Style Counsel June

Tuesday June 28th, 2011

Rustic Relaxation

Wouldn’t you just love to flop into that sofa next to the fire, clutching a mug of hot chocolate and a real page-turner of a book?  A real fire can’t be beaten for winter coziness and this room does cosy very well – deft touches take this room, which works equally well in summer, right through the colder months.

 

• If you have a real fire, lucky you! Make the most of it and enjoy. Stacks of logs in baskets or around the fireplace are always an attractive decorating tool, adding rustic naturalness to a setting.
• This style fire-burner is quite efficient and affordable,  but can look pretty utilitarian and underwhelming...this is hand down the best idea we have seen for making it look amazing...just build a big hearth around the little stove and suddenly the room is grand!
• Warm up sofas and chairs with chunky cushions and throws – practical and textural.
• It’s always nice to use an ottoman as a coffee table and really makes you feel like putting your feet up – after all, that’s what ottomans are for!  A tray on top makes the surface useful and steady, and ready to receive that hot chocolate or pot of tea.
• This is actually a very neutral room in terms of colour, but the clever use of textures and natural references – the wall paper, the candlesticks, the jug of flowers, the decorative tree over the mantelpiece – all add interest and variety and stop it being just boring browns and neutrals.
• We always like the rug on top of a rug - makes it feel even more warm and inviting. 

If you love this look, we can certainly help you achieve it!  Our Darcy leather Club Chair is a classic, and we can upholster the Lewis Ottoman in our eco leather to compliment Darcy.  We have a great range of Throws, the Cable Knit throw rug looks fab draped over any sofa or armchair.  The Hugo Sofa is good for sprawlers, being nice and roomy. The Foja Fern, Bittern or Feather wallpaper would give you a similar gorgeous ‘outdoors indoors’ look.  And if you don’t fancy the dog on the sofa with you, our Custom Pet Cushions offer the next best thing to man’s best friend!
 

Tuesday June 21st, 2011

Bathroom Bliss

Ahhhh the bathroom, a place we dont often feature, but somewhere that alas deserves a bit more attention.  For myself (and every other mother with small children I know), it is a true refuge, and the long hot shower I take there is one of the highlights of my day.  So while the bathroom seen above may be just be a dream for most of us.  What tips can we take away from this divine destination?
 

• Furniture - A chair in the bathroom not only looks luxurious and homey,  it is actually incredibly practical!  How often has your partner been forced to sit on the tub or the toilet to have a conversation with you?  Where do you sit when you clip your toenails?  Do yourself a favour...even small bathrooms can usually fit a small accent chair
• Art - While you may not want to put your expensive collectible pieces in the bathroom,  please put something.  I am horrified at the preponderance of plain all white bathrooms. Art adds colour, personality and gives one something to looks at other than the dust on your baseboards.
• Lighting - Wall sconces are really the way to go in bathrooms.  Overhead lighting makes us look harsh and  shadowy (that is code for old).  Wall lighting is soft and warm and makes us AND the room look our best.
• Nice Towels - Beautiful, soft and fluffy towels are a small gift we can all afford to give ourselves.  They feel amazing and we don’t have to be embarrassed when people visit!
• Patterned floors - These are very popular in the States and for good reason.  They are groovy and yet also timeless.  They also don’t show up hair or dirty footprints and are naturally non-slip.
• Someday, when we all grow up and all of our dreams come true we can have a fireplace in our bathroom too.

Eco Chic can help you improve the look and comfort of your own bathroom in a few simple ways...check out our Lounge Chairs or Dining Chairs for the smaller bathroom.  Our family friendly fabric range would be perfect.  A little side table like our Indian Stool or new Slimani always looks great next to a tub.  Want a small pattened ottoman to add a splash of colour?...our Erica Ikat is divine.  Finally,  you wont be disappointed with our Spa Bath Towel range made from ultra soft bamboo and cotton.

Tuesday June 14th, 2011

Regal & Roaring

 

Okay, we’re ‘fessing up. These last few days have seen us barely move from the boudoir to the bathroom, so unpleasant has been the weather.  We’ve been snuggling and sheltering.  Which got us thinking, what would be the final finishing touch to the perfect bedroom? And then it hit us – a fireplace!  A roaring fire, what better?!  And that’s why this room scene succeeds on every level this long weekend. Why do we love it so and how can we aspire to such luxe?
 

• Well, we can’t all have a gorgeous fireplace in our bedroom, but those of you out there who do, make the most of it!  It’s surely the sexiest thing ever!
• The way the bed is casually placed at an angle in this room is clever and convincing, and acts as a good counterpoint to the other studied elements in the room. Try something different – beds don’t always have to be at right angles to a wall.
• The colour palette is warm and sophisticated, and the cool light greys (THE colour for the coming seasons) is given a charming blush with the mulberry and berry tones.
• Casual treatment of luxury fabrics lends a certain savoir-faire to a room; mix silks with velvet, cotton with satin, wool or fur and you have a tale of the unexpected.
• The headboard is darling, and indispensible for propping up all those pillows, all the better to sip a mulled wine or an advocaat whilst flicking through a magazine or two.
• When it gets chilly, slip a rug by your bed, adds warmth, colour, style and comfort.
• Finally – watch out for Style Counsel next week, where we tell you how the be Good In Bed simply by following our bed making tips!

Feel like some sexy snuggling – Eco Chic has the answer:  our Custom Headboards can be crafted to your design with custom fabrics; check out our Amina bedspread and Claudette comforters; the Pin Stripe Wheat rug or Ngintaka would add instant warmth to any boudoir and give romance a chance with our Crystal candlesticks and scented Glow Candles.  Enjoy!

Monday June 6th, 2011

Art of Display

Sometimes it is the little things that count.  A beautiful tableau of your favourite things can really make a room....just as a cluttered mess atop even the most expensive furniture is just an eyesore.  So what are some tips and tricks for arranging your accessories just right?

• Take your cue from Goldilocks...not too much and not too little.  Cluttered displays look artful in magazines, but pretty horrible in real life.  If you have more goodies than you can fit in your space, put a few in the closet and rotate them out every few months
• Simple furnishings like these plain white shelves can take more “stuff”, whereas really decorative furniture should have less. 
• Keep collections of small objects in a grouping, like these mugs and odd bits clumped together rather than scattered all over the place. Trays are a great way to bring a lot of smaller things into an uncluttered whole.
• A stack of beautiful coffee table books is the all time designers favourite trick, it adds colour and seems to say, “I'm stylish AND smart!”  It is also the perfect place to set an object like this magnifying glass or shell, or beads.
• Art makes everything better, and stacking it always looks super cool.  Adding a few unframed prints on cardstock as well as an eclectic group of frames makes it look effortless.
• Balance your bits of colour as if you had a paintbrush and were dabbing bits around in different doses.  See how the large dose of red “O” has a smaller dose below in the brush handle?  Black frames on top are balanced by black in the writing, photos, etc.  Even the colours in the little seascape: gray, gold and aqua are reflected in the book and magnifying glass at the bottom. 
• Do the same balancing act with shapes...look at the clever repetition of the O...how many can you spot?

To get the look with Eco Chic, a leisurely stroll through our homewares and decor section should set your imagine alight.  We have some great original B&W art pieces like On Reflection and Run Rabbit Run.  For artful picture frames,  look no further than our Boxy range.  We have just added some beautiful little decor objects like our Nesting Birds and if you need somewhere to put all your gorgeous little goodies....check out our range of bookshelves.