How to create a charming, inviting home

By Hklbrries

Ingredients

• 2013). sort of define charm by what it is not. Charm is not about impressing," says Susan Sully, author of "Houses with Charm: Simple Southern Style" (Rizzoli, 2013). "Houses with charm don't say, 'Look at me!' They say, 'Live in me.' They're inviting."
• to she began scouting houses to feature in her book, Sully found that all manner of architecture and styles might qualify because charm is defined not by appearances but by "an unaffected spirit that puts people at ease."
• How is this sense of ease accomplished?
• Finishes and materials are selected with approachability and sensory engagement in mind. Even in a grand home, Schwab and co-author Cindy Smith like the look and feel of sisal rugs and use silks and velvets sparingly.
• Touchable objects are a must. Mix textures so eyes and fingertips can light on "something soft, something sleek, something with a distinctive weave, and maybe just a bit of leather," they suggest.
• to incorporate nuances and details that do not call attention to themselves but create an element of surprise when people come upon them, such as curtains with a scalloped hem.
• Perhaps the richest source of charm in a home are "the things that separate the house from anyone else's — the artwork, the way they arrange flowers," Smith says.
• An overhead fixture as the single source of light is another "charm killer," she says. Have three levels of lighting – table lamps, floor lamps or sconces, and overhead fixtures.
• Schwab, Sully and Smith live and work in the South, but their definition of charm — as indistinct as it is — is shared by designers in other regions.
• How charming is that?
• CTW Features

Details

Adapted from articles.mcall.com

Preparation

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