One of my favourite designers is Charlotte Moss....her interiors are collected, not decorated...infused with character and charm and that haphazard look of uncontrived elegance...
....layers of the stuff of life....meaningful momentos acquired over time...
...interiors that shun clutter in favour of symmetry and balance, but still offer comfort and personality...
With my decorating challenges here at Acorn Lane, I strive to employ some of these design principles in my own home...
What seems to work for me....is decorating in layers....like below in our kitchen/sitting area...
I begin with fabrics and colours I love to live with...the colour green taking top billing...the blue export china I have collected for years...consistent throughout with Cake Batter paint on the walls and Cloud White trim by BM...
Layering with collections and different textures like silver, glass, baskets and of course, flowers from the garden, helps me to achieve the look I want, without the clutter...
One of the design principles I learned in retail....group and seperate....it has been working for me! Below..looking from the kitchen into the sitting area...
In the master bedroom below...the colours of alabaster and blush are working well with the painted French provincial furniture acquired at an estate sale over twenty years ago...there is a wonderful story associated with it's purchase...for another time...
Many more layers required here!! I am thinking Mole (a mousy brown) velvet pillows and linen bedding....a small slipper chair..bedside lamps...personal touches....
The downstairs guest bedroom is acquiring the collected look...here looking in from the ensuite bath..
...because this room gets limited light, I decided for a happy, yellow colour scheme...I think I have about six different patterns going on here...but I like it...they are colours of the garden! Petit print quilts have found their way into my heart..
....a romantic at heart... I added this small plaster relief over the iron bed....which was in an upstairs bedroom for several years...
The small chest, below, belonged to my Mom...handpainted through Acorn Lane...
Layering with vintage pillow slips, lamps and hand painted furniture and china...the lamp shade is made from vintage fabric...I sold them in my shop at one time...I love the English term for anything handmade...bespoke!
It just sounds so lovely and proper...
A vintage bark cloth toss cushion, with bottle brush fringe....bottle brush fringe...my sewing obsession at the moment! It looks soft and pretty on cushions and works just as well with upholstery...
Decorating in layers, for me, helps me to visualize more clearly in achieving the look I want, and ultimately avoid costly mistakes...especially when you are on a budget! I can wait...for just the right thing!!
Finding your own personal style can be a harrowing, daunting experience....but like anything else, I have found, that decorating from the heart makes it a little less difficult, and ultimately more pleasurable..employing basic design principles and layering with objects of affection, loved and collected over the years, creates an inviting and interesting home reflecting the people who live there......
This is a view from my window today...grey skies, chilly and snowing....I hope this small post helped brighten up your day!!
N.xo
