Love this time of morning, dawn hasn't yet broken, bird song fills the air and other than that there is not a sound, apart from the odd snore from Maud! I should be at the gym pounding the treadmill rather than starting work now but there is too much to be done as usual.
At my masterclass last week for Livingetc and KLC I was asked when do you know when to pull back, when to much is just to much? For me its intuitive voices in the head scream and yell at me the instant I over decorate so I always pull back from the edge. I flirt admittedly with going over the top but at the same time I don't want my spaces to feel in any way crazy. Bold, blingy and fabulous yes just not crazy. So a few tips - layering is key this will automatically make a space feel way more dimensional especially if you vary height and shape. You kind of want a gentle rhythm going on and negative space is also important so the objects get a chance to breath. I'm looking at my mantle now and I have a super tall vase housing blossom with a papier mache elephant in front , a couple of t-lights, an old crumbling stone head and another pot of flowers. Heights vary, shapes vary but the colour palette is muted and so nothing stands out or pops out - important when so many different things are going on.
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A corner of my mantle
I was looking at a design Todd Oldman did some years ago, its a pretty good example of how easy it is to up the style ratings when you start layering stuff in this case art on walls. Todd actually made the shelves to house the art rather than hanging it on the wall - a good tip as it makes it much easier to circulate and alternate. Also another good tip if your art isn't expensive and doesn't really deserve to stand alone on a wall then cluster like Todd has done. You will then find yourself looking at the installation as one rather than focusing on individual pieces.
Enough from me - work to be done. Happy Monday
