Yves Saint Laurent was more than an iconic fashion designer. He lived luxuriously. Here are a few lessons you can learn from a St. Laurent house in every place.
Since 1961, when he started his now-iconic fashion brand, Yves St. Laurent has been synonymous with elegant, empowering, and refined style, especially when it came to women’s wear. However, he also carried that over into his home decor. Often luxurious, but never gaudy, here are some tips on how to make your house look like a Laurent house.
Don’t Be Afraid to Embrace Color
One thing of the most notable things about a Laurent house is how easily and effortlessly it embraces color. This is especially true when it comes to his Marrakech house, Majorelle.
Inspired by the Moroccan landscape and architecture, St. Laurent used vibrant blues, lush greens, and desert reds in every room. Instead of being afraid they would be overpowering or too much, he used them to create a feeling of synergy to the grand mansion. All of the various colors help to make sure the eye doesn’t get overloaded by a single color scheme but at the same time looks completely natural.
Patterns Are Your Friend
One of the ways he helped to make sure all the various colors weren’t too much was by using patterns that incorporated as many of the colors at one time as he could find. Everywhere you look there seems to be a floral motive or Moorish design elements that helped create a cohesive look.
And it isn’t just textiles and accent pieces either. Even the furniture has some sort of pattern or design painted on or engraved on it.
Don’t Be Afraid to Mix Styles
While most of Laurent’s house is decorated in a Moroccan style, he wasn’t afraid to find a way to use some of his favorite pieces from France or Russia. However, how he made this work is by looking for similar lines and colors to make sure that even though they were different from a genre aspect, they still matched from a visual one.
For example, the French chandelier has a very fluid and floral feeling to it, making it work with lines and pattern details from the Moroccan furnishings. And the Russian inspired dining room uses bright reds and Slavic motives to help create a feel similar to the rest of the house.
Add Inclusive Elements
Remember to make your home feel warm and welcoming to everyone. So, by adding little touches like a simple vase full of fresh-cut flowers to a table or comfy oversize, yet still sumptuous, pillows to sofas can help make people feel relaxed and at ease.
St Laurent even managed to do this with his design aesthetic. For more examples of this shop the iconic brand at SSENSE today.
Use Quality Textiles
While this makes sense when talking about silks and velvets, even using high-quality cotton can transform an old ratty chair into a statement piece. Plus, the better quality the material you use, the longer it lasts and the more timeless it is.
Every House Can Be a Laurent House
With a little patience and practice, your house can be a Laurent house. Just don’t be afraid to experiment and play with color and pattern until you find a design aesthetic that works for you.
Need a little help decorating? Why not check out one of our other articles on decor ideas to help get you started.
