Charlotte Moss and Jonathan Adler Video: Basics of Traditional Style

Irwin Weiner ASID - It's great fun to see the work of two very different interior designers juxtaposed in a dynamic conversation about the foundations for classic, traditional home style. In this Traditional Home video, the great Charlotte Moss (I just saw you crossing Park Avenue two weeks ago with your two assistants - you were beating the street in sandals and a so-chic dress!) and the witty and talented Jonathan Adler (just browsed in your store in, of all places, Minneapolis - you are everywhere, sir!) discuss the basics of traditional style.

What you'll take away from this video, among other things, is a sense that "traditional" or "classic" style is a springboard for expressing fresh creativity. It's modern pieces, bold colors, updated and sometimes startling fabrics on classic furniture pieces - like a Louis chair, and symmetrical, traditional furniture layouts. I enjoyed watching the banter between two fascinating interior designers, and enjoyed how samples of their own rooms were used to illustrate their talking points.

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Campion Platt's Custom Made Soho Loft

Irwin Weiner ASID - I'm a "Johnny Come Lately" to many aspects of the world of interior design. When you're running a busy practice - thank heavens - you have little time to look over your shoulder or look around you to see what other designers are creating for themselves and their clients. You get the gist of another designer's work through shelter magazine (online and offline), but rarely do I look at the new books that come out. Most are vanity pieces that showcase a designers work and make clients feel wonderful that their work has been published. Well, let me change my tune and stop singing that particular song. Campion Platt's Made to Order book, which came out one year ago (so this isn't exactly red-hot news, but it's news to me) helps detail this wonderful NY designer's custom-everything philosophy.

I love this video we found; it promotes the book, and is definitely a "lifestyle piece" for Campion, but it helps to show off the details of what an amazing Soho loft can look like if each piece of furniture and all the accessories were handmade for that space alone. Imagine a world without HomeGoods, IKEA, and flea market finds! You're in for a treat, because you're about to take a tour of a brand-new, custom-decorated space that few clients can afford. It's certainly an aspirational piece, and can show you what deep pockets and a free hand can create in home design. A big "well done" to this designer for taking charge in such a masterful manner. As he put it, he took a "white envelope" of a loft space and totally transformed it into a luxurious, comfortable, tasteful home.

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Is Kelly Wearstler the Queen of American Interior Design? (Answer: Probably)

Irwin Weiner ASID - When I saw designer Kelly Wearstler's latest PR triumph in a recent issue of Elle Decor magazine (the Sanderson residence, an 11,000 sf home on Mercer Island, Washington), I agreed with the client's point that they wanted an "artist" instead of an "interior designer."

The boutique hotel designer and proponent of a new take on Hollywood Regency glamour style, Kelly's Mercer Island work shows an extraordinary degree of sophistication, design skill, rich layering, complex pattern mixing, and a fabulous dark and edgy color palette infused with gold details (see her entry foyer, below). Hats off to her and her design team for a job well done. Click on the photo below for more Elle Decor photos of her Mercer Island job. Now that's the kind of fantastic result a great interior designer can help a client achieve when both are working with a hefty decorating budget!

 

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Textured Coverings Are Ready to Climb Your Walls

(Squares wallcover from Graham and Brown)

Janet Ramin - Are you tired of looking at wall paint? Do you wish your walls could be livelier, more exciting, more in your face? If you’re not afraid of shaking things up, then take a look at these paintable, textured wall coverings.

Graham and Brown offers their paintable Squares and Pure wallpapers. Squares shows off a dynamic geometric pattern that can be left white or painted in fun colors as seen behind the bookcase above. Pure wallpaper is a curvaceous choice that creates an elegant background. 

(Pure wallcover from Graham and Brown)(Architect Wall Flat from Inhabit)For an even more dimensional wallcover, we have the wall flat series from Inhabit. Above is the Architect wallcover which is made from bagasse, a fibrous matter left over after sugarcane stalks have been crushed. It's lightweight and recyclable. Below is the Drift wallcover, a design that hints at slender tree limbs. 

(Drift Wall Flat from Inhabit)Besides providing visual punch to your walls, these wallcovers are perfect for covering flawed walls. If you have uneven walls and you don't want to replaster them – a process that can take several days of application – then these textured wallcovers will hide the imperfections. 

 

Reprinted with permission of Sheffield School. Are you interested in learning more about furniture and home design? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you'll learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.