Temporarilly Out of Commision

My computer suffered "disk failure" earlier this week.

Sad huh?

Hopefully it will be up and running again soon...

Cool New Find

I love Habersham. I personally think their items are too ornate for a house full of them- but love a piece here and a piece there. I am still looking for a bench for my entry (remember this post?) and came across the one pictured above. Very cool- what do you think? Which do you like better? I know they are totally different. But I could pull off either one...

A Weekend Post- Tell Me What you Think...

OK- So I am thinking of adding a playlist to my blog- what do you think? Do you find those annoying? Do you like them? Feedback. Give it to me straight. While you are at it, tell me, do you like Rascal Flats? Sometimes I get up early before my family and start blogging and if I bump into a playlist it disturbs my silence. But I also really like hearing new songs- it is interesting to me to see what people select. I feel like I listen to Disney Soundtracks and "Ralf's World" waaaaay too much- and I don't even know what is cool and new out there. Is that what happened to our mothers? Is that how they got out of touch with what is cool? I remember my mom telling me to"Turn that racket off!" That was not racket, that was the Go Go Girls. If I stay on my current course- I fear that I might turn into my mother...

If you do, (like Rascal Flats) which song is your favorite? (I love Rascal Flats.)

Take Me There http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKy-6EXe2lQ&feature=related

or Everyday? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQyQst3iBB4

Do you know any great songs that I should include if I do add a playlist? What are your favorites? How many Rascal Flats songs on one playlist is too many- I was thinking I should choose just one????

Jill's Family Room Questions

Hi Christine

I have been reading your blog and it's a favorite of mine. You have a great talent and I thank you for sharing it. I have learned a lot. I am writing to ask for you advice on my Family Room.

My Questions are:

1. Paint color. We just bought this sectional and I love it, but everything in this room is the same color. The walls, floor, lampshade. So I bought these pillows for color and now I'm thinking I need to change the paint for some contrast. What color and where do I stop? One wall is green which is carried over from the kitchen. 2. Area rug and end tables. The floor in this room is a neutral tile. I would love to have a huge area rug to pull it all together and add warmth. I really like the rugs you showed in a previous post, but I don't think they would work with the pillows. The rug we have is too small and went with the other couch. I will need some end tables and I don't know what to do with the ottoman. It is square and leather. We had an L-shaped sectional before and now this one doesn't allow the same space. Hmmm.. 3. Window Treatments. When I moved here there were some scarves draped over the curtain rods you see pictured. I thought they were way too small scale for the size of the windows and room, but I haven't replaced them with anything still. There is also a window seat next to the piano (not pictured). I would like to re-cover with some great fabric when I know what to do for the window treatments. (Yes, that is fake ivy you see. I read your post on this and I will have to change it out:)) 4. Picture wall instead of metal screen? I have wanted to do a wall of family pictures in my house. Maybe over the couch instead of the metal screen? I hope this isn't too many questions. I am open to all suggestions you have.

Thank you so much!

Jill

Dear Jill,

Let's make question #2, #1. You should select the rug prior to selecting the paint. Paint options are infinite, rug options are more limiting.

I found this rug on homedecorators.com. Your pillows are pretty modern. If you find this rug style too modern for you, change your pillows- or go with a solid like a sisal, or shag. Don't mix a more traditional rug with the contemporary pillows. It won't look good- even if it matches. I made a little collage for you to see the rug with your pillows closer. Get a 9 x 13 and set the rug square below the sectional.

2. Your ottoman. If your ottoman doesn't fit inside the "U" of the sectional- sell it on craigslist, and purchase one that does. From your pictures it kind of looks like it would fit... :) But I don't like it "floating" out there- it just looks like the kid's messed it up. :)

3. Your end table. Use the need for a new piece of furniture as a way to increase your textural variety in the room. This will help to add interest. It is often just little things like texture that make the difference between the really fabulous, and the really regular. The nesting tables below are from "Blue Fish" and come in a dark chocolate color (which is what I am recommending).

On to your paint. Your room so far reminds me of Pottery Barn. I think a lot of times people will see rooms in a magazine, purchase the furniture, and still do not have the same look. I'll tell you why. All you have is drywall. :) Look at these Pottery Barn pictures:

What do they have that you do not? Interesting architecture. Don't feel bad- most everyone reading this has the same problem. The walls in the Pottery Barn ads are all white, but they are beautiful because they have great windows, built-ins, paneling, etc. You don't need more color, you need more interest. Paint your walls white and add paneling like the picture just above. Paneling too big a project? A dark chocolate brown grasscloth wold look amazing.

Let's assume here for a moment that money is no object- for all I know Jill can spend whatever she wants- right? Your wall that has the fireplace and built-ins - I would trim out that entire wall- beautiful wood - painted white, blending in with what is already there. Got it? Trim, and crown, the whole wall in white.

The wall with the wrought iron thing on it? Have windows going all across the wall- same height as your existing, so they are above your sofa- just add more. Trim and panel the wall- think interesting woodwork-cased windows. Give your room the kind of charm the home would have if it were built in the 1960's instead of- let me guess- 8 years ago. :)

The wall with the TV- same thing- your baseboard- make it 9 inches instead of 3 or 4- trim out the wall.

There- how's that for a paint selection- white. Or- if that is not your thing- or too daunting or expensive- go with the chocolate brown grass cloth.

A note for all of you. White is a great color when there is some interest in the architecture- it is generally pathetically dull when we have only orange peel finish dry wall. Check out some design magazines- I just grabbed one- June 2008 Coastal Living- here are a couple of shots:

White walls, great crown, simple paneling- (and a beautiful tin ceiling in this case). I feel like in Jill's room the woodwork was started but left unfinished. Give your room some style and charm.

So- now for your windows... Your size of room and furniture arrangement prohibits panels- so I would go with Roman Shades. (I am picturing them in white) See how it is hung on a rod. I would do that, and then hang it high- not far from your ceiling- giving the look of larger windows. If you do not do the grasscloth- consider a woven wood stagecoach blind or roller shade with the Roman shade over top. (the woven roller shade below is from Smith and Noble.)

OK- that's enough for today- I will finish your questions another day. My kids are hungry for breakfast :)

The Pioneer Woman

Hey Guys- did you notice that P-Dub looked at my blog the last time I gave her advice? I was so excited, I told my husband, "The Pioneer Woman looked at my blog!!!!!" He looked at me like, "huh?" "so?" "who's that?" etc. I couldn't get anyone to really care- but I cared. It made my week. :)

This new post of hers -- I just had to respond. My interjections will be in red. :)

PW said:

Aside from the bedrooms, the living room is by far the most UNDERdecorated space in the Lodge. While the much larger kitchen/dining space on the other side of the fireplace is pretty well taken care of, this side is looking pretty sparse. Pretty dull. Pretty blah.
Translation: Help me? Please

From the hallway looking out into the main part of the house, it’s looking pretty good. I’ll be moving that black/tiled piece of art to another location; it’s just parked there for the time being.

But take a few steps forward and turn to the left…and it’s a little bit (i.e. very) drab.
I knew this was an area we’d need to tackle soon, but I’ve been putting it off for a very good reason: I’m completely uninspired when I look at this space. Honestly, I’ve tried…but I couldn’t have fewer ideas for this space if my brain were missing from my skull. Look at this room- - the main problem- balance. The fireplace on the left is some serious visual weight. We need to balance it? When the room is in balance- it will feel "right."

The chair on the other side of the room is new, and up close, it’s really delicious: the leather is weathered and soft, and it’s as comfortable as it can be. I ordered a second one, so that’s coming. The piece of furniture closest to me is also new—Marlboro Man sat in it and instantly fell in love…but unfortunately, it smells like a cow’s bottom.
I’m just being honest. And Marlboro Man and I are pretty easygoing and non-picky when it comes to things like this. But when you sit in a chair and it smells like the inside of a cow’s intestinal tract…well, let’s just say the furniture store was very nice and said they’d be glad to exchange it for something else.

So far we have leather- more leather, and a seriously cool rug- but I feel like we need some more textural variety and pattern. Perhaps a patterned set of round ottomans rather than the coffee table. Some might think that throw pillows are a good idea- but I personally just removed mine from my leather sofa and have them stacked in my master closet. They always fall off the slick leather- they drove me crazy. If they weren't falling off- they were still not staying "in position"- sliding down and just "laying" on the sofa like a dead fish. Yes- they add softness, color, pattern, and texture- but who wants to be driven crazy? Who wants dead fish on their sofa? Maybe you could have some low bolster pillows on the chairs.

The lamp with the “X” is going away—it was just a spare from my house that I threw in there the night we watched the UFC fight.
The question mark on the walls signifies my utter cluelessness as to what to do there. The question mark needs to be something that has such visual weight that it balances the weight of the fireplace. That is what is needed to bring some balance into the room (oh yes- and we also need some plants. :)

So- what could bring balance to the room? Idea #1- A large rug hung on the wall. A really cool one- like this one Nourison's Calvin Klein collection: Shop around. NOTHING is more fun than rug shopping. (I mean that- there is nothing that I would rather do.) Find the perfect one that warms the place up, and gives more visual balance to the room.
Another option? Idea #2- Add visual weight to the opposing wall by changing the wall surface- put a grass cloth on it- (over the entire wall) then add four, 4' mirrors, (in a box shape- not horizontal) like the one below: (from Uttermost- 48" diameter)Another option? Idea #3- Have a custom piece made similar to Crate and Barrel's timber wall art (below is a somewhat lousy picture)- I say have it custom made, because you would need it on a much larger scale. Start with a large canvass, about 60 x 100- paint it a contrasting color to the timber wall art- (It could be brown, gray, green, black- whatever goes with your new ottomans)- hang the timber wall art on top of it. The contrasting canvas beneath will help to add the visual weight you need. Idea #4- I know that you are into photography, and initially mentioned hanging photographs. You could do this if you first- selected photographs that are full of color, (to add visual weight- I fear that sepia tones would be too subtle)- OR- have very heavy frames- with sepia tones in your photos. And second- have them large enough to really be a substantial force on the wall. (keep in mind that we are endeavoring to balance the visual weight of the fireplace). Use a company like Icandy- they can take a photograph, and produce it on a large canvas. You can have one very large one, or a set of 4 or 9. Use the portion of the wall that encompasses our furniture arrangement- just smaller than that area.

I’ve read a handful of suggestions from people who say, “Get the furniture away from the wall!” I’ve never heard of this concept. Please explain. Yes- "Get the furniture away from the wall" is generally good advice, although not always. Lining the walls with furniture gives you what my college professor would call boring negative space- (by boring I mean that it looks like a bowling alley :) and generally speaking is not good design. A better furniture arrangement for your room would be to have two sofas opposite one another. (Can you order one more sofa?) Then add your two chairs in between, as shown- Don't forget your two new upholstered ottomans that will take the place of your coffee table. Also add a couple of tables to the backs of the sofas- two different styles- perhaps one low bookcase style, and one with cool legs. (The one below is from Central Station.) The increased quantity of furniture will also help with our balance problem. Add some lamps to one of them. This is a long space, (awkwardly long) and the current furniture arrangement is accentuating that. You have room for this- I can tell- break it up more- like this: It will look fabulous!
And then…would all of you please decorate this space for me? What goes on the wall? Photographs? If so, how large? How many? What arrangement? I think you would have a hard time achieving a visual weight balance with a collection of photographs- unless done as stated above. Once the cow bottom chair is gone and the matching new chair arrives, what do we need to achieve a good looking/functional furniture arrangement? The leather furniture is more for durability (ranch=stains) than anything else, but how do you wake up leather furniture and add some color? Color is sorely missing from the equation.
This area is stumping me almost as much as the kitchen hood.
I need you.
I need you badly.
Love,

OK- readers- so which if my wall decor ideas do you like the best? (or do you have one of your own?)

#1- large rug hung on the wall

#2- grass cloth and large mirrors

#3- custom made three dimensional wall art

#4- collection of photographs printed on large canvases

Do you think P-Dub will somehow visit my blog again? Do you think she will be hurt that I said her room looked like a bowling alley??? I think she can take it. She is a Pioneer Woman! I can't imagine she will even get to my comment- Her comments were in the 900's when I read her post... She has 4 kids, a bunch of cattle, and a bunch of blogs to keep up with... We shall see. Did I mention that she said she would be my friend? OK- maybe that wasn't it- but she DID say that she would have lunch with me :) (I am comment #1369- my chances are not good :( )

1-24-09- OK- I just had one more thought while I was at the gym today. I really would like a larger area rug that encompassed the new larger seating area. The cool cow hide rug could go on the wall- add some cool hard wired sconces to either side- replace the rug with a much larger one. This will add more softness, pattern, variety, and color to the seating area also. There is something so luxurious about even an "oversized" area rug. My husband would say something like, "We spent $$$ all this $$$ on the hardwood floors, and you are just going to cover them up!" (That is an actual conversation that we had in our last house, and again in this one, except with stone...) Yes. "Yes" is my answer. Especially when the area is open and large. My favorite movie for interior design is "Something's Gotta Give." Go watch that movie, and look at the size of the rug in her great room. (picture below) Are her hardwood floors any less beautiful? Of course not. It is more like a curvy beautiful woman in a lovely high necked dress. You don't have to show it, to show it off.

Look below- I went throught the trouble of changing your yellow stickynote rug to two blue sticky note rugs. :) I'm just kidding- it was no trouble at all. :) But seeing the sticky notes- I like this even better.

Jennifer's Dining Room

Hello Christine!

My friend, Rose, turned me onto your blog. I must say you are a fabulous designer from what I've seen. I am a stay at home mom to 5 children ages 8 down to 9 months. I live and breathe for decorating, next to my children of course. It consumes my mind from morning to night. In fact, my daughter's name is Paisley : ) I wish I had gone to school for interior design back when I had the time. I would love to have that schooled knowledge. All that to say, I need some help with my dining room. I'm not completely clueless, but I guess I need help bringing forth what I see in my head. I need assurance that what I want to do will actually look good. I would call my personal style updated traditional with a love for some bling, glam and contemporary too. I love Candice Olson's work. This room is really important, as it is the first thing you see as you enter our home. I really want it to set the tone for the rest of the house. The foyer color is Cocoa. I am having a hard time deciding on the wall color for the dining room. I painted this slate blue color, but am having second thoughts. Maybe it is too dark? Blue typically isn't a wonderful color to associate with eating. Maybe I should find another color that would contrast beautifully with the furniture color? Our furniture is handed down from my husband's grandfather who just passed away. It is a medium cherry color and has to stay. My plan is to update the hardware, jazz up the back of the cabinet with either a mirror or a contrasting paint, and reupholster the chairs. The chandelier is new from Restoration Hardware....yes, I know it's not centered above the table yet. ; ) So far, what I know for sure, is I want a layered window treatment. I'm thinking a patterned Roman shade (maybe a paisley print) coupled with double width, floor to ceiling silk dupioni drapes. I can sew....yay! Which option do you think is best? 1. Keep the wall color as is, make drapes similar to wall color, and shade with the green/blue paisley fabric I already have. 2. Go lighter with wall color- medium turquoise blue. Drape color?

3. Light steel blue wall color. Drapes?

4. Red wall color. Is a red dining room too overused? Drapes?

5. Charcoal brownish gray wall color with taupe, cream or silver drapes.

6. Cream to goldish walls with blue, red or other color drapes.

7. Christine's "why didn't I think of that" color scheme. : 0

I believe once I have the color scheme set I will be able to accessorize and dress the room beautifully. I just need some help getting started.

Thank you in advance! Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,

I like your dining room set. It has a "retro" feel to it- very cool :)

1. If it fits, I would move it off the angle, and set it straight in the room. I only put dining tables on a diagonal if I have a really good reason. If it doesn't fit, I would move the sideboard to another room, put the hutch where the sideboard is, and make it fit. :)





2. The fact that you are writing me tells me that you know already that your existing wall color isn't right. If it were the perfect color, you would be having a dinner party for your friends instead of e-mailing me pic's. :) So- let me tell you why it isn't working.





3. It's your rug. Your wall color goes great with your fabric- but look at the fabric right next to the rug

4. I'll bet if you looked closely at the rug- it has the gold color, it has the green color, and it has the blue color... But... that doesn't mean they are working together. Your rug is more muted- the paisley is more pure.


5. So- option 1- Brighten the rug- (the rug below is from Home Decorators.com) - use your existing wall color, and existing fabric, and find the perfect rug. See how nicely they go together? This would make all the difference.

6. Option 2- use your existing rug- find fabrics that really blend well with it. See the photo below- The panels and the rug blend together very well. It is going to take some shopping to find just the right one, but when you do- select your wall color from there. It will be more subdued if it goes well with your rug- and the room will fall into place :)

So- hey everybody- which should Jennifer do- change the rug, or change the fabric and walls?

Hey- good luck, have fun and send us "after photos."

- Christine

Becky's Question

Hi Christine,

As you can tell by my pictures, I really need your help with this niche wall in my home. It is in the family room/kitchen/dining room. I have never really known what to do with it. The niches seem huge to me, and everything I have ever tried to put in there is swallowed up by them as they are very deep and dark.

I'm thinking of knocking out the horizontal divider in the middle of the large niche in the middle and putting in an armoire (picture attached) that I have that I really like. I am also thinking of turning the three large niches on each side into bookshelves somehow, but I don't want to make such drastic changes without knowing whether the end result would like good or not.

The large niche (minus the horizontal divider) is 7' 10" H x 4' 11" W x 28" D, and the armoire is 6' 11" H x 4' 1-1/2" W x 24" D. The three niches on each side are very deep at 28". They are 33" W x 23" H. Would the armoire/bookshelf arrangement look all right, or am I missing a much better alternative?

If you have any ideas that would help me give this wall a wow factor, I would greatly appreciate it. As you can see, I am really at a total loss, as I didn't build/design the home I live in and I'm not normally a niche person. Any suggestions would be great. I don't mind making major changes if I know they will improve the space.

Sincerely,

Becky

Dear Becky,

Sometimes I think architects- (or the builder- or whoever designed this) think they are being clever, but really should consult an interior designer. :)

1. I would not put the armoire in it. Built-ins should not have furniture pieces in them- they never look quite right.




2. I would "trim out" the whole area. I can tell from the armoire that you have that your style is not "modern" or "contemporary"- so go find a good wood trim guy.




3. I would not have a drywall finish on any of it. Give the entire wall more of a "furniture quality" feel. Have your wood painted white, the same color as your baseboards. Consider a beadboard feel in the back of the niches. Have the niches cased.




4. Add a shelf in the TV section for the TV to sit on. (Make it blend in with the rest of the wall.)




5. Add doors under this section as well as on the other two bottom niches. You may want the doors under the TV to be glass for remote control use.




6. Add can halogen accent lights to the other niches. This will keep them from feeling dark and deep.




7. Add crown moulding around the whole area, continuing it around the room.




8. Find display items that are the right scale for the niches. Keep it simple. Include some nice quality faux greenery. Don't use too many different items, but rather find singular items that fill the areas nicely. The picture of the bottles and tray above, for instance, are 21 inches wide by 18 inches high. This is perfect for an area that is 33 x 23- giving 6 inches on either side, and 4 inches of space on the top. Not too big and not too small. (Potela Bottles and Tray by Uttermost). The clock collection above is 54 x 21. (Spare parts clock by Uttermost.) You could hang that, suspended by heavy clear nylon thread in the top section. Your area is 59 x 25. Something this size would be perfect. The trick here is finding items that are the right size, that are your style, that you like. It will no doubt take some shopping. Using collections of smaller items could get very cluttery very fast. If you have a number of larger books, (coffee table size books)- you could use them in one area with a couple of cool bookends. So- I guess what I am saying is you can use multiple items, if they work as one item.




9. Get a TV that fills the TV area as close as possible.

OK- so that's it. It is not a "cheap fix"- it will cost some money- but look really fabulous when you are done. I hope my little picture gives you an idea of my vision.

Good luck Becky, and If you actually do this- you must send me a picture :)

Thanks,

Christine