Capturing Mood

Living Room by Bunny WilliamsAn important feature of a successful interior design is setting the mood.  The mood can be warm and cozy, cool and light, fun and casual, or sophisticated and formal.  In other words, the mood is what gives the room personality.  Without mood, the room can turn out bland and forgettable. 

How does an interior designer capture a mood?  There are many tools that a designer can use.  The easiest is the use of color.  If you want to establish light and airy, the mood of spring, then you can use the colors of spring.  In the living room above by Bunny Williams, she applied a color scheme of sky blue, bright yellows, greens and whites, a spring-like palette.  Accessories are another tool used to establish mood.  Ms. Williams used topiary and graphic prints of flowers to remind you of spring. 

Bedroom by Catherine CleareIf you want to create a soft, romantic mood, then study designer Catherine Cleare’s ideas for a master bedroom. Cleare applied a variety of textiles to achieve her romantic look.  She used soft cottons for the bed canopy and added ruffles to the vanity and bed linens.  She also chose floral wallpaper to further the romantic effect.  Lighting is also another tool which a designer employs to create a mood.  Since a soft look is the goal, Cleare used several small lamps with linen shades to soften the light output. 

Living Room by Joe NyeMany clients want a warm and cozy feel in their living space.  To achieve this mood, Los Angeles designer Joe Nye applied a warm muted palette to his room.  He used an orange raffia wall covering by Phillip Jeffries to add warmth and texture to the space.  He chose dark woods for the furniture and mirror to give depth and warmth.  He also chose a tufted sofa which is very inviting and added several pillows for the cozy touch. 

Interested in learning more about interior design?  Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design.  At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories. 

More Interiors from Kips Bay Decorator Show House

(Sitting Room by Charlotte Moss)A walk in the French countryside inspired designer Charlotte Moss to create her sitting room at the 2012 Kips Bay Decorator Show House.  Named “Behind the Hedge”, the space gloriously captures the French outdoors with a trompe l’oeil mural of a chateau garden and flourishes of greenery.  The walls are sensuously draped in green velvet by Arabel fabrics and box hedges breathe life to the room.   (The trompe l'oeil mural is by Osmundo Echevarria). 

(Living Room by Bunny Williams, Brian McCarthy, and David Kleinberg)Design team Bunny Williams, Brian McCarthy and David Kleinberg envisioned this bold living room. Providing the main focus of the room is the colorful tapestry by architect Le Corbusier.  Its red, black, and white colors are reproduced in the Dupre-Lafon sofa, the zebra rug, the red-upholstered wood chairs and the bright draperies. The parchment wrapped waterfall coffee table is by Vosges.

(Library by Jaimie Drake)Green was the dominant color in this year's Kips Bay and designer Jaimie Drake dreamed up this jungle mood for a library room. Snaked across the walls is an emerald grasscloth wallpaper. The glacial cocktail table from Lorin Marsh further plays up the green motif. Below, green painted bookcases line the walls. Palm trees emphasize the tropics.  To give an air of sophistication to the library, Drake enveloped the ceiling in hammered silver paper. Dominating the room is a phantasmagoric oil painting by Andy Harper called Winter Gate.

(Library by Jaimie Drake)Charles Pavarini designed this ultra-chic "Black, White, and Red All Over" bedroom full of decorative delights.  The leather wrapped platform bed custom designed by Pavarini floats over the Ironwork carpet by Stark. A resin painting by Damian Robinson provides red fire to the room as sculpted butterflies dance across the mirrored walls.

(Bedroom by Charles Pavarini)

Bonus

Click here to read A Day at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House.