Kathy Ireland: Mediterranean + Hacienda

British fabric designer Kathy Ireland's Santa Monica farmhouse is nothing short of my dream home. Originally built in the '20s as a barn, later converted into a residential dwelling, Ireland describes her home as "classic Spanish architecture, but with a sense of bohemian fun, comfortable and loose." This home is dead-on my style.





Her color combinations are brilliant. Of course, my opinion is that you can't go wrong with an antique suzani on the bed. This guest bedroom reminds me of Frida Kahlo: A simple tribute to modern and ethnic. Again, I'm a huge fan of white walls and light curtains with bright, bold accents. Bring on the fuchsia, teal and bright green! Kathy says the key to creating a unified look when using various colors and patterns is layering pattern on pattern. "And don't go for matchy-matchy-matchy...if it doesn't go, it goes."

Flower photo by Oberto Gili. Traditional William and Mary bed.


Take a peek at how she uses her Indian poufs/ottomans! The story sites these as Moroccan, but they look just like my ottomans from India.


Another tip from Kathy: Never overstuff your pillows. She says, "I want all of my pillows to look like a dog has just laid on them." Hmm...Don't know about that analogy. Yuck, dog hair. But still, she has a point. There's no better way to cozy-up a room than with squishy, lived-in pillows everywhere.


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