home design

10 Ways to Add Gold to Any Room

April 26, 2019

Gold metallic accents add warmth, light and elegance to a room. While some people are just fine with ornate gold furnishings and accents that rival those of Marie Antoinette’s Versailles, others shy away from adding gold accents to their interiors for fear of overdoing it.

There is, indeed, a fine line between the right and wrong ways to add gold to your living spaces so these 10 ideas will help you to do it with grace and style.

10 Ideas for Adding Gold to Any Living Space

Accent pillows. If you’re wary of using gold, start small and then add piece by piece. Accent pillows are a good place to start because if you don’t like the look, you can always switch the pillow shams. In this contemporary living room design, which lends itself towards shabby-chic, we used gold-accented pillows on the couch to help increase the impact of the chic.
Use gold upholstery. You can find beautiful upholstery fabric in various shades of gold as well as varying degrees of shimmer. Use an old chair(s) or couch, or look for a used one with good bones, and reupholster it. It won’t overpower the space and provides the foundation for adding other gold elements as you want to.
Picture frames. Gold gilded frames will help your art to stand out from the wall but also adds a hint of shimmer and formality.
Gold art. You can purchase a 3-D wall hanging that is already gold, or spray paint one yourself. Either way, you end up with an eye catching piece that can stand alone or complement other gold accents in the room.
Go(ld) all out. For the middle of the list, we recommend embracing your gold inspiration and designing an all-gold room. If you haven’t done it before, you may want to enlist the assistance of a professional interior designer to make sure all of your golden hues work together. The result can be stunning.
Mix it with silver. Gold and silver can be blended well when done with foresight. Metallic furnishings are popular in other cultures so finding the balance between gold and silver in my clients’ living room allowed them to display a variety of pieces they had collected on their travels without clashing or becoming too “blingy.”
Use it in an all-white space. If you are taking the plunge and designing an all-white space, gold is the ideal accent. It adds warmth and enhances the ethereal quality inherent in all-white designs.
On the ceiling. As long as we’re discussing the ethereal, take a look at this gorgeous formal living room that used metallic gold stencils on the ceiling, along with an absolutely unique and perfectly ornate light fixture. The blue backdrop only adds to the appeal. Even without the tasteful gold accents in the room below, this ceiling would be worth emulating.
Light fixtures. And that brings us to light fixtures; because gold reflects light with a warm glow, it makes a desirable finish for lamps, chandeliers and other light fixtures.
Highlight wall trim and molding. Take any crown molding or decorative wall trim and paint it gold and you will see it in a whole new way. The gold is rich and lustrous and it also helps to highlight the light and shadow of the patterned wall trim relief so it is better displayed. This works even when there isn’t a single additional gold accent in sight.

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.

Adding Your Own Architectural Details

April 13, 2019

The Bay Area is one of the few locations along the West Coast where you can enjoy the amazing architecture of the Victorian, Gilded Age, Craftsman, and American Bungalow-era homes – all in the same neighborhoods.

More contemporary homes often lack the gorgeous architectural features and details that make the aforementioned homes so charming and visually intriguing.

Add Your Own Favorite Architectural Styles to an Interior Design

The good news is that your inability to land a (maintenance-heavy) Victorian-era home doesn’t mean you have to be without intricate wood details. Just because you don’t own a Craftsman-style home doesn’t mean you can enjoy a pillar or column here or there, and your lack of a Bungalow doesn’t mean you must live in a home without arched features.

What is means is that you need to add those design details post market, and here are some examples of how you can do it.

Glam Up Those Entryways

Does your home’s entryway serve as an independent space with a doorway into the main living area? If so, you can make a statement using wood details to frame the inner-entranceway. Choose moulding and wood details that suit your particular style. If a rectangular door way is tall enough, or you have the room/ability to knock a little out from the top – you can even change your rectangle into an arch with the addition of the right trim piece.

Reframe the Walls

One of the simplest things you can do to dress up a room – especially a formal living or dining room area – is to add chair railing along the walls. You paint the trim and voila! Your walls are instantly more elegant. If you’re up for it, I recommend taking that idea one step further and using wall moulding to create boxes or rectangles. If you leave them empty afterwards, they are a nice, simple touch. If you have an art collection, hanging one piece – or a grouping of pieces – inside the frame will really showcase your favorites.

Give Your Stairway Some Pizazz

Removing a standard staircase and replacing it with a wooden one adds unarguable charm, but it’s not always feasible. Instead, I recommend replacing or dressing up one or more of the elements that comprise the staircase so they have a little more character on their own. The newel, for example, is the vertical column or post that lives at the bottom of a straight stairwell and supports the handrail; consider replacing it with a solid wood or metal version. Replacing the handrail is another option.

Coffer the Ceilings

Coffered ceilings are impossible not to notice, and they are such a rarity these days in homes built after then 1940s. However, coffers add a style and class all on their own, and they don’t have to look traditional if you don’t want them to. Another benefit of coffered ceilings is that they can make a ceiling feel taller, or a room feel larger, because they draw the eye upwards and the “recessed” portions make it look like there’s more vertical space than there really is.

For a more muted effect, you can simply paint the coffered trim the same color as the ceiling – or use a semi-gloss finish in the same color for a little extra luminosity. If you are aiming for contrast, consider using solid wood coffers in a complimentary stain or paint the coffers a contrasting color for a little more oomph.

Add a Cornice or Applique

Cornices and appliques will dress up existing or prospective wood trim even more. A patio room may opt for a pineapple motif to add that indoor/outdoor tropical flair, while a traditionalist may prefer to add a fleur-de-lis applique to the wood paneling on the front of the kitchen island or on the cornices or plinth blocks of a door frame.

Making Your Finished Basement A Welcoming Space

April 11, 2019

What is the ambiance down in your home’s basement? Is it a place your kids and their friends use as the dark, dank dungeon in their imaginary play? Do you use it for laundry and random storage but not much else? In other words, is your basement a big waste of space? If so, it may be time to remodel your basement into a warm and welcoming space.

Re-Vamp Your Basement in Style

Taking your basement from “extra storage” to “new living area” will have a dramatic impact on your house as a whole. Depending on its size, your basement remodel can significantly improve your home’s livable square footage, notably improving your home’s market appeal and resale value.

With the right extra touches, the basement can also become a comfortable guest space, a potential source of rental revenue down the road and a wonderful way to get your kids and their friends out of your favorite living areas and into one they consider their own. On that note, here are some ideas for renovating and designing your basement space.

Take a family survey. Meet with your family and begin exploring the possibilities. If your basement must be used for storage (I still vote for renting a storage unit and getting more use out of that empty space) you may simply want to make your basement a laundry room, making your current laundry area available for an expanded kitchen, bathroom or other living space. Or, you might decide you want a full entertainment area, complete with a small kitchen or bar. Think about your household’s needs and lifestyle and brainstorm your basement remodel from there.
Clear the clutter. Not surprisingly, your basement overhaul is a fantastic opportunity to get rid of clutter, sort through old boxes and condense all that “stuff”.
Light and ventilation. The two most common associations with basements are “dark” and “musty.” Both are indications of poor lighting and ventilation. See if there’s a way to add windows to gain as much natural lights as possible. If not, freshening up the walls, using a light and neutral color scheme with pops of color, will help it to feel lighter and brighter. A new lighting design can work wonders to brighten your space with illumination that looks more natural. Odds are a professional HVAC contractor will be needed to expand your home’s current system to encompass the basement, and that will go a long way towards improving its ventilation and interior comfort.
Pay attention to the walls. Because the basement can be dark and gloomy, you want to pay very careful attention to the walls. There are pre-fabricated wall systems that can be put in place right over existing, unfinished walls. This is a great way to improve the energy-efficiency and insulation value in the basement while giving it a brand new appearance. Nice new paint or attractive wallpaper can finish the look.
Add a bathroom and kitchen. If the basement is going to be used as an entertainment area and/or guest space, try to incorporate a bathroom and some type of kitchen. Tying a sink and toilet into existing plumbing is rarely a major feat since plumbing is usually readily available in a basement location. A small kitchen makes it easy to store snacks, drinks and also facilitates cleanup. Plus, both those features will make it easy to convert your basement space into a source of rental revenue down the road if you choose to.

The Good And Bad Of Painted Hardwood Floors

April 11, 2019

Hardwood floors are beautiful – until they’re not. In many older or long-neglected homes, hardwood floors, nicks, scratches, stains, and years of accumulated life can make them decidedly unattractive. Then there are those times when you want a specific look for a room – and your hardwood floors don’t contribute to the vision. In any case, you can paint hardwood floors any way you like, but you’ll want to be aware of a few pros and cons.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly About Painting Hardwood Floors

While well-maintained hardwood floors are beautiful, floors that beat up look more like a gymnasium floor than they do a traditional hardwood floor may not be so appealing. In these cases, you may be searching for more creative options.

Some of the benefits of repainting hardwood floors include:

Ease and Affordability. Refinishing a hardwood floor is a costly endeavor. The wood is stripped, sanded repaired, and then finished – and all of this requires significant time and labor. It also requires a specific skill set, and it’s a rare DIYer who can execute a professional-worthy wood floor refinishing project. Experience, skill, time, and labor costs money. Painting, however, is much easier, it’s much cheaper and can easily become a DIY process.
You can get creative. There are things you can achieve with a painted floor that cannot be achieved using carpet, tile, or area rugs. Hardwood floors painted white will yield that homey, country cottage look. You can use any colors or patterns you want to create unique designs and specific patterns. None of this is possible with a stained wood floor.
The ability to highlight a specific living space. Area rugs can do this as well, but then you lose the hardwood below. If you want to keep the hardwood surface but would like to create a defined outline of space, perhaps a colorful border around the master bedroom, fun or funky space in a child’s playroom or an artistic shape or pattern that matches your design vision – all of that can be done using paint.
It can be used as an accent. You aren’t limited to refinishing or painting; you can have both. Some people opt to refinish and stain the main living areas so the beautiful wood grains shine through. Then, paint can be used as a fun accent in smaller rooms in the house, like the bathroom or laundry room, for a little something different.
They’re easy to clean. If they are sealed well, painted hardwood floors are easy to clean. The paint seals the grooves in the wood, making them more impervious to dirt, grime, and stains. They can be cleaned with less ceremony and precision than stained and finished hardwood, and they are much easier to touch up if an area fades chips or cracks.

Some of the downfalls of painting hardwood floors include:

Cracking, chipping, flaking. Your painted floors will be much more likely to paint, chip, and flake. While it’s relatively easy to fix, it might become an irritatingly constant “to-do” on your list.
Buyer appeal. Many buyers will view your painted wood floors as an expensive restoration project to bring back the natural wood aesthetic, which may affect their interest in your home or the final selling price.
Sanding and refinishing will cost even more. Should you decide later that you want to sand and refinish your floors back to their natural look, the process will be even more complicated, lengthy and expensive.