Totem shelves are great for displaying art as well as books. The entertainment center deconstructed: instead of putting all your media equipment in a big, bulky cabinet, consider this airier, broken-up approach to storage. These chairs were a find at a school tag sale. The table’s base came from a flea market, and I made the top myself. On the walls hang guitars from my collection; they’re as beautiful as any art, at least to me. By propping art on the mantel piece in my living room I can easily swap it in and out.
It’s nice to change things around once in a while. In this room, everything is a little flashier. The artwork, paintings of animals that I did myself, are extra-large; the rug, made out of tiny pieces of old T- shirts, is ultra-fluffy; the throw pillows and vases are brightly colored, adding some punch to the mostly neutral surroundings; and many of the objects in the room a light made out of faux leather that looks like a porcupine, sculptural stereo speakers-are as fun as they are functional.
It’s nice to have at least one room in the house that feels playful; for me, this is the grown-up equivalent of a kid’s playroom. But it feels that way not because I’ve got a nice TV and stereo in there (grown-up toys), but because it’s got energy and whimsy. And the key to that is letting color, art, and funny objects that catch your eye play a starring role. Go with the Flow 143 6. T o give your home flow, start at the beginning- that is, right in the entry- way.
The entryway often gets taken for granted and becomes just a place to toss keys and let mail pile up when it’s thought of at all. I, on the other hand, think the entryway is the perfect place to introduce the overall style of your house and, more importantly, yourself. Here’s a great opportunity to reveal a little bit about you to the people coming through the door. For instance, the first thing you see when you walk into my house is an alcove painted ocean blue (a nod to the Pacific Ocean, which is just a few blocks away), a shelf tiled in earthy colors, and, hang- ing above it, a big sunburst that I crafted out of piano keys.