before and after......

Hopefully you can tell a difference in our before and after....
the bones of the home are amazing...great finishes (rock fireplace, hand scraped wood floors, large windows, etc....) but the decor was just missing. Also...we had to work with a couple of design challenges....a wall that would split the back of a sofa...a long narrow room, a light switch that was of course in a bad spot, and a narrow space on the two sides of the windows. What we did....was work with the existing color scheme of the home and played up the neutral colors - then dropped in our red/brick accents. No real need to always be matchy matchy so we have about 3 different wood finishes...dark espresso, walnut and painted linen. We ran our 9x13 rug ling ways (rug by Candice Olsen) to create a sense of depth that otherwise would not have been as dramatic if we put an 8x10 horizontally. We sat our sofas face to face even the the brown sofa extends from the wall but used our spaced ceramic flower petals to not only create drama but to deflect the light switch and draw the attention away from the wall. We only had room for one width of panels so we went a little more bold on the pattern and then dropped in plenty of lighting to make the room even more warm and fuzzy. The upholstery is from Vanguard and Bernhardt.

Residential details in commercial spaces.....

This is a project I worked on with my friends Matty and Fox. A lot of the elements that we used for this commercial building have their roots in residential settings. The chair with heavy duty velvet is from Kincaid Furniture, the table and ottomans are from New Pacific, the bench is form Zuo Mod, the Lighting is from Trend, the mirror is from Howard Elliot, and the art is from Art Classics. Even the cabinetry that we floated on the wall is from our line ultracraft. Quartz is an approved counter top surface that works for commercial, medical and of course residential settings. We often use commercial products for residential settings (like outdoor furniture) and we use plenty of residential pieces in commercial settings - just knowing the use and wear potential leads us....as well as the aesthetic.

Warming up a commercial space...

who says commercial spaces cant be warm - I love warm colors and would probably choose warm over cold most any day. Sometimes the beauty is in the details....like the door inlays and the inset handles to the tile inlays in the hall. Even the thin ruler style floating frame on the art gives it a subtle substance. Mirrors, lights over art and benches in hallways give them life that otherwise is often times over looked.
Also...check out the ceiling details.

scratching the surface of surfaces.....

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x....I love decorative accessories...obviously I opened a store...but I love adding treasures to a room or surface to make it more personal. A few of the shots are of my own home...you can tell I layer a lot with books and boxes...my two favorite things. I also like to layer my art and am a real sucker for Lucite stands/blocks. HOTTTT

I put some shells from recent trip in a black bowl and picked a stick out of the reptile section of the pet store that looked like drift wood...I guess it moved me at the time. Trays are also a great way of grounding a surface or creating a separate zone. Whatever you do...go bold and buy items of scale and substance. Like any other aspect of decorating....mix textures....wood, metal, paper, ceramic, and shells. (psst....half price books...1.00 a book - cant beat it....its my obsession)

cooking up a modern kitchen.....

My new modern Kitchen line is supa hot.....you can do so much with it. A frameless cabinet - it maximizes storage space. You can choose among its hundreds of laminates, wood, and veneer doors. We wanted the kitchens to be of course modern but sacrificed some of our Italian design intentions for a more traditional/functional storage layout. We strayed a bit on the lower kitchen by floating the glass lift door cabinets and throwing a punch of orange in. Function and budget are generally the two main concerns...and we have kitchens with soft close doors, dovetailed drawers and quartz counters that start well below 10k. Ask us about our various lines and we'll put the right kitchen together for you....

Cover the Wall with wall coverings

In keeping with the Master bedroom story....I love using the tried and true method of adding drama by using wall coverings behind the bed. Above we wanted to tone down the hard lines of the contemporary setting by using hide...both on the floor and the wall. The wall covering is a vinyl faux cowhide...alternating in directions. The lower is a foil wall cover that from a distance appears to be damask..but up close ...is cowboy hats, horses and oil towers - totally playful!

In the previous posting is a faux leather stitched wall covering that works perfect for a more serious masculine bedroom.

Mastering the Master Bedroom

So much to think about really when it comes to the master bedroom - but my number one complaint is using too small of lamps and too flat of pillows....STINKY! Two euros for a queen and 3 for a king bed. Also...unless your bedroom is small like the bed with the mirror above it...26 to 30" lamps are best. The small room used a mirror over the bed along with stools for nightstands. A couple of the room shots were condos Matty, Fox and I worked on so they might appear minimal....like had it been a customer.. I would have talked them into buying a coverlet just to fold over the bottom part of the bed (layering like we talked about earlier) Putting a rug under the bed defines the space and really finishes off the focal point...dont worry if you have carpet...put a rug down anyways. Small sofas, chaises, chairs, or ottomans add more drama to the bed and elevates it to a new decorating level....ahh. Mix match your night stands or go minimal on one side to have more drama/scale on the other like we did in the red bedroom. We imagined this condo for a single person so we short changed the right side...I think we actually bought a wall light fixture but ran out of time to hang it. Use your imagination :)

HOW TO TREAT A WINDOW

Imagine your window is like an outfit...and layering your outfit with the right "pieces" and colors make or break it....

sames is to be said for windows....your window is your often underestimated power impact. A well dressed window can make a room appear larger, taller, warmer and finished.

My favorite coverings are drapery panels and shutters but If I'm layering a window...by all means...I adore putting woven wood shades with drapery panels...or even fabric shades with drapery panels. The house in the photos is in various stages of completion but the windows shown are done to our design. Tammy Piety and I worked on these windows and our goal was to ... 1 unify the outside 2 keep the inside warm and cozy 3 emphasize the height of the rooms 4 and of course use them for function. We started with custom shutters in the front of the home...most all the windows...we used a very green product made in Indiana and color matched to our trim. On less noticeable windows...we used wide blinds (windows on the side and back of the house...attic and kids rooms) We layered the shutters in the dining room to warm the space. We knew we wanted to layer woven woods with drapery in the hearth so we used the same woven woods in the hearth and nook. The small office is on a unique niche in the home and its the only real window you see there aside form the laundry so we chose a different woven wood....one that blocked more of the light so that "real" work could be done in the lady of house's office - isnt that where all the "real" work is generally done? I generally dont used more than two layers..but if I used a third it would be a genesis shade for black out...(it rolls up in a cassette so its virtually un-noticed). Taking panels above the window 4 to 6 inches makes the window appear larger and maximizing the width of the window...hiding the sides of the trim makes the window appear wider. Vertical stripes also makes the window even taller...accentuating the height...like the right skirt on a woman can make her look slimmer or taller.

BAR STYLE

who doesnt love a bar in their own home!

It's a short walk home from the bar for this house - from the hand scraped bar top to the metal tin ceiling....and from the mirror that becomes a TV and to the custom barstools in sexy leather.....You'll want to re-create our clients bar in your home. hmmm...well....good news...you can...ask us how :)

WINNER AT THIS YEARS SHOWHOUSE

My friend Dianna won a couple awards at this years showhouse and I remember telling her she would after I first laid eyes on this bath remodel...you dont even have to see the before (but imagine bad) to appreciate her ability to design and work with colors. She used marble tiles, sourced a custom vanity, used a basket weave vinyl wall covering, and tuxedo painted the front of the linen closet wall. We stole the hall mirrors from my house and Diana painted them the color of the wall.....NICE WORK!!!!

LA chic getting even SEXIER!

this was our LA re-transplant's house.. gradually we are elevating its decor ... changing it from boring neutrals to sexy cooler colors - most of the uphostery in the front is from bernhardt and the rear of the house if from vanguard - we've sourced from about 25 companies so far....drapery is coming soon as well as a rug for under the hide and some additional wall decor for the back...stay tuned for further "elevations"!

Bringing LA chic to INDY - Its definitely possible!

we've had loads of fun working with our LA transplant.....stay tuned to see more before and after shots as this project progresses....so far we:
-changed trim, wall, and floor color
-filled it full of books (my passion)
-changed window treatments (soon to layer drapery)
-working on furnishings..started with 20 books and an accessory piece
hope you like it
*note
Bernhardt sofa, Augusta rug, Rena table, H Elliot mirror

Design Tip!!!

If you noticed in our before.... the bedding looked a little small for the bed...

before taking the shot I untucked the duvet from the end and pulled out the quilt as well ...

so - what we did...in order to still use a standard oversized king duvet insert...yet to get full coverage over the mattress and boxspring....we added a larger flange to the boarder of the bed....just the two sides... so we got a more proportioned duvet look without having to custom make an insert!

AFTER - ahhhhhh

In our after... we chose a window treatment (layered drapery under valances) to give the windows a larger than life feel.....they at least anchor the wall and frame the bed nicely. Next.. we chose the custom bedding fabrics for durability (for their two large dogs) and for a subtle and calming look that was still going to help us maintain the traditional feel of the home. Sometimes solid colors in bedding can make the room more peaceful and tranquil. The bolster and Euro shams help bulk the bed and the prints above complete the look by balancing the scale of the room. The lights don't appear to be as much of a focal point and the mirror (picked up by the customer.....damn they learn quick) helps give depth and subtle visual interest to the room. Note... we went with a clean white on the ceiling and and the quilt on the footboard (again the rogue and successfull additions of my clients) ties the green daybed into the scheme...someday, we'll give it a make over as well! BeforeI would have said we needed larger lights but I really like the feel of the room as it stands...

BEFORE AND AFTER

Before in this photo...the customer was living with the previous owners paint job.....ehhh ...crazy faux glazed ceilings! The windows looked small and far from the bed ....the lights appeared dwarfed and the bedding wasn't the clean chic traditional style the couple was going for. The customer was wanting to use the lights and bedroom set so we'll show you how we took the emphasis off the lights and made the windows more proportionate.

HOW TO HANG LIGHT FIXTURES

As with most things these days..there are guidelines but no real rules to hanging light fixtures. Experience is the best guide but however....if you are in a jam...consider these suggestions. Bar/Island tops and dining tables are generally the top of most peoples concerns. Hang your light 30 to 36 inches from the table/bar surface - this is the easiest suggestion to remember. Above everything else....you want to be able to see clearly through the area when standing and by all means when sitting. That takes care of the height...for width....try to make the fixture about 12 inches narrower than the table or bar. I've seen lights over tables that abort this rule as well as pendants over Islands that hang much higher - but again, these are suggestions. Your dining light should have at least 150 watts. Foyers are a little tricky - because its generally an odd shaped space and there are usually stairs that take a portion of it. I generally try to allow 30 to 36 inches to the closests railing if its a two story entry. I would hang it just below the floor of the top level and not below the door openings of the first level regardless of the ceiling height. 8 to 10 feet from the floor is the minimum I'd hang a fixture in a foyer. The larger the foyer...the higher I'd hang the light. But remember.....the taller the light....the more it shrinks visually. In an open room like the library photo above....we hung the fixture at 8 feet. We origionally chose a 36" light but we didnt want it to over power the room so we narrowed it to 29 inches. Don't get hung up (no punn intended) over centering chandeliers in rooms like this or in master bedrooms....the middle of the room is just fine....unless you are building from scratch and then you can get more specific. In a room like above where you have a cathedral ceiling....you might want to hang your fixture at 10 or 11 feet above the floor. Ours is about 12 feet. (theres an orange "v" shaped rock on the fireplace that is positioned above the transom windows...that was our mark) I think the photo is misleading....the light looks higher, but we wanted to hang it above the television and make sure that we didn't see it until we actually stepped into the room. The adjoining room had 11 foot ceilings and is directly off the space where you see the triple pendant.