Starter castles, McMansions, call them what you will—in the past 20 years many homes across America have been built to enormous proportions. But today, even affluent home buyers are rethinking the megahouse. “It can be seen as wasteful. Not cool,” says Ian Baldwin, an architect who teaches the history and theory of modern architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. “The new paradigm in consumerism is being a cutting-edge ‘green’ consumer. That’s cool, as well as being responsible.”
A smaller footprint requires smaller furniture. “I’ve discerned a dichotomy in my business,” says Mark Allen Garzon, a Chicago principal of MGLM Architects. “Uninformed people still say they want bigger rooms and bigger furnishings. But people who are design-conscious and interested in historical context tend to prefer fewer items in their homes, ones that are smaller, more compact, and have a lot of character.” Gary Paul, of GP Incorporated Design Consulting, a native Chicagoan who works on many projects downtown and along the North Shore, finds that for local projects he is “constantly looking for smaller pieces that don’t compromise comfort.... Smaller-scale furniture also saves on materials, which is both ecological and cost effective.”
Although Gary Friedman, creator and curator of Restoration Hardware, says he never follows trends, he’s the guiding spirit behind the new line, Big Style Small Spaces. The collection, which debuted last spring, evolved so quickly that the company devoted a 156-page stand-alone sourcebook to it in the fall. As a way of proving the line’s versatility and visual impact, the company created 15 interiors inspired by residences all over the world—including a River North row house—and filled them with pieces from the collection.
The key, according to Friedman, is not only the new proportion, but also “the ability to place things beautifully in small spaces to create a new drama and excitement.” He says a scouting trip to Paris with his creative team prompted a reassessment of small-space design. Soon after, Restoration Hardware designers began to fashion furnishings that, while scaled down, also reflected a reinterpretation of otherwise traditional designs. For example, seating inspired by a classic Breuer or Arne Jacobsen chair design may now feature distressed wood, a variety of textures, and a different scale.
By organizing the line around iconic settings, Friedman seems to be tapping into another trend: the renewed interest—after years of the architectural mishmash of McMansion styles—for structures (often in urban settings) with historic design integrity. Baldwin points out, “With all of these interesting spaces people are now occupying, they need different furniture than what they once owned. The furnishings are all part of the new ways many people are choosing to live.”
