Apr 29, 2021 | Carpet One Floor & Home
The first step to creating a more simplified interior style for your home is to get rid of what no longer serves you—not only for the sake of visual clutter but also for the sake of your soul. Look around. What isn’t being used, doesn’t serve a purpose, or simply is no longer a good fit for your home? Have you acquired multiples of certain items over the years? Could you narrow down your collection of kitchen appliances? Do you have shelves full of deserted toys, linens, or toiletries? What about a closet that’s heavy with clothes you haven’t worn in years? Or home décor pieces that you loved 10 years ago but that no longer suit your current style? Good riddance to them! Now, once you’ve freed yourself from the burden of clutter, it’s time to redesign your way to a more simplified style.
Design: REBECCA HAY DESIGNS Photography: MIKE CHAJECKI
We’re not all blessed with high ceilings, large windows, expansive open-concept floor plans, and spare bedrooms. Sometimes, you have to create the illusion of space, when the reality of actual space is just not possible. Our favorite tricks of the trade come from designer Andrea Colman of Fine Finishes
Design:
• Remove items from tabletops and countertops to help accentuate your home’s architecture, furniture, and artwork
• Choose “long and lean” flooring like extra-long hardwood planks or rectangular tiles and install them in a parallel or diagonal fashion
• Pick a wall color that’s light and bright to create a greater sense of light and airiness into your home
• Keep window treatments minimal or, if possible, go without for a simple, modern look and feel
• Select furniture with exposed legs, such as couches, ottomans, chairs, and bedframes, for an open airy feel
• Add mirrors and reflective finishes, such as polished chrome hardware or high sheen fabrics, throughout the home for instant added light
Design: ANDREA COLMAN Photography: NICOLE AUBREY
Color plays a vital role in achieving a simplified interior style. A room with too many colors can feel busy and chaotic, whereas a space with too few colors can feel stark and lifeless. The 60-30-10 rule utilizes three colors—a dominant shade, a secondary shade, and an accent color. Your dominant shade will take up approximately 60 percent of your design. Typically, this leading color will be neutral or subdued in tone such that it can be used heavily without feeling overwhelming. The secondary shade will take up an additional 30 percent of the room, normally coming in slightly bolder than its leading backdrop. Finally, an accent color will make up the last 10 percent. This is your playful color that can come through in accessories, pillows, and throws.
Design: REBECCA HAY DESIGNS Photography: MIKE CHAJECKI
Installing the same flooring throughout the main living area creates instant visual continuity, blurring the divide from room to room for a streamlined and simplified feel. Offering both beauty and function, a waterproof, engineered hardwood like Hydrotek™ H2O is the perfect candidate for this tactic because it is suitable for both design-focused spaces like the formal living area or dining room and perfectly capable in the work-heavy areas like the kitchen, family room, or foyer. Opt for a medium tone style that’s not too heavy in graining, like Anchor Wharf in Desert Sand by Hydrotek™ H2O, from Carpet One Floor & Home’s 2021 Trending 10 list.
Anchor Wharf in Desert Sand by Hydrotek™ H2O
Convenience brings comfort. Choose a space and invest in one or two small updates that will make a positive difference in your day-to-day life. In the kitchen, this might mean investing in a tiered organization system for your workhorse drawers. Or, it could mean a new chalkboard wall to keep important dates, lists, and reminders front and center for the entire family. When considering what improvements to tackle, remember that not all updates need to be big, expensive, and overwhelming. Sometimes the simple things make the biggest difference.
Design: CYNTHIA SODA Photography: STEPHANI BUCHMAN