Sunday, October 7, 2018

Michael Bastian's Eclectic Livingroom

According to Michael, his rent-controlled apartment home is “a little of everything that’s been smashed together in slow motion over the past 20 years.” The plain cream canvas of the walls allows him to add as many layers of decor and furnishings as he pleases, without it appearing too cluttered.

Michael Bastian is an American fashion designer with his own label after working for Sotheby's, Tiffany's, Bergdorf's and Ralph Lauren. When asked how he arranged the salon-style wall art he said, “it should never just be paintings or just photography, but a mix -- that’s where the real magic is. There should be modern stuff, textiles, framed book covers all hanging together.” Read the entire article here.

There is a lot to see but it all works and I like it. I can aways manage to squeeze in something I love even though I have no more room. I like being surrounded by things that make me happy. The only real price I have to pay is the difficulty in cleaning under, over, and around my collections, something I'm dealing with, big time, right now. I'm not complaining as it is turning out to be very satisfying.

Enjoy your Sunday and be sure to watch the second episode of the new season of The Durrells in Corfu tonight on PBS. In case you missed the first episode last week, you can watch it on the link I provided. I so love this series. xo

7 comments:

Beth said...

I LOVE the aesthetic and the palette though, for me, the amount of stuff makes me uneasy. The older I get, the less stuff I want.

Last week, I watched the documentary "Minimalism" on Netflix and woke up the next day mindful of the fact that it was October 1, which reminded me of a friend who undertook a "get rid of stuff" effort some years ago that calls for shedding a number of things that correspond with the date, i.e. October 1 = 1 thing; October 2 = 2 things; and so on. So by October 31, it compounds to 495 things.

And a "thing" can be anything. Yesterday, my six "things" were theater programs. The day before, it was kitchen-y bits that have been in a bag in the lowest drawer in my kitchen since I moved in. I'm never going to use them.

And I don't think I'll ever be a minimalist in the truest sense but it's a nice feeling, to sort through stuff and let it go. For now, it's accumulating in my guest room closet. My plan is to have a "free yard sale" and have folks take whatever they can use. I presume someone may just take it all and that's fine. If they sell it, so be it. Otherwise, I'll donate it to a local church charity shop.

Gotta choose seven things to add to the closet today!

Linda said...

I am immediately drawn to Michael Bastian's full space because it proves there's always room for "one more thing" (if it is in good taste) but then I stepped away from the screen and thought "eek" I need air and I truly get what Beth said so very well and will attempt to adopt her culling method. Pretty sure my little home always will be packed with what I love while I am desperate to free up hidden clutter.

Shall be watching Masterpiece tonight, too.

another gray and too humid and warmish to open up the house . . . so very eager for fresh cool, dry air & crunch of leaves underfoot. Thank goodness, Rosemary, you provide motivation for this indoor day.

Gail, northern California said...

He has certainly made every effort to conquer those unusually high ceilings. The room seems more to scale in your cropped photo, don't you think?

Love the soothing, restful colors. I wonder if he breathed an audible sigh of relief when that lovely secretary with bookcase slid right in next to the fireplace. Not much wiggle room.

SuSu said...

My comment should have actually been made a few days ago but...life has such good intentions, doesn't it?
Please do not stop blogging!!! I so look forward to your daily post - it comes to me around 8:00pm every night. You are a voice of reason in a world of political insanity. Your taste is faultless! And you introduce us to new things all the time such as the fonts - who else would think that they are important? You did - and we are all the better for it.
Thank you, Rosemary, and don't ever stop!
Susan

annette said...

Hi,Rosemary! This apartment exudes impeccable taste and I love looking at every nook and cranny. While I am not a minimalist,I tend to limit my collections, as I do not like dusting! Please keep these wonderful posts coming our way. Yours is one of the first I discovered and one of the few I read each day. As for the Durrell's in Corfu I woke this a.m. thinking about last night's episode and decided I want to watch the entire series again and again! xo

JudyMac said...

Hi, Rosemary! I just discovered this post .... better late than never, huh? Just wanted to tell you, however, that I love this room and can only hope that my rooms are half as “smashed together” as this one. It is so comfy looking.
JudyMac

jane said...

I love that room. I wish I could decorate so beautifully. I put many pictures on the wall but not that many.

I enjoy The Durrells of Corfu very much. And also Endeavour and Inspector Lewis. My favorite shows.