The Design Files - Yes, You Can Mix Stripes and Prints.

Ciao Bloggisti,I know matching curtains, wallpaper, and even bed covers are having a moment.  I think this style can look lovely in a Manhattan Classic Six bedroom or a home in the English countryside.  In general though, I'm not a fan of what interior designers/decorators refer to, in very technical terms, as matchy-matchy.So far we've used a lot of neutrals and solid colors in our projects. I'm trying to experiment more when it comes to patterns, especially mixing them.  It's tricky as there's a fine line between Granny Chic and a room that looks dated.One of my clients has a beautiful striped sofa.  The current decorative pillows are a solid blue that she would like to change.  Surprising myself, I started to pull prints.  Her home has classic lines and a few antiques mixed with modern art.  The solid pillows on the couch completely disappeared.Something like this from Designer's Guild would make the pillows stand out more without overwhelming the sofas:I LOVE stripes.  They're a great pattern to mix with as they are simple and graphic.  It may seem odd to place a stripe in a room that has floral prints, but try it.  The graphic lines of the stripes will help ground the space.How to make sure the room doesn't look like a jumbled mess?  Color, color, color.   This bedroom by Mark D. Sikes is a perfect example.The stripes on the chairs go beautifully with the floral print on the duvet.  Imagine a floral pattern on the chairs.  I believe it would be way too much.There's a lot going on in this space but the color palette (and the scale of the furniture) makes it relaxing.Below, a bold approach from Steven Gambrel.  Gorgeous.  Chocolate brown and blue from Sheila Bridges.  Notice how the print in the curtains is the same color as the stripe.  Beautiful.  Solid curtains  with this type of sofa would've made the space too formal for a young single woman.Clearly, I have the color blue on my mind.  

Getting Your Home Ready for Spring - My Fabric Picks for Decorative Pillows

I hope you had a lovely holiday weekend.It's still a little chilly here in Rome but I know better than to complain about it.  Our weather is almost tropical compared to some parts of the States.Growing up in NY/NJ I looked forward to saying, "peace out" to winter and getting ready for spring.  While some of my chores were not fun, I enjoyed helping my parents prep our home.Once I moved to Los Angeles I didn't have to worry about such things.  There are seasons but the changes are subtle. Nothing drastic like mountains of snow and not a single sunny day in February.One thing I appreciate about living in Rome is having "real" seasons again but without the bone chilling North East winters.I've written before about how my mom did not play when it came to keeping a clean house.  Spring cleaning was like Oscars week for her.  I get it. She grew up in the Caribbean and never got used to the weather.  After a long brutal winter, it's nice to open all the windows and let your home breathe.I don't like heights, so I would ask my dad if I could pass on cleaning the gutters. I loved working in the garden with him. What I didn't love so much... changing the draperies. They were heavy and we had a LOT of windows when we lived in New York City and when we moved out to suburban New Jersey.  I couldn't avoid ladders completely.   Once the drapes were down, they were off to the dry cleaners and my mom and I would put up pretty Spring/Summer curtains.After a thorough cleaning, it's on to the next step.Along with swapping out heavy draperies and bed lines (goodbye thick duvets!), pillows are an easy way to bring some Spring into your home.  I'd rather make custom pillows but if you don't have time to pick out fabric, stores like West Elm, Crate and Barrel, and IKEA have some fantastic and affordable choices.  Like this Ella Square from Crate and Barrel.If you go the custom route, below are my some of my favorites for Spring/Summer 2015:Dedar's Rataplan.  A very pretty and interesting take on stripes.  I'm seeing a glass (or two) of Franciacorta with this print.Peter Dunham's Peterazzi in Pale Indigo.  This silvery blue says Spring and a nice chilled white wine from Agrigento, Sicily.Kathryn M. Ireland's Brianza from her Summer in France line. This would look great against a white linen sofa and with a glass of Rosé.For a more graphic design, Kelly Wearstler's Groundworks line for Lee Jofa is gorgeous. I'm thinking a Martini for this one.Also from Lee Jofa, David Hicks' La Fiorentina Red.   A Negroni cocktail (which was invented in Florence) would be perfect.Here is everything (and I mean everything) you need to know about Spring Cleaning from the one and only Martha Stewart.  It's a good thing.