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Home Office Progress

31 Jan

The office is looking less and less embarrassing. I have done almost all I can do right now on my teeny tiny budget. I’m hoping to sell a few things on Craigslist to get a little extra cash but for now I’m content with things looking presentably unfinished. Currently, I am going through two big boxes full of picture frames that need to be painted and hung on the wall. I found all kinds of frames I haven’t seen in months, years even, so I’m happy I don’t need to go out and buy anything new. I may hit up a few thrift stores to look for a couple of jumbo frames, but other than that, I’m all set. 
Big purchases to come later this year include two upholstered slipper chairs, a wool shag rug, and a large floor lamp for reading. 



I’m tempted to get these Eames plywood lounge chairs instead of the slipper chairs because they’ll be versatile for other rooms of the house in the future. Plus they’re still ultra comfortable and are very low slung and compact for a lounge chair. (Perfect for making the ceiling look taller!) The truth is, I’m afraid once I get these chairs, they’re going to go in my living room because they’re just too amazing….




I have also been dying to get this Eames rocker. I was originally bound and determined that I would buy this chair when I got pregnant however I’m thinking it might not be the most comfortable chair for nursing. But you know what, who cares! I’d rather look at and enjoy this chair for years to come than suffer through some uncomfortable nursing sessions for what….like a year?! Ok, it’s settled. This will be my official nursery chair. Yessss!! Hey, it’s still a comfy chair (despite it’s polypropylene or fiberglass construction) just maybe not for nursing.


By the way, I love chairs. I’m collecting chairs. And I love lamps. Just not lamp shades apparently. More on that later…..

Home Office: Pt. 1

30 Jan

I have been working on my home office since I moved into this house. It has gone through a number of transformations to include several different wall colors, several different window coverings, several different desks and a multitude of other furniture pieces constantly in rotation. The flooring has gone from carpet to hardwood, to 3 area rugs to no area rugs and back again. Lighting has been varied to include random thrift store lamps I purchased on an impulse and, one of my better purchases, a pair of matching lucite lamps that I’m still using today. Artwork has been, in a word, “sad” however, I am proud of the brief stint my 2008 Stendig calendar spent gracing the walls. ( If I only now had space for a 4 foot by 3 foot calendar. I miss that thing. ) For the most part, try as I might, my office has generally been very haphazard and I have to say, tragically dull. 

Now, that presents a problem. I cannot work in a space that is dull and lackluster. I just can’t. I try to but I inevitably end up leaving the room to work in the main living area because it’s a place I love to spend time in. It’s taken me a while to figure this out but I have found that in order for me to be the most fruitful at what I do, I must be surrounded by things that encourage my endeavors. My home office should incite inspiration and promote creativity. It should be clean and and free of unnecessary clutter. Ultimately, it should be a place where I want/enjoy/love to spend the majority of my working hours whether I am using the computer for various web and graphic design projects or teaching piano for several hours at a time. I have been working hard to  achieve this goal and as of late I’ve been getting closer and closer to it. 
The biggest dilemma I have had to deal with in the office is space planning. Trying to fit it all into what is essentially a 9 x 14 room hasn’t been too easy. More specifically,  about 9 feet of the room is 10 feet wide, and the other 5 feet of the room is 9 feet wide. Meaning that there is a 9 foot section of the wall that is inset 1 foot. Does any of that make sense? (Well, if it does, it must be said that this 1 foot of inset wall is being used as a makeshift closet i.e. I hung floor to ceiling curtains on a ceiling track in front of a pair of bookcases. This is where about 95% of the office madness is kept hidden. The room’s closet is hidden in exactly the same way with the f2c [floor to ceiling] curtains. White curtains of course.)
With all of the junk kept out of sight, I could now focus on fixing the room’s layout.  The old layout in the office was configured such that every piece of furniture was pushed up against the wall making for a big, empty, useless hole in the middle of the room. Furthermore, my desk was nowhere near a window so I was forced to sit facing away from the window with all it’s views and light and life and vibrancy and…..well, the opposite of a plain boring wall. Another problem with the space is that it became pretty much useless when the work day would end. There was no designated area for sitting, reading, listening to the piano, and generally enjoying the room, yet there was actual space going unused every day simply because I didn’t know what to do with it. I think that in an 1100 sq. ft. home, there just shouldn’t be the luxury of space “you don’t know what to do with.” If you live in a small home, you have the unique privilege of being forced to keep only what you absolutely need and love and no more. Life is simpler when you live in a space that doesn’t allow you to horde “stuff”. Oh believe me,  I still horde. I am far from perfect and my sense of organization is…well, that will be another post. But I’m learning that having junk piling up around you because you continue to buy more and more things that you don’t have a place for, well, it can be downright suffocating. All that to say, once you have whittled your things down to only the best of the best, make use of them. If you’ve gotten rid of so much stuff that you free up an entire room that will go to waste, maybe you should be living in a smaller place. That’s my philosophy anyway. Regardless of the actual size of your home, you should maximize every square inch. Adapt to your home’s size or make it adapt to you, but either way, “Waste not want not,” people.
Once I determined that my office had to be more than just an office, I began imagining how I might section the room off into different zones or almost “mini-rooms” of usability. 
I have a seating area for conversation or magazine reading, I have an office area for using the computer(laptop), and I have a studio area where the piano can be played. In addition to the seating area, I have positioned a bench in front of the closet to serve as a dressing area for when I am using the room to get ready in the morning. (My office has the big closet so I got dibs to use it for all my clothes, shoes, bags, etc. No one would know what disaster lurks behind the big white curtain. )
Office
I don’t need a large workspace. This  means the 18″ x 38″ footprint of my vanity-turned-desk fits just about perfectly in the “office” area that takes up less-than 4 foot by 2.5 foot of the room’s actual space. (This includes, desk, desk chair, trash can, printer.)
Sitting Room/Library
The seating/reading area consumes a 3′ x 7′ area of space. I am using a set of acrylic nesting tables as a coffee table. (If you don’t own at least one set of these beauties, get some NOW.)  They are invaluable as they take up absolutely no visual space and are extremely useful when you just have to have  a place to put something on but don’t want the extra clutter. 
Music Studio
The “studio” takes up 4.5′ x 4′ or 4.5′ x 2.5′ depending on whether the piano is in use or not. 
And that’s it. The room is now as balanced as I believe it can be and still feels spacious for being so filled with furniture. The biggest advantage to the new layout is that I have views out the windows regardless of where I sit and my views are of a multitude of lovely, green trees.
Had I a larger house, each of these “mini-rooms” would probably have their own individual rooms. But I am not only making do with the space I have, I am learning to, as I said, adapt to the small space lifestyle. And I have to say, from someone who grew up in in homes between 2000 and 4000 sq. ft, I love it. Just wait until we have kids…I will probably go buck wild with delight and insanity trying to problem solve that space issue. (No lie. I look forward to it eventually.)

Home Office Pt. 2

30 Jan

Now it’s time to focus on the fun stuff so here’s a breakdown and a preliminary mood board.



Wall color: I finally settled on….white. Yes that’s right, white. Good ol’, plain, clean, glorious white. (This is coming from two previous wall colors of aqua/turquoise and dark gray.)

Window coverings: Also white. Big, voluminous, cotton white, puddling to the floor, set off by classic black hardware. 

Desk: Oh dear. I will spare the long story and cut to the chase by saying that I finally decided to take the old vanity from my adolescent bedroom and re-paint it….white. Yup. More white. Can’t get enough of it.

Overall color scheme: White, Black, Cream and other Soft Neutrals, Brazillian Cherry wood floors, Chrome metal accents. I haven’t decided on a true “color” yet for accenting but I expect that my artwork will dictate this eventually.

Artwork: And speaking of….I’m planning on highlighting one corner of the office with floor-to-ceiling art hung in a salon-style grouping. I’m intending the artwork to consist of a lot of bright, primary colors with white mattes and light colored or white frames. There will probably be a sprinkling of b/w photography in there. 

Floor coverings: I am using two rugs. One small, 3 x 5 black and white zebra print rug(not tacky, I swear!) to delineate the seating/reading area and a larger 5 x 8 cream shag rug to delineate the desk and piano area. Currently this “shag” rug is a simple bound carpet remnant but I will be replacing it with the real deal in the near/distant/unknown future. Even though the room is small, there is still plenty of cherry wood floor peeking through.

Overall room style:  All the black and white, the chrome, the shag rug, and the lucite tables represent a modern aesthetic. My white painted vanity with cabriole legs, my grandmother’s old painted cedar hope chest and my large ornately framed mirror have more of a vintage-y/traditional feel. 
Accessories: The accessories in the room will be a mixture of the aformentioned modern and vintage styles. Think CB2 and Anthropologie. I plan to incorporate a lot of glass, silver, mirrors, oversized sculptural pieces, fresh flowers, and natural textures.
Here are a few inspiration photos:


 

New Year, New Goals

2 Jan

I can’t believe it’s been nearly a year since I first set out to pursue interior decorating as a business. Now, 10 months later, I have a few new ideas up my sleeve. What I tried to do last year didn’t really work out how I thought. I wanted to develop a portfolio of my work before I started charging for my services so I decided to offer my services free of charge to a handful of “clients.” While I was able to help a few people, I never ended up getting anything for my personal portfolio. As much as I enjoyed the work and was happy to help people, I found that I couldn’t afford all the time I was putting in without getting anything in return. I did gain a lot of experience however and for that I am glad. 

One of the problems I ran into was that my clients weren’t always as willing to make changes as they thought they’d be. I would present ideas and suggestions to them that they just couldn’t visualize and were therefore reluctant to try them. This is understandable because I did not present them with a compilation of all my ideas in one place. Rather, we would work on one piece at a time, getting hung up on wondering how the piece would fit with everything else. Bad idea, I know. It doesn’t make sense for me to expect people to see my brilliantly fabulous ideas if they’re all stuck in my head. :-)

This year, my approach will be different in that I will be providing my clients with the ability to purchase a personalized design plan with detailed instructions they can implement on their own. The design plan will include:

Paint Colors
Flooring
Furniture
Window Coverings
Rugs
Lighting
Textiles
Accessories
and more….

Stay tuned as I get a few things ready to post over the next couple of weeks. Until then….

Common Decorating Mistakes: Too Many Personal Photos

10 Mar

Note: This article is opinion based only. 
“Personal” photos don’t necessarily translate to a more “personal” space. Here’s why: Everybody does it and almost inevitably, it turns out looking like either a college dorm room or Grandma’s house.

College dorm room syndrome

  • Lots of mismatched frames such as:
  • Frames with words like “friends” or “forever”.
  • Different colored frames.
  • Beaded frames.
  • Frames with seashells or sports memorabilia. 
  • Lots of small frames. (5 x 7 or smaller)
  • Cheesy, goofy, ham-it-up type photos.
  • Blurry “spring break” type vacation photos.
  • You get the idea.

Now imagine all of those elements up on one wall at the same time. Where is the harmony and cohesion in that? Let’s face it: There’s nothing harmonious about it. It just doesn’t wok or coincide with a well designed space.

Grandma’s house syndrome

  • Again, lots of mismatched frames that are often very dated
  • Lots of posed family photos 
  • Annual school pictures
  • Traditional graduation pictures
  • Clutter, clutter, clutter

Think about it. What’s particularly inspiring about these kinds of photos if everybody has them? Nothing! And how does that contribute in the process of making your space personal? It does the opposite! Eliminate all the clutter by keeping the multitudes of these standard, posed photos (that everyone has!) in albums. There’s nothing wrong with annual school pictures but they don’t really have a place in the décor of your home.

So here’s how to remedy both of these problems:

  • Give the “Friends Forever” type frames to your teenage neighbor. They simply aren’t appropriate for anyplace BUT the dorm room or teenage bedroom because frankly, they’re juvenile. Neither is there a place for “theme” frames with palm trees or curly cues or rhinestones/beads. Give these a rest.
  • Get rid of all the small frames and replace them with bigger frames that include matte space. 
  • Repurpose any good sized colored frames by painting them one unifying, neutral color such as black, brown or white and if space allows, add a matte.
  • Stay away from mixing different styles of frames such as a modern, country cabin, and ornate traditional. There IS a way to accomplish the eclectic look, but this is not for the faint of heart. 
  • If you must have them out, keep the birthday parties, glamour shots, cheesy faces-smooshed-together-to-get-into-the-frame pictures and the like in bonus rooms like bathrooms or hallways and always have some element of your picture frames relate to one another. 
  • Maybe all the photos are black and white or maybe the frames are all black or have bright white mattes or are all the same size. This way, even if you have completely random photos, they will still feel cohesive because they will all have a common denominator: the frame/matte/size/layout.
  • You can include a few well-chosen personal photographs for your main living space but avoid overly “pose-y” shots and instead stick with more artsy or photojournalistic candids that are either similarly shot or have similar colors. 
  • Display the photos in such a way that the attention is drawn equally to both the subject of the photo and the actual frame itself. This way the overall effect is seen as “art”, not an opportunity to show off your 07′ Halloween costume or Super Bowl game face. Again, keep these kinds of shots tastefully displayed in the bonus areas of your home like hallways and bathrooms. 
  • One way to make a personal photo become a work of art is to blow the photo up, colorize it or play with the white balance to create a graphic “overexposed” effect. Just converting your photos to black and white makes a big difference.
  • If at all possible, go for frames that will allow space for a generous matte. For example, one small 4 x 6 photo placed in an 11 x 14 frame with a matte is better than putting that same photo in a 4 x 6 frame. Why? Because the frame and matte enable your eye to focus on and appreciate the photo itself instead having your eye get lost because there is no point of focus.
  • Remember, most people take more pictures than they could possibly display at any one time. Take care to ruthlessly edit the handful of photos that you want to include in your décor and put the rest in an album or an online picture sharing website.
By Brieanna Smeltz, Copyright 2008.
Open Edit.

25 Space-Saving Tips

10 Mar

Nothing makes you feel more cramped in your living space than clutter and confusion. Follow our tips to help you minimize the mess and tidy up your space.

1. Add shelves above doorways.

2. Banish room-darkening shadows with additional light fixtures.

3. Put glass shelves across deep-set windows.

4. Use a chest or an ottoman with storage inside as a coffee table.

5. Put low bookcases along a sofa back: they’ll double as a sofa table.

6. Keep the flooring throughout a small space the same for visual continuity.

7. Line a room with a shelf high up on the wall.

8. Keep window treatments simple.

9. Run a low bookcase underneath windows.

10. Stretch your space to the outdoors by making a patio or deck comfortable and welcoming.

11. Place a large bucket for magazines next to your favourite chair.

12. Line a hallway with bookshelves.

13. Use a wicker hamper as both an end table and storage space for blankets.

14. Buy a coffee table with a drawer for remotes.

15. Carve out shallow display space between wall studs.

16. Use fewer, larger pieces of furniture and accessories to reduce visual clutter.

17. Choose sofas and chairs with plain or textured upholstery rather than vibrant prints.

18. Install shelves around a window.

19. Add window seats with lids.

20. Run shelves up to the ceiling.

21. Buy a magazine rack or stack magazines in flat-bottom baskets underneath a console or coffee table.

22. Take advantage of wasted space with corner bookcases.

23. Think monochromatic.

24. Eliminate obstructions: the further you can see into and through a space, the larger it’ll seem.

25. Arrange furnishings to avoid blocking views of windows and doors.

By Margot Bolin and Jessica Cote, StyleAtTheHome.com

Top Ten Common Decorating Mistakes

10 Mar

In the 14 years that I have worked in the field of design I have been hired to consult on literally hundreds of decorating projects. Visiting clients for 2- and 3-hour consultations, I take on the challenge of suggesting major and minor improvements which might include selecting new paint colours, rearranging existing furnishings, determining future furniture purchases, re-hanging artwork, and designing appropriate window treatments. Often the suggestions highlight relatively small improvements yet I’ve seen time and again that these changes can yield incredibly satisfying results; taking rooms from “so-so” to sublime. Fortunately the most common mistakes are easy to spot and easy to remedy.

1.)

  • Don’t choose paint colors before choosing rugs or fabrics; you’ll make yourself crazy running around town with a paint chip measuring 1/2″ x 1/2″ in search of fabric that “matches”.
  • Do select one or more of the room’s most expensive items first – usually the sofa, draperies or carpet. Then choose a paint color that enhances the look of these items and contributes to the mood you desire to create. Remember, the goal of paint is to make everything else in the room look good. Even you!

2.) 

  • Don’t hang the dining room chandelier more than 36″ to 42″ above the dining room table – unless your goal is to show off the ceiling.

Do choose a chandelier that is approximately 9″-12″ smaller than the width or diameter of the table and hang the fixture 3′ above the table, where the soft lighting is more flattering to diners.

3.) 
  • Don’t hang artwork so high that eyes and necks are strained in the process of getting a glimpse.
  • Do place artwork at eye level. The exception: a double height space may require a piece of artwork (e.g. a painted canvas, photograph or tapestry) to hang above 6′. In such case, choose a very large image or something abstract, so its presence isn’t lost at the distance.
4.)
  • Don’t frame or mat a work of art with a vibrant or unusual color from the artwork itself.
  • Do use a mat to give breathing room to the print, painting or photograph. Pure white is nearly always the best choice, though occasionally an off white or putty will work.

5.)

  • Don’t purchase small collectibles for display, since itty-bitty items lose their impact from a distance. When in doubt err on the side of too big and you won’t be sorry. This goes for furniture too!
  • Do choose fewer display pieces of a larger scale and you’ll instantly improve your style quotient.

6.)

  • Don’t ignore decorative lighting.
  • Do incorporate table lamps, sconces, lamps and library lights to create interest within a room and to draw attention to favourite collections and artworks.

7.)

  • Don’t hang a mirror in a dark corner; it only amplifies this lackluster area.
  • Do place a mirror adjacent to a sunny window or behind a smart collection that is well lit – thus amplifying a positive feature.

8.)

  • Don’t automatically paint ceilings white. White ceilings work best in modern interiors and adjacent to walls that are painted in pastel tones.
  • Do select antique an off-white or ivory for traditional interiors. Pale yellow, pink or blue are other frequently used ceiling colours. If decorative moldings are noteworthy, show them off by increasing the amount of contrast between walls and moldings.

9.)

  • Don’t purchase any piece of furniture without first measuring the space.
  • Do remember to consider the width of door openings and stairs (especially if there’s a turn) for large pieces.

10.)

  • Don’t “chicken out” and settle a version of the colour you love. If you try to “lighten” red, it turns pink and that may not be what you had in mind.
  • Do be brave and stick with your original vision, provided you’ve given it careful thought. If it’s a chocolate brown family room you desire, then beige will never do. Go for it!

By Kimberley Seldon, Home Envy

The Best Places to Find Color Inspiration

9 Mar

Get Outside
Nature is the most amazing place for color inspiration, since each season offers different and amazing color combinations. The warmth of the summer and fall, the cool colors of winter and the fresh hues of spring are the perfect examples of Mother Nature’s work. Color doesn’t just exist in the growth of nature, but in every aspect. A stormy sky against fall leaves is unbelievable, while a yellow rain jacket on a gray, rainy day is the perfect color combination for spring.

Go Shopping
Take a look at the fresh produce aisles at your grocery store. Nature went crazy with the most amazing and vibrant colors of fruits and vegetables. Grab a few of your favorite shades and see how you can make them work together in your home.
When walking through the mall, take note of the clothes on the racks. Also, pay attention to the interiors of the actual stores and the color choices they used to create their atmosphere. Don’t forget to check out your favorite home stores. Vases, dishware, rugs, pillows and artwork are huge sources of color information.

Read the Fine Print
My greatest color inspiration comes from fashion and magazines. First, it’s the best way to stay on top of color trends and styles, since fashion is always the forefront of what then comes into interiors. If you see interesting color combinations on the runway or in a European magazine, they’re sure to be in your favorite home store in the near future.

Take a Stroll
Getting inspired by color can also come from being in the midst of the city. Look at the materials used on buildings and how color affects the feel of the architecture. Check out the sidewalks and roads, which use various colors of gray and black combined with pops of white and yellow of the lines on the road. Translating this palette creates a surprisingly sophisticated interior.

All the colors you see in everyday life can be a part of your home. Carry a camera to take snapshots whenever you find the perfect combination. If you see something in a store that inspires you, pick it up and make it a part of your home.

By David Bromstad, HGTV.com

New Client Interview

7 Mar

I have been working on creating a list of questions to ask new clients in the initial interview process. I think have 40 or so questions so far under 4 categories. 

Functionality and Practicalities
Foundational Cosmetics
The Nitty Gritty
Personal
I think it will be a very useful tool for me to get to know my clients as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

10 Tips to Find Your Style

7 Mar

Multiples. Do you have multiple items of the same color, shape, or style around your house? This is one big “tell” I look for as I look through clients’ home. A kilim rug in the front hall, a kilim rug in the bedroom, another one in the living room? That means that you like Kilim rugs! It sounds way too simple to be that easy, but most people stop seeing their style even when it’s right in front of them.

Form over function. Do you work on a desk that is too small, but can’t bear to replace it? Have a couch that is crazy uncomfortable, but it’s still in you living room after all these years? That broken clock that’s still up on the wall? Take a good long look, because this is a dead giveaway to your personal style. There is something you love so much about this piece that you have chosen its form over your need for function.
Where you shop. Do you browse the same store all the time, even when you’re not looking to buy? Does a good flea market make you heart pound with excitement? Where you look for your furnishings speaks volumes about your style. New, used, found, handed down from family; where your furniture comes from represents your style!
Art. What you have chosen to hang on your walls says something about you. Art is purely personal, not tied to function or need and therefore is usually the best indication of your style. A vintage movie poster means you probably like classic lines in furniture, while an abstract lithograph likely means that modern design is your bag. Flea market oil painting of someone else’s relative? Eclectic is your style.
Most recent purchase. A French country dish towel that caught your eye in the store, or an impulse buy of a Tiffany-style lamp that you thought you’d never like, but do. The last thing you bought for your home is a fantastic indicator of what your style is, especially if it is design departure for you.
What unites your stuff? Do you have terra-cottas, rusts and warm yellows all around your house? These are the sun-kissed colors of Mediterranean design, so you should look for rough-hewn wood tables, terra-cotta lamps and vases to polish up your style. Does all your furniture have lean, sharp lines, and you don’t have a single thing on your mantel? Your style is thoroughly modern. Whether it’s color, scale, shape or era, the uniting element in your home is the best place to start when looking for your style.
What’s your favorite hotel? This is my secret weapon in finding a client’s design style! Always stay in cozy country B&Bs? Like the modern city high-rise hotel? Or do you go more for the traditionally furnished places? Hotels have clear design styles, so use them to help you find YOUR style.
Odd man out. When there is one piece different from everything else in your room, take note! Chances are, this is one style you like, but are afraid to fully venture into.
Travel. Where you chose to spend your vacations, and what you bring back with you are great style indicators. Always go to Mexico on your holidays and have a full set of cobalt-blue wine glasses? You like the hacienda look. Love your family vacations at the beach, and have jars of seashells in your bathroom? Coastal cottage is your style.
Best room in the house. What’s your most fave room in your home? Look to your best design work and repeat it! There is nothing wrong with having all your rooms designed similarly. In fact, it can bring a calm and serene feel to your house.
By Karen McAloon, HGTV.com
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