interior decorating

Have You Gone Gray?

February 28, 2019

If you’ve been paying attention to interior design trend reports, you know that Gray is the next white…or black…or both. The point is that it is trending right now. It was predicted by style experts at the likes of House Beautiful and Houzz, and it works well with both modern and traditional design motifs.

Contrary to popular believe, gray is not drab when it’s used well in interior home designs.

5 Reasons to Paint Your Walls (or a single wall) Gray

Here are 5 reasons you may want to consider painting your walls – or at least one of your walls – in a stylish shade of gray.

It’s trending right now. As we mentioned, gray is trending right now. You can take or leave trends for the most part, but this one is worth considering – especially if you plan to sell your home in the near future. Firstly, it’s a classic, neutral color and it works well with a range of styles, colors and patterns. Also, I think gray is a little more interesting than the typical creams and tan shades that comprise the background of most “neutral” color palettes. If you are planning to put your home on the market, your gray wells will appeal to homebuyers that have been perusing design websites because gray is fresh in their minds. Your home will feel more relevant and contemporary.
It’s a trick color. When House Beautiful cited Frarrow & Ball’s “Parma Gray 27” as one of 2016’s most trendy colors, designer Marcy Materson said, “I love the fact that they call this gray. It’s really quite an extraordinary shade of blue, with a great deal of lavender in it. You could use it anywhere, with black or white accents to set it off. It’s such a serene, sophisticated color.” That quote says it all. Gray is more than just gray. In the world of color science, gray is rarely made by mixing black and white. The combination of black and white creates a very basic, neutral gray. However, most paint companies make their variations on gray by mixing complementary colors – those that sit exactly opposite one another on the color wheel – and adding a little white. In this way, they can create “warm” grays, which include yellows, or “cool” grays that include blues.This is why I say that gray can be a “trick” color – it’s really hiding a range of shades – and you can use this to your advantage by working carefully with a designer and/or a color wheel to choose the shade of gray that best suits the existing colors in your interior colors and patterns.
Gray is soothing. Again, gray has an impression of being somber, moody, or drab. I would argue that a neutral gray – mixed from black and white – is the culprit here. I always advise choosing a matte or flat paint finish, rather than a glossy one, if you want to avoid an industrial look.When you begin exploring the range of warm and cool grays – “colorful” grays – entirely new moods can appear. There is certainly an air of modernity in most rooms that use gray – although I have also created elegant, traditional and transitional designs that successfully used gray on the walls and furnishings. In any case, gray always seems to invoke a sense of retreat – and gives visitors a sense that they are hidden away, somewhere safe and calm – a desirable sensation in our busy, fast-paced world.
It softens bold color accents. Have you always wanted to go bold, but lacked the courage to do so? With gray walls, your “bold” colors will stand out, but they won’t scream the way they do against a white background. Gray creates a visual cushion between starker color contrasts. The gray walls in the living room of this Cool Craftsman are a perfect home for the vibrant work or art, which might have been a bit “too much” if the walls were plain white.
It’s a perfect backdrop for metallic or shiny finishes. Similarly, gray is an ideal backdrop for designs that incorporate mirrored, metallic or shinier features and finishes. Just as bold colors are softened by gray’s absorptive properties, so too is the brashness of reflective materials. From ornate mirrors and metallic backsplashes, to mirrored furniture and silver or copper accents, gold will showcase them nicely without letting them take over the room.

6 Simple Fixes for Any Laundry Room

February 27, 2019

Is your laundry room more indicative of a fairytale dungeon than a Houzz.com showcase? We get it. For most of us, laundry is one of those things-to-do that gets smushed into everyday life, which can lead to a complete lack of style. If the only splash of color is the blue goop that dried up after the that fabric softener spill last year, it might be time to spend a little time on a few easy laundry room updates.

You’ll Want to do Laundry After These 6 Easy Laundry Room Updates

You don’t need to completely remodel your laundry room space in order to make it more attractive, pleasant and functional. All you need is the inspiration and a little time to implement some easy updates. Let’s get started!

Clean it up. Whoa, there! Here’s a crazy idea, right? It’s amazing what a little vinegar, water and elbow grease can do for a laundry room. These rooms get grimy pretty quickly with all the moisture, lint, accumulated gunk from detergent bottles, etc. Taking 30-minutes to give it a good once over can have miraculous results. You may decide you don’t even need to move on to our other suggestions. If you don’t have the time, pay someone else to do it. It’s worth the minimal investment. Plus, the rest of our suggestions are all better done with a clean slate anyway.
Think about the color(s). Is there color? Unless you are a fan of plain white walls or already have a neutral theme that you love (in which case you wouldn’t be reading this), now may be a great time to repaint the cabinets and/or the walls a bright and cheerful color. Just as powder rooms can be a great space for doing bold things you don’t have the courage for in your main living space, your laundry room can be the place to celebrate the lavender, yellow or bright green that you love so much, but don’t feel comfortable using elsewhere.
Add an island. If you have the space, add a mobile island. You get more counter space, which is always a bonus for sorting, folding, mending, ironing, etc. You will gain more storage space if you need it and, since it’s mobile, you can always move it elsewhere in a pinch when you need a additional counter space or an additional eating area for parties or gatherings.
Add wall-mounted drying racks. Don’t have such a large space? Add a retractable wall-mounted clothes drying rack and you’ll wonder what you ever did without it. They take up very little room when collapsed but can hold an impressive amount of laundry when extended. Plus, you’ll benefit from energy savings and clothing longevity, which will help pay you back for the rack and then some.
Install a Fold-down ironing board. In our house, if you don’t iron it when it comes out of the dryer it will probably never be ironed at all. Sound familiar? A fold-down ironing board doesn’t take up much space and makes it easy to iron those flipped-up hems and set-in dryer wrinkles rather than adding them to a pile that never gets ironed at all.
Conceal the mess. Have an open area of under-counter space where you tuck your hampers or other miscellaneous baskets? Put up a rod and hang a colorful or attractive curtain with a print to hide it. The results will make your laundry room feel less cluttered.

Bringing Color Into Your Laundry Room

February 15, 2019

If you have a busy household, odds are you spend hours per week doing laundry. In my opinion, any chore requiring that much time and life force deserves a beautiful space in which to work. Adding color to the laundry room brings new energy and a re-inspired feel to a space that often seems more like a source of endless drudgery.

Tips For Adding Color to Your Laundry Room

There are all kinds of ways to add color to a laundry room space – from a complete remodel, to an accent wall or eccentric appliance choices, simply find what works best for your household.

Get bold with your washer and dryer

Why on earth are washers and dryers predominantly selected in white or black? Get over that boring, standard route and choose something vibrant instead. Today’s washers and dryers – including high-end models – are available in beautiful, metallic and jewel-toned options that will cheer you up in no time flat.

It’s definitely more fun to throw laundry into a cherry red, kelly green or pink dryer – let me tell you. Checkout this article from Apartment Therapy and then re-think your replacement options. It’s a sneaky way to go bold in a room where the doors shut – and the public never has to know that the rest of your sophisticated, neutral interior design is anything other than it appears.

Add a coat of paint or some funky wallpaper

As I was saying about rooms that are typically closed off – I think laundry rooms, like powder rooms, offer an opportunity to play with color in a way you might not risk in more common living spaces. In these small rooms, the world is your oyster.

Remember that really bright blue or red you considered for an accent wall in your home – before you chickened out? This is the time to use it. How about that amazing wallpaper that you saw on Houzz but decided was too busy? Put it up in the laundry room – or use it as a border.

Again, this is a room – when it comes right down to it – guests don’t really hang out in much, so view it as a space where to explore crazier, zanier, bolder and more eccentric aspects of your interior design style.

Paint the cabinets

Not sure about painting all of the wall surfaces? Then paint the cabinets instead. I keep repeating you should go bold and bright – but not everyone likes those types of colors in their living spaces. Even a neutrally painted laundry room space is enhanced with cabinets painted in softer, more muted shades of your favorite colors. Perhaps that robin’s egg blue you’ve pined for, or a pastel green? That simple accent will change the feel of the room – especially if you have a decent amount of cabinetry. If the laundry room space is large enough to have upper- and lower-cabinets, or cabinets on both walls, consider choosing two, complimentary shades to mix it up a little.

Paper the walls and paint the ceiling

If you want to be playful, I recommend finding a wallpaper you love and using it on one, two or all of the walls. If you go the one- or two-wall route, paint the other walls in a softer hue found in the wallpaper. Then, go big with the ceiling featuring a darker or bolder color found in the wallpaper pattern. While you’re at it, think of other rooms or spaces in the house that would benefit from a painted ceiling.

Use artwork and throw rugs

If you live in a rental, color options are limited. Replacing your own washer and dryer (see the first section) is one colorful option you can take with you. However, returning walls to their original color when you’re ready to move out is such a labor-intensive chore – and who needs that? Instead, leave the walls alone and bring them to life using colorful art and complimentary throw rugs. If you have the space for it, turn a wall into a gallery – eclectic or conservative. It will warm up the space, add a little life and the throw rugs will feel better on your feet, joints and lower back if you use the laundry room to sort and fold.

Don’t let your laundry room languish in a state of bland neglect. Re-envision it and bring it to life by adding a little – or a lot of – color.

Why Use an Interior Designer for a Remodel or New Home Construction?

February 14, 2019

People often want to know why they should use an interior designer for a remodel or new construction project. Isn’t that work reserved for the contractors and architects of the world? Why not just save the interior designer until the end, when you actually need some decorating done?

This is one of the most common misconceptions regarding the interior design world: that interior designers come in after the fact to pretty everything up. In fact, experienced homeowners and design firms understand that having an interior designer involved in the remodel or new construction phase of your home’s design can literally make or break the success of the project.

Facilitate a Fluid Design/Build Process

Forget about the fluidity of the design itself (for a minute, anyway) and let’s just talk about the design/build process. If you aren’t careful, you’ll end up with a “which comes first: the chicken or the egg?” conundrum. Without a single point of contact working on your behalf, the design/build process can be a nightmare. Who’s deciding on the design? The architect? Your own perusal of floor plans you like? Neither of these options provides the personal, holistic approach required for a truly successful home design. You need someone who will get to know you, learn about your interests, passions and tastes, and can translate the tidbits they glean into a home design that is as functional and comfortable as it is attractive.

The clients remembered the work we had done and contacted us while she was in over her head, trying to select tiles for all the rooms. Once we were hired, the clients were able to get out of “overwhelmed mode” and begin to relax and enjoy the process. We acted as guide, mediator and facilitator – making sure each half of the couple was reflected in a balanced way in the design and keeping them abreast of every important decision, action, and change required throughout the construction process so that things moved forward according to the timeline and budget. We put all the pieces together to create a personalized, cohesive look that would still appeal to potential buyers if our clients ever decided to sell.

Reign in the Loose Ends and Keep Costs in Check

Did you know that one of the most expensive parts of building or remodeling can be all of the delays and re-dos that occur as the result of change orders? The builder gets going, the homeowner sees half-finished or completed section and says, “Yikes! I don’t like that after all!” or “That isn’t what I envisioned,” and it’s back to square one. These time-consuming and costly changes are practically non-existent when you work with an experienced designer. We make sure that things are designed right the first time, and we are there (dare we say “micromanaging”) the project so there are few to no mistakes, and anything that doesn’t seem quite right is stopped and corrected before it requires significant effort to reverse or change.

Also, we have relationships with the best contractors, subcontractors and vendors in the business. You don’t have to do any of the work figuring out who’s who. We can provide referrals to the right people from the get-go, which results in top-quality craftsmanship every step of the way. No flaky or negligent contractors here! If a client already has favorite contractors and vendors in mind or in contract, we are happy to work collaboratively with them as well. Finally, we work with artisans and vendors that only establish relationships with professionals rather than the public. This results in more affordable prices for highly-customized work, and we are able to pass the bulk of those discounts on to our clients.

Suburban Oasis Example: While this project was technically a remodel, we changed so much – from knocking out exterior walls to expand the view, to redesigning the kitchen and bathrooms, master bedroom, all new paint colors, lighting fixtures, window treatments, flooring and carpet. We installed custom cabinetry and built-ins, new countertops and appliances, etc. A full remodel of that undertaking is only on-time and within the budget when you use an interior designer and professional build team that knows what they are doing.

Gain the Advantage of an Artistic Eye

Many people know what they like when they see it, but few are able to create and invent the little (or bigger) extras that truly knit the design together and maintain the aesthetics and flow from room-to-room. An interior designer has that eye; she can tell you when to repurpose something you have, scour the flea markets for something you don’t and will share ideas for brilliant custom art and accessories that will be especially unique to your design. Like the idea of custom furniture, furnishings and art? A well-connected designer will make them a reality. This is something that can’t happen – unless you have an eye and the artistic connections – if you work strictly with an architect/build team.

Hiring an experienced interior designer can be one of the most powerful decisions you make before starting a new home construction or remodeling project because you’ll benefit from an adviser, inventor, artist and advocate from the moment the design phase begins through the completion of your project.

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.