Domino magazine rounds up the tip six home decor rules to live by with furniture designer and decorator Laura Yaggy. Rich paint, antique prints and tabletop treasures give her rental apartment a storied feel. Best of all, she can take all of it with her.
1. Create History Through Paint
Because wallpaper would be a pain to remove, she created an alternative graphic wall treatment: a striking collection of silhouettes that advance the historical fantasy. To perk up the sedate tones, Yaggy incorporated pieces from her company Lorely in luxe skins (the end tables), unusual objets (the candlesticks) and other hits of red.
Create history through paint
“You have to paint in a rental -it makes such a huge difference,” Yaggy says. Choosing an ethereal blue for the walls provides instant 18th-century atmosphere. Her sofa, chairs and coffee table are in shades of beige, white and brown-neutrals that could work in a future room that’s painted an entirely new color.
2. Entertain According to the Space
Entertain according to spaceYaggy loves to have people over-for cocktails only-and since she doesn’t have a proper dining room, friends gather round the coffee table. She serves cocktails in cut-glass champagne coupes that were her grandmother’s, plus simple snacks that don’t keep the hostess in the kitchen. For intimate groups, she pulls over the armchairs by the windows (she bought them for their angular shape, had their mahogany frames glazed white, then replaced the ghastly yellow upholstery with an English print). If it’s a big party, the living-room furniture gets pushed to the wall.
3. Distract Flaws with Theatrical Color
Choose a theatrical color
Confederate Red walls draw the eye from the cheap laminate cabinets that came with Yaggy’s kitchen, while a Jonathan Adler shower curtain (as window shade!) and a Chinese carpet lend Far East flair. Visitors, she hopes, will focus on the white built-in shelf, stocked with liquor and vintage glasses.
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