Video: Jack Lenor Larsen, Fabric Designer

Irwin Weiner ASID - Elle Decor magazine recently featured short quotations from fabric design icon Jack Lenor Larsen, and it became immediatley apparent why this creative man became so successful. For those not entrenched in the interior design industry, his signature Larsen Fabrics company is now owned by Colefax and Fowler. Here are a few of his gems of wisdom, which I find very inspiring.

Sparrows build their nests to suit. Homes should be like birdhouses: Build them out as needs arise.

A common problem is that someone will have a blue rug and a blue sofa, and the two shades don't go together. What do you do about it? I would buy five more shades of blue, in pillows and other things. Pretty soon you'll have a color symphony.

If you want a color contrast, do it in small quantities. Take risks, but ones that can be changed.

It's more important to reinforce one's identity than to worry about taste. You won't learn taste until you've made some mistakes. Be courageous. Experiment. It's much more fun.

Click on the Jack Larsen link above to see the Elle Decor article, and enjoy today's featured video, an earlier "Handmade in America" interview, to learn more about his process.

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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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Design Video: Michael Tavano's Urban Outdoor Room

Irwin Weiner ASID - Click here to learn more about Elle Decor's Modern Life Concept House. Finally, a show house that allows designers to show off accessible, obtainable results for contemporary, everyday families! Kudos to ED for opening up the showhouse concept to a key audience that's in danger of falling by the wayside if the interior design industry continues to think only of the highest of the high end client range. In this video, designer Michael Tavano shows off his great urban garden room, an outdoor space with tips that we can all bring into our own homes. Beautiful outdoor room!

Bonus

Click here to watch a how-to video on Summer Project: DIY Deck. 

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