New Year, New Design Column on Nest by Tamara blog- Six Ideas to Make Your Home Even More Livable & Stylish
New Design Column for 2021Add These Six Interior Design Elements To Your Home in 2021To Ramp Up Your Style (both budget and splurge ideas)
I'm ringing in the New Year with some new blog content in this column "Add This To Your Home" where I'll show key ideas/life hacks or sources to bring great style into your home. Some of my suggestions will be splurges while others can be done on a tight budget. After attending design school at Parsons School of Design, then working for two decades in the industry, traveling to design shows throughout Europe, and now designing and manufacturing textiles and wall coverings at root cellar designs, I've gleaned a great deal about how to design a home. Over the years, my ideas have not really changed much but now I am drawn to the unexpected in the mix, and quality over quantity. Bringing a few, choice hand-made pieces into a home brings joy and craftsmanship and truly ups the quality of the overall design. As my eye gets more tuned, I find myself often loving simple rooms, or I should clarify- rooms that have been well edited but have a great sense of style and a big personality. Check out my Interior Design I Love pin board for more ideas and sources. In the meantime, there are some key combination/elements that I am drawn to over again. So, here is the first story in a series I'm sharing in the new year to help us all live in our home better. A year of a horrific pandemic has taught us one thing- that home is our sanctuary, so let's make it even better, more beautiful and more livable. Please stop back for more of these stories throughout 2021!
Happy New Year,
Happy Nesting
XO Tamara
1. (SPLURGE) Create A Stylish Banquette Tucked Into A Corner
A kitchen banquette done well is one of my favorite things to see in a home. This one in this otherwise awkward corner, now shines. Upholstered in a gorgeous (love the color) velvet and tufted (looks to be a nice, modern tuft without buttons), mixed with interesting gallery of art (notice the art is eye level) and the modern light- interior design by Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey was featured in Veranda magazine.
2. (SPLURGE) Add Floor-To-Ceiling Subway Tile In A Bathroom
I've had clients choose the most exotic and expensive tiles for bathrooms, yet to me, some of the most exquisite baths are done with good old-fashioned (what I call old New York City style) floor-to-ceiling subway tile. I just love it and there is something elegant about this simple choice. Here designer Summer Thorton implemented this idea beautifully.
3. (BUDGET or SPLURGE) Layer Unexpected Patterns of Wallpaper and Fabric Together In Your Master Bedroom
There are many things I love about his vignette and it's simple, yet quite a few unique blends- the wallpaper with that incredible fabric on the headboard sets a very bohemian tone. The pillows, the mirror and even the placement of the art has a modern feel. Yet, the ginger-jar lamps and shades bring us back to and old-world feel. As in almost all interior design it can be hard to break it down precisely because it's not just about putting nice items in a space, it's how it all works together. First thing to achieve a fantastic layering of textiles is to throw out all your preconceived notions about "matching" patterns. Find something you love, a unique combination (maybe one large and bold one) and work your scheme around that- add another smaller (maybe geometric as in the wallpaper shown) to highlight it but it truly does not have to "match". You'll be surprised how easy combining patterns will become when you start this way. This room by Australian designer Anna Spiro featured in Design Crush.
4. (BUDGET or SPLURGE) Hang Plates on the Wall
One of the easiest and can be one of the least expensive design hacks to bring your home a bit of old world charm. Shown here inside Designer Veere Grenney’s exotic home in Tangier featured in AD Home. The home has many rooms and gems to drool over, but I love the entire collection of 1815 Royal Worcester dinner service (certainly not the budget version) hung on the wall. To me, antique decorative arts and plates are art, full stop. I love plates on the wall, from mis-matched vintage pieces you can easily start collection at flea markets to a complete historic collection like this, it's adds a lot of personality to a room.
5. (BUDGET) Style a Book Case or Shelves In Your Livingroom with Your Favorite Collections
This is one area that can be done on a tight budget. I love it when book cases are painted or papered in the back to show some contrast when stacking the books and such. These shelves are smartly styled, grouping like-minded colors or shapes of collections together. It creates a wonderful ambiance while allowing you to showcase your favorite items together in a smart, and uncluttered manner. This one featured in Braibourne Farm
6. (BUDGET or SPLURGE) Go Bold Or Go Home in The Foyer
Let's face it an entryway or foyer sets the tone for the feeling of the home. This is the time to truly amp up the style, and of course you can pack a small entry with antiques, art and gorgeous mirrors but you can just as easily do it on a budget with unique finds and creative use of color and pattern. First order of business is an oversized mirror (the perfect place the brighten up the space while offering a spot to check your lipstick as you head out), then add some fantastic, dramatic wallpaper or a painted mural or even a bold color painted on the walls (paint for a more budget project and lacquer the walls for a splurge). Regardless, a foyer is the perfect place where great style has big impact. I just love coming home to a jewel box like this by one of my favorite interior designers, Celerie Kemble. This home done up in a Hollywood Regency style design was featured in Lonny magazine and now years later has trended on Pinterest. It's gorgeous! And, it also highlights the value of a smartly skirted table (but that's for another story in this series).
