Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Create a "Conversation Room"

“I find television to be very educating.  Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book.  
Groucho Marx


Long Live the Living Room
Home stagers, TV advertisers, and greeting cards companies make their money selling a fantasy.  They sell you a make-believe world in which friends come over to your home to linger over a cup of tea and celebrate the ups and downs of life.  They convince you that this home, this brand of coffee, this holiday card is the missing ingredient, the key, that will give you a life filled with friendship and meaning.  
Of course, that’s a bunch of hooey.  There is no magic product that will create a meaning-filled, love-filled life.  The “secret” is, in fact, that any house can be a home, any cup of coffee can give friends a reason to stay a little longer, and any  sent to a loved one shows you’re thinking of them, even a halloween card sent at Easter.
There is, however, something you can do to increase your chance for a a magical, meaningful life.  It has to do to with creating a place amenable to conversation, a space in your home where distractions are limited and the focus is on the human being in front of you.  What started long ago as the parlor and then morphed into the now unused living room I’d like to reintroduce as...
Before, the focus of the room was a giant TV.  That TV is still in the room, but now the focus is on gathering and talking.

“The Conversation Room.”
It all started with the parlor, a pristine room where guests and host met over tea.  As cultures became less formal parlors fell out of fashion and living rooms took over.  They were less formal than a parlor, but still tended to be a grown up space.  
As we started focusing more on involving children in every aspect of our lives, and as the TV became a bigger and more important fixture in our homes, many created a separate room to play in as a family, aptly named the “family room”.  Soon the formal living room became a sort of museum; polished, pristine, and unused.
Finally, the family room devolved (yes, I am biased) into a media room, a room completely centered on, focused on, the TV.  As a result, now when our friends come over they all crowd into the kitchen!  Why?  It’s the only public room left in the home where it’s polite to talk (admit it, if the TV is on, it’s generally considered rude to talk - amazing how the TV program gets precedence over human interaction!).
But I say you CAN have the magic they show in the coffee commercials?  All you need to do is create a conversation room in your home.
How do I create a conversation room?
A conversation room can be created in your old ‘formal’ living room, or even created out of your current family/media room (if the TV junkies are open to the idea).  Of course you’ll want the room to be attractive, the furniture comfy,  and the colors to look well thought out, but those are details; the key is in the *furniture arrangement*.
Flip through a magazine and look at the images of inviting living rooms - unlike many family rooms you see today with the furniture all directed towards the TV, the seating in these rooms faces other seating, making it easy and natural to talk.  It’s kind of like tree stumps in a circle around a fire pit.  That’s it.  That’s the key!

So here, along with that most important furniture arrangement key, are:
Five tips for creating a great, living, conversation room.
1. Make it intimate.
This is that first key - make sure the furniture allows for easy conversation.  No one should have to overturn their head to chat with a friend.  Equally, no one should have to shout to be heard or struggle to hear the conversation.  Of course a conversation room can be created in a great big room, but it should still be broken down into small conversation spots, small enough for two to gossip, and large enough for four friends to pass an afternoon. 
2. Make it comfortable.
Forget stiff and formal living room furniture.  And lose the old futon that swallows your friends.  The furniture should be comfortable and inviting - and that means not only the right level of “squooshiness” but also that it should be neither so clean, nor so dirty, that people are afraid to sit.  Also make sure that the temperature is comfortable; have a couple of throws in easy reach for friends who might feel chilled. 
3.  Make it private.
A conversation room should feel “safe” for sharing secrets.  It’s not meant to be the center of attention, or right off the kids’ play area, or next to the main phone in the house.  It should be free of distractions friends can come together and plot their next conquest and commiserate over their latest lost love.
4. Invite a little distraction.
While it is important that there be no TV in the conversation room, or if there is, that it has a very good cover that conceals it and that the furniture is *not* oriented towards it, you still want a little distraction in the room for those comfortable pauses in any conversation.  Light music, a garden view or interesting painting, and a few good books on the table will do.
5. Make it stylish.
Give the room a theme or style that inspires you to sit and stay a while.  Prefer a clean, open, contemporary look?  Or a cozy, country feel?  Maybe a fascinating global adventure?  Play with it, but give it a distinct personality; it shouldn’t feel like a forgotten or catch-all room.  Give it the honor that you want to give to your visiting friends.

It’s time to reclaim a LIVING living room - good luck!
PS - for a little help accomplishing this design mission consider hiring an interior “redesigner” - their focus and mission is to decorate using ‘what you have’!  

Monday, May 4, 2009

Finding Your Design Style

“Her hat is a creation that will never go out of style; it will just look ridiculous year after year.” Fred Allen

Finding your ‘style’ may feel impossible as you flip through the pages of home design magazines; there are so many beautiful rooms and furnishings!  With my clients I use mood boards that reflect five general styles; this eliminates some of the confusion and reduces the number of overwhelming options created by all those pictures.
Instead of confusing my customers with the intricacies of what might differentiate a French Country room from a Neoclassical room, or fussing over whether a Ming Dynasty vase belongs in a Japanese-influenced room, I keep the categories simple and broad so we can get down to the business of creating the new look.

Let’s begin with what we’ll call the “Classical” style.

CLASSICAL style feels timeless and honors history and tradition.  A classical room looks balanced and polished, features rich, luxurious fabrics and finishes, and exudes an air of quality.   You might like this style if you enjoy a clear feeling of antiquity and balance, and prefer old world treasures and marble floors with luxurious draperies.

Next consider the “Contemporary” style.
CONTEMPORARY style feels clean and open.  A contemporary space leans toward a minimalist feel, shunning clutter in favor of clean, crisp lines and a few key features that focus the room.  In contrast to the Classical style this leans towards the modern and new and tends to have an edgy, avante-garde look.

Perhaps you enjoy the natural, well-traveled look of the “Global” style.

GLOBAL style honors the world traveler and cultural collector.  A global room features natural fibers, varied textures, and colors common to nature.  It invites the viewer to take a journey.   This style can reflect one culture (such as a japanese-styled dining room or african-styled family room) or reflect a more general feeling of global travel.
For the fearless, perhaps a “Dramatic” style. 

DRAMATIC style feels fearless.  A dramatic room is far from ordinary and always leaves a lasting impression.  Built through drama, theme, and color, it is ‘extreme design’ and not for the faint of heart.  A dramatic room frequently begins with one of the other design styles, but that style is pushed beyond the ordinary to the spectacular.  This style is where theme rooms come into play - maybe a medieval castle for your basement media room, or an adventure filled jungle room for the kids!

For the hearth and home, “Country” style.

COUNTRY style speaks to tradition and family.  A country room embraces visitors with warmth and might feature family treasures, flea market finds, and cheerful, patterned, often mismatched fabrics.  It invites the visitor to sit and stay awhile.

And finally, you might find that you feel most suited to a combination of all the above.  This has become a very common in decorating, and we call it “Eclectic” style.

ECLECTIC style feels fun and vibrant.  Within an eclectic room all five styles may coexist harmoniously.  A well designed eclectic room showcases collected treasures and creates a jewel box of a room.
I find that while any room can reflect a given personality, an eclectic room will most fully represent its owner.  This style of room is most like a treasure chest and is filled with varied objects that may not all ‘match’ but that each speak to it’s owner I find that while any room can reflect a given personality, an eclectic room will most fully represent its owner.  This style of room is most like a treasure chest and is filled with varied objects that may not all ‘match’ but that each speak to it’s owner on a personal level.  The eclectic style is also well suited to the modern concerns for ecological friendly design because it allows for a viable combination of already-owned furnishings, consignment store finds and antiques, and new purchases.  
These are very broad categories, but are a wonderful starting point for figuring out the kind of room and home in which you’d like to live.  Try applying these style categories to the rooms you are drawn to as you flip through the magazines - you might be pleasantly surprised to find a common theme, and then suddenly you have a starting point for your new design!