As I see more and more vintage antique stores popping up, I understand from going to markets that we were going to start seeing trending traditional again. When we meet with clients and show them a design of a room and furniture we suggest, they tend to move towards traditional. They will say they are modern or transitional and not realizing that what they like is more traditional. When that happens, we dig further to find out what appeals to them with certain pieces to clarify our direction in help them. Our ultimate goal is to give our clients comfort and a great look, warm and inviting. If you haven’t noticed, we are seeing oriental rugs in some of the midcentury 1960 and l970’s favorite patterns. The true antique hand-knotted rugs are beautiful and making their way back, as well. Rugs are one of the most difficult things to find. It is a piece of art that totally enhances and grounds the room interjecting many colors. Choose one or two of those colors and off you go with the beginning of your room design. We mix stained finishes with painted finishes with lots of fabrics to soften a room. I love master bedrooms where an entire world of fun decorating opportunities come along. Fabric bedframes and headboards, bedding textures with coverlets and pillows, wood accents around the fabrics in a painted finish or a stain and look what all you can do with the nightstands. Another opportunity is the side chair where 90% of the time, there is room for a comfy club chair. The club chair is another opportunity for textures and color. Another opportunity is art over the headboard. We work hard to find artwork as the focal point over the headboard. Of course, then we add functional, nice lamps. We are dealers for many lighting companies and can normally get lamps in quickly, and we have lamps in our retail store. Adding a throw for the chair comes in handy for cold days when the bedroom chair is the place selected to rest and drink a cup of coffee. This past winter my Bella Notte patchwork throw was a two-fold asset, moving it back and forth from the chair to cover my feet. Traditional design can be comforting, so don’t be afraid of it.
