“Follow the trend” is what the world tells us about everything, and home design is no different. Just like clothing, home decor styles can change overnight. For example, the trends have recently gone full circle back to traditional “Grandma-chic” or “Grandmillenial”. Blending old with new such as mixing Grandma’s dining table with some new textured chairs and vintage decor for the table top. We have a store inside Mainly Vintage on Main Street where we blend the old with the new just like this.
It would be exhausting to totally keep up with changing trends, so as a designer I try to help my clients select at least some larger classic pieces that will take them further down the road. I always ask my clients what they want their home to feel like and reflect about them. We start with the sofa in the main living area … typically it’s the foundation of that room. I make sure the style, color, fabric and of course, comfort is the perfect fit for my clients and we work from there. At the same time we discuss wall color and treatments. Paint color is the easiest and cheapest way to create a vibe or a desired mood..
Curating the perfect blend of their old items with new is what my role is all about. Most of my clients have some idea of what they like and want but just don’t know how to “put it all together and make it flow”. I have coined this expression as the 'funnel'. We dump ideas into the funnel and I help funnel out the look they are trying to achieve.
'Beauti-functional' is another term I have coined to represent my approach to home design. As I began designing for clients, I realized that I could not get them to commit fully to every piece I suggested … so we compromised … and beauti-functional was born. Keeping it as beautiful as possible while compromising on some more functional pieces like a washable rug or a durable sofa for people that have pets or small children.
I love a challenge and blending styles can definitely be challenging. In the Adult Room pictured, I was tasked to design around a Persian rug that the client already possessed and cherished. I had been wanting to do a 'dark academia aesthetic' and use the paint color Dark Room by Sherwin Williams so when the clients agreed, I was thrilled! I built that room design on the rug and the wall color as the foundation. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed designing around the rug and how inspiring it was.
People often ask me what MY style is. Although I love so many styles … what lives inside my soul is what I call 'modern French country'. That’s what my dining room is (pictured). I love all the organic textures like the rough-stained pine shiplap on the walls, hyacinth place mats, goat hide on the table, glass cloche, layered place settings, and of course greenery.
For the P. Marino home I was not only asked to help with the design but also sell the home. So I knew it would need to be designed for a larger demographic to make sure we could find a buyer sooner than later. We started the home in 2020 at the height of the accent walls and shiplap/modern farmhouse craze. We made selections that were not too trendy and again would take that homeowner a little further down the road with the designs. We chose classic blonde large-plank wood floors, light wall colors, marble tops and tile, classic shaker-style cabinets, simple light fixtures and black windows and doors. It all worked out and we sold the home very quickly.
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