Nouveau Deco A Go Go

Who else is feeling the magic of marquetry? The frisson of fringe? The charge of checker? After years of minimalism, are we not ready for a decorative flourish or twelve? Clean lines still rule, but there's no shame in softening the edges. Think Wiener Werkstatte, the group of Viennese Secessionists in the early 20th century ranging from Josef Hoffmann to Gustav Klimt who bridged the gap between Art Nouveau and Art Deco. A judicious use of ornamentation highlights strong modernist lines by mixing graphic patterns with a applied flourishes and glossy finishes, but this go round puts its own stamp on the style with bold colors and offbeat finishes.

It's the early 21st century, baby. Time is a flat circle.

1. Woka Austro-Hungary Chandelier | 2. Yann Jallu Contemporary Straw Marquetry Screen | 3. Mosaic House Zellige Tile | 4. Pierre Frey Gustave Fabric | 5. CB2 Makan Mahogany Chair | 6. Flavor Paper Flower of Love Wallpaper

1. Urban Outfitters Diamond Chain Mirror | 2. Roll and Hill Shape Up Pendant | 3. Calico Wallpaper Op Art Wallpaper | 4. Dimore Studio Poltroncina Chair | 5. Violeta Galan Marquetry Cabinet | 6. Miles Redd for Patterson Flynn and Martin Rug

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Design Crisis: A Column to Help People With Problems (Related to Design)

I'm starting a new advice column. I'm not sure when I woke up and decided to crown myself queen of the design dispensary, but people often write and ask me questions about what I do and how to do it. So here I am, at your disposal. 

Let me be clear, though. I can't help with your dating woes, or teach you how to train your dog or children or friends who disagree with your political beliefs. I have no idea what fad diet to starve on or even what is happening with the bachelor, but I may actually be able to help with your design crisis. Let's do this.

Dear Erin,

Should I paint my crown molding to match the ceiling or the walls?

Signed, Phil W.

Dear Phil, crown molding is kind of like eyeliner. Dudes can relate to that, right? Anyway, whether and what type of eyeliner works kind of depends on the rest of your face. Perhaps I should drop this metaphor and let Steven Gambrel school us. SG is exceptional with room scale and proportion, and his treatment of milwork has a lot to do with that success.

Here we have a fairly traditional paint application, in that the walls are one color and the molding and ceiling are another. Effectively this brings the room height down by making the walls appear shorter. Working the molding into the ceiling space also reduces some of its expanse.

For this enormous ballroom sized space (check furnishings for scale), he painted the trim a different shade than either wall or ceiling. This makes the super tall walls feel less imposing by adding another horizontal line. It still draws the eye up, but makes both top and bottom halves shorter. Kind of like a belt. Apparently I should run a fashion blog.

For a more average ceiling height, he painted all trim in the same shade as the wall. This gives the impression of a lifted ceiling by creating a continuous line to the highest point. Glossy paint on the ceiling adds bounce.

And finally, in a very low ceilinged space he went all in with the color. A complete monochromatic treatment gives no break between wall and ceiling, tricking the eye into thinking a basketball player could actually stand upright in this room. 

And so, Phil, as you can see there is no easy answer to your question. Like many things in life, application is completely contextual. Probably I did not solve your design crisis, but mayhaps I have given you the tools to solve it yourself.

You're welcome.

Do you have a design crisis? Drop me a line via the Contact Page and I'll see what I can do!

[All images courtesy Steven Gambrel]

TOOLBOX: INTERIOR DESIGN BASICS

Have you ever wondered what it takes to do this crazy job? I mean, besides buckets of booze and patience? Today I'm going to give you the low down from the perspective of someone who has built a business from scratch, because sharing is caring. I started out as an artist and teacher, and slowly built a scaffolding of interior design knowledge and best practices through trial and error, meeting other design professionals, and most importantly busting my ass for nearly a decade. Here are a few shortcuts and hacks I can't live without. 

1) Olioboard

There are a lot of design programs out there and this one isn't perfect, but it allows me to to build a virtual finish board that is linked to every product, and I have thousands of products in my "warehouse." This is typically my first step in seeing things together before I order 8000 samples to look at in person. As the job evolves, I update the board to reflect current process.

Here's a snapshot of how we arrived at the final living room design for our Mid Century project.

And the fully realized plan. Ta da! 

2) Floorplanner

Once again, this is not a flawless program. In fact, I have spent many a day shaking my fist at the sky in agony. But if you are not a computer wizard and you just want a simple floorplan, this will do the trick. Also it will scale imported images of cad plans, which is SUPER HELPFUL. I typically use this to create a preliminary plan before our talented project manager Lindsay renders more complicated spaces in the dreaded Sketch Up (she's amazing at it, I despise it) or we have cad documents made.

It will also create basic 3D renderings of the space, like my kitchen that I have been threatening to remodel for the last three years but can't find the time to actually blow into smithereens via sledgehammer.

For comparison, here is a sketch up drawing from a job in progress:

Sketch up is much more flexible in terms of materials you can apply and granularity of component sizes. If you're a smarty pants computer savant, start there. Otherwise join me at the Floorplanner meet up (should we start a support group???)

3) Farrow and Ball Color Card

I feel naked without this handy compact card. We have suit cases upon binder files of color charts and giant swatch decks from every paint brand, but I bring this with me to every job site. It helps me narrow down initial color options quickly and efficiently, then I refine my choices with either large FB swatches or Benjamin Moore full size swatches. The other set that lives in my bag is the very tidy Benjamin Moore whites deck. 

Farrow and Ball Hague Blue and Pointing, from a recently completed project I will be shooting soon:

4) Math

Who knew that high school calculus would come in handy? KIDDING. Except for tipsy party tricks, it totally didn't. But I use simple math all day every day. There are lots of "rules" related to standard dimensions like seating space, walkway allowances, chandelier size, curtain height, etc., and by now I have 100s of them memorized. Also I can divide and multiply by 12 and 2.54 like nobody's business.

I prefer a clearance of about 18" between coffee tables and sofas, but it's good to know the minimums. That House Beautiful slide show is chock full of great tips and measurements. 

Design often comes down to scale, and proper proportions and ergonomics are critical to the success of an architectural space.

5) Ikea

If I had a nickel for every email I received asking about the vanity from our Travis Heights project, I would be filthy rich. Ironically it's probably the least expensive thing in the room -- Ikea's Godmorgon wall hung vanity. But the drawer fronts are outfitted with SemiHandmade's walnut drawer fronts and it takes things from big box level to custom on a dime. 

6) Ebay

I should be the Ebay brand ambassador. I have had an account since 1999. I also just bought two yards of Clarence House's discontinued Velours Klee and I'm high on picker fumes.

I have been hunting for this pillow fabric, seen in Nick Olsen's dreamily designed bedroom, for THREE YEARS. And thanks to Ebay I found it.

And remember when I bought this giant Victorian photo backdrop off Ebay at 4am?

Some things will never change. I use Chairish, Dibs and Etsy too, but Ebay will always be my first love. 

There's definitely more to the job than a few computer programs and swatch books.  On the other hand, it's not magic. It's a ton of hard work and math checking and tire kicking and spreadsheeting and vendor quoting and waaaaay too many hours looking for unique stuff until your eyes melt down into a puddle of ooze. It's also being open to the goodness when it happens.

If you're in the biz, thinking about getting into the biz, or just like all things design related, I hope this was helpful. And if you're in Austin (or Switzerland... or Maui) and need professional services you can always contact us HERE.