Warming Up Modern Rooms
A vignette in a Virginia home by Nestor Santa-Cruz photographed by Angie Seckinger
I love the work of Nestor Santa-Cruz, a Cuban designer who’s a design principal with the Washington D.C.-based firm Gensler. He has a wonderful way of bringing warmth and personality to modern spaces.
I asked him recently to share his thoughts on how he generates positive feelings in a room. He told me that as a designer, he tries “to make spaces that have a soul and therefore bring an certain ‘interior’ joy to the inhabitants of the rooms.” He said he likes to find or create a personality in a room by developing a point of view that somehow reflects the people who live in it. “I believe in taking one of my client’s favorite things and making it the most important piece in the room,” he said. “This personal element or piece, when well placed or highlighted, will always bring a smile to the owner. A sense of harmony is found not only in the interior object’s visual strength, but also in the meaning it has to the client, regardless of its value. I also like spaces to be real, spaces where I, as the designer, am not found, so it’s as if I was never there.”
This ego-less sensibility may be one of the reasons a lot of other editors like Nestor and his work, too. He told me he was quoted in the May issues House Beautiful and the Portuguese glossy Casa Claudia and that later this month his work will be featured in a room he is doing in the Washington Design Center Design House, which is sponsored by Elle Decor. His work was also featured in the 50th anniversary issue of Contract magazine, which I’ve been contributing to for years.
For more of Nestor’s ideas on creating joyful rooms, look for the Woman’s Day Special Easy Decorating, which is on newsstands now and features a piece on Nestor’s tips for mixing old and new furniture. You can also find other tips on arranging furniture in my book Staged To Sell (or Keep) available though Barnes & Noble at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9781933231570
A warm, modern room by Nestor Santa-Cruz photographed by Angie Seckinger
Flowers as Anti-Depressants
I went to a fun media event last week sponsored by the Society of American Florists. Intuitively, I’ve alwa ys understood the power of flowers to chase the blues away. Whenever I feel low, I go for a walk to get a lift from the abundance of flowers in the lovely park in my neighborhood. But representatives from the Society introduced me to some research that’s been done by top universities across the country on the happiness-inducing effects of flowers that quantifies their positive impact on the human psyche.
A Harvard research team, for example, investigated the effects of flowers in the home on people’s well being. The goal was to determine the impact of flowers on moods, energy and feelings of competency, using a fine-grained analysis of emotions over the course of a day. They found that flowers feed compassion. Study participants who lived with fresh cut flowers for less than a week felt an increase in feelings of compassion and kindness for others. They also found that flowers reduce anxieties. In general, people in the study felt less negative after being around flowers at home for just a few days. People who participated in the study usually placed the flowers in their kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms, where they spend a lot of time at home—and they reported wanting to see the blooms first thing in the morning. Finally, the researchers discovered that flowers in the office provide a boost of energy, happiness and enthusiasm at work. The study also found that people were more likely to feel happier and have more enthusiasm and energy at work when flowers were in their home environments, too.
Researchers from Rutgers University, on the other hand, conducted a study on the power of giving flowers to explore what the gifts we choose say about who we are and whether they affect how we are perceived. The research revealed that men and women who send flowers, in comparison to other gifts, are viewed as happy, achieving, strong, capable and courageous people. It also showed that they’re perceived as emotionally intelligent—giving flowers leaves the impression that the giver can effectively express their feelings and take time to understand the feelings of others. In addition, the study showed that females who give flowers are viewed as more appreciative of beauty and nature.
For more detail on these studies or for tips on choosing, ordering and decorating with flowers visit the Society’s web site.
Finding the Perfect Mattress
Like Goldilocks, I am in search of, among other things, the perfect mattress—one that feels just right. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to test out a couple of options from Sealy’s new Embody line of mattresses, which will be available in select retail stores this spring. The sleek, new innovative mattresses come in two models: a Visco/Memory foam mattress for people who like the feeling of sinking into their bed and a latex foam mattress for people who prefer the feeling of lying on their bed.
I preferred the latex model, and found that there was much to like about the new mattress. For starters, it’s made of 100 percent foam from top to bottom (no metal inner springs), which enhances comfort. This latex is a petroleum-based synthetic variety reinforced with nylon through a patented interlock system to increase its durability and eliminate what are known in the industry as surface impressions, or the indentations that eventually form in a mattress after repeatedly supporting the weight of a body over time. According to the manufacturer, this kind of latex is also allergen-resistant, provides a natural shield against dust mites and is also free of ozone-depleting chemicals and formaldehyde.
The mattress is topped with an intuitive fabric developed by Polartec called Body Climate, which contains air channels that regulate temperature, wick away moisture and provide breathability. The design of the fabric covering is unlike any other mattress in that it makes the mattress look almost like a crisply made bed—even before it’s topped with sheets and linens.
Another of the all-foam mattress’s plus points is that it’s affordable compared to other foam options—it starts at about $2,000 (a good friend of mine bought a natural latex mattress that cost her $4,000). I found the mattress to be extremely comfortable, which is at the top of my list of criteria for a new mattress. From an earth-friendly perspective though, I want to find a mattress made of soy foam or natural latex (a lot of people are allergic to natural latex, however, and according to the manufacturer, allergic reactions aren’t an issue with synthetic latex). I also want one with a slimmer profile, about 8 inches deep. I’m not sure mattresses this thin are even made anymore, but the construction of my British colonial-style platform bed was designed to support a narrower mattress, so I’ll keep looking for the just-right mattress for me. But these new mattresses have much to offer the consumer who’s looking for an all-foam version at a reasonable price.
The new Embody all-foam mattress from Sealy
Unique Centerpieces
Ingrid at her Easter dinner table
Last month my friend the talented designer and stylist Ingrid Leess invited me to join her and several other friends for a memorable Easter dinner at her home in New Canaan, Connecticut. She prepared a scrumptious feast with her daughter Kiira (you can get the full details on the menu—which included garlic-and-rosemary-rubbed leg of lamb, a potato-fennel gratin and grilled asparagus finished with a drizzle of black truffle oil—by visiting Kiira’s blog, eatandgreet.blogspot.com).
The food was totally delicious and I’ve promised myself to ask Ingrid for the recipe for the exceptionally yummy Russian cream she served for dessert, but it was the festive table setting—in particular the centerpiece (or I should say centerpieces)—that really left an impression on me. Leave it Ingrid to do something that’s never been done before. Instead of a predictable arrangement of spring blooms, she peppered her long and beautiful dining table (a new piece from Lillian August) with a row of compact galvanized buckets filled with scoops of earth and bright green weeds!
“It’s the only thing that was coming up in my garden,” she told me with a twinkle in her eye after I’d expressed my admiration for the cute miniature containers and their unmanicured contents. Although a vase tulips at the end of the table lent an air of respectability—and a note of contrasting color—to the simple setting, that little ironic flourish went a long way toward taking the edge off the tail end of a long, cold winter—and giving everyone an extra reason to smile.
Creating a Window Shade that Blocks Out Light
Calvin Fabrics' new Nocturne linen fabric
After rough-housing the shade on our bedroom window for the past 10 years or so, my husband told me recently that we’re ready for a new one. The existing shade is fraying at the hem and although it’s a made of a plain ivory cotton fabric, it has also faded unevenly from exposure to the sun. Furthermore, the blackout roller shade that used to be mounted behind it has fallen down, so my husband needs to wear a mask when he sleeps to keep the early-morning light from waking him before he’s gotten a full night’s sleep.
I went to a press event the other day and saw a new fabric designed by Danita Hartman for Calvin Fabrics that I’m sure will provide the perfect solution to the problem. A lovely Belgian linen in the company’s new line Technical Linens, the fabric is called Nocturne and it’s backed with an integrated blackout flocking, so I don’t need two separate pieces of fabric to create a shade that will block the daylight. Since I’m reasonably proficient with a sewing machine, I plan to save a little money by fabricating and installing the shade myself. I also plan to reuse the existing mounting board, drawstring, shade pull and other mechanisms to keep costs down even further and make remounting the shade easier.
This will be the first of a series of minor—and maybe not so minor—home improvement projects that I plan to undertake in the coming year, which I hope will make the New York City condo I share with my husband a more comfortable and happier place to live. I also plan to post regular updates on the progress I make with these projects on this blog, so keep an eye out for step-by-step how-tos and possibly a video on how I make this new shade in the coming weeks. You can also find instructions on how to make curtains and other soft furnishings, including a few I made for my own home, in my book Curtains, Cushions, Covers & Blinds, published by British publisher Mitchell Beazley, or you can order the American soft cover version Curtains, Shades, Covers & Pillows published by Creative Homeowner. Look for either version at Barnes & Noble, Borders and other bricks-and-mortar or online booksellers. Or click here: http://www.amazon.com/Curtains-Shades-Pillows-Covers-Inspiration/dp/B002YD8GO8/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272809372&sr=8-13 .
Inspiring Indoor-Outdoor Rugs
Private Roof Club at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York
The inventiveness of certain product designers never ceases to amaze me. Take the patented Lamontage technique developed by the Israeli-born rug designer Liora Manne, for example. She recently invited me to her showroom in the Chelsea district of Manhattan to show me how the process works—and how it allows her to create a wide range of subtle effects in her rugs, many of which look like hand-painted works of art. The technique involves overlapping swaths of polyester fibers in different colors to create a unique design and then merging them together by punching them repeatedly by hand with large needles to produce a highly durable felt-like material that makes a super-resilient floor covering.
Liora started out using the technique to make custom carpets and even wallcoverings for commercial applications, such as the Delano Hotel in Miami or the Gramercy Hotel in New York. She still uses the process to create custom flooring, but over the last few years, she has worked with her husband to perfect an affordable machine-made version of her delightfully whimsical indoor-outdoor rugs, as well as new lines of pillows and place mats made of the material, which is anti-microbial and machine washable, too.
Liora told me she sees the floor as a stage for introducing color and creating moods in a room. I happen to agree—I’m a person who favors neutrals in a room, but rugs are the way I add color and pattern to my spaces. For more of Liora’s thoughts on how a floor-covering can add happiness to a room, see my piece “6 Home-Decorating Ideas to Boost Your Bliss” http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Shelter/Decorating/6-Home-Decorating-Ideas-to-Boost-Your-Bliss.html on Womansday.com. And to see more of Liora’s amazingly creative work, visit her site, lioramanne.com.
Gardening for the Senses
Lavender from Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co.
A few weeks ago, the Australian horticulturalist Jamie Durie stopped by my office to talk about story ideas we might collaborate on. Jamie is the charming and good-looking Australian host of HGTV’s Outdoor Room. He’s also writing his eighth book, which will be published by Harper Collins later this year. Among the things we talked about were not only how a well-designed garden can boost the value of your home, but how plants can boost your mood. I asked him if he’d share a few money-wise ways to grow and use plants to enrich your surroundings and brighten your spirits. Here are a few of his tips.
•Plant an herb or vegetable garden. Growing your own herbs and vegetables not only provides you with an abundance of healthy, organic and tasty food to eat, it can also save you money and help the planet by reducing what you spend at the supermarket, limiting the time and gas spent on getting to the supermarket and cutting down on the environmental impact of transporting food from where it initially grows to your kitchen. “Regardless of whether you have a balcony, a small courtyard or a large country estate, growing herbs and vegetables is an easy and satisfying way of saving money and staying healthy,” says Jamie.
•Add low-maintenance indoor plants to your rooms. “Plants are natural air purifiers,” says Jamie. “There have been a number of studies that have proven ornamental indoor plants are capable of removing harmful chemicals, such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air.” As well as the air cleaning power of plants, there is a large body of evidence that houseplants have a strong psychological effect on people and the spaces they inhabit, according to Jamie. “People react to the beauty and calming effects of plants indoors,” he says. “They also help to soften a space and make it are more relaxed and inviting place to live or work.”
•Place beautifully scented plants near a window or door. There aren’t many tropical indoor plants that have strong scents. But by growing scented plants close to your house, you can throw open the windows in spring and summer and let the amazing aromas of plants such as jasmine, lavender, or gardenias waft into your home. “It is a wonderfully evocative way of inviting your garden into your home,” says Jamie. “Another lovely idea is to plant scented plants along the borders of your entry pathway—as you brush against them they will release their fragrance.”
To learn about other budget-wise, eco-friendly landscape ideas, look for my book Green Living by Design. Or you can get an e-book version at; http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Green-Living-by-Design/Jean-Nayar/e/9781933231822/?itm=2&USRI=jean+nayar .
Decorating Ideas for Small Rooms
Just because a room is small, doesn’t mean there’s a limit to how happy it can be. Libby Langdon, the super-bubbly designer and talented expert on HGTV’s program “Small Space, Big Style,” knows a lot about how to make a small room live large. I talked to her a few weeks ago, shortly after she’d appeared as a guest on the Rachel Ray show, and asked her for her thoughts on how to amp up the happiness factor in small spaces. While her ideas are great for compact rooms, they could work just as easily in medium and large rooms, too. Here are three of her tips.
•Get whimsical with wallpaper. “A great way to add some fun and frivolity to your room is to incorporate a fun, flashy wallpaper!” says Libby. “If you don’t want to commit to actually applying the paper to the wall, you can still use it in a low-commitment way by measuring the inside back panel of a bookcase, cutting some foam-core board to fit and covering it with a fabulous wallpaper pattern that makes you smile. Take the shelves out of the unit, place the wallpapered board in the back of the unit, set the shelves back in over the board and style them with all of your favorite goodies!” she explains. “You’re guaranteed to adore your room every time you walk into it!”
•Lighten up. Libby is a firm believer in the power of light to completely transform our moods. She’s also amazed at how often, as a designer, she goes into people’s rooms and finds them to be very dark. As a quick fix to this problem, she recommends incorporating some fun, new lamps. “You don’t have to spend a fortune because stores like TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Marshalls and Target have super-cool lamps at great prices,” she says. “Light all four corners of your room, mix floor lamps and table lamps, and don’t be afraid to choose one with a colorful base. Ceramic lamps come in a million different hues and if you’re feeling crafty you can hot-glue some colored ribbon on the lampshade for a little extra zip!” If you want to produce the same effect at less cost, she suggests spray-painting the base of an old wooden lamp in a fun accent hue and topping it with a new, crisp white shade.
•Create a wall of fame. Look for an empty wall in your home that you pass all the time—a back hallway, a front stairwell or maybe a mudroom wall—and turn it into a backdrop for showcasing framed photos of family friends. “It will add depth and dimension to an otherwise forgotten space and it make you thankful and happy every time you walk by it!” says Libby.
For more ideas on living happily in small spaces, listen to my BlogTalkRadio interview with Libby and author Sarah Susanka at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/everydaystyle/2009/07/24/living-large-in-small-spaces. And for other super-easy budget-wise projects that can transform a room, look for my new book Real-Life Décor, available through Barnes & Noble at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9781933231709
Indirect Words of Wisdom from the Dalai Lama
My sister-in-law Asha with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala
I’ve never been to Dharamsala and I’ve never met the Dalai Lama, but my sister-in-law Asha has. While speaking to her on the phone last weekend, I asked her about her recent audience with one of the world’s most well-known spiritual leaders (who, by the way, will be speaking at Radio City Music Hall here in New York later this month). I was hoping to find out whether he had offered some words of wisdom that might pertain to the cultivation of a happy home.
As it turned out, his talk that day was focused on sports. Asha had been invited to Dharamsala—which means “spiritual refuge” in Hindi and has been home to the Dalai Lama and his exiled Tibetan government since 1959—by the owner of the Punjab Kings XI cricket team to observe a match. The Kings XI were playing the Deccan Chargers in a quarter-finals competition in this north Indian city that week, and the audience with the Dalai Lama had actually been granted to the cricketers, but Asha was also welcomed to listen to the discussion.
Although sportsmanship was the topic of the day, I asked Asha what the Dalai Lama said, keen on extracting some pearl of wisdom that might be as relevant to a regular person like me in my everyday life as it would be to elite athletes in a sports competition. She told me the Dalai Lama said that his own sporting activities were limited to a single game of badminton when he was a child and a ping-pong game he once played with the Chinese communist leader Zhou Enlai, so he couldn’t really talk much about sports. But he could talk about peace of mind, which, he said, is essential to seeing reality clearly no matter where you are or what you’re doing. This seemed like reasonable enough advice to me, and according to Asha, the Dalai Lama said regular meditation is the key means to experiencing peace of mind. The odds of following through on meditating regularly would increase, I thought, if I had a dedicated place in my home for practicing it as Asha does—even a dedicated cushion would help!
When the talk was over, Asha told me she was overwhelmed by the urge to jump up from her front-row seat and say something to the Dalai Lama. When she arrived on the stage face to face with him, she told me the words that spilled out of her mouth were “I love you.” The Dalai Lama grabbed her hand, held it tightly, and then gave her a big hug. This photograph of her and the great spiritual leader and the owner of the cricket team was taken just after this warm exchange occurred and appeared in the local newspaper the following day. Just after she emailed me a scan of the image, I showed it to my husband. The Kings XI happened to have lost that particular match, but the photo, and the charming story behind it, brought a smile to our faces—and, incidentally, a very happy feeling to our home.
