Design Chat: Selecting a Sofa (and developing an accessory plan)

April 28, 2016

I’ve got another installment of Design Chat for you today, where I answer and provide design advice to a readers question.

Like many of the other Design Chat questions, Kimberly’s design challenge centered on finding the right sofa for her living room. Here’s the question Kimberly posed about a sectional she was considering…

“I read your blog about the do’s and font’s of a sectional and I am strongly considering this sectional for my room. Here are my questions…
1. Is the sectional too dark? I have tons of sunlight. I am wanting to steer away from the tan/beige, and I hear grays are very neutral, but I don’t want it to be a fad thing. The size is 115 X 115.
2. The back of the sectional would face the direction of looking into the room to define that space b/c I don’t want to block the bay windows.
I have a family of 5 and we purchased a single couch with the intent on adding more chairs, but they hated it b/c we couldn’t all sit together. Therefore, that’s why I am looking at the sectional, I know it limits us when it comes to moving furniture around. What do you think? ”

Here’s the space that Kimberly is dealing with. You can see that the room is pretty large, has a great span of windows at the far end and a fireplace and bookshelves that sit on one wall.

And here’s the sectional that Kimberly is considering. She spotted this piece at End Up Furniture in Greenville, SC.

Ok Kimberly, here’s what I think.

Given the size of your room I think this sectional is a great option. The scale looks good and the sofa will really anchor the room. As far as the color goes, the darker grey get two thumbs up from me. Grey is definitely considered a neutral and are a great alternative to a lighter khaki or tan colors. You can feel confident that grey will not go out of style in the coming years.

Looking at the other elements in the room here’s a couple of suggestions I have to round out the space.

♦ Place side tables at both ends of the sectional piece that sits along the wall and add tabletop lamps to make that sofa functional for reading etc.

♦ Highlight the window with drapes. You could either hang panels at the far ends of the bay window or at all the break points along the window which would give you four hanging panels. Curtains will add softness and allow you to bring some color into the space.

♦ I’d also suggest to create vignette or small sitting area at the window so that space feels purposeful. Maybe place an upholstered bench under the center window or two accent chairs with a small side table between.

♦ Finally, I’d hang a larger piece of artwork on the wall over the sofa to balance the TV wall and overall scale of the room. And relook your rug, maybe adding something with minimized pattern work. Both of these areas give you another opportunity to bring some color and pattern into the room.

Here’s a quick inspiration board I pulled together, to give Kimberly an idea for a color and accessory palette to work with her new sofa.

update: Kimberly purchased the sofa and it was delivered earlier this week. She’s on her way to a new space for her family to enjoy.

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Trend Watch: Toile de Jouy

April 26, 2016

Stylebeat

Calling this post a ‘trend watch’ may be exaggerating a bit since the trend I’m talking about has never really gone out of style, it just lost some of its luster in recent years. It wasn’t until Chinoiserie starting regaining its popularity a few years ago that toile started to come back on the design scene in a big way.

“Toile de Jouy”, sometimes abbreviated to simply “toile”, is a type of decorating pattern consisting of a white or off-white background on which a repeated pattern depicting a fairly complex scene, generally of a pastoral theme such as a couple having a picnic by a lake or an arrangement of flowers.

I remember the days when toile was the ‘it’ pattern in home decor and was also a popular look in fashion accessories and clothing. Back then the colors were pretty classic with blue and white, black and white, red and white and green and white the color combos you saw most.

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Color Crush: Blue and Green

April 20, 2016

via

I’ve been working with a new client and their design project is really exciting because it involves one of my favorite color crushes…blue and green.

While navy has always been a much-used color in home decor, it has been resurfacing as a hot color trend over the last couple of years. And ever since Pantone named Emerald Green as their color of the year in 2013, shades of green have been making a comeback as one of the top home decor fashion colors.

What I like about the combination of blue and green is the sophisticated yet modern feel that pairing has.

On a recent fabric shopping trip, I spotted some really beautiful blue and green fabrics I wanted to share with you. I’ve grouped the designs together in workable sets that can easily be combined within a single room design. Here’s how I’d use each of the fabrics within the groupings:

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Paint and Furniture From Magnolia Home

April 18, 2016

MAGNOLIA HOME

Are you a fan of the show Fixer Upper and/or Chip and Joanna Gaines? I sure am. It’s been fun to see how Chip and Joanna Gaines have grown their business and brand over the last few years and I’m excited about Joanna’s newest product introductions, Magnolia Home Paint and Magnolia Home Furniture.

First let me talk about the paint line…

Working with KILZ, Joanna has developed an interior paint collection that include 25 signature colors available in three finishes–Matte, Eggshell and Satin. In addition to interior wall paint, there is also a Cabinetry and Furniture paint available in 2 colors in a Semi-Glass sheen. Although not inexpensive ($40-$50 per gallon), the collection includes a great range of classic colors including lots of neutrals which is definitely the trend in interior colors these days.

One of the things I like about the paint collection is that Joanna kept the line true to her brand and developed colors that are timeless and easy to decorate around. And you just had to know that there would be a color called Ship Lap in the line. My favorite colors in the collection are Wedding Band, Rainy Days and Carter Creme.

All of the colors are reminiscent of colors that have been used on Fixer Upper so it will be easy to ‘get the look’ if it fits your style.

One of my favorite homes from this season was the Carriage House. The house was designed in a neutral color palette with pops of color to keep the design interesting, warm and inviting.

Always a winning combination….Neutral walls with accent colors used on architectural details and statement furniture pieces.

I will never get tired of a white and grey kitchen. The grey adds just the right amount of warmth and depth, and keeps the entire space from feeling stark.

And gray walls in a bedroom can feel causal and elegant at the same time.

Even the design of the paint cans is representative of the Magnolia Brand and I must say it’s pretty cool.

The interior paint collection is available in a 8 oz sample cans and also in a one-gallon size. The cabinetry and furniture collection is available in a quart and one-gallon size.

If you’re interested in trying the Magnolia Paint line, the only place you can currently buy it is through the Magnolia Market shop.

Interior Paint Collection

Cabinetry and Furniture Paint Collection

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Another exciting launch for Magnolia Home happened last week with the introduction of the Magnolia Home Furniture Collection at the High Point Furniture Market. The furniture line in made up of 6 different collections, each with a distinct look. And each collection includes a range of items from bedroom furniture to living and dining room pieces.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the line:

This is the Traditional Double Pedestal Table and I just love the design and detail of the base.

I’m sure this Manor Straight Back Iron Canopy Bed will be a top seller for them.

And I love furniture that offers stylish storage like this Primitive Hardware Shop Dresser.

The furniture line began arriving in stores across the country last month so check your area to see it in person. Or you can view the full line here.

It’s evident from my visit to Magnolia Market last month in Waco and the new product launches from Chip and Joanna, the Magnolia Brand is here to stay. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Chip and Joanna and I’m already looking forward to the next season of Fixer Upper.

Design Guide: 10 Ways To Add Color To Your Decor

April 12, 2016

As someone who loves color and loves to decorate with it, I sometimes find it hard to relate to someone who expresses a color phobia to me. I was recently working with a client where color in their book equated to having different shades of brown within a room. Yes, different shades of brown is a color combination and bright colors aren’t for everyone but I do believe that color can work magic within a room if approached correctly.

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Design Lessons From The Pages Of Magazines (via Pinterest)

April 8, 2016

Ever since Pinterest came on the social scene, I know many of you, myself included have all spent countless hours looking at design photos, saving the images that serve as inspiration for our current or future homes or that can be used as a source of inspiration in our jobs as designers, decor enthusiast and design bloggers.

I often use images found on Pinterest to share an idea with a client, highlight an accessorizing concept or to help me pull together a color plan. Whether you like Pinterest or not, analyzing room photos is a great way for anyone to up their design game and learn what makes a well-design space just that, well-designed!

Today I’m going to share a few rooms from some of my favorite design publications and point out the design details that came together to make these spaces what they are. Consider this a mini design lesson using visual aids.

If you want more insight into how Pinterest is changing the world of interior design and how we decorate our homes, check out this article.

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Thanks for stopping by today and thank you to everyone who left wonderful comments on my Swap It Like It’s Hot Post earlier this week. If you haven’t had a chance to check out all of the blogger projects, please do. There’s lots of great inspiration to be found.

Happy Weekend!

image source: 1) My Domaine 2) House Beautiful 3) House Beautiful 4) Country Living 5) Domaine Home

Design Inspiration: Small Bathrooms with major impact!

March 29, 2016

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Have you ever heard the saying that bathrooms and kitchens sell a house? Well, its true and even small bathrooms count when it comes to design whether you’re selling your house now or will be sometime down the road.

Whenever I’m talking to design clients about re-designing a bathroom my focus is always to add as much style as possible into that space. With larger bathrooms that’s pretty easy to do but with a smaller bathroom space it can be more challenging.

Even with limited space, there are lots of things you can do with structurally and decoratively to add major impact to your bathroom.

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Furniture Crush: DayBeds

March 25, 2016

Apartment Therapy

When it comes to furniture and creating cozy spot in a home, I love the idea of a daybed. Daybeds are often relegated to a guest bedroom, a kids room and sometimes are used as causal seating in a room that serves multiple purposes.

If you do a quick search on the interest you’ll see that daybed styling has come along way. Yes, you can still find metal styles like the ones you see in a lot of dorm rooms or first apartments but don’t fret if you’re looking for something with more style…they are out there.

You’ll even see daybed designed for outdoor use which takes decorating outdoor spaces to a new level.

A daybed is an easy way to create a cozy outdoor lounge space that can be shared my several people and used as a unique summertime porch bed.

Doesn’t this outdoor space make you want to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea?