When looking through photos of beautiful high-end rooms, it can be tempting to think, “If I had that kind of money, of course I could create a gorgeous living room (dining room, bedroom) like that.” But a gazillion-dollar budget doesn’t guarantee a great-looking room. And you don’t need a fortune to design a room that’s inviting and delightful and comfortable to be in.

New York City interior designers Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller’s work for celebrity clients such as Vogue’s Anna Wintour and actress Jessica Chastain has landed them on Architectural Digest’s exclusive AD100 list. But in the foreword to the designers’ recent book Carrier and Company: Positively Chic Interiors, Wintour writes: “These are homes whose high style comes from a very human-scaled sense of warmth and joy.”

The designers have organized their book into six looks, such as tailored, country, modern and traditional, and discuss the concepts they use in creating each style. We’ve highlighted some of their work and design ideas here. See if there are useful concepts you can pull out for your next project.

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

Photos from Carrier and Company: Positively Chic Interiors

Timelessness

To achieve a sense of timelessness in a room, Carrier and Co. Interiors selectively mixes references from the past, the present and the future. The designers’ recipe:

• Antiques as a key component
• A piece or two from the mid-20th century to lighten up the room and help bring it into the present
• A carefully chosen contemporary classic — something surprising but not trendy — to add a sense of being up-to-the-minute

In this upstairs landing in Vogue editor Wintour’s country home, an oversize painting by Hugo Guinness hangs above a diminutive Swedish painted chest of drawers. The play on scale accentuates the contemporary nature of the artwork and brings the old house up to date.

Photo above by Jesse Carrier

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

“For us, decorating is always about the mix,” the authors write. “A room’s style — a home’s style — derives from the pairings, the compositions, the accents and details. Unexpected choices in scale, material or placement, a daring use of bold color or finish, may arrest the eye and stop time.”

Color and artisanal quality unify the forms, textures and materials of this Hamptons, New York, sitting room. The watercolor-like patterned wallpaper helps tie together the antique armchair upholstered in a hand-woven Chapas Textiles fabric and the hand-woven Guatemalan wool rug. The polished midcentury brass drum table and torchiere offer contrast.

Photo by Pieter Estersohn

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

Tailored Refinement

Tailored rooms can be clean and pared-down like modern rooms, the authors write. What makes them different is that they’re refined in such a way that they feel “a little more sensual, a little more lush, a little more plush. Their geometry speaks clearly, but it does so with a softer, gentler, though still precise edge.”

Tailored rooms may be traditional as well. The balance of elements determines whether a room leans toward traditional or modern. Above, splashes of lemon yellow and marigold orange add sunny warmth to an elegant living room’s neutral palette. The white walls have a polished-plaster finish.

Photo by Robert Brantley

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

In this Florida entry hall, pairs of antique Oushak rugs and potted fig trees relax the feeling of grandeur. The contemporary plaster sand-dollar-inspired light fixtures by Marc Bankowsky and giant clamshell on the Dunbar chest at right connect the room to its locale.

Photo by Robert Brantley

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

The walls of this den are wrapped in linen, and grosgrain ribbon trimmed with nailheads covers the seams. Custom-fabricated curtain hardware with simple returns, rather than finials, downplays the formality of the curtains.

Photo by Robert Brantley

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

Country Charm

Country decor celebrates “the beauty of uncomplicated times and straightforward pleasures. People imagine rubber boots, apple picking in quilted jackets, horses and hayrides, or the beach equivalent of all that,” the designers write. “They want their rooms to cater to that vision, to express that ideal, yet in an authentic way. As a result, the decor may feel caught in a moment or a memory, which is the source of the nostalgia. This can seem to slow down time, which is what the fantasy of country living is about for many.”

Carrier and Co. lists elements typically found in high-end country decor: slipcovered pieces, kilim-covered items, twig furniture, sisal rugs and wrought iron railings and curtain hardware. Locally salvaged industrial and agricultural items may be included.

The farmhouse bedroom above features classic country details: linen, a metal bed, painted wood furniture, a botanical print. Unexpected color pairings and a contemporary hand-blocked throw pillow add a fresh twist.

Photo by Francesco Lagnese

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

In the sitting room of Wintour’s country house, rag-glazed paneled walls and a framed United States map create a rustic yet refined background for a George Smith rolled-arm sofa covered in a Bennison Fabrics print.

Photo by Jesse Carrier

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

Luxuriously Modern

Modern decor means different things to different people. For Carrier and Co., a modern room includes:

• Strong silhouettes
• Precise geometry
• Clean lines
• Crisp edges
• Boldness and graphic clarity
• Soft moments, sensuous curves and deluxe details, as foils to the streamlined aesthetic
• A piece that’s clearly of today

The dining area above features a reclaimed-wood dining table. The dark fireplace wall behind it makes a striking backdrop for the artwork and the antique Italian gilded sunburst mirror. The floating fireplace provides warmth and focus.

Photo by Zach DeSart

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

Organic, rustic and refined elements combine in this vignette of a gilded driftwood lamp, a hand-carved sideboard and a quartz crystal-framed mirror.

Photo by Eric Piasecki

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

A Nod to Tradition

Antiques are an integral part of traditional interiors for these designers, who write:

• Antiques are evocative.
• They add atmosphere, age and patina to a room.
• They endow a room with a feeling of the familiar — the emotional and visual comfort of forms and materials that are tried, true and trusted.

This traditional eat-in kitchen features comfortable dining chairs and an adjacent seating area. An oval-shaped English hunt board (traditionally used for serving breakfast after a hunt) takes center stage but allows for ease of passage. A playful artisan-made zinc chandelier from the 1920s hangs over the table.

Photo by Peter Margonelli

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

Carrier and Co. lacquered the walls of this room in powder blue to match the cotton velvet on the sofa and bring color and shine to the windowless space. A traditional American hooked cotton rug in a contemporary abstract pattern offers contrasting texture. More texture comes from the worn painted finishes on the blanket chest and the faux-bamboo bench, as well as the thick woven tweed on the Dunbar winged slipper chairs.

Photo by Pieter Estersohn

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

Bohemian Glamour

“We find bohemian glamour to be very dynamic and exciting. For us, it means using design and decoration in a particularly creative way: that is, expressively, to tell the client’s story,” the designers write.

“In such rooms, each choice comes with additional layers of meaning. Beyond pleasing aesthetics and functional practicalities, the elements of the room must capture a personality and an approach to life — and to do so clearly and forcefully, but without shouting.”

Rooms that epitomize bohemian glamour are:

• Eclectic
• Full of pattern-on-pattern
• Wonderfully colorful, with vivid, arresting and unusual accents
• Occasionally overflowing with a rich, sometimes eccentric riot of visual information
• Not necessarily maximalist, per se, and not just about “more is more”

“Our role in such projects is to establish calm amid visual cacophony, to relieve the visual density yet still reveal the personality, because when there is too much to take in, the eye has nowhere to pause or relax,” the designers write.

This home office in a loft had a wall that was double height. The designers turned the wall into a faux library with a Tracy Kendall trompe l’oeil bookshelf wallpaper. The room’s colorful palette was pulled from the colors in the wallpaper’s books.

Photo by Peter Margonelli

Carrier and Company Interiors Ltd.

Carrier and Company: Positively Chic Interiors by Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller with Judith Nasatir (The Vendome Press, 2015, $60)

Cover photo by Robert Brantley

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7:15 PM

Copper has made a refreshing comeback lately in lighting, hardware and accessories, complementing the metals — oil-rubbed bronze, brushed chrome, polished nickel and antique brass — that we’ve grown accustomed to over the last several years. And while it certainly isn’t a new metal in the home, this time around designers are shunning the aged, penny-brown-to-greenish-black finish often associated with it. Today copper is being polished to a high sheen, allowing its pink and orange undertones to shine through.

The metal is versatile enough to work in a wide range of design styles, warming environments with its distinct hue. But keep in mind that when including copper accents, it’s important to have a certain comfort level with mixing metals. Remember that most rooms will include other finishes, on items such as door hardware, light fixtures and appliances.

Cynthia Lynn Photography

A few carefully selected pieces of copper can add a touch of brilliant warmth to virtually any style room, complementing a wide range of colors and finishes, from warm to cool. Copper treasures can often be found at thrift stores — or perhaps you have pieces that have been handed down to you. If they’re tucked away, get them out and enjoy them!

David Sharff Architect, P.C.

In a kitchen of white, stainless steel and polished nickel, copper canisters and a large bin filled with a floral arrangement add welcome accents of bright warmth.

Artichoke

Am I alone in wanting to know what deliciousness gets whipped up in this cook’s kitchen that embraces all things copper?

New England Design Elements

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a little copper can go a long way. Here, the faucets and sprayer are the jewelry of a newly renovated vintage farmhouse kitchen.

Mowlem & Co

Another small accent of the metal is used here, lining the inside of the pendants — a striking touch of warmth above the cool navy island.

Artichoke

These pans — some with a gorgeous hammered texture — contrast with the cool gray shelves and white subway tile.

Dysign AB

In this aesthetically pared-down kitchen, copper pans and a pair of utilitarian copper socket pendants above a copper sink and faucet bring significant warmth and charm.

Fresh Photo House

And how about copper-toned bar stools? These wouldn’t have been seen even a couple of years ago.

studio PPARK

Copper is definitely a trend in lighting. Hung above a dark island, this trio of sleek pendants feels slightly unexpected against the white cabinetry and marble.

Sealy Design Inc.

A more traditional-style light fixture in copper warms this cool-toned kitchen.

Carolina Design Associates, LLC

Classic lanterns in copper feel appropriate among the muted colors of this design.

SFGIRLBYBAY

Copper has also been showing up on fireplace surrounds, with dramatic results.

LDa Architecture & Interiors

The treatment, in which the metal is applied in sheets, seems to work with any room, regardless of style.

Jeff Sheats Designs, Inc

This custom mixed-metal vessel sink on a navy vanity with brushed nickel hardware settles it: Copper looks amazing with navy.

Threefold Architects

Cheerful tile sets a whimsical tone in this bathroom, and the copper fixtures help complete the look.

Hart Design And Construction

A copper bathtub is a luxurious choice, no doubt. Here the metal’s brilliant sheen contrasts beautifully with the antique brick, rustic wood floors and beams, and dramatic dark walls.

Siemasko + Verbridge

Exterior fixtures make a statement in copper. Keep in mind, though, that this soft metal tarnishes over time and that the process will be hastened when copper is exposed to the elements. Either embrace the patina or accept that there will be some upkeep involved to maintain the shine, especially outdoors.

Tell us: What are your thoughts on copper? Will it be joining the other metals in your home?

More
Shine On: How to Clean and Care for Copper
Surprise Contender: Copper for Kitchen Countertops

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4:12 PM

Does your mood need a little lift when you walk into a space? Well, maybe it’s the ceiling that needs lifting. If you’re working with a basement room, awkward attic or another space with an uncomfortably low ceiling — but can’t pony up to actually raise the roof — there are ways to make it look higher so that the room feels beautifully airy and open. Here’s how.

The Graces - ReMax Hallmark Realty

White and Bright

One of the best first steps to visually lifting a low ceiling is to paint it bright white, then add as much light as you can.

It’s important to remember, though, that can lights alone may not help hoist the ceiling. In fact, if the only light in a room is beaming downward, this may leave the floor and furniture brightly lit but the ceiling in shadow. Adding table or floor lamps that shine upward will keep the lighting more even so that no dark corners develop.

Baobab Design

Positioning

Another key strategy to making a room feel taller is to create a floor plan that takes the best advantage of what height there is. Low basement spaces often will have areas with a normal ceiling height, which can be dedicated to circulation space, while the lower areas are used for seating. This way you can stand tall while moving about the room and feel cozy while nestled into a sofa.

Notice how this room places the sofa under the ceiling drop, at a playful diagonal angle no less, to make maximum use of the full-height area.

Strickland Mateljan

Similarly, this room pushes the seating against the wall under the low area, so the tallest part is open for circulation. It also adds lots of glowing light to distract attention from the ceiling.

To be fair, this isn’t the lowest basement ceiling ever, but with this thoughtful layout and the beautiful wall features, you may not even notice the drop.

Leslie Goodwin Photography

Cove Lights

Here’s that same space from a different angle, which makes it easier to spot the glowing cove light washing the wall and art. Tucking a light source where it won’t be seen (behind a bulkhead or even behind furniture) creates an ethereal glow that tricks the eye into believing sunlight is pouring in from somewhere, which fights off claustrophobia.

Decor by Christine Interior Decorating & Design

Bold Furniture

Another way to distract the eye from a low or broken-up ceiling is to use bold furniture pieces that draw the attention. This weighty blue sofa is likely the first thing you notice when you enter the room, and the colorful rug, chair and gleaming side table keep the focus on the ground. Adding this weight draws the eye down, effectively making the ceiling feel higher.

Studio Gild

Low Furniture

If you enjoy lounging on the weekends, using low furniture to create a hip casual seating space also will help keep the ceiling feeling high above your head. This sofa with extra pillows (and the trio of poufs) is made for piling onto to watch a movie, or for teens to hang out with friends. Add a big plush rug, and the whole space will beckon you to lie down and forget your worries.

Kon-strux Developments

Exposure

Another common strategy for stealing an extra foot or so of space is to remove a dropped ceiling (commonly used to hide messy construction components), and then paint the ceiling and any beams or pipes white. This look works especially well when you play into it with a quirky or eclectic style, such as the use of recovered planks here to dress an accent wall.

K.Marshall Design Inc.

Exposed beams can help distract the eye from where the true ceiling begins, making the newly lifted ceiling plane seem even higher. In a home office (which typically means a lot of sitting), you probably won’t notice where the overhead space ends.

integrated Design ideas

For those who don’t like painting all their wood: Exposed beams needn’t be strictly white for this effect to work. Wood or colorful beams also will visually advance, helping the panels of ceiling between them recede, so the effect is cozy but not cramped.

TileStyle

Less Is More

Filling a low-ceilinged room with minimal furniture helps make the space feel large compared with its singular function. In other words, when the room contains just a bed or just a sofa, it feels like a luxuriously large nook instead of a cramped room.

Notice how this bedroom skips weighty nightstands and a chest at the end of the bed in favor of keeping the storage elsewhere. Now the space can be all about diving into that plush mattress.

HELWIG HAUS + RAUM Planungs GmbH

Here’s another example: This game room feels absolutely decadent because so much floor space is dedicated to just one piece of furniture. It could include a sofa, chairs, TV and so forth to be more versatile, but choosing just one function and sticking to it keeps the slanting ceiling from being an obstacle.

Rentschler & Company Interiors

More Is More

Finally, sometimes the best way to handle a low ceiling is to refuse to give in. This basement uses striking colors, bold accents and plenty of furniture, and it highlights the ceiling with a wood treatment. However, amid the personality and fun, you don’t even notice that the ceiling is a little low. If you love a bold look, don’t let a simple low ceiling take you down without a fight.

The Tiny Project

This bedroom makes no effort to battle the low ceiling and celebrates its coziness instead. The wraparound wood and touch-me textural accents, such as the sheepskin rug, make the room all about coddling you like a cabin in a winter retreat. As they say, when you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Just do it in style.

More
How to Work With a High Ceiling
10 Bold Ceiling Colors

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1:08 PM

The jacquard loom revolutionized the way complex textile patterns such as velvet, damask and paisley are produced. Before the loom was invented in 1801, jacquard weaving was an esteemed craft practiced by skilled artisans with a musician’s rhythm. One arm coordinated the weaving of horizontal weft yarns over and under the warp yarns that ran perpendicular to the loom, while the other arm alternately raised and lowered those tensioned warps.

The jacquard loom changed the game: Complex textile patterns were drawn onto grid paper and sent to a specialist who transformed the drawings into perforations punched onto a series of cards, which were then fed through the specialized loom, similar to how a player piano roll produces a song. Though a computer program handles the task today, knowing the history of this elegant craft can help us appreciate the long tradition of some of the most intricate fabric designs.

Jules Duffy Designs

Cut velvet

Cut velvet is a form of jacquard created when the velvet weft yarns are raised above the perpendicular warp yarns and then snipped into a soft pile. Fabrics that feature cut velvet typically boast a solid ground (or background, in non-fabric-speak) and a single color in the velvet. Expect multicolored cut velvet jacquards to boost the price per yard.

Tapestry

Tapestry is a heavy, jacquard-woven brocade in which multicolored warp yarns are used in both the warp and weft. Textile artists leverage the richness and variety of color to depict elaborate, colorful scenes. Though the resultant fabric is hardy, many find tapestries too precious to deploy for everyday use, which is why you’ll more commonly see them on walls than on furniture.

Emmanuel Design Group, LLC

Featured here is a bevy of jacquard fabrics on furniture pieces by Emmanuel Design Group, a Texas furniture maker that specializes in techniques used by 16th-century artisans. Jacquard fabrics loomed the traditional way perfectly complement custom and antique furniture pieces.

Story & Space - Interior Design and Color Guidance

Matelasse

French for “quilted,” matelasse is another woven fabric that is commonly created on a jacquard loom using a double-cloth technique. Instead of single warp and weft yarns, additional filler or “stuffer” yarns are added to produce a pattern with a quilted look. Matelasse fabrics are most commonly found as bedding, but there’s no reason they can’t be used as upholstery and drapery.

Julia West Home

Here’s an example of a beautiful matelasse chair.

Damask

Plenty of design enthusiasts have come to identify the damask weave with the iconic large-scale stylized floral pattern shown here, but it’s actually a type of jacquard technique. True damask fabrics may feature geometric or floral patterns and are typically tone-on-tone, with a flat face and a bit of sheen. Flip over a woven damask and you’ll find the negative image with the colors reversed.

Kit Golson Design

Paisley

Though paisley originated in Persia, where it had traditionally been hand-loomed using only two colors of yarn, it really blossomed in Western Europe after the invention of the jacquard loom. Weavers in Paisley, Scotland, blew away the competition by using the new loom to produce the age-old fig-leaf pattern using five colors.

Debra Campbell Design

Brocade

Much like tapestry, brocade fabrics are thick, stiff and often colorful. Gold and silver threads are typically mixed into the palette, resulting in rich, luxurious textiles with a pronounced sheen. Viewing the reverse side of a brocade fabric is an education in itself: You’ll see where the fibers have been cut to create the design on the front.

Tobi Fairley Interior Design

Printed Damask

Today, traditional damask patterns are printed on what we call “greige goods,” which is essentially a plain, undyed base fabric like a raw cotton duck or canvas. Working in a fabric showroom, I see the shock on customers’ faces when they see the price of some printed fabrics: A simple damask with a single color featured on greige goods need not cost much, but when you see 14 different colors sampled on the selvedge of a beautiful Ralph Lauren floral, resist the urge to yell, “But it’s just printed cotton!” Each color is printed and dyed separately, so the more colors you see in a fabric, the longer it took to fabricate and the pricier it’s likely to be.

More Textile Textbook: Meet Your Must-Have Synthetic Fabrics | Fall in Love With These Prints From Around the World | Get Ready to Be Wooed by Wovens

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10:05 AM