Beautiful Beams

We are remodeling our house, taking down walls in the living room to make it into a great room that flows out to the kitchen. Here is a pic of the vaulted ceiling in the kitchen with exposed cross beams. I would like to make the beams stand out by leaving them white. Any suggestions on the color of the ceiling and triangular far wall? Any help is soooo appreciated.
diane
toronto, canada

Hi Diane,

Let me say that I cannot begin to select a paint color for you. I can't see enough of your home. I could say- "orange" or "gray"- I could say just about anything. It looks to me like you have hardwood floors, and I see a little stainless and white... yeah- that's not enough to go on. What color are your kitchen cabinets, what colors are in adjacent rooms, what colors are you drawn to? Check out this post, and this post- which discuss selecting a color pallet- if you have yet to do so.

If having the beams stand out is the only goal- let's do something to the beams. Your beams look a little small- you could wrap them in wood- adding to their bulk as well as adding color.

Keep your white walls and update the beams with a great wood finish. Check out the beautiful rooms in this post with their wood beams. Wood beams are not just for the traditional interior- I can see that you lean more modern- which many of the photos in this post do as well.

The wood finish helps the beams to not only be highlighted, but also add a richness and texture to the room.

They also help to bring nature in. In large quantities they are sometimes too strong- a lodgy feel.- But most of the time, they look great in wood.

What do you think? Can you picture it?

Beautiful wood beams can be the perfect update for your home. Or- you can send me the info I asked for above- and I will help to select a paint color. Read this post before you ask for a paint color. :)

Photos are all from Vernada magazine.

Which Modern Family House is your Favorite?

I think I need to change my profile, because I have not been watching much American Idol this year- my Wednesday nights are spent watching Modern Family instead. Today's is the first of three posts on the interior design of the show. This is Jay and Gloria's house. It is the most modern of the three.

I like the subtlety of the paint choices in the two tone kitchen, as well as the smoky glass. I also like the classic wood floors. The clean lines and neutral colors of the walls and floor make a great background for the art.

The counters are also super neutral- probably a Silestone- or similar material. It makes for a really pretty kitchen.

Here you get a peek at the dining room. Check out the roller shades- one of my favorite choices in window treatments. I am frequently saying to "layer" your window treatments- that advice doesn't go for the more modern interior- where simplicity rules. Notice how nice the large plant is in the photo above. Plants make such a big difference in an interior.

Here we have some more bright art- with neutral furniture. Here we a get a little juxtaposition of style with some more traditional leather pieces.

The entry table is lovely. I like the simple floral arrangement as well.

So- how would I describe it? It is definitely modern- you can tell by the exterior shots that you see on the show. But the invitation of traditional elements keeps it from being stark. It is still homey and warm. A little bit Jay and a little bit Gloria.

What do you think? Do you watch the show? What do you like, or not like about the house?

The Hofeins Headboard Wall

My friend showed me this great bedroom from The Wright Family blog. (these pictures of the Hofeins- friends of the Wrights- not to be confusing...) I thought their mural behind the headboard made for a really great focal point in this room- hand painted by Wendy. And how about that cute dog? :) You can tell that this gal is a fantastic photographer- and she is less expensive than mine- maybe I will try her next time. I have always had my professional family pictures taken in Utah- SOOOO much less expensive than California.

Not to mention the adorable kids... I really like the Roman Shades there too.

Adorable baby, beautiful family- great design.

Check out the Wright Family blog- check out this post- her kids are amazingly cute!

Quiz Answers- The Zermatt Resort and Spa

To everyone that participated in the quiz yesterday, good job! You are all correct. There wasn't a wrong answer in the batch! I wanted to share my "big three" that really bugged me the most.

1. Those short curtains. Short curtains are a way of saying, "I couldn't afford the long ones."- well, that being the case- have none at all. To me, these are like high water pants. There is a reason we think Mr. Bean is gross. When there is some good reason why curtains cannot go to the floor- you simply do a different window treatment.
2. OK- where do I start with this mirror? First of all- it is not centered. I think I know why- it is a substantial mirror- I am sure it needed a stud to hang it on- and the stud was probably not in the middle of the sofa. This is something for all of us to consider when selecting very heavy items- especially round ones. There are ways to get around it with rectangular items. Secondly- even if the mirror was centered- I still don't think it is a good solution for that wall. It should have a relationship with the sofa. It doesn't. If two sconces were added, one on either side- the shape relationship would be much better. To make it easier- a rectangular frame should have been chosen.
3. Now for this wall. This piece of art seems out of place to me in style. The rest of the place had a transitional lodgey feel to it, and this ornate frame is far too formal. But that is not even the worst part of it. What is up with the relationship here? That chair is too small, and should be not only larger, but also brought into the room more, on an angle- and then the wall art would be much better in a vertical orientation, and more casual style- giving it a better relationship with the wall . When selecting art for a wall- look at the wall itself- it is almost too obvious to say- but if it is a more vertical shape- go vertical- a more horizontal shape- go horizontal. I see horizontal pieces on vertical walls frequently- I think sometimes people select thier wall decor because they like it- or it is on sale- not necessarily because it is the best solution for the room. Is this an "always" rule?- No- but it would look much better in this room.

If someone from the resort is reading- and you don't want to spend any money- just changing places with the mirror and the art would be a great improvement. The Zermatt Resort is a nice place- and the service was great- I would suggest it to anyone- really. Just pack a drill and switch places with the mirror and wall art when you go.

Zermatt Resort and Spa

For those of you who love taking quizzes. (I see you on Facebook)- here is one for you. These are pictures from the Zermatt Resort and Spa- where I stayed when I went to Utah a few weeks ago. It is really a nice place- but... Well- you tell me if you see the mistakes. Can you find three design mistakes in this place?

Unifier, unifier, unifier, oh, unifier baby

catch up with Karen here.

Hi Christine
I'm back again from Australia. Ok, we are finally going to tackle our family room so I thought I'd run some of our ideas past you. Nothing like another valued opinion.
Facts
We want to use this room to entertain in. We have a smaller lounge to use in winter but this room is a great summer room. We want to put a big TV in it. (So my husband and his mate's can watch motor racing.)
The galvanized feature wall next to the display cupboard is the back of the fireplace flue in the other room and has to stay in some form (my idea is to get rid of the iron, build the niche out to the same size as the cupboard and clad it in mdf and paint it to match the room walls).

The ceiling will be painted white with new downlights and an ornate cornice added. The walls the same colour as the kitchen (yes we are going to paint the bricks- took a while for my husband to agree).
The bar is to be knocked over and reinstated against the wall. I think I will paint all the cupboards white, or should I do the same colour as the kitchen cupboards?

Really want the room to be light and bright and glamorous (don't want much do I?)
Just made the diamante curtains and pelmet, thinking of painting the display unit as well. Should I do black cupboards?

Kind Regards
Karen
PS: Excuse the boxes in the photos. I'm all packed up and ready to go. The kitchen and dining room run off this area.

Hi Karen,

So- what you are asking is what color should you paint your cabinets. So far- you say the ceiling will be white, the walls will be a light gold - other than that- I see black curtains and some goldish furniture.

It seems to me like you are choosing your paint colors first, and decorating second. I am going to assume that you don't read my blog everyday. :)

The questions I would ask:

1. Are you keeping your furniture, or replacing your furniture? If you are keeping it- does that color go with the kitchen cabinet color? (it looks like it might actually clash- but I know that I am just looking at pictures on a computer.) Secondly- those two colors are pretty similar- I would not put light gold on the wall with light gold furniture. You will have very little contrast between your furniture and your wall. That is not going to give you the glamorous look you are after.
2. I feel like you have yet to really establish a color pallet. A good way to do this is through what I call a "unifier." This can be a great piece of art, a rug, or a patterned material. For example- say you went with the rug at the top of the post from Homedecorator.com. A decision like this gives you a color pallet- something to draw from. You might find that off white is better than white on the the ceiling- or that green is better on the walls....

Selecting your paint colors first is a great way to either not have a good outcome, or to have to paint twice.

With a good solid unifier selected, your paint colors will nearly select themselves.

XOXO

Christine

People are probably getting bored of me saying this same thing- so everyone- STOP TRYING TO SELECT YOUR PAINT COLORS FIRST! :) I could write a little song- a take off from Britney Sprear's Womanizer- but have it be "Unifier." I can hear it now in my head, "I know what you need, I know what you need baby, Unifier, unifier, unifier, -- you you you need, you you you need unifier unifier unifier...."

The Perfect Paint

Hi Christine,
I love your site, you helped me with my daughters room and it turned out beautiful, thanks again! I have a question. On Jan 21st, you did The Blingy Bath. The 5th picture down is of a bathroom featuring lighting from Uttermost. I love the color on the walls. Can you tell me how I can find out more about it? I searched on Uttermost's site but didn't see it. Or maybe you can suggest a color that is similar. Thanks so much for the help that you give me and others. I have learned so much from you. And I especially LOVE your humor!!!
Laurie Miller

Hi Laurie,

I doubt there is any way to figure out exactly what color that is, (it might even be wallpaper) but I can tell you that I would get sample quarts of Leather Bound SW 6118, and Antiquarian Brown SW 0045, both by Sherwin Williams. Give those a try- they are very similar tones. You can also look at Ronald Redding's wallpaper book, "The Bronze Age." It is filled with that color- and has the most beautiful papers- like the two in this post.

Thanks for being a reader!

XOXO

Christine

We Need More Sconces In this World

Any House fans out there? I really love Wilson's new place. Of course- I liked his old place- but this one is even better. (however, I did think that his wainscot in his old place ended at an awkward level- a little too close to the middle of his wall- it should have been about a foot higher.) I love the woodwork, the combination of traditional architecture with the more modern kitchen- and mostly- I love the abundant sconces. I need more sconces. I think most of us need more sconces. Builders here in California seem to just hardly use them at all. We need more sconces in this world.

Interior Design throughout the show is great- Cutty's apartment is wonderful- even the hospital is fantastic. Look at those walls- look at the ceiling- very well done. My local hospital isn't nearly this cool.

Homework:- go walk around your house and see where you should have sconces but don't have them. Electicians are not as expensivce as you might think. Go get some sconces! Anyone watch the show? What do you think of Wilson's new place?

Wallpaper Wednesday- Susie from Sydney

Hi Christine,

I love your blog! I just discovered the world of blogs not that long ago (so behind the times!), and now I'm addicted!
We have just moved into a new house over Christmas that is about 3 times the size of our old place. Needing some help with the girls' play area which is part of the open plan kitchen area. We definitely need some seating in there but am stuck on the layout. I'm thinking a modular sofa? Or maybe a 3 seater facing the wall and two occasional chairs or slipper chairs facing the sliding door? The laundry door is also the access to the garage, so we come in and out of there regularly.

We also need plenty of storage for the toys which is why that Ikea unit is there. There is also a fish tank which is up against the wall that the sliding door is on because if it was opposite the door/window, the fish would poach in the morning sun - it streams directly in. We also have a small TV for the girls.

At the moment the space is bland, boring and looks cluttered. There's no feature or focal point,.I like symmetry, but I feel like it'll be hard with that huge window off to the right of the wall. There's no art or photos up yet, as I want this house to have a different feel than the last. We have a lot of Indonesian furniture and Asian artifacts etc, but now I have fallen in love with the 'Hamptons' look. I want it light and bright and fresh and young.

The burgundy rug is going, I hate that. Thinking a huge sisal type rug? The yellow curtains are also going (they came with the house), and being replaced by off-white roller blinds. Any help with layout and types of furniture that needs to be in there would be so greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Susie in Sydney, Australia x

Hi Susie from Sydney,

I am imagining your text all with a really cool accent. Let's start with the layout. Thank you for sending a floor plan. It is always very helpful. I agree with you in that it is hard to have symmetry with the large window, and yes, a focal point needs to be on that wall. Notice how I chose the modular sofa (Sherrill Furniture)- as it helps to frame the wall space, and doesn't leave you hanging with a "should be more symmetrical" look. I balanced it with two chairs near your large window.

Removing the yellow drapes is a good idea- but I would add more than just shades. For a finished look on your windows- layer your treatments by adding drapes- even if they are only decorative and not functional. These are Belgian Linen from Restoration Hardware.

For your rug, I kept it simple and refined, like a sisal would be, but added a pattern- and a little color that would act as a unifier with the soft neutrals. This rug is from Williams Sonoma Home.

Find a good focal point for your room. The piece above is from Restoration Hardware. It provides storage, as well as can be decorated to be a beautiful focal point.

I love these interlocking stools from Wisteria. Which is also where I found the great chair below.

On your large wall by your door, remember scale when you make selections for that wall. Without furniture in front of it, your wall decor should have a relationship with the wall itself. The mirrors below- from Williams Sonoma Home, are nice and large- I would use three of them.

They also add great texture to the room, along with the grasscloth wallpaper (top of the post) that I would put throughout.

I don't know exactly what you meant by "Hampton's style". That might mean something different in Australia... But I hope I wasn't too far off. What do you think of when you think "Hamptons?" I guess I picture a beautiful vacation home on the beach. What about you?

Thanks for writing in Susie! I can tell you when I think of Sydney, Australia, I think of Finding Nemo- but that is the mom in me.

Clock from Uttermost.