No more chatter and let’s analyze what are the “don’ts” that in most cases ruin the aesthetic result.
- pursuing fashions, forcibly
- do not take advantage of beautiful pre-existing
- compartmentalized thinking
- complicating life (and space)
- using lighting with different temperature
1. pursuing fashions, forcibly
FIRST POINT! Or first advice -> don’t force yourself on pursuing fashion at all costs. Surely the latest trends are always captivating and have the advantage of always pushing aesthetic research and our own culture a little further – so they are welcome! But you know the body positivity, the self acceptation? Here, it also applies to architecture.
Not all spaces have the same “shape”, the same light, the same compatibility with materials. Adapt your needs to the context, just as you have to adapt the right colors and clothes to your body.
One example of all, a request that happens to me very often: the walk-in closet. If there is not enough space, it is better a regular and spacious bedroom, with capacious and minimal wardrobes, than not losing precious square meters in narrow passage spaces.
2. do not take advantage of beautiful pre-existing
Don’t be fooled by appearances: in the “grandmother’s house” you can find unexpected treasures, such as precious marbles and parquet made with artisanal techniques. Processes that would cost a fortune today, or worse, are completely lost.
The first instinct, seeing an environment that is not very modern, is to completely get rid of the existing. But if recovering something of value does not prove illogical / too expensive, it would be a shame both for the intrinsic value, as well as for the recovery and historical value. Parquet floors can be laminated, marble coatings polished … and in some cases, you can even save a lot!
Obviously, you have to be careful with the combinations, because their presence will not leave you carte blanche. But everything can be contextualized with the necessary precautions and the result is always unique and precious. After all, doesn’t fashion always draw from the past?
3. compartmentalized thinking
What do I mean by compartmentalized thinking? Practical examples: closing the house into many micro-boxes, with a minimal black and white living room, the beige kitchen with a slightly retro-shabby taste and the hyper lively pop bathroom (just to give the idea, the combinations are endless); to bring together many kinds of wood of different types, hot and cold, brown and light; have brass handles, chrome taps and satin appliances; buy random items and furnishings, such as a cowboy hat for a snowsuit. In short: inconsistency within the same house.
This does not mean having a monochromatic or single material house, nor being obsessed with the palette. It is enough to always keep in mind the character of your apartment, its predominant tones and make choices that adapt accordingly; think in the round and not on the single angle. Yes, even the bathroom, a place that is usually considered in its own right, is part of global harmony. Think about the “heart”, the “character” of your home, a basic idea that unites everything.
Last dispassionate advice is not to stop only at the colors. Even the lines and volumes of the furnishings count: the Thonet chair is very different from a Panton! It is obvious that with a careful study it is possible to make risky combinations that turn out well, but never by chance!
4. complicating life (and space)
“Complicating is easy, simplifying is difficult”
Bruno Munari said it, but by changing some ingredients you will find thousands of similar quotes. We are talking about the basic criterion to make anything more pleasant: simplicity.
It’s harder than it sounds, but the good news is you don’t need a big budget to do it and you can start with what you have around you. From Marie Kondo to Mies and her Less is More, you have many models to follow (and no, you don’t have to all become Calvinist-radical-minimal).
Due suggerimenti veloci?
- commensurate the furnishings to your spaces, do not give in to the temptation to put something bigger just because it seems more beautiful / important. The risk is that that object suffocates the room in which it is located, suggesting that you live in small and cramped spaces. In addition to the inconvenience it would create in the passages…
- select your objects, on the base of your memories and / or aesthetics, without feeling compelled to show everything you have. Be reasoned about everything they think about sight, and observe that shelves will reborn.
- use unused angles for storage where you can give vent to all your disorder if it is physiological from time to time.
- resist to the horror vacui! Also call into question Greta Thunberg if you need to, to resist useless, compulsive purchases, for their own sake.
Windows, panoramas and surfaces will suddenly become the focal point of the home. It will be like eliminating background noise, seeing is believing.
“but in the Ikea catalog the messy spaces are so beautiful”
Do you know why? Because they are all coordinated and studied in a maniacal way. Each fabric, each object thrown on the ground is never random, but is chosen by different professionals, from the interior designer to the photographer, after hours of tests and selections. It is a photographic set, don’t forget it, and I would say that it is not the case of a daily routine.
5. using lighting with different temperature
Last very simple trick: pay the right attention to the temperature of the light, looking for homogeneity by always checking the Kelvin data shown in the packages of lamps-bulbs. From 3500 K upwards it is cold light; from 3300 to 3000 K is a warm-neutral light (my favorite), and from 2700 K and below we find only warm lights.
Preferring warm or cold lights is subjective, but one thing is sure: the mix is lethal! The environment immediately appears more sloppy, uncared for and… yes, sad.
Sometimes the need for power is confused with its heat: I often see dazzling cold neon lights in the bathroom or on the kitchen counter, immediately flanked by hyper-hot lights. Look for lumens and watts for more power, not kelvins – cold does not mean more powerful!
conclusions
As you have seen, these are small theoretical tricks, which are all basically based on an extreme coherence and knowledge of oneself and of space. The good news is that they are really easy to apply and you don’t need major investments – many are even cost-free. The downside is that you have to train your critical sense a lot!