Energy cannot be created without opposing tensions. — Psychiatrist Carl Jung
I like minimalist interiors and I like beautifully decorated rooms. I like crystal chandeliers and rustic tables. I love carved gold mirrors and industrial light fixtures. Along with antiques, I also like modern furniture.
And I like it at the same time.
That’s why I was so happy to be able to get an advance copy of a new book that expresses my thoughts through pictures and words. The Romantic Minimalist — Simple Homes with Soul, by husband-and-wife design duo Atlanta Bartlett and Dave Couto, published in the October 2A2 issue (Mitchell Beasley Publishing), is about people who like modest, luxurious interiors but aren’t. Become an ideal partner for others. I’m sure how to make that happen.
So I hopped on a Zoom call with Bartlett and Coot, asking for a friend of course, to figure this out. They speak to us from their romantic, minimalist home across a pond on England’s south coast. Dungeness. I asked them what I always ask authors of new design books. Why publish another book?
The Romantic Minimalist will be released by Mitchell Beasley Publishing on October 22nd, 244 pages, $39.99.
Photo provided
“We wrote this book because we found that a lot of people don’t want to give up their beautiful fabrics and their beautiful china,” Bartlett said. “But they wonder if it’s possible to have a pared-back, simple interior and still have vintage cushions and grandma’s crockery.”
“We’ve been through an era of more is more and a really simplified era with no concrete floors and curtains,” Coote added of his sixth design book, co-authored with Bartlett. . “This book explains how to find synergy between the two.”
“That’s exactly my question,” I said. “I understand minimalism, I understand romanticism. But how can you marry at first sight?”
“First, understand that all furniture looks better with complementary and contrasting elements,” says Bartlett. “We are all crazy contradictions. Our homes should reflect gloss and matte, roughness and smoothness.”
“Amen,” I said, immediately feeling relieved. “One moment you want something sweet, the next you want something salty.”
“We wanted to go beyond a lone sofa in a spare room in a monastery and achieve a softer, more comfortable look, while still having a gentle, slightly Zen feel,” Couto said.
That’s the sweet spot. The 244-page hardcover shows you how. The resulting look is beautifully illustrated in a photo-rich book that hits the four-way intersection of simplicity, authenticity, charm, and comfort, and offers more than many books in its genre. Provide tips and helpful advice.
The book includes chapters on incorporating light, color and nature, and includes 10 case studies featuring homes that apply romantic and minimalist concepts.
“The focus is on acknowledging imperfection, encouraging self-expression, and never compromising on comfort,” the authors write in the introduction. Additionally, Bartlett and Coote offer the following characteristics of romantic minimalism:
Honest materials: Romantic minimalism celebrates the use of honest materials that don’t pretend to be something else, such as hand-troweled plaster, natural wood, knobby linen, and well-worn leather. Masu.
Negative space: An object of interest becomes more important when there’s a lot of space around it, Bartlett says. “The space between objects is just as important as the objects themselves. That is the core of serenity in design.”
Natural light: “We use natural light as a decorative element and believe it is essential for mental and physical health,” she said. “This is especially important for those of us who live in northern regions where there is long darkness.” In fact, most of the interiors featured in their book use whitewashed wood floors and white wood paneling. I am. This is because white reflects light well.
Furniture with long legs: Placing furniture with legs on a white wooden floor automatically makes the room feel larger and more airy than a room with legs covered on heavy upholstered furniture or carpet. I can feel it.
Contradiction: Part of the author’s characteristics is a mixture of opposites, such as masculinity and femininity. For example, Kut is all about the forest, his wife said. “I pull him back in the same way that he pulls me back if I keep my room too clean. A room that’s too pretty can become overly sentimental and morbidly sweet. The end result is a mix of industrial and cozy, soft and hard, old and new.”
The book encourages readers to shun materialism and prioritize sustainability. “We need to stop thinking that we always need to buy new things and reinvent things instead of replacing them,” Bartlett said. “Someone might look at an item they’ve had for a while and say I need to replace it, but they can actually reinvent it and repurpose it in another room. Maybe you could put an old bedroom dresser in the entryway.
Marni Jameson is the author of seven books on home and lifestyle. She can be reached at www.marnijameson.com.
