At Apartment Therapy we try to keep the focus on real homes, but it's easy to get distracted by the siren song of a perfectly styled spread. Looking around my apartment, I realized that many vignettes that would look lovely in a photo feel impractical in my space, so with the coming of the new year, I've been trying to ensure that my home is designed for living as well as looking.
Clearly, there's nothing wrong with wanting your home to look magazine-ready, but styling a home and styling a photograph are two different endeavors, and there can be a precarious balance between a vital, livable space and a showroom.
- Situate your home according to use rather than to styling. The desk may look much better positioned directly behind the sofa, but if that means a constant glare on your computer screen, then it's no good! Pay attention to the function of the space and try to find a happy compromise between style and use. If your room is arranged with function in mind, it will always feel more comfortable and inviting, even if it may not be as picture-perfect.
- Take this tip offered by Mario Buatta in the latest issue of Elle Decor: "The best time to look at a room is the day after you've had a party because you see the way people used the space." Sparing a minute to consider how others have used your space can ensure that conversation areas are adequate, that surfaces are being maximized, and that the space enables movement.
- Remember that photos sometimes show only one wall or a portion of a wall, and they can be cropped and placed in discontinuous series. The same spatial layouts may not work as well in a three-dimensional space. In a real room, all areas need to communicate and flow continuously. Furniture and objects will need more room to breathe.
- Accumulate items because they speak to who you are, not to which vignette they may complete. I know which of my pieces have real visual pleasure or memories attached to them, just as I know which ones I bought at Ikea to round out a tablescape. Obviously, it's not wrong to have the latter, but keep the balance heavily in favor of the former to make your home feel warmer and more personal. In the words of Rose Tarlow, "An object added for effect instead of affection will always look like an affectation."
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Comments (27)
Good advice! We bought a bigger house last year and have been taking our time completely decorating it b/c I refuse to hang crap on the walls and fill bookshelves with knick knacks that mean nothing to us. So walls remain empty and some furniture is bare but at least I didn't blow my budget at a store just to fill the space. Then you have to justify getting rid of the crap you didn't even want in the first place b/c it was expensive to buy when you add it all up. No thanks - When it's done, it'll be spectacular! I like that almost all of our art and accessories are homemade/local/from our personal travels - it makes me feel at home.
thank you. i always like to read good advise. it is very helpful.
I hope creating a comfortable and useful space comes fairly naturally to most people, but one place I think the vignetting and styling can be overdone without realizing it is in dedicated guest spaces, if you have them, since they are often vacant, and you are not the one generally *using* them. The nightstand, dresser, sink, etc. may look prettier with "tablescaping", but when guests come, they need a comfortable place to put their stuff, and they shouldn't have to squeeze in around your tchotchkes. Having recently been a guest in several homes over the holidays, I definitely noticed feeling more comfortable where there was open space (and drawers!) for our stuff, even if those rooms looked a little sterile/empty before we moved in. It made me go home and reassess my guest space!
Yep, Life first, Looks next! Absolutely! I think the best design is when both things meld so a space is both functional AND attractive.
I find that trying to make sure things seen through every doorway ("vistas") are all as attractive as possible, while still functional. So my partner's bedroom, which is at the end of a long hallway, has his comfy reading chair, lamp, and trunk/end table in view, with drapes on the window behind.
Art and a small end table with an arrangement at the head of the stairs.
etc.
This is such great advice. My husband seems to think that a house always has to look like it picture perfect 24/7. Consequently he purchases furniture that is uncomfortable cause he thinks it just looks better. Wants nothing anywhere that says we live here.
I've definitely mastered the function first aspect, but still trying desperately to balance that with style. I blame my lack of storage space. I have hardly any closet space, so things go in boxes that hide beneath end tables. That kind of thing isn't necessarily lovely to look at, but it's my only clutter control option.
It's interesting. Another blog I follow, Cocoon Home, posted something similar today: http://cocoonhome.com/blog/?p=9087 Beauty IS all well and good. But function is king, or queen, depending on your preference.
OR www.cocoonhome.com/blog/?p=9087
apparently URLs are not converted.
Where did the blue cocktail ottoman come from?
I especially like your first point. My fiance got a record player about 8 months ago. We were both excited to have it but never used it because it was put in an impractical place in our apartment. Now we have it out, front and center. We use it *all the time* and are so happy we made the change.
Here's a picture of where it is now: http://www.insideways.com/2011/10/put-things-where-youll-use-them.html
Aah, yes, with kids we definitely put function before looks! That seems to be the rule (hey, we made it to school on time but their faces are covered in crumbs). They're getting older so it's getting better, though! We can have cooler stuff out ;-)
I believe usefulness is beautiful. Before I buy anything I think, 'Is it useful? Is it practical? Do I need it?'
We have lots of company, and I have four kids in a medium sized home. I don't have room for impracticality.
Oh and, 'Is it beautiful?' too.
I decorate with looks and function in mind (acquired throughout the years by trial and error) but truth be told if you are going to do a photo spread of my place I would definitely hide the likes of the dog bed (the current one being a heap of blankets in her fave spot), the broom and pan that is ALWAYS not in it's place, and declutter my entryway table. For instance ... I could go on.
We converted our dining room into a study, and put the pedestal dining table and chairs on the front porch. We realized that we ate at the table exactly twice in the three years, but used the desk stuck in the corner of the bedroom a lot. As we already had all our books in the "dining room," the desk was really in the wrong room.
I recently renovated an early mid-century home including a gut rehab of the kitchen. I chose finishes and surfaces that appealed to my senses yet at the same time, function was the first and foremost. I am thrilled with the result with the exception of an all-white ceramic tile floor. I used cork throughout the living space and I regret not using the same floor in the kitchen, since the white tile is impossible to keep clean, as beautiful as it is. The longer I live in my home the more I change things around. It's nice to have a space evolve as I do.
We just moved from 875 sq ft to 3200 so I am very used to conserving space and using every sq inch of "real estate." We're a family of 4 and I had no idea how much stuff we had until we moved. But now this house is cavernous and I'm anxious to decorate it ALL!
However, I change things often as our needs change constantly. For example, I LOVE French Provincial but the reality as that those sofas and chairs are just not that comfortable for lounging...and we are loungers! My home has to be welcoming, comfortable and beautiful...in that order.
I agree with keeping the guest space free of clutter and cute objects. For the rest of the home, I prefer practical, very comfortable for everyone, as green as possible, and somewhat minimal.
I arrange for function. I keep the photo-worthy arrangement in the back of my mind to be used when my home someday is staged to be sold.
We take this ideal a step further and decorate almost exclusively with functional items: the wall-fillers in the dining room? floating shelves with our anthro bowls and fiestaware dishes, a baker's rack with our stemware, and a little wooden shelving unit with our collection of colorful mugs... in the den? our guitar, ukulele, and mandolin pop off of the green wall with their glossy wooden bodies... in the kitchen? aprons and reusable grocery bags on teal hooks, and oven mits above the stove... in the bedroom? a handmade coatrack covered in scarves, bangles, and hats.
We hate accumulating "decorations" except for very precious items (a ceramic plate from Spain, wedding photos and a portrait of our baby- er, dog) and therefore have chosen to fill our empty spaces with items that are both beautiful and used all of the time. Why should we hide our awesome dishes or the guitar we play daily? Also, this maximizes storage in our tiny little place. And it's cheap!
We recently moved from LA to NYC, and left most of our (clunky and/or Ikea) furnishings behind. Now we live in a 675 sq. ft. apartment and only purchase items we really love. So 6 months in, we still have an empty space in the livingroom where an end table and lamp will go, and most of our walls are still bare. Slowly, slowly...
@Shuffleberries, Excellent approach, I'd like to copy it. I also daydream of painting my walls and ceiling unusual clear, saturated colors. That takes no more space or work than white does, yet adds beauty and interest. It can make even a sparse, utilitarian space feel rich, homey, or whatever mood may be sought.
Amen! I loved the comment about studying a room after a party.
I'm all about organizing as well as decorating and people often fall into this same trap, assuming that if there is an organizer for it, it must be used. This is simply not true. Each person should figure out how they use their own spaces in his or her own home and choose containers based on personal habits and aesthetics, even if it conflicts with the advice from the latest design magazine.
After all, if you can't truly live in your home and have it suited to your own needs, what's the point? Go live in a fancy hotel instead. ;)
Great story with very useful advice...As someone in the business, I have often wondered how consumers look at styled shots, whether in print or on-line, and what they come away with. Not having an unlimited budget is no reason to keep one from being inspired. It's similar to couture v everyday clothes; instead of looking to high fashion to duplicate, look for suggestions, maybe of color combinations, mixtures of texture, mixing of styles, etc.
And I love Mario Buatta's quote...very insightful!
People really create "vignettes" and "tablescapes" in their homes? People really need advice on this? Tarnow quote is nice and pithy.
So very true. A photograph can very rarely represent the way a room FEELS when you're in it, or when you sit here or there in a space. Great room design is not the same thing as great styling--each is its own art form, with completely different experiences. Great space design solves problems, great styling inspires ideas, and things that feel great in person (textured neutrals for example) don't come across as "compelling" on screen.