Besides the fact that this design exudes such an obvious ‘cool’ factor…it accomplishes this in such an elegant and refined way—which isn’t always easy to do. What makes this design so successful for one, is its harmonious balance of hard and soft elements like color for example. The combo of black and white is already a chic & modern move, the use of black, greys, and dark tones exude a sense of masculinity while still being feminine with the shape of the chair back and legs, as well as the use of black in pattern in the pillows. Although this heavy, dark tone rug and dark concrete floor read hard & masculine, they are both offset by the soft femininity of the use of clean, white walls, use of the color pink as an accent in the (sick) wall art, and of course chrome, glam finishes. The trick is to incorporate masculine & feminine (or hard & soft) by alternating between style, color option, or finish. For example, a Mies van der Rohe leather Barcelona chair is a more masculine piece of iconic furniture however, the designer has opted away from black (typically seen as a masculine color) and instead gone with the color white. In doing so, they are balancing the two—as they did with the stunning black microsuede armchairs. The color and texture of this chair is masculine as well as the harsh squared arm rests of solid wood—however, the cabriole legs and back detail are more feminine shapes. Harmony. Setting more glam objects of glass and chrome on the dark, hard horizontal elements such as rug and floor is a great way to accomplish this great balance. Adding fresh flowers to any look is a fast, easy, and beautiful way to soften up a space (notice how the location of the flowers is directly adjacent to the stronger images of street art.) Strategic design is…always.
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