Ceilings: The Most Ignored Territory on the Home Front

Photo Credit:  Houzz, Dillard Design Group, LLC

    The most ignored space in the home is the ceiling.  Homeowners spend oodles and oodles of time and money decorating their walls and floors with wallpapers, window treatments, paint, rugs, tile, and hardwoods but rarely elect to do anything with the ceiling.  The ceiling represents a great opportunity to add an additional design element to your space.  Here are five ceiling treatments that will add a bit of pizzazz to your home.

Painted Ceilings
Most people decide to leave their ceilings white, as they fear painting it will make their space seem smaller.  But painting your ceiling can give your space a warm cozy feel.  Dark colors will make the ceiling feel heavy and cave-like, as visually they make the ceiling seem lower.  Other ideas for painting include ceiling murals and stripes.  Murals add whimsy and visual interest.  And stripes can widen or elongate a space depending on the direction in which they are painted.

Medallions
Medallions are an easy way to add a distinctive design element to a room without too much fuss.  Medallions serve to anchor the chandelier and are available in a wide variety of shapes and styles.  Some medallions can be painted to match the finish of the chandelier or on a painted ceiling, can be left white to add a bit of contrast.  Ceiling medallions come in a variety of sizes from 4” to 36”; the size best suited for your needs typically depends on the size of the room.  A smaller medallion typically works best in a smaller room.

Coffered Ceilings
A coffered ceiling consists of beams that are installed along the ceiling in a grid-like pattern.  The coffers are formed from the parts of the ceiling that are recessed by the beams.  These ceilings typically require a higher ceiling height as the beams can take up a foot of available ceiling height.  It is very important to consider the size and shape of your room when planning a coffered ceiling, as any lighting will need to be installed within the recessed portions of the ceiling.  The size and shape of the room is also important in creating a fairly symmetrical beam pattern.  Coffered ceilings tend to be very architectural and add an air of formality to the spaces in which they are constructed.

Tin Ceilings

Tin ceilings were all the rage during the late 1800s through the early 1900s.  They lost their appeal for a while but recently there has been a resurgence in the popularity of faux tin ceilings.  Tin ceilings add an extreme amount of character and a vintage quality to any space. 

Wood Paneled

A wood paneled ceiling consists of installing grooved plywood, beadboard, or wood planks along the ceiling surface.  A paneled ceiling helps to draw the eye upward and across the room and provides an immediate feeling of coziness and warmth.   

Clearly lucite

I normally don't write about fashion on this particular blog but fashion and interior design go hand in hand, influencing and borrowing from one another and thus, here I am writing about fashion on my Interior Design blog. One would have to be living in a vacuum to not be aware of the recent partnership and release of the Maison Martin Margiela with H&M collection. The collection was released on Thursday, November 15th and I am totally head over heels in love with the lucite wedges. This is no surprise to me as I love all (ok, most) things lucite. Lucite chairs, barstools, tables, you name it, have all been on my radar for a long while. I just love the way they serve a functional purpose while seemingly disappearing and leaving you with an open, unfettered space. Lucite adds that extra bit of glam to everything it touches, heels included.

2013 DC Design House: An Early Look

If you follow me on Instagram or Tumblr or Twitter, then you may have seen some of my photos from the 2013 DC Design House earlier this week.  The photos did not reveal much, as the house is still in it's bare bones state so if you didn't understand what they were about this is my attempt to clarify.  The DC Design House is an opportunity to raise money for charity, while allowing local area designers to showcase their talents.  A house is chosen that is for sale or going to be for sale (the homeowner(s) has/have to move out if they are currently living in the home) and selected interior designers from the local area each have the opportunity to design one room in the home. 

Monday and Tuesday of this week were the walk-through days for the designers to pick their rooms.  Once the rooms have been picked, designers then have a few weeks to put together a presentation board of their design concept for the room.  A selection committee determines which boards represent the best design of the space and those designers are chosen to participate in the Showhouse.  I attended the walk-through tour both days and selected my room(s)--you are asked to pick 2 backups.  I measured and took pictures and started making arrangements to submit my presentation boards.  If I submit and am selected this will be my first Design Showhouse. It is a great commitment and a huge investment of both time and money but it promises to be a ton of fun.  Here are a few photos from my walk-through, as well as some from past DC Design Houses.

The outside of the 2013 DC Design Showhouse.
Photo my own.

A magnificent staircase in the 4 level home.
Photo my own.

A wood paneled study with a fireplace. 
Photo my own.

The walk-in shower with tiled mosaic onyx floors.
Photo my own.

2012 DC Design Showhouse, Dressing room by
Carolyn Wilson and Elizabeth Boland of Design in a Day.
Photo credit:  blog.hgtv.com

 

 

2012 DC Design House
Family room by Daniel Proctor of Kirk Designs.
Photo credit:  mynottinghill.blogspot.com


 

 

2010 DC Design House
Guest bedroom by Michael Hampton Design.
Photo credit: dcdesigncoop.com

2011 Design House
Master Bedroom by Iantha Carley
Photo credit:  mynottinghill.blogspot.com

   

Scheduling and Design: How Time Saves

Photo Credit:  Photo Steve

Aside from budget and space planning, scheduling is one of the most important factors to consider when undertaking any interior design project.  Having a good grasp of your project’s time constraints will help keep a tight leash on your budget.  The longer a project drags on beyond the expected date of completion, the more time there is for budget overruns and costly mistakes. 

I often run into homeowners undertaking first time DIY (do-it-yourself) home renovation projects.  In these encounters, I hear many horror stories about being without a kitchen or bathroom for way longer than what is typical.  Most are so excited at the prospect of doing it themselves and creating a wonderful new space, they fail to create a proper plan of attack, i.e. a schedule.  A schedule creates focus, as well as a step-by-step outline of what to expect and when.  It keeps the homeowner or DIYer in the loop and generally more prepared for any unforeseen mishaps. 

A schedule should be created once you have determined your budget and developed a well thought out space plan.  Start by considering the lead times for all materials and services to be rendered and work backwards from the item with the longest lead time.  This might be a bit easier for someone with experience working with trades as they will know how long each task should generally take but if you are undertaking a large project that requires skilled laborers, the laborers should be able to give an accurate estimate of about how long each portion of the project will take.  

For my own clients, I typically like to provide an actual calendar that outlines the project timeline from start date to completion date.  I do, however, include a caveat that allows for any unforeseen circumstances.  The main goal is to have as firm a grasp as possible over all the details.  When you are fully aware of all the minutiae of your design project, big and small, there is less room for major missteps. 

Upholstery: Things To Consider

After spending quite a bit of time last week at my grandfather's upholstery business, Durham Upholstery, I started thinking more and more about upholstery and how the right fabric can make (or break) a piece of furniture. Selecting the right fabric is extremely important. The fabric should be durable for the amount of use it will receive and visually, it should help tie the remaining pieces in the room together. Having your furniture re-upholstered can be an expensive investment, be sure to consult your upholsterer with questions on the durability of any fabrics you're considering before purchasing. Below are a few pics of some of my favorite upholstered furniture.

Photo credit: everythingfab.tumblr.com

Photo credit:  houzz.com

Photo credit:  materialgirlsblog.com

Photo credit:  mmestyle.com

Posh Styling

Last Saturday, my mom celebrated her birthday with a party at home. The fact that she was having the party at her home made things just a bit more hectic, as she wanted everything to be perfect...perfectly spotless. Even though I was only in town for the party, I knew I wasn't going to get off easy, so it was no surprise when she asked me to dust...the entire house! I went about fulfilling my task but as I dusted and polished and dusted again, I also began removing things I felt seemed out of place and adding those I thought would add pizzazz. In other words, I started styling the house. Unfortunately, I only took the one photo below...

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

As a designer, I'm always on the hunt.  I'm always looking for that new and interesting take on things that are very old and common.  I may stop into the same shops and showrooms a couple of times a week, to see what's new and what I may have looked over the last time I visited.  As I'm making my rounds, I always make sure to include a Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams stop on the route.  I think this is more for inspiration than anything else.  MGBW has a very modern, yet classic, take on furniture and I just love the clean, sophisticated feel of the store and its contents.  It also helps that they incorporate a lot of rich color and texture within their fabric selections.  Below I've posted a few pics of color and texture done right in the DC store.

Rust colored chairs paired with a midnight blue
leather ottoman with brushed steel nail head accents.
Photo my own.

Tangerine and teal. Plush velvet and soft cotton.
I'd like to sleep here.
Photo my own.

A velvet chaise in eggplant alongside a
creamy milk white side table.
Photo my own.

Handsome yet elegant stripes in varying
shades of blue on this wing chair. Nailheads
give it that extra bit of glam.
Photo my own.

Jewel Tones

It's no secret that I love color.  I always have, it's just something that makes me happy.  Color inspires me to be creative.  When I see a well designed room with rich, vibrant colors, it evokes an immediate reaction.  Pair color with texture and well, it's like I've died and gone to heaven.  But while I like color, my favorite colors are jewel tones.  Jewel tones are intense, rich, and highly saturated (meaning that the hue is dominant; a color like grey would have very little saturation). They are modeled after precious gems.  Interiors that have a good command of jewel toned colors leave me feeling as though I've just visited a special place. Here are a few "special places" I love. 

Excellent job of blending the citrine, garnet, teal and aubergine
tones in this space. 
Image courtesy of www.blog.decoratingden-ma-nh-me.com

Jewel toned pillows set against neutral window treatments and
upholstery works beautifully.
Image courtesy of www.yourdecoratinghotline.com

Varying shades of violet blend perfectly in this
lapiz living space.
Image courtesy of www.entertainingchic.com