Tag: <span>decorating</span>

HappyChicAmie-Sitting

Poppy patterns and bold colors fearlessly fused into one room—this is what we like to see! Amie of St. Louis, you’ve got Happy Chic style in the best possible way! Hailing from Louisiana, this contestants French Quarter influences show through, but classicism never bogs her down. Her Georgian home is peppered with vibrant hues and mod accessories—the kind Jonathan and I lust for. But is it the Happiest Chicest Home in America? Only Jonathan Adler, the style-starter himself, can say. . . .

HappyChicAmie-Bed.jpg
Bedroom
Whomp it up with wallpaper and watch your walls come alive! This room is about being brave with pattern everywhere and it really works from the curtains to the walls. Pattern creates that touch of pizazz to give depth and originality to the space. The painted mural is a j’adorable way of creating artwork that is all your own. Well done with the WASP-tastic touch of monogrammed linens it adds a layer of deluxe delirium that makes the bedroom her palace. I wonder if there is another letter you could add to the H hanging by the window? It looks a little lonely.

HappyChicAmie-Library

Library
This room will never go out of style. The floors are stained a dark color making the details in the molding come alive! Painting the walls bright teal keeps it modern, keeps it contemporary and keeps it fun. The placement of a classic Barcelona chair is an unexpected element amidst the traditional architecture (note the moldings). Do I spy one of moi’s Greek Key rugs? Merci! Though equally important to note: Black and white in any classic rug pattern would work well with this space.
HappyChicAmie-LR.jpg
Living Room
A fabulous mix of classic and contemporary — Bravo! I see a well-proportioned and comfortable sofa balanced by a pair of light, wispy Louis chairs. The chairs are dressed in a brave choice of upholstery that I appreciate against the teal painted walls. As a Maximalist, I prefer to mixing and matching with panache, and this room is a fabulous find of how it really works. This clever entrant completes the narrative by placing a Bargello pillow, one of moi’s, in a similar color scheme as found on the walls and the fabric of the chairs. Also, j’adore the scale of the lamp placed in the corner as a grand accent that frames this seating vignette nicely. My own home is quite eclectic. I have modern bits mixed with Louis chairs mixed with pattern and always with lots of bold color. Its nice to see other people approach their home with a similar design sensibility and show it off!

Happy-ChicAmie-dining.jpg

Dining Room
I would soften those wonderfully grand windows with a patterned curtain to finish the room. The curtain would also be a fabulous backdrop to the swing-arm wall sconce — this type of sconce is a stylish and easy way to add task lighting to a small area. I would also recommend dressing up this space with a few more accessories! This dining vignette would be complete with layers of fun and decorative objets.

Style Note
I’m always willing to take pause and remember the zest of an orange lacquer cocktail table, the fun of a powder room wallpapered in a lime-green brocade pattern, or the excess of a giant vase filled with hundreds of peacock feathers–it’s the over-the-top things that stay with us and mean something. This weeks happy home is about those unexpected and memorable gestures that are both fancy and playful with bold color and layers of pattern and texture. I think you’ll agree that our chic entrant, Amie, fully embraces Maximalist merriment!

Check back next Thursday for other Happy Chic Homes in the running and more of Jonathan Adler’s secrets of style.
Or, if you’re itching for some of Adler’s attention, enter your pad at irresistible@jonathanadler.com.

Anne-E-CollinsJAdlerheadshot

Anne E. Collins (Editor) and Jonathan Adler (Product and Interior Designer)

Etc Projects

HappyChicMA_hallWhen this Manhattan apartment entered our Happy Chic Home contest, it made our inbox sing. To pack a decorative punch into this 325-square-foot apartment—without overwhelming the space–our contestant, Michelle, had to do some serious editing. Her strategy? She lives by the oh-so-Adler mantra: only surround yourself with the things you love.

Here, Jonathan Adler’s room-by-room analysis on composition, flair, the all-important tchotchke and what it takes to become the Happiest Chicest Home in America.

(Above) Hallway to Bedroom
Walking down the hallway to the bedroom, I see layers, layers, and layers of unexpected touches. Most prominent is the salon-style hung art that includes an eclectic mix of fave fashion photos, watercolor sketches, and personal pics. There is an inherent chicness about framing photos of your friends, because it tells a narrative that is all your own. J’adore the Zebra print rug. Going wild with animal print is advice I give everyday.

happyChicMA-ShelfjpgBookshelf
I love how the styled bookshelves have created vignettes in unexpected spaces. I often give the advice to layer your lair with love, to love what you love and have your apartment show just that. Pictured here is a Romanesque bust modeling a beaded necklace balanced with the binding of a David Hicks design book. This bookshelf is a creative moment that gives the room an eccentric personality with pops of red, pink, orange. I see another design trick: hanging framed pictures, especially tiny frames with tinier pictures, between shelves. It gives the bookshelf depth.

HappyChicMA-desk.jpgLiving Room/Office Area
Draping a linen slip over a table to hide desktop uglies like a printer and office supplies is a simple and easy antidote to the troubles and traumas of everyday office supplies. The bookcase from Design Within Reach stacked with a fave collection of books is a masterful way of dividing this roomscape. That porcelain bird on top of the case creates a sculptural moment and adds a bit of whimsy to the room. J’adore the pinboard hung behind the desk as a clever way to display her creativity. If you are someone who holds onto postcards or fabric swatches, art sketches and ribbon, pin them up on a board. Voila! You have art!

HappyChicMA-livingroom.Living Room
The living room offers an example of how to keep the color story consistent throughout the space: black and white with pops of red, and then accessorize aplenty! I would recommend covering the walls in grasscloth. Even add grasscloth on the ceiling for an unexpected dash of luxury. The chunky wallcovering made from jute and other natural fibers is back in style and I couldn’t be happier. Again, again, and again, the personal narratives throughout this apartment are what make it a happy chic home!

Style Note
I believe in bold gestures, especially if you have a small apartment. This clever entrant has managed to make her 325-square-foot apartment a gesture of Maximalist merriment. I consider myself a Maximalist designer and, as a Maximalist, I combine styles with abandon and a sense of fun. Maximalism is life-affirming and Minimalism is gloomy. This apartments decor is all about mixing and matching with panache, transforming the small space into a happy home. — Jonathan Adler

Check back next Thursday for other Happy Chic Homes in the running and more of Jonathan Adler’s secrets of style.

Anne-E-CollinsJAdlerheadshot
Anne E. Collins
(Editor) and Jonathan Adler (Product and Interior Designer)

Projects

happy-chic.jpgFor the past month, PointClickHome and Jonathan Adler have been hunting for the happiest and chicest home in America. We’ve received so many fabulous submissions but the pads with true panache, pizazz, and personality are the ones we are dying to share with you. Starting tomorrow and every Thursday until August 28th, Jonathan will be guest blogging on the chicest submissions to hit the irresistible@jonathanadler.com inbox. Each week on Design Daily he’ll praise, critique, and give hints to winning the grand prize ($2,500 in Jonathan Adler furniture and decor!). So check back to see which rooms are in the running and find out what it takes to be oh-so-Happy Chic.

HappychicLOGO.jpgWe’re accepting entries until August 21st, so it’s not too late to show us your style!

Etc Projects

AntoniaHuttDiningRoomThe juicy orange walls of this Antonia Hutt dining room have been on my mind ever since we posted it in Met Home’s story Mad about Saffron. And if a paint can stick in my mind that long, I think I need to buy it by the gallon (I have an email into the designer for the exact paint number; I’ll keep you posted).

Warm hues are said to cater to our social side and in a kitchen or dining room, stimulate appetite and conversation. I am not 100% sure this is true but with an orange this warm, this inviting–it just might be. So I think I am going to give it a whirl on our new kitchen walls. I love it–and I better because a color this strong will undoubtedly resonate throughout the surrounding rooms.

So that brings us to the next question: If our saffron kitchen opens up directly into our living room, do I carry the color through or give the other walls breathing space?

I think the living rooms palette has to at least reference the adjacent kitchen with complimentary colors. This space below by Jonathan Adler may just be the palette I am going for–browns, greens, creams, and few touches of orange in a rug or pillow to connect the space.

JAdlerLivingRoom.jpgBut I am also batting around the idea of painting the back wall of the living room a few shades softer, in a color like this Martin Senour Zinnia Orange. It would create a continuous flow between rooms and on just one wall, the color is a surprise rather than an expected matchy-matchy paint job.
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We start painting in the first week of August; I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Projects