Last night I spent some time in a fairly generic upscale home in an area known for its growth in the 1980s and 1990s of countless McMansions. In fact the area reminds me a lot of Atlanta or Charlotte, because of its big trees, winding roads and tons of new-wealth growth. From the outside, this house wasn’t the most distinctive or interesting and even most of the inside was fairly standard. However, two points upon which I took note were: the fabric choice for the sofas and pillows in the family room area and the frequent use of dimmers on almost every light switch in the house. Pictured above is the fixture over the kitchen table, which has two shades made of very elegant linen-type fabric. On a medium dimmer setting, they were divine.
Further, almost all of the recessed can lighting throughout the house had dimmer switches, the brilliance of which can really only be observed in real-time. You’ll just have to take my word for it.
Typically, along with harsh lighting, leather furniture is standard fare for ‘classic’ American taste and aesthetics. Maybe a sueded leather or a nubuck-type leather, but inevitably, the material is a bit cold to the touch and often, the cushions themselves are overstuffed, so you find yourself sitting on the sofa rather than sinking into it (I prefer the latter).
I found the sofas in this house quite comfortable because they were of a very approachable and reasonable scale (not huge) and they were covered in a glorious nubby tweed-like fabric that was a sand tone.
To add a touch of color and pattern, the pillows were brown, white and turquoise, almost of a 60s-type pattern, although not too retro either. I thought they were a very thoughtful touch to an otherwise fairly monotone room (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for walls and sofas…things that you buy less often).
I just wanted to give credit where credit seems due. I was pleasantly surprised that the entire set of home furnishings hadn’t been pulled straight out of Ballard Designs or Pottery Barn, which is often the case in this neighborhood.
Thanks for reading!
