My Name is Laurie and I am an Empty-Nester

The day every parent both dreads and anticipates arrived for me in late August of last year.

I became an empty-nester: my youngest left for college.

When my oldest of three children left nine years ago, I remember how glad I was to have three children spaced nine years apart.  It would be that much longer before I became an empty-nester.

Now that my baby is in college, the notion that I can change my residence has started to percolate.  The winter of 2015 in New England was enough to make anyone move especially to someplace warm year-round.  But I find myself wrestling with so many issues.  Where will I go?  What will I do with a house full of furniture that is still very dear to me, many of the pieces I took from my parents’ house and painstakingly refinished?

I discovered that I'm not alone. The baby-boom generation will be the largest population to approach retirement age at one time.  For many of us, down-sizing is not an option. For one, based on housing values, it may cost more to downsize. This is definitely true where I live, just outside of Boston. For another, we may not want to uproot ourselves from the lives we've cultivated in our present abodes – the friends, hobbies and cultural pursuits that ground us and give meaning to where we live.  This is why aging-in-place is the hot topic for us boomers.

How do we adapt our living situation to the physical realities of aging?  Luckily, many manufacturers now recognize the increasing demand for furnishings that are both functional and aesthetically-appealing to help transition to these realities.

What adaptations will we need to make?  Here is a list with some resources that will make our aging-in-place homes both look good and function well.

1. Easily maneuverable hardware

Lever handles and rocker switches make turning faucets and light switches on and off and opening and closing doors easier to manage.  

Moving shower controls to the wall nearest the entry point will let us control water temperature from outside the shower. Hand-held sprayers also make bathing easier. Adding a seat to the shower is recommended.  

Motorized window shades and draperies let elders control natural light with a touch of a button on a remote control device.

         

Left to right: Kohler Artifacts bathroom lever faucet handles, Moen old world bronze designer grab bar, Moen teak folding shower seat

2. Hard-surface flooring and/or low pile carpeting with no thresholds

For elders requiring a wheelchair or walker, smooth, hard surface flooring like hardwood floors make maneuvering easier.  

Nonslip surfacing is especially necessary for wet areas given that falls account for more injuries and hospitalizations among the aging than any other known cause.  Taking away thresholds between rooms is important for elders who are visually impaired. 

3. Widening doorways to at least 32 inches is essential for those confined to wheelchairs

4. Adaptive seating

To aid sitting and standing, seating with seat heights between 19 and 22 inches high is important.  Seat depth should also be comfortable.  Chairs with arms and firm seats assist with sitting and standing.  So do motorized lift chairs which look like typical recliners.

Comfort-height toilets that are two inches taller than the standard 17-inch high toilets also make sitting down and standing up easier.

5. Appliances and work surfaces within reach

Lowering the height of everyday appliances like microwaves and adding front-loading washers and dryers foster self-care. Similarly does lowering some or all of the kitchen counter surfaces.

6. Room sensors

Motion controlled light switches help with energy conservation for elders who forget to turn off lights.

7. Color palettes.

As we age, our color perception changes.  Bright colors with high contrast are more suitable than monochromatic palettes.  For the memory impaired, color coding assists wayfinding (for example, keeping hallways all one color, bathrooms another).

8. Stairs

Eliminating the use of stairs is obviously preferable for safety's sake.  That may mean adding a bedroom and full bath to the main living floor.  If that is not possible, there are chair lifts.  But chair lifts may require having double sets of walkers or wheel chairs on both floors.

No Shrinking Violets These

When I was combing my digital feeds to see what inspired me from the recent design trade shows in Atlanta, Las Vegas and New York, surprisingly nothing jumped out at me.  It made me think, have my design sensibilities dulled?  But then I was struck by the bold and saturated colors and patterns I was seeing in the feeds of visitors to Paris Deco Off in January.  This show, in its seventh year, features the latest in textiles as well as other residential design materials.

Geometric and abstract textile patterns were prominent as well as patterns emulating techniques for manipulating other materials -- like the marbilization of paper and oxidation of metals.  But the textiles that jumped out at me most were those featuring exotic florals and tropical greenery.  There's nothing like bold patterns and saturated colors to steer us away from the safety of monochromatic neutrals!  I dare the most die-hard proponents of white, beige and grey to resist one of these beauties!

Below are some tempting new releases to enliven drab color schemes.  Who needs roses this Valentine's Day when you can have these?

                  

Above left, Chromatropic from the Maya Collection by Pierre Frey, inspired by the colorful world of Central America.  Above right, Tropicana from the Cubana Collection by Matthew Williamson for Osborne & Little, inspired by pre-revolutionary Cuba.

        

Above left, Leonor from the Anopura Collection by Lorca for Osborne & Little, inspired by exotic locations (actually released in 2014).  Above right, Cuilko, an embroidered pattern on linen in the Maya Collection by Pierre Frey. Inspired by (duh!) cacti.

           

Abpve left, Broderique on linen from the Bonsai of the Vanities Collection by Jim Thompson, a re-creation of an 18th century embroidery in a contemporary color palette.  Above right, Flamingo Club from the Cubana Collection by Matthew Williamson for Osborne & Little.

     

Above left, Veracruz from the Maya Collection by Pierre Frey, inspired by the flora of South America.  Above right, Tulipan (actually introduced in Spring 2015), from the Pasha Collection by Osborne & Little.

What's New for Kitchen and Bath

One-twelfth of 2016 is over, yet a variety of trade shows held this January reveal what's new in the design world for 2016.  I've been keeping tabs via Instagram, and wanted to bring you the trends revealing themselves from afar.  First up, what's new in Kitchen and Bath as revealed at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) held January 19-21 in Las Vegas.

1. Tile Introductions

Two new tile collections introduced at KBIS are drool-worthy to say the least.  Walker Zanger introduced their new collaboration with European modular concrete tile manufacturer, Kaza Concrete.  I don't care what anybody says about concrete tile.  I love it and I think it's here to stay.  The potential for pattern and form is limitless, adding tremendous versatility and dimension to kitchen and bath design.

     

Left: Edgy, Lantern (top right), and Seed (bottom right) Kaza tile patterns. Right: Edgy Kaza tile pattern. Photos courtesy of Walker Zanger.

Kaza will be released in the spring in the U.S. with Walker Zanger being the sole distributor.  It's versatility is almost boundless, being suitable for indoor and outdoor applications and in custom patterns and colors.

Another spectacular introduction was the tile collaboration between Ann Sacks and designer Kelly Wearstler.  Kelly is known for her bold patterns and forms and unusual yet glamorous juxtapositions.  Her collections incorporate the finest craftsmanship and details.  It is no surprise that her tile collection for Ann Sacks launched at KBIS is nothing less.

             

                                         Above, from the Maven Collection, left "Breakwater" and right "Solstice."

True to Kelly's love of geometric patterns and symmetry is the Liaison mosaic collection in cut stone.  These tiles have me in ecstasy.  The combination of black and white is so classic in design, especially for the bath.  These tiles complement the elegance of carrara marble, a staple in luxury baths for decades.

     

        Left to right: from the Liaison Collection, Doheny Small, Laurel and Mulholland Small.  Photos courtesy of Ann Sacks.

A trend in tile that continues to evolve is three-dimensional texture.  The Kaza collection affirms that.  But Walker Zanger introduced some other tiles that perpetuate the trend.  Their Knit collection emulates the textures and patterns of fine fabrics.  In names like Quilt, Corduroy and Twill, these tiles, in matte porcelain, feature fine ribbing like their namesake woven textiles but, like the Twill tiles below, can be installed in a three-dimensional stacked shingle pattern.

                      

Walker Zanger and interior designer Michael Berman added to their collaborative Studio Moderne ceramic tile line with the new Hollywood Babylon Suite.  The collection illustrates the trend toward dimensional wall tile applications.  My favorite is the middle tile below, Montclair, which Berman adapted from Neo-Egyptian architecture.

                                                            Photo courtesy of Walker Zanger.

2. Emphasis on Color

Say goodbye to sterile white kitchens!  The salient trend from this year's KBIS is the abundant color choices in everything from cabinets to appliances.

What popped up most in my Instagram feed from KBIS was the Coleur Collection developed by interior designer Suzanne Kasler in partnership with La Cornue of France.  This pink range was a showstopper.  While it may be a show stopper, the question is, will it sell?

    

Continuing in the theme of pastels was this display by Masterbrand Cabinets of a laundry center in a painted pale aqua finish.

                   

Bolder colors also prevailed.  Wellborn Cabinets took its cue from the jungle to craft its jewel-tone green display.

                                                            Photo courtesy of Wellborn Cabinets.

Black continues to be popular for the kitchen.  La Cornue's Dream Kitchen, in the trending combination of black, white and brass, appealed to many judging from my Instagram feed.

                 

                                                                  Photo courtesy of La Cornue

Blanco's introduction of the Ikon sink, an apron front sink in Blanco's composite granite material, Silgranit, combines the modern aesthetic of matte black with the traditional apron front sink.

    

                                                                    Photo courtesy of Blanco.

Next up for reporting are the trends showing at the recently-held Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market, Las Vegas Market, and NY Now.

10 Best in Interior Design 2015 -- Part II

Before I forecast what's hot for 2016, I'll wrap up the ten best in interior design for 2015.

6. 3D Printing

Remember the Kohler televisions spots where a client would present his or her designer/architect with a faucet and require that the space be designed around the faucet rather than the conventional vice-versa? 

More than ever that is the case, because in June 2015, American Standard introduced a revolutionary faucet created with additive manufacturing better known as 3D printing.  While 3D printing has been used in the past to create plastic faucet models, the faucets now produced by American Standard's luxury division, DXV, are the first working faucets to be printed in metal.  In addition to the revolutionary manufacturing process, the 3D printing methodology enabled DXV engineers to transform the way water is delivered through the faucet, totally upgrading the user experience.  How much does a 3D-printed DXV faucet cost?  For now, about $12,000-20,000.  But like VCRs in the 1980s and flat screen TVs now, maybe some day these faucets will be affordable for all. 

         

                                                            Photos courtesy of American Standard 

7. Boutique Vendors available through E-Commerce

One of the delights of my job is discovering new trade resources.  I've discovered many through Instagram and many find me.  We're lucky now because many small producers of bespoke fabrics and wallcoverings have online shops where folks outside the trade can buy their wares.  For example, in 2015, one of my favorites, Zak+Fox, began selling pillows made from their fabrics online.

                                  

                                                           Photo courtesy of Zak+Fox

This is one of my favorite Zak+Fox fabric patterns, Khaden, in color Himalaya.

Another favorite with an online shop is textile designer Rebecca Atwood.  I adore her Shibori pillows.

                                   

                                                        Photo courtesy of Rebecca Atwood

A great addition to the online marketplace for bespoke textile furnishings is Guildery.  Begun in 2013 as an e-commerce marketplace for suites of coordinating textile furnishings, Guildery began to offer custom coloring of their textiles in 2015.  Digital printing makes the turnaround super fast.  As a direct-to-consumer offering of bespoke textiles, Guildery is changing the home furnishings landscape.

   

                                                                  Photo courtesy of Guildery

8. Return to Opulence

In the fall of 2014, I wrote about the trend to more opulent interiors.  In 2015, this trend materialized in abundant offerings of velvets, tufting, mixed metals and more.

     

                                                         Photo courtesy of J. Robert Scott blog

In this photo taken in the J. Robert Scott Showroom at Los Angeles' Pacific Design Center during Westweek, the Center's Spring Market week, evidence of a resurgence in luxury materials and forms is evident.  Notice the overstuffed tufted ottoman, the velvet sofa, and the sinuous metal of the coffee table.

Another way that opulence materialized in 2015 was in the introduction of rose gold as a new metal finish.  Rohl introduced a stainless copper finish that has a rose gold hue in its Country Kitchen Cinquanta line.

                                                 

 9.  Design through the Decades

What came first, the chicken or the egg?  In home decor, we often wonder, does fashion influence home decor trends or vice-versa?  A fashion trend for autumn 2015 was fashion through the decades.  I started seeing this in home decor as well, and I predict this will be more true in 2016.

We've seen the mid-century modern look of the late 1950s-1960s for a while now.  One need only look as far as retailers West Elm and Design Within Reach to see how ubiquitousness this look is.

      

                                           Photos courtesy of West Elm (left) and Design Within Reach (right)

The 1970s have returned to 2015 interiors with lacquer and metallic finishes, graphic patterns reminiscent of pop art, the colors of the rainbow and pops of orange, and yes . . . macrame.

     

                                                             Photo courtesy of Anthony Baratta, LLC

                 

                                                               Photo courtesy of House Beautiful

     

                                                           Photo courtesy of Ace Hotel, Palm Springs

What's back from the 1980s?  Remember chintz?  Pastels?  All back.  Just look at Pantone's 2016 Color(s) of the Year, Rose Quartz and Serenity.

                      

                                                              Photo courtesy of Pantone

One need only look at Pantone's color pairings for Rose Quartz & Serenity to see the 1980s back in full force.  Note the prevalence of taupe, gold and southwestern colors. 

10.  Wallpaper

Faux finishes eclipsed wallpaper as the preferred wall treatment for several decades.  I find that homeowners are wary of committing to wallpaper because of its permanence.  But with so many stunning options, including removable wallpaper, I don't find that excuse worthy anymore.  I advise reticent clients to start small: use wallpaper in a small space like a powder room or as a feature wall in a bedroom or hallway.

Here are just a few or my favorites:

            

I took this picture in the Phillip Jeffries, Ltd. showroom at the Boston Design Center.  The wallpaper is their amazing Bloom pattern.

           

                                                  Photos courtesy of Eskayel (left) and Tempaper (right)

Next, I try my predictions of what's hot and what's not for 2016. 

10 Best in Interior Design 2015 -- Part I

I've been blogging for almost four years now, and I realized I've never done a "10 Best" post.  This past year has been so fertile in new products, developments and innovations in interior design that it may be hard to limit the Best to ten.  But I'll try, maybe by combining some categories.  My list is in no particular order.  That would be too hard.  Do you agree with my top ten?  What would you add or take away?  Do tell!

1.  Statement Lighting

You can always tell when something is hot when it's being knocked off by mass producers.  Nothing could be more telling of this fact than new lighting by West Elm, a sister company of Pottery Barn.  Its Mobile Chandelier replicates the phenomenal designs of Lindsay Adelman and Apparatus Studio; and its Duo Walled Pendant resembles fixtures in Zia Priven's collection.

   

Left to right: West Elm Mobile Chandelier, Lindsey Adelman 5-Globe Bubble Chandelier, Apparatus Studio Highwire Chandelier

               

                           Left to right: West Elm Duo Walled Pendant, Zia Priven Muse Linear Chandelier

The point is that chandeliers of this style are 2015's best in lighting and are replacing other furnishings as the statement element in interior spaces.  An offshoot of yester year's Sputnik and atomic fixtures, they transcend mid-century style and raise the bar for lighting manufacturers.  I could easily design a room around these sculptural focal components. 

2.  Black Steel Doors

I knew I was onto something when I copied this shower door design onto one of my Pinterest boards. 

                        

I have no idea where I copied this picture from (and I apologize for not giving credit to whomever took it and designed the space), but I knew these doors had a quirky combination of the windows of urban lofts, Parisian flats and English conservatories.  Classic and cool all at the same time.  They're appearing in everything from entry to shower doors and provide a new vernacular for design.

        

                     Left to right: Jenny Wolf Interiors, Sherry Hart Designs (photo courtesy of Atlanta Homes)

3. Salon Walls

Salon walls have been around for centuries -- five to be exact -- dating back to the salons or exhibitions of student work initiated in Paris in the 1600s by King Louis XIV.  Salon walls enable artwork to be hung collectively and eclectically by grouping art of different media.  They also allow people with large blank walls, whose budgets don't allow for the installation of grand originals, to fill the space attractively and cheaply.

This past year saw the installation of the most magical salon wall display.  At the 2015 Kips Bay Decorators Show House, Philip Mitchell of Philip Mitchell Design, Inc. filled a grand ceremonial staircase in a Manhattan town house with two stories of extraordinary original art from his collection.

          

This picture hardly does this space justice.  Philip Mitchell's salon wall of 2015 defies other designers to decorate a stairwell any better.

4. White walls

Two of the nation's leading paint companies, Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore, selected whites as their 2016 Color of the Year.  For Sherwin Williams, it is Alabaster (SW 7008) and for Benjamin Moore, it is Simply White (OC-117).  My designer friends and I thought these choices were cop outs on the part of the paint companies after the fiasco of Pantone choosing Marsala for its 2015 Color of the Year.  But when I look at my Instagram feed, I see how many rooms are designed with white walls.  White is clean and neutral for a pared down approach.  Alternatively, white is the perfect backdrop for a colorful bohemian-inspired decor.  Here are some of my favorite white-walled rooms:

              

Holly Hollingsworth Phillips of The English Room designed this room for the 2015 Junior League of High Point Designer Showhouse.  I adore it!  It's fun and incorporates so many of the elements and principles of design: light, color, texture, pattern, contrast, scale, proportion, balance, harmony and unity.

                    

                                                                  Photo courtesy of I Suwannee

This living room was designed by Jamie Meares, the blogger of I Suwannee and owner of Furbish Studio.  I've been a fan of Jamie's since I received a keychain from Furbish Studio in a Blogfest swag bag.  Her Instagram feed abounds in color and bohemian style. 

In a more restrained vein is the work of Andrew Brown of Andrew Brown Interiors.

                

                                                        Photo courtesy of Andrew Brown Interiors

Andrew's designs in white contrast sharply with Jamie and Holly's rooms, but similarly reflect the same elements and principles of design: balance, texture, contrast, scale, proportion, harmony and unity.

Right on Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore!  White IS the Color of the Year.

5. Basic Black

Equally prevalent as white in interior spaces is black.  Black has become a favorite on everything from kitchen cabinets to window trim (not to mention black steel doors as discussed above in #2).  Black is to interiors as the little black dress is to apparel: it's classic and a veritable design staple.  Here are some of my favorite uses of black in interiors:

          

In late 2014, I blogged about a trend I was noticing in black kitchens.  I revisited this post a few months ago after seeing Lisa Mende's gorgeous black kitchen at the 2015 Junior League of High Point Designer Showhouse.  Lisa's kitchen illustrates the versatility of black in interior spaces.  Black mixes so well with furnishings from different periods and styles as well as with other materials and finishes.  This mix is demonstrated so perfectly in the variety of metals, tile and wood Lisa used in her kitchen design above.

Black punctuates interior millwork when used on window trim and doors.

                 

                                                            Photo courtesy of Andrew Brown Interiors

It's gorgeous in a lustrous satin finish as shown on the trim in the living room designed by Andrew Brown above.  The beefy trim when painted black creates a rhythm that carries the eye around the room.

Walls painted black create a cozy retreat, illustrated in the bedroom below of designer Nate Berkus.

                 

                                                                   Photo courtesy of Nate Berkus

As versatile as black is, it's tricky getting the right shade and finish of black paint for walls.  Like white, black can vary depending on the quality of natural light in the space.  But when the shade is right, it's a stunning complement to an interior space.

Stay tuned for Part II of The 10 Best in Interior Design in 2015.