Decorating Guides
Design Dilemma: How Do I Get a 5th Avenue Style?
The Decor Demon Comes to the Rescue in the Questions Board
Houzz Reader: "I need some tips on decorating a home with two bedroom, 1.5 baths. I love tropical, big leaf wallpaper as well as geometric. I like the 5th Avenue type of decorating for the bedroom and living room. Do you have any suggestions? Oh and snazzy window treatments; the windows are just two ordinary windows, unattached to each other."
Decor Demon: Wow, it's like we're design twins separated at birth; we like the same exact things — let's be Interweb friends! First up, the ultimate element for sophisticated, tropical design is Martinique wallpaper: timeless, graphic and made famous by The Beverly Hills Hotel. You can look into buying it here.
Decor Demon: Wow, it's like we're design twins separated at birth; we like the same exact things — let's be Interweb friends! First up, the ultimate element for sophisticated, tropical design is Martinique wallpaper: timeless, graphic and made famous by The Beverly Hills Hotel. You can look into buying it here.
Now, if an 8'x10' wall sporting a print is too much for you, consider the opposite end of the spectrum: details. Simply bring geometrics in with, yep you guessed it, printed throw pillows. Sure, I'm kinda stating the obvious here but when you mention 5th-Avenue style, I picture a small, sophisticated dose of geometric in a room layered with symmetry: a pair of club chairs, a hefty entryway table and a salon style gallery wall. Very Carrie Bradshaw OR Charlotte York, depending on your palette.
Hmmm, "Snazzy window treatments", you say? Again, taking into consideration your love of 5th Avenue, I'd go traditional and elegant sticking with lined, pinch-pleated draperies in a solid, neutral-but-not-boring, organic fabric such as linen or cotton duck. What makes this snazzy is the tailored folds created once hung.
Taking the snazzaliciousness one step further, strongly consider investing wisely in hardware in relation to window dressing. Custom iron rods with small metal rings are both super tailored and super timeless. Overall, avoid trends at all costs; stay simple. New Yorkers influence trends, they don't follow them.
Now onto the bathroom. Here's a great way to experiment with your love of wallpaper AND geometric at the same time. Consider tone-on-tone wallcovering and instead of true geometric, go with a graphic, large-scale traditional pattern such as damask.
Sophisticated stripes are another classic, timeless choice befitting the most fashion-forward 5th Avenue resident. This works well in a bathroom versus a living room where the repeated lines could get too busy. If your bathroom calls for gender neutral decor, stripes are an excellent option.
When I think of 5th Avenue, I think of acclaimed American decorator Miles Redd's super high-end NYC bedroom sporting including elegant wallpaper adorned with pretty birds.
You can get a similar look with an affordable, elegant bird-and-branch wallpaper such as the one pictured here from Graham & Brown.
You can get a similar look with an affordable, elegant bird-and-branch wallpaper such as the one pictured here from Graham & Brown.
Another thing to consider for a 5th Avenue-inspired living room is elegant lighting. A simple crystal chandelier in the space adds instant sophistication — you-know-whadd-I'm-tawkin-bowt? Good luck!
Post your own question: What is YOUR design dilemma?
Post your own question: What is YOUR design dilemma?
NOTE: While I'm not a fan of PAINTING an accent wall, I'm definitely for covering one with pattern — albeit fabric or wallcovering. If you have an open floor plan with a living and dining room combo, it's safe to say you can always rely on pattern to differentiate the two spaces from one another.