Hi Sublime,
I am very interested in how you place your objects: they seem so well curated, but they also have an informal character. How do you display things without making your room look cluttered?
Ines
Hi Ines,
Thank you for your kind words about the objects in our projects. There’s nothing we love more than rummaging through antique stores or diving down the rabbit hole of vintage resale sites to find one-of-a-kind sculptures, pottery, and primitive objects. These small details are essential to a space, not only because of the personal joy they bring, but because of the way they integrate it: smaller objects join larger elements to provide cohesion and character.
When placing these objects in a room, I always think about what will unify the space and what will contradict it, because both are needed. You have to think of harder and smoother materials juxtaposed with soft or curvilinear ones.
When we design a room or a vignette, we always think about the composition and alchemy of furniture and objects. We love how the shape, scale and slightly atypical composition can make the eye bounce around the room, landing softly and discovering new things at different heights. For us, that is what defines the success of a space: attractiveness and curiosity, and always some kind of tension or contrast. The key is to let the design unfold piece by piece, material by material.
It is very important to let go, allow the unexpected, because it is in those moments when the magic of design is revealed. As a designer, I crave that level of discovery and surprise, because more often than not it’s what produces the most intriguing spaces.
To achieve a thoughtful arrangement in a space, start with a series of neutral palettes. The contrast of the white paint against the harsher blacks will draw the eye. When we decorate with colour and contrast, I always wonder where I can place things so that they almost disappear to create a sense of calm and relief for the eyes. How can I use objects to manipulate the eye? Can I play with minimalism and negative space to trick the eye and draw attention to the elements that I consider most important?
It is in these often invisible steps that emotional and intimate portraits of who you are and what your home represents can be captured.
But this process is a delicate dance, because when there is too much colour or pattern, the eye doesn’t know where to land. This is why it is so important to have a basic palette. When you control the palette, you have more control as a designer: you are guiding the experience.
As is always the case with design, the road is full of twists and turns, but that’s what makes it so exhilarating, if you let your curiosity take over of course. Ultimately, a room is never «done», it always moves and transforms, so play, play and explore, but above all, enjoy the process.
The Sublime team
El equipo de Sublime
If you have a room that you want to redesign, why don’t you come to our showroom and we can talk about your project?
