“There is no energy unless there is conflicting tension.” — Psychiatrist Carl Jung
I like minimalist interiors and I like beautifully decorated rooms. I like crystal chandeliers and rustic tables. I love carved gold mirrors and industrial light fixtures. Along with antiques, I also like modern furniture.
And I like it at the same time.
That’s why I was so happy to be able to get an advance copy of a new book that expresses my thoughts through pictures and words. The Romantic Minimalist — Simple Homes with Soul, by husband-and-wife design duo Atlanta Bartlett and Dave Couto, will be released on October 22nd and is perfect for anyone who loves simple, luxurious interiors but isn’t sure how to achieve it. They will be your ideal partner. off.
So I was able to figure this out, asked for a friend, and hopped on a Zoom call with Bartlett and Coot. They spoke to me from their romantic, minimalist home across a pond on England’s south coast near Dungeness. I asked them what I always ask authors of new design books. Why publish another book?
“We wrote this book because we found that a lot of people don’t want to part with beautiful fabrics or beautiful pottery,” Bartlett said. “But they wonder if it’s possible to have a pared-back, simple interior and still have vintage cushions and grandma’s crockery.”
“We’ve been through an era of more is more and a really simplified era with no concrete floors and curtains,” Coote says of his sixth design book, co-authored with Bartlett. added. “This book explains how to find synergy between the two.”
“That’s exactly my question,” I said. “I understand minimalism, I understand romanticism. But how can you marry at first sight?”
“First, understand that all furniture looks better with complementary and contrasting elements,” says Bartlett. “We are all crazy contradictions. Our homes should reflect gloss and matte, roughness and smoothness.”
“Amen,” I said, immediately feeling relieved. “One moment you want something sweet, the next you want something salty.”
“We wanted to go beyond a lone sofa in a spare room in a monastery and achieve a softer, more comfortable look, while still having a gentle, slightly Zen feel,” Couto said.
That’s the sweet spot. The 244-page hardcover shows you how. The resulting look is beautifully illustrated in a photo-rich book that hits the four-way intersection of simplicity, authenticity, charm, and comfort, and offers more than many books in its genre. Provide tips and helpful advice. The book includes chapters on incorporating light, color and nature, and includes 10 case studies featuring homes that apply romantic minimalist concepts.
“The focus is on acknowledging imperfection, encouraging self-expression, and never compromising on comfort,” the authors write in the introduction. Additionally, Bartlett and Coote offer the following characteristics of romantic minimalism:
• Honest materials. Romantic minimalism celebrates the use of honest materials that don’t pretend to be something else, such as hand-troweled plaster, natural wood, knobby linen, and well-worn leather.
• Negative space. According to Bartlett, the importance of an object of interest increases when there is a lot of space around it. “The space between objects is just as important as the objects themselves. That is the core of serenity in design.”
• Natural light. “We use natural light as a decorative element and believe it is essential for mental and physical health,” she said. “This is especially important for those of us who live in northern regions where there is long darkness.” In fact, most of the interiors featured in their book use whitewashed wood floors and white wood paneling. I am. This is because white reflects light well.
• Furniture with long legs. Placing furniture with legs on a white wooden floor will automatically make the room feel larger and more airy than a room with heavy solid wood upholstered furniture or carpeted legs. Masu.
• Contradiction. Part of the author’s characteristics is a mixture of opposites, such as masculinity and femininity. For example, Kut is all about the forest, his wife said. “I pull him back in the same way that he pulls me back if I keep my room too clean. A room that’s too pretty can become overly sentimental and morbidly sweet. The end result is a mix of industrial and cozy, soft and hard, old and new.”
• Be grateful for what you have. The book encourages readers to shun materialism and prioritize sustainability. “We need to stop thinking that we always need to buy new things and reinvent things instead of replacing them,” Bartlett said. “Someone might look at an item they’ve had for a while and say I need to replace it, but they can actually reinvent it and repurpose it in another room. Maybe you could put an old bedroom dresser in the entryway.
Marni Jameson is the author of seven home improvement books. Contact her at marnijameson.com.
