Oh my dears, the fashionista magazines are just bursting with what was shown on the fall runways. It is a year of covering all of the bases, from the return of hiking boots and plaid flannel shirts (yikes!) to ultra-sophisticated furs and lush velvets.
After flipping through the latest InStyle and House & Home, I can just see myself as one of those famous 1930’s stars sashaying into a room, tossing my mink over the closest chair, and lounging seductively on the crushed velvet chaise set upon a plush fur carpet. The picture in my head makes me want to redo my house like a movie set from yesteryears. Maybe I can reproduce Tara from Gone with the Wind? I can trade my slinky silk dress for a green velvet one made of old drapes. “There always is another day…” to redesign your home.
The point to all of this is that what happens on the runway effects interior design. This Fall, interior designers are seeing everything from rustic wood or wood-look floors with a super-casual area rug (no buffalo checked rugs so far), to elegant dark wood floors with white shag area rugs with the look of fur placed over them.
You might even see an increase in faux-fur rugs. Technology is such that faux-fur is looking more and more like the real thing. This lux faux fur (try saying that three times quickly) is why the fashion designers have gone fur-mad this season. And rug designers are responding.
I got so excited about current trends (well, one of them) after flipping through the latest Vogue and Interior Design, I had to take a trip to my favorite flooring store, City Tile, to contemplate my next home design project. Here are three strong fall interior design trends that are being shown in New York and Los Angeles.
Modern Times
Fashion this Fall is much more pared down. While Mad Men is no longer on television, the mid-century modern esthetic has stuck. It fits with the whole minimalist thing that is going on, all those people selling all of their stuff and moving into tiny houses. How do they do it, dear divas
I keep saying that flooring sets the tone for all interior design, and what it means for choices here is that there is less glitz and glitter. Less color. Designers are using walls and floors as the canvas upon which to build the look, keeping them tonal –in pale greys, tans, blues, and greens -throughout the house and bringing in strong statement pieces, like a teal mid-century couch, an indigo harlequin-patterned rug or a large piece of art with splashes of, you guessed it, blue. Yep, lots of blue going on out there. The statement piece in a bathroom, however, is most often a large walk-in shower with tile work that is art.
The Big Trail
I admit it, I hate camping and getting sweaty in the forest with nothing but bugs and leaves for company. My idea of camping is not staying at the Ritz. But, the rugged grunge look is back. This time, it too is minimalized. Grunge design this time around is more about artisan-crafted or re-used furniture, and reclaimed wood floors. It is heavily influenced by the farm-to-table movement, maker-movement, and getting back to nature.
To me, the best thing about nature is that it is green. But for those of you who like this style, there is no more shabby chic. It is up-cycling. It is about using natural elements, like natural stone floors and walls. It is about bringing the inside out and the outside in. It is about being green-natured and keeping your ecological fingerprint at a minimum. And reflecting products that are made locally. For example, City Tile carries reclaimed barn wood floors (or walls) that are made right here in Tennessee.
Grand Hotel
I admit that this is my style. While many interior designers have been opting to use soft neutrals and then place a few statement pieces in the home, this is all about the home being a statement piece. While pared down runs through everything this year, this style focuses on rich fabrics like fine linen, cashmere, crushed velvet, and gold fixtures. Yep, take away those polished nickel and rubbed brass fixtures, gold is back!
This fashion is not in any way over the top. It is more about good old elegance and taste and breeding, with a modern twist. Oriental rugs are starting to fade away toward more contemporary styles with a decidedly Moroccan twist. Some even look as if they are faded old rugs, or ones that have been soaked in tea to give a weathered feel.
Then there is the addition of the updated shag I mentioned at the beginning of this blog. It is not the horror of years past, but this shag has more of the manner of a sheepskin rug. These rugs make one think of the fashion designers and all of their faux fur coats and accessories this fall.
Whatever your esthetic, I am sure you can find ideas from my fashion-mad diva report of Fall styling to add a new modern touch to your Divadom!
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