I've been working with a great new client, figuring out her style and helping her get rid of a bunch of hand-me-down pieces she's been living with for the past few years. However, there were several hand-me-downs that were actually family heirlooms which neither of us would ever consider throwing out!
The bedroom is filled with these huge antiques, which have been passed down several generations:
How to break it up and make it feel less formal? It all comes back to the balance that I use in my Retrograde work.
Step 1: Add some fun bedding.
This bedding from Dwell Studio is grounded in a formal European floral/animal pattern, but is also incredibly bright and colorful and really packs a punch.
Step 2: Mix it up. With the bed furniture pretty much set, the only way to balance out the heavy wood pieces was with bedside tables and lamps. In all three options below, you'll see some combination of contemporary and formal, with most of the traditional shapes re-imagined in modern materials or colors.
Option 1 features inexpensive lamps in a traditional shape but also a shocking pink color, combined with nesting tables made out of clear plexiglass.
Option 2 features nightstands made of foxed mirror (which is a really traditional finish) in a really clean, modern shape. The lamps are playful plexiglass takes on rococo-style lamps.
Option 3 combines super-modern wall sconces with a ghostly floating table made of clear plexiglass.
Why so much plexiglass, you may ask? Yeah, each option features it, and I thought of using it in all three options in order to lighten up the space visually and to provide an ultra-modern foil to the carved wood bed and dresser. Maybe I read too many Wonder Woman comics when I was a kid, but I also like to think of it like the Invisible Jet--functional and totally rad all at the same time.
Anyhow, it all comes down to balance, balance, balance. It's the key to so many designs. This is how we do it, people.
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