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Interior Design Ideas and Inspiration.

February 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dear Debonair,
I’m not sure what style of design best fits my personality. I am moving in February and want to totally start over with new furniture/design. What publications/websites do you suggest I look at for inspiration?

LIVG-01(Image provided by David Phoenix Interior Design)

SY:  Most likely, you’re unsure of your design preference because you appreciate a little bit of every style. Rather than committing to one look, try being an Eclectic when decorating your place. Juxtaposing traditional with contemporary elements can result in an authentic place that reads both modern and honest. Avoid trends and implement a liberal seasoning of tchotchkes wherever you can. Move toward personal, idiosyncratic solutions in design, rather than the trend obsessed school of thought that most pedestrian decor is based on. Great design trumps trends, and some of the most inspiring spaces I’ve seen implement a courageous mixture of diverse design (think futuristic lucite dining table atop an antique Persian rug.) To explore your options, I would suggest picking up two popular shelter magazines for a dual design perspective: House Beautiful & Elle Decor. While House Beautiful offers design on a more affordable bend, Elle Décor visually stimulates for those with a bigger budget.  For rousing imagery online, TheSelby.com is fantastic. Like the Sartorialist for the home, Todd Selby photographs the inspiring spaces of Creatives from all around the world. His featured homes are the epitome of personal style, and they’ll definitely get your creative juices flowing for your own place. All in all, I’m confident that these suggestions will offer a well-rounded resource for inspiration, just make sure that you utilize your intuition and keep it fun. If you’re not having fun in your decorative efforts, you’re not in the true spirit of design.

Thanks for visiting,

Sean Yashar

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Interior Design for Small Spaces-Painting

January 13, 2010 By 5 Comments

Dear Debonair: I have a small studio apartment. I like to paint at least one wall something other than white.  My fear is that it is going to make the apartment feel even smaller. Any advice on what colors ideas I can do to open up the room and use a color other than white?

Mann-interiors_005(photo provided by Kara Mann Design)

When working with a modest space, think less like a decorator and more like a magician.  Especially when selecting paint colors, it’s all about creating illusions with color to make your space look larger than it really is.  A grey palette is a popular choice with professional designers working with small spaces.  The color grey is not only perpetually chic and sophisticated, but it subconsciously insinuates depth in a room.  Your best bet is to paint all your walls in a light to medium grey and a focal wall (usually the wall at the very end of a room) in a shade of darker grey. By painting the focal wall in a deeper grey than the surrounding walls, the room will appear that much more elongated. If you’re lucky enough to have built-ins such as bookcases, paint the bookcase backs in the darker grey to draw the eye and add a sense of even more space.  A second and less obvious trick for making a space appear larger with color is painting the ceiling.  The ceiling is the most overlooked and underused space in a room, yet a coat of paint can work wonders for opening up the space. My good friend, interior designer Oliver Furth (Traditional Homes “Top 20 Young Designers to Watch”,) shared one of his favorite ceiling tricks with me: “There’s a Pratt & Lambert paint I like to use on ceilings. It’s called snow goose. It’s the faintest shade of pale blue. Almost like a very cool white. It subconsciously reminds us of sky and because cool tones recede, it makes the ceiling look taller.”  To make this question on color that much more comprehensive, let me add the effects of natural light to the illusion of space as well.  If you have a nice size window in your studio, I would suggest hanging a mirror on the opposite wall to reflect the light.  Mirrors are your friend in a small space, and just like color, light and the reflection of light has the ability of really opening up a room.

Best, Sean Yashar

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The Home Bar Done Right

December 7, 2009 By 3 Comments

Dear Debonair,

What’s your feeling on a home-bar? Can it be done in a classy, debonair, James Bond kind of way? Any suggestions of pieces I can buy?

bar cart

No debonair man should entertain in his home without a stylish bar-cart. There’s something about swooping one into a room that instantly makes guests feel special while creating a sense of occasion.  In between entertaining, park your bar-cart in a special spot to create a vignette that will add instant dandy to your home’s decor. Here’s a quick list for the perfect bar-cart vignette:  alcohol poured into some classic shaped glass decanters, bar paraphernalia such as a martini shaker, ice bucket, serving tray, some highball tumblers, stirrers, and monogrammed cocktail napkins.  To complete the vignette, dress up the wall space behind your bar-cart with a stem rack to store extra glassware and an interesting piece of art.  Bar-carts come in so many different materials, shapes, sizes and prices, but personally I’m endorsing the stainless steel and glass styles for their classic appeal. For about $500 dollars, Restoration Hardware’s “Duncan bar-cart” (pictured above) is a great investment.  If you’re working with a budget, check out Target or even Sears for some surprisingly well-designed choices as well.

Best,

Sean Yashar

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