interior decorating

The Wonderful World Of Wallpaper

May 8, 2018

Tired of the same old paint? Wish your walls, ceilings or architectural features were dressed up with little bit of pattern? Then it’s time to reacquaint yourself with wallpaper. For some reason, wallpaper fell out of favor with interior designers and I’m not sure why. It allows a form of creative expression that is impossible to accomplish with paint unless you are an incredible artist in your own right.

For example, look how the addition of floral wallpaper transformed this small powder room into a whimsical and beautiful space. That simply isn’t possible with paint unless you purchase a bunch of colors, have unique artistic abilities and/or are very precise with stencils. In other words, wallpaper opens creative doors for your interior design.

Modern Interpretations for Wallpaper in Any Room in the House

Here are suggestions for modern wallpaper applications – it doesn’t always have to go on the walls.

Look for metallic prints and accents. Look for wallpaper with metallic accents. It adds elegance, shimmer and a little reflective light to any space. Some papers are 100% metallic, which makes a bold statement. Others are lightly laced with metallic stripes or accents that add just a hint of glamor and interest.

Use it for an accent wall. One of the most powerful uses of wallpaper is for an accent wall. Papering an entire room is a bold move; you have to like that pattern a lot because stripping the wall again to re-paper or paint is fairly labor intensive. So, if there is a bold, bright or wildly stunning pattern you love – but feel won’t last forever in your taste book – use it on a single wall. It will achieve the look you want and will be easy to re-move and re-do when you’re ready for a change.

Try a wallpaper backsplash. There are plenty of attractive tiles out there, but without getting into pretty cost-intensive mosaic work, it’s not easy to get the colors and patterns you envision for a stove’s backsplash. This is especially true in smaller kitchens where a window wall, or cabinets and the fridge, prevent you from gaining a burst of color or pattern elsewhere. In this case, look for wallpaper that is heavy-duty and designed for bathrooms or more moist environments so it can handle steam from the pots and the occasional wash down with a sponge.

Use it on the bed wall. Wallpaper can make an excellent backdrop for your bed. Rather than covering the whole wall, simple measure, cut and apply wall paper in the shape or dimensions that suit your room and bed. If you’re feeling bold, it’s a fun way to play with color and pattern layering, combining the print from the paper with the patterns on your bedding and accent pillows.

On the ceiling. There is something stunning about the right patterned wallpaper on the ceiling. In bedrooms, it gives you something interesting to look at while you lie in bed. In the dining room, it can provide an echo of the table’s shape or highlight a stunning chandelier. In the living room, it’s a place to add a print or color that you may have felt was too overpowering for a wall.

On architectural features. Finally, you can use wallpaper – or leftover scraps to decorate architectural features that aren’t normally decorated. These include the back walls of book cases, the risers on your stairs or the sloped ceiling of a stairwell. Use eye-catching patterns and colors.

Creating The Perfect Breakfast Nook

May 6, 2018

If you’re planning an upcoming kitchen renovation, odds are your “Wish List” is filling up fast. If I may interrupt for a minute, however, I’d like to talk about one of my favorite features in a well-designed kitchen: the breakfast nook.

Breakfast Nooks: The Kitchen Design Feature That Keeps on Giving

Whether you’re designing a traditional farmhouse kitchen or are a modernist to the extreme, a breakfast nook will enhance your kitchen experience in multiple ways. In addition to being a cozy place to hang out, breakfast nooks provide added seating for social functions, extra ambient and task lighting and a great place for kids to do their homework while you prepare dinner.

Use an available corner. Typically, breakfast nooks encompass a corner space if you have one. The 90° angle of the walls makes it easy to design comfortable seating, and the open space on the other side can use a space-saving bench (in smaller kitchens) or attractive chairs for additional seating. If possible, I also recommend adding a window if you don’t have one already. It’s a great way to gain extra natural light in your kitchen – always a bonus – and will provide a view outdoors, providing hours of contemplation as you watch the seasons and the world go by.

Avoid the permanent seating option. Typically, breakfast nooks are built into the corner, as I mentioned above, or can be added to the backside of a kitchen island or peninsula. In these cases, at least one of the sides includes bench seating that is permanently attached to the floors below. I recommend avoiding that option and using temporary bench seating options instead. Your interior designer can help you look for portable bench seating that fits your space or can design custom seating to fit. Either way, you have something you can take with you when you leave and more flexibility during social functions.

Make those benches a storage space. As long as you opt for bench seating in one or two sides of your nook, I recommend making them storage space. You can either use hinged seats that open up, or create cabinet spaces on the front side of the lower bench. Either way, extra storage is always appreciated, keeping serving platters, seasonal dishware or specialty cookbooks out of the way when not in use.

Match the table with the space. If your nook will be rectangular, use a rectangular shaped table, or go oval if you prefer curves. If the nook’s a square, make the table a square as well. This makes for a cleaner and more congruent look. Your nook can take an arched shape, which will lend itself to an oval or circular table. The only exception to the matching shape rule would be in smaller kitchens or nooks, where a round table will keep exterior corners from bumping thighs or little heads as they pass by.

Splurge on cushions and accent pillows. Another reason to design custom furniture for your nook bench seating is that you should have full control over the plushness of the cushions. The more comfortable your cushions and accent pillows, the more you and your guests will enjoy the space.

Adorn it with a stunning fixture. Make your nook a showpiece and then top it off, literally, with a stunning light fixture. Pick something that draws the eye – like a chandelier or an eclectic sculpture-esque light and then add a dimmer switch so it can serve as both task and ambient lighting.

What’s Your Design Style?

April 29, 2018

There is a wide gap between having a design style and realizing it. The having and knowing are the first steps. However, I’ve worked with plenty of clients over the years that had oodles of scrapbooks or online ideabooks with very specific examples of what they wanted, yet their current design reflected little – if any – of it.

This is a common occurrence for younger homeowners or homeowners that have done such a good job of being frugal and non-wasteful that their house becomes a hodge-podge of free hand-me-downs, thrift store finds and items that are in “decent enough” shape to keep around.

5 Tips For Making Your Design Style a Reality

Does that sound familiar? Then perhaps it’s time to turn over a new leaf so you can bring your coveted design style into fruition.

Know what your design style is. Do you even know what your design style is? Sometimes, I peek into an ideabook only to view a mish-mash of “tastes”, rather than a consistent or cohesive theme. This could be a sign that you’re eclectic or a transitionalist OR it could mean that while you appreciate great design, you haven’t really found your own, personal design yet. If you suspect you suffer from the latter, read, What’s Your Interior Design Style, and begin honing in on the colors, styles, textures, shapes and finishes that inspire you at the core level.
Consult with an interior designer. Consulting with a professional interior designer does not mean you have to hire one. You can pay a professional designer as a consultant while you narrow your style preferences down to one that exemplifies your taste and lifestyle. If you’re new to this process, an interior designer will also help you come up with a realistic budget, i.e. XX-dollars for new furniture, XX-dollars for new textiles, XX-dollars for new furnishings and accents, etc. If you choose to work with the designer now or down the road, great. If not, your money will have been well-spent helping you to solidify your tastes- and creating proportioned budget – so you can implement a new design on your own.
Out with the old. If you suffer from minor-hoarding tendencies, an inability to get rid of anything with sentimental value (even if you don’t like it), or an aversion to discarding items that are functional (but not stylish) – it’s time to buck up and purge your home of anything that doesn’t serve you. Typically, de-cluttering involves making three separate piles: trash, donate, sell. In this case, you are going to start by making ONE pile – the discard pile – and you can sort that out later. Move through your home and put anything you don’t LOVE in the discard pile. FYI: I’m not joking when I say this step may require sleeping on a mattress on a floor and sitting in a virtually empty living room furnished by camping chairs and a card table for a month or more. The point is, you now have a clear, free and unencumbered space in which to begin realizing an interior design style that truly represents who you are.
Start exploring. Now it’s time to begin exploring stores and online sources to find the big-item furniture pieces that will comprise the “bones” of the design. If you’re re-doing your kitchen, you’ll be looking at cabinetry options as well. Now that you know your design style, it will be easy to speak with customer service reps, who can steer you towards options that fit your niche. Just make sure you stick to your budget. Take digital picture of everything you genuinely adore. After a while of doing this, you’ll have a stock pile of photos you can review to whittle down to your favorites. These will be your future furnishings and accents.
Have fun with paints. Don’t rush into paint colors. Yes, it’s true; walls can be repainted. But who wants to go through the trouble if you don’t have to more than every handful of years or more? Better to take your time, paint huge swatches of cheap plywood or wall patches and live with them for a while. This will let you know how they your color options hold up to different lighting, or on this wall/room versus that wall/room. It will also help you to learn how very different a wall of paint looks than a small sample of paint appears. Not rushing into paint colors will be the best gift you ever give your newly designed homeself, because the reward will be a new paint palette that you love, one you won’t regret in a day, a week, a month or a year.

Once you’ve moved through these five steps, you’re ready to start taking your new interior design process in earnest. Again, never hesitate to enlist the help of a professional interior designer along the way to lend an opinion, to provide recommendations or to orchestrate your remodel for you so you can enjoy a stress-free process.

Making Your Fireplace Mantel a Focal Point

April 21, 2018

The fireplace is almost always a focal point in living room designs. However, when things warm up – there’s rarely a fire for your eyes to get lost in. This is where the mantel comes into play. Using the right combination of art and accent pieces, your mantel will become the focal point that draws the eye away from the empty cavern of a fireplace until next winter rolls around.

Here are inspiring ideas to style your fireplace mantel.

The mantel itself. If you are living in a standard home, rather than one you designed, odds are your mantel is blah. You can dress it up, using the suggestions below, or you might want to just swap it out altogether. The custom fireplace and mantel in this San Francisco living room hardly needs adornment. Or, if above-the-fireplace is the only option for mounting your television, consider using a unique piece of driftwood or other material to clearly divide the fireplace from the entertainment center.

Hang an art piece. The most traditional method for decorating a mantel is to hang a stunning art piece above it. The colors will draw the eye up, and you can flank it on either side with sconces, or set complementary accents on each side of the mantel, keeping the mid-portion of the mantel free so nothing competes with the art.

The space above the mantel is also a wonderful spot for an accent wall – or section of wall. If a solid color doesn’t appeal to you, consider using wall paper with a beautiful print.

Use mirrors. In lieu of a work of art, you can also search for just the right mirror. In many cases, the mirror itself is a work of art. There are several benefits to using a mirror. If you have a smaller living or bedroom space with a fireplace, the mirror will help to make the space seem larger. If you plan ahead of time, you can make sure that the mirror reflects something beautiful from the opposite side of the room, so that particular accent does double duty. If you have a gorgeous suspended light fixture, you can work with the mirror placement so that it reflects the light, which adds a nice twinkly bonus once the sun sets.

Draw the eye. The mantel can be the icing on the fireplace cake. In this English Tudor, we used a pair of bronzed geese placed carefully on the hearth. They create an interesting visual focal point when there’s no fire lit. The arch of their necks draws the eye upwards to a stunning piece of art, and the right flowers in the vase play homage to the vivid colors in the canvas. In this instance, the fireplace and mantel become a complete design package.

Monochromatic color. Consider using a monochromatic or restricted color palate for a subtle and classy alternative to a mantel that stands out. Choose accents, art, and accessories from the same color family, with maybe an object or two that pops out a bit more than the rest.

Prop rather than hang. If a formal living room isn’t your cup of tea, you can take the decor down just a notch by propping – rather than hanging – your art pieces and accents. I love the way this mantel looks with the layered art pieces, stacked books and arranged candles. It’s stylish and attractive, but everything about it says warm, homey and comfortable. This is a living room where all guests feel welcome.

Family Room vs Great Room: What’s The Difference?

April 13, 2018

While the general structure of a western home – floor, roof walls – haven’t changed much in the past several hundred years, the internal spaces continue to morph and evolve over time.

From one- and two-room structures, to homes that had formal parlors or outdoor kitchens, the living spaces included between a home’s four walls are directly related to the period in which it is designed and built. Leaving some to wonder, family room vs great room, what’s the difference and which do I have?

Open floor plans affect the way we think about our living spaces

In an era where energy efficiency and automated heating and cooling are the norm, we no longer need to divide houses up into small, easily heated or shut off spaces. Instead, we have the opportunity to open things up, build bigger for cheaper and have access to other conveniences that free up our home’s interiors.

The open floor plan is a prime example of this. Within the open floor plan concept, you may notice that living spaces are noted, or named, differently on different sets of plans or in various real estate listings. Knowing the difference will assist you as you design – or re-design – your living spaces, and especially if you plan to list your home in the near future.

Is there a difference: family room vs great room?

Yes, there is a difference when it comes to a family room vs great room. One is very specific, and the other is a more all-encompassing space, often comprising the totality of the communal living spaces in a home.

A family room is a casual space designed for the family who lives there

Before we had the addition of “great room,” larger floor plans started dividing common area living spaces into two different spaces: living rooms and family rooms.

The former is a more formal space, one that has the newest, nicest and highest-quality furniture and furnishings, and where important or less familiar guests are directed upon their arrival. The idea of a formal living room is a luxury because it offers a place that is always clean and “put to rights,” since – in most cases – kids and pets aren’t allowed in there as often.

Family rooms, on the other hand, are designed to be casual. Perhaps the family uses the old couch from the living room in the family room. The television lives in the family room, as do some toys and the scuffed coffee table that can handle spilled snacks or the inevitable art projects. Kids and guests alike are a little less reserved in the family room, which makes is a more comfortable space overall if you’re going to spend any amount of time there.

Often, the family room is located adjacent to the kitchen because it provides close proximity to refreshments and allows parents to keep an eye on the kids while adults prepare for, or clean up after, mealtimes. In an open floor plan where a kitchen connects to the family room (a common design feature), homeowners need to be thoughtful about their kitchen colors and finishes, likewise with the family room’s, because there are clean lines of sight from one to the other.

A great room is all encompassing

And that brings us to the great room. The great room is the heart of a home built with an open floor plan, where a single space contains the living room/family room as well as the dining room. Obviously, there will be free-flow and continuity between the various living areas, so you’re relying on furniture pieces and area rugs to define spatial boundaries.

Also, as you can imagine, the formal living room area (if there even is one) will not be quite as formal in a great room belonging to a family with three kids because it’s nearly impossible to isolate it from the other living areas. Other features you may find – or choose to include – in a great room include a home office space, the household library or a child-friendly play corner that houses the children’s favorite toys or arts and craft supplies.

Of course, the entire great room is exposed to itself, so the overall backdrop is typically more neutral, with different, complementary colors and patterns being used in the various sections within the whole. Accent walls can come in handy here to create more definition between spaces, as do thoughtful furniture arrangements.