PICTURE PERFECT

I just read an interview with a snotty designer in a high-end home magazine where said designer was asked, "what makes a house a home?" Snotty D replied, "a blend of color and texture, wind and sea, life and death. When elements collide in the same sphere, genius is born." WHAT IN THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN? While I love flipping through the pages of glossy, glamorous home magazines most of the time I look at a photo and think, "would I be comfortable drinking a Tab and eating a hoho in that space?" Usually the homes portrayed are like beautiful pieces of 16th Century art: interesting to look at, beautiful execution but you wouldn't necessarily hang it in your half bath or above the plasma in the mancave. In other words, You and the things YOU like are what make a house a home. When meeting with clients I usually draw a comparison of designing a space to decorating a Christmas tree. While I love the idea of a simple, white Christmas tree with red balls and white lights, I also love for my tree to tell a story. The same applies to designing a room in your home. Your home should be filled with the things YOU love and when friends and family walk in your front door they should immediately feel a connection between your place and you. For example, from the chair I'm perched on typing this entry in our living room I'm surrounded by things family and friends have given us, juxtaposed with new and antique pieces Joe and I have collected as a couple and long before we met. Yellow ware bowls I purchased in college sit proudly on a side piece in our living room. An antique drop-leaf table Joe received as a gift fifteen years ago from family stands at attention in our foyer displaying a lamp we found in Pasadena topped with a Target shade. Vintage bottles our dear friend Diana gave us shine on top of our 1960's art deco bar. Every time I walk into this room I'm reminded of the steps we've taken to make it a comfortable space and who has celebrated our successes along the way. Maybe that's what Snotty D meant when describing picture perfect interior design as, "when elements collide" because they certainly have in our eclectic melting pot of tastes. The best part of the process in making your house a unique home is that it DOESN'T have to cost a fortune to get there. For far less than a magazine subscription, we rescued an interesting piece of art we found abandoned by previous owners in our dark, moldy basement. Time and weather were not kind to this piece (a beautiful water color of the hudson valley by a local artist) but a quick hop over to Target to purchase a new frame and mat for under $10, we turned this moldy piece into a perfect addition to the overall picture of our home.

TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Ten minutes

COST: Frame with mat at Target: $8.99

STRESS LEVEL: Finding the perfect solution for a bare wall: LOW