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Breaking Down Cool Urban

So let's talk about what? While we still have some time, let's talk about what a cool urban interior should look like. So what did we say? That that some of these category defining elements of this category are, well, sleek for sure. So sleek, as in the scale of this, the shape of the form and shape of furniture, materials as in glass and metal and, um, leather, possibly cosmopolitan, that coming a lot of different things. I mean, maybe that fits to the idea of cities. Are people that have traveled or have been more educated on some other styles on and have really fallen in love with things that are more sleek, Um, current. So sometimes we think of a cool urbanite actually being a little bit more trendy or current, don't we? Where we would think that the classic traditionalists that those things have been around for a long time. We don't necessarily associate them with current, um and then certainly streamlined, which goes along with that idea of sleek. So, um, that's the idea of remov...

ing a lot of the ornamentation and things that are really kind of brought down to their simplest form, like those beds that we saw that don't have a lot of carving and things that definitely fits in the cooler urban category on and clearly, Urban makes a lot of sense, so at anything that would feel like it fit with an urban area city, um, metropolitan area. So let's look at a few pieces of furniture that fits into this category and think about the key. So, um, this is from a company called Lexington Home Brands, but it has that more horizontal piece. It does have a little curve to it, so that could allow this toe sneak into some other categories, for sure. But for the most part, really simple, right? It doesn't have a lot of ornamentation. The headboard is low, Um, and then, as faras would towns go. A lot of times we would see in the Danish, um, influence or Scandinavian kind of influence, more medium toned woods, not so dark and even moving into, you know, blonde woods and lighter color. So that's fits all of those categories. Um, here's Ah bank. It's a roast, a t Very sleek. I think the bought the base looks like it's metal. It could be a wood with a finished, but it certainly reads metal. But it's very, very simple, right? Extremely clean lines and sleek. What do you think about this? Does it feel hard and uncomfortable or doesn't feel sexy and fabulous? What? What kind of emotions do you get when you look at this category? I mean, I think it doesn't very sleek. It doesn't very stylish, but I can't imagine it's particularly comfortable to sit on for very long. But it's but it's nice. And then maybe when we move into something that's like the the urban version of an antique sideboard like we saw before, this would be, you know, something that's very clean and simple organic. Look at the hardware has an organic form, the metal mix of medals, the wood with e flat panel. So if this was an antique, we would see rights panel or some of those other things that we were seeing those curved details on the panels. But this has ah, flush front to it, so very simple. I really like how the organic shape, um, looks with, like the very geometrical, so it's a nice juxtaposition to have the curve with the regally clean and sharp line of this same thing happens right here. So you get the curve of the chair. Ah, but certainly this is is from Bernhardt, but it's it's taking cues from a lot of things like, um, the Breuer chairs or Mies van der Rohe really famous chairs that were made in, like, a mid century period. And it has that kind of sensibility. Certainly the chrome makes it fit with the urban category. But I just ordered a couple of chairs that have this sort of frame on the back of them, and they're done in a leather that has some age two. And I'm gonna pop those into a more traditional interior, so it depends on the material. You could transition this even as a fun accent could need to a traditional space. And then certainly these completely fit that idea of the Danish modern sort of sensibility. There was a designer who had always loved and many of you probably know named Arne Jacobsen. You might not know it by name, but you might know the egg chair of the swan chair and some of those iconic pieces that he designed. And these definitely have that flavor and those air really fun if you If you're a classic traditionalist, there's nothing that says you can't fall in love with the egg chair because its iconic in its own right and pop it into a traditional space with success. So that's the fun part. You can have 10% of your personality that falls in love with these pieces, and they can still blend with another style. But let's go out and take a look at some of the cool urban pieces on interests and see the variety of work that this style encompasses the comments actually about the international differences. It's really interesting. That sort of poked everybody up as a Yasmin is joining us. She's British, she says. People are now thinking very differently about staying in their properties and making it work for themselves. Says economic pressures have led to that difficulty moving, etcetera. But her typical client now is very much project managing what they have to space. That sort of coal top of the U. S. Very coming funny comment from the Varro who's in Russia of our I love this those that she thinks the Russians, But those people who do not prefer Soviet terrible style rugs on the walls, but they're more into the traditional, something that's very typical with Russia, sometimes even too much with very dark black brown furniture on almost like museums. And a lot of history there, too. That's driving a lot of that in the heritage piece. Oh yeah, eso. So here's a great space that interesting. It could also be like a cottage or a farmhouse couldn't. And so it kind of it borders on some of those we were just looking at. But it's lacking the traditional pieces that make it cross over to the classic design, because everything other than maybe the hardwood flooring is really pretty. Well, the wood on the walls could certainly follow into the cottage category, but most every piece in there is really more modern organic forms in the table, in the lamp, the artwork, everything very fluid. Um, very, very simple. And it's styling. Um, this piece is fun. So, um, certainly unique styling here that we would think falls into this category for sure. But then the rug sort of cross over a little bit. I think it could be, and maybe a traditional space or even the artistic traveler space. But it's more what? What do you think makes this besides the chair, um, really fit into this category? Very, very cool, like on the artwork so that just the term cool kind of fits with this whole style. Does a cool hip, um edgy. You don't use those terms very often when you're describing traditional design. Not that they might not have some elements of them, but it's not really what they embody. The metal piece here has that sort of industrial look we were talking about a moment ago. Pencil legs also, yes, and sometimes you could see pencil legs on in the glamour in a in a French piece To that could fit in the glamorous style. Um, this sort of, you know, very, very simple clean it has with the shoji sort of screens. It has a nation flavor to it, for sure, bamboo, but certainly still fits into this category. I would think. I mean, it could fit into artistic traveler, but I started. We think that feels much more like an urban space with the bold graphic lines here. Pick up on that idea of like a Mondrian painting like we were talking about very, very graphic. And I think this is a great example of how this category this style doesn't have to be cold because that's a very warm space, isn't it? With the warm wood tones, it's simple, It's really, really edited. It's not cozy, necessarily like a layer traditional space would be. But I think it has a lot of war. I imagine a Scandinavian lots of words, very simple, very just clean lines. But I agree. What about this? This really to me, hit home with what I would consider and are like an urban space loft a condominium, although you can see that looks like it's in. And maybe, um, there's aspens outside, so it's maybe in a wooded area. But the interior certainly feels like something there is. This. This is the part of the this category that appeals to you, Sally, or rather like this. Yeah, I love it. I love it when it has a soaring when a part of the room has that soar upwards. And then, you know, you were saying that this category has such a low horizontal really emphasizes the soaring roof, and we're gonna talk about over the next few days. See what happens when how to make these spaces function for you. So you have to think about. I love this, But can I actually function in this space? And the more minimal things are, Do you have a lot of clutter? Do you have a lot of things that even if it's not clutter, if it's just collectibles and things that you want a store? Do they work in this sort of project or this sort of design? Or would you need a different kind of designer supporting? Is that photo do you think treated, or is it really those colors really are that muted? I think it does that needed. I don't know. This designer is I'm not Let me see if it says just says Modern law. But do you know the designer Kelly hop in his from London? Right that area? So she has very much this kind of aesthetic. I think a lot of black and gray and white, um, so definitely that kind of idea on Let's look at a couple more things. So the collection of artwork, it's almost fallen to a traditional category. Even the table, but it's just the way it's presented. That I think makes this much more urban with the Lucite chairs, the metal delighting, metal lighting fixtures. Um, it's sort of kind of has traveled and collected a little bit to have a little boho, don't you think? Um, anything else important that we need to really hit on? Let's look at I I love this. This is the egg chair that I was talking about. So, um, this piece is interesting to me. I mean, this whole room is interesting to me. Some of these pieces really almost border on, like, a little bit gland. They're kind of eighties. Um, so they sort of transition between the two. But I think it's just the simplicity and then some of the form here that makes this fall into the urban category. This would probably be a great representation, though, for someone who thought they were B and D. And we had someone who said they were that so a little bit of glam with the purple silk pillows. But then we definitely your modern men's mid century here with the Arne Jacobsen eggs here. Do any of you love this space covered that most of my life. I like space a whole lot. And let me show you something. So this, um, keep this in mind, and then look at this space that I designed for the client who wanted to have more of the hotel. Look, this was on the cover of House Beautiful. But even though this client's home is very traditional, aren't there some things about this that are very similar to the space? We were just looking at, um, really clean pieces, very glamorous in a lot of ways. Um, but it's still in a traditional interior. It's just very, very edited. So I think those two are reminiscent of each other for sure. So what are we What are we learning? What? It was kind of thoughts are you having? Is there anything coming to my love this space as well? Um, anything coming to mind? So something like this, I think, could easily work into ah, home Also, for someone who has a classic sensibility, there's trick. You know, Kelly Wearstler trellis wallpaper on the wall and wanes coating. But then the furniture that's brought in is really much more modern. But the table looks more like an antique. So this is kind of a fun mix, and this is what we're going to be getting into, um, after today and really figuring out how to make these things work for you. Something like copper is a very classic material, but it's executed in these fabulous bubble fixtures. That air really, really modern, hip and cool. Um, so that's a beautiful mix right there. I think of A and B as well. So where you were you guys thinking about this? Are you thinking that maybe those of you that are classic are you starting to want to add anything more modern into your space and your state? You're sticking to your you're sticking to your guns. So So what do you think when you look at these spices, then that are cool? Urbanite? What? What makes these not work for your personality? The edges? Because there is no detail on the edges. That's why I don't like it. But that's why I'm drawn towards the classic because you could have more frills that you have beveled edges rather than just straight cut offs. And I and I like seeing multiple lines inside doesn't feel cold or hard. Teoh just doesn't. It just feels plasticky and, um, just too simple. So anybody is there anybody I know? JK Oh, is that anybody else feel the opposite Or any of you in this in this room or aligned with a B, And you can't really imagine living in a in A with all of the stuff. Tell me a little bit about that. Um, either of you, like, what makes you not be able to really envision being in a classic traditional space as much, I think the traditional style because sometimes it can be very busy, like that room that Jake was talking about, that it felt so cluttered. So I feel like I would just feel like too much like, I can appreciate the beauty of some of the traditional style, but I wouldn't be able to live there in comparison to this stylish just I will feel so peaceful, like and calm. I don't know why I love this style. So what about you were gonna over you name some of those rooms? I could never It sounds like I can't breathe in them. They're too heavy there, too. There's too many things for your eyes to land on that. It's like noise. But you come in here and this is so rest ful and and I think you could do the modern because you have so many great examples of modern that isn't cold, and you can add a few bits of personality to it. So it's not a stripped down, uncomfortable feeling. So this is what I love about this conversation. This is the most exciting part about this whole thing for me, because you can have there's only like less than of us in one room, and we can have so many different opinions about this. And this is why it needs to be unique to each of you cause there's not a rider. Wrong answer. And then, But sometimes there is the possibility of, as you start educating yourself on other pieces that and other styles that you could start appreciating them enough to even introduce a piece into your own home, which I think could be really fun. What? How do you feel about these spaces? Because you're a traditionalist? I can appreciate it to me. It almost this look almost feels more trendy that I would almost be afraid of by some pieces like that, because I would think got a style where I'm thinking the traditionalists. That's time with those pieces are timeless and that look, it's gonna be around for a long time. So where you might see traditionalists safe, you might see the traditionalist stodgy, but it's really the same qualities that make that make you. Both have that same opinion, which is really interesting, isn't it? How many of you would just incorporate modern art into a classic traditional place? A lot of people are able to do that. A lot of people are able tohave a really, really traditional home and then put something a piece of artwork like this on the wall. Because Rachel G. Is just said, the exterior of her home is much more traditional. It's actually a Tudor style, but she really loves the lines of be or she likes a little bit of soft Sandy, she's saying, Is it okay to have the interior reflect a much more more than a set it? But the outside is very, very tradition, yes, and we have a whole section on that, which is really fun about how the exterior and the interior work together. But I think even this piece let's look back real quick at this one. It's or didn't mind. Let me stay on the pinchers. Ford, actually, possibly. Okay, there were you, Um there was the piece I just had with the copper lanterns, which I can't really get my mouse toe work now. It's working over there, but not over here. OK, they area. Um I think that this was a beautiful example of that because look at the home itself is very classic in its detail, and you've got wanes coating on the walls and you can you could just as easily take this wallpaper and this wanes coating and the moldings and completely change every piece of furniture. And there are keep the table, actually, and bring in very traditional chairs and a traditional chandelier. And this would look completely different, right? So what she's saying could totally work by bringing in Ah, me. She could do this exact thing right here. She could keep a house that was very classic and traditional, but start introducing some elements that work ISS. So I have the opposite situation. I live in a loft with my law, and it's, um, very modern with, like we have, ah, polished concrete floor. Um and, uh, and I I wish we had some more like gray concrete on the walls on, uh, they have, like, a very big windows. But I love more like very masculine traditional homes and some parts off the blamer like the nation mirrors. So I kind of like trying to mix like So we're gonna have some fun discussion when we get to the mixing it up piece that's gonna bring this in. And one of the things I think about think about how modern and clean a museum is, even something like the Louvin, its architecture. But then the Mona Lisa is hanging on the world. It's a very, very ornate. So it would be fun to take cues from something like that for a way to take a space that's architecturally really almost Stephen sterile and very, very simple. Um, excuse me and then display your classic pieces almost museum style, because that's what would allow them. So it's gonna be hard to bring in a really, really layered look in that space and make it make sense. It's gonna kind of seem like that You, um Oh, it's just probably not gonna be very fluid. It's not gonna flow very well from the architecture. But there is a way to bring in a very edited version of traditional things that I think could really transition beautifully to the space. That was like a love song. I have some images of that for tomorrow. You mentioned that you asked me because as soon as you said that we had layer saying she lives in a property that clearly has a lot of cement, a lot of raw wood. She considers that organic. Do you think that fits into the cooler overnight Feel? Yes, certainly. So wait damage this morning in our quiz that was the urban interior that had the ref Yoon paneling on the wall behind the bed. So and we saw a lot of very organic forms in the furniture. So organic definitely fits into the cooler overnight, but it's a little bit different, so it's gonna be softer. It might fit some of those Danish pieces. It's gonna warm it up a little bit. It's the opposite of what we just saw with the peace. I said reminded me of Kelly hopping. That's all steel and dark, Great, you know, charcoal, grays and hard metals and glass. There wasn't a lot of warmth in there, and so that was a completely different sort of aesthetic, I think much more masculine. A few people are describing that as industrial very much stay fit in that category. We have a really interesting one from Mary DB and you know you had that still, earlier, off the modern share the gray one that we said, Look, it looks very clean, and it's very relaxing, but it might not be the most comfortable channel. Yeah, this is an interesting deliver. I have a dilemma. I migrate towards big, comfy furniture. However, I'm a very short person and find my body fits better in more contemporary paces. But those pieces don't appeal to me, aesthetically has an ergonomic aspect to those big goofy sinking into its sofas. Right, And there are a few companies that I love to use because they do have more what I consider a human scale but are still very traditional, one of my favorite companies to uses hickory chair furniture, and I think they do a beautiful job of bringing very classic antiques. They have even there James River Collection, which is so so traditional. But the seat depth is not inches. It's more like 20 inches. So it's something that's kind of a hybrid between even the small scale of some of the older antiques that were just too small for our current houses. And then this overstuffed, you know, furniture that's just too large. That is so much bigger than any any human that's going to use it. And it really gets a little bit grotesque in a lot of ways to fit the architecture that we're talking about. And some of that came about because depending on geographically the architecture, like in the area I'm from and even in Texas nearby we had huge houses in 10 20,000 square foot house is with soaring ceilings, and people thought that the way to make those spaces work which create gigantic furniture to go in them. And I think what makes more sense is actually to have the furniture relate to your body, ergonomically to the human scale and use other elements in the space, whether it's when we're going to talk about this in my next course on form and function, using architectural detail, ing moldings, materials. Ah, lot of other things to make the space feel warm and fill like it's, you know, filled instead of an empty bowling alley. It's not about having the world's largest sofa with an arm that's, you know, 20 inches wide. That gives you that look, so I think she'll be able to find some plate. But she should look at Hickory Chair furniture. But I think that she will find that there are some great companies that are doing things that are much more timeless that are traditional and not really over skilled and design Queen is said. They felt very much where they were a D. They were really more in the glamour of the Art Deco look except. But they also see a lot of influences and that in the modern lookers world, do you feel that they both fit in the same category? Only So think about that. That's the interesting thing about the glamorous like that, the sophisticated stylist. It's really kind of a cross between A and B in many ways, right, because we could take a tufted sofa that could be very classic and traditional on. Mix it with loose side or an art Deco, um, chandelier or a French vanity. And suddenly you're feeling much more clean and modern, So D would be a perfect style for someone who wants kind of the best of a NB together. It's it's sort of created it. The work is done for them. If they follow the style keys from that sophisticated style, least a glamorous look. Certainly abstract designer wonders. What ever happened to the terms in and where we just pops in into be Zin is very much be now. It could also be a little artistic traveler to, because think about some of that you could have certainly some other cultures represented, like Balinese design or some other places that certainly fallen. Those in category eso I think b and c kind of convey both come together for Zen and depends on what kind is in you want is then, for you Really, really simple minimalism. You're doing yoga on a pillow in the middle of your high rise, Or is it layering things in that are more warm and have meaning like textiles And, um, you know wood tones and a lot of other things. So this is what's great about this conversation, because everybody thinks about things differently, but it allows you to start defining what what these different terms mean to you. And when you think about a question like that, I'm really into yoga. And I also really work with my clients to bring health and wellness into their homes, even if they are very much a classic traditionalist. So I love this question of where does that piece that function lying? We're going talk even later on one of the segments about that very thing about yoga and and other things. Maybe that working out or working from home, all the different activities that you have to encompass in your space and how they're supported by, or maybe not supported by the style that you're most drawn to and how how do you bridge that function gap? So