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.  

Life in Rome - New Year, New Address

I would say Happy New Year, but it’s already January 21^th.After living in the Historic Center on Via del Pellegrino for seven years, I have moved to a new neighborhood. I now live in Parioli.To say this is a big change would be an understatement.One of the biggest changes was moving from a furnished apartment to an unfurnished one. I was very fortunate that my former landlady had a great eye but I’m excited to finally have my own furniture.Finding an apartment that was unfurnished was not easy. Smaller apartments tend to be furnished and in Italy/France if your place is unfurnished it usually means you have to buy a kitchen as well. I didn’t have the time or the budget to build a kitchen.I lucked out in finding a place that was semi-furnished; meaning the kitchen was already installed.I’m still getting settled. I have no Internet. Who knows when it will be installed? Could be next week, could be next month. I’m zen about the whole thing as I realized flipping out on Vodafone would not make things move faster.For over twenty-five years, I have lived in homes with white walls. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and paint my front hallway a dark blue. Here some pictures that inspired me to get my Steven Gambrel on.A sea of blue in Mr. Gambrel's West Tenth Street townhouse. A deep blue foyer in Paris. Jeannette Whitson's library which created quite a decorating stir. I went with Farrow & Ball’s Stiffkey Blue. I will post some pictures as it comes together. Who knows when it will be done? Story of my life.

Reading, Writing, And Decorating.

Mamma mia, what a week.  It's been non-stop since the Italian holiday season officially ended last Sunday with the Befana.There was a lot of running around picking out fabrics, butchering the Italian language when I met with the drapes/sofa maker, writing budgets, and following up on a million things that were put on hold before the holidays.My siblings and in-laws asked me what I wanted for Christmas.   I have a bunch of design books on my wish list.  The first batch of the books arrived last week (thanks fam!).  I cannot wait to dig in.Now I just have to find the time to sit back with a ice-filled glass of Coke, some San Carlo Rustica chips and start reading.