Dear Maureen,
My partner and I have different decorating styles and disagree on how to refresh our bedroom. I love Barclay Butera's coastal interiors, my partner prefers a Tim Burton goth aesthetic, and we live on a worm farm just outside of Bakersfield. I know that a home's interior should at least somewhat relate to its exterior, but how can we be true to our home's farmhouse architecture as well as reflect our individual tastes?
-Unsettled
Dear Unsettled,
You can't and you shouldn't. Your home shouldn't reflect who you are--it should reveal who you could be if no one stopped you. What if you expanded beyond worms and developed a sheeping empire or a roosting empire? Imagine rugged sophistication, windswept elements, and a B&B-like room that has developed a jubilant ambition. Don't compromise. Burst forth like a Roomba that just found an open door.
That said, there's always a way to mix two disparate styles; it just takes a level of talent that I happen to possess. Let's start with the prevaricating textures of a morning tide that has seen some things but refuses to discuss them. Next, we'll introduce roosters and sheep in controlled, judicial amounts, engulfed in a jewel-toned palette of crimson and ochre which is known to calm ruffled roosters and help them feel collected rather than conjured. A rooster in a room of slick surfaces becomes cheap novelty decor, but a rooster surrounded by rich walnut, aubergine velvet, a wet bar, and a silk Perla Oro comforter in Craquelé Damasco by Luigi Bevilacqua becomes folklore.
The use of a high-contrast bed does not mean the room should resemble a haunted chicken monastery, though that concept has incredible potential and led me down quite the rabbit hole!
Elegant farmyard styling also depends on where the eye lands when entering the room. Two sheep nightstands by The A+R Store (in collaboration with the famous Deyrolle taxidermy house in Paris) provide balance while silently monitoring humidity levels.
Floor coverings should stay calm, like perhaps a gold zebra print rug, if the livestock have earned it. We'll accent with sailboats and submarines for vintage nautical details and, as a finishing touch, remove one rooster to prevent the staging of a coop. Place it in a hallway where it can reflect on its choices.
With that, my dear Unsettled, I present the final design below. Clicking on the board will take you to our affiliate shop where you may happily purchase everything.
Aren't those sheep nightstands truly outstanding? I've never seen anything capture unsalted milkmaid chic so beautifully. And what is $69,000 each when they'll be used every single day?
Yours most magnanimously,
