Accessories

Creating The Perfect Gallery Wall

February 27, 2018

Adding a gallery wall to your home or office is a wonderful way to add interest, color, pattern and emotion. If you’re an art collector, it provides a way to highlight your collection; if you are a globe-trotter, it provides a way to display favorite scenes or memories from your travels. Many gallery walls combine art, photographs and mementos – however, there is a fine line between a well-executed display and one that comes off as a bit cluttered or messy.

Create a Gallery-Worthy Wall in Your Home or Office Space

The following tips will be helpful to keep in mind when assembling your own pieces and formatting the layout for a gallery wall.

Place the furniture first. One of the keys to preventing a cluttered look is to keep things in proportion. For this, you must have a clear understanding of the dimensions you’re working with, and that requires prior furniture placement so you know exactly how low or wide you can go with your pieces. Keep your wall gallery on hold until you are sure about your furniture placement, then you’ll be able to space and place your collection accordingly.
Pay attention to light. Natural light is gorgeous and a bonus to any interior design, however, it will take its toll on wall hangings, photographs and art. Pay attention to how the light spills into your room during the course of the day, and place the smallest groupings – and least important of your pieces – in areas that receive the most sunlight to reduce fading.
Hang the most important pieces first. Determine which of your pieces are the most important and hang those first. The rest of your collection and placement should be considered in relationship to your focal pieces. Your focal piece(s) should be the center of the display, everything else should move out from there.
Find a unifying theme. Perhaps it’s the frame, a specific color or symbol, or a particular genre of art – in most cases, an attractive gallery wall will have some type of unifying theme. If your art does not, consider using the same types of frames to avoid distraction. This being said, it’s a good idea to hang an atypical frame here and there, perhaps for your focal pieces, to avoid monotony.
You don’t have to measure exactly. Contrary to the mathematical formulas you may have found online, you don’t have to measure exactly. Quite the contrary. That being said, you should leave a few inches of white space between two frames to (you guessed it) prevent clutter, but also to provide each piece with a hint of independence.
You should think about a level. There is nothing more frustrating than unintentionally crooked lines. Do use a level to keep the pieces relative to one another and to spare your Type-A and decorator friends from the irrepressible urge to straighten something that can never be straightened without starting over from scratch.
Step back and view from different angles. As you go, do step back every few frames or so and walk to different areas of the room. This will help you determine if your plan is working out as you envisioned it, and will highlight any red flags so you can make changes before you’ve gone too far.
Don’t be afraid to layer or prop. Some of my favorite mantels and bookcase displays involve larger canvases that have another, smaller piece of art propped off-center on it’s surface. Simply propping a canvas against the wall adds a modern, avant-garde touch.

Learn About Home Lighting Design

February 26, 2018

Lighting is key to how our eyes perceive color, shape, contrast and details. It affects our moods as well as our abilities to focus or relax.

When I arrive at a consultation, my clients are all atwitter, ready to tell me about the amazing ideas they have for countertop and flooring options, cabinetry and wall colors. In the meantime, I’m shrewdly peering from room to room, figuring out how much natural light we have to work with, if there are ways to bring more natural light into the space, and how I can work to decrease the glare over here and increase lighting in that shadowy spot over there.

While it’s not often a client’s favorite thing to learn about, astute interior designers know that without a thoughtful lighting plan, all their hard work will fall flat – or will never be viewed in the way they envisioned it in their minds..

Steps to Create a Thoughtful Lighting Design

This is why it’s important that clients to understand a little bit about lighting before they move too far into their design choices. Some colors will work better than others, depending on the amount and quality of light in a living space at any given time.

Here are some of the steps involved with creating a thoughtful lighting plan that shows your future home renovation in its best (literal) light, while also providing the right amount of task and ambient lighting, and a balance of light and softened shadows.

Where Do You Need Light?

Have you ever thought about where you actually need light in your home? Probably not. You simply flip on a switch or move a lamp from here to there. An interior designer takes it a step or two further. We consider the orientation of your home and even the existing landscaping.

Where does light enter you home in the morning? What about at noon, or at dusk? Do evergreens keep light from entering your home in certain locations? Or do surrounding deciduous trees open a window for light during the darker months of the year? What does each room look like throughout the day when all the lights are switched off? Would your home benefit from skylights or solar tubes?

These are the types of questions we think about and answer in order to create a general lighting plan – subtracting or diminishing light where it isn’t needed and adding it where it’s lacking.

How Can We Optimize Light Quality or Quantity?

There are lots of ways to tackle this one. Of course, we use a balance of natural and artificial light. But, as you know, artificial lights are not created equal. The types of lights (LED, halogen, incandescent or CFL), the wattage and the use of a shade – or no shade/filter – makes a huge difference on the way our eyes perceive light. Ceiling height will affect the quality of overhead lighting and suspended light fixtures. Certain fixtures may have decorations that accentuate or inhibit the flow of light.

Speaking of flow of light, how does light move from one room to another? Apart from the type of light fixtures I recommend, I might also suggest a client use glass cabinet doors in the upper cabinets between the kitchen peninsula and the adjacent living space to maximize the flow of light. Or, we might decide on a different type of window treatment to enhance the quality of light that comes in to a particular room – you may want a different quality of natural light in the kitchen than you do in the bedroom, for example.

What Are Your Personal Lighting Needs?

Lighting needs for a young couple will be very different than the lighting needs for an elderly couple or family. I might install a different type of fixture in a corner used for reading or homework than I will in a corner that’s used for yoga or meditating. Then, there are accent lights to consider – those that have a fixture design that adds visual interest as well as those lights that are specifically directed to highlight a specific design feature.

A thoughtful lighting design will always take the home occupants’ needs into consideration, and will also include a plan for the future if necessary.

Choosing Lights That Fit the Design

Now that we have the plan’s foundation in place, it’s time to build it out with the right fixtures. Typically, this means a mix of recessed lighting and suspended fixtures, as well as table and floor lamps. Things like energy-efficiency are also important, especially if you are planning a sustainable home renovation. Ultimately, we want light to be balanced in terms of task, ambient and accent lighting, but we also need to ensure the fixtures we select are the right aesthetic fit for your home.

Work with an interior designer who understands the importance of lighting when it comes to showing an interior design to its optimum advantage. Get out of the shadows and glares, and learn to see your home in a new, improved light.

Decorating with Milk Glass

February 24, 2018

Have you every noticed that items that were once the property of “the common folk” wind up being trendy and highly sought after a generation or two later? Consider the price of an old farmhouse desk in an antique store and you’ll see what I mean. Another example of this would be Milk Glass.

Named for it’s white, milky color, milk glass was produced from about 1835 through the 1980’s. It was “porcelain for the masses” and allowed lower- and middle-class homes to enjoy similar aesthetics for their dishware and figurines as the upper-classes did via more luxurious options.

Milk Glass: Porcelain for the Masses

Of course, over time, milk glass has become a collectible and has made quite a comeback in the interior design world. You can find modern milk glass light fixtures and reproduction pieces from several manufacturers. Antique milk glass can run from a few dollars at a garage sale or flea market to thousands of dollars for rare and collectible pieces. If you don’t know your stuff, it’s easy to get ripped off.

Keep your eye out for the name Westmoreland Glass Company, which was one of the major producers of milk glass throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. However, many pieces lack any official manufacturer’s stamp so it can be difficult to know if a piece is truly antique or not. At one point, lead was used to produce milk glass, making the pieces ring like a bell when tapped.

Creative Ways to Decorate With Milk Glass

Of course, if it’s the look you want and the antique factor is less of an issue, you’ll be able to find affordable reproduction milk glass at big box stores like Ikea. Once you’ve started your collection, it’s time to get creative in how you display it.

In Groups. One of the most fun things about milk glass is all of the different shapes, designs and motifs that were used in its design. There are several different ways to organize your groups. You can use things that are the same, as in a grouping of milk glass bowls of different sizes or milk glass vases, etc. The continuity of the objects paired with the difference in patterns, textures or shapes is attractive. Or, you can do groupings of different milk glass objects, like a bowl, a few coffee cups and sweet milk glass figurines.

In an all-white design. Their fun textures and shapes, combined with the shiny white exterior makes them an excellent accessory for an all-white design.

Use them functionally. One of the best things about anything produced for “the masses” is its durability, and most milk glass is certainly that. You can use milk glass pitchers as vases or take a row of milk glass bowls or cups and plant them with bulbs or succulents. Milk glass looks gorgeous at night with the soft light of a candle glowing from within. If you have a few tea cups or bowls in your collection, try placing a votive or tea light inside and lighting it up. The bright white looks great with color so I also recommend using milk glass bowls or cake stands to display colorful seasonal fruit on a table.

Light fixtures. One of my favorite modern uses for milk glass is as a light fixture. Several manufacturers use milk glass for lighting fixtures of all types. They look especially good as a kitchen pendant because their vintage look works with any design style.

Choosing A Headboard To Match Your Style

January 19, 2018

While the bed frame plays a part in your bed’s style – the headboard is the star of the show. There are as many headboards to choose from as there are mattresses on the planet, it seems like, so choosing the right one for your bedroom can get confusing pretty quickly.

Have you identified your design style? This is one of the simplest ways to narrow your bed design options. If you’re a modernist, you’ll typically be attracted to a different set of headboards than if you’re a traditionalist.

Not quite sure where you fall on the “Design Style o’ Meter?” Read, What’s Your Interior Design Style, and you’ll be pointed in the right direction. Once you’ve determined what you like – and what you aren’t as fond of – it will be easier to do online searches for bed frame images.

Start searching images. Once you’ve narrowed down your preferred style, start using Google images, Houzz or other online interior design platforms to view images of beds with those keywords attached to them. Print out, bookmark or use an online design idea book to save images you like. This will help you to continue whittling the choices.
Think about your bedroom. Often, the size of your bedroom dictates the type of bed frame that will work. If you have a large bedroom, the world is your oyster. However, medium- to smaller-sized bedrooms will want to think about proportion. For example, you may be a traditionalist who loves four-poster beds, but that bed will take over a small room. Then again, this might be something to work with, creating a magical bedroom where the bed is the focus – furnished with comfortable accent pillows, chiffon drapes, etc. – truly a boudoir effect.
How tall are your ceilings? This is Part 2 to Number 2. Using the four-poster example again…a tall headboard will make a low ceiling feel even lower. If you have ceilings that are the standard 8-feet, an interior designer would say to choose a lower-profile headboard. If you are drawn to taller headboards, use other tricks to add height – like mounting window curtains closer to the ceiling so floor-length drapes give the illusion of height.
Think about wear and tear. I once had a lovely wooden headboard with a large rattan insert. It was gorgeous…until about the 10^th time my elbow punched the back while readjusting my reading position. It formed an unmistakable hole that was difficult to hide, even with the pillows set just right. That was an expensive repair, but it was necessary to preserve the look of the headboard. Think about how you use your bed. If you only sleep there – a higher-maintenance material will be fine. If you read or work in bed, propped up on pillows, consider that when choosing the headboard’s materials. For example, upholstered headboards are lovely, and comfortable – but you might need to invest in a steam cleaner to remove oils from hair and hair products that will build up over time.
Comfort level. Continuing with the comfort theme, wrought iron beds are a versatile option, but they aren’t all that comfortable when you want to read or work on your laptop. So that way the headboard will feel when it comes in contact with your head, a hand or an errant arm is definitely a consideration, even if it isn’t a driving force while making your selection.
Is it a feature? Do you want your headboard to be a feature in the room, adding texture, color or depth? Or would you prefer the bedrame to fade into the background, blending with surrounding colors and features? Some headboards are barely there while others scream, “look at me!”

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.