The Washington Post - 22.08.2019

7

MD

the washington post

.

thursday, august

22

,

2019

Ingrid Fetell

Lee, designer

and author of

“Joyful: The

Surprising

Power of Ordi-

nary Things to

Create Ex-

traordinary

Happiness”

whose website

is AestheticsofJoy.com, joined

staff writer Jura Koncius last

week for our Home Front online

chat. Here is an edited excerpt.

Q: I am planning to sell my

house in the spring. Besides

decluttering and putting flowers

in vases, what do you suggest I

do to “spark joy?” What colors

should I paint the walls? What

colors should the be in the guest

bedrooms?

A: One thing I’ve heard is that

new buyers typically gravitate

toward white walls. There might

be some exceptions — if you

have a historic home, for

instance — but if you’re painting,

try to start with a clean white

canvas and add color through

furnishings and art, so a buyer

can feel the joy you’ve put in but

also imagine a place with their

taste. Also consider some

houseplants and pay attention to

lighting, because that’s

something subtle that people

may not notice, but it will make

a big difference in how they feel

about the place.

Q: Do you have some ideas for

creating joy in a small space on a

budget? I’m talking a studio

apartment.

A: Many people shy away from

color in small spaces because

they’re afraid it will be

overwhelming, but vibrant

colors can give small spaces

character and make them feel

like a joyful oasis. Resist the

temptation to make everything

small to match the scale of the

space — having one or two

anchors within the space can

keep it from feeling

disconnected or bitty. And bring

plants into the space to add

color and texture. I’m also a fan

of a mirror in small spaces.

Lastly, if you can choose rounder

furnishings, it can help with the

flow and movement in the space.

Angular furniture can slow your

movement and make the space

feel more compressed than it

actually is.

Q: My husband and I are in our

early 30s, and we live in a large

one-bedroom co-op with a

dining room that seats six. I can

count on my hands the number

of times we’ve formally sat for

dinner in it. We’re expecting a

baby next year and intend to

transform the home office into a

nursery. My husband has been

pushing to make the dining

room into a more functional

space because the room is

virtually unused. Any ideas?

A: I’m a big believer in making

your space work for you, rather

than adhering to any specific

rules. If you’re not using a space

as intended, the space stagnates,

and that’s definitely not joyful. I

just have one question: Where

do you plan to eat with baby? Do

you have an eat-in kitchen or a

counter-style setup? I ask

because I know so many people

whose lifestyles really changed

when they had a baby, so making

sure that you’ve anticipated

these changes before you

rearrange a space feels worth

considering.

If you’re ready to take the

plunge, consider how you want

to live as a family. Do you need

more workspace so you can have

more flexibility in your career?

Do you want to host other

families and therefore have a

really amazing playroom that

other people’s kids can use, one

that will grow with baby? Do you

want a more flexible family

space that accommodates

relaxing, reading, games and a

bit of play?

One concern is that research

has shown we have a tendency to

create multiple sedentary spaces

in a home: TV rooms, living

rooms, etc. If there’s a way to

make it more active, it might be

more joyful — and create more

interesting possibilities — for

you and your family.

Q: I live in a rental with a very

low drop ceiling in poor

condition (stained, crumbly).

How can I improve this situation

in a low-cost manner? Should I

buy replacement tiles for the

broken ones, use mirrors (to

bounce light and distract from

the low ceilings) and try to

tempt the eye to focus

elsewhere? Or do you have some

other, more creative ideas?

A: Low drop ceilings are tough

— and even tougher when

they’re poor quality. Focus on

the quality issue first. Can you

replace the tiles or paint the

ceiling? I might suggest trying

something with fabric, too,

depending on how low the

ceiling actually is. For example,

you could drape fabric across

parts of a room, either gathered

or in a canopy style, to cover the

ceiling. Can you use decorative

wall decals to cover the damaged

parts? In terms of ways to work

with a low ceiling, you generally

want to go tall with items such

as bookcases and plants, and

hang drapes high to make the

height feel more expansive. But

you might want to keep focal

points low, such as a sculpture

on your table instead of an eye-

catching painting on the wall.

Q: Do you think arranging your

home using the principles of

feng shui is likely to make you

happier?

A: I was really skeptical about

feng shui at first, but it is a

system with thousands of years

of history, so I figured there

must be something to it. As I dug

into it, I found that many of the

basic principles of feng shui

make a lot of sense. One key idea

is that you shouldn’t have doors

that stick, because it means the

chi can’t flow properly. Well, if

you have doors that stick, that

means you can’t flow properly,

either! Little frustrations add up

and influence your mood, which

influences your interactions

with others. The main idea that

resonates with me from feng

shui is that everything is

connected, and seemingly

simple changes in your home

can have big effects because

you’re interacting with them all

the time.

Q: I live in a very small, two-

story rowhouse. If I don’t want

everything to be the same color,

how do I choose colors that will

flow well in spaces that are in

the sight line from pretty much

everywhere on each floor (unless

a door is closed)?

A: Work on choosing a family of

colors that feel good together,

and then test in the space with

your light. I love to start with a

piece of artwork — something

multicolored that brings me joy

and has the feeling I want for

the space. Abstracts are good for

this kind of thing: think Matisse,

Helen Frankenthaler, Sonia

Delaunay, etc. You can hold

paint chips right up to a

painting in a gallery or in a book

and choose a set that works

together. Next, I usually get a

few strips of similar hues and

hang them in the space I’m

painting and look at them a few

times a day. Once I have a sense

of the best ones, I get sample

pots and paint a big swatch on

the wall. Try to paint on a couple

of walls so you can see how the

light hits it and how the colors

harmonize.

Q: My living room has a

fireplace I’ve never used in the

past 12 years. I’ve heard that

most people like fireplaces when

they are looking for a home to

buy. My home has central

heating and air, so I’ve never felt

the need to light a fire. And in

California, if it ever gets chilly,

there’s a “spare the air” day

discouraging fireplace use.

Would removing the fireplace

(that takes up an entire wall)

decrease the value of my home?

A: Many people like the

appearance of a fireplace, even if

they don’t use it. From a joy

perspective, a fireplace creates a

kind of centerpiece or anchor in

a home for people to gather

around (that is not a TV, for

example). It’s also a great point

of symmetry, which is key to the

aesthetic of harmony I talk

about, and something the

human eye is universally

attracted to.

That said, your home should

work for you. My first thought

would be, can you use it as is in a

decorative way? I recently saw

someone who painted the ends

of firelogs in eye-catching colors

with chalk, and this created a

joyful, artful look. Or use the

mantle as a picture ledge and

create an installation there. If

none of these ideas float your

boat, then get rid of it. Life is too

short to live with something you

don’t love. Just be prepared for

future buyers to be surprised

that you got rid of it.

Q: We’re redoing our eat-in

kitchen and keeping the

footprint. We‘ve already

upgraded the appliances and

now want to replace cabinets

and countertops. We’re looking

at Shaker-style cabinets. What is

classic vs. trending in style and

color for cabinets?

A: I’m not a kitchen trends

expert, but I have noticed more

people choosing color cabinets

instead of plain white or gray —

maybe navy or green. These

colors add a little something but

are classic enough that they

won’t look dated. I’ve also been

seeing more decorative

backsplashes, such as with

patterned Moroccan tiles. Have

fun with it.

[email protected]

 Also at washingtonpost.com

Read the rest of this transcript and

submit questions to the next chat,

Thursday at 11 a.m., at

live.washingtonpost.com.

LIVE Q&A

Ingrid Fetell Lee on designing your home to create more joy

Ingrid Fetell

Lee

INGRID FETELL LEE

Designer Ingrid Fetell Lee’s home. Lee advises choosing a family of

colors that feels good together, starting with a piece of artwork.

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