The Style At Home crew arrives!

Ann-Marie, Angus Fergusson (the photographer), and Will Fournier (Angus' assistant) arrived bright and early Monday morning. Now I'm not sure if you are like me, but I was convinced Ann-Marie would arrive with a whole carload of props. Isn't that how these things worked - the stylist would come with flowers, vases, toss pillows, throws, and accessories to make my place look as fabulous those houses in the pages of the magazine? Well, no.

Ann-Marie did arrive with a gorgeous variety of flowers but aside from a few vases and a fruit bowl, she brought little else. One thing she did bring though was a keen eye and deft touch. Take a look at some of these spaces she has styled:

Photo by Edward Pond

Photo by Virginia MacDonald

And this - this was her former home (photos by Stacey van Berkel-Haines):

An all-white interior?! That's so crazy, so beautiful! I knew we would be in good hands but to watch Ann-Marie work was nothing short of amazing. She picked the perfect flowers - whimsical billy buttons that worked with the yellows in our kitchen, fluffy chrysanthemums for the bedroom - and the most complementary vase shapes. I have always had a problem figuring out what to put on my dining table. Know I know - I'll just use the same Mokara orchids Ann-Marie used!!

Figuring out the flowers...

What impressed me most is how she used the things I already had. "I need something yellow" she said and she used our yellow key box as the finishing touch to the coffee table vignette. "Do you have a blanket" she asked, then placed the blanket at the foot of the bed, instantly making the bed look not so long and looming in the photograph. The seasonal arrangement I had on the dresser was removed and she reused three of the items and a vase of tulips to create a new simple, stunning arrangement.

I was struck by how simple and effective her styling was. She made it look so easy and natural. I admit there was some of my own styling I wasn't happy with - the books in the home office always looked messy to me, no matter how much I fiddled with them, and I placed some objects on the radiator in the dining room thinking she would switch them out with something "better". But she didn't - and those things I fretted about made it into photos as is! I guess the rule is, if you don't want it photographed, don't put it out!

So while I can't share the actual photos with you, I can share these styling tips from Ann-Marie:
- Create triangles with your displays - something tall, something mid-height, and something small
- Objects look better together in odd numbers. Put things in 3's.

- Take the book jackets off your books. You might find a nice solid coloured cover beneath.
- Trays, little boxes, flowers are easy to decorate with. Use little boxes on books.
- Cushions can make a room!
- Less is more. Don't overcrowd displays.

- Use down inserts in your pillows. They are more malleable and sit nicer.
- Its okay if not everything matches. Differences create highlights.
- Mix the old and new, the good with the cheap. Patina is interesting.

I'm really going to try and style my things now in a simpler way. More breathing room around objects. Use what you have. Simplicity is beautiful. Those were my take aways from the day.

Something on screen looks good!