Design 101

You know what? I am not getting enough Sarah Richardson. Seriously! The interior designer and host of many HGTV design shows (Room Service, Design Inc., Sarah's House and Sarah's Cottage) now has yet another new show, Sarah 101. Unfortunately, Sarah 101 is only being aired on HGTV Canada...not available in the U.S., well at least not the lower 48. So I am sharing some Sarah 101 pics from the HGTV Canada website. Here we go...

I LOVE the green front door and the brightly colored coat rack in the foyer. Although, I would have placed the coat rack a little further away from the glass front door. I picture rambunctious kiddies rushing into the house, the door swinging open and crash! Call the glass man cause the glass in the front door just broke! Oops!

I reallly like the placement of the daybed style chaise between the living room and the dining room as it adds extra seating to both spaces. I saw Candice Olson use a daybed in a living space as a way to add flexible seating and I LOVED it. Here are the details and a few pics of that space (Carl and Tony's Living Room/Dining Room - Divine Design).

Okay, back to Sarah 101... the pink upholstered dining chairs, the pretty patterned accent chairs in the living room and the red painted console add great punches of color to the space. Sarah definitely has a knack with neutrals but I'm not sold on how she incorporated color in this space. Pantone's Honeysuckle 18-2120 (2011's Color of the Year) is going to be a thing of the past before we know it. Next year when Pantone Mulberry 17-3014 or Vermillion Orange 16-1362 is the Color of the Year what on earth are they going to do with the Honeysuckle chairs and sofa?

Sarah's design methodology has always been neutral finishes and fixed elements, a stellar combonation for timeless style. However, in this space she's strayed from her classic roots. I can't help but feel like this space is a bit matronly, in a grammy kind of way. The wall of plates seals the deal on the Grammy style for me. I think there is a much better way to display these heirloom plates, like...um, oh I don't know... in a cabinet!

Don't get me wrong, I do LOVE Sarah and her style, just not this project. I've seen pics of Sarah's Cottage and that I really dig. Check it out here.