Kristina Wolf's House of Design

Interior Design, Accessorizing, and DIY Tips

decorating

The Entryway

the-entryway

If you could describe your household in a single paragraph, what would it say? What is the basic gist of the colors, energies, lifestyle and values of the people who live there? Now, take a look at your entryway. Is there anything of that paragraph inherent in your entryway design?

Your Entryway Is an Overarching Snapshot of Your Home

In my mind, the perfect entryway is one that not only looks great, and welcomes visitors – it also serves as a single snapshot of your entire home. Not only should its style serve as a precursor to what comes next, the mood, energy and features should reflect the people, creatures and beloved furnishings that call your household Home.

Here are some ideas for creating not just the “perfect entryway” – but for creating the perfect entryway for your home.

Brighten it Up. Even if you are partial to darker shades, the entryway is a place for a little lighter and brighter palette. You want guests to get a burst of energy as they walk in, so use lighter shades that complement your darker interior palettes. That way, the first impression isn’t gloomy or cave-like. If your entryway lacks natural light, consider adding a solar tube or skylight. Change the light fixture out for one that has more reflective or refractive qualities – perhaps a metallic or glass chandelier, for example, that will maximize the light.

Add a Mirror. Speaking of reflective qualities, it’s a rare entryway that isn’t dressed up by a mirror. In addition to enhancing illumination and making a smaller or more narrow space feel larger, it’s nice to give guests a space to take a peek and fix any stray hairs or wardrobe mishaps that may have taken place between their car and your doorstep. Similarly, on the way out, it gives women a spot to reapply lipstick or for men to adjust their coats and ties before heading to their next destination. Again, choose a mirror with a frame that somehow ties into other furnishings in the main living spaces.

Create Interior Design Echoes. Look around at your interior and see if it is echoed by your entryway. Are there similar lines or shapes? What about textures and fabric? Is the entryway formal while the rest of your home is casual? If the entryway isn’t an echo of your home, it can create a disconnect of sorts. Find ways to repeat basic design principles as well as specific motifs, so the entryway resonates with the rest of your design.

Add Personal Touches. Sometimes, people fear that adding personal touches will take away from their “picture perfect” entryway. Quite the contrary. The entryway of this Suburban Oasis in San Francisco is a prime example of why personalization matters. These homeowners hired me to create a transitional design in their new home. The entryway is striking with its high ceilings and fun mish-mash of arches and angles. However, all that open space, combined with a cool color palette and hard surface flooring could easily have come across as stark and modern. Instead, we installed two colorful pots with indoor plants (literally adding life to the space) as well as gorgeous shelves that are laden with family keepsakes and more greenery. It completely changed the energy of space.

Consider adding seating. If you have the space for it, it’s nice to add some seating options. The easiest and most space-saving way to do this is to use a bench that can run along the wall. Not only does it give people a chance to sit down to add/remove shoes or boots, it also gives you a place to display some fun art or collectibles, and provides a spot where guests can place their purses or bags – just be careful that it doesn’t become a clutter catchall.

Once you’ve run through this entryway checklist, the space is bound to be a more personalized and stylish entryway than it was before.

Taking Your Interiors From Summer To Fall

taking-your-interiors-from-summer-to-fall

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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?

9 Ways to Create a Modern Nursery for a Girl

9-ways-to-create-a-modern-nursery-for-a-girl There’s plenty of inspiration out there for those who love the traditional and antique-inspired nursery for baby girls, but what about those of you who prefer a more modern look? The tenets that categorize modern design – cool, clean, streamlined and low-profile – aren’t necessarily synonymous with the soft, cuddly and nostalgic emotions associated with newborn babies.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to decorate a baby girl’s nursery without having to suffocate in ruffly bassinets or first-edition prints of Precious Moments artwork. Here are 10 ideas for keeping a baby girl’s nursery on the modern side of things.

  1. Stripes on the walls. Look for striped or geometric wall paper prints in colors that you like. Or, if you are feeling truly inspired and brave, you can opt to paint them yourself. Even one single accent wall will add a modern aesthetic and it’s something your baby girl can grow into.
  2. Stay away from soft pastels. One way to bunk the traditional girl’s nursery is to stay away from the softer pastels and, instead, choose slightly bolder versions of the same color(s).
  3. Use a non-traditional color. I love this baby girl’s nursery that used a beautiful deep dove gray, almost charcoal, for the base color and then added swatches of a dusky pink as the contrast. It’s decidedly modern but maintains a completely girlie aesthetic.
  4. Use stencils. I think stencils are a wonderful way to jazz up any room in the house. Using a relatively generic stencil, like a tree, a paisley, or some other gender-neutral shape, allows you to glam it up girlie for now but also leaves room for interpretation for potential future buyers or should you convert that room into a study or guest bedroom later on.
  5. Mirrored furniture. Metallic finishes and mirrored furniture and furnishings are  trending right now. Look how the mirrored dresser/changing table in this nursery keeps the softer elements of the design from going too traditional.
  6. Enjoy a mix of patterns. You have so much room for pattern opportunities in nurseries and children’s bedrooms. Kids are high energy and fun – and their bedroom designs can reflect that. Mixing patterns can be a bit of a challenge but a nursery is a great spot to begin experimenting.
  7. Use black. Black is both modern and chic – and it’s rarely used in a nursery design, especially a girl’s. Choosing to use black furniture and accents in your little girl’s nursery will certainly put you on the cutting edge and the results can be visually stunning. Plus, babies don’t see in color very well at first, so you’ll be doing her a visual favor as well.
  8. Choose an atypical crib. Keep your eye out for a more uniquely shaped crib. This circular crib is modern in its design and allows for a whole different furniture layout in the nursery since the crib can be placed in the center of the room, or off-center – freeing up a significant amount of wall space.
  9. Go neutral. Perhaps the most modern idea of all is that girls and boys don’t have to align themselves with gender-specific colors. A neutral nursery provides the opportunity for you to create a soothing space, filled with books and toys that all children love. Your daughter can pepper her nursery-slash-bedroom with accents of her choosing as her tastes grown and evolve on their own.

Throw Rugs

throw-rugsDo you have hardwood or another type of hard-surface flooring? Are you struggling to create some sort of boundary between different areas in an open living space? Are your feet freezing when they hit the ground, or is the sound of your dogs’ clickety-clack driving you crazy?

Answering yes to any or all of the above questions is a sign that you need a little more throw rug in your life.

Throw Rugs Offer Amazing Solutions To Basic Design Dilemma

That subtitle may seem like a bit of an overstatement – but it’s not! Throw rugs offer solutions to a myriad of design – and even lifestyle – issues that crop up along the way.

Let’s address some of the ways you can apply throw rugs to improve your day-to-day life.

To add warmth and warm up a hard-surface floor

Personally, I’m a big believer in hard-surface floors. You only have to tear up carpeting – and the pad underneath – one time in your life to know why wall-to-wall carpeting is a bad and risky enterprising. Ever had allergies? Ever had mold? Ever wanted to live amidst layers of dust and particulate matter that can’t be eliminated no matter how much you vacuum? ‘nough said.

Even so, life with hard-surface flooring requires the application of a throw rug here and there. Firstly, they break up foot after foot of the same surface. Secondly, they’re much warmer on bare feet – especially in the winter months or first thing in the morning. Finally, throw rugs add visual warmth, because even an area rug in a traditionally “cooler” color will add a softer look to the hardness, and that translates as “warmer” overall.

Show us what you meant by your furniture arrangement

In a traditional home, with segmented living spaces, area rugs are usually the central stars – located underneath the coffee table, for example, or perhaps as a runner in a long hallway.

These days, however, area rugs have a more important role to play; they anchor space in open floor plans so we know what each of your furniture groupings means. Aaah! That one over there anchors the reading and conversation corner, while the larger area rug over there is clearly meant to define the TV zone. The rugs create visual boundaries that may not be as visible otherwise, and it makes our brains happier to see all that nicely organized space.

Note: Size matters in the world of area rugs. Being too small or too big will cause problems. Try to find rugs that are large enough for all of the furniture legs to fit on or none of the legs to fit on. Only the front end of a couch or chair is fine too in a pinch. It shouldn’t wrinkle or bunch up because it doesn’t lay nicely along a wall edge (try to leave at least a few inches there) or an adjacent furniture piece.

Give us a little texture or pattern to sink our eyes into

When you look around at your interior design what do you see in terms of texture? Wall, floors, and tables are all hard surfaces. Even certain couches – particularly the contemporary, shiny leather versions – can appear more “hard” or “sleek” than soft. If this is the case in your home, area rugs are a very simple way to add texture.

You don’t have to get a high-pile shag for this – even a woven jute rug will suffice. The point is to bring something texturally different into the space to balance what’s there already.

I’m including a pattern in this category too because patterns can add texture as well. Patterns, particularly geometric or viny/floral patterns can add a different dimension to the space. If you’re someone who’s less comfortable adding patterns to a room, let your area rugs do the work for you. Patterns on the floor can be diminished a bit if part of the rug is covered by a couch or a chair and they are less intrusive than when they make an appearance via upholstery or wallpaper.

You can also layer your area rugs – using a larger, patterned rug on the bottom and then a solidly-colored rug on top – a smart choice if a pattern is attractive but feels too bold or too busy for your taste.

Don’t forget to think about comfort and safety

I like to use area rugs for comfort as well – in the kitchen where I stand to work (designer outdoor rugs work great for this because they’re attractive but durable and easy to clean). I use them underneath my favorite reading chair so my feet can rest on a soft, warm surface. Consider placing them in front of your bathroom vanities, and to protect stairs and hallways from wear-and-tear.

That being said, area rugs can be major trip or slip and fall hazards, so make sure to use the anti-slip mats underneath them to prevent them from sliding out from underneath you. Also, get rid of any rugs that curl up around corners or edges; it’s only a matter of time before someone trips and falls. In the dining room, be thoughtful about how they work – or don’t work – when chairs are scooted out and back in so nobody unintentionally tips over.

10 Tips for Creating a Stylish Yet Functional Home Office

For those of us that work from home, whether occasionally or full-time, the home office is often an afterthought. Perhaps it’s a small corner of a room or a random desk in a guest room that’s hastily cleaned up before company arrives. Instead of this haphazard approach, we recommend making a conscientious effort to make your office stylish and functional.

10-tips-for-creating-a -stylish-yet-functional-home-office

  1. Consider your work flow. Always consider how you work, distances, left/right handed actions, etc., before investing in office furniture and furnishings. Only choose pieces that facilitate your work flow.
  2. Let there be light! Multiple studies show natural lighting is significantly more beneficial for the human spirit than even broad spectrum incandescence. Try to set your home office up in a space with ample natural light. Consider adding a solar tube if a window isn’t available. Then, use attractive fixtures with high-quality lighting for those cloudy day or post-sunset work sessions.
  3. Honor ergonomics. Boy are our bodies getting screwed up from all this hunched over, arm-cocked, slouchy office work we do. It’s not how the human body was meant to operate. Do all you can to set your space up in ergonomic fashion. Check out these Office Workstation Ergonomic Solutions to learn more. Consider a variety of options – standing and sitting, yoga balls, a high-quality chair, etc. to protect yourself.
  4. Accentuate your style. Is it predominantly your home office? Then make it yours. If the rest of the home is a blend of your family’s design tastes, your home office is the space where you can make it all about you: your favorite colors, works of art, funky chotchkies, etc.
  5. Anchor the space with an area rug. If your office isn’t a room but, rather, takes up a space in a hallway, under the stairs, etc., anchor the space with an area rug. It will add definition, as well as a little color and style.
  6. Get creative with the desk. You don’t have to use a traditional desk to do your work. Keep your eye out for charming and unique furnishings that will do the job. Perhaps an antique armoire with a drop-down writing desk that will also double as storage and organization.
  7. Built-in storage. If your office is a permanent addition to a room or corner nook, make it permanent by adding custom, built-in shelves, storage and cabinets. This is a great way to make the add-on office integrated with the rest of your design, and cabinets can cleverly hide printers, scanners, cords, etc., which can create clutter if you aren’t careful.
  8. Hide it behind the couch. If you don’t have a designated office room, it can be hard to find the right spot. I like the idea of using a console table behind a couch. You can tie into the floor plugs from the living room for your lamp(s), your laptop can be shut for a clean look when you’re finished and even a simple, tasteful file cabinet tucked underneath won’t look out of place.
  9. Coordinate your organizational tools. Go ahead and ditch your mismatched desktop organizers and file drawers and invest in pieces that are coordinated for an look that is instantly more cohesive and stylish.
  10. Give it a coat of paint. Are you working in a sea of standard white walls? Warm your office up and give it a little life with a fresh coat of paint in a color that inspires you. Are you renting? Even a single accent wall will be worth repainting again later.