Listening to your House

Design Confidently, Live Comfortably

Every house has a wall, corner, or alcove that yearns to be a star. Nora knows this instinctively, and one of the things she's done well is create vignettes, or small, deftly designed scenes, throughout her home.

A cornmeal chest in the hallway is at the heart of one such vignette. The distressed piece



	Anyone can create pleasing vignettes like the one above showcasing an old cornmeal chest, or the cozy corner below that invites you to sit for a while.

sits against a short wall just as you walk through the door the family uses most often. A whimsical antique advertising sign hangs on the wall over it, flanked by two metal sconces. A potted plant or a pumpkin may sit on the chest. Nora changes the elements of the vignette depending on the season and on the balance of colors and textures she finds pleasing.

Another of Nora's vignettes: A wing chair covered in quilted cotton, sitting next to a window between the dining room and the piano alcove. Add a side table with a topiary and a bold sconce on the wall -- and the small, perfect corner is complete.

Anyone can create a vignette. First identify the
space (it can't be too wide or all-encompassing). Think of it as a painting: Consider what will hang on the wall to give the painting a shape. Then add a third dimension to build the vignette out from the wall. Finally, consider textures, colors, and a mix of forms, remembering that in design, an odd number of objects generally works best.

NEXT: Lesson 4: Do the Unexpected

BACK: Lesson 2: Think Big

	IN THIS ARTICLE:

		Introduction

		Lesson 1: Be Still & Listen

		Lesson 2: Think Big

		Lesson 3: Think Small

		Lesson 4: Do the Unexpected

		Lesson 5: Use Your Treasures

		Lesson 6: Get Away From It All