Pack Some Punch in Your Pad
Monday, April 20, 2009 by Jason Oliver Nixon.
Named as one of the country’s top 20 interior designers by House Beautiful magazine, Brooklyn-based style guru John Loecke of John Loecke Inc. knows a thing about transforming a home from boring to brilliant—and he can dance a mean rumba, too, at the installation. Here are five easy home changes that will whip your pad into shape. For the record—and transparency's sake: John and I are partners in the interior design firm, but then I am not asking you to hire us, n’est-ce pas?
1. Fresh flowers are available in abundance for a couple of dollars a bunch at the supermarket. Why not pick up a couple of bunches every week and bring a bit of spring sunshine into your home? Stick to a color theme: all pink, perhaps, or go crazy and mix several kinds and colors.
2. If you are having guests to your house for a spring dinner, treat them to a surprise. Instead of setting a table that’s all one china pattern, why not mix up your dishes? Combine colors, patterns and shapes to create a truly unique tablescape.
Mix and match your plates, and watch your guests say, “Wow!”
3. Turquoise and coral are two hot hues for spring. Bring the look home by painting an old piece of furniture these two shades. For example, take a chest of drawers, paint the outside turquoise and highlight the drawers with a one-inch coral band.
4. Give your white lampshades a fashionable makeover. Trim the top and bottom edges in grosgrain ribbon. Match the color of the ribbon to the color of the lamp base, or pull out a color from another fabric in the room. These little details make an ordinary room extraordinary.
Add some sass to your shades with a splash of grosgrain ribbon.
5. Give your art some oomph. Instead of spreading it out around your house, group your paintings and photographs on one wall in a gallery-like arrangement (perhaps the wall over your sofa in the living room). It doesn’t matter if your frames don’t match; in fact, the more eclectic the look, the better.
John Loecke, your guide to Jet Set style at home.
1. Fresh flowers are available in abundance for a couple of dollars a bunch at the supermarket. Why not pick up a couple of bunches every week and bring a bit of spring sunshine into your home? Stick to a color theme: all pink, perhaps, or go crazy and mix several kinds and colors.
2. If you are having guests to your house for a spring dinner, treat them to a surprise. Instead of setting a table that’s all one china pattern, why not mix up your dishes? Combine colors, patterns and shapes to create a truly unique tablescape.
Mix and match your plates, and watch your guests say, “Wow!”
3. Turquoise and coral are two hot hues for spring. Bring the look home by painting an old piece of furniture these two shades. For example, take a chest of drawers, paint the outside turquoise and highlight the drawers with a one-inch coral band.
4. Give your white lampshades a fashionable makeover. Trim the top and bottom edges in grosgrain ribbon. Match the color of the ribbon to the color of the lamp base, or pull out a color from another fabric in the room. These little details make an ordinary room extraordinary.
Add some sass to your shades with a splash of grosgrain ribbon.
5. Give your art some oomph. Instead of spreading it out around your house, group your paintings and photographs on one wall in a gallery-like arrangement (perhaps the wall over your sofa in the living room). It doesn’t matter if your frames don’t match; in fact, the more eclectic the look, the better.
John Loecke, your guide to Jet Set style at home.
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