I hate to admit this since I write about design for a lifestyle magazine, but during the pandemic I dropped all my domestic shelter magazine subscriptions. I kept World of Interiors because its content remained strong and diverse. In addition, I pulled out my vintage magazines—I had stacks of old House and Gardens, Architectural Digest, and Elle Décor—and relied on them for comfort and distraction.
Slowly, I’ve been resubscribing. Things were going well until a few months ago when I opened the pages of a current national shelter magazine and thought it was a retrospective. Finding spaces filled with curved furniture, bold combinations of orange, lime, mauve, fuchsia and shiny metals was not completely unfamiliar. My childhood home incorporated many of these elements. I was surprised to find them on current pages. That issue was not an anomaly. Feature after feature, page after page of the same trends have followed.
I’m offering an unsolicited piece of advice. Classic furniture and lighting endure. A well-crafted tuxedo sofa will last you from your first cramped apartment to the one that overlooks some greenspace and has an elevator big enough for you, your dog, and your walker. The curved and overstuffed upholstery that looks like something out of anime may provide a cocoon-like perch, but I fear you’ll find yourself taking it to the thrift shop in less than a decade. A sofa isn’t the same as high-end denim. Invest well and good pieces should move with you.
As for color, neutrals and blues seem to always have a few hues that are at least classically adjacent. A dash of red or orange may grab the attention and raise a pulse. An entirely red room is another matter indeed. If you’re not Billy Baldwin, I’d proceed, but with care. (And if you’re unfamiliar with Billy Baldwin, google him.) His “red room” for Diana Vreeland is legendary and was perfect for her, but it was not his standard approach.
I’m sitting in a chair now that is getting ready to shed its old skin after 20 years and start anew. I’d covered her and her twin with yellow leather and now will be giving them a new natural wardrobe. With any luck, we’ll grow creased and wrinkled together and someday they will end up in one of the homes of my grandchildren. At least, I hope they will. I suppose one of my three boys will have to make a timeless match of his own.