Well if you love colour, there's no way you can ignore the inspiring interiors of Jonathan Adler. They are simply irresistible and have some of my favourite colour combinations in them. Branded "Modern American Glamour" the aesthetic of Adler's style reminds you of the Good Life captured through the lenses of Slim Aarons during the 60s and 70s. Think of glamorous jet setters, between Palm Beach, the Caribbean and beyond. This must be a reason why the American photographer features so often in Adler's designs.

The essence of Adler's interiors

Surprisingly, while we may think that Adler's designs are maximalistic, his view is that the look is pared back and that he is aiming for a minimalistic result where casualness and comfort triumph.

I tend to agree. It's the forms and shapes used throughout his rooms that make you feel that the rooms are filled to the brim with stuff. But look closer and you will see that the items used, from geometric rugs to patterned cushions all add some weight on the design, however the rooms themselves are free of clutter and anything that feels unnecessary.

Adler's rooms look like they are lived in and enjoyed. There is obviously a strong element of luxury, but comfort reigns. For example, consider any Eames/Bertoia/Saarinen dining chair that is used so prominently in interiors lately: can you really enjoy sitting on a wire framed Bertoia Diamond chair for long when compared to the comfort of the Goldfinger chair shown above?

Elements of American Modern Glam

So let's break down some of the required components of Adler's style. First of all, there's gold/brass, and lots of it. Adler is like a magpie, he loves and collects/makes shiny things, gold most of all in all of its hues, even rose gold. Matt and shiny gold/brass appear prominently in his furniture lines. Just look at the Goldfinger dining chair and the Channing desk above. A large number of accessories produced under his brand name are also extra sparkly like the elephant below and the brass and lucite pendant light.

Then of course it's the mix of geometric shapes. Triangles, squares, circles. Adler is like a magician who knows exactly where to draw your attention. The colours are intense but your brain is too busy processing shapes. Rectangles mixing with rhombi over triangles (below). This is genius.

Colours, of course. French blue appears in a lot of his recent projects. What is French Blue you ask? Apparently it's a blue pigment made of powdered lapis lazuli and resembles the blue in the bag in the photo above and the colour of the chairs in the photo bottom left. That's surely St Giles Blue he's talking about then?

Blue however is not used just on its own. Lime and blue is a combination we see over and over again, while currently lavender and emerald green are on his SS16 list.

Accessories! In a recent interview with ELLE Decor, Adler revealed that the key to his look is creating a chic and classical foundation, before going over the top with accessories. From layering a carpet with a zebra area rug, to applying artwork by Slim Aarons, to killing it with layer upon layer of cushions, he is a MASTER of design.

The final piece to the Jonathan Adler puzzle is playfulness. Adler wonders sometimes when he comes across rooms that seem to be occupied by adults who were never children. On the contrary, you will always find an element of tongue in cheek in his rooms, be that a vase full of tits (pardon my French!) or a lamp shaped like a sea urchin.

I so want to escape the ordinary and move into a house that is filled with colours and objects in the style of Modern American Glamour the way Adler interprets it. This style is going to be big.

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