Go to Extremes

“In your home, classic black-and-white—shown in a living room by L.A. Designers Woodson and Rummerfield—is inexpensive and widely available but always looks lavish. For added interest, work in a third color, such as hot pink, red or yellow.” Clearly, this tip from In Style’s January 2009 “Extra Splash In a Flash” isn’t for the tradition bound Classics out there like me, but there are ways to tweak the advice to fit your type.

This image is WAY to hip for this stodgy Classic. I could see my Fun sister-in-law able to pull it off. (In fact, she has actually pulled off one of the brightest yellows we’ve ever seen in her living room and kitchen…and it is an excellent backdrop for all her exotic travel photos.) Organics couldn’t do it because they have too many existing and aestheically clashing possessions with stories attached to them to be able to clear house fully enough to implement this designers’ solution. To be honest, I wouldn’t try this at home unless you are a designer. I mean, I truly don’t know many laymen who are going to pull off white/black & yellow without the help of a decorator.

The big takeaway or tweak to this tip is the power of threes and repetition. With color, have two main color ranges and then a third accent color which is repeated. This rule also holds for outfits and objets d’arts. And this isn’t me coming up with this stuff. It’s what I’ve gleaned from Traci Alleman and Lani Rosenstock (stylist extraordinaire.) When putting a grouping together, uneven numbers like 3 almost always work. As for outfits, people tend to look more finished/polished when they’re wearing three things, i.e., necklace/jacket/shirt or necklace/belt/shirt or belt/shirt/jacket. Honestly, it’s the easiest and most helpful thing to remember when you’re in doubt.

Originally published April 23, 2010