Welcome back to Interior Talk! A monthly chat where I answer some of your interior-related questions. I enjoy doing it in this format because then it becomes a reference tool you guys can come back to if you need down the road! A couple times a month, I pop a question box into my stories over on Instagram and then answer them here. You can check out the first Interior Talk from last month here.
Okay, let’s get to some of the questions from this month!
Q: Would you combine black furniture with sage colour accessories?
A: Totally! I just did a quick Pinterest search of sage and black decor and so many beautiful options came up. If you’re ever wondering about specific colour combinations, I recommend looking there because you’ll get some great visuals and ideas! It’s such a rich colour palette, it truly feels elegant and timeless.
Q: What plants do you recommend for coffee table and dining table styling?
A: For styling plants on a surface where the plant will sit in the center, I gravitate to ones that grow upward and are small to medium in size. Ones that I have and love to use in these spots: zz plant, fishbone cactus, pilea, jade, firestick cactus, birds nest fern, small rubber tree or a cutting of 1-2 leaves from a monstera. If you’re looking to style a plant on a side table, you can go with one that drapes over their pots: ivy, pothos, string of pearls, etc.
Q: What size of rug to use with couches/other furniture?
A: For a living room, I typically recommend going with either an 8×10 or a 9×12. A common mistake I see made in living rooms is a rug that is too small for the space. A living room rug should be at least 6″ wider than your couch on both sides (however, 8″ is ideal if you have the space). You also want to place the rug about halfway back under the couch, so both of the front legs are resting on top of the rug.
Q: How to include kids and toys in a space that still feels grown up and beautiful?
A: While I don’t have kids, I do have a husband and dog who both have toys ha. I think beautiful storage options will be your best friend for this. All that “stuff” is likely necessary and important to keep accessible but I would look for ways you can contain it. Rather than going for open bookshelves, choose options with doors so things can be hidden away. Get baskets with lids to store toys in common areas. Even having these flat storage bins that slide under the couch could be an option for things like lego/small toys/books that can lay flat. That way they can be hidden away without much hassle but also accessed easily.
Q: Link to your living room sconces?
A: These are the ones we have! We love.
Q: Any suggestions for bed linens? Cotton? Linen? Thread count? I’m overwhelmed!
A: These days, linen is my absolute favourite. I’m thinking that maybe a whole bedding blog post is needed in the days to come and I can share all of my favourite brands/specific products I love. I used to gravitate towards Egyptian cotton for sheets but ever since I started on the linen train, it’s been a love affair to say the least and slowly but surely everything has been swapped out. A few brands that I would recommend: Silk & Snow or Parachute.
Q: How do you style a bed?
A: Here is my formula: a set of great quality sheets, a fluffy duvet/duvet cover (I prefer linen for both sheets and duvet cover), a throw blanker or coverlet that fits the width of your bed, 2 or 4 main pillows, 2-3 throw pillows (two 20×20 or 22×22 + 1 lumbar).
I like to think of the entire bed as the canvas so you want to choose colours that go well together. I also like to contrast either a lighter sheet set with a darker duvet cover or vice versa for some good contrast. When you fold back the sheets, it’s aesthetically pleasing when there is a bit of a pop. Gone are the days when everything needs to be perfectly matching but coordination is most definitely your friend. I swap my throw pillows throughout the house like I change my clothes but lately have been drawn to neutral throw pillows with moodier bedding in the bedroom.
Q: What do you do about baseboard heaters under a window and you want curtains?
A: If you want to hang full length curtains but have baseboard heaters under a window, the rule of thumb is to keep them 1” off the ground and 2-3” away from the baseboard heaters. You can search for curtains with brackets that have a greater depth than the typical styles – these ones from CB2 would likely work in most spaces. You’ll want to check out the depth of the brackets and then measure both the distance from the wall to where the curtains will hang as well where the heater ends and the curtains will hang to make sure that you have enough space to clear the 2-3″ rule.
Q: How to match rugs to neutral couches, while maintaining a cohesive home?
A: There are so many ways to play around with variation here! A neutral couch creates an easy base to work with because so many different styles will work. I would consider the style of rug you want to go with and then build out the rest of your textiles from there. You could do a patterned rug like this or a more neutral option like this. If you end up going with a neutral rug and couch, most other textiles will work fine! If you go with a rug that has colour/pattern, you’ll want to make sure the other textiles don’t clash. I like to look for one or two colours from the rug and pull that into other elements of the room.
Q: What colour are your walls?
A: Our entire house is White Dove by Benjamin Moore. It’s a warmer white and works really well with lots of natural light. I absolutely love it and the warmth it brings to our space. I do find it looks quite yellow in the evenings and in some of the rooms with minimal natural light so I’ll likely be bringing a bit more colour via paint in the darker rooms in the days to come.
