Inner Spirit
Just as each one of the U.S.’s distinct geographical regions - the East Coast, the West Coast, the Southeast, the South, and the Midwest - has its own outer environment, so it has its own interiors, too. We go inside these five regions to shine a light on local interior design - and tell you how to get it no matter where you reside.
|
|
Down East In New York, the newest trends in interior design are, well, old - at least partly so and especially when it comes to downtown loft living. Raw, industrial spaces with exposed beams, columns, and ductwork have a unique historical character that plays eclectically against clean, contemporary furnishings. Even new construction incorporates mixed woods and metals, natural finishes, and open spaces where structural elements serve as room dividers. Black, white, and sandy neutrals won’t crowd this kind of space, and additional mixed-material elements - a chrome-and-glass coffee table or a butcher-block dining table and aluminum chairs - play up the play in contrasts. |
|
Washington, D.C., neighborhoods also have an eye toward the past - specifically the mid-century modern lines of the 1950s and 1960s. Curvaceous Knoll and Herman Miller chairs - classics designed by Marcel Breuer, Eero Saarinen, and Charles and Ray Eames, to name a few - as well as chrome and leather, bold pops of red, and streamlined Danish modern wood furniture have prospered, particularly as the popularity of the 1960s-set cable drama Mad Men has increased. In fact, for the last two years, the Washington Post has hosted a Mad Men home look-alike contest showcasing local mid-century modern interiors. |
|
Farther up the coast, the Boston Design Center is feeling blue - the color cropped up in late spring 2012 and took hold with wallpaper and upholstery patterns, bath tile, and accent carpet. Also getting attention: statement lighting (think bold-based lamps in bright colors, both small-scale for tables and tall for corners) and strong focal points (that same statement lighting or a standout piece of art or a color-coordinated, full-wall bookcase).
|
|
On the West Coast From Seattle to San Diego, the design word on the West Coast is “sustainable.” A recent report from NBC San Diego spotlighted natural materials - industrial metal; natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, and burlap; and most of all, reclaimed wood. Repurposed from past structures and projects, reclaimed wood’s weathered grain, nicks, and knotholes add character to dining tables and benches and get dressed up with deep stains and accent glass in dressers - another way to meld the old with the new. |
Portland designers have been reclaiming barn doors, painting them or covering them with art prints and installing them on slide systems with vintage or new hardware. The look can be as rustic or refined as your space requires - and as multifunctional as you need it to be. Try low-profile sliding doors as not-so-simple room dividers, or go for a scaled-down version on kitchen cabinets and living room storage units.
|
If there’s a response to stripped-down industrialism, it’s in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, where old Hollywood glamour is poised for a comeback. Antique gold accessories, black and white color palettes, leather, oversized mirrors, and rich jewel tones dominated at the Las Vegas Market. L.A. designers are, again, using the same vintage-inspired pieces, as well as ethnic Moroccan-influenced poufs and fabrics, alongside sleek new items. Another mix to try: unexpected color combinations. Go beyond black and white to pair cool and warm colors or, most unusually, pastels and fluorescents. |
|
|
|
|
Southeastern Style According to June 2012 HGTV interview with interior designer Lindsay Pumpa, “Miami is a place where it’s no holds barred.” “We go all out when it comes to design,” she told HGTV. “If we go contemporary, it’s going to be uber modern. If we do French rococo, we throw it in your face. There is nothing half done or tamed down here. We embrace all design influences.” Still, there are classic Floridian looks - crisp all-white interiors with aqua-tinged glass accents, tropical color schemes, and retro-fabulous Art Deco whimsy. Contemporary Florida interiors meld those classic looks with toned-down transitional pieces and desaturated colors - more of the old-with-the-new mentality. |
|
Southern Charm
Not everything is bigger in Texas - in Austin and Houston, designers are doing more with less. Smaller spaces are becoming more popular, and in them, streamlined design elements - standout color and texture and a few high-end, high-quality pieces. Many of those pieces, as in other regions, are sustainably produced - reclaimed wood and other recycled materials with a neutral, nature-inspired color scheme to match are top choices in Texas. According to a late-2011 article in the Austin American-Statesman, solid-surface countertops, glass tile backsplashes, contrasting finishes, and mismatched chairs all lend unique flavor to Austin-area homes. And in Dallas, opulent details - ropes and tassels, metallic finishes, colored glass, and bright lacquered furniture - are catching attention. |
|
To the north, Phoenix is another mid-century modern - or, colloquially, “MoCo,” short for “modern contemporary” - hot spot, where houses have the low, longline style characteristic of the Prairie School houses built in the early 1900s throughout the last region we’ll explore: the Midwest.
Midwestern Mood-setters
A favorite region of mid-century architectural pioneers like Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan, the Midwest is still no stranger to modern ideas. In Chicago, the latest ideas pare down traditional shapes and embellishments, re-imagining them with cleaner lines and brighter hues. What was once a fussy fireplace, for example, might now be painted white and topped only with a piece of contemporary art. In Minneapolis, traditional, rustic, and ornate accessories alike stock architectural salvage shops - they’re perfectly quirky details in otherwise sleek, streamlined spaces.
In Denver, designers recommend revitalizing vintage finds with bright paint and fun fabrics - and perhaps playing them off of old-school patterned wallpaper, which is seeing a resurgence. Alternatively, a single bold wall color pops, especially as a backdrop to sharp white accessories. And in a nod to Prairie School house history, homeowners can bring the outdoors in - and, by way of patios and outdoor kitchens, take the indoors out - to fully relate to the natural environment.
