Pretty ridiculous. "Happy colours will make you happy!" Yah, yah, yah, some new designer guy of the moment is going to tell me to paint everything orange and life will be great.
At that time, I was labouring to get out from under this:
I was oppressed by colour. Colour strained my eyes. Colour made me tired.
Imagine my surprise when I saw this room featured on AT: Chicago and found out later it was done by Jonathan Adler.
Jonathan Adler? Why, but, this room is tasteful. This room has wit. The bones are enhanced, not obliterated. And most of all, he has not imposed himself on the room. It is not vain. I was interested, so I requested the book from the library.
I am happily surprised and amused. The book itself is amazing. The photographer who did the pictures of Adler and Doonan, Annie Schlechter, is a flippin' genius.
But Adler's interiors are actually quite conventional. Notice the palette: two or three colours at most. Pattern? In essence, it's the same one, over and over. (In fact doing just that, in different scales, is one of his bits of advice.) The walls? Neutral. (Mostly.)
The point is the walls are not the point. Decorating--as an end in itself--is not the point. Tastefully creating interiors which make you smile--that's the point.
He makes me want to put ribbon round my lampshades and take up needlepoint. My first project would be a pillow to put on my favourite chair. Like this:
"MINE". I like it. I like it a lot. (I must take a look at that book. Like you, I'd seen it and passed by on the other side.)
ReplyDeleteI like Adler...his work reminds me of the ladies' room at the country club circa 1978 (and that's a good thing)
ReplyDelete