The 345 Decorating Method

A tangible, easy way to decorate any space and creating your dream home.

Last year when I was getting my house ready to be photographed for a coffee table book, I spent a lot of time trying to explain what my interior “Style” was. Personally, I don’t think style itself is something we can put in a box. My style changes on my mood, what I read, what I discover, what I’m tired of, what I find on Facebook marketplace. But one thing I did realize, especially since I decorate solely based on what I find shopping secondhand , is that what I do actually has a rhyme or reason to it, a method, shall we say.

That’s how I came up with the 345 Method. I wanted a an easy, and tangible way I could explain my design process that other people could find useful and try themselves. So this is what I came up with:

The 345 decorating method is a tangible way to decorate any space. Not only will it help you develop your personal style, it will give you the perfect mix in a room every time, making your home look authentically, you. This is key because who wants to look like everybody else? Especially in the age of the internet!

It’s based on classic design principles split into 3 categories that are easy to remember.

Here’s how the 345 method works. For for each space, and by that I mean room, choose A MINIMUM of the following:

3- Patterns

4- Period styles/ Eras

5- Colors and/or Textures

First, start off with a minimum of 3 patterns. Minimum is key here too. I am not a “minimum” person so having 5 patterns is probably my “minimum”, but I find that at least 3 patterns is ideal. These will usually be found in your soft furnishings like sofas, chairs, rugs, drapes or wallpaper if you have, etc..,

“Solids” do count as a pattern, since not everyone likes a “pattern”. I actually always include a solid- whether its a wall, ceiling, sofa, chair, etc. Its a good base to start on to anchor everything else.

Then, choose a minimum of 4 eras/period styles that you love. For example, styles could be Traditional, Art Deco, 70s Modern, 80’s Post Modern, Chinoiserie, Hollywood Regency, Industrial, Bohemian and so forth. You can also have more than 4 and a lot of these styles overlap- like Chinoiserie/Hollywood Regency/Palm Beach and that’s totally okay . You would then choose furnishings within these 4 styles, like a modern parsons table, a chinoiserie pagoda mirror, a traditional rolled arm sofa, and so on, to not only develop your own personal style, but also to achieve the perfect mix in a room. If you have a distinct style like, if your style is cottage core, these rules may not apply since you might wanna keep everything in the same family. I find this really helps me be creative and every piece I find is dependent on the piece before it. So If I were to do a modern side table for my sofa, like I did in my living room, then I would offset that modern piece against something more traditional.

Lastly, you would use a minimum of 5 colors and/or textures in the space. I say and/or because you might be a 50 shades of beige girl and that’s fine, but if you have 2 shades of beige, you need to also have at least 3 different textures. For example, boucle, burl, velvet, marble, grass cloth, etc., And if you love color and pattern, sky is the limit, but I find that 5 colors and/or 5 textures are the sweet spot. As a maximalist, this is just baseline for me and I think I have at least 5 colors and 5 textures in each room so feel free to have 15 patterns/textures etc.

Let’s deep dive a bit more and use my living room as an example to explain the design process (I need new pics but lots of great video about this on my Instagram)

My Living room right before I thrifted the Le Tigre Ottoman

My Living Room decorated for Christmas

My sofa is a traditional, classic, rolled arm skirted sofa that I got on Facebook marketplace for only $500! Its velvet, down filled and I’m pretty sure it was custom. Now, once I got that sofa I was like, ok I need something modern to offset this classic sofa.

So I bought this amazing modern, grass cloth and Lucite side table from my BFF Raf’s shop The Beau Ideal in NJ.

Then, since I had a modern table on one side of the sofa, I knew I wanted something with a bit more history and patina on the other side. And that’s when I found a burled, 19th century chest, at one of my favorite thrifts in NYC for only $200 that I knew would be perfect to offset the sofa and modern table.

DECORATING IN PROCESS

I also knew I wanted something with a bit more history on this side of the living room because the dining room portion of the room is so very modern. I have a modern burl wood dining table, regency loop chairs, modern/regency frosted Lucite palm lamps, and modern art over the grasscloth Karl Springer Ming console. See what I mean about styles overlapping?

What I’m saying is, every single piece I use to decorate is based on the one before. If I had found a modern sofa, in a different shape or style, I would have picked different side tables. And that’s because 1) there’s no design board, you cant just order a side table online when you decorate based on what you find secondhand, and 2) I like a lot of different styles but I stick to about 4-5 in most of my rooms. The styles and even the patterns and textures repeat, making it feel very much ME, and cohesive throughout my house.

Every other room in my house follows this same formula. My entry also has the same styles repeated all over again, colors, patterns, etc. Modern art/ Regency Ello cabinet/ the English secretary desk, the plaster shell chandelier (love this Juxtaposition btw)

The entry foyer whatever

Some other rooms in my home I decorated using the 345 method:

MY daughters room which has a distinctly more English vibe

I found the modern burl dresser at a thrift for $60, the lamps for $10 although the shades are from Alice Palmer. The chairs were from FB marketplace but were listed from my upstairs neighbor!

More British charm with bookcases I found on FB

I also used this method when I redid my kitchen last summer. There is a slight difference in style here because the chairs obviously “don’t go”. I had Chippendale chairs here before, and yes those would have been better, but this kitchen was inspired by my childhood growing up in my Grandmas kitchen in Italy, and these chairs were the same chairs she had. So sometimes I think its okay if something is slightly off because why are we even decorating if not to create a feeling of home? Having the same chairs as my Nonna definitely makes me feel like home.

My bedroom is still a work in progress but its getting there. I have plans to finally finish this space soon but I love where its headed!

I also think people are kind of intimidated to decorate especially when they like me, love a lot of different things. So, here is a cheat sheet to help you use the 345 method as you see fit to hopefully help you find your own personal and create your dream home.

Breaking down the 3/4/5/ Method Cheat Sheet (you can also save this on Instagram here and here)

#3- Choose a minimum of 3 Patterns :

Abstract, Animal Print (Leopard, Tiger, Antelope, etc.), Arabesque, Harlequin, Basketweave, Herringbone, Batik, Houndstooth, Block print, Ikat, Botanical, Lattice, Checkered, Plaid, Chevron, Polka dot, Chinoiserie, Retro, Chintz, Stripes, Crewel, Toile, Damask, Trellis, Flame Stitch, Tribal, Geometric, Gingham

#4- Choose a minimum of 4 Period Styles/ Eras-

60s Psychedelic, 70s Glam, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, Asian, Baroque, Bohemian, California Cool, Chinoiserie, Coastal, Contemporary, Cottage Core, Country, Eclectic, English Country , Farmhouse, Florentine, Folk , French Country, Georgian, Glam, Grand millennial, Gustavian, Hollywood Regency, Industrial, Maximalist, Mediterranean, Memphis, Midcentury Modern, Minimalist, Modern, Modern Italian, Nautical ,Neoclassical, Palm Beach, Parisian, Post Modern, Retro, Rustic, Scandinavian, Shabby Chic, Space Age, Swedish, Traditional, Transitional, Venetian, Victorian

#5- Choose a minimum of 5 Colors and/or Textures:

Colors- Literally any and every color of the rainbow

Textiles and fabrics (For upholstery like sofas, drapes, chairs, pillows, rugs)

Boucle, Canvas, Cashmere, Chenille, Chiffon, Cotton, Crepe, Damask, Denim, Jute , Lace, Leather, Mohair, Muslin, Organza, Satin, Silk, Sisal, Suede, Taffeta, Toile, Tweed, Velvet, Wool

For Wood Furniture:

Biedermeier, Birch, Burl, Cedar, Cherry, Elm, Mahogany, Maple, Oak, Pine, Teak, Tiger Maple, Walnut

Other: Brass, Ceramic, Chrome, Crystal, Ebonized, Glass, Goatskin, Grass cloth, Lacquered, Linen, Lucite, Marble, Mirrored, Mother of Pearl, Murano, Natural Stone, Tile

To help make this more tangible, here’s an example of a scheme you might try:

Use a minimum of:

3 Patterns- Stripe, Chintz, Block print, Solid

4 Period Styles/ Eras- Baroque, Contemporary, Chinoiserie, Modern

5 Colors and/or Textures- Red, blue, white, pink, magenta / Burl, chrome, brass, mohair, Lucite

You can also use ones not on my lists, I didn’t include everything just what I know!

You can mix and match all the colors, styles and patterns and play around until you figure out what works for you. There’s no wrong answer! This is about finding your personal style and decorating your home the way you want. I hope this was helpful and if you have questions, please let me know since I could talk about this ALL DAY!

And, If you need more a visual example of this, I have tons of videos and posts on my Instagram.

LOVE YALL!

Nan