Sunday, April 1, 2012

Borrowed from the boys

Borrowed from the boys
Menswear inspired home furnishings

Never forget what inspires you!
Allow me to tell you a short story.
This is a story about my master bedroom.  About 10 years ago, “Designer Guys” aired on the Discovery Channel.  It was the Canadian version of HGTV, and on one particular episode, the guys covered the sofa in some high-rise condo with… black   wool   pinstripe   men’s   suit   fabric.   And, the look was, quite frankly, sexy!

During this same time, the folks at Williams Sonoma – those purveyors of All Clad and olive oil – had decided to jump into the home goods business.  As a precursor to Williams Sonoma Home, they started out with a line of bedding and towels called “Chambers.”  In one particular Chambers catalog, a herringbone duvet cover was displayed that was simply magnificent.  Unfortunately, at the time, I was struggling to buy groceries and certainly could NOT afford to pay for a $450 duvet cover.
Fast forward to 2007.  House Beautiful featured an article entitled, Quintessential Kansas City,” featuring the home of David Jimenez, the vice president of visual merchandising and design for Hallmark Cards, Inc.  And, guess what he had in the master bedroom…. that damn herringbone duvet that I saw years ago.

Hence, the inspiration for my master bedroom was reborn.
Then, there was that pesky little problem… that duvet was no longer available.
Why?
Well, home décor has historically been done for women.  Fortunately, as more men have become interested in their surroundings, we are putting a big kibosh on some of those awful florals, chintzes, and toiles.  Hence, a trend toward menswear inspired home furnishings has emerged during the past couple of years.
From flooring and rugs to lamps and upholstery, here are some great ideas...
  Recycled leather belt flooring..... LOVE this idea      http://designindulgences.com/2012/02/06/fellas-this-one-is-for-you/

Plates and nakins with a masculine edge

 Mid century modern chairs in blue plaid tweed

 Check out that lampshade

Grey and yellow argyle feather pillows

That rug is GREAT... that wall color is dreadful!

So, you get the idea....

Even some flagship stores have gone this direction.  Despite being the Women’s Store, the Ralph Lauren store on Madison Avenue has a decidedly masculine edge with the wrought iron, marble floors, and black and white décor.
If you think that the RL women's flagship store is masculine, then just walk across the street and check out the men's store.  An absolutely amazing space.....
The Ralph Lauren Men's Store in Manhattan.  http://www.luxist.com/tag/madison+avenue/ 

And, Tom Ford’s Men's Store in New York has a sexy masculine vibe with the zebra wood and dark furnishings.
photo from Veranda


Thankfully, this trend has gotten some press lately.  Recently, it was featured on the Nate Berkus TV show.


Just remember, if you are re-doing a bedroom, rehabilitating a kitchen, buying a pillow, or thinking about wallpaper, don't forget about the men in your life.  We live there, too.
 Flannel upholstered walls and that leather headboard are amazing!

Spectacular kitchen.  Not really my taste, but I really like it!

Pinstripe wallpaper fabric in blue from www.doyoulovewhereyoulive.com


1 comment:

  1. You should be an interior decorator on the side. Of course you can't give up the primary occupation of exterior decorator though

    ReplyDelete