-
Christian Louboutin, Louis Viutton, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Laurenl They are all great fashion labels representing superb design. Beyond beautiful clothing, however, great fashion-inspired design can be found in an exquisite piece of furniture, a chic interior and even brillant architecture. Have you noticed a color taking hold in fashion and within a season seeing it as well in the most stylish interiors?
And, I would venture a bet that the artfully simple lines of Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein Fashion Collections of the 90’s were inspiration for, or at least subliminally influential on, the exquisitely minimal furniture designs of Christian Liaigre. K2 Design uses the technique that Design Principal, Jenny Provost, believes may be employed by the aforementioned designers editing. “I think of all the possibilities then use editing to get down to what is important and what should be left behind. “There is such strength in simplicity” says Provost.
“There is such strength in simplicity”
A great example of this is a floating staircase designed by Jenny Provost for a coastal Longboat Key residence. With its high-sheen lacquered underside, this design idea is a direct connection to the intense saturation of color seen on the runways. With a wink, Provost points out that giving the underbelly this frankly sexy coating was actually inspired by the always recognizable red leather soles on every pair of Christian Louboutin shoes.
While fashion has traditionally set the trends, people with the “style” gene tend to be in tune with the same zeitgeist as the fashion world and embrace the look, often expressing it beyond their personal style, to their chic interiors, artful landscaping, even the way they set their table. it’s no surprise that many fashion designers have ultimately extended their brand into home furnishing lines, as have Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein and others. It’s as natural for them to investigate interiors and surroundings as it is for a stylish person to wear chic clothing and have an equally chic home.
Sometimes texture is the inspiration. Dimensioning, layering, cut-outs, ruching, and embellishment are all tools of the trade when it comes to creating inspired design. Provost, who claims she has started her own private war on drywall, believes the experience of living in a space with varying wall, ceiling, and other surface finishes is far richer than the mundane sheetrock interior. As she puts it when referring to her literally hundreds of condominium renovations, “rich and interesting finishes create atmosphere and change the character of the ubiquitous drywalled box in the sky.”
Louis Vuitton is arguably the world’s best-known luxury brand with its trademark “LV” monogram known the world over. The kitchen cabinets and colors in a Bonita Springs condominium were inspired by the iconic Louis Vuitton steamer trunk and the classic LV patterned waxed canvas.
“The designer of the kitchen used applied metal frames to simulate the trunk corners and richly crafted leather handles just as one would expect from Louis Vuitton.”
Yves Saint Laurent resort wear pattern inspired the mosaic design for a waterfall feature in a posh Miami penthouse foyer.
Today, with the speed of the Internet, the lag time between a fashion trend appearing on the runway and influencing interior design has become shorter and shorter. Sometimes the trend will hit both industries almost simultaneously.
Like fashion, art too can be an inspiration for interiors. A painting can spark the impulse to create a certain mood or atmosphere for a room, a color scheme, an unusual but stunning combination of colors, or even more literally may be reproduced as a backsplash, a headboard, or a carpet.
Inspiration is all around us, from fashion, art, even nature, as we create spaces that are, at once, timeless and the moment. K2 Design – fearless design for forward thinking people.
