Hey moppets! Forgive me if this is horribly tacky, but check out today's Washington Post for an
article featuring yours truly and another little bit where I
play expert on first-time decorating. I was seriously expecting a quote or two, not this embarrassment of riches! Point of clarification: I mention my
Donna Karan-in-the-Hamptons phase (circa 1995) with
extreme self-deprecation, not pride! But you knew that already. BIG thanks to Terri Sapienza for letting me drone on and on about what makes a room hideous. While we're on the topic, what would YOU add to my list of mistakes? A spot-on pal emailed with "No throw pillows on a bed," "no reproduction Oriental rugs," and "nothing burgundy-colored," among other chestnuts. Family members and former roommates will attest that I've made 'em all, so no judgement. Just spill the no-nos! I can't help but leave you with a blurry shot of my old, never-published bathroom:
Definitely having a Kelly Wearstler moment here. I still love it (and miss the space ... a Manhattan rental bathroom wth its own hallway and linen closet??) but would try something less graphic today. Styles evolve, your eye adjusts, you tire of mustard velvet vanity chairs you bought for 20 dollars ... my point? There are no mistakes, just fundamentally dull and tasteless people. Just kidding! My point is to experiment with what you like regardless of the 'rules.' God knows I can already think of a hundred exceptions to mine ...
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All great advice even for the not-so-new homeowner. And you didn't sound boastful in the least.
ReplyDeletegreat! well stated. going to read the article now.
ReplyDeleteGREAT interview! You have such a refreshingly honest point of view because so many times people say that there are no rules anymore. Well, that may be true to a (small) extent when it comes to getting creative or having a DIY flair (honestly, I credit/blame Trading Spaces), but there are some very good guidelines, and you're not afraid to share. I love it. Your thoughts on scale. Your thoughts on finding hidden gems. Your cheekiness. All, please.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Nick! I loved both articles. Am so glad you mentioned the light bulb thing. Nothing bugs me more than turning on a lamp and suddenly feeling like you're about to be interrogated. It's a classic case of more being so much LESS. Such a handsome profile photo, too!
ReplyDeleteStyles change but your love of Greek key pattern remains a constant.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the media coverage! I'd agree that the two big mistakes are 1) not painting (or painting one random accent wall that doesn't make sense); 2) the scale of what you put on your walls. Also, buying all matching furniture for a room. (Do they even sell matching bedroom sets anymore??!)
Love your sass and your ability to cut through precious/crap and find what works for you. I am so with you about doing things yourself If you don't put yourself into a room, it will never really love you back. Great workout in the media. You deserve it.
ReplyDeleteI like that dark bathroom. It looks like it would be easy on the eyes on those rough mornings.
ReplyDeletePS: My "word verification" thing for this comment was "Noodia."
whoa, you look smoking hot. we'll need to update our baby listing to include great hairline. i'm ready when you are =)
ReplyDeleteHAHA! Thanks folks!! And Karen you hit the nail on the head: how could I forget suites of furniture? Please GOD no more!!
ReplyDeleteoh it's really something sad (iwas readin sadness part1 --wheres part 2?? lol =/) continuin i always loved ur deco reviews so im very happy to have recover u at this blog!! i found it through mayo's blog so good!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the WP article. To the list of mistakes, I would add skimpy curtains. If you are going to buy cheap panels from Ikea or wherever, that's fine-they have some great stuff-but buy four panels per window, not two. It will look so much better.
ReplyDeleteHmmm ... Home Depot-style light fixtures - anything with fake alabaster or curly wrought iron.
ReplyDeleteAnd lacquer and glass entertainment centers. Or any entertainment center. Or their ye olde equivalent, the armoire, unless you can pronounce it correctly.
Of course any photograph in a frame that has writing on it, particularly sorority letters with the corner of each letter highlighted with a little dot and the date scribbled across it. Who could forget the October 2, 2003 tailgate? A memory best cherished in a trunk, not on the sideboard.
And dining chairs with wheels. I don't know if they still make them but somehow all the tacky people manage to find them in some secret place.
E.T.
I awoke and lazily opened the newspaper on my doormat. Each article the same boring and bogus nonsense (economy this, Iran that, the Snoozers win the Open Series or whatever...) until...SNAP!...Nick's section!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pleasant surprise in my local paper!
Love it!
Great WaPo article SOMF!!! Before we know it you will have your own DIY TV Show!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMr. Olsen, what a handsome man you are!! I'm loving the list of no-no's.
ReplyDeleteI'd take your accent walls and raise you a valance. Fake floral arrangements (obvi). Faux finishes on walls, like what you see in some new houses where they have a "triple coffered tray ceiling." I also dislike those ceiling medallions made from styrofoam to make a room look "fancy."
I LOVE the previous post about the "triple coffered tray ceiling". So Funny and so typical of new south homes. Awful! Entire communities in beige and marble, plastic jetted tubs and what my husband and I call Soprano furniture.
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend once called it Dodi Fayed furniture.
ReplyDeleteOh my god- of course! You HAVE to get your own show. Please please please get your own show!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks great, Nick - you're a star in the making!
ReplyDeleteGreat article, Nick! Congrats. One more to add to the first time decorator list. When taking pieces of furniture from family member (which honestly is how most of us acquire furniture in our 20's) don't feel pressured to take pieces or keep pieces forever just because someone gave them to you. Family pieces are great and add a layer of dimension, but sometimes ugly is just ugly. If you don't love it, you probably won't love it after it sits in your living room for a year either.
ReplyDeleteThanks again peoples!! But c'mon, a teevee show? I'd need a permanent beta-blocker. Agree 100% on all the very astute "don'ts" above ... thanks to Semigloss Chic for calling out oversentimentality. Granny's Stick Victorian mahogany dresser is NOT a priceless heirloom; it's FUG!!! Donate it to Housing Works and feed some poor soul instead of feeling guilty for hating it.
ReplyDeleteLove the interview, love your blogs, love your sense of humor... so, if not a tv show then Pleeeeeeeeze write a book.
ReplyDeletejuliann
Great articles -- I'm seriously impressed. Everyone's suggestions for more decorating dont's are spot on. I'm particularly over the Soprano-style decorating that has pervaded Southern suburbia. My husband and I were looking at new homes a few months ago and I couldn't get over all the horrendous trimmings and overuse of wrought iron.
ReplyDeleteAs for additional no-no's, I'd add (a) faux finishes (very very tricky to pull off, especially for the amateur), (b) slavish adherence to a particular style (never good to look like your home is c. 1965 even if you love MCM) and (c) furniture set on the diagonal (I don't care if you saw it on HGTV, it just looks wrong 99% of the time).
too-bright bulbs. so true!
ReplyDeletecongratulations on everything, nick. i love the rebecca phillips portrait. you're already a star!
seriously, you would be genius on television.
in addition to the list of obvious no-no's, I'm going to put on my brave face and list some gems from my very first apartment (about 10 years ago):
ReplyDelete- don't paint Chinese characters in vertical lines down your bathroom wall (in maroon paint, natch)
- don't hang paper lanterns in every available corner of every room
- don't invite artist friends over to paint a mural on your hallway wall
- resist the urge to ring every room with Christmas lights.
- learn that not everything has to be brightly and differently colored (like cups, glasses, utensils, plates, cookware, clocks, sheets, pillows)
- don't spray-paint your ENTIRE bathroom silver. especially with the door closed.
- get rid of the street signs, beer signs, the ironic posters (all posters for that matter), and for goodness sake, stop taping and/or tacking things to your walls.
thank god my taste level caught up very quickly! I now get slightly nauseous when reminded of that apartment. yikes!
We LOVED your interview in the WaPo! Definitely great (and practical) advice not only for people starting out, but for anyone living in an apartment.
ReplyDeleteCongrats. Great pragmatic tips. And I didn't realize you're just a baby (the photo).
ReplyDeleteTo the list of don't may I add wallpaper borders, artwork hung at the eye level of giants, fake country and fake victorian (and possibly real country and real victorian.)
EGADS! I have a burgandy sofa!!! Oh, well, I think is goes well in the house.
ReplyDeleteI have always heard that one should not put a lamp in a window.
Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteBill Mitzel
WTM Construction