When did I become practical?
I found myself this week at the cross roads of Pear and Bedford, in la ceour of Designers Walk sourcing inspiration when I noticed just how undone I was as I passed a set of all too honest glass doors. Hmmm.
A low ponytail exposing my crease of grey hair. Comfy wedges I know I need to retire. Hudson jeans – probably too light for the season I am wearing them in. A blouse from two Springs ago and a sweater that covered most of my faux pas. All wildly comfortable by the by and…hmmmm….practical for a day on my feet.
I could blame it on a late start to the day but here it is: I have become the family room. Worse. The basement family room that is always a catch all – playroom, media room, man cave. Mostly undone and usually unseen by anyone other than family. Gasp. Practical. Functional.
Which begs the design question: can practical be beautiful? Can functional still lay in the land of the lovely?
My head and my Hudsons say ‘hell yeah’. It’s gotta be.
Indoor/Outdoor Va-Voom: Talk about coming a long way, baby. The technology leaves these fabrics completely weather resistant but also life retardant. Spills and messes be gone. Love. But the hand is no longer a compromise. When sun friendly fabrics first hit the market, they were coarse and heavy, stiff and unpleasant. But they are tactilely pleasing now and so on-trend. I fold these into high traffic, full life rooms all the time. My go-tos are Kravet Soleil and Delany & Long.
Crate and Barrel: So I am usually not a fan of big retailers – partially because I used to be a little retailer and was utterly bummed by the Walmart effect; partially because I think they water down design. BUT they can score deals with major manufacturers and repackage them under their own brand. I know! Who knew? So part of Crate and Barrel’s soft seating collection is designed and built by LEE Industries, a leading mid-market soft seating company built in North Carolina and the BEST spend of its kind for your upholstery dollars. And it is cheaper than buying LEE. Same product. Walmart effect at its best. If you can’t beat ‘em, right? That’s just smart rolled in practical with a side of function.
Floor Coverings: I do love me some lovely on the floor but having just gone through a summer without on the advice of my bestie, Victoria Hagan, I may just stay the course until my kids are a little older and my dog is no longer with us. Yes, the room is a little warmer with its rug and the layout is more anchored. Uh huh. But when there is a spill, it becomes a national disaster and I am constantly shooing our poor Dr Jones and his never-ending supply of yellow lab hair off the precious rugs. We’ll see how this unfolds in the cooler months.
I am pleased to note: I have relegated my summer light Hudsons to be the back of the closet along with my spring tops. I refuse to retire my faithful knee high wedges but have decided they are for boot leg pants only. Progress is an equally beautiful thing.