Desert Local News - Index

Desert Local News - Desert Local News March 18th 2008 Print and Virtual Edition - Index

DECOR SCORE
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By Rose Bennett gilbert
Q: I am newly divorced and
realize that never in my life
have I had a room to myself! I
shared with a sister growing up,
then a college roommate, then a
husband for 12 years. now I’m
starting out on my own with
only myself to indulge. My
tastes run to girlie-girlie things,
but I need a little guidance as to
style and colors.
A: Open your closet, girlie,
and stand back. you’ll immediately
understand your own
taste in style and colors, manifested
in the clothes you wear.
granted, covering windows and
floors is a somewhat larger and
more complicated task, but you
can trust your clothing sense
to guide you in the right directions.
Love pretty floral prints,
pastels and perhaps a touch of
lace? english country could be
your look in decorating. Prefer
ruffles, velvets, and lots of froufrou?
Sounds tres French to me.
Here’s a photo of the bedroom
into which fashion designer
Jessica McClintock snuggles
into at the end of her day. It is
French with a San Francisco
accent; one of 22 rooms in her
three-story victorian that once
belonged to film director Francis
Ford Coppola.
Happily, there’s nothing of
“The godfather’s” bling left in
the place. McClintock, who’s
known for her “girlie-girlie”
prom, party and wedding dresses,
is totally romantic about her
own digs. She also designs furniture
for companies like C.R.
Laine (www.crlaine.com).
Ideas to appropriate from
her bedroom for yours could
include that canopy-to-swoonfor,
of creamy lace cascading
from ceiling to floor (over
an ornate French bed, in
McClintock’s case). The
wall sconces, graceful fauteuil
(traditional open-arm
French chair), and Aubusson
rug laid over gleaming
hardwood floors help conjure
an air of 18th century
elegance even Mme. Lafarge
could have loved.
Q: I have recently
moved into a new house -
the entrance to each room
has an arch design and
makes it kind of hard for
me to decide how to arrange
my picture frames on
the wall. Please help.
A: Ignore the arches.
Pretend the doorways are
simply squared off and
work your arrangements
out on wall space remaining,
just as you would in
any room.
Two how-to hints here.
Be kind to your walls;
don’t touch a hammer until
you know where each
artwork is going. The best
way to determine that is
to cut a brown paper replica
of each piece. Label
them “landscape,” “hunting
scene,” whatever, so
you can keep track as you
arrange and rearrange them
on the floor until you’re
happy with the results.
Keep in mind that every
successful arrangement
needs at least one
straight vertical line and
one straight horizontal line
somewhere within. Also,
try to vary sizes and shapes
of the objects you’re hanging.
Finally, plan so the focal
point of the arrangement is
about at eye level. Then, if you
have many elements to hang,
you can go lower and all the
way up to the ceiling, victori-
an-gallery-style.
P.S. Remember to allow
for the difference between the
hanger and the top of the picture
frame. Mark the wall with
a wetted finger, then nail.
Rose Bennett gilbert is
the co-author of “Hampton
Style” and associate editor
of Country Decorating Ideas.
19
Please send your questions to
her at Copley news Service,
P.O. Box 120190, San Diego,
CA 92112-0190, or online at
copleysd@copleynews.com.