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From the Design Files of Heather B – Open Concept Condo

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

Design Question

Hello, I have a brand new condo, with the open dining room / kitchen / living room concept. Can you please tell me what I could put on the long counter top just to decorate it? Right now, I have nothing on it, because I do not want it to look cluttered as you can see it very clearly when you walk into the dinning area or what they call the great room. I have kept my kitchen counters also pretty clear, since it is all open.

Is it ok to maybe get two or three nice counter stools to put under the counter that is part of the living room? It is bare and cold there. It would be more for decorative purposes, but I could use them to sit at the counter if I wanted to. Thank you!

Design Answer

Adding nice counter stools to the area will certainly create a focal point. Even if as you say, they end up being more for show, it never hurts to have additional seating especially in smaller-sized living spaces like apartments or condominiums for special occasions or holidays.

As for the counter top itself, take your time choosing an accent piece that is meaningful to you. For example, if you are particularly fond of ceramics scour your local markets for hand-crafted bowl that you really like. If you like flowers or fresh fruit, select a simple wood fruit bowl or stone, glass or porcelain vase.

Congratulations on your new condo! Thanks for writing in. Come back next Monday when I’ll be answering another design question.

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Posted in Dining Room Furniture & Design, From the Design Files of Heather B, Home Decor and Design Ideas, Home Decor Design Ideas, Living Room Furniture & Design | No Comments »

From the Design Files of Heather B – Bathroom Makeover

Monday, October 25th, 2010

Design Question

Hi, I have a difficult question about paint colors. I have a 43 year old canary yellow bathroom sink and cast iron bathtub. I redid my floors in a light beige tile. I also used the light beige tile for the tub surround. I accented with some darker beige pieces. My cabinet is dark wood. I used the darker beige tiles for a back splash. My trim is white and the wainscoting is white. I don’t want a pink glow on the tub surround. What color should I use to paint the wall? Should I repaint the cabinet or leave it dark? And what color accessories should I use? We could not afford to take out the tub. So we left the tub and sink to match. The bathroom is very small.

Design Answer

Because the bathroom is small, I would stick to a more neutral shade that will match or complement the darker beige tiles you selected for the back splash, such as cream or even a pale hue of chocolate or mocha should you want some color in the room. Since there is already white in the room in the trim and wainscoting, you could repaint the cabinet white to give the bathroom a lighter appearance. However, see how it looks first once you’ve made all of the other changes. They don’t have to bright hues, but you could choose primary colors like blue or red as the predominant color for your accessories.

Thanks for writing in. Hope this has helped. Let me know how it turns out.

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Posted in Bathroom Furniture & Design Ideas, From the Design Files of Heather B, Home Decor and Design Ideas, Home Decor Design Ideas, How To & DIY Furniture | No Comments »

From the Design Files of Heather B – Furniture Arranging

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Design Question

Hi there, I’m moving into a 282 sq. ft. open efficiency apartment and am having much trouble trying to figure out what will fit where. I have a twin bed, dresser, armoire, teakwood chest to put my TV on, filing cabinet, my chair and ottoman with table beside it and lamp, small desk and chair for laptop computer and perhaps a bookcase.

Bearing in mind that there is a kitchenette, bathroom and small closet…do you think this is going to fit with out being cluttered???…in that small 20 x 10 space???? Should I delete the bookcase or anything else? Your suggestions would be MOST APPRECIATED!!!!

Design Answer

Smaller living spaces do provide their own unique decorating challenges. But with a little creative thinking, there are ways to decorate an efficiency (also known as a studio) apartment that will transform it into as comfortable home as possible for you.

The first thing you should do before making the actual move is to measure each piece of furniture. Not only will this give you exact measurements to work with when arranging your furniture, it will also help to ensure that you will get your furniture both through the door of the apartment building and the doorway of your new home.

As when arranging any small or awkwardly shaped living space, start with the largest pieces first. You’re list of furniture pieces with their corresponding measurements will come in handy now.

In such a small space, you definitely don’t want to sacrifice any pieces of furniture that provide storage such as your chest or armoire. Find a corner for the armoire; this will free up floor space in the center of the room.

Map out zones and then plan to arrange the furniture accordingly. Two zones, the kitchenette and the bathroom, have already been “marked” out for you. You will most likely want your sleeping area directly opposite from the TV/chest so that you have the luxury of watching television in bed. See if the desk and chair will go on the same wall as your twin bed; if it does, it can also do double time as your nightstand.

Don’t forget the walls. Of course, you should first check that you can drive nails into them, but if you can, they are a great way to increase a small apartment’s usable space. For example, rather than have a freestanding bookcase take up valuable floor space, choose a wall-mounted hutch or display cabinet that will hold a small, select collection of items.

Thanks for writing in. Let me know how it turns out. Good luck with the move!

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Posted in From the Design Files of Heather B, Home Decor and Design Ideas, Home Decor Design Ideas, How To & DIY Furniture | No Comments »

From the Design Files of Heather B – Daughter’s Bedroom Paint Color

Monday, September 20th, 2010

Design Question

We are remodeling our home and are building a bedroom (11′ by 15′) for our 8 year old daughter upstairs. The room gets somewhat low natural light from a fairly big window on the north wall. The ceiling is flat, but then slants down on two sides and has a natural (somewhat lighter) pine (wood) on it (pine looks a bit darker in photo). We put a forest wallpaper mural (all trees-lots of different greens) on one wall. Some of the greens in the mural are very bright green, which doesn’t exactly show in photo (a bit more yellowish in photo than what it actually looks like).

We are trying to decide on a color to paint the other walls. We are thinking green, only because green would be best with the mural (I think?), although I’ve gotten suggestions of beige instead of green. I would like it to be something more “grown up”, and not look like a little girl’s room. I’d like something that will not need to be changed as she gets older, yet she will like. We are going for a “nature” or “forest” feel for her room. I don’t want it to be too dark or too bright and I want to be careful that it is not too dull of a color. My daughter wants either green, or the color in our living room which is a brown called “County Cork” by Ralph Lauren. I think that brown is too dark for her room (especially since the trim is kind of dark – no white in the room) and I don’t know if it goes with the mural.

If green is not the way to go, I would be open to consider another color. I’ve looked at lots of greens and some beiges and none of them seem right. I’d like it to work with the mural and the pine ceiling. If I go with beige, I don’t want it to be too close to the color of the pine, as I’d like the pine to stand out somewhat from the wall color. I don’t know if green or beige is better or if I should do one wall green and the others beige? The focus is the mural, so I don’t know if it would look right to have 2 wall colors?

I have gotten samples, put on big poster board and held it up on different areas and nothing I’ve gotten seems right. I have also gone to the Sherwin Williams and Behr websites and put in a photo of the room and tried different colors on the wall, but again cannot find anything. If you could give me any suggestions, I would appreciate it. Thanks!

Design Answer

What a great space! Many parents choose themes and colors for a child’s room that will “grow” with their children so that they do not have to constantly redecorate. A forest theme is a good choice. The room is such a beautiful shape and where you’ve chosen to put the mural provides the perfect accent.

That is the tricky thing about trying to look at colors in photos or in online color visualization programs; other factors come into play, including your computer monitor, settings, etc. Speaking of colors in photographs, I am curious about the green that is on the vents in the first picture. In the photo, it appears like it would be a good candidate for your daughter’s bedroom.

I don’t know which specific greens you were looking at but I selected four that I thought would go well with the forest mural. This palette I created uses greens from Sherwin Williams. You most certainly can use two wall colors in a room. The darker colors like the “festival green” or “pickle” would make great accent wall colors.

Depending on the intensity of the color, if you would like to use beige I would go more brownish than grayish. I would have to see how it works in the room, but I would tend to use cream instead of beige. Again, I selected some creams from Behr you might consider for your daughter’s room. I personally love the “pumpkin cream” because since green is a cool color, I thought that the orange (warm color) hue would provide balance. You’ll have to do your poster board test to see, but the orange cream might make the pine appear too orange. It might work as an accent color, though.

Thanks for writing in. Let me know how it turns out. Come back next Monday when I answer another interior design question. Keep sending me those emails and don’t forget to include pictures if you can.

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Posted in Bedroom Furniture & Design Ideas, From the Design Files of Heather B, Home Decor and Design Ideas, Home Decor Design Ideas, How To & DIY Furniture | 6 Comments »

From the Design Files of Heather B. – Wall Color for Yellow Furniture

Monday, September 13th, 2010

Design Question

Hi, I found your email on a website and I don’t know if you answer personal emails but if you do, then I have some questions. I need to decorate a room that’s got yellowish/beige wallpaper and yellowish/beige floors. I have dark yellow couches and from there I am stumped. I was thinking since there was so much yellow that I would work with grey and dark blue, but what do you think? What colors would complement all the yellow and actually make it look classy instead of boring. Should the carpet and curtains be the same shade of grey, or different? And what colors should the lamps and accessories be? What other colors could I incorporate? Thanks for your help.

Design Answer

Since there is a lot of yellow in the room and yellow is a “warm” color, balancing it with “cool” colors like grey and dark blue is actually a good idea. I know this might sound funny when discussing neutral colors, but if you go the grey route, you will want to make sure that the shade of grey you pick will “play nice” with the beige hues of the wallpaper and the floors.

Pale green is another cool color that will go with your yellow sofas and your floors. The carpet and curtains don’t necessarily have to be the same shade of grey, but they shouldn’t be jarringly different. If you are purchasing either a carpet or curtains or both with a pattern, the ideal window treatments/area rug combination would be to choose a shade of grey that appears in both – again, they don’t have to match exactly but they should be in the same “family.”

Another option would be to use navy blue for the curtains, carpet and accent pillows, gray for the walls and a soft shade of lime as the accent color for one wall.

You didn’t mention what style of living room furniture you currently have in the room you are in the process of decorating. But black and white – white on the walls and black for the curtains and carpet – could work especially well in a contemporary environment. Pairing black and white with the yellow would also be a stunning color combo for a traditional décor as well.

If you have dark wood in the room in the form of coffee tables, accent chairs, etc. adding red and blue to mix, all primary colors, is an alternative to using neutral shades. The rich wood tones will balance the primary hues in the room. You could offset these colors by using white paint for the trim (windows, doors, baseboards, etc.).

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Posted in From the Design Files of Heather B, Home Decor and Design Ideas, Home Decor Design Ideas, Living Room Furniture & Design | No Comments »

From the Design Files of Heather B – Paint Color Choice for Oak Furniture

Monday, September 6th, 2010

Design Question

Hello Heather, I have quite a dilemma in choosing appropriate colors for a house we recently bought and are moving into, so I need some help!!

My furniture is mostly oak wood. The kitchen has oak cabinets, white Corian countertops, the white and gray floor, and white appliances. It is a pretty good size room but is in the center of the house and doesn’t have a window. It is currently painted a dark green and looks very dark. This room adjoins the family room which does have some but not a lot of light and vaulted ceilings. That room is currently painted a very pale bright yellow.

The dining room and living room are also open to the kitchen and living room. They also have the white and gray tile floors. In those rooms, there is small white dentil crown molding and an oak top on a half wall at the entry. These rooms are painted in gray and tan combination where my son started to paint gray over the existing tan and quit. At least the top of the 1/2 wall is oak and will go with my furniture. The tan is just too much brown with my oak furniture, but I am questioning the tone of the gray.

I need to know what color or tone and color I can paint all these rooms that will be a light neutral backdrop. I have been pulling out my hair trying to figure this out. I don’t want any red or bright primary colors. More understated, simple elegance is my style. I was thinking something like a gray, putty, taupe or stone color. My biggest problem is trying to get the right tone since the oak is so orange. I do like light shades of blue, green, yellow, neutrals and soft muted tones. I am just STUMPED. I don’t want to do this twice! ANY help would be most graciously accepted!

Design Answer

You’re right; the oak is definitely orange rather than tan or golden. But it is beautiful; the cabinetry in the kitchen is simply stunning. However, I do think that because the oak/orange is a warm color and is such a commanding element in the room, it should be balanced by neutrals like gray and cool colors like blue and green.

Color Choices

I also agree that the gray currently in the space doesn’t work with the ceiling – it is my feeling that it doesn’t provide enough of a contrast, making them both blend into one another. Based on the colors you said that you preferred, except for yellow because it is a “warm” color, I picked some shades and hues that I thought would work in all four rooms – the living room, dining room, kitchen and family room. The palettes are loosely divided into gray, green and blue.

Once you’ve narrowed down the color or colors you think you would like to use, don’t forget to test it out by seeing how it looks in the room, either by applying paint samples or using the online tools many paint companies offer through their websites.

Hopefully you won’t have to paint it twice! Let me know how it turns out. Thanks for writing in. Come back next Monday when we’ll answer another reader’s design question.

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Posted in From the Design Files of Heather B, How To & DIY Furniture, Kitchen Furniture & Design, Living Room Furniture & Design | No Comments »

From the Design Files of Heather B – Small Apartment Help

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Design Question

Hello! I ran across your post about interior design help from the Interior Design Forum.

I am getting my first apartment in August so I have no idea how to best decorate a small room. Attached is the basic layout of the room I will be living in (unfortunately, that is the only perspective I was able to find) and the picture has been taken from the entryway.

I know the trick to make a small room to appear bigger is light, neutral colors, so I was thinking of maybe painting the whole room as such, or maybe have an accent wall behind my bed frame (the bed will most likely be rotated – vertical rather than horizontal) or the small portion of wall behind the desk.

I am currently a college student so a space promoting “concentration”, edgy but fun, or a mixture with sophistication would be great. I am really open to any ideas/themes you might have, so if it would be no trouble, I would love an input from you. Thanks!

Design Answer

The picture is fine – good enough to give me an idea of your new living space.

You’re right about the tricks to make a small room seem larger: maximize the source of natural light in the room and ensure there is a balance of task and ambient lighting; paint the walls a neutral or light shade; and use mirrors to “move” light around the room. I would choose deeper neutrals or earth tones over lighter shades. You could also go light shades of cool colors such as pale blue or green. Your instinct regarding pairing a neutral color with an accent shade is a good one. If you go that route, though, plan on using a bold or intense warm color (reds, oranges, browns, purples).

Match one or more colors in your bedding, curtains and area rug to the accent color you chose for the wall. If you decide not to use an accent wall color and you stick to neutrals, this will give you the opportunity to bring color into the room when dressing the bed and accessorizing the other parts of the bedroom.

The fact that the room already has mirrors in the form of closet doors is a plus. To get maximum mileage from these mirrored doors, place large framed (larger than the ones currently on the wall) pictures or prints with lots of lighter colors directly opposite. This also will help make the room appear bigger.

To attain an interior design look that mixes edgy and fun with some sophistication, selected contemporary bedroom furniture with clean lines and a smooth, darker finish like espresso, chocolate or cappuccino. Another tip to keep in mind when shopping for bedroom furniture for smaller spaces is to choose furnishings that are dual-purpose, like a platform bed with storage drawers; a bed bench that allows you to store extra bedding or seasonal clothing; or nightstand that can hold magazines or books.

Hope this is helpful in giving you a starting point. Thanks for writing in. Let me know how it turns out.

Come back next Monday when we tackle another interior design question. Keep sending me those emails and don’t forget to include pictures if you can.

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Posted in Bedroom Furniture & Design Ideas, Home Decor and Design Ideas, Home Decor Design Ideas | 2 Comments »

From the Design Files of Heather B – Wrong Headboard Color

Monday, July 5th, 2010

Design Question

This headboard was an oak color. I repainted it white and put a beige color overtop. I am not pleased with the results. It looks like it’s been painted white with beige rubbed on. I would like a more unique finish. Was thinking it may look better just white with the color on the edges sanded off. Can you suggest a color or technique for this style? I have a whole suite I would like to do, so I would like to appreciate it for a few years.     Thank you 

Design Answer

It actually didn’t turn out too badly but I can see why you would be reluctant to paint an entire bedroom set in this way. There are several things you can consider trying.

Option #1 – Repainting it White

Painting it all white with the shade of white you used originally and then lightly sanding the edges, the crown molding and maybe random areas of the posts will give the headboard a distressed or antiqued look. Actually you could use the sanding technique on any color you chose to give the headboard and the other pieces in your bedroom suite a distressed finish.

Option #2 – Glazed Finish

Because the headboard has a charming old world look that could be adapted to several décor styles including country, French country and even traditional, you could use a glazing technique that would give it the appearance on an heirloom found in a rural cottage. To get the desired effect you will need to use three paint colors: base color, glaze color and an accent color. Since you already have purchased paint, I suggest that you use those two; then you only have to purchase an accent color and a clear glaze. The accent color should be a color that matches or complements one that is already in the room. For example, you may have a shade of blue you like that appears in the pattern of your curtains or your comforter. Here’s how to get the look I have in mind:

  1. Apply two coats of the white paint (or whatever color you choose for the base coat) to the headboard.
  2. Let dry thoroughly between each coat.
  3. Lightly sand the headboard. When finished sanding, wipe down with a damp cloth to remove dust.
  4. To create the glaze mix two parts of your beige paint (or whatever other color you decide to use) with one part glaze. Using a rag, apply the glaze to the headboard in small, circular motions. Try not to go over the same place twice. Make sure it’s dry before going on to the next step.
  5. Paint the edges of the furniture piece with your accent color. You can also highlight the crown molding of the headboard or the edges of the drawer fronts of a dresser or night stand.
  6. Using your accent color, for an added country charm, stencil a floral motif on the footboard (if the bed has one; you only mentioned the headboard) and on the drawer fronts and/or sides of the case goods of your bedroom suite.
  7. To protect you handiwork, apply one to two coats of a clear finish. 

Option #3 – Glazed and Distressed

To give your headboard a distressed appearance, follow the above steps 1 through 5.

You will need extra-fine steel wool and finishing wax.

Before steps 6 and 7, take the extra-fine steel wool and dip it into the finishing wax. Rub gently in a circular motion to give the surface a distressed look that is smooth.

Thanks for writing in. Hope this has been helpful. Let me know how it turns out. Keep sending me your design questions and pictures.

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Posted in Bedroom Furniture & Design Ideas, Home Decor and Design Ideas, Home Decor Design Ideas, How To & DIY Furniture | 1 Comment »

From the Design Files of Heather B – He Said/She Said Paint Color

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Design Question

My girlfriend and I are decorating our new apartment. We are currently shopping for new living room furniture. We both like this gray couch, which means the rest of the furniture will be mostly gray. So I want “shocking” walls. My choice is red; I thought it would make a good background for the gray living room furniture. My girlfriend wants to paint the room blue; actually more of a pastel teal. I don’t want blue of any shade and she thinks that the red would be too dark. Which is the right color we should be picking? How do we settle this so that we can both live the color choice?

Design Answer

You’re right – since you are both living in the space, you will need to agree on a color that will be pleasing to you both. In your situation, however, it’s not really an issue of which shade is right or wrong, because both the red and the blue/teal would be good candidates for matching with the furniture you have chosen.

In my opinion, what is a more important consideration is the overall effect you both would like to achieve. Since colors fall into two basic categories – warm colors (reds, lavenders, pinks) and cool colors (blues, greens) – you will want to decide which vibe would best work in the space. Because the sofa and other living room furniture is a neutral shade (gray) you won’t have to worry about matching the furniture color to the walls. The good thing about cool colors is that, unlike warm shades such as red or orange, you don’t have to worry about them overpowering the other décor elements in the room.

Since it isn’t really a matter of whether or not the wall color will or will not go with the furniture, discuss with your girlfriend the kind of mood you would like to create in your living space. If it ends up that you are still on two separate pages in terms of the exact vibe you both would like for the living room, you’ll have to do some negotiating.

Thanks for writing in. Let me know how it turns out! Send pictures! Good luck.

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From the Design Files of Heather B – Bump Down Roof

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Design Question  

Hi Heather,

I have been reading through your blog, some really good stuff here. I am looking for a bit of advice on what to do with a tough room. The attached pic shows a room from three angles that will be used as a master bedroom. The room is about 14ft long x 11ft wide. It looks out on 3 acres of horse fields with a mountain rising in the background.

The palette for the house is still being worked out. The existing colors for the house are strong green for the office, a medium blue for the master bathroom, a light gray for the halls, and the secondary bedroom as a light yellow. We like the green and the blue. The rest of it we are indifferent to, open to ideas!

The lights, carpet, and paint are an obvious change, and the popcorn ceiling can be removed. The bump down roof though I just have no idea how to hide or minimize – any suggestions? We are fairly handy so if you have any wild ideas on how to improve shelves, we are certainly open to them.

Toby

Design Answer

Hi Toby,

Thanks for reading the blog and sending in your design question. While drop ceilings do serve a specific purpose – often used to hide wiring, ducts, pipes, etc. – having one in a room can pose some minor interior design problems, such as visually dividing the room; lowering the ceiling height in one area of the space; and as you previously pointed out, making the ceiling “stick out.” While your instinct (and it’s a good one since drop ceilings can look unattractive) is to hide or minimize the suspended ceiling, the flipside is that different ceiling levels in the same room can create visual interest. There are ways you can work the suspended ceiling or bump down roof into the room’s décor design that improves the visual flow of your master bedroom.

“Ignore” the divided ceiling vibe and deal with the space as a whole. Plan to arrange the bedroom furniture as though the “canopied” section is not there. For example, placing some of the furniture in the drop ceiling part of the room and then the rest in the other half of the room would definitely break up the living space and draw negative attention to the suspended ceiling (bump down roof).

You mentioned you like blues and greens, which are cool shades that I think would work well in this space. The color currently in the room is a warm color; from the picture it appears to make the room, especially the part with the drop ceiling, look a little cramped. Pick two colors, one color would be the main wall color and the second one would be the accent color. The accent color is typically brighter, darker or bolder than the main color you have selected. The accent color would go on the wall with the single window. Then paint the supporting posts and the side of the drop ceiling in the same color. Both ceilings would be the same neutral shade you choose for the trim (baseboards, windows, doors, etc.). Using the same accent paint color on both one wall and the drop down ceiling visually connects it to the rest of the room.

The lights currently in this space are a good example of how the space can appear visually broken up, making the lower ceiling appear separate or not part of the room. Choose matching or complementary lighting fixtures, one for each ceiling, and hang them so that they are the same height. Again, it’s another way of “tricking” the eye into making the room appear cohesive.

You mentioned being fairly handy. Just from the picture, especially in a master bedroom, the closet doesn’t look like it would be as functional as it should be, particularly for two people. I would definitely plan on removing the bench-like shelf currently in the closet and designing some sort of organizer that includes shelves and cubbies while giving you someplace to hang clothes. You might also want to investigate ready-made closet organizers; some manufacturers offer basic closet organization systems that can be conveniently customized and sometimes at a price that would be cheaper than making one from scratch.

I hope this has been helpful. Let me know how it turns out. And keep sending me your design questions.

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