Thursday, March 28, 2013

Three Design Legends

Since I've been househunting, I've been doing a lot of thinking about design.  Looking at a bajillion homes from all different eras and all different styles kind of forces you to go there.
About 12 years ago I got serious about design (as serious as a single mom of three, accountant with no design skills can get anyway).  It was the olden days with no pinterest or blogs, so I studied magazines.  Slept with piles of them on my bed.
Here's what I learned from three design superstars all those years ago that stuck...for good.
From Mary Emmerling:
All white walls.  Always.  
Remember the above photo of her Key West home...Country Home magazine June 2001 (not that I still have a 12 year old magazine, which of course, I do)

(Forgive the crappy photos..it's an old magazine!)
From Tricia Foley:
You can never have too much white & cream with dark wood.
(remember Victoria magazine?)
From Barbara Barry:


Crisp white with classic wood is timeless and dining room lighting is best at eye level.

I firmly believe that the best way to judge a designer's style is to look at their own home.  All of the images above are of the designers' homes and all of the images are at least 10 years old, some are older (as you can tell by the quality). 
But in my book, they are all still fresh, stylish and relevant.
I would love to hear what you have learned that has stuck with you and from whom. 
Please share!
xo
~Karen~

 

15 comments:

  1. yes i agree with you re white walls. in the past i've tried colors but always go back to white. hey trina's house is for sale if you want to move to oregon! and it's an all white beauty.

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    1. I freeze in LA...can't move to Oregon! But Trina's house is gorgeous and indeed all white!

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  2. I agree...white walls...and you are so right, these homes look as fresh as they did 10+ years ago. Wait...Trina's house is for sale???

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  3. These are such great tips. In redoing our beach house, we've learned to go with what we love - we are big fans of honed marble countertops and had lots try to talk us out of them, but don't think we'd be happy with anything else.

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  4. I love this! All of these spaces are so timeless! Traditional spaces that still feel really fresh are what appeal to me. Cote de Texas is one of my favorite reads for inspiration. She also has a lot of posts on designing smaller spaces and on a budget. I devoured her blog when we bought our house. Same goes for Erika at Urban Grace Interiors. I made my way through her archives very quickly.

    Hope your house hunt ends soon and the decorating process can begin!

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    1. Thank you Kate...from your lips to God's ears that I find a place soon :)

      I checked out Urban Grace's portfolio and loved it! As soon as I saw the gorgeous Circa Lighting lamps I knew it was a winner. So pretty and chic!

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  5. I think the fact that you have 12 year old magazine pages proves that you know what you like. :) I have some pages that are almost that old and have wondered if that means I'm set in my ways...don't think so. You can't go wrong with white walls, wicker, wood, and some pretty pillows.

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  6. Things certainly have changed now that we have pinterest and gobs of blogs for inspiration! I finally got rid of all my old, old Southern Living mags, but I have a binder of inspiration pages torn from magazines over the years. I love all the clean, fresh images you show here! Newest follower!

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  7. Hi Karen! I couldn't agree more..white walls and dark floors never look dated. Great pictures, hard to believe some of those rooms are 10 years old. I saw your pic on your instagram, with your daughter(?). You're so pretty! So nice to put a face with your name, my friend :) Best, Lauren

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  8. All gorgeous,classic rooms. So pretty! My sister lives in Pasadena, has a Craftsman style home and does all white paint in her house. It looks great and she has great style. I think White paint looks great in old, classic homes with hardwood floors and wood accents.

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  9. You would love The Gardener's cottage - blog, she has similar classic tastes for interiors. I love all the images you have posted. They are easy to love. Timeless and full of good taste.
    pve

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  10. Every one of those tips are the best.....I painted my house all white about 7 years ago. It makes it so much easier to change things up.....although that might be a bad thing :) Of course when everything is white you needs lots of texture to warm it up so think wicker.....in furniture, blinds or accessories. And.....green plants. But I agree with all of these wonderful designers.....keep it classic and in 10 years it can still look fresh!

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  11. Love that advice. I do remember Victoria magazine. I also think you need to close the world out and follow what you love. An accountant...that is why you approach everything so practical and studied. Love that!

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  12. Karen...great advise....I would love to paint all my walls white....next house...we are moving to a smaller home soon...

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