Design Notes: the DWR Newsletter & Blog
I put this here using the little icons at the end of the article, which I thought was pretty cool and super easy. And while this article does support my political leanings/belief system, that is not the reason I have posted it…’cuz People! This is a Design Blog! I shared it because of the picture of the book shelf with color coordinated books. We just talked about that… Weird, huh?
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I received this email on Friday:
Hello Denise,
First of all, let me say, your ideas are just wonderful!!! The site is so very helpful for me and my friends when we re-decorate our place/ move to a new place!!
I recently moved to a bigger place and have been wondering about an used TV space in the living room since then!
This is above our normal eye level while sitting and hence we are not using it to keep our TV. Now this space originally intended for usage for keeping TV is left useless, and I really don’t have any idea at all as to what needs to be done! Its about 45 inches x 45 inches in height and width, and is about 25 inches to the inside. Below this space is a shelf which we are using for keeping the cable devices.
Could you tell me what can be possibly done for this, it would be really great to hear from experts!
Hoping to see a reply soon!
Warm Regards,
Rosh
Well, Rosh, I can certainly relate to your issue, since I HAVE THAT VERY SAME THING AT MY HOUSE! I guess I understand why it became popular for builders to create this stupid box on the wall. Only a few short years ago, televisions were giant, deep square behemoths. Someone must have had the brilliant idea to create a hole in the wall to hide their girth. And this was accomplished most easily by placing it above the fireplace. I am sure at first it was the hot new thing, judging by the high end model homes who were touting this as a desirable upgrade.
Well, televisions are now high definition, slim and rectangular, and above the fireplace is the worst possible place to put them, so we decorators must deal.
The space is deep, and putting anything inside it pushed all the way to the back will look odd. I purchased this shelf unit at Pier 1 for like 60 bucks when I first moved into my condo. The dimensions make it not an exact fit, but I think it is close enough. I put on it three little pieces of pottery that I got at Ikea for a buck each, and it has remained this way for 2 ½ years.
So creating a shelving unit is the first option, but a crazy second would be to hide it with a massive piece of art. (You may need to place something in the opening for support, like a heavy box…hey you just found a little extra storage space!) An interesting work of art at 4 feet square would certainly create a dramatic focal point.
And finally, to be honest, if I could, I would simply dry wall the whole thing, remove the incredibly tacky electric fireplace and forget about it.
My first was tall and handsome, with a tropical configuration. My second was short and squat. Both met the very same fate. A summer storm would blow in, and before I would have time to run to and rescue them, they would fall over and break.
So this year it was early in spring when I decided to stop throwing money away on stylish but fragile outdoor lamps. And because of the angle of our balcony in relation to the golf course, a constant breeze makes unprotected candles a lesson in futility. As luck would have it, lanterns are everywhere this season.
I bought two this weekend. The tall one is from Wegmans and was on sale for $13.99. The shorter one I found at Pier 1, and I think it was $10. I got the candles at Pier 1 as well. I chose them because they match the color scheme on the furniture cushions, but I think later in the summer I will need to switch to citronella.
The lanterns go in every night, safe and sound from toppling winds.
I am fighting a personal battle, and I have enlisted my family as frontline fighters. I am waging a war against clutter. In our conspicuous consumptive culture, this conflict is necessary. Every single day handfuls of items enter our home. Most come with little recognition to their arrival, making their taking up of residence all the more insidious. Clutter is a pest. It is a menace to clear thinking. It breeds bad attitudes and lazy reactions. Stuff piles up because it pretends to not deserve our attention. A plop here, a drawer stuff there, all seemingly innocent.
I refuse to be seduced by the sweet thought of “having it for later” and “but I might just need it tomorrow”. These thoughts tempt, yet giving in to them steals the true joy that comes from having only what you need and using what you have.
All four of us fought hard all weekend. We cleaned every closet and all the bedroom drawers. Even the garage got a good sweeping out. Just like exercise, a good hard cleaning feels terrible at first, but soon the endorphins are released. My 15 year old wrote, “I feel very accomplished” on her Facebook page. (She confused the connotation, but I was still proud.) My 11 year old smiled ear to ear when she explained in exorbitant detail the reason for the order of her shirts and pants. This morning my husband offered, without a prompt, how much easier it was to think when everything was in its place.
I would say we won this scrimmage, hands down. For now at least. Until one day in only perhaps a few short months, we turn around and notice we have been outflanked again by the creep of mail, sloppily filed paperwork and worn out clothing.
An email from a reader:
Hi Denise
I have noticed a lot of photographs lately on the decorating blogs of books displayed by color on shelves. What do you think about this? Thanks for taking the time to answer, Jesse
Well, Jesse, I’ve seen a lot of this, too. We must be reading the same stuff! This picture made the blog rounds many times. Whoever did this certainly caused an uproar!
I decided to go around my house and take random pictures of a few of the millions of stacks of books I have. It is hard not to notice that I tend to do this. Not as rigidly as the picture, mind you, but certain colors tend to–congregate. I can’t really help myself.
We went to Ohio this weekend. Yes, it was nice to spend some time Mother’s Day with my mom and sister, but the actual reason for the trip was for my eldest daughter to attend a sailing clinic. As is the norm with these things, I hung back, listened and watched. Sailing is not MY sport, but my two girls’. I possess the “book knowledge” thus, as my kids will tell you, none of the skill.
Well, lo and behold, Nicole, the instructor, spent a portion of her time discussing the importance learning to distinguish distances. While she referred to boat lengths in her topic, I have to say, I gained some insight on how I can improve my own design skills. If I am to be completely honest, I must admit that as good as I am at memorizing and visualizing color, I am conversely deficient in my skills at judging distances.
Nicole stressed to the junior racers how important it is to portion out an area the length of their boat and get familiar with it. She told them they need to walk the space over and over, and then memorize it visually from a distance.
Perhaps I should do this with…a standard sofa length? A queen size bed? An armchair? Or maybe a just 12 feet as a standard reference.
More Facebook cell phone photos from my client, JoDee. (Man, do I need a new camera.)
JoDee found someone to paint my design. If you have ever seen my handwriting you will understand why.
Bamboo is a medium not often seen on Kitchen Cabinets. After viewing only a few photos, I am surprised that using this ecologically correct material in the Kitchen isn’t more popular.
Here are just a few stunning examples:
It is important to consider more than just size when determining how functional a space will be.
This weekend I met with a client who wanted to take me to see two properties she and her three children were considering. One was much larger and because of this crazy market riddled with foreclosures, cheaper. The other, to all of the family members but one, just felt better. My job was to affirm their gut reaction and to convince them that they were not crazy for going for a smaller, more expensive home.
The reason is simple. Though smaller, the home had a layout that was in tune to the needs of this close family. The social spaces were clustered in a group and away from the private spaces. The home had a yard directly off the main living areas, making even the dog seem always nearby. A smaller family room, but bigger bedrooms better meet the needs of three teenagers who spend less time with toys and more time studying and using electronics.
Together we wrote down the features of each as we toured them. Though the length of both lists was the same, looking at the features in black and white made it obvious to everyone what was the better choice.
I am glad we are moving away from the trend of huge McMansions, and houses full of rooms without a stick of furniture. Sadly though, the reasons for the shift seem to be more the force of the economy than a concerted effort to create functional, rational living spaces.