Minimalism is a concept that we are all familiar with: reducing down to the most fundamental features. We’re all used to John Pawson interiors and Jasper Morrison products and I certainly do prefer this ideaology, but when Jonathan Adler, king of kitsch, walks into a room he sees this in a very different way.
To help guide us through his life of maximalism he produced his very own, tongue-in-cheek, 10 commandments of maximalism for a Happy Chic home…
1. Thou shalt embrace maximalism.
Thou wilt find minimalism to be something of a bummer in thy abode. Thou wilt grow tired of an endless sea of beige and thou wilt long for a splash of color & a dollop of pattern! Bargello pillows, Furnace bottles and rustic modern lamps – these shalt be the accessories that add some panache to your pad.
2. Thou shalt not deny thyself hotelish comfort at home.
Thou shalt furnish thy rooms with paw-pampering, hand-loomed llama wool rugs, luxurious lighting and our fabulous furniture. Thy rooms shalt feel like the most opulent hotel rooms in which thou hast ever stayed. Thou art worth it.
3. Thou shalt buy and X-Bench.
Then, thou shalt buy another. Thou shalt use them in pairs, perfectly under thy console or placed near thy sofa. Thou shalt rest thy feet upon them & so will thy guests. In fact, thy guests might even fight over who gets t rest upon them. Therefore, thou shalt establish house rules about X-Benches. Perhaps thou shalt consider a sign up sheet.
4. If they nest needest zest, consider thy crest!
Thou shalt emblazon with thine initials wherever posible.
5. Thou shalt mix fancy with frisky.
Thou shalt not be overly formal, for if thou art, thou will be sad. Conversely, thou shalt not be overly whimsical, for if thou art thou will not feel chic. Therefore, thou shalt embrace a mix, pairing the chic classical foundation – excellent proportions, classic furniture – with a layer of playful punctuation. The thou shalt rest.
6. Thou shalt honor the funsters of yore.
David Hicks, Alexander Girard, Piero Fornasetti, Bonnie Cashin, Bjorn Wiinblad – if thou dost knoweth them, thou should. Thou can use Google Images to learn more about them and thou shalt channel their fun, idiosyncratic, playful spirit in thine own interiors. Thy home will be fun, happy and chic.
7. Thou shalt not commit murder.
…unless thou art murdering for a decorative accessory. If thou should find thyself at one of our stores and seeth the last bird bowl on our shelf, thou shalt feel free to use whatever means necessary to obtain that special something.
8. Thou shalt not be afraid of orange.
Thou shalt use orange copiously in thy interior, whether it beeth in an orange breakfast room or via the zing of an orange lacquered box. Thou might even econsider painting thy front door orange to pique thy neighbour curiosity. Thou shalt also covet chocolate brown.
9. Thou shalt play ping pong.
Better still, thou shalt have a ping pong table in thy living room. Then, lo, thou shalt play ping pong with thy spouse rather than sitting around watching tv.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house.
In fact, after following these 10 commandments, thy neighbour might covet thy house. So there.
