Category Archives: One Dozen Decorating Dilemmas and How to Solve Them

One Article added monthly for 2008.

Melissa’s Dilemma

0
Posted by Denise Smith on May 19, 2010 – 5:19 pm
Filed under Color, Design Principles, Individualized Advice, Other Dilemmas

This email has been sitting in my inbox for a while now.  Melissa sent me her dilemma  for me to answer here on my blog.  I asked her for a few more pictures and some additional information, but perhaps a cyber monster ate it up because I haven’t heard back.  I’m going to address this email anyway and use it as an illustration for what a decorating “typical” Decorate Your Space consultation looks like. (If there WERE such a thing as typical.)

 Here’s the email:

 ”Hi

I have a decorating issue. I’ve attached a photo. I am leasing this house, but I hate the color pallet. There is emerald green tile in front of the fireplace and in front of the door. What color paint should I use if I want to down play the green, and what kind and color of furniture would go as well. I currently have big red furniture, but I am afraid it will look like Christmas all year round, so I am willing to buy something new.

Thanks a bunch.

 Melissa”

Melissa,

 Thank you for reading Design Strategies.  I love it when someone tells me about their decorating dilemma and gives me the chance to solve it. 

If you had hired me to come into your home for a consultation, I would ask you a whole lot of questions.  (I do hope you read this, and answer!) 

1)   What changes are you actually allowed to make?

I am assuming from your email that the owner of the home you are leasing is ok with you painting.  You will be doing her a big favor by bringing this room out of the 80s, but sometimes owners intend to move back into their homes one day and they don’t want anything changed. This is especially true where I live and work, as we have a high number of military families who will one day return to the area.  

The wallpaper border really dates the house.  The first thing I would suggest is to remove it. Now we need to decide what color to repaint the walls.  The high contrast between the tones above and below the chair rail also screams “twenty years ago!”

2)   How old is the current big red furniture?  Does it fit well in the space?  Are you looking for an excuse to buy new?  Is red a color you would choose again? 

If you love your furniture, let’s make it work.  From the picture, the room looks large and will give you plenty of configuring options.

3)   How many people are living with you?  What will the room be used for?  How many of those people will actually be using this room? (I told you there would be a lot of questions!)

4)   What is your style?  Are there other pieces that you own that you want to highlight?  What are your favorite colors?  What colors do you hate?

A lot of these questions I never need to ask.  I can get plenty of information from the client by having them show me around their space and talking to me about the things they own and how they acquired them.  I try to always ask about what the client absolutely does not want as well, as that can be as revealing as it opposite question. 

Since I have none of the answers to the questions, I am just going to wing it.  I am going to give you a palette that suits a variety of tastes, can blend with most shades of red, and will downplay the green in the tile.  I hope your “hate” is not….Neutral.

Without further information, and taking into consideration that you are leasing this house, I will suggest a rich but safe neutral scheme.  Aura Paint in Affinity Colors by Benjamin Moore is my personal favorite right now.  The palette is limited, but gorgeous, and good for situations like this.  (Normally I need every single swatch from the three separate manufacturers’ cases that I would bring to your home to find exactly the right color.)

 Try Carob AF- 160 below the chair rail and Pensive AF-140 above.  These colors are pretty, and will prevent you from having to paint the cream trim.

…Oh but I can’t stop before you get your money’s worth. Funky slightly greenish golds instantly update dated tones of green.  A dark brown as a backdrop for reds?  Perfect.

 Try Wenge AF-180 below the chair rail and Anjou Pear AF-425 above.  If you dare.

Decorator’s Block

1
Posted by Denise Smith on March 16, 2010 – 4:46 pm
Filed under Arlington Rooftop, Current Projects, Other Dilemmas

I am really struggling.  My client wants me to come up with some way to bring a decorative element over the long row of booths to make that area more intimate.  There are tall windows– 14 feet high—and columns of mosaic iridescent tiles between.   I have been searching in books and online for inspiration.   What little I see is too contemporary.   

The bar itself is being custom constructed, based on a design 100 years old.  I really don’t want to repeat the moldings and style of the bar in arches over the booths.  I need to think outside of the box.  Could I make something out of drywall?  Could I use fabric or metal or wallpaper or more tile?

Whatever it is, I imagine it will need to be suspended over the ceiling.  I mocked this up so I could print it and sketch right on it.   I’ve been thinking about this for two days.  So far I got nothin’.

(Wo)man vs Chair

0
Posted by Denise Smith on February 15, 2010 – 3:00 pm
Filed under Creating a Sense of Place, Current Projects, Other Dilemmas

 

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day.  A lot of the bloggers I read recognized it by posting pictures of their honeys.  Food or Flowers shaped up into hearts were also popular this year– not sure why. 

Never one to succumb, I spent time thinking about an HGTV show I watched many years ago called Designing for the Sexes.  At that time, I would have never guessed that in a few short years I would be LIVING that show. 

Just an hour ago, I was on the phone with a client who is reluctantly going to purchase a double recliner.  Her husband really wants it.  It is, after all, a souped up Man Chair.  And I have had a few cases where the husband said some version of, “Dear, I don’t care what you do to the house, just give me my comfortable chair.”  My client feels she owes it to him, and who am I to judge?

When I’m conducting an initial phone interview with a new client, I ask about the living arrangements.  If a significant other lives in the home, I request he/she be present for my first visit.  I have learned long ago not to make the assumption that the wife makes the decorating decisions.  It’s just not true.  Nearly half the time, a male makes the call because he is the one that has more established opinions.  And not just about the chair he will crash in front of the TV in. 

Some couples have similar taste.  I am lucky in that regard.  You would think being married to a professional would be enough for my husband.  But no, he always has to argue with me about our decorating decisions, even if our preferences are the same.  Thankfully, I always win. But more times than not, we have a Plate Incident on our hands.  In these situations, Michael, from the aforementioned show, makes it look so hazardous.  But really, my job becomes maintaining the balance on the score card.

Where Even Professionals Can Fail

3
Posted by Denise Smith on February 10, 2010 – 1:17 pm
Filed under Living Rooms, Other Dilemmas, Rooms

Nothing can strike fear in the hearts of homeowners like the need to purchase new furniture.  Analysis Paralysis often results, and so many of my clients live with furniture they HATE for years before venturing into the Land of Confusion.

 The easiest cure is to hire a decorator, of course. :)   And a good one at that—I personally know a decorator who purchased a sofa for her Living Room that was too big. Because it is impossible to judge the size and visual weight of an object in the showroom.  Furniture stores are huge. Your perspective is off as soon as you walk in the door.  My advice? Don’t even think about making a purchase before you take the dimensions back home. 

My recommendation is to get some painters tape and mark off on the floor the area of the item you are considering.

There is more to study than the footprint. Add items inside the marked area so that you can visualize the space in three dimensions. (If a sofa is in question, two Dining Chairs can be placed at either end of the tape marks.)  Is there enough room to pass by?  What about the height?  Will something be blocked by the piece visually, like a window or door?  Does the piece just feel too small or large for the scale of the room?

Drawing a floorplan is always a good idea, but if you are a woman, don’t rely on just that.  Was this the problem with my decorator friend?  It is no secret that I am less “traditionally feminine” in a lot of ways than my colleagues.  I’m not afraid to admit it. 

Decorating Dilemma #1

1
Posted by Denise Smith on December 22, 2008 – 9:25 pm
Filed under One Dozen Decorating Dilemmas and How to Solve Them

Which door to go through?? Make a decision and enter with confidence.

Analysis Paralysis

Too often we are so concerned about “making it right” that we give up before we have even begun. I recently had a client who expressed wonderful ideas in our time together, yet hadn’t taken steps to do anything. When I asked her why, she said “I get so nervous about making a decision that I just can’t get anything done. I am afraid that one mistake will ruin everything.” She confessed that when a bedding set she had been admiring for months was finally deeply discounted, she couldn’t bring herself to take it to the counter.

I try to encourage my clients to have fun with their spaces, and to remember that if they love it, than it will work. Learning to identify what it is you love will help you have the confidence to make excellent decisions. Peruse catalogues, magazines and decorating books and take notes on what appeals to you. Notice colors, shapes and sizes and don’t get too hung up on sticking to a particular design style. Go with your gut reaction. Listen to your immediate response. When it is finally time to make a selection, recalling your previously chosen preferences will come easily.

There is no Magic Formula. There is no Good Taste Indicator. Remember, it is YOUR SPACE. If you like it, then it works for you!

Decorating Dilemma #2

2
Posted by Denise Smith on November 24, 2008 – 1:32 pm
Filed under One Dozen Decorating Dilemmas and How to Solve Them

When there is not too much to look at, it is easy to notice that special something.

Collections of Clutter

If you spend any time reading my writing you must be surprised that this dilemma is actually number 2. (I realize I tend to harp on about my abhorrence of clutter…) There actually IS a dilemma that is worse than this…stay tuned.

Clutter kills. Many wonderful design plans have been sabotaged by too much stuff. Many hours have been lost forever searching for keys in mountains of mess. Beautiful vistas have been destroyed by mish mash wall hangings. Collections of Clutter are an American Epidemic. Just say no!

Do the items displayed in the home contribute to the sense of place? Or are they permanent residences for Dust Bunnies? Pare down to what matters. Family photos bring joy, but are you noticing the subject or the frame? Heirlooms evoke memories, but are you thinking about dear Aunt Linda or about how frustrating it is to live with her 50 tea cups?

Organize your visual space and organize your life.

A wonderful blog about reducing the stuff in your life…

 

Decorating Dilemma #3

0
Posted by Denise Smith on October 6, 2008 – 4:16 pm
Filed under One Dozen Decorating Dilemmas and How to Solve Them

A fireplace this wonderful deserves to be the focal point of the room.

Out of Focus

Be sure to give each room a focus and a purpose. Groupings of sofas and chairs make good design sense when they are placed with intention and are not shoved against the wall. Traditional rooms often have furniture arranged around a fireplace.

In today’s homes, it is appropriate (and realistic) for the focal point of a room to be the television. Ground your space by using an area rug. Just be sure it is large enough to fit under the front legs of your sofa and chairs.

 

Decorating Dilemma #4

1
Posted by Denise Smith on September 23, 2008 – 12:52 pm
Filed under One Dozen Decorating Dilemmas and How to Solve Them

A gorgeous orange linen sofa is paired with a chair in a floral fabric.

Matchy Matchy Syndrome

Spend some time reading a decorating book or flip through the pages of a shelter magazine. Now walk into the average American furniture store. Do you see a difference?Furniture stores love to sell items in groups. One big collection means one big sale. It is easy for the salesperson to suggest the matching loveseat and chair when it is displayed right there with the sofa in the store. And when all the furniture exactly matches, there is no stress for the buyer. A few fluffs of the pillow and it is on the cash register…

Though this is an easy method to decorating, it can be disaster in your home. Matchy Matchy furniture is BORING. Devoid of personality, but perfect for the showroom floor. Now let’s go back to the books and magazines and television shows. Look! The sofa and the chair are in different fabrics! The end tables are completely different, and the coffee table is actually a bench!

A well designed home coordinates and harmonizes. It doesn’t match. This needn’t be scary. Use these tips and become picture perfect:

*Use a solid print on the sofa, a small print on a loveseat and a bold pattern on a chair, all in the same color scheme.

*Match fabric weight but play with textures.

*Choose two tones of woods. They can contrast or be close in color. Natural cherry looks wonderful with black. Birch and white are fresh and fun.

*Find a unifying factor. Perhaps different tables will all have a flared leg style. Or the sofa and chairs have rolled arms. Keeping back heights equal prevents the space from looking too messy.

Pillows add personality. Throw the ones that came with the furniture away!

 

Decorating Dilemma #5

0
Posted by Denise Smith on August 17, 2008 – 7:09 pm
Filed under One Dozen Decorating Dilemmas and How to Solve Them

A nice grouping based on color and texture.

Rank and File

Never line accessories up like soldiers standing in a straight row.

Adding dimension is an important part of placing objects for display. Groups of items look better when arranged in an odd number. Remember the adage “shiny, matte, tall and fat” when positioning accessories. Items that look too similar are usually boring. Objects can have a common denominator, like texture, material or color, but need not exactly match.

It is a common mistake to use accessories that are too small. Scale is always key to good design, and if in doubt, bigger is usually better. One large painting looks better than a group of small ones. The eye must take a visual rest now and then, so leave some surfaces empty and some walls bare.

 

Decorating Dilemma #6

0
Posted by Denise Smith on July 21, 2008 – 4:37 pm
Filed under One Dozen Decorating Dilemmas and How to Solve Them

Only a few of the many...

One white? No way! A popular paint company sells 140 different shades of white!

And to be perfectly honest, very rarely do white walls work. The stark contrast of a pure white background appears displeasing, not neutral. Try beiges, creams and taupes if you wary of color. Even in the darkest tones, these colors create a gentle background.

Where does white work? On the trim. In my option, a warm white like Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White OC- 130 makes doors, windows and base boards look fresh and clean. Great care should be used when painting trim in creamy tones because this can translate on wood as appearing dirty.