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VACAY VILLA LUXE
GUIDE
INTRODUCTION | THE PHILOSOPHY | THE BASICS
INTRODUCTION
Your home is truly your life
Your home is truly your life, so respect that and give it the thought it deserves. They say your body is your temple but your home runs a very close second. And just as your body deserves proper care and attention, so does its environment - the atmosphere - that you surround yourself in on a daily basis. And this can include your home, office, or garden. It doesn't matter whether you are on the first rung of the property ladder with a studio apartment to decorate or have millions to spend creating your house from the foundation. The same rules apply and are accessible to everyone, no matter how grand or intimate the space.
It's all about nature. Our senses revel in combinations of the natural elements: water, earth, metal, fire, & wood. This section highlights the materials used and the ways you can enhance a soothing flow smoothly & seamlessly around the home.
Our environment determines an integral part in the quality of life we lead. It affects our moods & well being. With some basic concepts, you can use combinations of colors, objects, and fabrics to imbue nature inspired comfort & that special hint of luxe.
Designing a house is similar to getting dressed in the morning - you may have a lot of different styles in your closet, but you wouldn't fathom wearing everything at once. Ridiculous, right? It really does help the creative process if you can rein it in, be a bit strict with yourself, when it comes to more of the specifics in how you decorate your home. Hold tight, we'll be getting to all that!
YOU CAn't WEAR EVERYTHING AT ONCE.
THINK ABOUT LOCALE & your NATURAL SURROUNDINGS
This is where the 'vacay villa' analogy comes in so handy. I've yet to come up with a better, or more provocative image than this one - for several reasons. First, it perfectly captures the emotional feeling you want to achieve just by virtue of it's locale and how it ties in with nature and its surrounding countryside or villages. Whether it's by sandy ocean beaches, nestled in the rolling hills of vineyards, perched high in the snowy mountain peaks, or some combination of any of those, the possibilities are basically endless. There are plenty of villa-types around the world to fit anyone's ideal scenario. Just close your eyes and you're there.
Secondly, once you're there in your mind's eye, take a look around. Your senses are probably already heightened with the remembrance of soft flowing curtains, flickering candles (or perhaps dancing flames in a fireplace), intimate lighting, sleek uncluttered surfaces embellished with luxurious items ready to pamper you. Now, you're feeling relaxed and that elevated tingly sensation of new things to come and experiences awaiting just outside this beautifully cozy and soothing environment.
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So it's time to recapture this mood and begin piecing the elements together for you to enjoy on a more daily basis in your own home spaces. This guide isn't about just throwing a list of things at you to tick off and say done. No, I want to expand your knowledge, show you what to look for, and help you understand the meanings behind what makes one type of design work verses another. I'll refer back to the old quote of not just handing someone the fish, but teaching them how to fish. I want to teach you design 'secrets' that help you translate the philosophies & concepts into your own unique spaces and in your own unique ways that truly resonate with you on deeper more satisfying levels. Sound good?
Let's dive in!​
THE ELEMENTS
WHAT MAKES UP 'VACAY VILLA' LUXE?
Besides the obvious... a beautiful pool and location... what else is going on inside a dwelling that suddenly feels peaceful and relaxing?
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What's the immediate thing you notice when you open the door and take your first few steps into your lovely villa? A spare, minimal (sometimes opulent), and always beautifully appointed environment free of extraneous clutter. Every detail has been attended to in enhancing and elevating this immediate first impression. So how is this accomplished exactly? What are those details? How do you create that tingly exhilarated feeling upon entering a room? Here are a few to consider:
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1. Attention to Details.
2. Comfort and Convenience.
3. Small Surprises.
4. Clever Nooks or Small Spaces.
5. Light and Ambiance.
THE
VACAY VILLA PHILOSOPHY
Once you've grasped the overall philosophy, outlined below, we can then discuss in depth those specific factors beginning with some basics and how those basics can be applied to the spaces in your home environment. Luxurious items such as these (which don't have to be expensive, by the way) are wonderfully indulgent, not just to the eye, but also to the touch, the smell, and mood of the room.
These are the items that will help you to feel completely pampered, and the tiniest details can make such a large impact. By including these indulgent items, your spaces will suddenly begin to shift into the 'luxe' mode of your favorite idyllic Vacay Villa.
OVERVIEW
Our senses revel in combinations of the natural elements: water, earth, metal, fire, & wood. This section highlights the materials used and the way energies can flow smoothly around the home. ​ I would love to convince you that sensational interiors are routinely rooted out of the ingredients of everyday life. True design inspiration to me is also an organic process and reflects the ever-changing scenery I see outdoors.
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Whether it's mirrored sunlight from tiny raindrops barely suspended from black branches to lavender tinted snow on distant hills against the gray-green trees of Birch Island from my bedroom window, I find myself adopting these hues and textures throughout my home. Feng shui recognizes the importance to the senses of combinations of the elements: water, earth, metal, fire, and wood. It highlights the importance of the materials you use and the way that energies can flow smoothly around the home. If you look at nature, you see how this happens in an unforced way. Blossom against bark or reeds against a riverbank illustrate how textural contrasts occur naturally and yet dramatically.
design from the INGREDIENTS OF EVERYDAY LIFE
play with the power of texture
Accepting the power of such natural forces will take you a long way toward the creations of a happy home. To learn about textures, study nature to see how successfully they are mixed—lichen on stone, autumn leaves against bark, frost on grass, roses on a trellis, rock pools filled with light. Wherever you turn, there are combinations of hard and soft, light and shadow, flimsy with firm, liquid with solid. These contrasts hold the secret to using texture effectively, which can then be translated into vibrantly unique and personal spaces.
THE B ASICS
Our environment determines an integral part in the quality of life we lead. It affects our moods & well being. In this section learn how to create this mood with combinations of colors, objects, and fabrics to imbue comfort plus that special hint of luxe.​ There are simple and cost effective ways of transforming the way you feel in your home to give you those lovely little lifts. We'll also discuss what can be included in your spaces to set the scene for a bit of theater or 'drama' as a backdrop to your life. In other words, the dark with light. The soft and wispy with the rustic and hard.
Developing a sense for Sacred Space
WHERE TO BEGIN?
a.
Declutter.
This obviously gets repeated, perhaps because it's such a challenge amongst all the living we do within the walls of our home to keep our surfaces and nooks free from the piles of stuff that naturally (almost supernaturally!) begin to accumulate and take over. If we're not conscientiously making decluttering a part of our daily habits (yes, daily), the spaces we occupy can very quickly become...shall we say...very uninviting. The exact opposite of Vacay Villa Luxe.
b.
Flowers.
Plants and flowers are wonderful mood boosters and a perfect place to start. Though fresh flowers, especially, can often be seen as a bit of an extravagance. Rather than one voluptuous bouquet, you can achieve the same feel and aesthetic by simply displaying a single stem in a beautiful vase. Or line three vases with single stems in similar vases in a row on a side table or along a counter. The key is to remove all the other clutter and highlight the vases on their own. This manages a more 'displayed' look that takes on its own artistic form.
c.
Art.
It's so important to incorporate art into your living space. Just learn how to edit the art so it's not looking more like wallpaper as opposed to nicely displayed works that are meaningful to you or serve to promote the design of the room. Grouping art is a great way to display multiple works and there are so many creative ways to work these groupings around your house - from alcoves to stairways to bathrooms.
d.
Wallpaper.
Speaking of wallpaper, it's definitely making it's own comeback and to spectacular effect! It's not your grandmother's wallpaper anymore nor is it the duck and goose motifs of the 80's (we can only hope those never see the light again!). The wallpaper today is large and graphic, or almost 3-D realistic, or fresh takes on old themes that feel fun and current. Accent walls are one way to display or half walls with wainscot below. Powder rooms are a fantastic place to go big with a wallpaper feature. If you go with a full room wallpaper, make sure that it's not overpowering the room and really strategically edit the furnishings to hit that home run!
e.
Authenticity.
Throughout every room of your home, you need to be looking for ways to create symmetry, interest, texture, and balance to your overall space. Think about the genre your home falls into and try to honor it's originality and history without creating a museum or time capsule. Boutique hotels around the globe do an impeccable job of designing an atmosphere in keeping with the essence of their locale. Be original...and even daring!...but keep it within the reach and taste of the region you occupy. Once you've decided on the overall look, maintain that feel throughout your home. So for instance, if it's a mountain lodge aesthetic, then remain true to mountain lodge throughout your home. Doesn't mean you can't have some fun with it, but stay true to the 'theme' of your home's architecture, location, history, and design direction.
f.
Please Avoid.
Now this is where we start stepping on some toes: Those things we really need to avoid if we want our spaces feeling more Vacay Villa Luxe. Ready? This may sting a little!
Lining all the furniture up in a straight row 'stadium style' in front of the TV. It may be practical but it sure ain't pretty. If it's a Super Bowl watching party, great, but put the furniture back when it's over. Furniture placement needs to be in groupings and to scale, especially in large living or family rooms. Avoid the matchy-matchy suites or sets. Take the time to create a curated look rather than an off-the-showroom-floor look.
That being said, avoid the other extreme with no rhyme or reason to anything in the room. This not uncommon scenario (also above), in which he and she bring all their separate furniture together under one roof hoping it will somehow work, and unfortunately most of the time it doesn't.
More To Avoid: The clutter-y collections. Try the more subtle approach with finishes, fabrics, and furnishings to evoke a certain look you love (those tips coming up next) rather than loading on the accessories and signs to convey your message (think: 'Farmhouse Fresh' or 'Life's A Beach' or 'Lakin' It Easy'). In other words, avoid your home space becoming a 'decor' cliche. Pick 1 or 2 of these - not all - and definitely not on every surface or shelf.
A few items placed together to create nice vignettes is what decor is made for, however as we all know, too much of a good thing is not such a good thing. So if the clutter decibel has reached high pitch - looks more like a thrift store - well then, it's back to the top again. Decluttering.
PUTTING IT TO USE
Up next, rather than focusing on what you can't do, let's talk tips for what you can do. I hope your toes aren't smarting too badly! As for this last section, I do have practical points to put this knowledge to great and beautiful use.
PRACTICAL TIPS
So you say that you crave a more layered, cottage-y or eclectic look. How can you make it work without becoming the dreaded cliche? Easy, just use natural and neutral tones accented with cactus, fern, or palm leaves to layer in more color and texture. Bring the outdoors in - whether you're doing mountainside, oceanside, or curbside.
bring the outdoors in
Create mini-vignettes by keeping your items grouped in similar color tones and within the circumference of a large tray or bowl. Play with different candle clusters, shapes and heights. And use textiles like napkins, fringed linen doilies, or runners to add even more dimension.
