Recently Brooke from Velvet & Linen challenged me to pick one picture, and one picture only, that represents my design style. Given that I have over 4,000 images of interiors and exteriors in my flickr account, I thought this might be a challenge! I eventually narrowed it down to seven pictures. All of the pictures were of light, airy, neutral interiors with beautiful architectural details. Most of the rooms had big windows or French doors that allowed plentiful light. The pictures represented virtually every room in a house: two bathrooms, one bedroom, a home office, a kitchen, a living room, and a family room (this could be the start of my virtual home for 2010!).
As much as I loved all of the finalists, it was not difficult to pick just one picture, a bedroom from an Atlanta real estate listing. This room represents so many things I love in the design.- Elements of both the traditional and the contemporary. There are details in the room that are definitely on the traditional end of the spectrum, such as the chandelier, sconces, mantle, and mirror over the mantle. The monogrammed pillows are a charming traditional touch. And yet, there are contemporary touches that make this room more transitional, such as the contemporary art, the starburst mirror above the bed that is traditional yet contemporary at the same time, the straight lines and tailored style of the bed and bedding, the tailored skirt on the table under the art, the geometric pattern in the wool rug.
- Neutral palette accented with soft color. Part of what I love about this room is the soft ethereal blue color; no matter what the style of a room, I seem to have developed a personal palette of soft blues and greens. My own bedroom is blue and white, and has been this color scheme for 15 years.
- Distinctive architectural details. Generally bedrooms, as private rooms of the house, do not have as many showstopping architectural details as the public rooms of a house. However, this room has a beautiful and intricate fireplace and nice molding. If you take a look at the pictures of the other rooms in the house, you will see that the public rooms have an incredible amount of architectural detail.
- Great lighting. This room has all of the elements of lighting that I find to be essential in a well designed home: beautiful sconces and chandelier, supplemented by distinctive lamps.
- Contemporary art. I truly love the look of soft contemporary art combined with traditional elements in a room. One of the first things I noticed in this room was the striking contemporary piece on the wall.
- Mirrors. There are two mirrors in the room - one over the fireplace and one over the bed. I really like the use of both mirrors and art in a room.
So what do you think? Based on what you have seen on my blog, does this room look like 'me'? If you have done the 'One Picture' challenge, please put the link to your post in the comments. I encourage everyone to do the challenge yourself; it really helps clarify where your style is at this point in time!
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