SUBTLE SMOKE ADDS AIRY TOUCH
Plus: Bored with Pinterest? Seek out other sources for more redecorating inspiration
Haskell Harris is the style director at Garden & Gun, where she edits the magazine’s lifestyle stories, which include coverage of entertaining, interior design, architecture and Southern artisans. She has been with the magazine since it launched and contributed to the creation of the brand’s look and feel. Haskell and her husband recently renovated a home in Charleston, S.C.
Harris recently responded to queries about recommended paint colours for bedrooms, sources of decorating inspiration beyond Pinterest and more.
Q Do you have paint colour recommendations for a medium-size bedroom with little natural light? I have a swatch of Benjamin Moore’s Peau de Soie (in the greige family) on the wall, but it seems a little dark. I would like a light and airy look.
A One of my favourite picks for a bedroom that doesn’t get much light is a Benjamin Moore colour called Smoke. It’s soft and subtle and feels light and airy, not heavy. But it’s always best to test three to five colours to see what really suits a space, especially if the light is lacking. On the flip side, I painted my library, which gets little natural light, a deep lacquered blue, and it made it wonderfully cosy.
Q What is the No. 1 decorating mistake that you see, and how do you fix it?
A The No. 1 decorating mistake that I see is following trends so closely that you lose sight of who you are and what you want from a home for years to come. Following your gut and designing your house with things that you love is much more interesting than creating a house with “it” pieces.
Q I recently tried removing some wallpaper in a bathroom that is going to be remodelled but didn’t gamble on how difficult it would be. We have the foil off but were unable to remove the liner and, in some places, the backing. What should I do?
A Wallpaper is wonderful, but it’s a sticky business. Given the scenario, I think it’s probably time to call in a professional to help you remove the paste and paper residue. It is possible to wallpaper over wallpaper, but it would still be worth a call to a professional installer (or two, so you can compare prices) to weigh your options.
Q I have a small but growing collection of jadeite. What’s the best way to display it?
A I love jadeite. You could hang platters and plates in a nook in a kitchen or breakfast room or gather the pieces on open shelves or inside a glass cabinet that magnifies the beautiful colour and shows the breadth of the collection.
Q What sources do you use to get inspired when you’re redecorating a room? I’m tired of scrolling through Pinterest.
A I hear you and feel the same way. I think it’s because I work in print media, but I’m still drawn to magazines for inspiration and subscribe to several international titles because the eye has to travel! Australia is a hotbed of design right now, so I subscribe to nearly every interiors magazine published there, and World of Interiors and Elle Decoration will always be favourites. I also collect vintage design books and reference them often, especially older titles by design greats like Billy Baldwin.
Q We both inherited several pieces from our parents. My parents loved mid-century modern, so their pieces fit nicely with our mid-century modern house. Her parents gave us several small, lovely 1920s dark wood pieces, including a bookcase, a secretary and two sitting chairs. What is the best way to integrate these antique pieces into our house?
A You can live in a mid-century modern house and mix 1920s pieces in. It’s all about balance. If you are careful to include at least one 1920s piece in each of the rooms that have mid-century modern pieces, that should do the trick. The goal with eclectic interiors is to avoid everything being matchy-matchy. It also helps to mix textures (if you have a ton of wood going on, add something marble, lacquered, etc.) and shapes (if most of the furniture is angular, add something curvy, round, etc.) to keep things interesting.
Q I want to create a home office space in my master bedroom. There’s probably three or four feet of space for a desk, and it can face a wall on one side, close to the foot of the bed or a tall window next to a closet. How do I make this space functional yet unobtrusive?
A I think a full home office with a printer and the like in a bedroom might overwhelm things, but desks are a natural fit in that sort of space. A desk doubles as a bedside table. I also love the idea of a desk set up at the foot of the bed.
Q We’re having our hallway bathroom remodelled. The cabinet is light oak; the countertop is gold, black and beige granite; and the floor is natural stone. There are two white sinks, a white cast-iron tub and a shower enclosure. I’m at a loss on choosing a paint colour. Beiges would just disappear into the room. Because there is no natural light, would you suggest staying with white?
A Yes, I would opt for white in that situation. Test several variations that work with your stone and finish choices.