Would anybody who negatively critiqued this article care to show us what their living room looks like?
Most of these rooms communicate nothing to me but cold overcontrol. I can't imagine myself living in any of these rooms. Who wants this stuff? It seems made for real-estate ads.
3
I think I will never understand people who think about things like this. Our family uses our living room for lots of things, sometimes working, lounging, reading, screen-watching, dance party, stretching or yoga, staging area for trip planning / packing, and homework, and never will it look like one of these rooms. They are lovely, but, um, do people hang out in these rooms? How often?
5
I guess I'm the only one who likes to watch TV or listen to music.
8
I actually do select things one at a time. Thinks I run across and love, just because they appeal to me. They always seem to go together, eclectic maybe but with charm. Choose what you love, what appeals, don't be afraid if it is quirky.
10
There are so many events in a family's or an individual's life that should be reflected in the rooms they inhabit, but all too frequently we force our family members or ourselves into room furnishings or designs that don't fit what we are doing now as well as they fit our past lives.
Homes in the past had attics or basements or storage rooms to put things we are currently not using; now our spaces are too small for that type of change. Now we rent storage units for the unused items of our lives or donate or sell the extras that don't fit our new way of living. Or we try to settle ourselves into the past way our spaces worked for us.
Acquiring a new baby or two growing into active toddlers means the hard edges and fragile electronics must find spaces out of reach. Middle school through to college requires designated entertaining space not meant for parents and their friends. And then the nest is empty again. . . for a while.
There is space for adult hobbies such as crafts or painting put aside while young children dominated. The luxury of leaving projects out undone protected only from the cat and dog is inspiring now
The time comes for design and decorating which is safe for residents who may trip more easily or need more light. Out go the rugs, the extra pieces of furniture which create hazards. In come the chairs which rise at a touch of a button.
It is hard to design a room without knowing who will use the space. Tell us who lives in the photos.
13
A living room that looks like nobody lives there. Staged, boring.
27
I wish we would not find German words like "Gesamtkunstwerk" used to over blow something like a living room.. There are better words in English and German to describe a beautiful composed room. Use English if you don't speak German. There are plenty of good words too for spending oodles of money decorating. (All of them far more interesting than the other over used German word used by Americans that can't speak the language--Scadenfreude.)
16
I always thought that accessories were something that kind of just happened to you, not something to be sought out: auntie's lustrewear coffee pot, the dictionary handy for Scrabble games, a sweater on the back of a chair for cool evenings. I would rather have these things than a pile of coffee table books that no one ever reads and pillows that have to be moved off the sofa to find a comfortable place to sit.
63
I would like two "homes"
HOME A - the one I live in, full of odd stuff - never be ordinary. Never TOO much on view, but always slightly left of centre. Art, am lucky: family pieces, my work, my friend's work - I've never "bought" art. Furniture USEFUL/COMFY - modern, not modern, 2nd hand, antique. Everything welcoming, come-sit-in-me or on-me sofas, carpets etc etc put-up-your-feet-and-stay-awhile.
HOME B - my imaginary alternate - Mediterranean minimalism with vast artwork on the walls, and all mod cons....oh, and great views over a blue sea.
At my age, no family, just friends, my home is my best friend.
22
I like a well designed arrangement of plastic flowers on the mantel and end tables (they can match the colors of the fabrics). It’s easy to run them under the shower when they get dusty, and they give the room a stylish, pulled together look.
A glass fronted China cabinet is a wonderful way to display vintage Beanie Babies. Don’t crowd them together, and make a plan for their display before you load the shelves.
Toilet rolls may be disguised with crocheted “slipcovers”, color coordinated with your powder room tiles. I saw this in Paris once, but it works well everywhere.
Also, if you own a book, don’t use it as a coaster when serving drinks; the damp beer bottle may leave a ring on the paper jacket.
83
LOL
19
@Michael c you have outed yourself, knowing these things. Thanks for not being a poseur.
8
Accessories can be interesting, but not here. Every room should have trays and books on the tables? So boring. Tip? Don't buy them at Indigo, Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Sense or any chain. Cheap and common. Try flea markets or boutiques and please...not made in China.
34
This is absurd. Accessorize with books you are currently reading, objects and plants that give you pleasure or comfort; it’s not a show when the cameras are off. It’s your life, not an Instagram feed.
59
A 2 year old will make quick work of these rooms.
40
I think this misses using items with personal meaning. I for one have a lot of items from travel and handed down from family. I wouldn't consider ditching them at the expense of making sure all my accessories go together. I find homes are much more interesting and 'finished' when there is meaning behind the things in them.
45
The best way of all is to invite life in-- in the form of the imperfect, i.e. human beings! The best way to do that is to make the room itself slightly less than perfect. That will make human beings feel at home.
21
Not one word about the art? Original artworks make these rooms come alive, and the collection should be the jumping off point for your color schemes and layout, etc. And artists should be credited under photos.
34
I liked all the rooms: kudos to the photographer. I liked that, unlike in other shelter magazines, these rooms had lamps! Brilliant.
Here's some thoughts:
1.) The writer neglected to point out the textural notes of each room: Each has a soft, fluffy thing and a shiny -- gold or silver -- thing.
2.) The comments remind us that we are not only decorating for ourselves, but also for judgmental in-laws.
3.) I’ve often thought the attraction of Brutalism for an architect is that human input can't muck it up.
Lovely job "mucking up" all these rooms.
4
I quite enjoyed all the images and could feel happy in most all the rooms. I really liked them.
8
These living rooms do not feel inviting or even remotely 'cozy' to me.. The colors are too bland and
neutral.I am all for less stuff and clutter in the home,but some colorful pillows for the sofa or perhaps a few of the chair's in a brighter color might give the place some cheerfulness!
10
All of these rooms looked staged and they all look like the same people are trying to sell their place. The yuppy accessories are all the same. You have got to be kidding me with this article. Try harder NYT.
80
To paraphrase the late Diana Vreeland, the world has gone mad for beige. Each of these rooms looks only slightly different than the next. What happened to individuality and personal style? Give me vintage Colefax and Fowler any day over this blandness.
51
I think you should pick your accessories one by one. You see something you like or love and make it fit with other things you have that you love. Your home evolves over time and reflects you and your family.
65
@Christina
Amen! I love to travel and pick up items from all over the world to place around my home and remind me of a time I enjoyed. And I've actually read the books in my bookcase.
19
My grandmother's Persian rugs, Dad's old books, Mom's desk, spouse's family stuff, chairs we picked up cheap and recanted or reupholstered ourselves, rugs we bought cheap in Turkey and have hanging here and there, lamps bought in Maine; other things; nothing really "new."
House has more stuff in it than it did 20 years ago; we have more stuff than we had 40 years ago.
We could never chuck it all and put in its place factory-new corporate beige and gray furnishings, no doubt full of toxins. Couldn't relax in such a sterile place. But then, to each his own.
51
"Re-caned," of course. Spellcheck doesn't know about fixing things oneself.
13
The room in Short Hills is horrid, the colors do not coordinate well and the scale seems off as the pink lamp(which is nothing special)is far too prominent, the navy leather chair belongs in the playroom( I mean that in a good way), the chandelier is just plain hideous. Where are the marvelous classic elements, design, and color of Parish-Hadley, Billy Baldwin, Elsie de Wolfe, and so many others? I always assumed that when all the students of interior decorating would have been equipped with classical training, much the way painters, ballet dancers, musicians, and sculptors are.
From the results that have been chosen by the editor(s)clearly that education is sorely lacking.
24
@Ann Korach
Thank you for your comment. As someone who grew up in Short Hills, this room saddens me. It has gorgeous bones: the woodworking and windows provoke intense envy in me. But the furniture, lamps, and chandelier almost completely obscure the architectural beauty. The torchère lights are overwhelmed by the painting, as well.
14
@Ann K or their contemporary Michael Smith
There is no disputing taste but there doesn't appear to be to much living that is occurring, has occurred or is going to occur in these living rooms - not by owners or guests. They look more like waiting rooms.
52
@Eddie I would argue that any living room without people in it looks like a waiting room.
4
@Eddie
Nonsense. These are staged photos for the NYT. Did you expect half-full beverage glasses and cut out coupons to be strewn about? And besides, some of us actually live like this ... with comfortable furnishings that we daily restore to the desired degree of order. It only takes a few minutes and in a small space is very helpful to preventing visual overload.
13
@JBC
Nonsense??? As I said, there is no disputing taste. What is indisputable, is that hostility never looks pretty.
4
I'm a single man living in Zürich and I understand nothing about interior design- I'm happy if i can find my keys and glasses. That said, i would be remiss if I didn't comment that the pictures in this article look so inviting and relaxing- Great!
Thanks for sharing.
14
The Bellport NY house projects as exceedingly cold and uncomfortable. Many uncomfortable seating options.
A living room should firstly project comfort and feel inviting.
Plants, dried flowers, comfy pillows, an eye for color coordination, some whimsy.
9
Am I naive to think that your accessories should represent who you are, rather than an interior designer's master plan? Books, pillows, artwork...these are things you pick up during your life. No wonder so many planned interiors look so sterile.
101
@G2 I think a marriage of both is ideal: the designer can help select items that are appropriate in scale, color, and texture ... ones that also reflect the homeowner's authentic interests and style.
3
@G2 Come visit the SF Decorator's Showcase in May - Le Petite Trianon, sure to be a real treat!
1
The fuzzy chair would be an excellent lounge for an Hungarian puli.
15
We’re refurnishing the living room in our house.
We’ve lived here in this 1910 row house for nearly 40 years.
Looking around us one day, to our surprise, we discovered we were living in grandma’s house—not that there’s anything wrong with that, as they say in Seinfeld speak.
Since the placement of the furniture is agreeable we’ve decided to swap out one piece at a time in order to see the effect it has on the room.
This approach has saved us from mistakes we would have made had we bought pieces we thought would work only to see that they would have been somehow wrong.
Our last piece is going to be a loveseat. The color of which, as yet not known, will give us the ultimate color scheme for the room, I.e. the paint color and rug.
Should be good for another 40 years.
26
I disagree with the notion that one can't or shouldn't purchase accessories one-by-one, and that they all must be part of a larger, cohesive 'plan'. I suppose that approach is fine if one wants a home that looks like something straight out of a magazine, and where no real humans live.
I like my home to look and feel like a 'home', not a sterile showcase.
100
@Lisa couldn't have said it better. A home should be a collection of memories, not something planned by a designer.
69
@Lisa
Quoting Anita Brookner, this from her Hotel du Lac.
The protagonist, Edith Hope, a writer of fiction addressing her editor who had told her that her readers want something to reflect their lifestyle.
‘Harold,’ said Edith, ‘I simply do not know anyone who has a lifestyle. What does it mean? It implies that everything you own was bought at exactly the same time, about five years ago, at the most.’
34
@Lisa Agreed. My accessories and wall art were purchased one by one over a twenty year period. The result is coherent, highly personal, gives me joy every day, and I receive many compliments. While some ideas in this article could be useful, my impression of these rooms is that they are obviously a designer's handiwork. They look to me like a hedge fund manager desperately needs to impress clients, and/or is afraid to put their own personality and tastes on display. That's pretty sad. I'd rather visit a home that reflects its owner's personality - and life experiences - whether it looks like Architectural Digest or not.
30
I am against the clutter of "pillows and throws, trays and bowls, stacks of books, maybe a plant or two". The desire to over decorate one's space goes way back in history, and one may think of its start in post-Middle-Age Europe, when the grand stone fortresses were replaced by more comfortable and smaller abodes, ranging in size from palaces to urban dwellings.
My ideal is a minimalist space, easy to clean, with the daily needed things in the field of vision, the valuables and important documents kept in safes built into the walls and under the floor.
19
Stuff and more stuff. If it doesn't mean something to me I don't use it. Cherished photographs, books and mementos from travel are my accessories of choice.
75