room design

i was asked by modani recently to design a dorm or first apartment for a college student.  the focus being "if you think back to your first touch of independence when you moved into a dorm room or apartment and could go back in time with the decorating expertise you have now, what changes would you make?"

this is my design based on my first apartment.  at that time, i was very much into french country mixed with old and new.  i had an old pine french country syle armoire that anchored my living room (and kept my ugly tv out of site), combined with a cream, roll-arm sofa, a chest for a coffee table, lots of baskets (they were cheap) and old barn window grids used as art.  today, my designs still mix up modern with old but have evolved and become more refined to include french louis-style furniture, anything gilded from italy and france, antiques, touches of chinoiserie all mixed up with bold color statements that are subtle yet strong and sometimes are quite bold.  more often than not, i now fuse my designs with feng shui balancing principles (after college i went to california to get certified in feng shui).  

in this design, i had a young and vibrant college lady in mind.  she's on the go and seeks the comfort and serenity of her space when done with her long day at school and perhaps work too.  the sofa is the anchor for the room.   it can fold out for friends that stop by and are there late studying or having fun, and need a place to sleep.   i'd put a pair of the modern, baroque chairs parallel to the sofa and load up the sofa with the throw pillows and soft throw.  the chinoiserie coffee tables (from one kings lane), would go in between the chairs and sofa but are small enough to move around the space for parties and such.  the poufs provide much-needed color and portable sitting spots.  the art was brought in to balance the white space, and give color; but also the wood element (in feng shui) was needed.  baskets were my savior back in the day, and i just love having them around to throw keys, pencils, paper and other items in that can be retrieved quickly.  uggs...ahhhhh...uggs...to slip on at the end of a long day.  xx, dana

modani furniture conceptualizes on contemporary and modern furniture (modani.com) at very affordable prices.  you can find them here or at stores in new york, chicago, los angeles, miami, washington d.c., houston, atlanta and toronto, canada.