When starting out- whether it be your first apartment, your first house, or your first "grown-up" space of your own after parting with the roommate phase of life...you have to start somewhere. And you have to ditch all that Ikea furniture you thought was so great in college. (As a side note, I am not bashing Ikea- but I firmly believe there is a place and time in which an individual should grow-out of their Ikea furnishings...all of them!).

Deciding where to start and where to spend that first chunk of money can sometimes be paralyzing. And sometimes, despite best intentions, you may be tempted to spring for the Louis Ghost Chair when what you really need is a good sofa that will take you well into your next phase of life (don't worry- fun things like the ghost of Louis can and will come later!).

I decided to make an entire editorial feature out of a comment I left on another design blog (I won't tell you which one, since I will be doing this post in 11 installments, and I intend on keeping you in suspense!). The post was in response to how much love one should give a rental. (All you design blog junkies, I'm sure you know which blog I'm referring to!).  After posting, I realized that the starting points are the same, regardless of the space you are filling. This list of ten will start you out on the right track for developing your style and will lay the foundation for great design in your home. From this foundation, you can layer and develop your style. When you hire an interior designer for the first time, they will have great pieces to work with and commend you for sound and savvy choices.

Stay tuned for #1!

*This photo comes from my personal collection of mag tears since I was a teenager. If you are the designer or photographer- let me know so I can give you proper credit!

If I told you this bedroom was from the 80's, would you believe me?

Guess what- its from the 80's! Pretty unbelievable, huh? This is a perfect example of how classic interiors can be enduring and relevant, even decades past their "designed on" date. I came across this clip in my files and had to throw it up on Maison Classique. A few years ago, I cut this out of an old Arch Digest from either the mid or late eighties. I still remember marveling at the year of issue.

Today, perhaps you would switch out the lamps (or forego the trim), and perhaps throw the flowers in the foreground into a crystal vessel. But everything else, even the color palette, could pass for today. I love the bold stripes and the shape of the head and foot boards. I even love the fun pillow shapes. And I especially love the diamond-pane window, (but I have a feeling it was like that before the designer got there). It all works. This room and design is going on 30 years old.

Will your interiors look relevant in 30 years? Do you want them to?

To all you readers with classique tastes and households- this is what you have to look forward to. Constant style, an enduring investment, and an aesthetic sensibility that reaches beyond trends of the moment. What a way to be chic and timeless.

Fresh Federalist by Janelle Steinberg

My basic guidelines for executing contemporary American Federalist Style:

-Correct use of period colors, with a few liberties

-Updated furniture with classic lines and proportion. For a truly fresh and contemporary take, few antique furnishings should be used (rather than all the furnishings being antiques- which puts the room on track for being a "period room"). However, antique accessories are absolutely called for.

-Use of hallmark Federalist style motifs, such as the eagle and dentil mouldings.

-A general use of symmetry in layout and room arrangements, with playful asymmetric elements in the details such as accessories and art arrangement.

-Heavy concentration on the interior architecture: custom built-ins and appropriate mouldings are key.

-Brass or gold metals for hardware, lamps, etc.

-In general, darker wood stains and dark paint colors when one desires an alternative to wood grain.

I just came upon a fantastic blog post highlighting beautiful Classic libraries from around the world. To view the compilation, click here. Enjoy!