Add visual interest to your halls by assembling all of your favorites that don’t necessarily look great anywhere else and grouping them with cohesion in mind. Maybe its color, a collection or from a trip.
This African themed grouping is based by my Grandmother’s antique drop leaf table. It has been a corner table with one leaf up, extra seating for dining or the play station for children. The accessories have a mainly red and black for visual flow and are simply an ever changing collection.
The contemporary powder room has new flow with the addition of a curved charcoal scroll on the walls uniting the area combining the lighting fixtures and artwork.
Woven chairs and baskets exude an inviting and comfortable vibe – inside or out! These chairs are for outdoor but could really be used for either. Other companies, of course, make additional options. But wheter it’s a chair, basket or woven ottoman, the texture adds an inviting warmth. Spring and summer are the best time to freshen up.
Favorite accessories reflect places you have been and your connection to them. In this grouping, a replica of the Brophy Chapel from one of the fundraising luncheons is a back drop for a stone “Christ the Redeemer” sculpture from Brazil. Mix it up and regroup as you bring new objects home. It freshens up your look and makes your home more interesting and a reflection of your interests.
Feeling unsettled about EVERYTHING? Numerous studies and books indicate people are looking for personal order and peace. Organization books are popular as well as others with joy and happiness as a priority. Your home can provide these living spaces.
As we accumulate our storage options change. Love to entertain? Keep your dishes, linens, etc. in conveniently located spaces so it isn’t such a chore to get them out for the party. No room to entertain? Seating needs to reflect the number of people and how they can interact most comfortably. Use high tops with bar stools for wine. A small table for tea. For lunch for 6-8 people, consider a fire pit with cushioned chairs. Create space for interacting with others and enjoy the simple pleasures of chatting with a friend, a reading or a game area.
If you never use it, relocate it, provide better access or eliminate it.
Now that home prices have recovered it may be time to adjust the amount of space you have based on the lifestyle that is most enjoyable. Your quality time may be hiking, eating in a restaurant with a fireplace or a luxurious bed at home. Just so it works for your best life!
Are your ceilings boring? If so, do something about it! Beams can be added, drywall detailing, tin ceilings for a vintage look or paint! The left photo is a stencil on an 8’ ceiling to add interest. A stencil like this gives interest without lowering the ceiling The photo on the right shows how beams will make the ceiling lower as they extend down.
Tongue and groove wooden ceiling from light to dark is another textural option for variety. If the ceiling is too high, bring molding down on the wall and end the ceiling color at the molding.
Love your kitty but wish you didn’t have to ever see the litter box? Remember, true design is in the details! I addressed this issue prior to building the custom home and at the start of remodeling the current home. The best solution is an interior access -just big enough for kitty to pass through – to a storage or closet that opens in the garage! In our custom home, the plan was for the access to be through the step riser going to the upstairs office. This is a great idea but became impossible for us due to finding an air handler in the same area.
Plan B – a small opening in the drywall to allow Lilly and Rose to enter with total privacy and no sight of the box! The door opened into the garage near the trash. In our remodeled home, we have a garage storage area with existing cabinetry on the interior side. The doors are off the cabinetry section in the least visible spot with access through the back of the cabinet and drywall into the garage storage area. Voila! Out of sight and simple to clean up!
Designers have creative solutions!
Have you been collecting without enjoying your collection? If so, it may be possible to group your collection together for an interesting visual! Over many years I collected the string wall hanging (very inexpensive) from MOMA’s gift shop, the African basket, small, woven baskets from cousin Gwen’s travels, a zebra rug knock off, an Indian drum, a beaded wind chime from MIM’s gift shop, various textile garlands-red silk, hand crocheted discs from cousin Gwen and an African girl from Home Goods all on Kuba cloth! Have fun with your collected treasures!
