When you're ready to make a change in your home (and, after this week, we're feeling the strong winds of change blowing through every aspect of our life), where do you look for inspiration? Many of us look to public spaces -- hotels and boutiques -- to inspire the changes in our private spaces. This week's feature story in the Los Angeles Times Home & Garden section on Trey Russell illustrates how to do this successfully. That Trey is also the owner of the gift boutique, Aris, in Laguna Beach and that both his store and his home are on constant display has no doubt helped him to hone his eye. He offers up 12 tricks that work in his small space home and that clearly underline his philosophy (and ours) that small size is no hindrance to big style. More, links and pics, after the jump...
To make the most of his apartment, a Laguna Beach shopkeeper applies decorating strategies borrowed from his boutique. And so can you.See the slideshow of Aris, retailer Trey Russell's gift boutique in Laguna Beach and his house, just behind the shop.
From Trey Russell, 12 steps to a sleeker style. Russell shares his secrets for a sleek, functional and stylish small space including replacing closet doors with high quality drapes in the bedroom; removing the jackets from art books so that the cloth covers create a monochromatic and less chaotic look; and, having a tray always at the ready filled with tea cups, a sugar bowl and cookies so you are always prepared to offer up refreshments to an unexpected guest.
Redecorating on a Dime. A Round up of wall art, from these sculptural wood decorations from Wallter, which come primed and can be painted any colour, to our favourite Blik, that can be used to inexpensively personalize any space.
Sofa beds with Style. With the holidays coming up, a timely round up of contemporary sofa beds, many of which we've blogged, so that you can say "yes!" to overnight guests.
[images: Allen J. Schaben for LA Times; Allen J. Schaben for LA Times; Allen J. Schaben for LA Times; Wallther, Blu Dot]
Does anybody else besides me want to smack that hat of his head?
view Comicgeek's profile
Nope, you're not! The guy calls out the brand name of his sugar cubes, for crying out loud. : )
view ljbmonkey's profile
Never trust a man wearing white pants unless he's a martial artist.
view TheCount's profile
Comicgeek, as soon as this post loaded i thought, 'someone please tell me how this stupid-looking hat phase started and when will it die?' so glad i'm not the only snarky one here. :)
the fad hasn't hit just here in america. i spent a couple of months in australia this summer and emo boys were wearing them there as well.. although that was around the time of an international rock concert celebration so they could have just been tourist emos.
view *heather leaf*'s profile
If you thought the hat was bad, don't read the tips. Decorating shelves is done with art and lifestyle books with their jackets removed ("get rid of them, they just get torn anyway") for a "monochromatic, less chaotic look." Your closet doors should be removed and replaced with drapes, because your friends are dumb and may think that you have "a drop-dead ocean view behind them." Which you cover with drapes. Yeah.
view wally3's profile
you guys better watch out...from the looks of this guy's constant hand-on-hip stance he just might sass you back.
view amt230's profile
aside from his hat (which I totally didn't notice until now). I did love the look of his house. It's totally not me - and I'm craving the toned down look of his home. I love those bookshelves - too bad they're $400 each.
view chusmabilly's profile
Since he probably isn't really a reader or book collector, the dust jackets won't make much difference. Of course, if you're buying first editions, you're a fool to throw away the dust jackets.
I wonder how often those cookies get replaced?
view Palmetto's profile
chumasbilly,
ikea has similar dark wood bookshelves...
cheers,
abby
view abby's profile
Really taken aback at the negativity. Call it whatever you want, I don't get it. I don't want to. It's like stepping into a room nearly full of people rolling their eyes and talking about one another unkindly. What a depressing find on such a lovely site. I hope that this is a fluke. Yeah.
view Knifemouth's profile