Recipe for a successful, comfortable room

Sitting room at Haseley Court, image from little augury

Nancy Lancaster thought rooms should look undecorated, aged and furnished over time. We agree with her. Here is her list of things that are important for a "comfortable environment," from The Great Lady Decorators:

"1. In restoring a house, one must first realize its period, feel its personality, and try to bring out its good points;
2. Decorating must be appropriate;
3. Scale is of prime importance, and I think that oversized scale is better than undersized scale;
4. In choosing a color, one must remember that it changes in different aspects;
5. Understatement is extremely important, and crossing too many t's and dotting too many i's makes a room look overdone and tiresome. One should create something that fires the imagination without overemphasis;
6. I never think that sticking slavishly to one period is successful; a touch of nostalgia adds charm. One needs light and shade, because if every piece is perfect, the room becomes a museum and is lifeless;
7. A gentle mixture of furniture expresses life and continuity, but it must be a delicious mixture that flows and mixes well. It is a bit like mixing a salad. I am better at rooms than salads.

To these guidelines Nancy always added her magic ingredients; open fires, candle light, and masses of fresh flowers."

image from live like you blog

Her famous yellow room above is filled with beautiful furniture and things and yet don't you just want to kick off your shoes and curl up in a chair? Comfortable, beautiful rooms have form and function working together hand in hand.

Charleston designer Amelia Handegan's rooms have that same feel to them.



the other side of that room above -


image from Southern Accents

I adore this Alessandra Branca room! Look at all of the fresh flowers.


image from elle decor

This Branca room conveys vibrant warmth and beauty.


image from Southern Accents


Branca understands what Nancy Lancaster was describing above - she says: "For me it's not enough that a room look good. It also has to work. I put an incredible amount of effort into making people feel comfortable." from New Classics Interiors by Alessandra Branca

Male / Female a question about brains?

At the hospital the next of kin of a seriously ill family member gathered in the living room. The doctor came in and looked tired and gloomy out, "I am afraid I bring bad news, " he said and looked at the anxious faces.

"The only hope left for the patient at this point is a brain transplant. "
"This is a difficult and risky process, and you must pay for the donor brain. "
The family members sat silent and thought the matter over. After a long time, it was one that asked, "OK, how much does a brain cost?"
The doctor responded quickly,"$ 30,000 for a man's brain, and $ 1.200 for a woman's brain."

The atmosphere was a little embarrassing. The men in the room tried not to smile, avoiding eye contact with women, but sat with a satisfied expression in their faces. A man was unable to control his curiosity, and asked what everyone wanted to ask, "Why does a man´s brain so much more ......?"

The doctor smiled and said:" $30,000 is a standard price. We need to put down the price of female brains, because they have been in use. "

Another one?

Subject: Women are smarter than men

A woman and a man are involved in a car accident and it's a bad one. Both of their cars are totally demolished, but amazingly neither of them are hurt.

After they crawl out of their cars, the woman says, "So you're a man, that's interesting. I'm a woman. Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left, but fortunately we are unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days."

The man replied," I agree with you completely. This must be a sign from God.

The woman continued, "And look at this, here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune." Then she hands the bottle to the man.

The man shakes his head in agreement, opens it and takes a few very large swigs from the bottle and then hands it back to the woman.

The woman takes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man.

The man asks, "Aren't you having any?"

The woman replies, "No. I think I'll just wait for the police.

Searching for more evidence? See jokebreak

Male / Female a question about brains?

At the hospital the next of kin of a seriously ill family member gathered in the living room. The doctor came in and looked tired and gloomy out, "I am afraid I bring bad news, " he said and looked at the anxious faces.

"The only hope left for the patient at this point is a brain transplant. "
"This is a difficult and risky process, and you must pay for the donor brain. "
The family members sat silent and thought the matter over. After a long time, it was one that asked, "OK, how much does a brain cost?"
The doctor responded quickly,"$ 30,000 for a man's brain, and $ 1.200 for a woman's brain."

The atmosphere was a little embarrassing. The men in the room tried not to smile, avoiding eye contact with women, but sat with a satisfied expression in their faces. A man was unable to control his curiosity, and asked what everyone wanted to ask, "Why does a man´s brain so much more ......?"

The doctor smiled and said:" $30,000 is a standard price. We need to put down the price of female brains, because they have been in use. "

Another one?

Subject: Women are smarter than men

A woman and a man are involved in a car accident and it's a bad one. Both of their cars are totally demolished, but amazingly neither of them are hurt.

After they crawl out of their cars, the woman says, "So you're a man, that's interesting. I'm a woman. Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left, but fortunately we are unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days."

The man replied," I agree with you completely. This must be a sign from God.

The woman continued, "And look at this, here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune." Then she hands the bottle to the man.

The man shakes his head in agreement, opens it and takes a few very large swigs from the bottle and then hands it back to the woman.

The woman takes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man.

The man asks, "Aren't you having any?"

The woman replies, "No. I think I'll just wait for the police.

Searching for more evidence? See jokebreak