Home for the Holidays

When the holidays approach, I find that many of my clients enjoy creating a warm and festive atmosphere in their homes. Here are a just a few suggestions to help you give your home a cozy and warm holiday glow! 

Is your entryway inviting? It’s where a great first impression can be made. So why not consider dressing up your front door with a beautiful holiday wreath? From a natural evergreen wreath to one featuring beautiful dried flowers mixed with silk greenery, a wreath will definitely help you set the stage for holiday decorating. 

Foyers set the stage in every home. A welcoming, well-lit foyer is a must. Mirrors can definitely help brighten these areas. And a well selected area rug will help add a much needed touch of warmth, texture and color.

Moving beyond your entryway, family and friends generally settle in your living or family room. The centerpiece of either room is typically a brightly decorated holiday tree. If your room features a fireplace, then mantle decorating is a must. Candles, pine cones, and holiday stockings (hung with care!) will add just the right festive touch to your fireplace area. Typically, furniture needs to be slightly rearranged to accommodate your family Christmas tree. Be sure to keep these newly arranged pieces in a comfortable and conversational grouping. 

Naturally, the dining room should provide an attractive and delicious atmosphere. Present your special holiday meals on a well set, decorative table. Perhaps holiday linens or lace tablecloth will become the backdrop for a lively -but not overbearing- holiday centerpiece.

If you have houseguests, think of ways you can make their visit special. Beautify the guest room with just a touch of holiday magic. Create that special welcoming touch using holiday inspired accent pillows on the bed, or drape a holiday throw over a chair.

Above all else, when decorating for the holidays make sure to put your own family’s personality into everything you do. Preparing to welcome family and guests to your home is a lot of fun… it’s also a great excuse to complete that long-overdue decorating project!

SPRUCE UP YOUR HOME

I know. You’re tired of looking at that same furniture arrangement. Or perhaps the wall covering in the guest bathroom has seen better days. Maybe now is the very best time to give your space a fresh new lift! Here are a few decorating ideas that I think you should consider!

Liven Up a dull Floor Plan. Try rearranging what you already own! Sometimes moving furniture around a room or transferring pieces from one room to another makes a huge difference!

Find some new angles…. for your furniture, of course! Try moving your furniture into more interesting positions. Rather than lining the walls with furniture, try floating the sofa in the middle of the room or place that chair on an angle. You’ll love the difference an angle can make!

Light up your World. If your room seems drab and dull, perhaps your lighting could use a face lift. Consider replacing an old shade, or installing new wall fixtures. Perhaps adding some new lamps will brighten up your world.

What do you really like? If unsure, then I suggest you review design books and home decorating magazines. When you find a photograph of a room that you really like, spend some time analyzing what it is that you truly like.

Start a redecorating notebook. Save pictures of your favorite rooms and favorite things. Make some notes as you study these photos. As yourself…why do you like this room? What would you change? How do the fabrics, colors, textures make you feel? By including the answers to these questions in your notebook, you’ll not only save yourself a lot of valuable time, but your design professional will be thrilled with the thought you’ve given to your upcoming project.

Set a realistic project budget and completion timetable. If you have a special upcoming event that’s inspired you to redecorate, then it’s important that the entire process start in enough time to meet your deadline. And I know that money is often a challenging topic. But knowing your budget really helps your design professional help you.

Identify your focal point. Is it a fireplace, a beautiful view, a bed or an armoire? Your room arrangement should surround your focal point. Pulling furniture into attractive groups in the center of the room will not only add warmth to your room, but will be inviting to guests as well.

What’s your theme? Selecting a theme for your room says something about you and your family. It also provides you with a way to display collections, themed items, or arts and crafts. Once your theme has been selected, you’ll be surprised how your choices and shopping decisions will be simplified.

Wake up your room with color! For instant impact, nothing beats adding color to a room. Too find the right color for you find something you adore in a color that makes you happy. Once your color decision is made, fabrics, upholstery artwork and accessory selections will be a snap!

Dining In Style

OK, you just invited Aunt Harriett for Thanksgiving Dinner.  Now all you need is a dining room table and chairs!  You probably think the dining room is the easiest room to furnish.  Once you have the table and chairs, that’s all there is to it!  And while that’s the biggest part of your overall dining room plan, it’s far from over. 

It’s important to provide for the comfort of your guests, and the convenience of you, the host and hostess.  One of the biggest problems with furnishing a dining room is keeping the overall décor of this room warm and inviting despite all of the wood pieces that usually take center stage. Providing a successful mix of wood dining room pieces, along with window treatments, area rugs and lighting, takes careful consideration and planning.

Chairs are far from a simple choice.  Massive chairs take up too much space and can make even a large room feel crowded.  Chairs that are too small in scale will leave a room feeling empty and uninviting.  The goal is to find a set of well-designed chairs that are comfortable and properly sized.  Upholstered slipper chairs or Parsons Chairs are a wonderful addition and mix well with any wood tones. 

Tables come in all shapes and sizes.  The size should fit both the room and your family. Easy expansion is a must!  Round and oval dining room tables provide for ease of conversation that most of my clients find very appealing.   Expandable tables, with drop leaves, built-in extensions or board inserts are all practical.  Today’s designs take up little “closed” space, and can easily be enlarged when guests are expected.

Having silverware, linens, and serving pieces stored right in the room makes preparation for dinner guests a snap. A sideboard, chest or armoire will give you the storage, and provide another wonderful decorative element.

If your design style tends to lean toward the traditional or transitional, draping your windows in luxurious side panels or an elegant top treatment will help provide this room with another great focal point.  Add a beautiful area rug and sparkling chandelier, and the stage is set for your perfect Holiday gathering!

I am ready to help you unravel all of these mysteries and guide you through the wonderful world of dining rooms!  Give me a call before your Holiday Company arrives on your doorstep!

Interested in Adding Leather Furnishings? Read on!

Did you know that over half the furniture sold worldwide today is covered in leather?  Leather furnishings are considered by many to be romantic, extravagant, sophisticated, long lasting, and very comfortable.  All these wonderful reasons make leather-upholstered items a perfect choice for many of today’s consumers.

Leather for home furnishings products comes from around the world.  A majority of hides are produced in Europe - particularly Italy - and South America.  Leather is not limited to sofa and chair coverings, but can also be incorporated into design accessories such as leather framed mirrors, picture frames, lamps, lampshades, area rugs and even window treatments! 

Before leather covering can be utilized as upholstery for home furnishings and accessories, hides are subjected to a judging and dyeing process.  Once leather hides arrive at a tannery for processing, they are hand-sorted based on quality.

The hides with the fewest imperfections are cut into layers.  The top layer, called “top” or “full” grain, is the highest quality layer, and is also the layer of the hide that lies closest to the animal.  The second and third layers are called “splits” and can also be used for covering furniture.  This is often the grade of leather used in promotional furniture.  Once the hides are sorted and cut into layers, the leather is colored by using one of three dyeing methods.

The highest quality layers of leather are colored using a translucent, pure aniline dye.  This dye process renders beautiful color variations in the leather.  Since this process is used on unfinished, top-quality leather, the finished product usually has a softer feel.  Another coloring process, also used on top-grain hides, is a surface finish application, called semi-aniline.  This method produces a uniform color look.  A third coloring procedure, called pigmented, coats the leather surface uniformly with an opaque color.  This durable process covers most imperfections in the leather, and is very commonly used.

Since the purchase of leather furniture for your home can be a long lasting investment, it’s important that you make a wise decision about what type of leather furniture will work best for you, and ultimately give you the look and feel that you desire.  And what better way to make that investment than to work with a professional and knowledgeable decorator?  Give me a call and we can discuss your options while making the perfect long term decisions for your home.

Three Sure Fire Decorating Ideas

ONE:  RAISE THE ROOF! 

If your rooms feature low ceilings, you can definitely fool the eye and add more height to your walls by using some clever wall accents.  Try selecting a vertical stripe design pattern, perhaps in wall covering or in a painted faux finish.  Even a carefully hung asymmetrical picture grouping would add a bit of height to your low ceiling walls and give you the added bonus of creating some exciting visual interest as well!

TWO:  GIVE NEW LIFE TO YOUR COLOR SCHEME!

Many lovely and carefully planned color schemes fade to drabness when your room is poorly lighted.  Work with a decorator to create a lighting plan that fully illuminates your rooms.  People, like moths, avoid dark areas and gather in well-lighted ones!

THREE:  JUST SAY “NO”! 

To the fads in decorating, that is!  Choose colors, styles, patterns and designs that suit your own individual taste.  After all, you home should reflect your own preferences, not those of someone else!

Color Appeal

Nothing can give your new space more instant pizzazz than color!  The right choice of color can either calm your room or liven it with joyful expression.

Color is one of the most exciting and versatile tools that a decorator possesses.  Working with a professional decorator can make your color selections an easy and pleasant experience.  Even the simplest, most inexpensive furnishings in the plainest room, can be transformed into a show stopper with an imaginative use of color.

An integral part of the way we feel about something is based on its color appeal.  Color creates a specific, individual sensation in each of us.  The same color that can captivate you could end up being a complete “turn-off” for someone else.  Remember, there’s no such thing as a bad color.  The truth is there are only bad combinations of colors and personal dislikes for certain colors.  Color is like seasoning – it adds spice to your life!

Here are a few tips on working with color:

1. Want to create a calm and relaxing environment?  Try selecting cool colors.  A soft blue or teal hue will certainly give your room a peaceful, restful feeling.

2. Need a little energy?  Then you’ll find warm, bright colors, like yellows, oranges and golds extremely stimulating and full of pep.

3. Striving for a little more balance in your life?  Then, soft shades of green might just do the trick!  There’s no better way to bring the outdoors in, than to decorate with Mother Nature’s finest color.

Unsure about which new color will work best in your room?  Be sure to test your new colors by day and night.  Artificial light can make some colors appear totally different at night.  And, incandescent bulbs tend to give any color scheme a yellowish glow.

Get Into Decorating

Set a mood! Accent space! Create your own style! By using a few tried and true decorating techniques, and spending a little time doing some pre-planning, you can definitely express your own unique taste and help shape the interior of your home. 

Professional decorators’ techniques for using texture, shape and pattern are often well kept secrets. But the fact is that these techniques are not that difficult. You can use elements of texture, shape and pattern to create winning combinations for your home. The key to your success is careful planning. 

Texture, for example, can be used for contrast. Can you visualize the texture combinations of bricks and silks? Texture can be found in drapery and upholstery fabrics, wall coverings, area rugs, tapestry wall hangings, metal sculpture and iron work accents – just to name a few. It’s the artful combination of mixing unique textures together in a room that give that room its distinct personality! 

Utilizing pattern in your room’s overall design scheme can be just a bit trickier. A large pattern will make walls in a smaller room seem even smaller. Fabric patterns can add a strong accent in any room. Rich floral patterns in lively colors will add pizzazz and surprise when used in upholstered furniture pieces. 

Shape, too, will change a room. A round or oval area rug could add just the right touch to a living room seating arrangement. Window treatments can also be designed to add interesting shapes to your windows and ultimately your entire room. 

Careful planning lets you use the elements of shape, pattern and texture to their maximum effect! And when teamed with color, you’ve created a distinctive look for your home. It’s fun. It’s easy. And I guarantee you’ll be thrilled with your new look!

Windows – The Eyes of Your Home

A contemporary townhouse, federal colonial or stately Tudor all have windows to dress. And with huge selection of window treatments available, there’s a style to fit every window and every personality. 

Full drapery treatments tend to lend a quiet note of formality to the windows they dress. There are hundreds of design options and styles to select – from stationary or traversing treatments – French, goblet, smocked or box pleated – your choices are virtually limitless! 

 

In making smart choices for your windows, keep in mind that a truly creatively designed window treatment is not only a beautiful addition to your room, but also a sound investment.

Did you know you can actually lower your fuel bills by installing appropriate window treatments? The more layers at a window, the more your energy efficiency improves. Draperies add polish to any room and also provide excellent insulation from summer heat and the chilling drafts of winter.

Sunshine pouring in through your windows brightens a room and creates a cheery atmosphere. Unfortunately, it can also do irreparable damage to your furniture, carpet and upholstery. Lining can be the answer. 

Refer to popular shelter magazines, friend’s homes that you admire, and your personal situation to narrow your idea of the perfect style for your home. Give me a call and let’s get together to discuss your perfect window solution taking into account such factors as window exposure, your desire to control light and most importantly, style. Form and function meet in the selection of your window treatment!

Picture Perfect!

Ever have a problem hanging pictures or arranging them on your walls? Here are some tips on arranging your artwork with an aesthetic eye.

Remember to hang your pictures at eye level. In the living room, pictures should be hung lower so that people sitting in the room may view them while seated. A large picture behind the sofa may end up being as little as four inches from the top of the sofa; it often looks best when displayed alone. It serves as the focal point in a room because the eye is drawn directly to it.

Smaller pictures become more effective when grouped together as opposed to being scattered all over the wall. Balance and spacing are important when arranging artwork. Pieces should be of similar visual weight as nearby furniture. A rule of thumb is that the space between two pictures should be less than the width of a single picture. 

If you’re apprehensive about hammering nails into your walls, cut pieces of paper into the size of your pictures. You can even mark the placement of the hooks using this technique. Then arrange them by taping them on the wall until you are happy with the results. A grouping can stay unified by roughly organizing the pictures into a rectangle, circle, or triangle. You can also use frames or prints that carry similar styles or colors. Once you are satisfied, mark where the hooks will go with a pencil, going right through the paper, and proceed to hang your artwork.

You may want to consider lighting too. If the general lighting in the room is not sufficient to clearly see the picture, add special lighting. This could be on the picture itself or spot lights from ceiling tracks. This will help draw attention to your artwork and add even more visual interest in the room.

The type of artwork you use will depend on your personal preferences and your budget. It can be simple prints, needlework, limited edition prints or original art. Of course, the more valuable the piece, the more important its place should be. Special pieces should be focused on in some way and the style of the artwork should coordinate with the furnishings in the room. For example, a very contemporary piece of artwork will look out of place in a very traditionally styled room.

And don’t forget accessories…..because they truly provide the finishing touches to every room!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG! Get outside and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. Look around and start making some plans to spruce up your outdoor areas. Summer entertaining is just around the corner!

Bring Spring: Lighten Up

Using white in your decor helps you believe that warmth is just around the corner. "Try adding crisp white linens to your bed, white throw pillows to the couch, and new fluffy white towels to the bathroom for a clean look and feel," says interior designer Marlaina Teich, owner of Marlaina Teich Interior Designs on Long Island, New York. "Add white hydrangeas with green leaves in a glass Mason jar on the bedside table. That will brighten up any morning."

Bring Spring: Venture Out

Break out the outdoor fire pit to advance the spring season, says interior designer Barbara Ince of the Susan Fredman Design Group. Even if it's still chilly out, hanging out on your patio or deck reminds you of warm-weather good times past and gets you thinking about the future. "Have plenty of warm throws to share with friends so you can cuddle up," Ince says. Even in the Phoenix area, evenings are still cool enough to light up that fire pit! Enjoy it now!

Design Trends: From Fab Fifties to Metal Madness

If you’re thinking about redecorating, you might want to include a few of today’s newest design trends.  But remember, since most design trends run on an 8 – 10 year cycle, what goes around eventually comes around again.  

While it’s important that your redecorating project reflect your taste and lifestyle, it’s fun to think about incorporating a new trend or two in your overall design.  Here are just a few of today’s hottest design trends.  Surely, there’s at least one of these super ideas that would be just perfect for you.

RETRO RAGES.  That’s right!  We’re back in the 50’s-60’s and 70’s AGAIN!  Retro touches might range from diner-style stools, chrome and glass tables; brightly colored cocktail glasses, beaded lamps – why even those ever popular lava lamps have made a big come back!

GARDEN GOODIES.  There’s nothing more peaceful than a beautiful garden setting.  Mother Nature’s versatile color palette is now being seen in abundance – indoors.  Today’s homeowners want their homes to be peaceful settings.  As a result, our love affair with our gardens has never been stronger!  From statuaries, to birdbaths to multifaceted gazing balls, ornamental accessories abound.

HAND PAINTED FURNITURE.  If you crave some individuality in your decorating, then why not think about adding a unique piece of hand painted furniture to your room.  From end tables to sideboards, wine racks to coffee tables, your own personality can truly come to the forefront when you add a uniquely painted piece of furniture.  And don’t be afraid to mix this newly acquired treasure with your existing wood pieces.

METAL MADNESS. We’re just mad about metals!  Wrought iron, burnished copper, pewter tones can be found everywhere – especially in dramatic bed designs.   Metal Verdi geris finishes continue in their popularity, as do distressed finishes.  Combining wood and glass with metal is also a hot look.

CLOCKS COUNT.  Clocks of every shape, design and style are abundant!  You’re sure to find just the perfect clock accent for any room in your home.  Perhaps your foyer would be the perfect setting for a traditionally designed grandfather clock.  Or maybe your fireplace mantle is yearning for the graceful design of a mantle clock.  And don’t forget that bare wall.  Wall clocks have never been more diverse in their design – or more appealing.

COLOR CALLLIOPE.  Think about black and white combos, rich peach shades, sea foam greens or robin’s egg blue paired with warm brown.  And don’t forget to include a golden hue or two if your walls are in need of a color face-lift.

FABULOUS FURNISHINGS AND WINDOW TREATMENTS FOR YOUR MASTER SUITE!

Fabulous furnishings!

First things first!  In most cases, that means the placement of your bed.  Because this is usually the largest piece of furniture, chances are that available wall space will somewhat limit your placement options.   If at all possible, try not to place your bed so that it’s facing a window.  Morning light waking you up every single day might be less than desirable.  However, if your bed must face the window, all is not lost.  Room darkening window treatments can screen out most of the light.

If a new bed is in your overall design plan, you have a myriad of choices.  Platform, canopy, and sleigh beds will all tend to give your bedroom a romantic feel.  Even more important than your choice of bed, is the bedding ensemble that will adorn this focal point piece in your new room.

Silks, tapestries, taffetas, and satins, Oh my!

The best possible way to give your newly redecorated bedroom the perfect romantic touch is going to be in your selections of fabrics to adorn both your bed and your windows.  Nothing says romance more than the soft feel of willowy textured fabrics. So, pamper yourself with some of today’s hottest fabrics, and consider using them in creative even whimsical ways.

Bedding ensembles come in a variety of sizes, shapes and designs.   From the uniquely custom designed outline quilted bedspreads, to the simple, yet luxurious duvet covers, your bedding should definitely take center stage in your room.

And no bedding ensemble is complete without multiple pillow shams, in several fabric coordinates, decorative pillows in unique sizes and shapes, and a coordinating dust ruffle.  Remember your bed, and bedding ensemble will become the focal point of your new room.  It needs to be beautiful and dramatic and take “center stage” in your room.

Incorporating a romantically designed window treatment, will also add to the overall feeling of your room.  With endless possibilities available, you might consider framing your windows with a soft, billowy silky sheer, displayed on a decorative drapery rod.  Or perhaps an overabundance of fabric in a softly draping swag and jabot treatment would give your windows a finishing touch.  As in most bedrooms, multiple layer treatments are a must.  Privacy and room darkening considerations must first be determined before you can incorporate a decorative window treatment plan.  The photos below will provide inspiration for your new room.