Defining Elements of Florida Style Interior Design

South Florida cities have the special tropical charm those of us who live here have come to love. And the interior design has evolved to feature this beachy vibe. While you may still see some Mizner pink or seafoam green in the décor, Florida has moved on from the Miami Vice-style pastels that were once so common in its interiors. Take a quick look at how Florida's style has evolved.

Modern Minimalism and Monochrome Rooms

Modern minimalism is a popular trend that is picking up steam in South Florida. Everyone is downsizing, Marie Kondo-ing their homes and loving the extra spaciousness it gives them. Part of this minimalist style is furniture with sleek lines and low profiles. These pieces may not take up less actual space, but they do give you more visual space.
Tone-on-tone color schemes help keep a space simple, relaxed, and stylish. The Bedford Customizable Sofa from the Lexington Personal Design Series exemplifies this aesthetic with its clean lines and muted palette. Bring in some metallic or glass accents to bring in a little shimmer that bounces light around and adds depth to a monochromatic space. Or, forever the design go-to, add some throw pillows with a bit of sheen on them.

Geometric Patterns Elevate Your Style

This trend isn’t going anywhere. One of the best ways to instantly elevate your living room and give it a designer flair is to layer different styles. Geometric prints are great for that. Try some throw pillows with a geometric pattern, or maybe an area rug. If you want to get really bold, upholster a side chair with a geometric print. For kitchens, add a geometric tile pattern to the backsplash, and in the bathroom, you can tile the niche or waterfall with geometrics.

Resort-Style Living in South Florida

The Florida weather and lush foliage practically scream tropical resort. You can play up this vibe by turning your bedroom into a mini-resort with the Round Hill Bed with Woven Panel Inserts from Tommy Bahama Home Island Estate. The vibrant island textures and materials create an island vibe that is enhanced by the headboard and footboard with woven lampakanai panels. Leather-wrapped bamboo carved posts add to the resort feel of the room. The room itself says "relax and enjoy." You won’t have to hop on a plane to experience the magic of your favorite resort, you can live in it every day.

Bathrooms as Wellness Escapes

The bathroom as a wellness escape is rising in popularity, and for good reason. Creating a space where you can relax and unwind at the end of the day, or week is becoming more of a necessity than a luxury. Whether you go traditional or modern, these spaces usually require minimalist design elements: light, airy colors, natural stone, and quality linens, with as much natural light as possible. Once you’ve created such a room, you can easily incorporate wellness moments into your busy day-to-day routine.

Nautical Accents That Bring You Closer to the Ocean

Nautical accents have always been a staple in Florida design, and that probably won’t go away any time soon. Blue and white décor, nautical prints, brass lamps and fixtures are all a part of the nautical theme. Mixing sleek, contemporary chairs with a rustic wooden farm table keeps the feel fresh and lively. Or, choose bamboo and wicker for a more casual look. Keep the look nautical with cushions covered in marine blue upholstery and accented with white piping.

Using these elements, you can create a home as light, bright, and breezy as the Florida landscape. However you do it, make Florida-style your own style.

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5 Ways to Make Your Living Room Décor Pop

As smart TVs get bigger and bigger, it’s easy to see how they can take over your living room. This may not be the aesthetic you were going for in this multi-purpose space. With that in mind, it’s a good time to consider a living room refresh. These 5 easy tips will make your living room pop and take the attention off the TV.

Create a Focal Point That Doesn’t Compete with the TV

A leather sofa, such as the Foster Stationary sofa is an instant focal point. This gorgeous sofa with rolled arms, plush cushions, and nailhead trim will definitely take center stage. Situated in front of a statement wall, it will instantly draw the eye of anyone who enters the room. Place the TV across from the sofa so that it doesn’t compete with the statement wall.

Add balance with pieces such as chairs with a similar scale and style. You can mix it up by adding a piece with fabric upholstery. Table lamps add height, and a coffee table helps ground the space.

Undress Your Windows to Let the Light In

A simple update is to get new curtains in a bold or fun pattern or print. Even better, dress down your windows to let in plenty of light. Add sheers that let the light flow through and create a more relaxed vibe in the living room. Take the curtain rod all the way to the ceiling and hang the curtains so that they fall all the way to the floor.

The bright, natural light suits the Coastal Living Home Escape Kiawah Sofa by Universal. It’s the perfect blend of comfort, style, and function. The natural light makes the colorful pillows pop against the clean white upholstery. Blue lamps and throw rug add to the vibrant feel of the space.

Personalize the Space with a Curated Collection

The living room is a space made for personalization. Since you spend the majority of your downtime in this space, adding personal touches will make it more inviting. You can add framed personal pictures, meaningful accessories, or a carefully curated collection displayed like those in the Ocean Club Pacifica Entertainment Console and Tradewinds Bookcases by Tommy Bahama Home. You can create a media center and have plenty of room to display personal items such as pottery, specimen corals, and books. There’s even enough room for your smart TV.

Create a Gallery Wall

Another way to personalize your living room and create a focal point is to create a gallery wall. Arrange a collection of black and white photographs, or colorful canvasses with a theme such as waterscapes or landscapes. This is a great way to display meaningful quotes and special pictures.

Add Some Greenery

As a final touch, add a plant or flowers to your living room. Plants such as the Chinese Evergreen, iron plant, peace lily, begonias, snake plant, bromeliads, and cacti are great low-maintenance indoor plants. These plants will add freshness and life to your living room as well as pops of color.

What are some ways you’ve brought your own living room to life? Share your ideas in the comments below.

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Glossary of Furniture Terms

Do you sometimes get confused about furniture names and terms? Couch, sofa, loveseat, divan, or Davenport (as my grandmother used to say) are all the same type of seating. Or, are they?

If you’re confused about what to call different pieces of furniture and other interior design terminology, you’re not alone. While no one will be confused – too much – if you say sofa when you mean couch, there are some other terms that will help you communicate with your interior designer or salesperson when looking for just the right piece for your home.

Accessory: art, lighting, area rugs, plants, and wall hangings added to a space to enhance the design style.

Antique: furniture, art, furnishings, lighting, sculpture, accessories, and other décor items that are at least 100 years old.

Tommy Bahama Ocean Club Armoire with geometric patterned bi-fold doors offers storage solutions and features a removable back panel to help keep electrical cords organized.

Armoire: a tall, freestanding piece that usually has space for hanging and folded items. Originally used for storing armor, armoires are often used to discreetly house televisions, media, or computers.

Attached-back sofa: a sofa or couch with pillows that cannot be removed.

Bachelors chest: a low, small wooden chest with drawers, often used as a larger night stand.

Bergère: an armless chair with an upholstered seat, back, and sides with an exposed wood frame.

Beveled edge: slanted edge detail on marble, glass, wood, and other materials.

Bolster: a decorative cylindrical pillow, often but not always with decorative trim and other embellishments.

The Cottage Five Drawer Chest by Paula Deen features bun feet, antique handles, and a cedar-lined bottom drawer.

Bun foot: leg on chairs, couches, or occasional tables in the shape of a bun.

Cabriole leg: carved furniture leg that curves outward at the “knee” and tapers inward at the “ankle.”

Case goods: a term used in the furniture industry to refer to cabinets, chests, and most non-upholstered furniture.

Cane: reed-like plant material, such as rattan, split into strips and woven to create chair backs, seats, and side panels. Also used as decorative insets, often found in tropical-themed furniture.

Camelback: chair or sofa with a curve in the back, like a camel’s hump.

Chaise lounge: French for long chair and pronounced “shez long,” this piece of furniture is designed for personal reclining and is not normally a motion piece.

Chippendale: an American style of furniture originating from the 16th century and designed by Thomas Chippendale. Furniture in the Chippendale style features curved legs and a ball-and-claw foot.

Console: a rectangular table set against the wall in a dining room, entryway, or behind a sofa.

Credenza: a buffet or sideboard.

Curio: stems from a cabinet displaying what was referred to as curiosities in peoples collections.

Etagere: a tall, open-shelved stand used to display decorative objects.

Hutch: the top piece placed over what is normally storage cabinet below.

Occasional furniture: a general term for small furniture pieces such as coffee tables, tea carts, lamp tables, or small chairs used as accent pieces.

The Summer Hill Round Pedestal table by Universal features a 20” leaf that allows it to extend to 70” for a larger size dinner party.

Pedestal table: a table with a central base as its support instead of four legs.

Sectional sofa or couch: seating that comes in separate pieces that can be customized to the space and configured any way you wish.

Slipcovers: fabric covers for upholstered chairs and couches that can be removed when needed.

Veneer: thin layers of wood about 3 mm bonded to core panels to produce flat panels and used indoors, table tops, panels for cabinets, other parts of furniture, and parquet floors. Veneers are also used in marquetry.

These terms should help you find what you want on your next foray into furniture buying. In the long run, it doesn't matter what you call it, as long as you choose the items that bring you joy.

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How to Blend Holiday Décor with Your Home Décor Style

Everyone loves glitter and garlands around the holidays, but the traditional red and green is slowly making way for non-traditional color pairings such as white and brown, green and blue, or white and turquoise. The trends are shifting away from holiday-specific décor to quirky characters such as peacocks, llamas, and elephants. I’m not saying you have to jump on the Pineapple Christmas Tree trend, but you can match your holiday décor with your home décor style to create a chic and sophisticated holiday.

Vintage-Inspired Holiday Décor

To add some subtle holiday cheer to the blue, white, and gray room above, choose a simple silver and white color place setting, offset by gold, silver, and teal. The neutral palette featured in the Bungalow Seven Piece Dining Set by Paula Deen Bungalow creates a look that is full of coastal cottage charm.