Home Inspiration With Sarah Lonsdale
This month, Brooklyn-based British interiors stylist Hilary Robertson comes out with her latest book, Monochrome Home, inspired by Scandinavian Pinterest boards she discovered after digging deep into Scandinavian blogs and noticing a freshness to the timeless appeal of the monochromatic home. We asked her to share her insights.
Photography by Pia Ulin from Monochrome Home, Elegant Interiors in Black and White (see below for details).
Remodelista: Would you describe your own home as monochrome?
Hilary Robertson: It is pretty monochrome, but I can't quite resist a bit of color. I like tertiary pinks and taupes in different shades and intensities because they add depth to the room.
Above: Furnishings in muted shades in architect Joseph Dirand's Parisian apartment, which has walls finished in marmorino plaster made of marble dust and lime putty.
RM: How do you approach a new space and decide on a direction?
HR: It depends on the orientation of the room and the light. Whenever I move into a new space, I like to wash the walls and floors in a white paint, then stand back and see what the light does. It's the least expensive way to approach a space. I think this comes from being a stylist and working in all-white studios.
Above: Parashkev Nachev's London mews house features brick walls painted inky black.
RM: When would you go with a dark color?
HR: It's really all about what sort of person you are. Neuroscientist and neurologist Parashkev Nachev [his space is featured in the Night Owl chapter] lives in a completely dark-colored apartment—a greenish black. Of course, he is never there in the daytime; for him, it is a nighttime retreat, so it works well for him. I love to do all dark, but it depends on the space. The middle room in my brownstone does not get a lot of light, and painting it white didn't help. Instead, I went for a black chalkboard paint and use lots of good lighting. The dark works because of the lack of natural light.
RM: Does psychology play a role with color?
HR: People are very different, and while some people are happy to be in the dark, others want a bright room that will give energy. People are light sensitive and emotionally driven by color, so it really depends on the individual and the space.
Above: A black-and-white kitchen in Lyon, designed by Stephane Garotin and Pierre Emmanuel Martin of Maison Hand, features glossy black tiles and bitter chocolate walls.
RM: How do you work with a single color when designing a monochromatic space?
HR: If you stick to one color, you can add layers with textures, patterns, and pieces from different periods. There are also lots of nuances within the color itself. If you are working with black, it can be greenish hue or a true black, but you can play with these tones. Black can be a very restful color.
Above: The kitchen of Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen—a partner in the Copenhagen firm Norm architects—is a lesson in practical minimalism with its unadorned white cabinets and reclaimed bleached herringbone parquet countertop.
RM: You mentioned a monochrome palette being like the no makeup look. What do you mean?
HR: It's all about subtlety and the quality of the container. The Norm house is a perfect example of this, where you have good bones and a great backdrop: It has cast concrete floors, white walls, and lots of period detail—which is unified by the monochrome palette.
Above: The temporary home of designer and stylist Annaleena Leino Karlsson, who has taken a 1970s cottage and, with lashings of white paint, created an all-white canvas punctuated by graphic black accents.
RM: Is a monochrome palette a more expensive proposition?
HR: No, it can go high and low. Annaleena's home is a great example. It's a rented temporary space where she covered the floors with hardboard and painted them white, then brought in some Ikea furnishings. She's a good example of how to work with uncompromising ingredients. Monochrome as a strategy is quite flexible and can be quite forgiving.
RM: You define gray as being "in between territory." Can you discuss its merits?
HR: You have a lot of choices with gray. I prefer the warm ones with brown, green, and violet tones over the bluer, colder ones that can get a little institutional. Dark gray is great with old things, as it is forgiving and makes them look good. Many antique dealers love a Gustavian gray as it is a softer background for patinated pieces and it has a modern association.
Above: A collection of art and white ceramics are highlighted against the dark wall in the home designed by Maison Hand.
RM: Advice on displaying objects in a monochrome interior?
HR: You can do something really interesting by grouping a lot of different objects in one color. It's less about the objects—they can be quite ordinary—but more about making something sculptural with what you pull together; the whole is greater than its parts. It's as simple as taking some cheap white vases or glass bottles from Ikea and making a shape out of that. In this case the whole is more important than the individual piece.
A monochrome environment becomes more interesting when you play with scale. With an all-white room you can get something really big and paint it white, or keep it black, and it will make things interesting. I just did this for a client with a tire, which I painted white and hung from the ceiling on a thick rope to make a swing. Adding a large-scale shape floating in space was fun and gave the room a focal point.
Above: Monochrome Home by Hilary Robertson, published by Ryland Peters & Small, comes out April 15; it can be advance ordered from the publisher for $35. If (like me) you are interested in recommended shades, there is a paint directory at the back of the book.
For more on Hilary, see our post on her previous book, The Stuff of Life, devoted to the art of display.
Looking for some ideas for summer entertaining? Read our Expert Advice post with Hilary.
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Outdoor Spaces With Remodelista Team
This week, Michelle and team headed to the UK with us to explore tiny, inventive urban plantings. They also took detours to plan Easter DIYs, egg posies included.
Above: 11 Garden Ideas to Steal from London.
Above: DIY: Wheatgrass Eggs. Also take a look at DIY: Hanging Easter Posies.
Above: The Gardenista 100: Best Rattan Lounge Chairs.
Above: Garden Visit: The Little House at No. 24a Dorset Road.
Above: 10 Easy Pieces: Zinc Barrel Planters.
Above: The State-of-the-Art Rental Cabin, Devon Edition.
Explore more at Gardenista's Minimal London issue.
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Kitchens With Julie Carlson
Spotted lately: tiles so subtly patterned they require a second look.
Above: Brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec say their Pico Tile for Mutina has a "matte finish with a sensual surface feel. With its slightly irregular dotted texture, Pico stands in contrast with the extreme brightness and slickness of today's coating materials." The tiles are available in several colorways; go to Mutina for more information.
Above: Parisian designer Inga Sempé created a collection of tiles in eight patterns for Mutina; shown above is the Epi pattern.
Above: Designed by UK artist Neisha Crosland, Haveli tiles for Ann Sacks have a subtle geometric pattern.
Above: The porcelain Muse tile line by English designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby "is strongly influenced by the city of London, where we both live," they say. "It's inspired by the history and the personality of the British capital, and by the huge variety of textures characterizing its infrastructures, such as bricks, wooden floors, and irregular geometrical patterns."
Above: Inga Sempé's Aqua and Feutre patterns for Mutina.
Patterned tile is having a moment; see more of our favorites and read our advice in:
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Architecture & Interiors With Margot Guralnick
Britain's Landmark Trust is a charity devoted to "giving buildings a new life as inspiring places to stay." It has a large roster of rentals in notable historic structures (mostly in the UK, but also in Italy, France, and the US)—from a pineapple-shaped folly in Dunmore, Scotland, to a seaside clock tower in Devon. And it's continually adding to its roster. But what to do when the property in question is the architectural equivalent of a tattered ball gown?
Astley Castle in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, dates to the 13th century and was the domain of three queens (Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV; Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VIII; and Lady Jane Grey, who reigned for nine days). It was used as convalescence home in World War II and later became a hotel, but a 1978 fire left it on the verge of collapse. When the Landmark Trust first attempted a conventional restoration almost 25 years ago, it realized the site was too far gone and threw in the towel. Later, when Astley landed on Britain's most endangered buildings list, the group issued a save-our-castle design contest. Witherford Watson Mann Architects of London won the job—and the RIBA Stirling Prize of 2013, the Royal Institute of British Architects highest honor, for the results. Come see why.
Photography via the Landmark Trust, except where noted.
Above: Barely standing when Witherford Watson Mann took on the project, the designers filled in the blanks with modern brickwork and wood-framed windows that unabashedly contrast with the original structure. The revival was partially funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Above L and R: Witherford Watson Mann stepped up to their task by constructing what the Landmark Trust calls "an unequivocally modern living accommodation clasped within the shell of the ancient castle." The architects put it this way: "Contemporary brick, concrete, and timber construction sits directly on the medieval rubble walls, reoccupying the ancient manor. The project opens this private estate for public access through a network of new pathways and salvages the ruins of the castle, binding them into a vivid new house." Photographs by Design Hunter.
Above: The second floor is devoted to a vast open-plan contemporary kitchen and dining area. At the dining table, the views are of not only 13th- and 21st-century construction, but also the remains of 15th-and 17th-century wings.
Above: The kitchen overlooks a living room with new exposed wood beams and sliding glass doors that open to a balcony so that occupants can survey their domain. Photograph by Hélène Binet.
Above: Astley's crumbling Tudor and Jacobean wings have been artfully converted into courtyards.
Above: The interior offers framed views of the courtyards.
Above: There are four bedrooms (two doubles and two twins) on the ground floor, and the castle can accommodate eight people.
Above: The bathrooms, too, are a mix of ancient and modern. Photograph via VPW magazine.
Above: A bedroom with an old stone wall and sliding glass doors that open onto what the Landmark Trust describes as "the ghost of pleasure gardens."
Above: A view of the Astley church. There's also a lake and stable block and a network of walking paths.
Above: A wood stair with an openwork design that echoes the ceiling treatment connects bedrooms to the living area. The architects also inserted an elevator to make the structure accessible to all. Photograph by Hélène Binet.
Above: Newly fortified ruins in a wing of the castle. Photograph via VPW magazine.
Above: A view of the architects' house-within-a-house approach.
Above: Witherford Watson Mann's plan for the living floor—which includes a green roof off the kitchen/dining area—details the new and existing parts of the structure.
Astley Castle is located in the town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, in England's West Midlands. It rents for £871 ($1,291.69) for four nights for up to eight people, and is almost fully booked through 2016. The Landmark Trust will next be accepting reservations this September for 2017. Go to the Landmark Trust for details, including a full accounting of the restoration, and to see the group's other rental properties.
Planning a getaway? Take a look at other rental houses on our radar:
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