, I was particularly struck by this house with the warm glow from the wood and brick. I was told for the kitchen the wood is reclaimed from an old chemistry lab. The soft green tiles from Turkey had one firing giving them a varied and uneven coloring. The room sings with color, texture and material; the copper pendants, celadon tiles, iroko wood and lots of natural light.
 

And we are all serious bike riders......