TRENDS AS OLD AS TIME
Expert advice on how to keep your home looking stylish when the fads keep changing
Trends in home design come and go, and sometimes it can feel nearly impossible to keep up. But design blogger and author Jennifer Boles, who started The Peak of Chic in 2008 and is a contributing editor to House Beautiful and Veranda, says some things are timeless. And she would know: Her latest book, published this month, is Inspired Design: The 100 Most Important Interior Designers of the Past 100 Years. Here, she breaks down some safe bets to make when it comes to staying in style.
QWe recently bought a house in desperate need of updating. Before we tackle other projects, we want to paint the interior. Do you have any suggestions for what colour we should paint the ceilings and closets? Also, we would like to paint a neutral colour in the house until we make further decorating decisions. What are your favourite neutral colours?
AI am a colour person myself, but I do think that neutrals are easy to live with. If I were to paint a room a neutral colour, I would probably go with white. I really like the Benjamin Moore whites, such as Decorator’s White, Linen White and White Dove. Linen White is a creamy off-white, which is nice. I would paint the ceilings and closets white as well.
QSince paint colours come and go, do you think grey is on its way out? Is white really the safest colour to paint your walls, in terms of looking fresh and not trendy?
AGrey has been a very hot colour now for a number of years. While I don’t think it is on its way out, I do think people are starting to tire of it just a bit. White is, of course, a very safe choice. However, I would love to see people use more colour in their homes. I think that chocolate brown is a classic colour that always looks chic and never trendy. I love all shades of blue, and again, I don’t think blues ever go out of style. A sophisticated shade of shell pink looks great in bedrooms and bathrooms.
QSince you follow design history, what direction do you think we will be headed in the next few years?
AI think it’s time for classic, traditional cotton fabrics to make a comeback. When people think of chintz, they think of floral prints, but there are so many other patterns that were once used on chintz, like swags or even small geometric prints. I also hope that people start collecting again, whether it is art, furniture or ceramics.
QWe have five different types of flooring in our downstairs rooms: hardwood in the foyer, carpeting in the living room and dining room, Pergo in the kitchen and tile in the den. We’d like to put in hardwood throughout, but may not be able to do it all at once because of cost. Is it a bad idea to do it room by room? Will the flooring vary too much?
AI completely understand about having to tackle projects room by room. I would suggest trying to do the floors of the “public” rooms at the same time, such as the foyer living, and dining rooms. That way, you can ensure continuity. Then you can tackle the den and kitchen floors later.
QMy house has woodwork from the early 1960s that I believe is either a maple or birch stained red. The woodwork is in incredible condition. Would you suggest keeping the woodwork the same, painting it, or staining it a new colour? There is quite a bit of it throughout the house, as none of it is painted.
AUnless you like the reddish colour, I would either paint the woodwork or stain it a different shade. I know that some purists cringe at the thought of painting woodwork (especially if it is in good condition), but I find paint preferable to that reddish stain. (I can picture that colour in my mind now.) Also, there are other interesting treatments, like stripping it and waxing it to give it some patina. I’m not sure of the full range of treatments, but I am certain a wood refinisher could advise you.
QI love antiques, but too much brown furniture in a room does look bad. Do you think brown dining room tables and chairs will ever be in fashion again? They are going for nothing at auction.
ATell me about it. I have a brown wood dining table, and it would likely go for nothing at auction. I love antiques, and I think that most rooms can benefit from at least one piece of antique or vintage furniture. They give personality to a room.
I am encouraging people to consider giving their brown wood furniture some kind of interesting painted finish. Of course, don’t do it if your antique is worth a lot. But if it is not, what about finding someone to give it a faux tortoiseshell finish? Remember, Dorothy Draper and Syrie Maugham thought nothing of tweaking brown wood furniture to their needs.
QWhat home pieces are timeless?
AAntiques never go out of style, in my opinion. They are timeless, but I do admit that sometimes you have to update the environment around them to make them look fresh. So, perhaps it means hanging a modern painting above an antique commode or recovering an antique French chair, for example, in a fresh-looking fabric.
A sofa should never look trendy. You should buy the best quality you can afford and plan to live with it for a long time.
Something else that is timeless in a home? A library of books.
QDoes silver really have to be polished all the time? I like the look of it, but I’m not willing to put in the time to make it shine.
AI prefer a polished look, but I usually only polish prior to the pieces being used. Try polishing your silver while watching TV. It makes the process much easier.