what's so special about this room?

i'm working on a new living room design for a family, and my go to for inspiration for this project was the work of ashley whittaker.   i'm a big fan of ashley's, from as far back as when domino named her one of the top 10 designers to watch 2007.  her portfolio is a great example of relaxed-yet-refined, tailored and traditional rooms with the perfect combination of personality pieces and pretty accents.







i thought her work would be great to kick off a new feature, 'what's so special about this room'.  if you can train your eye to pick up on the most important elements of a design you're drawn to, then you'll have much more success creating a look you love in your own home.

1: unconventional furniture arrangement

2: tailored, special details like greek key trim

3: large antiqued mirror

4: tortoise shell finish

5: a mix of lighting

6: custom pillow in indian inspired print

7: large modern artwork

8: quirky themed accents