THE NEW TRADITIONALS

Design (blue): Andrew Howard via Visual Comfort

Design (pink): Thibaut via Currey & Company

After a decade of solids and geometrics, I am happily open to the newer styles of fun patterns and color mixes. Today's hues are a refreshing mix of bright, cheery, and clean hues. I am also seeing a secondary movement toward moody, nostalgic tones, especially in kitchens, which I love but which I fear you might tire of in a few years. Let's explore both options.

I am really enjoying the new, fun, cheery vibe of botanical prints and soft but bright reds, pinks, and saturated oranges. I like to incorporate fun blue accents and an eclectic mix of fabrics and patterns. Try to avoid the bright gold metal trend (never do a trend), but I do enjoy mixing the polished or even unlacquered brass. Complete your room, as I often do, with antique rugs of nubby textures and cheerful colors, or some alabaster marbles, a rattan frame on a chair or sofa, and some fun large-scale striped fabrics on the seating. A few judiciously placed accents of black are key since black really helps to drive home and ground all that color. Here, I am aiming for a Spring / Summer palette, but it can easily work in the colder months by adding throws and pillows in cranberries and emeralds.

By contrast, the moodier palettes I see are nostalgic for 1800s Cape Cod or  British kitchens. Entire rooms of cabinetry in muted blacks, deep greens, and chocolate are gracing the pages of social media. I love them, but I say, “Embrace them with care.” It's a warm and inviting look, but it can get somber, so I suggest mulling over the mulberry cabinets for a month or two before you commit to something that may depress you in five years. If, after a month or so, you still love the idea, then go for it with enthusiasm.  If, however, you need an alternative to an all-black kitchen, how about a warm, deep sand with a gorgeous backsplash in Calacatta Monet? I will never tire of these beautiful, boldly patterned marbles, and they add a strong sense of color without risking antiquity.

When I design, I aim for a feel that reflects my clients' personalities, and what I feel, after in-depth conversations with them, will keep them happy for a decade or two. As you consider what style or vibe to create in your own home, remember always to stay true to what makes you happy and aim for a style that is uniquely you, not just a reflection of that blogger on Insta; after all, she is not living in your home.