You've finally decided to do something about the room
filled with an assortment of furniture that, while
functional, is not much to your liking. You want this
transformation to scream "elegance," as if elegance would
scream at all. In any case, what the room you're standing
in doesn't say is "elegant."
What, exactly, is elegance? Webster's defines elegance
as "beauty as resulting from choice qualities and the
complete absence of what deforms or impresses
unpleasantly; grace given by art or practice; fine
polish; refinement."
Now you know what elegance is, and you know it when
you see it, but you don't know how to achieve it.
And there's this "but" to take into consideration: You
don't have a budget for this little adventure into the
world of interior design. Maybe you have some pictures
from a magazine showing your vision of what elegance is,
or maybe it's just a word you have in mind with no
specific design plan. The question is: How do you
approach attaining elegance with just a few ideas and not
a lot of money to spend to achieve it?
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, regarded as one of the
pioneering masters of modern architecture, had two
mantras: "Less is more" and "God is in the details." If
you keep these two thoughts in mind when you conjure
elegance in design, you now have a mental picture of how
to attain your goal.
No matter the budget, less is
more, such as grouping three objects together
to make a collection.
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Elegance can be achieved with an
eye towards balance - and sometimes a pair of
plants in simple pots.
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One of the most elegant homes I've ever been in was
put together on a shoestring, but it achieved the desired
effect by fulfilling the above statements perfectly. It
was a quiet statement of the person's desire for harmony
in her life and a respite from the hectic world outside
her front door.
Let's tackle your room's transformation into an
elegant space together. I'll create a plan and give you
some pointers, and you do the work.
Start by looking at the room objectively. What's it
filled with? Remember, the goal is a "complete absence of
what deforms or impresses unpleasantly." We'll achieve
this by paying attention to the details and use less to
create a sense of more.
You have to start by clearing the clutter; nothing
about clutter says elegance. Get rid of the "stuff" and
get down to the basics of the room. Remove all the little
tchotchkes, magazines, photographs, art on the walls -
anything that's small. We can bring select pieces back
later, but for now we're going to strip the room down to
its essentials.
What's left should be just the furniture.
Now look at the furniture objectively and ask
yourself: Does it have a purpose in this room and how
does it look? If it doesn't support the goal, have a plan
for a way to remove it. What's left are things you like
and use.
So far you haven't spent a penny. Excellent. And, the
room should already look better.
Now let's start making some changes and bring elements
into the room that will achieve your goal of
elegance.
Sometimes changing a single element is all that's
needed to make a huge difference. These changes could
be:
-- Painting one wall a color to make the room
more dynamic.
-- Taking the drapes off the windows for a
minimalist effect.
-- Having one thing that draws attention to itself,
like a piece of art or sculpture.
-- Using nature as a design element: A single naked
branch from a tree or a large shell are very
sculptural forms.
-- Using lighting as a design element.
-- Keeping only the best and getting rid of the
rest.
Any of these changes, or a combination of them, will
make a tremendous difference in the overall effect of
your design concept.
You're probably concerned that we've gone in a
direction of minimalism to achieve elegance. Not
necessarily. If your design preference leans toward
traditional, you can achieve this with more items in the
room, but it's not clutter. Good design is intentional,
and elegance is achieved through harmony.
If you want to include some of the pieces that you
removed at the beginning of this process, do so with
intention to make a visually compelling "tableau" for the
eye to enjoy.
Three or more of any item in one category is a
collection, so group them together to make a statement.
For example, framed photographs look best when put
together, so find a place where all the pictures can be
grouped together. Now it's a collection, not clutter. In
this presentation, you can add a few objects to make it a
more interesting tableau. For example, add a small potted
plant or bowl of flowers, an antique book and a candle on
an interesting candlestick.
A bookcase can have items other than books in the
shelves. Lay some of the books on their side to make a
platform for an interesting object.
Remember that as you put things into the room avoid
the temptation to use everything you took out. Use your
judgment to know what's important and what's clutter.
Also, you can rotate your collections to keep them fresh
and interesting.
No matter what your style, an important aspect of
making a room more elegant is to add your personal touch.
Doing this with a sense of purpose is where elegance will
find its way into your life.
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