The New York designer reveals the elements to recreate this super chic sleep space.
In our new series, our favorite designers are sharing their secrets for pulling together a distinctive, chic sleep space.
With offices in New York and London, interior designer Philip Gorrivan bestows homes, restaurants, hotels and more with a modern tailored look. From a mountain home in Deer Valley to a beach cottage in East Hampton, the hallmarks of a Gorrivan interior are a refined color palette, balance of textures, and an eclectic eye for unique objects and art pieces.
We were thrilled when Philip shared the design DNA to his own bedroom at his country home in Washington, Connecticut.
Read on for a master class in creating a beautiful bedroom and shop some of his favorite Matouk linens to get the look.
If this bedroom had a name, what would it be?
"Relaxed Country Modern. It has modern elements to it but I blended those with some country touches and some other elements that are less precious like the antique nightstand and linen draped at the end of the bed. These tone it down and make it feel relaxed.”
What are the key elements here that make it come together?
"It’s about a mix of contemporary and modern art and lots of texture. The key pieces are the kilim rug, lots of vintage textiles and a classic curtain fabric like this Albert Hadley print. I wanted the room to be a mix of periods and styles that ultimately has its own story. To feel original and authentic, not just something that is evocative of something else.”
What’s the design lesson here?
"If you look at the room, everything communicates pretty well within the space. Also, it is a bedroom, so I wanted it to communicate well to me, as it is my bedroom."
Many people are intimidated by color and pattern. How do you strike a balance?
"I like to mix neutrals with pops of color. I always like to have some color in a room. For this space, the color is in the art. So, it’s key to keep the other parts neutral. The bed is a big statement in the room, so I upholstered it in a neutral fabric from my Duralee collection. You need a neutral palette so you can weave in colors in certain ways. To draw the eye, I choose a red book on the nightstand and the turquoise lamp in the corner. The lamp relates to the drawing to its left. The colors create a sort of thread.”
"I like to mix neutrals with pops of color. I always like to have some color in a room. For this space, the color is in the art. So, it’s key to keep the other parts neutral."
What about the wall color?
"It's Dove Grey by Behr.”
Any traditional bedroom design rules you follow or like to break?
"Every bedroom needs, in addition to a bed, a comfortable place to sit, whether it is a bench or a sofa. It’s important to have nightstands. I always do swing arm lamps to flank a bed. So those are the general “rules” I follow. You have to break the rules when you are working with limited space. At an apartment in New York City, I once put a dining room in a bedroom so when the client had dinner parties, guests could sit at the end of the bed! It was kind of crazy but it worked. It made it kind of fun for her, ‘I’m having a dinner party in my bedroom.’ Sometimes you are forced to be creative to make the space work.”
"You have to break the rules when you are working with limited space. At an apartment in New York City, I once put a dining room in a bedroom so when the client had dinner parties, guests could sit at the end of the bed!"
Can you tell us some ideas for recreating a look like this in our bedroom?
Having a rug that really fits.
“There are important elements that make a space work. So finding the right rug is important -- it sets the tone for the space. Here, the kilim keeps the look very casual country.”
Work with what you have.
“In this room, I couldn’t put curtains on the windows because the ceilings were too low. Instead, I used roman shades and had the shades go up to the ceiling to give the illusion that the room was taller than it appeared. That is the magic of decorating.”
“When you are working with a small room, another great trick is to paint the walls and the ceiling the same color...it’s another illusion to trick the eye.”
Set the backdrop.
“When you are working with a small room, another great trick is to paint the walls and the ceiling the same color. Doing this eliminates any delineation between the wall and the ceiling. So you don’t have a sense of where the walls end and the ceiling begins. It’s another illusion to trick the eye.”
Layer the bed.
"I like Matouk bedding for the simplicity and the high quality material. It's also another way to weave in color in a subtle way. Just like the artwork, book bindings, and lamps, the little band of fabric on the Lowell bedding is a subtle way to bring in color. I have the Lowell bedding in three colors -- opal, violet, and silver. Then I mix colors as well...Opal pillow cases with a brown duvet with violet shams. I like to mix up the colors and this bedding is a great way to play with color in a subtle way."
"I like Matouk bedding for the simplicity and the high quality material. It's also another way to weave in color in a subtle way."
