 |
|
 |
| Sign up for the HGTV Decorating Newsletter for more stories like this |
 |
 |
| Debbie Travis celebrates "the new past" lifestyle - comfortable refuges that are personal and driven by homeowners' passions, not their pocketbooks. Plus, her take on what's hot and what's not. |
| For more Debbie Travis designs, tune in to Debbie Travis' Painted House weeknights at 11 pm ET and Debbie Travis Facelift Fridays at 8 pm ET. |
|
By Anne Krueger, HGTV.com
Nostalgia, comfort, integrity. These are the words that designer Debbie Travis uses to describe the current emphasis in home decorating. "I call it burrowing in," she says. "Home is a nurturing place, a happy place, a lifestyle." It's a refuge from everything that’s going on outside, from the information overload of war casualties, hurricanes and bad economic news on TV, she says.
"You wouldn't think the war or business scandals would have anything to do with the color of the sofa or the desire to have a new kitchen, but it does," says Debbie. "People are fed up and want to go home and nurture themselves. They’re thinking, OK, I'm going to buy a new duvet, or they create cheerful or den-like homes that they can escape to. They choose colors that pick up their mood."
Home is now a lifestyle choice driven by integrity, Debbie says. "Wealth has always been the main pushing point of design and style and home furnishings." Today, practicality, simplicity and the desire to create an individual space rule. "People, not money, are leading the way. Now, if you're not rich that doesn't mean you have to have ordinary things. Ikea and Target are brilliant at making affordable, good design in great colors with great prices. People are watching the shows like HGTV, they're creating their own looks, and they're experimenting and finding their style that suits their life, their home." |
  |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Bold geometric patterns |
|
Clever designs |
|
Family photos |
|
|
| |
"I'm seeing geometric shapes on the floor, in wallpaper. They’re bold and colorful and can make a big impact," says Debbie. The Flor carpet tiles that you change in and out are an example of this. "I ordered a great pink stripe and I can change it around. It's really cool." |
|
Today's furnishings have a "clever" quotient, Debbie says, from the return of the multipurpose Murphy bed and coffee tables that turn into dining room tables, to IKEA's affordable and stylish RTA (ready to assemble) furnishings. "We're talking about the cell phone generation here. They like change a lot. They're moving back into small, more urban areas," she says. "They don't have space or a lot of money so they're looking for style that is small and that can go with them." |
|
"If I ever had a fire in my house I would grab the family photos," says Debbie. "It would be 'Leave the husband, grab the pictures!'" Photos of friends and family create an instant feel of "home," she says. "The turn-of-the-
century home always had a table of photos. Today we have amazing photos and amazing new ways of displaying them." |
|
 |
 |
| |
Clutter |
|
Beige |
|
Opulence |
|
|
| |
"This past summer was the biggest year yet for yard sales," says Debbie. "People want a comfy feel without all of the stuff. Practicality and simplicity with a touch of nostalgia-like Granny's old rug or her throw over the sofa. I call the style 'the new past.'" For de-cluttering tips >> |
|
"Beige is a wimpy thing. It is so out," Debbie says. With today’s choices of colors for walls and furnishings, there's no excuse to opt for boring beige. For more on bye-bye beige >> |
|
There is nothing wrong with richness or luxury, Debbie says, but showing off is definitely out. "How can people show off when they know what's going on in the world today?" she asks. Replace home-furnishings bling with classic nurturing designs. |
|
|
|
| Anne Krueger is the editor of HGTV.com's Decorating newsletter. She has written for In Style, This Old House, Martha Stewart Living and The New York Times. |
|
| Sign up for the HGTV Decorating Newsletter for more stories like this |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
