vintage living room design
interior design styles can be expressed inmany ways. this is the home of some friends of mine who i've helped with design projectsover the course of the building of this house as well as offering advice from time to timeon the interior. my friends rick and susan have done a beautiful job of creating a spacethat's all their own. you know, i have to say, what i love about this entry hall isthat it is very clean and simple, yet it's warm and friendly. just look at these doors:these are antique doors that were integrated into this very modern house. and these lightfixtures, the same. so it brings a sense of warmth and soul to the house. i love thisoriental rug, and look at the color echo that's working with this very modern vietnamese vasewith a cardboard plant in it. and then, there's
of course, watson, a warm and friendly greaterthat'll meet you here everyday. good boy, good watson. but, see, what i love is thisjuxtaposition of the old and the new -- the vase juxtaposed this vintage oriental rug.and if you look down the hall, you see these colors carried on in the art as well as therugs down there. let's step on into the house, because as you look from this vantage point,you get a sense of the surprise that awaits you. come on. take a look at that: a panoramicview of the river. it looks like a painting that's constantly changing. and the effectthat it has on this space, well, it gives the sense of infinity. but this room stillfeels very intimate. take a look at the furnishings. you see, the furnishings direct us in termsof how this room is used. this room has multiple
purposes. for instance, this cozy sofa arrangementis directed toward this focal point in the room, from this angle, which is the fireplace.and from this angle, it's the beautiful view of the river. over here, you can see a diningtable, which implies that one could have meal here, and they absolutely do. you see, thisspace can also serve as a dining room. by just moving the table out, because it's oncastors, it's perfect for seating up to 8 to 10 people. isn't this a great look? justlook at this old table -- it's an antique. look at the width of the board on this thing.i mean, this is probably from 1880s, 1870s. but look at the juxtaposition of this, somethingvery old, with this modern picture. and look at the way susan has echoed the colors: youhave blue and gold, a little touch of orange,
and it's reflected here in these pieces -- thisbeautiful italian ceramic piece, blue and white vase with pussy willow placed on a pieceof fabric that echoes all of these colors. it creates a sense of harmony. so why don'twe step into the kitchen, because all of these primary colors that you're seeing in thisroom with the art and the furnishings spill over into the kitchen area as well. i haveto tell you, i just love this kitchen for a number of reasons. one, it's so open. yousee, you can look over into the sitting area, you can see the piano, you can see this areato have breakfast, you can see the view. it's really open and expansive, and it facilitiesconversations with guests and visitors. the other thing i love about this, which representsthat personal style i was talking about, that
specific signature of rick and susan's, isthey've used ceramic tiles here all around as the backsplash that they commissioned specificallyfor this kitchen. and then this color is carried all the way around over to here, and thenthese ceramic bowls echo this same feel. these, as you might guess, were created by the sameartist. and if you look down this corridor to the end of the hall, the terminus or focalpoint is another piece of ceramic art. so, see, it all hangs together in a beautifulway and there's that personal signature. now why don't we head upstairs. now this room,to me, illustrates a really good example of a principle of design: it's this idea of startingwith a beautiful object that you love. for instance, this rug. susan found this rug ona trip. it's a gorgeous oriental rug, and
she wanted to use it in this room, but shealso wanted this room to feel very relaxed, light and airy. so, she took the blue outof the rug, as you can see here, reupholstered this vintage chair and added striped cushionswith blue and white in a wicker chair, accent pillows across this sofa. you see, this samewhite, cream and blue theme is carried across the room over here to this window seat, whichis very cozy. just look at these pillows. and what a beautiful view of the river beyond.now the thing to pay attention to in this room is just accent of red. you can see, largelythis room is white and blue and a little bit of cream with some black accents, but justa little touch of the red that we picked up from the floor -- you can see here in a vase,and across here, you can just see a few red
objects which draw the eye. even the bookson the coffee table carry out this idea. they've also used other oriental rugs to make pillowsthat make sitting on the floor very comfortable in this room. so, you see, all of these elementsof personal style really come together and give the house a soulfulness. hey, i'd loveto hear about your own personal style and some of the techniques you use. and make sureyou subscribe to ehow home. alright, i'm gonna go play with watson now.