Hello Diva Darlings! Well summer is definitely here, as the
heat index is over 100 degrees I am melting in my Michel Kors lace-up
platforms, but dang I look good in them lounging about in my new outdoor patio
room made from all of the lovely tile from City
Tile in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Looking at my cute little American designed outfit and my
American made tile, I started to think about what is American home style. There
are four styles that I think of as pure USA.
Beach Breeze
At this time of year my first thought is the beach. Lots of
weathered and bleached woods, shells, rope and all things nautical. And of
course the colors of choice are good old red, white and shades of blue. Even in
my own personal summerhouse on the lake, I have all things beach. My favorite
items have to be a clear cylinder vase that I filled with worn beach glass in
faded blues, greens and white, sitting next to another, smaller glass vase
filled with sea shells brought to me from Florida by a friend, and that sits
next to a similar vase filled with sand from Hawaii. The furniture is a mixture
of family antiques and rustic yard sale finds.
The house still has its original worn and stained wood floors that give
it character, but the old linoleum in kitchen and bath have been replaced by
some lovely stone-look tiles. If I could only chose two words to describe the
laid back look, I’d choose rustic minimalism.
Southwestern Sizzle
I have always admired Southwestern design, the hacienda and
pueblo architecture blended with Navajo, Hopi and maybe even a little Aztec.
Created from a true melting pot of influences, this is what makes this style
pure Americana. It is neither Mexican
nor Native American, but a blend mixed with a touch of outlaw creativity. Homes
are full of creams and whites, bright primary colors, semi-precious stone
colors like turquois, and native prints paired with furniture that is often
made of weathered wood with sculptural embellishments. I think of cowhide chairs, rusted metals and
the use of organic natural elements. Southwestern style blends with the wild
and untamed landscape from which it comes, filled with painted deserts and
tumbleweeds. The Sundance Catalogue
has been defining this style for years and Dot& Bo carries dream catchers to grace whitewashed walls and baskets to sit
on floors of warm brick-colored tiles. It’s
a touch of tribal chanting around the campfire and the log cabin filled with
the Country music of Uncle Dave. This wild and free style can be described as
artistic naturalism.
NYC Loft Chic
A little bit industrial and a little bit brazen artist
panache, this style emerged from the SoHo lofts of “poor starving artists” and it has grown into
a look all its own. It is defined by minimal and creative arrangements of tech
designs and trash bin finds in rooms with brick walls, exposed beams and floor
to ceiling windows. There are open floor
plans with lots of wood, steel, bright colors and trendy art. Here is where the
newest ideas in design begin. Here traditional room arrangements are often
thrown out the window, form may supplant function. A high-concept soaking tub may be found next
to a platform bed covered with a used painting tarp, or a garden might be found
in the middle of the living room. Here a traditional Duncan-Phyfe side table
may be blended with a custom modular couch that you’d swear came from the
starship Enterprise. Plastic and
cement furniture might be side by side with a dresser from Restoration Hardware. It takes a special eye to blend the seemingly
disjointed into a cohesive room design. This is not for the conservative; it is
daring, totally modern, and constantly changing. Two words: brazenly new.
Mid-Century Modern
Mad Men. That is all I really need to say. Teak, soft
rounded lines, sleek and sophisticated shapes, earthy colors, lush carpets and
lots of natural fabrics. No wonder the furniture is so hot right now; the style
has an organic feel that speaks to those interested in the maker movement. It
was originally a response to the traditionalism of the post war years. It
spoke of a new age, a time of change. We are now in a time of great change,
so it feels “right.” There is a something very Andy Griffith and Leave it to
Beaver about the style, which gives a sense of home and grounding, too. Much
needed when nothing remains the same for very long these days. At the same
time, it is very now. While the furniture design is derivative of Danish
Modern, it is not quite the same as its Danish cousin. It has a bit of the in
your face attitude of architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and I. M Pei. It is a
blend of old and new. A reworking of the past, which is what todays design is
all about. It is sophisticatedly grounding.
These are my design notes on American Style. What are yours?
Photograph: Lee Rennick
