Fashion + Sense with Bronwen Llewellyn
This week I was asked to write a little piece about what home means to me. And while I want to lie to you, my readers, I have never been a great liar so I am giving it to you straight. What home means to me right at this moment is two dirty dogs and cat hair flying, a long-half-completed flooring project, and paint swatches punctuating multiple rooms. And this is the “light” version! Home means trying to find storage for a sea of books, DVDs, clothes, and shoes. It means I actually looked with interest today at a custom-made sunglasses case to hold another of my collections. And it means that I constantly scour the internet for sources of inspiration to create my ideal minimalist home while I am, in fact, a maximalist accumulator.
I guess what I am trying to say is home, for me, is more of an inspiration than a realization. And on my journey to de-clutter and arrive at the perfect home, I do a lot of window shopping. Really what I should be asking myself is how in the world am I going to get a minimalist, sleek home when I am still looking for things to purchase…meaning more stuff coming in! Two items are, I believe, the solution to my dilemma: a bulldozer and an unlimited cash flow. If I had these items, what would my home want to look like? Here are a few inspirations.
Photos courtesy of internet (source unknown) and Metropolitan Home
I am stuck between traditional architecture and minimalist contemporary. Here the two are married in the most perfect of ways — six inch simple baseboard mouldings coupled with concrete flooring. Allergies and a pet menagerie mean carpet is out of the running for a place in my ideal home (although it has staunchly maintained a place in parts of the current abode). My style sense is a juxtaposition between two very different, yet oddly compatible, home “genres” if you will. And while I would love to have a sleek, slick look, I know that I have certain leanings toward hints of tradition in the luxurious sense. For example, the surprise element of an easel-turned-television stand lends an arty feel and acknowledges that the television has become part of our lives (rather than trying to hide it away in an armoire or cabinet). These rooms show a perfect blend of fabulous (read “expensive”) amenities and architectural elements.
Photos courtesy of Photo courtesy of Restoration Hardware and Wisteria
These rooms have an elegant feel, but retain a simplistic vibe. The paneling details are subtle but rich, and avoid the panelling stigma attached to seventies cedar walls while quietly embellishing the room. The key to maintaining symbiosis between the styles is balance. The wood-paneled walls are contrasted against simple bedding and a leather headboard. Next door, the strong architectural details of the gothic console mix with a metal candelabra and an elegant etching in a contrasting color. The interplay of these elements creates interest without creating fussiness.
Photo courtesy of Metropolitan Home
And finally, all of these parts can be combined into a single room…a luxurious leather-and-fabric bed ensemble, modern metal side table on one side, a modern round white table on the other, and heavy baseboards coupled with beams combine to balance the room. Drapes soften while the bedside mirror retains a hard, unframed edge. And my conspicuous love for the color grey pervades each of these examples, letting texture and architecture take center stage. The round side table is a bit cluttered and could be edited in a perfect world. Each of these examples depicts a soothing, tranquil environment where I would love to relax at the end of the day. But I’d still like to know where to put my stuff.
* A little about Pin it Forward and the “What Home Means To Me” *
Pinterest is a great new tool I have been using to “pin” my inspiration to daily. It allows you to post or “pin” from all over the web and create fabulous boards to catalog inspiration and also allows you to share with others. Check mine out here! The Pin It Forward project is the second installment of Blog It Forward, a collaboration of unique inspiration blogs hosted by Victoria of sfgirlbybay.
The theme of Pin It Forward is “what home means to me”.
