Accessories

Falling For Fall

January 9, 2018

I’m certainly falling for fall – are you? This time a year I get absolutely giddy. Why? Because autumn is on its way.

Fall is my favorite season and I think that’s the case for many interior designers. It’s a season where we can make the most of both the indoor and outdoor living spaces, and the colors are so rich and vibrant.

Fall Decorations For Every Living Space in Your Home

When I work with clients, transitioning their homes from summer to fall, I like to make it a tangible experience from start to finish – or from the front door to the patio– to be precise. Here is a glimpse into how I tackle the transition of seasons in just about every living space in the house.

Transform your porch into an autumnal ambassador

Start sharing your warm autumn glow by decorating the porch and front walkway. At the very simplest, an autumn wreath on the door will due. If you want to get more involved with fall-inspired porch design, use colorful dried corn cobs to create a fall garland.

While pumpkins are nice, I like connecting with local farmers at the season’s farmer’s markets to find out who has the most interesting gourds – and then striking up a deal. There are some seriously crazy-looking heirloom gourds at there and you can get them for a song. Best of all, gourds last all season and can be used indoors and out.

Welcome guests in from a chilly fall evening with a warm, inviting entryway

Your entryway is the gateway to your home, and yet it’s so often overlooked these days. I think the penchant for attached garages, which we use as our family’s day-to-day entrance and exit, is part of the reason we forget what in impact entryways have on our family and friends.

Your entryway a great place to house a few pumpkin-spiced candles, to hang seasonal hats and scarfs, or to adorn a hall tree mirror with a garland of autumn leaves – real and pressed or silk and reusable.

Create your dining table centerpiece

Why wait for the week before Thanksgiving to plan your holiday centerpiece? I prefer to use these months prior to the Big Day to get that fun task out of the way. In fact, it will truly be fun if you do it now – rather than becoming a last-minute stress during the week of Thanksgiving. Plus, creating a beautiful centerpiece now means you will enjoy it for a full month or so, rather than for a few short days, after which it’s all disassembled to make way for the winter holidays.

Cultivate a cozy ambiance in your living and family rooms

The first thing I do in my own home is to air out our family’s favorite afghans, wraps and throws. You just never know what a fall day will bring. Warm sunny days often turn into chilly afternoons and evenings, and late-fall predictably brings brisk winds and the first real rainy days. Make sure your living room and family room spaces are prepared for cozy fires, warm movie nights and weekend afternoons spent lounging about with a book and a mug of tea or hot cider.

Again, you can’t go wrong with candles in pumpkins, spice, fig or other fall-oriented scents. Additions of crimson, brown and gold accents will further lend the essence of fall to your living spaces.

Prepare your patio spaces for the ‘tween months

When it comes to outdoor living and patio spaces, we consider these the ‘tween months because they are nestled right between the hot summer and the cold winter. Some days feel as if summer will never end – so keep your grilling equipment at the ready; others are on the brisker side, so decorate your patio along the same vein as you decorate your porch. I like to add a couple of well-placed outdoor heaters, stacked firewood for the fire pit, flower pots laden with fall colored blooms, and plenty of blankets and throws for star gazing.

Simple Ways To Add Charm And Character

December 29, 2017

Even a serial modernist can’t help but acknowledge that older homes have charm and character. There’s something special about architecture from years gone by, not to mention the wood work and unique details that were more common in the everyday homes of the earlier 20^th century and further back along the architectural timeline.

You don’t have to buy a historical home to enjoy living spaces that have charm and character. All you have to do is personalize your own a bit, and throw in a few extra details that make guests take notice and feel more like they’re in a Home.

Here are 9 examples of what I’m talking about:

Re-vamp your foyer. When’s the last time you took a good hard look at your foyer or entryway? A welcome mat and a mirror are not enough to make guests feel welcome, nor will they tell us anything about who lives here. Eliminate clutter, clean things up and then re-vamp your entryway with a few extras that express a little bit about you, your tastes and your interests. Read, The Entryway, to learn more entryway design tips.
Dress up those windows. Sheer curtains are lovely, but they can also be bland. See if your windows couldn’t be framed a little better with curtain panels, or a valance, that highlights your color scheme or adds a bit of texture with its subtle or bold print. You’d be amazed at how different a room’s energy will feel with the right window dressings.
Show off those collections. Are your collections hidden away in boxes or a storage unit? Or are they cluttering up a few squashed shelves in your den? Get your collectibles out into the open using stylish display methods and your living space will be infused with personal charm.
Finish off those unfinished or unused spaces. Do you have a window seat that’s dying to be transformed into a reading nook? Is there are blank corner that could be put to work housing a gorgeous potted plant or tree? Look at those unused or unfinished nooks and niches in your home and get them settled into official “somethings” once and for all. They’ll add character, color and interest to the room.
Trim it up. Wood trim does wonders for living spaces. Take a peek at the trim that adorns your windows and doors, your baseboards or the top of your walls (if there is any). Then, begin perusing the array of moulding and trim out there. It might be time for some replacements or additions. Even the simple addition of a chair rail around your dining room wall, along with a new coat of paint (or a half-wall’s worth), will make it seem like you’ve had a total room remodel.
Change out your light fixtures. Did you move into an already-built home? Unless you’ve done a total remodel, odds are you have a light fixture or two that was chosen for you. If they are the standard versions that came with the home, I’ll bet they are they’re totally boring – and/or not your cup of tea. Get online or out there at flea markets and look for fun, unique or stunning light fixtures that will enhance your interior design and are worth taking the time to look up at.
Is that wood underneath that carpet? Many homeowners take their carpet for granted, and have no idea their older home may have stunning wooden floors underneath the carpet. If the wood underneath is a little beat up and you can’t afford to refinish or replace it, you might think about painting it. Let me begin to count the ways wood flooring trumps carpet: looks, character, resale value, less allergenic, more sanitary, etc. etc. If you are one of those older-home owners whose neglected to learn what lies beneath the carpet, do your homework and find out. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Decorate your ceilings. The ceilings are a much-overlooked piece of the interior design puzzle. In most cases, it’s like a big, blank wall staring at your from above. When clients decide to paint their ceiling, install coffered ceilings, or trim their ceilings with wood or woven fabrics, it adds a tremendous amount personality.
Look for that perfect vintage or antique piece. Find a piece in your home that is boring, out of place and/or made cheaply. Now, your mission is to scour flea markets, antique stores and craigslist for its vintage or antique counterpart. That one swap out will make a difference. Repaint or refinish your replacement if needed, but don’t forget that the right type of wear-and-tear can be quite charming on its own.

Stuck on how to incorporate a little more charm or character in your Bay Area home? Schedule an in-home consultation with what you have and then work from there.

How To Choose And Hang Curtains

December 16, 2017

If it were just a matter of picking a color or pattern, selecting window curtains would be a relatively simple choice. Alas, there is so much more involved to have a clean, finished and stylish look.

Choosing curtains that accomplish the intended purpose(s), and look great while doing it, requires a bit more time and effort.

Answer These Questions Before Choosing Curtains

Reviewing the following question and comments can help you along your way. Plus, I’ll throw in a few tips to help your curtains look as good as you pictured them once they are installed.

What are the curtains for? If the curtains are purely decorative you have way less to consider than if they are required for privacy or to block the sun at particular times of day.

Decorative: These curtains can be made from just about any fabric and do not require a liner. However, if the curtains will be exposed to a lot of sunlight – like in windows with western or southern exposure – a liner is a worthwhile investment to prevent fading.
Privacy or Darkening. In order to make sure people can’t see into your windows or that the sun is fully blocked, you will need curtains that are heavier in weight and include a liner.
Insulation. If you have older, less-efficient windows or have a room in the house that is particularly drafty or cold, a liner or a special insulation layer will help to keep things more comfortable. In most cases, insulated curtains require custom-orders as they are less common in ready-made panels.

What fabric is best? Often, the answer to this question comes down to your home’s style: traditional, modern, formal or casual. Heavy silks or velvet are thicker and provide a more formal look. They are also ideal for insulating and blocking sunlight. However, these fabrics need to be dry cleaned. If you prefer lower-maintenance option, look for panels made from cotton sateen or rayon blends that can be thrown in the washer and dryer. Cotton and wool blends are versatile. They provide a crisp look that can go more formal or casual, depending on the patterns and colors you select.

Keep in mind that curtains are a great way to add texture to a room so think about what texture is least represented in your room’s current design and narrow your fabric choices from there.

Color or Not to Color? There are two options with curtains when it comes to color and pattern – to blend or pop. If you choose to blend, peruse colors or patterns that match the wall color, but are just a few shades darker. You can also blend by picking a subtle color from an existing pattern and pulling it out with complementary panels. Popping requires a more bold choice with bright colors or wowing viewers with a stunning pattern – always keeping in mind that brighter colors are more prone to fading.

How to measure and hang? The rule of thumb with curtain hanging is that they should just touch the floor or the windowsill, depending on the look you want. If a radiator is in the way, then they should come just above the top of it (being careful to use non-flammable fabrics).

Curtains that open should be 2 to 2 ½ times the width of the window, if they are simply used to frame the window then 1 ½ times the window width will be sufficient. Always round your measurements up because curtains can always be hemmed to fit, whereas curtains that are too short in either direction can’t be helped.

The curtain rod should be installed just above and just beyond the upper window trim or molding. However, in smaller or shorter rooms, consider mounting them 4- to 6-inches above the molding to add the illusion of height.

When in doubt, work with a professional interior designer who can assist you in selecting the best fabric, styles and colors for your design.

It’s Time To Get Cozy

December 14, 2017

Transitioning the home from summer to fall is more about aesthetic color, mood and theme. Between fall and winter, climate comes more noticeably into play – grayer skies, rainy (or snowy) weather, truly c-o-l-d temperatures that make you shiver – – those require more than just visual changes.

True winter weather requires extra steps to make the home – and its occupants – warm, welcome and cozy

9 Cozy Steps For a Winter-Ready Interior

Yes, I’m an interior designer – but home design is not just about looks. It’s very much about structure- so you’ll notice that some of the tips below have to do with weather-prepping the home, as much as they are about deco or cozy textiles.

Seal the envelope. This step always tops the charts for home improvement websites and now you’re going to read it on this interior design site. If your home leaks, it’s impossible to stay warm. There will always be a draft and we won’t even talk about the cost of heating a home with air leaks. If you’re a DIYer – a little caulking and weather stripping is all you need. Read 8 Easy Ways to Seal Your Home… from houselogic.com. Otherwise, contact your HVAC contractor to ask if they perform the service, or request a recommendation for a licensed professional who does.
Invest in throws. In a perfect world, throw blankets would adorn every chair, sofa and bed in your home. Once you’ve gotten into the habit of reading, watching TV, napping or curling up under a throw, you always feel a bit chilly without one. They are also a wonderful way to warm up a leather couch, which can feel cold to the touch on a cold winter’s morning.
Install heated floors in the bathroom. If you feel up to it, add heated flooring throughout your home. It’s an energy-efficient way to maintain a constant, interior temperature – although it’s best left for when you’re ready to commence a larger home renovation project. In the meantime, installing heated floors in the bathroom(s) is a fairly straightforward task (not to mention a good excuse to install new flooring…) and you will be amazed at how warm and cozy it keeps your bathroom spaces – no more cold, hard-surface flooring on warm bare feet in the morning, middle of the night or after a steamy, shower or bath.
Use essential oils and a diffuser. There are a myriad of diffusers on the market. A simple Amazon.com search turns up hundreds of results with a seemingly infinite array of styles. In the wintertime, the added humidity is a welcome change to dry air, especially for those who use their wood burning stove or fireplace as a heat source. Blending cinnamon, clove and a little vanilla or putting together a wintergreen mix will infuse traditional seasonal spices and scents into your living spaces whether something’s cooking or not. Make sure to use 100% pure essential oils to keep your home free of unwanted chemicals and overpowering scents.
Set up a winter tea station. High-quality carafes are sold at virtually any restaurant supply and high-end kitchen store. Purchase one and keep it filled with steaming hot water. If you’re a coffee drinker, fill one with coffee. Set it up on a serving cart and put out a basket filled with a variety of teas, cider and hot chocolate. It’s fun to have easy access to some of your favorite winter beverages while working from home, online holiday shopping or enjoying a rainy weekend movie (or reading) day. Do it up coffee shop style and you’ll wow guests when they realize this is how you cozy up every winter day.
Think about color. For those with homes that have stunning exterior views, monochromatic color palettes work well because the landscape outside is so vibrant. However, at this time of year, Mother Nature herself decorates with a more monochromatic palette so you might find bringing a little color indoors helps to lift your mood a bit. Rich reds and chocolatey browns are always a good choice. Or, if you’re someone who craves the sun, try using vibrant yellows and oranges. An energetic color boost inside can make up for the lower-energy hibernation that occurs naturally this time of year.
Add a terrarium or nature-inspired art. Speaking of things we miss from nature, adding indoor plants, a terrarium or nature-inspired art can be another way to soothe the soul when everything outdoors look lifeless. Terrariums are a fabulous rainy day project to do with your kids or you can have a terrarium tea party with a group of friends. All you need is a clear vessel of your choice, a little potting soil/moss and either small terrarium-friendly plants or succulents. An occasional mist will keep your mini-ecosystem thriving through the winter and beyond. Of course, nature-inspired art is another way to bring life into your home on a more permanent basis, and it’s always nice to support your local artists.
Eliminate the clutter. Part of what makes for a cozy home has nothing to do with a specific style or the interior temperature – it has to do with the energy of a space. Cozy homes make us take a deep breath and sigh, “aaaaah” when we walk in the door, even if we don’t exactly know why. Clutter is one of the most prohibitive factors to coziness. It is cramped, busy and stressful – rather than open, clear and spacious. Do what you can to eliminate clutter…especially before you add holiday décor to the mix. I remember one busy year when I waited longer than normal to replace the items I put away to make room for traditional holiday décor. By the time I got them out again, I realized how much I didn’t “need” most of them after all. That year, I donated a rash of items that no longer served my living spaces the way the spaciousness created by their absence did.
Shag up those area rugs. Often, homeowners choose low-profile area rugs for a more sleek and modern look. This time a year, I say add a shaggy and textured area rug or two into the mix. It will literally provide more insulation between the floor and your air space, and will feel great on your feet to boot. Plus, the aesthetics are warm and comfie, which is the current goal after all.

Need a little help cozying up your Bay Area home this winter? Schedule a consultation with the nearest interiort designer and work with what you have or come up with something new, depending on what your goals and budget call for.

Get Inspired With Pantone’s 2015 Color Palette

January 15, 2015

If you aren’t a fashion or design aficionado, the word Pantone may mean nothing to you. But for those of us who are in the design industry, Pantone is a Mecca of sorts. Each year, the forward-thinking folks at Pantone predict the colors that will trend in the fashion and design world for the following year. So while they have just released 2015 Spring Palette they are already hard at work on the palettes that will be released for 2016.

Check Out Pantone’s 2015 Spring Color Palette to Inspire Your Future Interior Designs

In fact, one of the most exciting moments for those who are gaga for color is the announcement of Pantone’s “Color of the Year.” Once that press release hits (typically sometime in December, so keep your eyes posted), bloggers and designers go crazy, looking at how they can implement that particular shade in the homes and businesses of their clients.

We’ll let you know when the 2015 Color of the Year is announced. In the meantime, we are allowed access to the Spring palette and I have several ideas of how you can incorporate them into your home.

Look to the neutrals. Of course, every home decorator is looking for ways to enjoy an interior design that doesn’t require an overhaul each and every time Pantone releases a new color spread. That means creating a neutral palette and letting the easily-changed textiles, accents, art work and objects do the trendy color splashing. This spring, Pantone has selected a gorgeous Toasted Almond and this shade will look wonderful on walls, floors or large furnishings and will be just as attractive in five to ten years.

If you prefer cooler shades, the Glacier Gray is an equally appealing base color and will work well in modern designs. In this modern Craftsman, we used a similar gray on the wall and look how nicely it pairs with a canvas splashed with Tangerine – another of the Spring/Summer colors.

Make way for greens and blues. Perhaps one of the most notable things about this next season’s colors is their more understated hues (consider that last year’s Color of the Year was Radiant Orchid, which was about as vibrant as it gets!). In this newest palette, the greens and blues are present but they are all somewhat earthy and toned down, making them easier to integrate into homes that are less apt to use bold splashes of color.

Both the Classic Blue and Aqua Marine can be used in traditional interiors as well as their more modern counterparts. I can see them in window coverings, accent pillows or upholstery on your accent furniture pieces. If you like a little more life and energy, you can migrate into the Scuba Blue or Lucite Green departments. Look how a cabinet in a distressed-version of Scuba Blue adds a pop of color in this mostly neutral bungalow.

Warm up your home with a spring blush. Again, we see the even the blushier tones in the palette have a bit of earthiness to them, providing a more mature aesthetic. On the lighter side of the spectrum there is Strawberry Ice, which sounds like a cooler pink but still has enough warmth to work either way. On the darker side, Pantone offers Marsala, which they consider to be the foundation of the Spring/Summer palette. We used Marsala accents in a San Francisco living room design to add warmth and depth to the interior.