Gothic Cool or Cold and Creepy?

 

 

It’s Hallowe’en,  and our thoughts turn to the spooky and the kooky.  Hence this living room. A new and surprisingly ‘fresh’ take on the dark side of decorating, it still manages to send a clear message about the taste and lifestyle of the residents of this apartment. 

Do we like it, does it work and if so – why?

It’s easy to go over the top with a robust theme like gothic or emo, but here the use of lighter colours and unexpected touches give a ‘Gothic Lite’ result.  Black is kept to a minimum, appearing in  all the usual places such as the lamp and the fireplace -  apart from perhaps the radiator – there we can see a choice has been made to paint the radiator black and make a quiet statement. 

The white walls, floors and ceiling are actually rather uplifting and act as a clean foil to allow the hero pieces make their statement.  Same goes for the furniture – clean and modern keeps the room fresh and functional – black walls and heavy handed, dark and ornate furniture would surely have turned the room into a frightful cliché.

Decorating with skulls can be dangerous and stray into the realms of game lodge or, worse, ghost train.  Here, three skull references are made in very proximity but a touch of whimsy remains with the addition of the Staffordshire china dogs on the mantle and touches of colour in the cushions and books lighten the load.

The bookshelves are a clever idea!  Let the covers of your statement books shine, act as pieces of art in their own right – and you don’t need anywhere near as many books when they are displayed this way!  An idea to steal.

What do you think of this room – could you be comfortable and relaxed here or would you want to make a quick exit? Most of all, who does it make you think of? Rock star, writer, artist, designer or just a quirky accountant with a taste for the twilight zone?!



Tales of the Unexpected

 

 

Sometimes small adjustments can make dramatic differences.  Take this mood board featuring – in theory – very classic items.  A Persian rug, a coffee table, a wing chair and cushion, a side table.  Close your eyes, picture these pieces and a very traditional scene could present itself.  Here, simply changing colours and shapes allows a fresh interpretation of the familiar. 

·         Teal leather for the wing chair – unusual, lighter in look, perhaps more feminine than its classic tan leather counterpart.

·          Faceted gunmetal ceramic side table – more modern than the obvious asian style ceramic stool choice. 

·         Silver blue tones in the rug – selecting blues for an oriental rug rather than traditional reds takes this floor rug into the realms of contemporary glamour.

·         Circular coffee table – round and with a marble top is much less predictable than a rectangular wooden coffee table and deftly injects a cool crispness into the grouping.

Feel like something contemporary yet classic?  Eco Chic can help.  We can upholster the Yarra armchair in teal leather; the Facet stool has a similar silvery, angled style; the slate Maroc rug has silver blue tones in an exotic pattern or search on line for Turkish rugs; the Palermo accent table comes with a white marble top and can be custom ordered round.