If design isn’t your thing, but you want to love where you live and use your spaces well, this post is just for you! Here are a few things to think about when you make purchases and decisions for your home inside and out!
SCALE:
This tile size gets the scale just right and the clean lines in the mirror design and faucet make this bathroom lovely to look at.
You may know that your style sensibilities rest in a farmhouse vibe or midcentury modern. You go to your favorite retailer and bring something home that reflects that style but instead of pulling everything together it sort of falls flat and recedes into the background. Or maybe it makes another spot feel vacant. You keep buying things but it doesn’t solve the problem. You don’t have a lot of money so you buy what you can and feel meh about your space.
Scale is the x-factor that you sometimes don’t realize is the culprit behind your malaise. Budget has always been a huge factor in my design decisions and sometimes I’ve cut corners on the scale to “get the look” I like. I can’t afford a piece of art that is large enough to carry the wall space and so I buy a few small ones and add a shelf and bookcase with a monkey on top and before I know it the runaway train cost as much as the right size piece of art. GET THE RIGHT SIZE AND IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD IT-WAIT FOR IT! I find myself looking for larger and larger pieces of art for clients because the open concept spaces we are creating require them for appropriate impact. Home Goods is a great spot to check for oversize pieces of art that fit your budget- it just requires you to keep checking. I’ve also had luck at Wayfair with extra large canvas filter options. The scale doesn’t just apply to art work but all the things. Case in point: My friend has a lovely mid century modern home built in the 60’s. She has had a large traditional couch and chair in the living room and an upholstered chair. We moved things around when I was there to maximize the space of the small room. Like a puzzle we were playing with all the options, but we couldn’t crack the code. On my most recent trip to her space she showed me a vintage sectional that she purchased and had reupholstered. She drew back the drapery and showed me how the 1960’s couch she bought matched the scale of her 1960’s house. The sofa line was just slightly below the window. The smaller scale couch was made for the smaller scale room and made it look larger. The new beefy traditional couch just wasn’t right for the room.
This Extra large light fixture anchors the open space and high ceilings while adding playful interest.
I notice this a lot with planters. Large planters are expensive and good ones are heavy. I often see people putting pots that are too small on either side of their doors or adding a lot of little ones. I’d rather you have one stellar pot that is the right scale than four that aren’t. It’s taken me a long time to get there as I love a good bargain. But if you drive around and look at exterior curb appeal, it’s the ones that get the scale right that turn your head. I like to look for non-traditional large items to turn into containers. My friend turned a file cabinet on it’s back and removed the drawers. It gave her the height, depth and length she needed to frame out an exterior space. If you shop online make sure you test out the measurements beforehand-planters always feel smaller to me than the picture shows. At Home is a great resource for a variety of styles and sizes at a fair price point. Like pairs of jeans and swim suits don’t be afraid to try out a few.
COLOR SCHEME:
The consistency of drip lines in the containers yield lovely results. The color scheme is pink, white and green in this lovely Church Hill garden.
These days anything goes. If you are a maximalist you can have a a ton of colors and patterns and make a space look eclectic and cohesive. When I think about color scheme I am speaking more to outdoor gardens and containers. You can have a knack for planting your containers and keeping them looking great through the season, but to me, the ones that have a planned color scheme, have the biggest visual impact. It’s a sneaky detail that maybe you don’t realize is contributing to why you love something. My favorite is purple, green, white and silver. I also love hot pink, pale pinks, green, and whites. In the early days of my garden making I would plant anything I could get for free. Now I’m like a warden throwing away a healthy red tulip that snuck in with purple friends because red isn’t in my scheme. A note on red in gardens……if you love red flowers you have to commit fully. It has such a big personality that it’s either front and center or not in at all. Yellow, green and white can look stunning but you have to be careful with red, oranges and and yellows or they can make spaces chaotic quickly.
THE EDIT:
This is by far the hardest one for me. So maybe I’m writing this little reminder to myself! I love beautiful things and I have a wide range of things that I love. It can get busy and over powering in my house FAST! I’ve learned my lesson in this area when decorating for Christmas- you must put items away before bringing out your decorations or your house can look like a junk shop in 14 minutes. Sometimes, if a space isn’t feeling right take somethings away. You can take a photo of a vignette you sort of like and try out a few other options- you can always go back to that photo if it turns out you liked that one best. Once I find the right balance of items in a vignette, I have a hard time deviating from it. I really have to push myself to try and change it up. Take everything off your mantle or dresser and start from scratch. Be willing to box up, or tuck in a closet items you love that are just too much for the moment.
IRRIGATION:
I can’t believe I am writing this. It is the most uncreative thing ever. Growing up we had a giant flat yard and my dad roped us into planting zoysia grass plugs to replace the centipede variety of grass that had died because of pearl bug. I was too young to be knowing about grass diseases. We didn’t remove all the centipede and when we planted the new zoysia plugs it brought on a yard war. The centipede rallied and tried to choke out the zoysia- this friends is the reason I want nothing to do with grass- legal or illegal- I just don’t want it. As we were doing this my Dad was laying his own irrigation system with my brother. Thankfully, I was spared but I walked away thinking real irrigation is too expensive and a homemade system is just a headache. So now I’m planting up containers for folks and hands down the clients that have the most exceptional planters are the ones with irrigation. As it turns out, it’s the only difference in the planters at their house and the ones at mine. I’ve used the same dirt and plants and pots. It means that I am not as consistent on watering as an irrigation system is and that is good to know. The proof is in the pudding as they say. Some clients have professional ground irrigation and they have added lines to pots and others have made their own irrigation network for pots and hooked it into their water spigot. Either gets the job done and I hear that the diy options for planters have gotten impressive. So if you are thinking of upping your outdoor game-don’t forget to include irrigation, you’ll be happy you did!
An example of scale, color scheme, and irrigation! Photo by Kate Mcgee
As Always:
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you can’t afford to pay someone, a stylish friend may have just the insight to help your space really sing. And if you can hire a pro, it’s money well spent!