DIY

Making Your Great Room Great

January 9, 2019

What’s the point of designing a Great Room if its just average or blah? Exactly. That’s why a great room requires a great room design; nobody wants to hang out in the Blah Room.

The American Great Room: Open Floor Plan Concept at its Finest

A great room is the result of the increasingly common open floor plan trend. Unlike the m.o. of the 40s, 50s and 60s – when most houses were divided into small boxes of completely separate rooms – kitchens, dens, living rooms, dining rooms, etc. – the open floor plan typically skips all that and coverts the main living areas into one large space – complete with an exposed kitchen and a great room.

Now, that isn’t to say that the great room means you can’t have formal living room and family room areas. Quite the opposite, there are ways to incorporate both using area rugs, modest room dividers and/or the way you arrange your furniture. The following are tips on how you can make your home’s great room as great as it can be.

A continuous design. Perhaps the most unique things about a great room is that it includes the kitchen and dining space along with the lounging and entertainment spaces. For this reason, you’ll want to take your kitchen design into consideration so that things flow visually from one area to another. By repeating or echoing accent colors, certain textures or shapes in each space will help to unify them and make them all feel part of a greater whole, which is what they are.

Build interest with color. To keep your great room from being boring, you will want to build interest using color variations. You can do this by selecting complementary shades, by alternating the use of paints and wall paper, by choosing window and patio door treatments with attractive colors and patterns and by keeping an eye out for large works of art that can add variety to large expanses of wall space.

Use various textures via furniture and textiles. Another way to add depth and interest to a large open space is to vary the textures. Consider using wood accents to trim walls, windows and doors. Add a plush, higher-shag area rug or two. Another idea is to pop a section of wall out just a bit, perhaps the section where the fireplace lives or the entertainment center wall. Yes, you’ll lose a little square footage but you can add wood paneling, textured wall panels or an accent color on the popped or recessed surface, adding a completely different dimension to that location, which automatically assists you in creating the illusion of different zones.

Create unique zones. How will your great room be used? Creating unique zones will help the room to make more sense. You can do this using furniture arrangements that prioritize a conversation area or reading nook versus the couches and chairs everyone uses to watch TV. Built-in shelving and desk space can make for a stylish home office.Your dining room area will be obvious but perhaps a play area can be enhanced by colorful area rugs and built-in storage units so games and toys are easy to keep out of sight when entertaining adult guests. Potted plants or temporary screens can be a wonderful addition and provide a flexible means of setting the boundaries for your intentional zones.

The Perfect Front Door Color

December 17, 2018

Your home’s front door is almost like the smile on your face; it’s a welcome beacon for family, friends and unexpected guests. In fact, the front door is considered by many cultures to be like the mouth of the home, and you must be careful about the energy you let inside. Even the color can be symbolic, depending on your beliefs.

The color you choose for your front door can run the gamut from bold and bright to more conservative or neutral, and each one will leave a different impression. If you’re stuck choosing a new front door color for your home, we have 7 tips to make your job a little easier.

Align with the architecture. Because architecture always reflects a period, certain colors will look better than others. For example the exterior paint colors used for colonial architecture will vary from those used for a Mediterranean-inspired design. Many of the major exterior paint manufacturers make period- or architecture-specific palettes that can help narrow your choices.
Play by the exterior paint rules. Architects and designers typically recommend selecting three to four different colors for your exterior paint. These are referred to as the field color, the trim color and the accent color. The latter is used for shutters, railings, and architectural accents. Your door can fall into this third category OR you can select a fourth color that is used solely for the front door.
Consider your landscape. Are there dominant colors in your landscaping? Working with these colors and highlighting a particular favorite color that appears in your geography or planted landscape can also be a good way to select your front door color.
Consider feng shui. While feng shui comes to us by way of China, there are interesting similarities between the color rules used by this specific design code and rules from other cultures. For example, blues are thought to represent peace and tranquility. Red doors are typically considered “welcoming”, which is why early-American homes often had red doors. A red door let wayfaring travelers know they could stop, enjoy a meal and stay the night along their journey. If you are seriously interested in feng shui, the direction your door faces will also determine your color options. You can read more about it in this article by feng shui expert, Rodika Tchi.
Take a peek at the neighbors. No, I don’t advocate keeping up with the Joneses, but your neighborhood has its own style and (hopefully) synergy as well. For this reason, I do recommend you try to select a color that blends somewhat with your neighborhood’s collective environment.
Be trendy. Not surprisingly, exterior paint colors don’t trend as frequently as interior paint colors and with good reason, right? Nobody wants to repaint the exterior of their home more often than necessary since it is cost and labor intensive. However, there are broad trends and, right now, deeper and darker colors like blues, grays and slates and woody taupes are popular.
Throw caution to the wind. Have you always wanted to go completely wild and paint your front door an atypical color? Why not do it? The good news about painting a front door is that it’s easy to repaint if you aren’t happy with it. There’s no reason why you can’t try something more daring as long as it still works with your existing exterior paint colors.

Making Your Shelves The Most Interesting Piece In The Room

November 9, 2018

Shelves are made to be utilitarian, which is fine. But, with the right eye and a little creativity, they can become utilitarian works of art – or, at the very least – utilitarian accents that enhance an interior design.

9 Ways to Make Shelves Stand Out

Here are 9 Ideas for replacing existing shelves, or updating the ones you want to keep, so shelves do more than just “hold stuff.” Give them something to brag about while they’re at it…

Make them disappear. Here’s an idea for the modernist as well as the decorator who appreciates a little whimsy. Purchase metal L-Brackets at the hardware store. Then mount them about 10-inches to 12-inches apart- or as far apart as some of your largest, hardly-read books. Then, stack the large book on the bottom (forming the shelf) with smaller books stacked on top. The effect is a floating stack of books on the wall.
Put an old ladder to work. Have a loft or industrial-style space? Find an old antique ladder and paint it any color you like. Then, open it up against a wall and run planks of wood, metal or whatever hard material appeals to you (thick glass with dulled edges would be awesome too) through both sides of the ladder.
Don’t forget the white space. One of the biggest mistakes most of us make is overcrowding shelves so they become a boring, non-stop run of books and/or cluttered with curios. Don’t forget the white space. From books to collectibles, shelves will always look cleaner and more interesting if you leave some gaps in between things.
Wallpaper them. Budget designers can turn ugly, old wooden shelves into works of art by wallpapering them top and bottom. You can often find old scraps of wallpaper for cheap, but even purchasing it new will cost less than $50, depending on how many shelves you have. This is idea is especially attractive for shelves that are higher up, because the undersides of the shelves add unobtrusive color and interest.
Old crates or boxes. Sand, finish or repaint old wooden boxes or crates. Even old dresser drawers or file drawers will work. They can be mounted on the wall like a curio cabinet individually or in unique arrangements.
Display collections. We posted an entire piece on how to display your collections. Interspersing a collection amidst books or designating “display” shelves is a smart way to add interest to various rooms in your house.
Use rough planks. I love the look of thick, natural wooden planks that keep the edges of the tree in their natural curvature. They work wonderfully for mantel tops and also as shelves. Have a small entryway? Use a thick wooden plank or two, hung above the height where it would knock ahead, to display some curios.
Stack antique benches. Most plain, wood benches are about the same depth as substantial shelving, which makes this a smart way to convert antique benches into shelves. You can stack them, bracing them for safety to make a bolder statement. A distressed look is always appreciated and it’s just fine to mix-and-match colors.
Use art. Shelves are a great place to display some of your art, especially smaller pieces that can get lost on a wall by themselve. Instead, you can show them off – and create a little of that aforementioned shelf space – by using a shelf to prop them up against the wall. Even larger works of art will look stunning this way if the shelf and space accommodate them.

A Guide To What Stays And What Goes

November 6, 2018

As the seasons change from dark to light – it makes sense that spring-cleaning is a human tradition. Windows can be thrown open, insulating drapes taken down – and the home receives a burst of life and light that is unavailable during the winter months.

In addition to cleaning carpets, sprucing up outdoor spaces and deep cleaning neglected nooks and crannies – make it a point this year to really cleanse your home of unwanted and unneeded clutter. The more you eliminate items you don’t use, need or love – the more clear and spacious your home (and your life!) will feel.

The following questions are designed to help you decide what can stay – and what needs to go – as you move room-to-room and closet-to-closet:

Do I love it? If you absolutely love it, keep it. End of story. If you end up keeping everything, it might be a sign you’re a hoarder at heart, in which case I recommend enlisting the help of a friend, or a professional interior designer, to give you a more objective view point.

When was the last time I used it? If the answer is more than one year ago, it’s time to toss it out. Anything that can be lived without for a year can be lived without forever. If it’s a clothing item, odds are it is outdated and/or doesn’t fit you well anyway – so make room for something that is more stylish and flattering.

How often do I use it? If it’s a big ticket item that takes up quite a bit of space, and you find you don’t use it often, it probably be worth donating or selling. In most cases, you’ll be able to borrow it or rent it if you need it in the future.

Does it have sentimental value? This is one of the biggest reasons people hang on to items they don’t love. Either someone you love made it or gave it to you, or it reminds you of a different time in your life (i.e. a past version of yourself). If it’s a family heirloom, consider giving it to another member in the family who will love it. If you have more than one family heirloom that nobody wants, keep your favorite to pass on and give yourself permission to donate or sell it to someone who will love and use it.

In other cases, consider making a digital scrapbook – take a picture, archive it, and then pass the item on to the right recipient, be it someone you know or a local non-profit.

Do I have more than one of these? How many of any one thing do you really need? In most cases, one is enough of anything. If you have more that one, and you aren’t using them, get rid of the extra(s). If they are worthy of becoming a collection, work on displaying them to their best advantage.

Is it replaceable? If you are hedging on an item and it’s replaceable, eliminate it. You can always buy, rent or find an affordable used version if you decide you made a mistake. If it isn’t replaceable, and you don’t love it, hang on a bit longer and see if you use it in the next calendar year. If possible, tape a post-it or some identifiable tag that can be removed when you use it. Then next year, you can confidently get rid of any item that still bears the “I wasn’t used in a year” tag. Otherwise, make a calendar note to check on specific items next year. If you realized you still haven’t used it in that time, it can safely exit your home.

By the time you’ve run through this list, your home will be noticeably lighter. When all is said and done, your home will start the spring and summer seasons feeling more clear, vibrant and functional.

Adding Color Without Adding Paint

September 30, 2018

The walls, ceiling and floors are often the first palette considered when choosing a room’s color scheme. However, there are situations where this simply isn’t possible. Renting is one the first that comes to mind; sure, you can paint your walls but who wants to repaint them back to their original color when moving out? Or, sometimes budget is an issue. Repainting your living spaces isn’t cheap and it’s a laborious process to tackle on your own if DIY home improvement really isn’t your thing.

Time to Add a Little Color to Your Space? Here Are Easy No-Paint Options

In these cases, you have to use other tricks of the designer trade to keep your interior design both stylish and color-rich. Here are some ways to add a little color without the fuss and muss of paint.

Temporary Wall Paper. Believe it or not, there is a temporary wall paper product made just for people like you. The sticky residue on the back is sort of like the stuff they use for post-its so it peels away easily. It comes in a range of colors and patterns, just like regular wallpaper and you can buy it at a local home improvement store. Temporary wallpaper is on the pricier side but can be the ideal thing to add a single colorful accent wall from which you can build the rest of your design.

Go Big and Buy Art! Here in the Bay Area we have access to both ultra-high end art as well as a wealth of more affordable pieces that are equally as attractive for a fraction of the price. If you’re foregoing paint on the walls, I recommend looking for some larger canvases, prints, photos or 3-D art that will add color and interest to larger wall spaces, as well as a mix of other sizes that can be arranged creatively to fill in gaps around other furnishings.

Peel-and-Stick Backsplash Tiles. Here’s another excellent temporary option for enhancing the color and style of a typically drab space – the kitchen or bathroom backsplash. The average apartment or rental home has zero to offer in this department. You can find these peel-and-stick options at a home improvement stores and cut them to size. Like the temporary wallpaper mentioned above, the tiles are designed to peel away without leaving a residue – or at least nothing that can’t be removed with warm water and mild soap. You can take them with you when you go to use for another project your the next living space.

Tantalizing Textiles. Now that we’ve covered the walls, let’s move on to textiles, which include upholstery on your furniture, window treatments, accent pillow shams and so on. These are all things that can be taken with you when you go and – outside of upholstery – are relatively easy to switch out periodically to keep things interesting from season to season. For example, the walls in this industrial living room were intentionally left white. Therefore, we added a woven textured coffee table, a rich cabernet-upholstered chair and throw pillows with complementary geometric patterns for splashes of color.

Don’t Neglect Your Reflections. Finally, don’t forget the importance of mirrors and/or mirrored furniture. When hung and placed smartly, your mirrors and reflective furnishings will amplify and multiply the color in your space.