Interior: Nautical-style waterfront cottage

Inspired by the sea, sand and sky, Style at Home's design editor, Jessica Waks, transforms a tired cottage into a delightful retreat.

Beachy inspiration

The cottage’s design was inspired by its picturesque beachy setting.

The great room

Walking in, the biggest question was how to place the furniture in this huge, hexagonal great room,” says Style at Home design editor Jessica Waks. She created two separate conversation areas around matching rugs, with a Shaker-style coffee table centred under a custom iron chandelier for the main one. The result is both beautifully symmetrical and relaxed.

Beautifully symmetrical

Sheer drapery panels soften the great room’s hard angles, while a careful mix of painted-wood furniture (in both black and white), solid and patterned upholstery and sculptural pieces, like the spool armchairs, keeps the eye moving around the room.

Family room

Jessica chose to leave the family room’s wooden trim and wainscotting exposed to create a rustic look. Woven textures, painted-wood furniture and a pair of patterned swivel chairs keep the space from feeling too heavy.

Seaside aesthetic

The family room is a study in crisp contrasts, from the blue grosgrain trim on the Roman shades to the contrast piping on the wingback chair, which is upholstered in indoor-outdoor fabric for maximum durability. Natural touches like the woven side table and tray play up the seaside aesthetic.

Kitchen design

To keep reno costs down, Jessica kept the kitchen’s existing footprint intact, bringing in beadboard cabinet fronts and honed granite countertops.

Spacious dining room

Open to the adjacent kitchen, the spacious dining room seats 10 to 12 people. Classic Windsor dining chairs allow for elbow room around the 10-foot-long table. The blue and white tablescape lends a summer-fresh feel.

Custom corner hutch

The homeowners kept the custom corner hutch in the kitchen from the previous owners and painted it black to showcase their collection of white dishes.

Powder room

The powder room wows with its blue and black wallpaper design, herringbone marble floors, statement pendant light and decorative trays mounted as art. The stool was an antiques store find.

Outdoor terrace

On the terrace, grey-washed teak furniture blends in with the home’s grey exterior and weathered pavers, while blue and white ikat toss cushions bring the indoor scheme outside for continuity.

Design Lesson: Playing with pattern

How to use pattern in a small space without being overwhelmed

Drapery, cushions, upholstery and bedding -- we surround ourselves with fabric. It's how we soften the hard edges of the world. Although the textures and patterns you choose depend on personal taste, awareness of their impact allows you to make selections that will contribute to overall harmony. That's especially important in small spaces, where an abundance of pattern contributes to visual clutter. So, consider these strategies for incorporating pattern into your home.

How to choose pattern
Living room
To allow for visual breathing room, it's best to use simple designs and combine them with solid fabrics. Robust patterns can be distracting, shifting attention from focal points, and creating a confusing backdrop for works of art.

Dining room 
Frequently more dramatic than other public rooms, this room is used mostly in the evening. For that reason, it's perfectly warranted to choose bolder patterns. In addition, patterned upholstery and carpets are highly practical. 

Kitchen 
In the kitchen, where most of the available wall space is devoted to cabinetry, pattern can be a welcome relief. A pictorial wallpaper or scenic drapery fabric can create interest and set the tone for other decorating in the room. 

Bedroom 
The pattern you pick is dictated by the mood you want to create. If the bedroom is used only at nighttime, consider a minimum of pattern in a restful palette. For those who use the room during the day, a more adventurous mix of pattern may appeal. 

Powder room 
The powder room provides a real opportunity to enjoy high-impact pattern, as it's a transitional space used for short periods of time. Choose a scenic or geometric design, classic floral or large abstract pattern, and use it abundantly.

Dos and Don'ts

DO evaluate the scale of furniture before choosing a pattern for upholstery. A dining room chair seat can't handle a large pattern. In contrast, a three-seater sofa doesn't suit a tiny motif. 

DO review the existing patterns in the room's background. For example, a herringbone floor adds energy, while a coffered ceiling brings order to a space. The crisp, heavy lines of shutters contrast with the minigrid of a mosaic backsplash. These architectural cues may influence the selection of other patterns. 

DO combine patterns that share a similar feeling or expression. For example, an exotic paisley blends easily with florals or stripes if they have an exotic feel as well. Formal damask works with shimmering silk, but may clash with rugged leather.

DO use vertical stripes, like those provided by floor-to-ceiling wallpaper or drapes, to emphasize the height of a room. To accentuate a room's width, opt for horizontal stripes, using wallpaper or artwork hung in a row as a frieze. 

DON'T ignore the rug, since it's one of the most influential patterns in any room. Because it's a major purchase, many designers begin with it when building a design scheme. 

DON'T use more than one large-scale design in a small interior, as it can overwhelm. However, you can use several small or medium patterns if they are varied in scale. Layering patterns lends a sense of depth, vital to a small room. 

DON'T overdo vivid pattern in small spaces. Remember, a fabric with pattern has more visual weight than a solid one.To include a variety of patterns, stick to a colour palette with tone-on-tone or two-tone fabrics.

10 GEOMETRIC PATTERNS WE LOVE "Give your home a graphic punch with these 10 inspiring geometric looks"

Making their definitive mark on the design world during the mod years of the 1960s, geometric shapes and patterns have since been a staple of many decorated spaces around the world. From basic triangles, squares and rectangles to more interesting shapes like hexagons, octagons and diamonds, geometrics have the ability to add a punch of personality to any room. Here are 10 of our favourite ways to decorate with geometrics, whether it’s a bold wallpapaer pattern in a small room or a diamond-patterned headboard commanding attention in a master bedroom.

1.  Area rug

Keep it fun underfoot with an area rug that ties the room together and adds a soft graphic element to your space. The geometric patterns on Madeline Weinrib rugs play on Moroccan architecture and fretwork.

2.  Shower curtain

Update your bathroom with a cool new shower curtain. This organic cotton curtain combines a number of geometric shapes for a modern chic look. 

3.  Fretwork

Don’t forget about the many decorating options that windows offer when putting your space together! Introduce a subtle geometric touch to your bedroom decor with a delicate oriental fretwork in the windowpane.

4.  Wallpaper

For ultimate impact, try covering the walls in a small space like a powder room or mudroom with a bold geometric wallpaper. The daring paper shown here adds the perfect modern touch to otherwise traditional pieces and complements the floor’s hexagonal tiles.

5.  Throw pillow

The most cost effective way to introduce a trend into your decorating scheme? Toss a couple of throw pillows on your sofa, like this black and white geometric herringbone beauty. 

6.  Artwork

An all-white workspace doesn’t have to feel bare and stark. Incorporate a simple, colourful art print like this geometric triangle for a bit of character.

7.  Headboard 

If you’re drawn to crisp white bed linens, you can still incorporate geometrics with a fabric headboard. The tall red and white diamond headboard here creates a bold focal point in the bedroom.

8.  Bathmat

Add a graphic element to your bathroom decor with geometric accessories. Try a bold pattern on your shower curtain, hand towels or bathmat.

9.  Throw blanket

Give a cream living room sofa a facelift by draping a vibrant, patterned throw blanket over the back. The geometric shapes on the throw above add a punch of personality to an otherwise fairly neutral space.

10.  Mousepad

From colourful notebooks to vintage paperweights, desk accessories are no longer content with being boring.  This geometric peach and black mousepad is a fun way to spice up any home office.

TIPS

"COLOR"

No other single elemet has such an impact on the way your home looks and feels. Color can make a room feel larger or smaller, bright and airy, cosy, cool or seductive. Colour is far more than simply the shade you decide to put on the wall. Like choosing an outfit to wear, it’s the accessories and details that lift a look our of the ordinary.

WHAT IS COLOR? 

Everything has a color, so although we tend to think of blue, red or yeallow as the kind of color we might choose to paint a wall, white is just as important in the color mix. Bear in mind, too, that metal has a color, as does wood, so the color of your stripped floorboards is just as vital as those sage green walls.

HOW TO CHOOSE COLOR? 

A well-dressed room as layers of colour. The walls and floor are the largest expanses of surface, so choose the color for them as the basis for your color scheme. The furniture and window treatments are the next layer of color. These will usually complement the base colors, often in a stronger shade so that they stand out as focal points in the room. Finally, the accessories – the cushions, rugs, vases and other pictures – add the little touches of contrasting colour that bring a room to life.

THE COLOR WHEEL 

It’s easier to see how colors will work together if you check them on the color wheel. This places all the colors of the rainbow in a circular spectrum so that you can see at a glance which colors will work well together (those that are opposite each other), which ones will be a sophisticated blend (the shades either side of a color) and which colors will clash if you don’t use them carefully.

HOW TO PUT COLORS TOGETHER? 

As a general rule, for a room that is to look pretty or relaxing, choose colours that complement each other. This means they blend well and have a similar intensity of color. For a more dramatic, lively result, choose colors that contrast, or even clash. As a rule of thumb, try to have no more than four main colors in a room.

"CLEAN AND CRISP"

USE RED, WHITE AND BLUE TO CREATE A SMART BUT COMFORTABLE FAMILY LIVING ROOM

This is a very simple but effective colour combination. Start with a completely neutral basic room with a natural carpet and off-white walls (pure white is too harsh and clinical, so try a white with the tiniest hint of mushroom) and let the furnishings add colour. Use blue as the main colour and warm up the whole room with a scattering of red such as a lampshade, cusions, candles and footstool.

This is a very simple but effective colour combination. Start with a completely neutral basic room with a natural carpet and off-white walls (pure white is too harsh and clinical, so try a white with the tiniest hint of mushroom) and let the furnishings add colour. Use blue as the main colour and warm up the whole room with a scattering of red such as a lampshade, cusions, candles and footstool.

Primary colours like red and blue can look as though they belong in the nursery so choose a strong but slightly faded denim blue and a rich red for a more sophisticated result.Finally, give your room personality with a hint of an American country theme – bold checked curtains and a matching rug, a Shaker-style peg rail, fork art picture print and gingham heart-shaped cushions.

Stick to red, white and blue or dark wood accessories to keep it feeling unfussy.

Leather is a good choice for family rooms as it ages so well and looks good even with a few scuff marks. Add a soft felt cushion and throw to make it more comfortable.

Add detail to cushions with bold heart shapes stiched to the front and rows of buttons for extra texture.

"ORANGES AND LEMON"

Bring a shot of bright colour to your kitchen with touches of orange and yellow. Cutlery, saucepans, chairs and curtains all offer possibilities for adding color.

Swap mismatched pots for a row of quirky jars containing colourful spices.

Choose cutlery with brightly coloured handles to match your kitchen colour scheme.

Make individualized placemats for all the family. Cut names from a sheet of coloured paper, place over a second sheet and laminate.

A simple motif, like these chillies, running through the room adds an elements of fun.