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Inspired By: Jonathan Adler
There are many paths that lead creative people into the world of interior design, which brings us neatly to this week's Inspired by subject, Jonathan Adler.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Jonathan showed an early interest in pottery, and despite attending Brown University to study semiotics and art history, he spent as much time as possible working with clay.
Adler’s design philosophy
It was Adler’s passion for all things indie, pop-culture and contemporary design that led him, almost by accident, into interior design. His first love has always been pottery, but his extravagant nature and desire to see his work in context led to an expansion into furnishings and, eventually, design of interior spaces.
The Jonathan Adler design experience is an intoxicating mix of bold clashing colours, expressive use of soft and hard furnishings, and a shameless use of luxury items – which is why he’s so popular in Palm Springs and California!
What you can learn from Adler
Despite Adler’s obvious extravagance, there are still themes and inspirations that you can use when you’re redesigning your space – especially if you have a sense of fun and want your interior design to reflect that!
After all, his own manifesto clearly states:
“We believe that your home should make you happy.”
It’s easy to forget that, and create a functional but joyless living space, but that simply can’t happen if you find yourself inspired by Adler!
You can add a little of his glamour to your home by releasing your inner diva and thinking about layers. We like to think of his interior design work as tastefully tasteless – it shouldn’t work but it does, and that's because of the sense of fun he embodies in his work.
Here are a few ideas that you could try to inject a little Adler glamour and humour into your space:
Use bold animal print soft furnishing to add a splash of colour to a more elegant space.
Don’t be afraid to use clashing colours – Jonathan doesn’t believe any colours clash!
Hang your curtains ceiling to floor to make your windows look bigger.
Challenge tradition by embracing quirky furniture and canvas prints – the brighter the better!
If you don’t walk through your front door and feel happy to be home, it’s probably time to embrace a little bit of the Jonathan Adler design blueprint– after all, your home should make you happy!
