We are often told when shopping for decor, "If you love it, it will work". Well, here's an unpopular opinion: "Not necessarily". 

To be honest, I do not believe that we can/should(?) randomly buy stuff we love and have it look great in a space. I believe in eclectic interiors. I believe in mixing pattern (of course!). I believe in mixing lower priced items and higher priced items. I believe in mixing styles and modern with new. I do not think that loving something makes it work unequivocally. We need discernment. Not only does this curb rampant consumerism, but it also saves you money, and makes the things you really love stand out.

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

- William Morris

Enter, Curated Maximalism™. This term, one I came up with in 2015 and nearly became the title of my book (which became Bloom Wild), sums up how I design. Curated Maximalism, is color and pattern layered with intention to tell the story of who lives in a space, or commercially (i.e.: a restaurant or hotel), who the market for the space is.

As you know, I'm a fabric designer and pattern lover. As I always say, florals go with stripes and animal print goes with everything. That said, I also think there can only be one real star of the show in a space. That doesn't mean we can't put in many things we love, but we have to really curate. We have to really edit and study to figure out if we've hit max scene stealers in a room.

Now, most people are so afraid of what they should do that they end up second guessing everything and end up with a bland boring space that has zero reflection of the occupants. This is absolutely not what I want you to do. I want you to fall in love with your space because you love the things in it. And, I want you to really think about what you purchase for your space.

Think of this as creating a focal point. Which thing in the room do you want to be the star? Is it the rug? The art? Then we have to understand when we are looking at our choices if the two are competing with one another. Does that art take away from the gorgeousness of the rug? When two things in a space are very, let's say "extra", what do you look at first?

Find the star. Focus on that. The best way I know how to do this is to think about contrast. For example, if the rug in your room has a giant pattern, adding another giant pattern will distract from the rug. That doesn't mean to add no more pattern. That means to contrast the scale of the added pattern. A large scale pattern mixed with a noticeably smaller scale pattern is a winner. The smaller scale pattern allows the rug to remain the star. And you can even add a third or fourth pattern. Try a stripe with a floral for instance. Practice this with fabric swatches.

Let's go beyond just pattern now. A stunning, ornate light fixture might be the star of the room. But what happens to the look if you then mix an ornate table beneath it? It could work if the look you are going for is incredibly ornate. More likely, it's going to make the space feel overly formal. 

Now try a clean lined table with no ornate carvings or curvy lines. Something subdued. What does that do to the look? In my opinion you can now see the light fixture. Your eye goes to the light fixture. That table might be gorgeous. It might be a beautiful burl wood. It complements the ornate fixture while still being it's gorgeous self. 

Coco Chanel said, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off". If your earrings are ornate, do you really want that super extra ornate necklace on too? The look is more chic when you take the necklace off. When you wear that plain white t-shirt with the diamond hoop earrings or that floral, floor length beaded gown with a simple pearl stud earring there's that contrast. 

The same goes for home decor. Floral sofa with simple figural or abstract art. Plain, mid century sofa with ornately framed art. Ornate frame with simple art. Contrast contrast contrast.

So, by all means, buy what you love. But discern whether or not that thing you love is going to compete with the rest by understanding whether or not it is a contrasting item.

Photo one: In the kitchen, I initially made did something I regretted. I used the same William morris wallpaper above the herringbone tile that I did in the breakfast nook. For me, this was a mistake. While it did contrast in scale to the herringbone, it didn't quite contrast enough. It competed with the tile. Last year I removed the wallpaper, and handpainted airy florals above the tile. The wallpaper remains in the breakfast nook, and isn't on top of the herringbone screaming look at me. 

Photo Two: In the dining nook, the wallpaper is obviously the star focal point. However, not one to go with just one pattern, I added a plaid skirt to the banquette, vintage quilts to the chairs with much negative white space, and a mini tonal stripe with little buds for a banquette cushion. I opted for a very simple rug here to let everything else sing.

Photo three: The dining room features an elaborate mural that I painted and I hung a very ornate mirror. While the light fixture is a show stopper, it's somewhat cleaner lined. The table too is gorgeous, but again, clean straight modern lines. The contrast here is what makes it work. I love it all, but I curated it for maximal impact.

I hope this helps you with your decor mix!

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