TRENDS AS OLD AS TIME
Blogger offers advice on how to keep your home looking stylish when 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, said some things are timeless. Her latest book, published last month, is Inspired Design: The 100 Most Important Interior Designers of the Past 100 Years. Here, she shares some safe bets when it comes to staying in style.
Q We 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? What are your favourite neutral colours?
A I 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. I would paint the ceilings and closets white as well.
Q Since 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?
A Grey 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 a safe choice. However, I would love to see people use more colour in their homes. I think 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.
Q What direction do you think we will be headed in the next few years?
A I 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, like swags or even small geometric prints. I also hope people start collecting again, whether it is art, furniture or ceramics.
Q We have five 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?
A 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.
Q My 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.
A Unless 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.
Q I 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.
A Tell 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.
Q What home pieces are timeless?
A Antiques 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 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.
Q Does 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.
A I 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.
Q Are the white paint colours you recommended also OK for the ceiling ? Does the ceiling white need to match the trim and wall colour?
A Many paint brands offer a basic ceiling white. I used something like that in my condo for my ceilings. I don’t think the ceiling shade needs to match the walls or trim. However, it might be nice if you used the same ceiling white throughout your entire house.
Q We have a vaulted wood ceiling that is a warm cherry colour. What flooring would you recommend to complement it? A light coloured carpet would not stand up to a household that includes three teenage boys and a dog. I am thinking wood or tile.
A Whether you do wood or carpet, I would suggest choosing a shade that contrasts with the ceiling rather than picking a shade that is similar to the colour.
Have you thought about using sisal on the floor? They make sisal now that is waterproof. Sisal can be very neutral looking and it won’t compete with everything else in the room.