There was a time in my career, probably about two years ago, when if one more person asked me for “that Something’s Gotta Give look,” I was going to lose my mind. I could design coastal rooms in my sleep, and I live in the midwest.
In case you’re not familiar, what everyone was referring to was the home featured in the movie “Something’s Gotta Give,” with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. It’s a beautiful home, and the look is so serene, and so comfortable… It’s elegant, but with a feeling of absolute certainty that yes, it IS ok to put your feet on the furniture. As all of our lives become more cluttered with both activity and STUFF, I think a real desire for many people to return to something simpler is the driving force behind the massive appeal. And believe me, I totally get that.
photo: Better Homes and Gardens
I have a resurgence of people requesting this look lately, and now that I’ve gotten some distance from it, I’m only too happy to oblige. (In fact, I anticipate adding several to the Online Home Decorating catalog in the very near future.)
Truly, it’s not that difficult a look to achieve. In a nutshell, stick to a color palette of various shades of white, khaki, blue, and black. Mix formal, classic wood pieces with beat up antique store finds. Stuff your upholstery with down cushions, make linen and cotton your primary fabric choices, and slipcover every third piece. TA-DA!
Ok, I’m over-simplifying. A bit. :)
This look is so wildly popular, I think I’ll give it it’s own category here at the OHD Blog, and walk you through some ideas you can use to bring this look to life in your spaces.
Although used almost entirely as an accent, black is a key element in creating this look. It creates the counterpoint to all the lightness of the paint colors and fabrics, and keeps the design from, well… floating away. In the movie, you see it in lamps, picture frames, accent furniture pieces, fabric trimmings, flooring… the list goes on.
photo from clippings.gardenweb.com/clippings/kptwin
Although this technique wasn’t specifically used in the movie (that I can remember – feel free to correct me), today, we’re going to look at black trim. WHAT??? Yes, black trim. Look at the first picture in this post.
Gorgeous. Look at how the architecture pops off that far wall. It draws attention to the vaulted ceiling, and at the same time, makes it less imposing. It also relates back to the dark chairs in the foreground of the photo, which otherwise would be creating a dark hole on the right side, unbalancing the room.
Fact: Not all of us are blessed with stunning woodwork. But now you can make even cheap builder-grade crap look like a million bucks! (Men, please note: Just because it’s wood, that doesn’t make it GOOD wood.) The black is so striking, it will highlight what may have originally been only a minimal detail. The darkness gives weight to what may have been wimpy. It also camouflages less desireable effects… like a faux woodgrain, grubby handprints, or years of abuse, for example.
photo: decorpad.com
This can also be an easy way to move the black around the room, as they’ve done in that first photo. You can see that they haven’t painted ALL the trim black (although in some cases, as you see above, you certainly could), rather they’ve used it to highlight a feature, and balance another element. Brilliant.
Have you ever painted your trim a surprising color? How did it turn out?
Until next time,
P.S. I promise, the coastal chic look is high on my priority list to add to OnlineHomeDecorating.com, so check in often!
Tags: Coastal Decorating, Online Home Decorating, Online Interior Design, Room Decorator Online, Something's Gotta Give House, Something's Gotta Give Look