Mallory Fletchall, the blogger behind Reserve Home, wonderfully presents home décor ideas for projects on her website and Instagram, allowing the audience to take inspiration from her for living small. Though originally stating she did a lot of thrift-shopping and hoarded a lot of random décor pieces, she later realized it didn’t do much in terms of the overall aesthetic and look of her home. Now, she is a proponent of living small, which lets her choose what she deems absolutely necessary to achieve the look she desires. Let’s explore some of the themes and ideas from Reserve Home that can help turn a small space into a little haven.
Making it Parisian
A typical Parisian apartment features floor-to-ceiling windows that allow natural light to flood into the interiors; all-white walls and ceilings adorned with decorative mouldings and loads of other architectural details; and the quintessential centrepiece — a marble fireplace. An ornate chandelier or some other distinctive ceiling light usually does the trick of unifying the disparate design elements. The colours of furniture and accessories are jewel-toned (think sapphire, turquoise, emerald, and ruby) in contrast with the white-painted walls. When it comes to the design of the furniture and other objects, there is an eclectic blend of classical and contemporary.
Injecting Hygge
Coming from Nordic languages, the word hygge signifies coziness. It is something the Norwegians and Danes appreciate as a lifestyle by incorporating muted colours and materials derived from nature with a comforting look and feel to them. In Reserve Home, the soft peach hue of the walls imparts feelings of warmth and leisure and are combined with the crinkle fabric of the cream-coloured sectional and wooden tables with earthy ornaments.
Adding Objects of Desire
Fletchall is a big believer in adding objects, artwork, ornaments, and collectibles to special corners and floating wall shelves or racks. She is lucky to have an artistic partner who created many of the paintings. Books can be used as a base to put other ornaments like candles and photo frames on. She also changes up the objects to match the theme of occasions like Christmas and Halloween. Mirrors, big and small, are essential to the overall décor theme. Vases holding flowers or leafy plants, lamps, figurines, and other sculptural objects add a lot of visual interest to a room.
Planting Perfectly
Plants bring the natural world into interior settings, providing the feel of being outside. But what is important is housing those plants one feels an association with, along with plants that add to the overall aesthetic. Fletchall does not bring in a lot of plants, but she gets the balance right by adding a few large and small ones in every room.
Incorporating Boho
Bohemian style suits people who live non-traditionally, such as artists, travellers, and actors. They bring in a lot of disparate objects, colours, and designs from various parts of the world. The base colours are usually earthy ones, such as browns, greens, and greys; high contrast and bright colours are layered on more neutral bases. Design-wise, layering is a part of this style. Overall, there are no rules when it comes to adorning spaces the boho way, so you can collect items that hold immense personal value for you.
In this image from a home that Fletchall used to live in, she combined an ivory table with black and brown chairs in completely different materials. The rug and the pouf have Aztec-inspired patterns. The artwork has no common theme whatsoever. A colourful array of plant pots and cushions brighten up the room, while faux animal fur throws sneak their way in.
Arslan Ahmed | Assistant Editor
