Style Equation: The Workspace

Your home office should be a place that inspires you, helps you focus and accomplish the tasks you set aside to work on. Since both what you use your home office for and what environment keeps you the most productive are so widely varying, everyone’s workspace is, and should be, unique, inspiring, and functional for them. Here are a few style equations to make your workspace a place that inspires you.

If you like a clean workspace, architectural furniture pieces in unobtrusive neutral colors work well. A glossy white lamp adds some polish.

If color inspires and stimulates you try a mod graphic print and a brightly colored lamp. Go for a streamlined desk to ground the look.

To inject a little modern glamour into a workspace, accessorize a mid-century desk with a high-shine lamp and printed ikat chair.

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From Red Carpet to Room

“I’ve long believed that the eye runs naturally from the catwalk to the kitchen.” Anna Wintour, Editor of US Vogue

Glance back through the decades and you’ll find a strong link between fashion and interiors – the glamour of the forties and fifties gave way to the mod lines of the sixties, and today fashion giants like Missoni, Christian Lacroix and Versace have all tried their hand at interiors. This year at the Oscars, stars turned out in gorgeous gowns that set a new bar for red carpet style. Barely-there pale pastels came out in full force, and metallics brought a fresh edge to neutral tones. So, how can interior design take a note from the Oscars looks?

The biggest trend of the night was soft romantic colors. Interiors that play up combinations of soft, neutral-toned pastels allow a room to feel light, airy, and open without falling flat. To keep the look modern and grounded, add some graphic pattern or a pop of black and white.

    

     

If you really want to incorporate a red-carpet-worthy moment into your interiors, check out our top ten red-carpet-to-room transformations:

1. Billowy Drapes – Capture the breezy, voluminous elegance of Jennifer Lawrence’s Dior look with billowy drapes.

2. Glamorous Touches – Deep tones and facted-glass accents evoke smokey glamour.

3. Purple Punch – Take a nod from Jennifer Garner and use this pitch-perfect grape hue to immediately brighten the mood.

4. Metallic Accents – muted metallics give a sophisticated urban edge with a hint of luxe.

5. Sculptural Pieces – an all-white sculptural accent provides sharp visual interest without using pattern or color.

6. Golden Girl – an all-out-luxe showstopper like this needs little else to complement it – except maybe an accent of deep espresso like Catherine Zeta-Jones’s wavy locks.

7. Shades of Lilac – layering various shades and textures of the soft hue creates a look that is romantic and soothing.

8. Dark Drama – This head-to-toe charcoal number made a dramatic statement, while sequins added light and kept it from going drab. Try a graphic area rug to add drama while still letting light into the room.

9. Vintage Flair – use pink and gold to evoke the whimsical, girly vintage vibe of this look.

10. Nude Accents – Nude neutrals with just a twinge of peach add warmth without being too saccharine-sweet.

Luxe Details

Don’t forget your accessories! Those little extras that finish the look provide plenty of inspiration for adding interest to a room.

Metallic Texture

Floral Finish

Blue Above

New Year, New Look, New Color

The new year is in full swing, and so is the new Jacobson Interiors blog! We’ve got a fresh new look and a New Year’s resolution to match. Expect more posts on what’s brewing in the design world and at Jacobson Interiors, and special features like reader Q&As and giveaways in 2013.

If you’re still suffering from some New-Year’s-fever and need to punch up your interiors, there’s no better place to start than at Pantone. Every year the color-matching giants at Pantone cook up a new “color of the year” in a secret meeting of representatives from various nations’ color standards groups.

This year’s favored shade? Emerald!

Most identifiable as a rare and valuable gemstone, emerald is associated with not only luxury and wealth, but conversely with its abundance nature – evoking a feeling clarity and simplicity. Pantone is describing their choice as, “Lively. Radiant. Lush…A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony.”

So whether you’re wishing for a respite from the complex urban landscape, or just want to add a trendy layer of luxe to your décor, the Emerald City is the place to be. Here are some different ways to embrace emerald, from the kitchen to the living room.

1. Lively and radiant: Keep it simple – bring in the color naturally as done here with gorgeous flowers and a luscious fruit bowl.

2. Lush: For a bolder application, envelope your walls with the shade. For clarity, keep everything else neutral.

3. Balance and harmony: Embrace the zen of emerald – it pairs beautifully with grays, whites and muted yellows or blues.

4. PUNCTUATE: a simple accessory such as a throw pillow or blanket can do the trick 

What not to do with Emerald? Well, we’re thinking something like this might be too permanent a commitment: