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...
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?
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.
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?
Anyone seen the track lighting in the 5th picture before? I've been looking for something like that.
It's so ... Architectural Digest. Not to my taste. I'd love to have the money though.
"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
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.
i find it odd that you're promoting this statement
"Use neutral palettes to make textures and materials stand out"
during Colour Month!
lol I love V.W. so much... but to consider his VERY dated 90s designs "timeless"... is kinda-sort-of a stretch.
These rooms look very "grown up" which is refreshing.
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.
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
...and I really wish he'd stop using the same Thai religious artifacts mounted on metal stands in EVERY home he designs.
Serenity now!
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.