Well, maybe it’s time to redecorate that bedroom, or perhaps you’re just looking to update the living room furniture. Whatever it is, Star Furniture is different by design, and we’re so excited to be partnering with them. Today, we are here with Miss Deuce, the professional star design collaborator for Star Furniture.
First of all, I came to you and said, “Jessica, look, I have a lot of problems. I do everything wrong.” But you assured me I’m not doing it wrong. “No, there’s no wrong. Your home should be you, and you should love it. We just try to help guide you with tips and tricks, and you won’t even realize it until we do it. It’ll feel more balanced.”
“Okay, more balanced. I like that. That’s a perfect word to use. And that’s where you guys can come in and really help us rethink the things and pieces we put into our living room. Because that’s where I’m going to start today. What are some of the most common design challenges people face when redecorating their living room?”
“A lot of times, I see people instinctively put all the furniture against the wall.”
“Yeah, I’m so guilty of this. I am so guilty of this.”
“And that’s okay, but there are other ways you can do it. You can actually capture more space in your room. That’s one of the reasons I want to show this sectional. It has curves to it, which kind of forces you not to put it against the wall. You can put it in the middle of the room.”
“You use the term ‘floating.’ Is that what that means, to put it in the middle when it’s not against the walls?”
“Yes, floating it in the room. You can use a rug to anchor it, and you have this nice flow. You’re probably also looking at this and thinking, ‘Oh my god, it’s white. No way. I have nieces and nephews, dogs. Why should we choose white?'”
“Bring on the red wine because you can get performance fabric in pretty much anything at Star. A lot of their main furniture items have performance fabric, which is actually made with recycled water bottles. So, you’re sustainable, and it literally won’t stain. It’s usually bleach-cleanable and easy to maintain. So don’t be afraid. You can order this with performance fabric, lots of seating, and it breaks up all the hard angles of your room. You can change out the colors of your pillows depending on your mood or the season, right?”
“Yes, do a neutral base so you can do anything you want with color. I love color. Also, this sofa has a curve, making it easier for people to have conversations since they’re not sitting against a wall in a straight line. This is a great piece for a lot of people to have some fun conversations. And I love that it has almost like a slight chaise at the end, so I know that’s where my feet would be.”
“Okay, so the next room I want to talk about, Jessica, where you will entertain people, is of course the dining room, right? You want to have people over for dinner, maybe a Friendsgiving. Now, I think this looks great, but you’re telling me there’s a way it can look better.”
“Yes, well, the way I look at this is the height of these arrangements conflicts with the height of the back of the chair. We want our eye to go up and down. So, for everyday living, not holiday entertaining, I would have a lower centerpiece. That piece right there is a great example of having something organic and green on the table, but it’s lower. So, it’s not fighting the height of the chairs, and your eye goes up and down. It’s also not blocking anybody you’re sitting across from.”
“Okay, now I want to get into this too, the rule of three. I look at this and think, ‘Yes, all the things are out. I put all my money into it. I put all the things in my house out for everybody to see.’ It’s too much, is what you’re telling me.”
“It is, and it actually takes away from the beauty of one thing because there’s so much to look at. Your eye needs a place to rest. So, we get rid of what we call ‘tchotchke overload.’ With the rule of odds—three, five, seven—if we were to get rid of some of these items, let’s see, we’ll get rid of this. We’ll get back to our magic number, which would be an odd number. Whenever you’re decorating with accessories, that’s what we mean by tchotchke decorating. We’re going to put this beautiful bowl right here. And there you go. You can actually take in all these beautiful pieces. Your eye has a place to rest. It’s very clean.”
“I think it helps. My mother would love you. She’s always trying to get rid of things out of my house.”
“That’s perfect. That’s a beautiful setup. But also, you have some tips about the lighting from your chandelier height-wise down to your table, right?”
“Yes, you’re going to get those on social media.”
“Okay, so follow them at Star Furniture. You guys are welcome to come into any of their locations. They’re there to help you. You can find them online or follow them on social media because they have plenty of ideas. They’re Star Design Collaborator. Jessica, thank you so much for all these wonderful ideas.”
“It’s fun. And just like Lauren mentioned, the team at Star Furniture is always available to help with any of your design dilemmas.
