A reader recently e-mailed out of concern for his bedroom: "Is it becoming a chromefest?" I assured him that this was not the case (photos revealed a mahogany dresser and some white lacquer goodness, too), but it got me wondering why metal furniture, especially the polished variety, is a particularly slippery slope when decorating. Metal finishes come in and out of vogue—the current trend for "Industrial Revolution Chic" translates to tons more oxidation and cast iron, dark and hulking table bases with giant casters, and the like. So does slick still do the trick (forgive me for that)? I think so. Let's go mining for style:

Nickel: Noted for its "warmer" feel compared to chrome, all the rage for bath fittings and Restoration Hardware-style etageres. Maybe that's why I associate this finish with the loo. I love a cool nickel desk lamp, but for a coffee or side table, polished nickel just seems a little bouge-y? Perhaps too self-consciously luxe.

Chrome: Nickel's trashy cousin. Brings to mind '50s diners with Cadillac grilles over the door. Quite naturally I'm trying to bring this one back! Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier designed all sorts of tubular chrome-framed seating in the first half of the last century, revived in the '70s when Pierre Cardin was making some knockout, Art Deco-inpsired pieces. I could even see these Knoll conference chairs around a sturdy wooden dining table. Chrome has a brightness and clarity that feels very Obama-era.

Brass: Are you picturing condos in Boca Raton with silk flower arrangements? Not so fast! I knew this material was staging a comeback when the Ralph Lauren showroom in the D&D Building (that's "Design and Decoration," not "Dungeons and Dragons") introduced this metal-framed bed in brassy, sassy splendor. "I think it's a little much," said our sweet salesperson. I loved it completely and unironically. Mr. California Michael Taylor was big on brass in the Me Decade, as is Kelly Wearstler right now. Paul Evans' Cityscape collection for Directional has also struck a major chord of late ... maybe the mixing of brass with other metals makes it fresh. A suite of brass-and-glass living room furniture? Not so fresh. But to me a dose of "Boogie Nights" here and there is sexy, not skeevy.

Aluminum: Not all that common except for in these fabulous Emeco chairs (pictured). When polished, aluminum has a kind of Howard Hughes glamour while the satin finish projects military-industrial-complex sobriety. No wonder I prefer the former ... Philippe Starck's also a fan.

Copper: I wish Tom Dixon would come out with a line of furniture to complement his penny-shiny light fixtures. A Parsons table in copper polycarbonate? Amazing. Polished copper next to pale green (the color it turns after oxidizing) is one of my fave color combinations. Has anyone seen copper on modern, non-Mission style pieces?

(FYI I'm leaving out gold because unless you're the Sultan of Brunei, it's gonna be fake, and that doesn't fly with me. Silver merits its own post.)

Am I forgetting any?

Tags: Kelly Wearstler, metal furniture, Mies van der Rohe, mixing styles, Pierre Cardin, Restoration Hardware, Tom Dixon

So in Googling around for the origin of the decorating adage "every room needs something red in it," I found an entire website by that name! I'm not sure it belongs only to the proprietor's Grandmother Frances, though. I've heard Albert Hadley (he of the famous oxblood lacquer library; also note the coffee table in this peacock blue living room found via Mrs. Blandings), and also uber-fancy decorator Vincent Fourcade, according to my boss, Miles Redd (tut tut). Guess it doesn't matter all that much 'cause it's TRUE: A dash of red can bring more life to a room than a bushel of fresh flowers. Why? Like the "EXIT" sign guiding your way out of a smoky bar, bits of red cut through layers of traditional decorating or just as handily turn minimialist shrines on their noses.

But the right shade of red is imperative. After recently painting my entire living room, walls and ceiling, in Fine Paints of Europe's Tulip Red Hollandlac Brilliant (my perfect shade of Chinese red but the stuff costs a small fortune), I found that cheapo Rusto-leum's Safety Red is the EXACT SAME COLOR. Or at least really, REALLY close. Of course it's not marine-grade varnish like FPoE, but their oil-based enamel would make a great weekend project to tackle that Ikea Parsons table, child's chair, or English-y desk. A less smelly alternative is a simple red lacquer box (pictured) to hold your remotes. Give your room long-lasting freshness with Big (or Little) Red!

Tags: color palettes, decorating adages, DIY, red, Rust-oleum paint

A reader emails with this dilemma:

How do you avoid the "school dance" living room furniture arrangement, when you're trying to deal with (a) all the electrical outlets are in the walls (for the lamps) and (b) the fireplace is at the end of the room, smack in the middle, just daring you to block it. Both make it so hard to cluster the furniture together in a conversational way, you know?

Oh, do I. In New York apartments I might substitute "awkward closet/entry door" for "fireplace," but the problem remains the same: lining up furniture (especially seating) to fill empty wall space and align with electrical outlets does not necessarily make for dynamic conversational groupings. Let's tackle the corner first. More often than not, the area between a fireplace and window or door could best be served by a corner banquette. Take away the unfortunate styling of this Coventry model by Ballard Design (pictured) and it illustrates my point quite well by ignoring the window and providing a spot for two or more people to eat dinner, play Scattergories, pay bills, whatever. Even if you have a formal dining room, breakfast nook, or eat-in kitchen, it's always nice to have multiple seating and table heights in a living area—too much low squishniness will feel like a basement rec room. Don't be afraid to move a couple of your dining chairs into the living room to float around for parties or everyday use.

Next, the fireplace. Common decorating logic suggests a single or pair of benches floating in front. I lean towards a pair because they're more easily pulled up to a cocktail table in front of a sofa to create more, say it with me now, conversation. Given the space, I could also see a pair of comfortable chairs facing each other, with two reading lights and a low table in between that's perpendicular to the hearth, and either bookcases or a bar table against the wall to the right or left. That's cozy. I warn against blocking a fireplace with the back of a sofa, unless it's purely decorative and can be completely disguised.

Finally, the sofa wall. If you have one long, uninterrupted expanse then that's probably the best site for a comfy three-seater, pair of end tables, and lamps. But it's not the only one. You might float a 7-foot sofa in the center of the room facing the fireplace with a console table behind it, a pair of lamps on said console, and swing-arm floor lamps hovering over each sofa arm instead of end tables (for easier passage). What about the rat's nest of cords for the 99.99 percent of the population without a floor outlet in the center of their living room? Try hiding a single extension cord under a big area rug: YES YOU CAN cut through it so the lamps plug in under your sofa! We have clients grin and bear it while the carpet surgeon pierces their 19th century Sultanabad ... so don't sweat a quarter-size hole in your jute rug from Pottery Barn.

More thoughts on floaters: I've encountered many folks concerned about "cluttering up" their living rooms with too much furniture. I concur only if it doubles as a children's playroom. Little tricycle motors need their space! Otherwise it's all about pull-up chairs, slipper chairs, pairs of benches, and even stacked floor cushions for extra seating; ditto for drinks tables and reading lamps. If the room looks static and lonely, it's probably because you can't actually use it. Sit on your sofa and look right. Is there a place for Sally to sit? A lamp for her to read by? A place to set her Shirley Temple? If not then your living room is doomed to be a wallflower!

Tags: corner banquettes, design dilemmas, furniture arrangement, Q&A

One night a few years back I visited a friend's apartment, always cute and charming in the light of day. Something was, how shall I say, different.

Me: "Are we having people over or performing open heart surgery?"

Her: "What are you talking about??"

Me: "Those lights ... I feel like I'm in a bodega at 3 a.m."

Her: "My mom brought me a bunch of compact fluorescent light bulbs from Sam's Club! They're super energy-efficient."

Oh. I'm going out on another limb here (having already offended my dear Auntie by knocking accordion shades!) to say I'd rather sit alone in the dark than under one of these Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs). Seriously, I know they last for milennnia and will save the planet and put an extra Andrew Jackson in your pocket every year, but is that worth zapping all the color out of your living room? Or your face's pallor in the bathroom mirror? So depressing!

Call me oversensitive—I can't even abide those incandescent "Reveal" bulbs and would prefer a 25-watt pink glow in every room—but lighting concepts can make or break a room, not to mention parties and, erm, romantic encounters. Catherine Deneuve says women eventually have to choose between their face and their rear; must I really choose between my soft and inviting apartment and the polar icecaps?

DISHCUSS.

Tags: compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy efficiency, green design, lighting, pet peeves

To be perfectly honest, the term "throw pillow" bugs me. I know it's meant to distinguish between the kind you rest your weary head upon and the kind you, uh, throw on your sofa, but doesn't it sound a little preshie-precious? Maybe I'm just a self-hating decorator. Or maybe I'm frustrated because the market is flooded with thousands of pillows in the presh category: too small, too dainty, too stiff, too bland. I want only robust, gutsy pillows in my dream house! And I do care deeply about their guts. Here are some pointers:

• Most sofas can accommodate three or more pillows. Depending on the length, I'd start with a pair of squares on either end, no smaller than 16 inches (for a 6-foot sofa), no bigger than 22 inches (for a hulking 8- or 9-footer). An oblong pillow (12x26 or thereabouts) always looks nice in between. Small square or rectangular versions are really only suited to chairs of the same scale where they occupy most of the back.
• What goes inside? Please, only down-feather combinations! No Dacron. That's the synthetic plushy stuff that over time will form weird, goider-like shapes or harden into a hockey puck. An 80-20 blend is pretty standard: 80 percent duck/goose feather and 20 percent down feels nice and squishy but maintains its shape. These inserts don't necessarily come cheap, but Ikea offers a nice variety for a fraction of the price. They're a little under-stuffed for my taste but still super comfy.
• Fabrics: Pillows are a fantastic way to experiment with color, texture, and pattern. I find that many fabric designs, like animal print and Op Art geometrics, look better in tiny doses than grand gestures, like the fab Jonathan Adler concentric square above ($98 for a 16-incher, a bargain for all that impact). If you're a neutral lover, a pair of pillows in lemon yellow or royal purple is a means of wading into the color ocean before committing to an entire chair, sofa, or rug. In terms of texture one should mix it up: Velvet pillows tend to die on a velvet sofa. I'm a big fan of dressing up a plain cotton Ikea sofa with solid-color, shiny silk satin or taffeta squares—again, expensive fabrics go a long way in little bits.
• Final note on animal print: Leopard and tiger don't appeal to everyone, but they are NOT necessarily the strip club abomination you see in your nightmares! It all depends on the pattern design and fabric quality—realistic yet stylized prints in silk or cotton velvet, no cheap faux fur. Leopard especially should count as a neutral, and a single kitty cat pillow could turn your entire living room on its nose. In the chicest way possible.

Tags: decorating tips, DIY, Ikea, pillows

I once asked my boss about an antique carpet he'd just seen:

"What does it look like?

Response? "Like rich people having fun."

Humor, yes, but to me it's also a lesson for creating pretty, warm, and comfortable rooms: they're often not about any one star object or motif or gesture of HGTV-style ingenuity, but rather a million little details us common folk might never consider. And these details don't have to cost as much as a 19th century Oushak.

Picture lights are a great example. I'm a big fan of salon-style groupings of artwork, like those in jeweler Kenneth Jay Lane's living room or gallerist Timothy Tew's 1990s apartment in Georgia. Both gentlemen have amazing collections (what I wouldn't give for one of KJL's Orientalist paintings!), but I promise promise PROMISE you can achieve the same effect with eBay/flea market artwork and a few of these $64 dollar beauties (pictured above) from Shades of Light.

Picture lights do more than help you see a painting, they create multiple, low-wattage light sources in a room: always a recipe for coziness. They range in size, finish and of course price (these House of Troy Slimlines are super chic but a 16-incher costs $172 by comparison), so I recommend a mix. You can hang 'em on a frame or to the back of a bare canvas, why not? No, not every little drawing needs a picture light. And you may not have the appropriate wall outlets ("clock boxes") but don't stress: just let the cord hang down and paint the exposed part to match the wall. No one will notice. They'll only want to curl up, read a book, and wonder why they feel like a rich person having fun.

Tags: display, Kenneth Jay Lane, lighting, picture lights, Shades of Light

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then windows are the eyes of your apartment/house/travel trailer. And like your peepers, they need protection. So why are there a zillion pairs of cool, $10 sunglasses and, like, ZERO stylish options for inexpensive blinds? I'll keep moaning about that in a second but first let me address a terminology pet peeve: the expression "window treatments" just makes me cringe! Ditto that for "drapes" and "draperies"—way too 1950s housewife. So can we all vow to stick to "curtains," "blinds" and/or "shades"? THANK YOU.

Back to windows on a budget. I look through every catalog from Ballard Design to Z Gallerie and haven't found anything more basic and stylish than the speckled bamboo blind. Like a Parsons table, they work in every room and with every style. Why? I think it's mostly the natural fiber factor. Metal blinds just scream "Motel 6" (if horizontal) or "beach condo" (the vertical variety). Same for those gauzy accordion shades, which I'm pretty sure are made of polyester or some other fire hazard. Bamboo, like a sisal or seagrass carpet underfoot, adds texture and contrast to painted surfaces (like wood trim or metal windows) and tends to disappear. The blinds look great on their own or under fancier curtain panels.

Caveats? Woven bamboo isn't so stellar at blocking light, but Smith + Noble will fabric-back their flat-fold variety and add a decorative trim ... for additonal dollars, natch. Also the operating mechanism on Pearl River's selection has a Sir Isaac Newton quality, but I have a pair in my bedroom and so far the gravity-n-string combo hasn't failed me. And PR offers a humongous 6-by-7 foot blind for only $52.50 (pictured). Honestly, how can you beat that?

Tags: bamboo blinds, never gets old, Pearl River Mart, Smith + Noble, windows

From the e-mailbag:

Hi Nick,

I'm a fan of your blog, er, both your blogs, er, all of your many blogs, and I have a question. I know Q&A isn't your usual style, but perhaps you're just missing a good question.

I am on the hunt for a hot small scale sofa for under $1000. I'd like something a little more formal, so I'm thinking exposed legs. Most of what I have found is of the Ikea or West Elm varieties and what I want is something of the gorgeous variety. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Katherine C.

PS. Yes, in case you're wondering, [blog name redacted] has two posts devoted to this topic, but all of the sofas are unavailable anymore, fug, or futon-esque fug. Plus, I trust your taste more.

Flattery may not get you a Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sofa, but it sure works on me! To paraphrase my response: I actually really like the very moderne Ikea sofabed ... too bad the color choices are limited and boring/fug. Plus I might collapse if forced to spend $900 on any one item there. The West Elm convertible is just too chunky-dumpy—I can totally see through to the foam cushions. Not cute. I like Katherine's direction of going armless and leggy like the Mitchell + Bob "Rennie," a simple 50s shape that lends itself to less-than-ideal room arrangements (corners etc.), but the price is NOT just right with those two bears. Hopeless?

Not at Room & Board. I immediately thought of their Kinsey shape: a close match available in 75 and 84 inch lengths at $999 and $1099, respectively. That's at the top of Katherine's price range but I've only heard raves on R&B's quality. Can't say the same for the other two chains. Plus they'll let you customize with 250 fabrics to choose from (the standard colors are too grey-ed out for moi), and the style is so simple I could see investing in a slipcover with a skirt to de-formalize the look. Maybe a light color with contrast piping to switch out for summer?

Kath, waddya think?

Tags: design dilemmas, Ikea, Q&A, Room & Board, sofas, West Elm