Occasional Chair - The Decorator's Secret

Occasional chairs often seem like an afterthought, but not so ......... often these chairs are essential to a room's composition - perhaps helping it keep balance.

Sure, there is the sofa with the two club chairs possibility, but for most of us, we want some spontaneity - inspiration of composition, not some boxy look that was taken home from the local department store.

Additionally, occasional chairs shake things up - they allow us to bring in another style, fabric and their best secret is because of their relative lightness, they can be easily moved to the sofa or table during a get together. Occasional chairs are the decorator's secret!

Go a bit nouveau victorian with the Kendall Bobbin chair from Martha Stewart from Bernhardt. Here it is shown with a leather seat which makes it a fun twist and could fit into any modern day parlor.

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Inspired by a set of metal dining chairs once owned by Catherine The Great, fine furniture maker Theodore Alexander uses stainless steel and glass to create elegant seating with the look of authentic Tula metal (a silver and brass alloy found in Russia.) The metal and glasss chair is available through http://www.theodorealaxnder.com/

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The "Regent" chair is a little bit of a 'rebel without a cause' type chair. And, then it is naughty and nice? This is perhaps too much to expect in one chair! Contact Jonathan Adler, 1-877-287-1910 for the 'Regent'.

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Don't be afraid to mix a chair like this Gumps China-red lacquer chair with other styles - imagine this in the room shown above, in place of the Louis XV chair, it works wonderfully.
Or, again, imagine the sofa in the room above but upholstered in a silk stripe, say silvery and black stripe (a contemporary look, but on a traditional sofa), add throw pillows that have some red and black. Now we set the Chippendale reproduction chair in the room and that is hot!

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The occasional chair is more than just a spare seat, it can offer a dramatic reprieve from a sea of upholstery - or simply inject some personality into a one-note room.

See more notes about the occasional chair in my article, "Decorate A DreamHouse Mallorca Island," click here.

Chic Camping Style At The Versailles, Maharaja Tent Company (Follow Up)

In my last publication I'd included the article about this interesting style I'm noticing, Chic Camping and Outdoors-y Styles (click here to go to that article), but these tents are too phenomenal to not also share with you.

Christian Dior called in this tent company, The Maharaja Tent Company, for their 60th anniversary in Paris. Check it out.

According to Maharaja Tent Company, "Our tents and canopies are excellent for use in gardens, beaches, by the pool and at luxury resorts and spas.. They can be used as tented living quarters, settings for lunches, dinners, parties and wedding. They offer wonderful, enchanting possibilities for entertaining family, friends, special guests and even Royalty."

A photo of the Christian Dior 60th Anniversary Celebration using Maharaja Tents and accessories, at the Chateau Versailles, Paris. For more info on this huge affair including the Maharaja dozen plus tents but moreover the luminosity of the hundreds of guests including superwatt supermodels, click here. At right are Charlize Theron and Christian Dior Designer John Galliano (shown dressed up for the celebration's Spanish theme).

For more information about Maharaja Tents, email them at mail@maharajatent.com.

Decorating The Four-Acre Horse Ranch, Pt. 2

Vintage is so cool - we love seeing old houses fixed up. The thesaurus states vintage is superior, prime, classic. In reality vintage items aren't always practical.

For this house, let me share what vintage means:

In this house, vintage is the 100 year old adobe house - adobe walls are 18" thick!  That actually makes for a natural form of insulation but can be a challenge when hanging pictures (they start to crumble - ghack!). In the master bedroom of the adobe house, vintage means low ceilings that consist of dark railroad ties, and vintage also means fewer windows than today's home styles. That's a bit about a 100 year old adobe houses.

In the master bedroom the vintage issues made for a cave-like feeling.  To correct this I called on Chelsea Lavendar paint by Ralph Lauren. It lightens up the adobe room, giving it a colorful, whimsical feeling.

The brightly-colored bedding is from Anthropologie.  Hard to see in these photos is a beautiful, rare, antique Oriental rug that proved a bit of a challenge. I found that the rug had slight purple-lavender threads that came to life with the Ralph Lauren paint - - viola!!!

This sitting area (previously a desk area) is perfect for a master bedroom sitting area. The chair and ottoman are from Pier One Imports.  I think every bedroom should have a chair, they're both functional and help make a room look complete.


The bed headboard previously had been a natural wood and when painted Ralph Lauren's 'Picket Fence White,' it just POPS!

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Design Tip: These two paintings (shown at right) are opposite both the bed and the large painting that hangs over the bed.

In my attempts to balance or 'equal out' opposite sides of a room, I considered another large art piece, but this small room couldn't visually support that, the room started feeling cave-like again.  Visa versa, though, these two oil paintings on their own were not enough before placing them on the shelves.  This side of the room now had sufficient visual weight and presence. One more time: viola!

To view more about the four acre horse ranch AND the guesthouse, see below:



Decorating the Four-Acre Horse Ranch, Pt. 1
Decorating the Four-Acre Horse Ranch, Pt. 2 
Decorating the Four-Acre Horse Ranch, Pt. 3
Decorating the Four-Acre Horse Ranch, Pt. 4

Pinterest Board:  Horse Ranch Photos And Guest House