Make your home romantic — within limits, says new book
“There is no energy unless there is a tension of opposites.”
— Psychiatrist Carl Jung
Ilike spare interiors and I like beautifully adorned rooms. I like crystal chandeliers and rustic tables. I like carved gilded mirrors and industrial light xtures. I like modern furniture alongside antiques. And I like it all at the same time.
Which is why I was so happy to get an advance copy of a new book that speaks my mind in pictures and words. “The Romantic Minimalist — Simple Homes with Soul” by married design duo Atlanta Bartlett and Dave Coote comes out Oct. 22 (Mitchell Beazley Publishing) and is an ideal companion for those who like their interiors humble and luxurious, but aren’t sure how to pull that o .
So I could get a handle on this, asking for a friend, of course, I hopped on a Zoom call with Bartlett and Coote, who spoke to me from their romantically minimal home across the pond on the South Coast of England, near Dungeness. I asked them what I always ask authors of new design books: Why another one?
“We wrote this book because we found that many people don’t want to give up their pretty fabrics and pretty China,” Bartlett said. “Yet they wonder whether they can have a pared back simple interior and still have vintage cushions and
granny’s dishes.”
“We’ve been through the more is more era and through the really pared back era with concrete oors and no curtains,” Coote added about the sixth design book he and Bartlett have cowritten.
“This book addresses how to nd the synergy between the two.”
“My question exactly,” I said. “I understand minimalism and I understand romanticism.
But how do you marry them in one look?”
“First, understand that all furnishings look better when they have a foil, something that opposes or contrasts with them,” Bartlett said.
“We are all a mad mass of contradictions. Our homes should re ect that, shiny and matte, rough with smooth.”
“Amen,” I said, feeling instant relief. “Like one minute we crave sweet and the next we want salty.”
“We wanted to go beyond the lonely sofa in the monastic empty room to achieve a so er, comfortable look that is still calm and a little Zen,” Coote said.
That’s the sweet spot
all right. And the 244page hardcover shows us how. The resulting look, which their richly photographed book beautifully illustrates, lands at the four-way intersection of simplicity, authenticity, glamour and comfort, while o ering more tips and instructive advice than many books in its genre. The book has chapters on light, color and bringing in nature along with 10 case studies featuring homes applying their romanticminimalist concepts.
“The emphasis lies in appreciating the imperfect, encouraging self-expression and never compromising on comfort,” the authors write in the introduction.
Beyond that, Bartlett and Coote o er the following
Marni Jameson At Home
Photo by Polly Wreford
Opposites attract — Although an antique gilt-framed mirror dominates this dining room, featured in “The Romantic Minimalist,” the rustic farmhouse table, vintage Bakelite railway clock and workaday lighting bring the whole space back down to earth.
DUMP / HAUL
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hallmarks of romantic minimalism:
• Honest materials. Romantic minimalism celebrates the use of raw materials like handtroweled plaster, natural wood, nubby linen, worn leather and any honest material that is not trying to pretend it’s something else.
• Negative space
Featured objects gain importance when they have lots of space around them, Bartlett said. “What lies in between objects, namely space, is as important as the objects themselves. That is the crux of serenity in design.”
• Natural light. “We use natural daylight as a decorative element and view it as essential for mental and physical health,” she said. “It’s especially important to those of us who live in northern regions that have long spells of darkness.” Indeed, most of the interiors featured in their book have whitewashed wood oors and white wood paneling because the white re ects light so well.
• Leggy furniture. Furniture with legs on white wood oors automatically makes a room feel more spacious and airier than rooms with heavier solid upholstered furniture and covered legs on carpeting.
• Contradictions: Part of the authors’ signature is the mixing of opposites, like masculine and feminine. Coote, for
instance, is all about the wood, his wife said. “I pull him back, as he pulls me from making a room too pretty. A room that’s too pretty can become overly sentimental and sickly sweet. So, we end up mixing industrial with cozy, so with hard, old with new.”
• Appreciation for what you have. The book urges readers to shun materialism in favor of sustainability. “We need to stop thinking we always need to buy new and instead reinvent rather than replace what we have,” Bartlett said. “Somebody might look at an item they’ve had for some time and say they need to replace it, when really they could reinvent it and reuse it for a di erent purpose in another room. Perhaps an old bedroom dresser can go in the entryway.”
Marni Jameson is the author of seven books, including “Rightsize Today to Create Your Best Life Tomorrow,” “What to Do With Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want” and “Downsizing the Family Home.” You may reach her at marnijameson.com.
The Romantic Minimalist will be available Oct. 22, from Mitchell Beazley Publishing.
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11-2
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12802 Residential Homes PolloCk Pines
$80,000 MLS#224020089
BUILD YOUR DREAM HOME OR CABIN
$475,000 MLS#224110546
Pretty 3 acre parcel in the gated community of Jenkinson Lake Estates. Just around the corner is our beautiful Jenkinson/Sly Park Lake. It offers fishing, boating (wake board, ski), kayaking, hiking and more. Just 45 minutes to Lake Tahoe and ski/board resorts. All paved roads. Electricity to site. Water to site (meter required). Septic needed. HOA fee are $500 per year and cover gates, road and snow plow. Lot #11, front of property has had clearing. Come enjoy the fresh mountain air.
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This immaculate and gorgeous 3 bd, 2 bath home sits on .36 of acre. It’s only minutes from downtown Placerville. Gorgeous Hardwood Flooring, plantation shutters/dual panes, ceiling fans, central HVAC, whole house fan. The Kitchen has reverse osmosis
