New York-based interior designer Vicente Wolf recently discussed how he achieves timelessness in his projects on his blog. We found that he was able to give voice to a quality that's hard to achieve and almost impossible to describe...
Vicente Wolf's Tips for Timelessness
Wolf writes that a certain form of restrained eclectic-ness is his main strategy. "It’s not the look of the day, though there may be some elements incorporated into that." he says. "It is not a recreation of a particular period in time, though there may be elements of that period incorporated in there too, but there’s nothing really nailing it to any particular period or style."
He relies on his gut, and refines his visual experiences "through travel, museums, watching old movies, and being aware of what's around me."
His last tip? Put all your elements against relatively undecorated backgrounds that allow the materials to feel fresh. "Backgrounds are clean canvasses where all the elements play against," he writes.
We've said a lot of this here on Apartment Therapy before, but Wolf boils it down:
• Buy what you love
• Train your eye
• Use neutral palettes to make textures and materials stand out
• Don't be a slave to trends
More timeless vs. trendy style:
Furniture That Survives the Test of Time
Apartment Therapy Interview... Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Part Two
Dated Decor: What Trends Will Stand the Test of Time?
What's In, What's Out: Predictions for 2009
Design Bloggers Weigh In: Trends We Would Love to See the End of
(Images: VicenteWolf.com)
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do those interiors look really dated to anybody else?
view davidsl's profile
davidsl - There is definitely a nod towards the traditional in these rooms but the color palettes are more modern. I think what is hitting you is a definite formalness to it all.
view cliokitty's profile
davidsl--
Dated as in when?
Certainly some pieces are obviously from a given era - but overall, could you say exactly whether these rooms were done in the 80's, 90's or today?
view bepsf's profile
Anyone seen the track lighting in the 5th picture before? I've been looking for something like that.
view ashbadger's profile
It's so ... Architectural Digest. Not to my taste. I'd love to have the money though.
view JoanneM's profile
"Anyone seen the track lighting in the 5th picture before? "
Yes, it's a low-voltage monorail track system - Check with your local lighting specialist or look here:
http://www.brilliantlighting.com/monorail-lighting.asp
view bepsf's profile
it just seems there's nothing really "fresh" or "new" about them. they look really 80's to me. or that first big bedroom does, anyway. i think there's a difference between "classic" and "snooze inducing" and these lean more toward the latter.
view davidsl's profile
i find it odd that you're promoting this statement
"Use neutral palettes to make textures and materials stand out"
during Colour Month!
view rouquinne's profile
lol I love V.W. so much... but to consider his VERY dated 90s designs "timeless"... is kinda-sort-of a stretch.
view Djluckyonline's profile
These rooms look very "grown up" which is refreshing.
view RichardinLA's profile
Looks a little like a funeral parlor to me. But, I like the tips at the end of the feature. They are a nice, positive refresher.
view niabassett's profile
I'm a huge fan of V.W., however even I have to admit that alot of his designs (for whatever reason) do seem '90s to me. Idk
view Volvoguy's profile
...and I really wish he'd stop using the same Thai religious artifacts mounted on metal stands in EVERY home he designs.
view Volvoguy's profile
Serenity now!
view jeffnyc's profile
I definitely agree with using neutral backgrounds to let the art and furniture stand out, but nothing in that place stands out because everything is neutral—not a bright color in the place except for a couple of flowers.
view BruceS63's profile
While I too have a fondness for Wolf, I'm sick of his triple mirror threat. It's awful. It looks cheap. Especially when he uses the full length mirror sideways trick. While he always responds to what ever furniture he finds, or is given, to work with he definitely relies on some of the same "signature" moments over and again. These moments , to me, are what look dated and nineties. Other than that, his work stems from what in the seventies was called transitional. This look really matured in the 80's when his practice became an institution. I find it fairly timeless though. He and Saladino always did it for me.
view omartiger's profile