A boxy, white, open-plan interior space with a large opening facing the sea is dotted with only white, cream, and beige minimalist furnishings. Beige modern chairs and sofas are topped with terracotta pillows and sit on a seagrass rug with a round wicker table in foreground. In the background is a simple minimalist dining table and chairs below pendant lights that end in flat wicker shades. A few black metal frames, light fixtures, and a black and white folding chair provide the only dark elements in the room.
Q&A Style, Decor & Design

Stylish and Serene Vacation Home Decor

by Laura Grey
A pale blue upholstered sofa with many smallish matching throw pillows. The walls are a darker shade of teal. A black metal round side table is in front. Behind are a minimalist dining table (wood on top on a black metal frame) and gold leather-upholstered dining armchairs. On the dining table is a large amber glass vase filled with long leafy branches. Over the table hangs a chandelier of golden cylinders hanging at varying heights.
Feature

The Best Coastal Style for Your Home

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

When you think of coastal homes, what regions and home styles come to mind? There are as many types of coastal home style as there are coastal regions. Take time to consider what seaside settings feel most beautiful and comfortable for you. For example, you might create a relaxed and elegant modern Polynesian, Caribbean, or […]

A Midcentury Modern minimalist rush-seated wooden dining chair in pale wood sits on a light-wood floor with a white bare wall behind. To the left of the chair is a pair of small MCM cabinets in a mid-toned wood (perhaps walnut) with a prominent grain. It has two sliding doors across a cabinet on the top, and a wooden shelf below, all on a metal frame. It is about as tall as the back of the chair. Resting on the cabinet is a minimalist line drawing of a face in simple black lines on a white background. Books rest on top of and below the cabinet with spines facing away from the camera.
Design 101

Sustainable Interior Design

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

Sustainability is, simply put, the goal of creating and maintaining an environment in which we can safely coexist with other humans, animals, and botanical life, both now and far into the future. This beautiful goal means we have to be honest with ourselves about how we live. Living sustainably can sometimes mean changing the way […]

The interior of a Japanese tea house. Multiple layers of sliding wooden doors and rice paper and wood Shoji screens are open, showing a room with a low tea table through the first set of doors, and a Japanese maple in a garden through the second set. Tatami mats cover the wood floors. A large blue glazed ceramic pot in the foreground is topped by a metal tea kettle on a stand.
What's Your Style?

Japanese Interior Design

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

Traditional Japanese interior design is widely popular and much admired. This uncluttered and minimalist style emphasizes tranquil and airy spaces filled with light. Japanese design tends to be understated and calm, which lends it a serene elegance. Rooms are simply but carefully decorated. Proportion and harmony guide the placement and number of design elements. Subtlety—a […]

Detail from a Chinese armorial screen of the Qing Dynasty, Peabody Essex Museum. Intricate black and gold scene of people and animals in a Chinese walled palace, circa 1725.
What's Your Style?

Chinese Interior Design

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

A Long Tradition of Formal Elegance What westerners tend to think of as traditional Chinese interior design has primarily been the style of Chinese aristocrats and successful merchants. It emphasizes wealth and status, and tends toward formality. Symbolism is deeply embedded in many elements of Chinese culture, and this is true of not only the […]

You Might Also Like

Brightly colored and heavily patterned embroidered Indian fabric. Small round mirrors and pom-poms are also stitched onto the fabric.
Care & Cleaning Q&A

Caring for Textile Arts

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

Q: My dad was a costume designer who loved textile arts. He collected fabrics and needlework from all over the world. I have boxes full of amazing textiles now, but some are pretty delicate. I’d love to enjoy them and put them up around my house, but I don’t want to hurt them, and could […]