Saturday, December 3, 2011

Cheveux de la reine

Some ideas from a top designer, based upon eighteenth century decor.
"What's great about this room is that it's not too matchy-matchy. Note the colors: There's red upholstery, yellow drapes, green walls and a blue carpet. I try to achieve a similar mix in my own work, whereas some people become obsessed with having the exact same blue everywhere in their house—which can look so overdone and fussy.

"Decorators often choose the rug first and use it to guide the palette. But I try to avoid letting the carpet drive design choices, as I think it makes the décor seem forced. Start picking other pieces first and then choose a rug that doesn't match too perfectly, so it feels like the room has evolved over time—as if you've inherited an antique and just made it work. That's a more European approach." Stark is a favorite source for carpets.....
The wonderful blonde fabric used for the walls and window treatments is called cheveux de la reine, which translates to 'the queen's hair'—based on Marie Antoinette's. It catches light beautifully. Window treatments are one of the most important elements in a room—certainly the strongest vertical gesture. Choose wisely because even simple white canvas will telegraph a lot. I prefer a clean look like this: just great cords and tiebacks. The sharp tailoring reinforces the architecture of the room and lets the windows be the star." On the designer's wish list: Décor de Paris's Canovaccio Tieback, decordeparis.com. (Read entire article.)
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