F is for Fun Wallpaper

For your daughter's room- Isn't this piece fun? Minemine is such a great source. This one is called "Travel Girls" by Susy Pilgrim Waters. I know my daughters would love that- and they are 5 and 6. I bet they would still love it at 15 and 16. Wouldn't it also be a fun wallpaper for a craft room, or laundry room? Any room that girls hang out in would be a great one to consider. Oh- you thought laundry rooms were supposed to have just a wallpaper boarder of an English garden clothesline? Put up something that actually makes you want to go in there! What a fabulous use of color!

For more ABC Wednesday posts- check out Mrs' Nesbitt's place!

Problem Areas

Today's post is a continuation of Fridays- we are still on Angela's bedroom. This is the room from another angel:

This is what Angela had to say about it:

Problem area- Don’t you think we need a couple of chairs and a rug? What can I do with this space? A Seating Area? All I do is stack accessories and laundry in the dormers.

Dear Angela,

What a great example of a "problem area." Whereas I am sure the dormers look great form the outside, inside.... not so much. In an area like this- remember who is boss. You! Take control! First- let's add some wall decor- not a picture- we already did that above the bed- how about some metal- let's add some texture and interest! While we're at it- let's take down the valances, and put in some soft sheers. Use two panels on each side, so they are nice and full. I would pull them to the sides as seen in the picture I drew.This will still let the light in, but add a touch of romance that every master bedroom needs.

Now that you just paid $100 for sheers on the right dormer, let's cover it up :) The depth of the dormers creates an awkward feel. Let's put a screen in front of the one side.




I love this antiqued mirror screen from Uttermost. It adds a different texture, and reflects light and color.- Now- in the other dormer area- put a nice large plant. This will add balance back into the room, as we just took it away with the screen.









Add a rug next. This will give your room more pattern, and yes, again, texture. (I feel like I keep using that word:) The one below is Serengeti by Momeni. Notice that I am remaining consistent with the style of the furniture and bedding that we selected in Friday's post.

Then add a couple of chairs. The slipper chair below is from Restoration Hardware. Make sure you select chairs that are a good scale for the room.

There we go- a problem area no more! We have changed the awkward visual shape of the area. We have added texture, color, pattern, and created a seating area. Forgive my sloppy drawings- I have breakfast to make for my four kids- I don't have the time to be a perfectionist :) Don't forget to vote! (at the top of the blog) See this post- and help me choose my baseboard:)

Angela's Designer Challenge

Christine,

So here is my Bedroom...let’s be honest- It has looked this way since I bought the furniture 3 years ago. We haven’t hung a picture; we have paper blinds; it needs a total makeover. Every year, I think I am going to do something and then life happens.

I can’t move the furniture, because the bedroom has dormer windows and is over the garage. So the furniture stays put, because that is the only configuration for it.

It needs color, paint, fabrics, bedding, lamps & style......what do you think?
What should hang on the wall over my bed?
Don’t suggest anything country.....it is not my thing (although it looks great in other homes)

- Angela






Dear Angela,
I printed your picture and then drew a little on it. I'll address your room, piece by piece. First of all- the art over your bed.

• Do not do something with a horizontal feel. Your bed already has that- it would be better to have something with more of a vertical emphasis.
• I would do two pieces of art. the upholstery in your headboard is divided into three- using two pieces centered above it would look great.
• Your bed itself was the basis for the colors that I selected. This is one way to really have it all flow together seamlessly. The art pictured below is 24 x 31 in size, from Uttermost.
  
  
  

Your bedding.

• Keep the style consistent with the style of the bed itself.
• Have a more contrasting color. Your current bedding is way too similar in color to the wood in the bed. I would pull the golden beige tones from the art above- which would have a great contrast with the bed, and stand out.
• Don't be too casual- don't be too ornate. Again- consistent with the style of the bed, which is sophisticated, yet not formal.
• The bedding I pictured below is from Eileen Fisher, Garnet Hill. I love the attention to detail combined with the overall simplicity.
• Texture. For a variation in texture, I went with silk. (the color second from the bottom)
• There is also a nice light blue in the art that would be great to incorporate in your decorative pillows.
  

Your Lamps.

• They are WAY too small. Notice in the picture that I drew on, I left one side untouched, and drew a lamp on the other side, so show you the size that it should be. I would suggest approximately 36 inches in height. See this post for more about decorating your night stand.
• I looked for one with a golden tone to the shade.
• Do not use a wood. You already have a lot of wood in your room. Use a different material, like wrought iron, glass, or ceramic. (the one below is from Uttermost)
  

Well- if you have read much on my site, you have learned that wallpaper is "in". Check out the Ronald Redding piece below. A beautiful paper like this would really create an "atmosphere" in your room. I would then shop for "specialty" pillows, or have some made, that would add elegance, interest, and color.
To add to the atmosphere of sophisticated romance- take out your ceiling fan ( I saw a bit of it in your photo)- and replace it with a beautiful chandelier like the one below (from Uttermost again). I looked for variation in texture, consistency and style.
I will attack the rest of your room in a different post. Thanks for visiting my site and submitting your question!

For more bedroom post ideas- check out here.

If you haven't voted yet- please do- check out yesterday's post.

Thanks,

Christine

Help me out a little here...

Well- my husband and I are at an impasse. We have no baseboards in our home. We removed the small ones when we moved in, and had new floors put in. I REALLY want 9 1/4 inch baseboards. My husband thinks they are "too big". In my opinion- that phrase, "baseboards that are too big"- is up there with "too rich", "too thin" and "too delicious". There is no such thing as baseboards that are "too big". We have ten foot ceilings that go up to fourteen in some areas. 9 1/4 inch baseboards are PERFECT!!!!! They are not so high that it gets in the way of outlets. So- let's have a vote- note the pole at the top of the post. How do you vote?

With me?- put in the 91/4 inch baseboards- it is worth a little extra money and time for perfection.

With my darling husband- 7 1/2 inch- actually- he thinks 4 inch are fine. They look too big- they will be harder to install. (Yes- he will be doing the install- we are "do it ourself" people.)

After this I need to convince him to paint them khaki, replace all door and window trim, and paint all the doors and trim in the house khaki... Isn't he so lucky to get all of this free professional advice? You might think that being married to an interior designer- he would just let me make all of these decisions? Perhaps respect my professional expertise and experience???? Ok- go vote- the top of the page.

E is for Eastern Influence in Wallpaper Wednesday

OK- for those of you who still have this archaic idea that wallpaper is not the coolest thing EVER- check out this one- from Ronald Redding- yes- he rocks.

You do love it- right?

I have started a library of their fabrics as well. FABULOUS!!!!

This week I have combined my Wallpaper Wednesday with ABC Wednesday- how fun is that? Check out more ABC Wednesdays at Mrs Nesbitt's place.

D is for decorating!

Leigh's Living Room

Hi Christine,

Here are photos of the living room.

The paint color in the living room is fine, a light brownish tan and I like the faux finish on the walls. I guess with this room we need help with furniture. Like a couch and 2 chairs? Tables? Lamp style? Rugs? What goes on the mantle and on the bookshelves? There is a space for a TV, but we aren’t putting a TV in this room.


THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Leigh Goodwin

Dear Leigh,

Without dimensions and a complete floorplan, I cannot tell you exactly what to do for furniture in your family room, but I can tell you how to do it.

First, consider form and space.

Form and Space

Form = pieces of furniture, plants, etc
Space- the area in between furniture

Don’t line furniture against walls.

Look at the shape of the negative space.

Your room appears to be large enough to "float" your furniture, meaning, not having it against your walls. This, in most cases, is the ideal. I would keep your furniture away from your wall of windows.

1. Get some graph paper.


2. Draw a "to scale" plan of your room.


3. Include windows, doorways, fireplace, etc.

Get some darker paper, and cut out some furniture. Try out a few basic groupings on your floor plan.

• L- shape- this is what you already have- do not do one like this. But a different sectional might work- don't rule it out. Pull it away from the walls, and have the long portion sit parallel to the firelace.
• U shape- this would be like a sofa, with a chair on either side of it.
• Box shape- this would be a sofa, with a chair on either side, and also two ottomans in front of the fireplace.
• Circular- an example of this would be four comfortable chairs with a round ottoman or table in the center of them.
• Parallel- This is the best grouping for emphasizing focal point- it frames focal point. An example woud be two sofas across from one another.

Play with it, figure out what size of furniture would work best for your area- then go shopping! Be careful of size. Looking for a "Tuscan" feel especially, the furniture is sometimes over-sized. take your floorplan with you- make sure you select furniture that is a good proportion for your room.

I would find out what company did the built-ins, and have them make a couple more doors to cover up your TV whole- otherwise, it will invariably look like a TV spot without a TV in it.

Check out these posts on fireplace mantles. Your fireplace is the focal point of the room, spend some time and money on it. This iss a good place to start- select a great piece of art- like the one at the top of the post- Red Poppy Panorama, by Lombardi. This gives you a pallet to select other colors for your rug and fabrics from.

Be sure to incorporate the colors from your kitchen area, as they are open to each other- they should have a good flow.

For more ABC Wednesday, check out Mrs. Nesbitt's place: http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/

Good luck Leigh, thanks for writing in!

Christine

Leigh's Question #2

Leigh's Master Bed and Bath

Dear Christine,

I attached some photos of the master bedroom. It has the previous owners’ furniture in it in the photos, but you can see my dilemma. The walls are a lavender color and I want Tuscan warmth and feel. I’m wondering if a sage green type color with dark brown and Tuscan red accents would do the trick. And, we will at some point be purchasing bedroom furniture and need help with a good color to go with the paint and decorating scheme.

Leigh

Dear Leigh,

Your slate is really a strong statement in the room. I would use the colors in the slate to create your color pallet for the room. You need five things in here:

1. bedding



2. furniture



3. rug and wall decor



4. window treatments



5. paint color

Whatever you do- keep #5, as #5- choose your paint last. There are a baziillion paint colors. Bedding- not so many choices- so let's start there.

Again, your floor is a large pattern with a definite color scheme. Use the color in your floor. I like the idea of the dark gray and gold as some colors to start with. Consider the dark gray bedding below-- (from Room and Board)--
And add to the dark gray- this caramel/goldenrod color (from Restoration Hardware). Use different textures and shades in your bedding, but be very careful with pattern. If you choose to use any pattern, make sure the style and colors are consistent with your flooring.

Add to your look some simple panels at your window- the ones below are Restoration Hardware again. Just take it to the floor- no "puddling" like the photo. It just looks stupid most of the time.

I like the idea of having the bed itself more decorative, to go with your simple bedding, to compliment your busy floors. :) The set above is from Bernhardt- the Carmel Highlands collection. A black, or nearly black color, will go really well with gray and gold bedding.

I wold put a large rug on your floor. Perhaps a soft wool in a sisal look, or even a shaggy look like a flokati would be fun (the one below is from Karastan, sold by the yard, and can made into any size).

You also need some wall decor- choose strong materials, to balance with your heavy "Tuscan" feel. (the mirror and art work below is from Uttermost)

This picture is fabulous!- Very large- if you have some wall space you need to fill---

Then, after you've made your selections, choose your wall color. With the dark floor, that is predominately gray, I would go with Sherwin Williams Restrained Gold on your wall. It would be beautiful.

Let me add one or two more things. Add some more crown moulding to the inside of the coffered ceiling, and paint your celing the restrained gold, or a shade lighter, keeping a contrast with the crown moulding. Take out the celing fan and add a lovely chandelier, like the one below, the Vetraio from Uttermost. (Never choose a chandelier for a bedroom where you look up and see the lightbulbs- those are good for a work surface in a kitchen, but not good while you are laying in bed.) NOW it will look fabulous!

Hey everyone that hasn't voted- look at the post below, and vote at the top of the blog for Judy's wall color!

Judy's Paint- let's cast a vote!

My neighbor Judy asked me to help her select some paint for her house. This is a cushion from her sofa:

So what are my options? Blue:

Blue is not my favorite. Especially with this fabric- which really has more of a navy blue- too dark. The light blues just aren't quite right. How about green? There is some green in there:

The green is such a secondary color in the fabric, in order to pull it off on the wall, she would have to add some green pillows and maybe window treatments that pull it together- so it doesn't look disjointed. What about the yellow?

The yellow is my favorite of the paints- my very favorite- "compatible cream" SW6387- a Sherwin Williams color. So- what's wrong with this? Judy said, "I'm not really a yellow person." So- I hate to select a yellow paint for her. Also- her chair in the room is a cream color- which doesn't have a great contrast with yellow. Back to blue....
How about a toile? I love toiles!! This is a great look for her room as well- the sofa and the dining set both have a "french" feel to them. She could do just a portion of the area- and have the other the shade of white in the background, or the yellow. (Ashford Toiles by Ashford House) But hey- there is a stripe of red in that pillow....
This paper picks up the red, with a touch of the yellow and green- that would be a fun paper to put in her kitchen again, with the yellow carrying through her family room. (Laura Ashley Home) Oh- wait...look at this one- Ronald Redding - always my favorite.....
This is perfect! I love how you could really pull out the browns too! If she wanted to use a dark brown leather in her living room... or green, or red- oh- this is a great paper! Look!!! It also has a coordinating stripe and fabric! The stripe would be fun in her hall bath..... We wouldn't do wallpaper everywhere- how does it look combined with the paint?What a great pallet! She could use the different colors in different rooms in her home- they would all flow, and the wallpaper would pull it all together, and balance the strong print in the sofa. Let's see what the print looks like hung- (this is a different color- but the same print)
So- what do you think? Is your favorite mine- or a different one? Cast your vote! (there's a little pole at the top of the page:)