Friday Favorites: Charissa's Pink Pouf

Welcome back to Friday Favorites, our weekly column featuring a design-savvy friend of the Here in This House family who opens up their home to us to share their favorite item or room. This week we talk with Charissa, a former (self-described) "magazine girl" having worked for many years in the publishing industry and also a mother of two in the big city. You may recognize her apartment from our earlier post which showcased the first appearance of the pouf on this site. Read on to learn more about how the pouf came to be the household favorite.

Tell me about your favorite item in your home.

My favorite home decor item in the apartment is the white and pink pouf from Calypso Home - it makes me so happy.

Why a pouf?

Pat and I traveled abroad regularly before we had kids. On trips to Turkey and Tunisia, we were drawn to the bold patterns, deep-colored fabrics, and the informal pillows, poufs and kilim rugs that were always scattered around a room. They always created a very cozy, welcoming environment. So I was looking for something fun that could be used as a footrest, or to sit on or to move around the room and that could add a slight exotic touch to an otherwise neutral room. 

How did you find the pouf?

I was with my friend, interior designer Isabel Borland (see more of her work here) on a shopping excursion downtown. We stopped into Calypso Home, a store whose aesthetic I have loved both in home decor and in clothes. I could have bought almost everything in that store: poufs, mirrors, all sorts of cheerful colors, gorgeous textures, creamy colors but also colors that pop. I loved almost every single pouf - they had all different kinds - but I knew that hot pink or magenta pops of color draw me in and catch my eye.  The bold pattern and fun colors on this one made me the happiest.

Had you seen anything else that you liked? Or was this the only pouf for you?

I had my eye on the John Derian round leather poufs, but when I saw this more modern, colorful Kuba Jaipuri pouf at Calypso Home, I knew instantly that I wanted it. I prefer this square pouf much more - it's larger, has more of a feminine twist, and brings a playful element to the room. They also sell a gorgeous, shimmery silver, leather pouf, but that one was more than I wanted to spend.

How did the pouf inspire the decor of your living room?

The rest of the room was designed around this pouf, which Isabel and I found in the early stages of our shopping. I had pulled out a lot of magazine layouts and noticed that I was pulling out a lot of light greys and light lavenders with hot pink pops of color. (I never knew I was a hot pink kind of girl, but that is the color that kept catching my eye.) The pouf affected every paint, fabric, furniture and pillow decision - everything had to somehow in a way relate back to the pouf or had to be able to live with the pouf. I kept asking Isabel, "Does it go with the pouf?" As a result the room is grounded in soothing grey on the walls, balanced by shimmery purple velvet armchairs (we reupholstered), a brown/pink kasbah-feeling Madeline Weinrib rug and a white Jonathan Adler bookcase. We also added some "furry blankets" to balance the texture of the canvas pouf and linen-upholstered sofa. 

  

What sorts of things did you have to reject because they couldn't live with the pouf?

Mostly things were too traditional. I was trying to move away from the more traditional look which is what our previous apartment had been. I wanted to make sure [this apartment] was in a more colorful and slightly feminine color palette. A palette that would hopefully make me and my family happy because the colors were so cheerful. And just a little bit unusual, not your typical beige palette. 

Do your kids and spouse love the pouf as much as you do?

I think my husband likes it because he knows that I love it so much. The kids like it because it is basically a kids-sized piece of furniture! We're always sitting on it or putting our feet on it. It's so practical and so easy to move from place to place in the living room.

How do you describe your decor style sense?

My decor style is contemporary, laid-back and easy.  Everything has to be comfortable and kid-proof - nothing too fancy. I like clean lines, neutral backgrounds with fun pops of color, and touchable textures.  Also, as I get older, I seem to be more allergic to clutter - I can't stand it and it makes me cranky when the apartment is messy. Also, one of the many things that Isabel taught me was about using lighting as accessories, that in every single room you have an opportunity to dress up the room and give it personality. That had never really occurred to me, not to that degree, so it was really fun shopping with her for all the light fixtures. 

What is your biggest design challenge?

The absolute scariest thing to me is putting art on the walls. First of all, I don't really know where to look for art, though I am learning.  Then the framing intimidates me. And finally, I'm scared of the permanence of hammering nails into the wall, and then changing my mind. So I'm trying to let go a bit more and not be such a commitment-phobe.

Where do you go for inspiration?

I am still grieving the loss of Domino, one of my favorite magazines ever (and that is saying a lot coming from a magazine girl!). To me, Domino was the first and only magazine that showed stylish, accessible home decor with personality from a young point of view. I loved that it was not sterile and not heavily curated. It mixed textures and materials and furniture in ways I never imagined. I saved almost every issue and, when I was decorating, I pored over the Domino book on a regular basis. I also found inspiration for small details, layering and color schemes in Elle Decor, House Beautiful and [online magazine] Lonny.  My other favorite book is Stylist, written by Lili Diallo, an ex-Domino editor.

How did you choose this apartment?

We recently moved from a 2-bedroom apartment to a 3-bedroom in the same neighborhood. The layout is perfect for us and there is plenty of room to spread out - the private space (the bedrooms) is on one side and then the public space (living room, dining room and kitchen) is on the other. We also have a cozy eat-in-kitchen "nook", where we added a custom-built bench and table, plus some Kartell Ghost chairs that I had been eyeing. We spend so much time there - eating family meals, doing homework, reading the Sunday paper, etc. In general, there is much more room for us to have our friends and family over for dinner or overnight visits, which was a critical factor in our decision-making. Plus the apartment has high ceilings and open, sunny views from all of the windows, which makes such a huge difference in how you start your day.

Please complete the phrase "Here in this house…"

… it's so comfy that I guarantee you would be happy to just veg here all day.

It is! Mae can attest to that! Thanks, Charissa, for sharing your pouf and home with us. May your pouf bring you much happiness, fun and good cheer!