Seasonal

8 Ways to Create a Warm and Snuggly Living Room

April 19, 2019

While it’s true that spring is on the horizon, most of the country will benefit from a warm and snuggly living room for months to come. That’s certainly true for those of us in the Bay Area. Modern and transitional designs often need a little boost in that direction since the tenets of these design principles can lead to cooler design motifs.

8 Ways to Make Your Living Room and Little Warmer

The following items can help to soften the edges and add warmth and comfort to your living room space. Don’t forget you can always consult with a professional interior designer to get a few extra ideas or to provide approval of your design ideas.

Add a fireplace. If your home wasn’t built with a fireplace, you may want to look into a modern fireplace insert. Fireplaces have long been the heart of the home and while the kitchen may have transcended that in some ways, it’s hard to pull yourself away from a beautifully lit fire. Modern inserts are easy to install and an efficient way to add warmth and ambiance to your room.
An abundance of throws. Have at least one or two throw blankets at the ready. With the simple addition of a chest or an ottoman that includes storage you can house an abundance of soft, colorful throws that can be changed from season to season.
Implement natural wood finishes. Natural wood finishes add instant aesthetic warmth. This home was created from an old fire house. What could have been a cold and austere interior, due to exceptionally high ceilings and open living space, is instantly warmed with the addition of natural wood.
Make a slight change in color. Did you know there are warm whites and cool whites? Warm whites have undertones of yellow or pink – just enough to add a warmer element to its finished appearance. Other whites have blue, green or gray undertones, which add a cool aesthetic. Revisit paint samples and see if your walls couldn’t be warmed up with a slightly warmer shade of the same color.
Change your window coverings. Windows are a major source of heat loss in the home, regardless of how efficient they are. They just can’t compete with solid, well-insulated walls when it comes to keeping the heat in. Use honeycomb blinds for extra insulation and consider using drapes made from a heavier material to prevent heat loss.
Throw a slip cover on your leather couch. Leather couches are gorgeous but they can also be quite cool to the touch. Consider adding a stylish slip cover on your leather couch during the coolest months so it will feel softer and warmer when you first sit down.
Go natural with your design. Over-designing is often the biggest mistake homeowners can make. In an effort to get that magazine-worthy look, you can mistakenly design a room or home that nobody feels comfortable in. Yikes! To prevent this, make sure there are elements of home occupants’ personalities in the space. Shy away from entire furniture sets that have that matchy-matchy feel and find ways to incorporate family heirlooms, antiques and the occasional kitschy piece you love anyway. These simple additions can ensure your well-decorated space balances the Wow! factor with homey comfort that welcomes your guests.
Throw another area rug on the floor. Hard surface floors can be absolutely freezing on bare or socked feet. Use area rugs alone or in layers for a fresh look and extra warmth.

How To Get That Cozy Cabin Feel

December 16, 2018

We’ve all seen those amazing room transformations, typically in a child’s bedroom, where the room is converted into an under the seascape, a pirate ship lagoon or a tropical jungle. It’s pretty unbelievable what a little ingenuity and artistry can make happen.

You, too, can enjoy a mini-transformation of a living space, especially if where you live doesn’t resonate with where you want to live.

Make Your Suburban Home Feel Like a Rustic Cabin

If you live in contemporary suburbia, odds are your home is a far cry from the cabin in the woods you pine for. That’s okay. There are plenty of ways you can bring that cozy cabin feel into your everyday life.

Add wainscoting or painted beadboard to the walls and/or ceilings.

When you think “cabin” you think darker interior wood finishes, right? While it would be cost prohibitive to bring in a bunch of rough-hewn half-logs to line interior walls, you can get a cozy, woodsy feel by adding wainscoting to existing walls.

Traditional wainscoting is installed plank by plank, with a decorative rail at the top, but you can simplify by using prefabricated panels. You can also use prefab beadboard and paint it a rich brown. Whether your ceilings are vaulted or flat, the addition of wood on the ceiling surface will continue that warm, wood vibe.

Choose stone accents

If you’re planning to remodel your home, choose raw stone accents to adorn your fireplace, a pony wall here and there or a pillar. Cabins are set in nature and by bringing natural elements into the space you’ll achieve that same feel. You can even use stone to run the entire expanse of an accent wall or two. Cabins are texture-rich so your interior should aim for the same.

Go the eclectic route

I’ll admit, the last time we skied in Tahoe, the “cabin” we rented was more like a luxury home. However, a true cabin has a rustic and eclectic feel. It’s the kind of place where items are kept and repurposed throughout multiple decades or generations, yielding a fun and colorful mix-and-match of lamps, tea kettles, furniture and so on. Make sure your urban cabin does the same, using a range of furnishings and textiles from eras past.

Look for cabin-inspired furniture

See if you can find a substantial piece or two made from raw wood or logs. A dining room table or a rocking chair, a log-like futon or a bedstead – the rough wood look is automatically reminiscent of a simpler time and place when people made their furnishings with the materials they had on hand.

Use the right accents to add character

As I mentioned directly above, cabins are lived in by people who spend more time at home in nature, and it is from nature that they derive the majority of their diet, furnishings and home accents. Even the typical equipment or tools they use each day are stored inside for lack of extra storage space elsewhere,

Thus, you can use home accents such as lanterns, sets of antlers, antique snow shoes or cross-country shows hung on a wall, sconces that mimic oil lamps – all of these will continue the theme.

Adorn surfaces and furniture with natural or homey textiles

A cabin-like interior design will include homey textiles like braided rugs, Native American woven art as either rugs, wall hangings or upholstery. You’ll probably see a few patchwork quilts on the beds, or folded on wooden trunks that serve as storage at the end of beds or as end or coffee tables. Maybe a home-made afghan or two is at the ready for those who want to cozy up by the fire on chilling nights or mornings.

Make the fireplace a focus

Speaking of the fireplace, it’s the focal point in just about any real cabin I’ve ever been in. Why? Because it used to be the primary heat source. Ideally, your living room will be set up similarly, with couches and seats that frame or are directed towards the fireplace – one with a beautifully decorated mantel.

Taking Your Interiors From Summer To Fall

December 6, 2018

If you’re a serial reader of all things home design, you know “Seasonal Design” can actually be pretty labor intensive. Kudos to you if you have the time, energy and drive to paint an accent wall in an autumnal color, or if you’re willing to purchase a new furniture set to ring in the new year.

Most people, however, don’t have the ability to make significant changes to their interiors (or exteriors) in order to honor the changing seasons.

Simple & Practical Seasonal Design Changes to Welcome Fall

Here are simple, practical ways you can change the look of your home’s interiors, taking them from summer to fall. In most cases, a single, large Tupperware storage container is all that’s required to store these seasonal transitions in between times.

Focus on fall colors. Perhaps the single most defining feature of autumn is the changes in color that happen as the result of shorter, cooler days. People from the west coast and interior U.S. travel long distances to enjoy fall colors on the east coast. Warm golds and oranges, rich crimsons and browns – all signify the changes taking place outside. You can bring these same colors into your homes via pillar candles, center pieces, wreaths and garlands.
Switch out your accent pillow covers. I always recommend clients purchase high-quality throw pillows and an array of pillow shams that can be changed from season to season. It takes very little storage space to house the seasonal pillow covers in between seasons and only a few minutes to remove one season’s covers and replace them with another. Make sure to vary colors and textures – and look for accent pillows with gold, metallic embroidery or materials here and there, which add a nice shimmer as well as a golden glow when your fire or candles are lit.
Bring out the throws. In our neck of the woods, we’re fortunate to enjoy the best of both worlds when fall comes around – warm, sunny days and cool crisp nights. Throw blankets are the perfect solution to those quick fluctuations in temperature. They also add a splash of fall cover when draped over the arm of your couch or the body of a favorite wing-back chair.
Adorn the mantel. Your fireplace (which may be coming to life this season) is a focal point in your home and the mantel is the crown. Look for pillar candles in fall colors, use garlands made from fall foliage or adorn the top of the mantel with fall leaves, colorful gourds or a cornucopia. Perhaps you have a still life of a bowl of fruit or an outdoor scene that boasts fall colors elsewhere in the house; move it to the mantel and let it rest casually against the wall.
Use fresh flower arrangements. Summer bouquets are filled with roses, daisies, dahlias, and peonies – all in reds, blues, purples and yellows. When autumn comes around, arrangements can take a different turn – filled with chrysanthemums, Gerber daisies and autumn leaves. Garden color palettes are less varied, which leaves room for creativity – incorporating greenery, berries and fresh herbs as well. A dining room, corner or entryway table can serve as out-of-the-bustle locations where flower arrangements add color and life to your decor.
Change the bedding. Just as you switch out your accent pillows and throw blankets, fall is a great time to change your bedding. Heavier quilts or a down comforter with a seasonal duvet signify the change in seasons, a different color scheme and a cozier night’s sleep.

What are some of the ways you welcome fall into your home each year?

Making Spirits Bright With A Beautiful Tree

September 14, 2018

Even if I wasn’t a huge fan of the holiday season, I still think I’d put a Christmas tree in my home and decorate it. In this season where we spend more hours in the dark than the light, there is something so peaceful and inspiring about spending the end of each evening, snuggled up on the couch or in a favorite chair, in front of a beautifully decorated and illuminated tree.

Christmas Tree Decorating 101

Whether this is your first holiday season on your own or you’re simply interested in new tips for designing a Christmas tree that will do your photos justice, the following is a little Christmas (or holiday…) Tree 101 Tutorial that will keep you on track.

Provide a firm foundation

The last thing you want is to put the shining star on top, only to have the entire tree come crashing down…believe me, it happens pretty often. If the tree will be placed on carpet, I recommend getting a large, firm plastic mat or a piece of plywood that is as wide as the widest branches of the tree. This will provide firmer footing for the tree stand.

If you have an artificial tree, do spend time walking all around the edges and adjust branches so they are evenly spaced and positioned. This will help to balance the weight. If you go the live tree route (don’t you love that fresh, pine scent in your home?), then invest in a high-quality stand. The cheap ones are flimsy and they don’t often do a very good job of supporting a medium-large to larger tree.

Make sure you get the tree snug, all the way down to the bottom of the stand. Tighten the clamps enough to securely hold the tree in position. Once the tree is rotated to show off its best branches forward, fill the base with water. After that, I recommend putting in a couple handfuls of ice cubes every other day – or as needed – so you don’t have to crouch uncomfortably and mind the decorations when it’s time to re-water.

Light’s first, then action

If you have a pre-lit, artificial tree, you can skip this step. Otherwise, always put your lights on the tree first, before you add any other decorations. It will drive the kids nuts having to wait patiently as you finish, but the final results will be worth the wait.

The best way to do it is to start at the bottom and work your way out, moving from the inside of the tree to the outside. Make sure each of the major branches is sufficiently lighted. I like to have the lights on while I perform this task so I can keep stepping back and readjusting the lights’ position as necessary. When they’re off, it’s more difficult to tell what the overall effect is. After the lights are in their final position, I turn them off so our household can enjoy our official “Christmas Tree Lighting” arter the last of the decorations is added.

If you haven’t done so already, make this the year that you trade in your old holiday lights for LED versions. Yes, they are pricier but the energy you save and the extra years of shining lights you’ll gain are well worth it.

Unroll the garland

Is your family a garland family? I’ve noticed that some people are and some aren’t. If you are, now’s the time to apply it. If you aren’t, and you have young children, I highly recommend going the old fashioned, plain popcorn and cranberry stringing route. It’s fun, it gets the whole family involved and it looks lovely when added to the tree. The key to keeping your cranberry-popcorn garland from looking too cheesy is to add more cran than pop. You can also add cinnamon sticks, pinecones and other natural fodder to round out the look.

Hang the ornaments

Once it’s time to hang the ornaments, I recommend the following system.

First, hand your very favorite ornaments so they are all guaranteed to have a prime, visible spot on the tree. Balance them out accordingly.
Next, hand the larger ornaments. These ornaments need more space. By hanging them next, you can find all the right “big space” locations so the ornaments fit well. Otherwise, there is quite a bit of ornament re-juggling to be done later in order to make it all look proportional.
Finally, fill in the remaining spaces with your medium and smaller size ornaments.

I can’t tell you how many years I (a professional designer, no less) used to hang ornaments willy-nilly by eye – – and then spent small portions of each day thereafter amending or adjusting. Now that I use the above system, I am typically finished when the last ornament is hung – give or take a few trades here and there.

Got The Winter Blues? Try Rearranging The Furniture!

September 4, 2018

Days of endless wind and rain make us all a little crazy this time of year. When I start to feel that restless itch, I know exactly what to do –use cooped up weekend days to rearrange things.

When I was a girl, my friends and I loved rearranging our rooms. Together, we saw possibilities we couldn’t envision on our own. This yielded creative, fresh arrangements of furniture, stuffed animals, and posters. It was my first time to experience a bed that was placed kitty-corner in a corner, for example, rather than along a wall.

Rearranging a bedroom was fine for that era of my life, but these days, I love rearranging a home. By looking all of your furnishings from a different perspective, your session will be more thorough and will result in more creative layouts and arrangements.

Tips For Rearranging the Furnishings in Your Home

Here are some of my tips for rearranging the furnishings in your home. In many cases, you’ll feel you’ve benefitted from a mini-remodel since things will look and feel so different. And, the best part about it – you don’t have to spend a single dime.

Tackle the de-cluttering projects first

First, it’s wise to get serious about de-cluttering. If you have accumulated “stuff” throughout your home, it will stymie your rearranging process. Piles here and piles there need to be dealt with before certain furniture pieces can be moved.

Believe me, when I say, this will take the wind right out of your sails. Come Monday, you’ll be sitting around with a bunch of furniture slid this way and that, piles of junk laying around – and no time to do anything about it. Instead, take the weekend before your rearranging project to eliminate the clutter. Read, A Guide to What Stays and What Goes, to help you sort through things.

Get out the extra paint cans

Once you start moving furniture and art, you’ll notice the walls are a bit dingier, dinged up, scuffed or faded than you realized. By having your extra paint cans and brushes at the ready, you’ll be able to do touch-up work in the moment, rather than having to scramble to find what you need.

If you’re thinking about re-painting, this is an optimal time to do it. Once the sun returns, you’ll want to head outside and latent paint projects will languish for another year. Hit the paint stores and start dreaming –using the time you have with furniture pulled away from the walls to slap on the paint or wallpaper you’ve been dreaming about.

Enlist the help of a savvy design friend

We all have them. Those friends with a great eye, always able to make something out of nothing. While your attempts at thrift-store shabby-chic wound up looking just-plain-shabby, theirs could grace the cover of Country Living.

This is the friend you want to have over for tea or lunch while you discuss your plans. His or her eyes will light up and the energy will begin to crackle with excitement. Ah, yes! The possibilities will now be revealed to you.

Don’t get locked into individual rooms

Obviously, beds and significant dressers are going to remain in the bedrooms, but don’t get stuck on a particular room’s furniture or items as having to remain in that room. Instead, try to see your home as a blank canvas and act as if all of your furnishings were sitting out on the front lawn in a big heap. These furnishings are your oyster and your mission is to re-think them – and your living space – in a new light.

So, that desk in the guest room may be the perfect new TV stand for the living room – or perhaps it would work in a corner as a display space for your indoor terrarium. The wood TV tray you keep tucked in a closet might become the perfect corner bar in your formal living room. Perhaps it’s time to find a new way to orient couches and chairs, swapping the wingback in the master bedroom for a chaise lounge you used in the living room.

Don’t be afraid to unload things

Sometimes, we cart things around with us for the simple reason that they’re ours. But they might not really work in our lives. We once had a very attractive and even comfortable loveseat in our family room. The problem was, nobody ever really sat on it. Finally, we realized, “this room would have a whole lot more space if we simply got rid of that!”

So we did, and we moved a lower-profile chair from the guest room in its place. We wound up with two rooms – the family room and the living room – that felt more spacious and we ended up cash positive to boot from the money we got for the loveseat.

Create your own gallery or collection wall

Once you begin rearranging, you may find you have enough miscellaneous art tucked away – or formerly on display around the house – that you can create a beautiful gallery wall. This will come in handy if you wind up with more blank wall space than you used to have when Furniture A moves from here to there. Similarly, your new arrangement might allow you the chance to display your collections in a way that does them justice – pulling them out of hidden corners and into the forefront.

Are you inspired or what? Rearranging your home is a wonderful way to embrace a new year and whole new outlook.