7 Methods to'Happy Chic' Your House and Life

Jonathan Adler’s approach to lifestyle reflects his way to home decorating: He constantly strives to be chic, daring and memorable. For Adler, a house is a manifestation of a psychological state, and creating a home is as much about finding happiness as it is about finding the perfect couch or dining table.

In 100 Ways to Happy Chic Your Life (Sterling, November 2012), the next installment in his Happy shimmering series, Adler shares layout ideas as freely as he doles out self information — and that is the purpose. “I need this book to be as much a lifestyle bible as a decorating decoration,” he says, adding,”You only live once. As Auntie Mame said,’Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.” Here are seven ways to add a number of the Adler zest into your space.

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1. Marry wall and art. Adler points out that although most people would depart this ebony tile wall bare, he favors the reverse: hanging a bit of art here. Art against tile rather than a plain wall functions just like a gorgeous union, he says; they match and elevate every other.

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2. Do your doorknobs right. The entry is your opening statement to guests; an unsightly doorknob prevents the space from soaring. As Adler says, the doorknob is the very first thing people touch, so make every single knob at the home count.

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3. Embrace irreverence. Adler’s husband, Simon Doonan, defaced this classic George Washington printing by adding personal touches (eyepatch, moustache, red lips and — wait for this — a Prince emblem necklace ). “You tire easily when you’re serious all the time. You can put a spin on pretty much anything. Nothing’s too sacred,” says Adler.

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4. Listen to the tingling of timber chimes. The yin into Adler’s generally abbreviated yang, wind output signal a kind of winding down to the mind and, as stated by the designer, are best admired in dusk. In addition to encouraging listening into chimes colliding, Adler also advocates napping in strange corners and nooks, having afternoon tea like the Brits and devoting yourself outside of a distinctive event.

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5. Go for all black. There is nothing more fabulous than going out of the house dressed in head-to-toe black than a room — or an entire home — painted in ebony. Adler says that the fabulous something sounds it would look painted black, the more glamorous it will actually be in black.

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6. Show a little wear and tear. These citrine French industrial lamps show what Adler calls”war wounds,” showing the scratches and dings of its past life. Preloved and well-worn decor elevates a room and bares its soul. As in home decoration, Adler recommends choosing friends with a couple dings, also.

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7. Turn the bookshelf to a composition. “Don’t think of the bookshelf as a repository. Maintain your shelves integrated and crucial,” says Adler. He enlivened the bookshelf in the home, using it as a large-scale focal point and mixing art, light, textures as well as other”un-bookish things,” as he calls them, with reading material.

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“You do not always have to spend money to’happy chic’ your lifetime. You can start by rearranging your furniture — there’s never one appropriate positioning,” says Adler, shown here.

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Adler says that although his lifestyle and layout tome is all about bringing joy into the home, his job as a designer is anything but constant cheer.

“I work very hard as a designer, and I’m borderline tortured, à la Vincent van Gogh,” he says. “I work hard to create things that look effortlessly assemble and happen to bring joy to people’s lives.”

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