No man cave for Mr. My Way
Q. OK, maybe I should hire a professional (as my friends keep telling me), but I know the look I want for my own digs: sharp, clean, sophisticated - the way I think I dress - and fit for a 27-year-old guy. What I do need is some ideas about color and lamps, and things like that.
A. OK (and I promise I won't tell your friends you asked), here's a picture that may be worth the proverbial thousand words. It's a bedroom in what was a traditional setting, that is, until a designer with a totally contemporary aesthetic fast-forwarded it, using haberdashery colors, masculine materials and a tight rein on accessories.
Recast in a khaki-and-black color scheme, wainscoted in padded black leather, and distinguished by truly cool accessories (about which, more later), only the vintage mantelpiece, crown moldings, and folding doors attest to the room's traditional heritage.
This is minimalism at its most masculine: sharp, clean, sophisticated.
But there's plenty to look at: The carpet is subtly textured, the floor-to-ceiling silken draperies shine quietly in the light … and speaking of light, the fixture hanging overhead is a real room-maker from the "little people collection" by multi-award-winning industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue.
A native of Cebu, the Philippines, who studied at Pratt Institute and founded the international consortium of artists known as "hive," Kenneth was just named Designer of the Year 2014 (at Maison et Objet, the French design show in Singapore). His are lights to see, as well as be seen by. Check them out at kennethcobonpue.com or designbyhive.com).
Q. My grandmother had grass cloth wallpaper. I always hated it - it was beige and looked, well, dead to me as a child! Now I find myself interested in adding some texture to the walls in our front entry hall. It's narrow and I'm afraid a real pattern would be too much. What are my choices, besides grass cloth?
A. Good thinking. Texture adds dimension without demanding attention.
Good timing, too. Today's wallcoverings industry has been paying special attention to natural textures. Their latest report cites wallcoverings textured with bamboo and banana fibers, capiz shells and mica, even natural cork, and, yes, natural grasses, too, but these are definitely not your grandmother's grass cloths.
Inspired manufacturers like York Wallcoverings (nee 1895, the oldest and largest in the U.S.), infuses the natural materials with shimmering inks, metallic threads, Mylar and pearlescent shells to give them what the York release calls "otherworldly allure." See for yourself at yorkwall.com.
Q. I want to show my children how to live an eco-friendly life at home. Besides, recycling, are there other easy - easy is key - do's and don'ts?
A. I'll let eco-savvy designer and author Robin Wilson (RobinWilsonHome.com) share a few tips:
• Kick off your shoes at the door the way many Europeans do. It keeps the outside world from invading your home.
• Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter.
• Hang a nylon shower curtain liner - not vinyl - to limit mold and off-gassing.
• Clean every room in the house thoroughly - thoroughly! - once a year.
• Wash your pillows twice a year; replace them every three years.
• Change or clean your AC filter every 30 to 60 days.
Easy enough? Robin is widely celebrated for her eco-acumen, so her tips are, ahem, nothing to sneeze at.
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