The first rule is there are no rules
I recently received a call from one of my nephews — who is at university in the United States — that started with, “I need to know the rules about matching patterns.” As he’s studying science and previously didn’t care if his socks matched or if his T-shirt was inside out, the question came as a bit of a surprise. Apparently, his affection for science was being challenged by another subject: Amanda. He’s a voracious reader and learned a whole bunch of rules to assist with his apartment decor, which would presumably assist with his designs on Amanda.
There are a lot of “rules of design,” which are often not true. The truth is, however, that there are very few absolutes about decor and design.
But there is one rule that I follow: Form must follow the function. An office desk that has a big recliner in front of it may look interesting but it doesn’t allow the user to reach the desk’s height, nor does it make sitting there for any length of time comfortable. There are desk chairs, however, that range from the sleek lines of the Herman Miller Aeron chair, to oversized button-tufted traditional styles. Both are functional but are esthetically different.
I have heard people say that a good design develops as you go. While that can work, I think you’re better off to have a plan. Conversely, I don’t think that you are compelled to plan every last detail, including the photograph you want in the frame. The whole thing is meant to be a creative process.
Let’s take a little time to deal with some of the more ubiquitous rules.
PATTERN MATCHING
To start with my nephew’s question about whether you can use polka dot and plaid in the same room, which extends to florals and geometrics. The answer is yes; it is perfectly acceptable and indeed, can look pretty darn fantastic. It can be lovely to have a window valence that is polka dot, drapery that is stripped, one side of a throw pillow in a geometric pattern and the other side in a solid. The textures and patterns can add a great deal of visual interest to the room.
Some people think that fabrics are selected to work with the wall colours. But that’s backwards; there are endless possibilities of paint colour and far fewer options in fabrics. Select the fabric first and then find an appropriate paint colour to work with it.
FURNITURE THAT MATCHES
The idea that furniture has to be purchased as a suite is another myth. You can buy matching coffee and side tables for your living room, or two nightside tables as a set, but you don’t have to. In one of the segments I did on the Marilyn
Dennis Show, on which I appear on a regular basis, I showed a sofa with a side table at one end and a stack of old suitcases at the other end acting as a side table. You can have a night table that is a standard two-drawer table and have a round table of a similar height on the other side, or a mirror-fronted tallboy from one time period and an armoire from another.
DARK COLOURS IN SMALL ROOMS
While it is acceptable to paint a small room in a light colour, you can also paint it in a dark colour and still have it appear larger. It seems that deeper — or more saturated colours — have a bad rap and get called dark, which seems to suggest depressed, heavy and lethargic. But the same colour described as warm or rich, conjures up a whole other set of images, like family, sonority and safety. What works best in a small space is a monochromatic colour scheme with accents in an alternate single colour. When we enter a room we orient ourselves by first looking at the spot two colours meet to give us a sense of dimension. If you use only one colour, our sense of dimension is distorted and the room can appear larger. A room in a saturated colour — like charcoal grey — can feel very large and more like a big hug as opposed to a prison. Accent this same room with silver and chrome elements and you will have a very elegant space that you will feel very happy in.
SMALL FURNITURE
The idea that small furniture has to go in small rooms is a confused idea. You can use smaller furniture, but remember the furniture is meant to relate to the people in the room, not the room itself. For instance, a 6-foot man is not going to be comfortable in tiny furniture. A larger sectional sofa with a glass side table and a mirrored or acrylic coffee table can look perfectly balanced. Of course, child-sized furniture will make the room seem larger, but I can assure you my bucket will never get into that bucket seat! The same idea seems to be true of carpets. You don’t have to use a small area rug in a smaller room, you just want to have some of the hardwood visible around the rug. I can imagine a smaller room in a deep, saturated colour with decent-sized pieces of furniture, a beautiful area rug that covers 95 per cent of the floor and what I see in my mind’s eye looks Versaceesque, not “wrong”!
CEILINGS AND CROWN MOULDING
The general rule of thumb is that humans are most comfortable with light colours above us, medium colours around us and richer colours beneath us, which would represent the sky, the vegetation and the earth. However, that isn’t always true all the time; the dark of night doesn’t provide that pattern.
So, the ceilings of the house don’t have to be white. I remember one dining room I saw with the ceilings painted in deep orange — it looked spectacular.
Coffered ceilings are also very appealing and can look incredibly elegant. Using a variety of paint colours only enhances the multi-dimensions of the ceiling and gives it visual interest. White is not the only colour that works for a ceiling. People also believe the crown moulding should be painted the ceiling colour, while I think it can be very effective as the wall colour, which will visually increase the height of the walls.
MIXING MATERIALS
The idea of having a room that has more than two varieties of wood and more than one variety of metal often leaves people shopping wildly for a single material. But look to nature, as that is the basis of our emotional relationship to space. Rarely do you find a forest that is made entirely of one wood. The same is true of metal in rock — generally there are a variety of elements that are all found together. The same thing is true for mixed stones in a room like a bathroom or kitchen.
It’s great to be able to assist with these kinds of questions and feel free to send yours to me. It may be that many people have the same issue and we can help resolve it.
I was very pleased to be able to help my nephew with his design dilemma, and I can report that things went well with Amanda. The difficulty is that I am left in a bit of a moral dilemma. It would appear, based on my conversation with his parents, that he has yet to reveal Amanda to them. I’m not sure if my loyalty should remain with my brother or my nephew. Like design, there is no hard and fast rule around this. I’ve decided to let my nephew tell his parents in his own time. If I get pressed for information, I’ll tell them I’m painting my ceiling.