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Mixing and Combining Styles

Lesson 14 from: What's Your Home Design Personality?

Tobi Fairley

Mixing and Combining Styles

Lesson 14 from: What's Your Home Design Personality?

Tobi Fairley

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Lesson Info

14. Mixing and Combining Styles

Lesson Info

Mixing and Combining Styles

Jackie says I have a buddha head five feet high cut into four foot wide boards that I got in thailand let's go with artistic traveler show on and she's saying to make a pop she put a color block behind it, which is stunning, but again, if you've got something epic like that and a color block behind it and then you've got all this other stuff maybe that's a better okay, so I think it's going to be more about finding, you know, thinking about it as a collection so you know, yesterday we said things have more impact with a collection, so if you have a collection of textiles making them all into pillows that all live on one large so far city and he can really have impact s o a lot of times it's going to be more about concentrating something in one area as opposed to sprinkling at all over the house because those of a soviet worried that things are going to look busy, like in a traditional interior or even in our tourist statistic traveler interior, you're going to weed out some of the clut...

ter in the business if you if if you put things that sort of isolate one area for these collections so she can try that, hopefully that would be a good two ok? So let's look at mixing it up traditionally and see what pinterest has for us um as some examples for how we might do this thank goodness for pinterest right. Okay, so now what's fun about these is a lot of these because we're starting to get into the mix it's going to be the interpretation is sort of in the eye of the beholder because if you resonate with traditionally you may look at these and go oh yeah they are traditional with a little hint of something else but if you really say are an artistic traveler, you might look at that and go that's not tradition traditional that already is that eclectic traveled look so it's sort of your own point of reference that's going to make these make sense t boat but I'm showing this as primarily a traditional interior but really some what we could I almost used that word eclectic here here's a great example, sally even if what she was just saying is look at the pillow collection on the sofa there's a lot of different patterns going on some of what you might not think would typically go together. What do you what do you all think makes this successful the mix in this room say the pillows and a blanket probably the amount together see what are those called suzanne e on the suzanne e on the ottoman I agree so so when I look at this image of the colors from the pillows and the patterns also from the pillows and the suzanne e really, really worked together for me and another thing that there's one other thing that I instantly noticed does anybody notice something about this room that makes it tie together the pattern in the rug we'll run the techno brooke so it definitely has some of that interest like it helps support this for sure and the thing I notice is black do you see how the black moves your eye around the room so there's black legs on the ottoman black on the suzanne e black on the art on the wall black in the scots so this is how as we move through today and tomorrow we're going to start thinking about what are some of the elements that you can use to tie styles together and yesterday I was alluding to the fact that it could be color and color might be that point of reference so for me this makes great sense and this person has done a beautiful job balancing and moving your iran and we even have the black grow grain on the dry paree so I think that the black accent really works here to tie it together but in a lot of ways there's a lot of of traditional details in particularly the architecture seems like it's pretty traditional is well s so this is a fun I would think this is pretty much a great representation of traditional and artistic traveler now that the arm of the self is a little bit urban but for the most part I don't see a lot of other styles happening here, so maybe it's you know, sixty forty this is it's almost a fifty fifty mix but it works really well because there's enough the rooms also wrapped in a lot of neutral the sofas natural the wallace neutral the rug is natural so it allows these accent pieces to really shine it's the personality here comes from the forty percent of artistic traveler right? Even though really probably the majority of this style is traditional I think that's what happens in my work a lot of times where sally yesterday was saying you wouldn't think of me necessarily is a classic traditionalist I think what happens for my work is the accents or what really shine and people get people's attention but if you peel those back you noticed the majority of the room is really rooted in classic lines and these traditional elements in pieces and I think that's what's happening here um let's take another another look at something this one is actually I think the same two styles probably ah that we just looked at them the last one but totally different, isn't it? Um what do you'll notice about this space? What what jumps out at you so the rug, it says the whole thing is a lot more bold and that the wall so there's color on the wall, and it takes it takes this look completely different. In fact, it looks more traditional to me and a lot of ways, because of the wall color, probably. Ah, and even the lines of the sofa and some of the other pieces are a little more traditional, but it definitely has a little flavor. So this is probably more like a seventy five, eighty percent traditional room with just a little hint of twenty percent, maybe of that artistic travelers. So you see how changing the percentages can make a huge difference on two different personalities, and there are similar things from both of these, but they're very different, and I would be in totally different homes. So what about this one? It's? A little bit hard to see. The whole thing. This has a lot going on. Um, may? Yeah. It's. Like a it's. Like a even for something. Yeah. So the david has, like, a fur cover. So I see. I see an art deco mirror. I see a classic window treatment and table. I see. Ah, maybe glam, probably the stylist in the chair and in the city with the animal print on it so there's a lot of stuff happening in this space probably still for the most part as well because it's on this traditional board that could give us a hint that it's mostly traditional the window treatment the table, the legs of the chair even though they could fall into a curvy, glamorous style pretty traditional with the mother accents but this one's getting into the situation we've got several style starting to mix together and you see whether you like it or not, a very unique personality is starting to come out in this space, someone you know you can look at this place and go I wonder what the person is like that was daring enough to mix this table with this mirror with this chair with this wall wall treatment or window treatment on I think this becomes, you know, a story that we're telling and it would be fun to know what the story was behind this person's not only their design but who they are in their life and and that's what I want you all to start getting, you know, being able to move towards something that's really truly unique to you, so this one really spits in similar style with some of the ones that many of you were liking yesterday sort of that clean farmhouse look or fresh and updated farmhouse look right pretty traditional but what what styles would you consider this if you were going toe it's probably two styles in my opinion has a little modern feel to traditional rites of the stools the medal stools but maybe powder coated metal these fall into a much cleaner cool urban kind of star dealing with a traditional right so really it could be other things too but I think that really strong lacquer kind of look we all associate with that contemporary kind of and modern styling so it certainly gives it that kind of a look and even makes it feel a little more current I think sometimes a little more today may be trendy if you think about it that way for traditional interior so I would say this is probably maybe twenty twenty thirty percent modern urban on the rest of it was really traditional it's kind of fun to start thinking about this so you now that yesterday I gave me tools to go look at rooms and start going oh this is a b c or d today you can start going oh that's sixty percent and forty percent b and it's really going to open your mind to the mix and this is how a lot of people say well I want to be able to design like a professional designer the's air the kinds of tools and details and observations that professional designers really start using like we pay attention so when we look at magazines as a design, as a designer and me personally, when I look at a magazine, I'm not just looking at the room I'm really digging into what is that? What is that material on the on the light fixed lighting fixture? And look at the scale of that, and how big is it compared to the table and all these little details? So what we're doing today can start training your eye to start really getting into the detail and understanding the percentages of the space. What about this one? What do you think about this that's? Very interesting is I would say those chairs are very cool, trendy, modern. Yeah, but the rest of them in that fireplace and the wooden, anything is there was very traditional. So this is a completely traditional rain that someone said, I love something quirky or out of the box, and I'm gonna just take this one detail and bring in these and chairs these, you know, curved it's, probably it's either bent wood or plastic and metal chair and do something really unexpected. So in a slide earlier, when I was giving you some guidelines, even if you're not really interested in the whole lot of mix what could you do in some parts of your home? Whether it's just a one thing, one item or one detail like this that could really shake things up and add in your personality I think this is really a fun, a fun example of that. Ok, someone and move on to some of the other styles so that we have time to do our homework. But when you look at this one real quick this is intriguing to me. Um let's, look at this one in the moment that so what do you think about this? I happen to really like this space that won't have her. So, uh, wallpaper said yeah, like a hand painted wall paper on the wall so modern you see with the table writes the table screams modern and then what? What's worse, the glamour coming in for ual chairs santaland so each of those things I think are actually very traditional, but I can see how they read very modern tea so this is really kind of a mix of those three. Possibly it could be just traditional and modern possibly if you were really being a purist and thinking these chairs are very french and even the chandelier is also french, but we know those kinds of details and ornamentation. Khun certainly lean to that glamorous look too, so this is either a with some b or a b and e a little bit of all three on saarinen table is mine favorite tables and that's fine that's one of the things that works with everything in the way that is a great piece of when we talk on tomorrow about shopping for things this is one of those pieces that you can always know that no matter what style you're working in, it could be a fun way to pop in some modern lines it works with traditional it works with the eclectic look of a non artistic traveler and it certainly works with glamour and that's fashion east our style elista okay, let's look at I think I'm going to stay in but we have one slide that just the names the title of each of these but I think we could just stay here and move on into the other styles um for efficiency sake so let's look at some of these so so now we're in what we're considering cool urban with a hint of something else so we're looking at spaces that we believe the the envelope the majority of these spaces really fall into that more modern aesthetic. So what do you think about this space really busy? Aa lot happen it's kind of is a lot happening for a modern a modern space, but do you all still feel like it's modern day? You'll see that because the lines are so clean right? The bookcases air really angular and squeeze the coffee tables really? You know rectangular that the there's no ornamentation really on the fireplace so very, very clean and then we throw in that bird cage chair that's an iconic traditional piece are even it could almost be a little gland because a lot of those have been using glamorous spaces to you think of we'll talk I think tomorrow maybe today about some of my favorite tastemakers and kelly wearstler is a designer who really made that bird cage chair iconic and so we see it coming into more modern spaces but at its root and its history it's really a very traditional piece what about this one it's a little turkey I think I love that space actually it's very clean, very smooth lives love the wood accents on the ceiling and the doors that way I think this chandelier could almost even seem like that boho a little artistic are a little bit you know, like a global peace, the table is pretty traditional. The wood flooring is traditional son of the moldings in the home like the architecture itself lane towards traditional but but not a lot because there there's not really or night moldings things were really, really clean and the way they've added the doors and even the lighting that you can see into the kitchen all pretty, pretty clean and simple and even maybe a little industrial there. So and in a sense it does have some blame or to it right? So this one this tricky but I think for the most part we would all agree that it airs on the side of being cleaned more than anything. So I think that's why I really fits pretty heavily into that um cool urban look really interesting that all of you most almost everybody in the ring responded to this in a positive way that's because when they're hard to decide what they are, I think that's when people have done a really great job at mixing it up a swell um this one I think is really interesting. Can you see? So with different styling with different furniture? This could be very, very traditional couldn't this room because the traditional mirror the traditional chandelier, it looks like it's, probably in an extremely traditional and classic architecture, but all of the interior design the and furnishings are really, really clean. So the chandelier the lantern is very clean and urban the tables very simple, it almost even looks like it's concrete or marble on the chairs are sort of that scandinavian or danish look, so this is someone who said, I'm going to intentionally bring a really modern look to a are an architecture that is very, very classic and we're going to get into that this afternoon have had whether you, you know, let the out outside of your home the exterior of the architecture whether you let it drive your interiors are whether you actually as j k was kind of saying yesterday that americans air prone to do so sort of intentionally ignore it and move into a style that really reflection and I think this is an interesting example of that just get a couple more let's look at this what two styles would you think are really reflected here? Everyone is very traditionalism it with some of the pieces are very almost art deco yeah, I guess there's almost even three styles on here glamour for sure. Yeah um art deco and glamorous urban cool I think I think it first glance it's that urban and glamorous although you're right that the the woodwork, the cabinet story could certainly air on the side of being more traditional. Now the panel's air really, really clean they're not raised panel doors, so they're much cleaner than then. I think that what is what helps it lean more to the urban side? But I think this is really reminiscent of that madman era that we think about and that's really mid century and glamour that's really cool urban and that fashionista piece right in a way that's that's great the way you've described because I was thinking you would expect to find something like this more in an office space and then you would in a home hope perhaps when they're about that heavy paneling very masculine it is very messy and I like it a lot too it's interesting and even on you know there's just a tiny hand of that boho in this too with the pattern on the rug like you just get a little bit of that tribal feel too that's really interesting even with the lighting the lamps they have a little flavor of that as well so really ceiling is that paint I think it's paint and it reflects the color of that chair perfectly I love this space it's whether or not this is your style too I think you can appreciate the detail and the care that women to really up curating this space very nice okay so let me move on I would love tio let's look at this one tio height to skip any of these but I want to leave time for so what about thiss this is really fun I think that is confusing it's confusing scene has a very confusing face to me so there's a lot happening here right I think the light fixture throws I think you see all four represented in this space but what percentage is do we think that they're that they're shown here primarily, I think it's that cool urban because you look at the architecture. Er, um it's really clean? So it's a white box, basically with a lot of hard surfaces. Yes, I feel like, um like this chandelier who is what throws me off a little bit, but I feel like if they had put two black chairs on the ends of the table like I feel like it will be more tight id with the chandelier. But the table and the chandelier both are very traditional, I think, but different kinds of traditional because the tables like that pine farmhouse, the chandelier is really almost leaning towards that glam with all the crystal on it, very traditional styling the chairs are very cool urban, their mid century green velvet, which is candy traditional mixed on this, that they took the chairs, and they threw that velvet textile on there. So it kind of bridges the gap, a really modern piece of art. And then the accessories on the table are very much collected like a traveler, aren't they there pottery? And I actually think this is a brilliant space, particularly with regard to someone showing their unique design personality, and I think it works, whether it's your personal style or not, you know, that's that, you know, we can't really say whether something's right or wrong and design based on our personal style but looking at it from a place of balance scale on and certainly interest I think it's really successful these air fun I think to start showing you what the possibilities are so let's look at uh yes so this is starting to fill the mix of um more of that traveled look here's another great example of how you could makes a lot of textiles sally a lot of pillows and textiles in the space so this is really what I was thinking when I was saying using them as the collection and they don't really have to go together as long as there's something in them that makes the market color element or ah fabric content or you know needle point or whatever that is the construction is couldn't make it really be tied together so this is primarily this is almost totally that artistic traveler but I think that you see some traditional things happening with the architecture itself even the window moldings and just probably the space that is in this is pretty strong on that one style though but let's look at this can you see that that's a little bit hard to city let me pick another one I think that one's a little challenging to see so there's may two to three I think probably three things I think happening here. What do you think's happening in this space I know jake I was getting very excited about the russian animal that's been smooth that's margaret what about this space? What do you think? Glamour it's really strong blamer, isn't it? But but you could also say it was traditional underneath traditional french chairs the molding on the fireplace but very, very strong on the glamour peace and really just a a hand actually this one probably should be in the glamour with a hint of something else as opposed to in the traveler but I think it's that rug that really makes this feel like it's more um it's the travel are in an outside of um certainly outside of the united states that's really interesting to me again personality really strong personality in this space anybody like this and what anybody would this be something that any of you would want to have in your own home? Actually I like their pops a really bright color. You've got the orange chair, the little blue on the wall then you got there the vases in the background that's really cool, but I like the neutrality of everything else. I've actually used that lamp in a couple of clients houses because when the lights on it pops more than half of the pattern on the ceiling and say you can have a really simple spice and then at night because bam and tens in sort of a moroccan feel to it on dh, then there's nothing more modern than the chair in the cabinetry there, just about his modern, as you can get in the need for got a really traditional frame on the painting in the background. Eso you're mixing traditional, modern and traveler here? Yes, space, where you want to know who that person is. I know, and this is what's, so fun about it. So can you go home and look at your own home and think this would be exciting for other people to wonder where this came from or who and you may not desire to do that, but I think that's fun, I think that's what all the people that were saying yesterday, I wish I was more artistic traveler, I think that's that a little bit of intrigue that we all wish we were a little bit more mysterious or a little bit more global. This really brings that toe life. I may be one more let's see this one? Well, like have become very popular actually intended originally made in. I think they were actually made in italy there either french or italian, I have studied them a little bit and I can't remember the origination of them right now, but we're saying this is when I and I think it is we're saying, this is really a c a style c and I think that's because of all of the different things happening so you feel like each thing in this room was from a different period a different place this could start tio fill that that idea of eclectic for sure but there's some very traditional things happening in the architecture there's a very very traditional bust uh you know chesterfield sofa would be either traditional or glamour it's pretty it's a gutsy space and I again yes I feel like I love this so much but I feel like if you know this person did such a good job because I feel like if this if some of the elements were in another type of design like they will look so ugly like some of them like the painting is kind of I don't know not my thing but it looks so well with everything like the blue tied up with the curtains and then the little chair on just a little cheeky a little you know sense of humor almost comes out with the painting this person when you look at this I think you go this person doesn't take themselves too seriously they put a painting over the um mental and I don't know if that's grace kelly or even a even perone or their mother you know who is it but it feels very has history it has interest and there's a danish or modern chair we've got sort of this moroccan table as the side table tow that we've gotta poof we've got this very, very neoclassic bust and then we've got the crystal ship there's a lot happening there but so interesting I think this magazine in particular elder core they're actually a sister magazine the house beautiful but I think what they do so brilliantly a showcase rooms that are like this that air riel daring where people really mix things up so if you're wanting to go out and look for a source of information for these kinds of dreams, I think they do a great job with that ok? And finally let's look at glam mixing in a glamorous lier like this sophisticated style east and see what we think about some of these spaces so this certainly has glamour. What else does it have its pretty neutral colors in urban when the splash of pink it's kind of got a lot of things happening and it all looks very similar because it's monochromatic in the mirror certainly the light fixtures a lot of those seem glamorous but there's some traditional furniture very traditional french chair that that becomes glamorous because it's covered in pink satin we've got for on the this city and on the pillows so that could be a travel or more global looks that's a little intrigue but certainly fire falls in animal prints fall into that glamour category as well that's making it look that way and I think sometimes the style east of the glamorous person style can have a lot going on because you think about we were saying it's right it's looks and luxury and sometimes people associate luxury with lots of things and stuffing a fur and mirror and silk and satin and glass and silver and all the stuff that's happening crystal and you can get a lot happening going on and it doesn't so you may not like it but for some of the really glamorous fashionistas this would be a perfect place for them to really feel beautiful and feminine and all the things that they love it there's even silver leaf while covering on the ceiling so there's not a surface in this space that doesn't have some kind of bling or luxury or are really blame are going on see if we can find one that's a mix but this one that's pretty pretty interesting mix I think how many of you would have chosen to put those chairs in this space not very many of you right there like a cane so there are very traditional frame french styling french neoclassical though you know so they're a little more um less ornate and they're mixed with very glamorous pieces art deco screen on the wall purple purple hardwood flooring I think that is a lucite table so that's it that's one of those situations where someone said we need to tone this down or we need to take this out of the box a little bit. What could we do differently with our chairs to really blend a unique piece of our personality? Here we looked at this one yesterday they love this very glamorous, this one's really very in line with almost one hundred percent glam here, but I think you could also say it has some traditional pieces in it with the stripes on the wall, the window treatment and some parts of it could even be urban a little bit when you think of the black and white colors, the count, the contrast in that the glass table, but primarily a concrete flooring stained concrete flooring would fit in that more urban. I think, for the most part, this is very glamorous. Is this anyone style? Does anyone totally resonate with this one wish this was at your house values? Do you like this one? No, I didn't, you know, I know it's not my thing, but I love the color of the chair. I love the color of the chairs. I don't even my little tuft here and they get the top on, you know that it's zoo may that I've got a lot of friends who that is completely this style I can think of a couple of boys I know who I brought up my alley but they would know me many things about this room certainly would fit with my style love the chairs love the chandelier like the black and white color palette ok uhm and we have just a a few more minutes since I've been pushing us three quickly before we get to her homework we look at just a couple more wow this is a jonathan adler space he's really a mixed master to andi I think there's two styles that jonathan adler really works in well actually really kind of three hey works in well what what do you think one of each of you think this stylists are the mix here is that's happening is that is it moderations pottery so he's a potter and whenever you know that's where it what he that's his background and so yes those are pieces of pottery there like a wall like a hanging I think they throw the space off I can't be see sometimes it's hard to get perspective because it looks like they're in a in a corner if you see the flooring like they make like um where wall would be but there's not a wall these air like a corner and said there may be another said of him on the other side that define this face but I see a moroccan rug I c s oh that's a little bit of the traveler look I see glamour in the tufted sofa and in the gold medal coffee table and then certainly a whole lot of mid century. So urban, but a lot of mix happening here, may it leans mostly towards something that people would consider seventy styling brady bunch things that we thought of when we were children, a lot of us, but but there's certainly some glamour and then there's some, I think thiss the rub really makes it even more interesting, tio okay, so our wait, let me I think I'll take us out to the to the how mark, let me see and see what kind of fun we can have. Well, let me just run through these couple of rules of federal quickly, so we don't do this at the end, and so just a couple of reminders, so when you're when you're trying to create the mix in your own home, here are some of those guidelines that you can think about introducing elements of various styles, um, not and it's actually specifically not in the same proportion. Now, this is correct in the same proportion that they are in your personal style. So think about if you're primarily traditional if you don't really know how to get the mix in your house, think about your wardrobe think about your own personal style. And what you feel comfortable because we were saying yesterday, we're going to get into fashion more over the next two days, which is going to be really fun a lot of times we're more daring and are clothing than we even are in our interiors because it's not so permanent it's not maybe quite is expensive, so that could be a rule of thumb for you. If you're thinking about how much glamour cannot really stay and think about your start, your own personal style as a queue for this on dh, then just be really careful with too many styles in one space, and I think we saw several of those that a lot of us were thinking, oh, that's too busy for me too much is going on there. We saw it in both sent areas, we saw it where there were too many competing things, and then we saw the one room that jay kay was saying was really busy because it was so much glamour it's just almost over the top, every single surface was dripping and glamour, and so unless you're really, really into blame, or that one's going to be a little too much for most people, so just being a little careful with having those competing styles too much of one or two, much of several different ones can be a problem. And then, if you're still not confident about mixing styles, consider experimenting with a few items that you can just have either seasonally, like, maybe in the summer you bring in a sisal rugs or maybe in this summer, you bring in some batik pillows for the sofa and just test them at it sort of gives you an out. I don't have to have these all the time, you know? So things are maybe in the winter you bring in a fur throw or some fur pillows so you can just start to ease yourself in. It doesn't feel so permanent you're not going to be living with them all the time, and, you know that that's sort of a short list season, so it's kind of like the way that a lot of us get excited about christmas decorations or other holidays, we think, oh, they're so pretty, but when they're gone, you're really glad they're gone and you're ready to have a break from them. That's a great way to bring in your style yes, yeah, I found that I'm betting is a good way to do that to change your like dubay or whatever. Because you can kind of play with the different style live with it for a while and we saw several examples of say if it was artistic traveler that a lot of you are, you know, aspiring to be you could bring in a suzanne e at the foot of the bed or a couple of pillows and really just test the waters of a couple of these styles and then it's not permanent so maybe it's summer maybe it's winter I think that's a great a great example and some people like to change other things seasonally some of my friends that are designers will you know, in the spring roll up all the wool rugs and put down all sisal they'll change even the lamps or the lamp shades that maybe take the curtains down and put shears up so there's all sorts of things you could do and you could allow yourself toe maybe have more are more artistic traveler in the summer time where it feels breezy and kind of that whole mosquito netting idea and then maybe in the winter you're more traditional that would be fun. I think so think of ideas in ways that you can ease yourself into thes rule this these different styles also don't forget the other people that live in your home and we can't completely ignore them so bring things that means something tio us and to them um, and then color and paint are certainly your friends, so we can use. We saw the difference in those traditional spaces, one with white walls and one with almost a bargain. Be well on the difference there. But you can accomplish a lot with color and paint and think about cohesive things that bring a broom together. Like we talked about something that is that point of reference. Or maybe it was that black, like in the very first image that move your eye around the room. So that was color and a cohesive tie that brought the whole room together. So what is it that you're going to use to be that tie that binds all of your looks together?

Class Materials

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Add Style With Color.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

Amy Cantrell
 

I was happy to get this class on sale at a time when I needed it. We were painting and replacing some furniture so it helped me get some clarity on what is most important to me. As a photographer I can appreciate most styles and colors so the class helped me hone in on what my design personality is (eclectic mostly) which helped me focus on things to inspire me.

LIndsey Connell
 

What a generous offering. I got so much out of this course. Sure, some of the style references are a little out-moded, but it's incredibly thorough. Tobi is so knowledgeable about all of the styles and is gifted at helping students ensure style and functionality. Dive in! You'll learn so much about your own style and how to make your home flow in a way that you love.

Student Work

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