50 Tips Patti says will help assist with design dilemmas!

These observations have proven valuable and will be the subject of upcoming posts for the weekly blog…almost weekly blog. A compilation of themes prompted by real clients and personal answers & ideas for YOU from Doorstep Design Delivery by PATRICIAN DESIGN!!

  1. Use dimmer switches whenever possible.
  2. Do not be afraid of color.
  3. Treasure family heirlooms.
  4. Know why you are installing window treatments.
  5. Mirrors can be your friends.
  6. All leather is not alike.
  7. Layering adds dimension.
  8. Trends can be your downfall.
  9. Eclecticism is personality
  10. Odd numbers of elements make better groupings.
  11. Rugs are wonderful.
  12. Discover new ways to use existing pieces.
  13. Fresh flowers are joyful.
  14. Focal points speak volumes.
  15. Minor changes can make major differences.
  16. Ceilings are opportunities.
  17. Find alternate uses for common things.
  18. Collections can be cool.
  19. Treat yourself to statement pieces.
  20. Enjoy connecting interiors with the outdoors.
  21. Prioritize to plan effectively.
  22. Deconstructing parts can result in creative assemblies.
  23. Balance is key – opposites attract.
  24. Pillows are easy seasonal punctuations.
  25. Plants bring life.
  26. Mobiles and kinetic sculptures add animation.
  27. Even small water features can be soothing.
  28. Incorporate old with new schemes…conversely new with vintage interiors.
  29. Do not fear dark walls in small spaces.
  30. Everyone benefits from a bit of bling.
  31. Test samples do not always satisfy actual finished effect.
  32. Avoid stopping finishes mid-surface or on outside corners.
  33. Textures tantalize.
  34. Scale is critical.
  35. Faux fur has come a long way.
  36. Matching might be monotonous.
  37. Find treasures at second hand shops.
  38. Collect ideas – inspiration abounds.
  39. Zones matter regardless of size.
  40. Punch it up often.
  41. Music and sound are design elements.
  42. Masking unwanted sounds is an art.
  43. Form should follow function but sometimes they are simultaneous.
  44. Context is critical.
  45. When white is an intentional wall color.
  46. Appearance retention is key.
  47. Beware of light sources solely from above.
  48. Fish tanks relax – as art, architecture or furniture.
  49. Daylight vital – circadian rhythm count
  50. Wabi Sabi has value.

 

Good design enhances life. Consultations no longer are dependent upon personal interviews. Technology has facilitated communication between designers and clients.Custom solutions in the form of samples and sketches can be delivered to your doorstep! Doorstep Design Delivery from PATRICIAN DESIGN.

Please contact us regarding cost-effective, quick fixes for your design dilemmas. email@patriciandesign.com or 505-242-7646.

Visit our website www.patriciandesign.com

Bonetti Designs Like a Party with Dr. Seuss, Willy Wonka and Dali

This month’s Architectural Digest August 2016 sports Anderson Cooper lounging on the  cover in a backdrop of lush tropical vegetation and a glistening pool. But it was what I discovered inside about which I blog today. Paris-based designer Mattia Bonetti and his love of color and wacky style caught my eye. How could it help but do so? His creativity gone wild with little restraint is like Dr. Seuss parties with Willy Wonk and Dali!! Fanciful forms and incredible colors are the signatures of his psychedelic scenes.

Whether you like his designs or are a bit overwhelmed by them, he made a profound quote that I think bears some discussion. Evidently the author of the article, Mitchell Owens thought so too as he isolated it as a leading statement. Bonetti predicts “If people who can afford incredible decors keep commissioning bland minimalist interiors, it’s the end of decoration.” 20160804_091417

I loved that statement. Yet inasmuch as I appreciate the bland minimalists for their value in their own context, I just liked the premise that decoration is what puts things out there. It’s what sets things apart. It is what stirs new creativity, commentary and explosions of art and design decadence.

Decoration – boldly going where no designer has gone before, Bonetti creates many of his pieces from tables to lamps,  rugs to headboards and all with a fanciful animation that nearly comes alive. Like it or not, you can’t help but react. It catches the eye and forces response.

Fine scribbles on the wall in a graphite grey contrasting with loud geometrics all with splashes if not washes of color – maybe better said drowning in color in some instances – Bonetti is not afraid. Embracing the extraordinary he mixes and crashes his forms and  colors in screaming crescendos that excite and disturb. His tables look as though they could walk – or slither – or in some way motate themselves across the room. 0816-bonetti-hong-kong-house-5

As a designer we should (my opinion) be designing for the client. To find a client who would want such creative experimentation is rare. Either in cases of wild abandon, second or third homes, freaky fanaticism over art and decoration – they are not the rule, but could be fun if given the license to proceed.

20160804_091447

Hula hoops…Iridescent life-savers…fun with circles and stripes of color!!!

I play with color. As evidenced in my portfolio www.patriciandesign.com but never with such unfettered, unleashed audacity. Yet I believe that color is the best way to punctuate a design.

An overall view of Bonetti’s work will unveil these fanciful forms for sure but not always accompanied by the intense colors displayed in this featured article of the Hong Kong apartment. But Dr. Seuss’s design influence is nearly always present in his creations which are inspired and freeing. So let’s unleash decoration today!!!