Dallas Morning News: Dallas designers’ new book breaks down ‘the final 15%’ of decorating
Dallas Morning News – –Dallas designers’ new book breaks down ‘the final 15%’ of decorating. (Hint: It’s about how to make your home feel — not just look — finished)
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If you’ve ever stood in a newly redone room in your home — full of fresh paint, new furniture, maybe a new light fixture or, in a kitchen, updated tile and countertops — and still felt like something was missing, then you might be in need of the “final 15%.”
It’s easy to focus on those major selections; they are, after all, the essentials. But they don’t always make a room feel complete. The final layer — art, decor and even functional pieces — is what brings personality and meaning to a space. In their upcoming book Fearless Design: Interiors from Pulp Design Studios, out Sept. 29, designers Carolina Gentry and Beth Dotolo of Dallas- and Seattle-based Pulp Design Studios make the case for what they call the ‘final 15%’ of interior design: the finishing touches that make a house feel like home.
The duo coined the phrase after they recognized a pattern among their clients. Though homeowners were willing to invest in larger furnishings and features, they rarely wanted to spend the time, effort or money on smaller items, like art and decor, that finish out a space. Gentry and Dotolo would often hear: “I don’t like stuff.” But they knew that wasn’t really the issue.
“I think when people say they don’t like stuff, they don’t understand what that is,” says Gentry. Dotolo adds: “You don’t ‘not like stuff’ — you don’t like clutter; you don’t like chaos.”
Drawing that distinction for their clients proved helpful. After careful curation — topical books geared toward the clients’ interests, art that spoke to them, sentimental objects or even functional decor such as boxes and bins — clients were surprised to find that they did indeed like stuff.
“That’s what the final 15 does: It speaks to the person, the family, who lives in that home,” says Gentry.
The same principle applies whether you’re using the services of a designer or working on a room yourself. If a space feels off, incomplete or simply not like you, it may be missing the final 15%.
The goal isn’t to add more for the sake of more. It’s to choose the objects that say something about the people who live there. If you’re taking a DIY approach, Gentry and Dotolo offer a few guidelines for choosing those final pieces without simply creating clutter.
The first rule is this: Don’t search for something just to fill empty space. “The final 15 isn’t just for pretty; it should also be for purpose,” Gentry says. Think about high-use places where a beautiful item can serve a dual purpose by decorating a space and solving an everyday need.
“Books, trays, boxes and bowls are the little ‘sleeper hits’ that really help add in those layers but also contain chaos and elevate objects,” explains Dotolo. Consider a beautiful container for storing television remotes and coasters in the living room, for example. A tray is one of Dotolo’s favorite ways to corral items so they’re not “exploding on the table.”
Not every piece in the final 15 has to solve a practical problem, though. Some elements earn their place by adding meaning or telling a story. “Art is part of the final 15,” Dotolo notes, going on to say that it doesn’t just have to fill walls, it can also be displayed on bookshelves or tables.
When sourcing art for their clients, Dotolo and Gentry gather information about their interests or hobbies. They also take into consideration the context of the home — its history, architecture and location. “We try to seek out local artists,” Dotolo shares. Keep in mind, “you don’t have to break the bank on art,” she continues, “but art is such an important part of your expression of yourself in your home.”
And not everything has to be traditional artwork. You could simply stack beautiful art and design books on a table and layer them with an interesting ceramic vessel. Or fill your home with framed objects, like things found while traveling or family mementos.
If you do go shopping, consider longevity. “You should be buying something that’s meaningful, that you can use or take to another house [if you move],” says Gentry.
According to Dotolo, the distinction between a home that looks like it was “designed cheaply” and a home that looks expensive doesn’t come down to the cost of the individual objects. It comes down to the thoughtfulness behind them. Being thoughtful also means deciding which pieces are worth investing in, and that looks different for everyone. “Someone might want to spend more money on artwork and less on a side table,” says Gentry.
Finishing that final 15% isn’t about replicating a perfectly styled room you saw in a book or on Instagram. It’s about adding the useful, meaningful and sometimes deeply personal things that couldn’t belong to anyone else’s home. “It’s not just staged for a photo shoot,” Dotolo says. “It’s really important that it has that authenticity to it.”
