Do-it-yourself home interiorThis is what it preachesJonathan: A great home isn’t one filled with trendy but uncomfortable furniture or art you don’t understand. It’s one filled with things you love and that make you happy. Coming home should be an antidote to the stresses and traumas of everyday life. It’s like hearing your favorite tune on the radio in your car, having your first kiss, or running into your ex on the street and noticing that he’s gained weight. It’s not like spending a Sunday afternoon doing your taxes and eating fiber. In short, design your home so that it expresses who you are and brings you joy from the moment you walk through the door.
Put the dog in the hallway
No real one, get a ceramic one. This huge friendly dog sits at the entrance to my Palm Beach apartment, and every time I come home from somewhere, my mood is lifted.
Have fun with the soul
Don't take life too seriously— this is a road to nowhere. If you are prone to excessive reflection, I highly recommend you a course of electroshock therapy — style and its characteristic clean lines, energetic colors and humor.
Walk barefoot
Tickle your toes with sisal and pamper your feet with fluffy sheepskin rugs. Surround yourself with natural materials - your home should feel as good as it looks.
Scale down the scale
Keeping to scale is the most unreasonable of all decorating techniques. Feel free to place small benches in a huge palazzo and a Gothic throne in a studio apartment.
Mix the colors
Don't be afraid of color disharmony.I recently redesigned the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs. They had this silly white shelf on a white wall. I bought all the bright colored glass in the area and created this pop frieze. Life instantly became more fun.
Add a little lime
… into your interior. Juicy green invigorates, revives and gives a boost of optimism. And also goes well with chocolate, white, blue and… any.
Learn to put beautiful still lifes
The key to a good arrangement is experimentation. Try symmetry, compositions of three objects of different heights. Place them in a row or combine them into compact groups.
Aim the art disorder
Despite the strict architecture of thistownhouse, its interior has a casual, modern feel, thanks in large part to informally stacked books and freely placed paintings and ceramics. The red walls also contribute to the vibrant modernist look.
Buy Pendant Armchairs
Do you want to communicate with the child inside you?You don't have to study hundreds of books on psychology and self-analysis to do this. Just hang a couple of armchairs in the living room - you will remember your childhood and stop looking back at the past.
Combine the incongruous
Don't be too careful with the patterns. You can mix and match different patterns and motifs within a single color scheme. When in doubt, repeat, repeat, repeat.
Paint the floors white
You will feel carefree and appear slimmer than you are.
Imagine yourself a gallery owner
Hanging pictures can be terrifying, butIt's actually quite simple. Use your intuition - hang the big pictures first, and then just keep hanging. Don't pay attention to the content of the paintings; think of them as geometric shapes that need to be arranged on a flat surface. That's what abstract artists do. (If you like a picture in a book, rip it out and put it in a nice frame.)
You will find even more tips in the new bookJonathan Adler, My Prescription For Anti-Depressive Living (ReganBooks/HarperCollins). Available at Waterstones, Borders and www.amazon.co.uk.
