After 40 years in retail advertising and branding, David Brown of David Brown Design has transitioned his talents of set design, photo styling, visual display and store design into interior design. He is known for mixing traditional and modern, and old with new to create layered personal spaces. All images here are from his "Drinking Room" at the 2017 Jewels on the Bay Designer Showhouse.

For the most part trends don’t appeal to me. If it’s “hot” today, chances are it will be “out” tomorrow. Instead I prefer to stick with timeless classics updated for the future. Break the rules with unlikely match-ups and add your own flair to create a thoughtfully layered home. It will pay off.

Five essentials to achieve a personalized space include: 

Original Art  

Fine art from a gallery, children’s art, photographs, flea market finds, sculpture. My favorite: abstract expressionism. 

Living Things

Fresh flowers, plants, pets, friends, family. My favorite: orchids.

Unexpected Mixes

Antique/modern, rough/smooth, matte/shiny, high/low, American/European, old/new. My favorite: French antique/Bauhaus. 

Color

Follow your favorites, create color harmony that is pleasing to your eye, live with what makes you happy, use color to transform a space. My favorite: bright pastels. 

"Objets."  

Personal treasures collected over time, items passed down through generations, found objects, collectibles, mementoes created by children. My favorite: chinoiserie.