Furniture

Marvelous Mirrored Furniture

June 21, 2019

Mirrors are one of the oldest design tricks in the book. In addition to reflecting whether you’re having a good or bad hair day, or if a particular wardrobe ensemble is a “go”, they can also be used to enhance your living spaces. Usually, when we designers talk about mirrors, we’re talking about the typical mirrors that hang on a wall. However, mirrored furniture also has a place in the home.

Is There Room For Mirrored Furniture in Your Interior Design?

It can serve all the same purposes a traditional mirror would – amplify lighting, double the impact of a particular design feature or to make a room seem larger. The difference is that mirrored furniture does it in a unique way. A mirrored desk, dresser, dining room buffet or other pieces can be a fun way to add a little glamour while taking advantage of a tried and true interior design tip.

Here are some examples:

Go Metallic

Because mirrors are metallic by nature, they can make a dramatic splash in a spot where you already have other metallic accents or mirrors. Look at how classy this mirrored dresser looks with the mirror hanging above and the arrangement of metallic silver framed pictures on top. While this particular example is from a bedroom, I think this idea would work exceptionally well in an entryway – particularly one that is lacking natural light. It would go a long way towards brightening up (what can be) a cavernous space.

Create a See-Thru Effect

Lately, I have seen acrylic and glass furniture making a larger appearance, especially in contemporary interior designs. They are great for maintaining a more integrated look but they aren’t for everyone. Mirrored furniture can be a good alternative for those who aren’t 100% sold on clear acrylic or glass options, especially because the entire piece doesn’t have to be mirrored. In the case of a desk or buffet, you can have a single mirrored panel or two set in a beautiful piece of wood, which can give you the benefit of the “see-thru” effect while still maintaining a traditional look.

Open Up a Smaller Space. Have a smaller bedroom, office or den? Use mirrored furniture the same way you would if it were hanging on the wall. A non-mirrored desk or nightstand squished between a bed and the wall can look cramped. The same desk with a mirrored surface reflects the space back at you, creating the illusion of openness. Now, that same “squished” corner looks decidedly more spacious.

In Lieu of the Real Thing

Sometimes, a room just doesn’t have enough space to accommodate all of the furniture you want it to while leaving enough space for a nice-sized wall mirror. Guest bedrooms with a large window or two comes to mind. Choosing a mirrored armoire is a great idea because your guests still have a mirrored surface for dressing purposes and you get to keep your well-proportioned layout.

Just Because

Finally, I offer the “just because” reason. There are times where the mirrored look is stunning. Take a look at how this mirrored buffet steals the show. The mirrored panels are tucked behind that beautiful dark wood in geometric designs. It is like an optical illusion of sorts – is it glass or is it mirror? And the reflections that wink back at you from the geometric cut-outs add a visually interesting element to the space.

Not sure whether or not you want to take the mirrored plunge? Start small with a single piece and see how it strikes you.

Every Home Office Needs A Desk!

March 14, 2019

The most important features of a home office desk and chair are comfort and productivity. But, of course, style comes into play as well. This is especially true in many contemporary home designs, where the home office is incorporated into an open floor plan, rather than a room unto itself.

How to Choose the Right Desk For Your Home Office

In the former scenario, you need something that is comfortable and functional, but that also jives with the rest of the interior design. In the latter case, you may have more freedom in terms of style, assuming you’re the only one who uses the office.

In any case, here are steps for choosing a desk that allows you to work comfortably while still looking great when the office is “closed.”

Measure the space. Don’t rely on spatial memory when you head out to shop for office furniture. Even the sleekest and streamlined desk designs can surprise you with their bulk once you’ve set them in place. Instead, get out the tape measure and start figuring out the room’s dimensions. If the room is empty, you’ll have to work out where all of the furniture will go. If you’re simply purchasing a new desk, throw a towel or blanket on the floor to mimic the surface area the desk will take up. This will give you a better idea of the maximum width and depth dimensions that makes sense for the room.
Be realistic about the time spent working. What’s the desk going to be for? If your home office is really more of a space where you check email and social media updates or perhaps pay a few bills, comfort is not as much of a necessity. If, however, you work more than a few hours or more per day, comfort and ergonomics are your first priority and style should be secondary.
Who else uses the space? Again, if you are the only one who uses the desk, yours are the only needs that matter. If you and your partner or the whole family will be using the space – it needs to be a more holistic fit. Think about the types of equipment and gadgets that require space, pens/pencils, arts and crafts materials, basic office supplies…how will all of these configure in the picture? You may realize you need more or less drawer/cabinet space than you thought.
Is it in the main living area? The wonderful thing about open floor plans is that they create one, large space – ideal for entertaining and hanging out as a family. The bad thing is that there’s nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. If your home office is going to be an addition to your open floor plan, look for desks that make sense with the visible furnishings. If you’re planning a kitchen remodel anytime soon, consider building your home office desk into the kitchen area, a great way to make it cohesive because it inherently blends with the kitchen cabinetry and décor. If a remodel isn’t in the works but you have a little room in the budget – and the floor plan – see if there’s a way to incorporate a built-in office space between the kitchen and family or living room areas.
Does it fit your body? Shopping for desks is like shopping for a mattress. You can sit at it (or lie on it) for several minutes in a store and it feels great, then the discomfort sets in after you’re home. Be conscious of your body size – height, width, and leg length – to ensure the desk will fit you well. If you aren’t averse to a modern look, consider home office desks with standing work options. If you don’t like that look, companies such as Varidesk offer desktop “standing work station” options that are well worth the investment if you work at a desk for hours at a time.

Choosing Furniture

February 10, 2019

Let’s go furniture shopping!

There’s an exciting thought. Until you think it. Then it can seem somewhat daunting. Furnishing a home is no easy feat and the ultimate goal should be to select timeless pieces that can be used for decades to come – even if their rooms, placement, location and orientation change down the road.

Here are some guidelines for choosing furniture that you and your guests can enjoy for a long time to come.

Take the Long and Winding Road Approach

Home design is not stagnant. It is a living, breathing thing that changes and evolves along with your tastes and lifestyle. That being said, it also doesn’t make sense to reinvent the home design wheel once a year, as remodels and renovations are time and cost consuming. Therefore, interior home designs should be timeless enough to last a while, but changeable enough to accommodate shifts in seasons and styles.

The same goes for your furniture. Choose pieces that can be moved around fairly easily so your living room or family room can accommodate better party flow or more intimate conversations, depending on the gathering.

Consider things like:

Swivel chairs that move to accommodate conversation or enjoy the view out a picture window.
Enough light-but-comfortable pieces that can be easily moved (poufs and ottomans are examples of these).
Smaller end- or coffee tables that serve as portable surfaces.

Consider Size and Shape

Yes, you want to invest in versatile furnishings but you also want them to fit the room they’re in. Proportion is important. Your furniture should always accommodate comfortable flow as well as a sense of the room’s spaciousness.

In most cases, you want at least 36-inches between the edge of a piece of furniture and an adjacent object so people can walk and move comfortably around the space. Draw your rooms to scale using graph paper, and take these with you when furniture shopping to ensure potential furnishings will fit well.

Think About Materials and Textiles

The materials and textiles you select should reflect your lifestyle and the building occupants needs. If you live alone or are empty-nesters, you can be slightly less selective since wear-and-tear isn’t as much of an issue – – unless you own pets. If you have children, pets or grandchildren that visit on a more regular basis, you will want to select furnishings and textiles that can take a bit of a beating.

These days, designer fabric and upholstery designers offer fabulous prints and designs in high-quality indoor-outdoor fabric, allowing you to enjoy a designer look without having to fret every time a dirty paw or errant chocolate chip comes in contact with the furnishing.

Consider Adding a Few Custom Pieces

One of the best things to come out of my years of working as an interior designer are the contacts I have made with artists and furniture makers throughout the Bay Area and beyond. This provides clients the ability to enjoy custom furniture for a much more affordable price. Custom pieces can transform a room’s design.

Custom furniture pieces are ideal for unique or hard-to-fit spaces, rooms or niches. They can be used to put the finishing touch on a particular “look” or to meet your personal lifestyle needs. Maybe you need that perfect reading or napping nook, or a corner cabinet to house your prized wine opener collection. Designing a custom furniture piece is a way to put your ultra-personal mark on your home’s interior design.

To Match, Or Not To Match… Nightstands

February 9, 2019

Furniture sets are nice because of their convenience. But, in the world of an interior designer, that convenience comes at a price – “matchy matchy”. Furniture, furnishings and accents should be complementary, of course. However, when everything matches, it can yield an interior space that seems a little bland and devoid of personality; hotel rooms and other public spaces come to mind. Mixing your furnishings up can create more visual interest and mismatched nightstands are a great example of this.

Perhaps you are already a fan of shabby chic or non-matching furnishings, or maybe you have been the beneficiary of some pretty cool hand-me-downs. Either way, there are plenty of ways to make mismatched nightstands look entirely at home and stylish in your bedroom.

How to Make the Most of Mismatched Nightstands

Proportions

Even if the pieces aren’t matched, try to pair end tables, small dressers or whatever you are using that have similar proportions. If the height, widths and general shape of the tables are similar, they will hardly appear mismatched. Using some identical accents, like a pair of lamps or other identical accessories, will make the fact they are mismatched less noticeable.

Color

Tables that are painted the same color will go a long way towards “working,” even if their architecture is different. This is easy DIY project and if you are brave, it can be a fun way to introduce a bright or bold color that you might have shied away from otherwise.

Matching wood tones

Similarly, finding antique or contemporary pieces with matching wood colors and tones will help the pieces to harmonize. This is a great way to get an end table with extra function power. In this Orange County bedroom, one of the owners likes to write before bedtime, an action that is difficult with most traditional night stand styles since there’s no room for knees. By choosing a small antique writing table, and then finding a nightstand in a similar shade of wood for the other side, the couple have complementary nightstands without her sacrificing the nightly writing ritual.

The same but different

You can also select two different versions of the same thing. A shorter, taller, skinnier or fatter version of the accompanying nightstand can be a fun play on the same design and is also an interesting study in proportions. This can be helpful when a bed has to be placed off-center in a room. The skinnier or smaller table will work better against the wall, giving just enough space for a lamp, your smart phone, a glass of water, etc.

Embrace the difference

You can also take the opposite approach and celebrate the fact that your nightstands are mismatched. Don’t even worry about the fact that they’re different. Put a funky lamp on one and a more traditional lamp on the other. Let your pile of books runneth over while his simple alarm clock and small reading lamp stay neatly in place all year long. The rest of your bedroom decor can tie it all together.

Yes, working with mismatched furniture can be challenging at times, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a wonderful way to create a more interesting living space.

5 Tips for Mixing Wood Types and Finishes

January 27, 2019

Feel like your wood furniture reads more like a “wood finish sampler” than part of a cohesive interior design? Never fear. This is a common design conundrum and one that is easily solved without sacrificing any favorite pieces or spending money on expensive refinishing or painting.

So, whether you are a hoarder of gorgeous wood species or are a teak fan who just merged households with your oak and pine lovin’ counterpart – I have several solutions for you.

5 Ideas for Mixing and Matching Your Different Wood Types and Finishes

Think of it as pattern mixing. Different wood species mean different wood grains, and what are wood grains but one of Mother Nature’s most beautiful and fascinating patterns. Patterns can and should be layered to create depth and interest in your rooms. Think of different wood types as patterns waiting to be mixed up. Consider the undertones in the grains and place your pieces accordingly, using tables, hutches or sideboards that share similar hues or undertones. You can also approach this in a different way, keeping the grains consistent and throwing caution to the wind when it comes to finishes. Use other textiles and objects to create additional lines of communication between the pieces so they all feel related.
Make one of the pieces a focal point. Perhaps you have a particular table that is one shade while the rest of your wood furniture is another. Use the odd ball piece to create a focal point and surround it with the others so that it stands out. You can use surrounding accents to tie it in. For example, let’s say you have a table with a dark stain while the rest of your furniture is lighter pine or oak. Place that darker table in the middle of the room and use the lighter pieces around the edges. Then, use other objects or accents that match the focal point to tie it together.
Take advantage of area rugs. Area rugs can be a great neutralizer when you move into a home with gorgeous wood floors…that don’t match a single piece of your own wood furniture. Choose a neutral area rug that is large enough to house the bulk of the furniture, whether it be a dining room table and chairs or the coffee and end table set in your formal living room seating arrangement. Once you have the area rug in place, the furnishings will all come together with the area rug as a buffer.
Choose sides. You may realize that you have two distinct “sets” of wood furniture. One half is one type and/or shade while the other is another (typical when two homes merge as one). In this case, choose sides and keep all of the furniture with one shade in one section or side of the room with the rest on the other side. Perhaps they will be divided by a couch or seating area. Or, maybe one shade set becomes part of the reading nook while the other comprises the main seating area.
Use solid colors too. Even with the above tricks, it may be that you simply have too many wood pieces in varying shades. If this is the case, break them up using solid color furnishings so it doesn’t look too much like an episode of “Woods Gone Wild.” Simply painting one side of a butcher block or dresser white can help to tone down the effect.