Gray is not the Answer

I'm going to make a politically charged statement:

You don't have to paint your walls gray!

I know, I know.  It's everywhere.  JoJo paints a lot of her walls gray on her show, as does Christina.  It's everywhere, and gray's demise has been predicted for months.  And yet.......it's still here.

My friend recently listed her house for sale and a stager was brought in who told her to not only paint her walls gray but her beautiful cherry kitchen cabinets as well.  She refused.  Seriously, do people think that gray is the only neutral color?

I get it.  The realtors are trying to present the most neutral home possible, but is it really true that people can't visualize their way past a paint color?

And don't get me wrong; I love gray.  When I was 10 years old it was my favorite color.  I have gray in two of my guest rooms.  One is gray and yellow (mostly yellow), and one is gray and pink.

Duvet cover by Callisto Home

All gray bedding from County Road. Pink pillows with glass bead trim designed by Antonia Korby Design.

And that's my point.  In a world where you can have any color you want, gray is not the answer.  I have decorated more gray on gray rooms than you would believe, but that is because it came at the request of the homeowner. "How about if we add a little yellow in the draperies, because there is some yellow in the painting in this family room?"  "No", was the answer, "I think I'd like some some white draperies with gray embroidery on them." The dining room was already gray and white, as were the living room and kitchen.  That kind of decorating is highly photograph-able, and also has a model home quality, but can get a little boring.  And drab. And lacking much personaltiy, or CHARACTER, as they say on TV.

Roller shades by LuXout

And I get it that gray goes with everything.  Everything. Every color looks good with the right gray.  So please, feel free to use a LOT of color.  Because that is the trend that I'm seeing now. 

I know that I have shown a lot of gray/yellow combinations but I also love gray with red and gray with bright green.

I agree that a technicolor house would be a difficult house to sell.  But if you are going for neutral, there are so many other "colors" to choose from.

In  the end, my friend sold her home for more than her asking price. The buyers said that when they walked through the house for the first time, it just "felt like home"!

Time to get the cobwebs down?

  So maybe you didn't literally use spiderwebs as your    Halloween valance like we did,  

but is it time to TREAT yourself by dressing your windows?  

How to Set a Festive Table

I was recently asked to decorate some holiday tables for an Open House at Picket Fence Homes in Leesburg, Virginia.

The first was a snowman-themed table for four starring a jolly fellow perched atop a bed of marshmallow snowballs.  Completing the scene were snowman mugs and whimsical paper placemats.

The "tablecloth" was actually a chalkboard paper runner with a message on the front written in chalkboard marker.

The second table was a romantic setting for two, decorated with an intimate New Years Eve in mind.

Gold chargers, glittery silver ferns, beaded gift boxes and martini glasses full of treats created a festive, sophisticated mood.
Inspirations, instead of names, were in the placecard holders.

And a little Picket Fence wine doesn't hurt, either!

Our last table had a natural, woodland theme and featured a tree branch suspended from the ceiling, resplendent with old fashioned tinsel. (Use your imagination - it IS a conference room, after all!)

A carved wood stag sits as centerpiece among white pine table runners and glittered pine cones and leaves.

Cranberry colored chargers and plates featuring birds complete the picture.

Here are my guidelines for Setting a Festive Table:

Theme - choose one, however subtle it may be
Layer - texture, color or pattern
Shine - add metallic accents for some shimmer
Surprise! - use an accessory in an unusual way (like the marshmallows)
Glow - soften the light with candles or a dimmer switch
Remember my mantra:  Pleasing, not Perfect!!

Many thanks to all the fun people at Picket Fence Homes - 212 S. King St., Leesburg VA 20175
They were expert hot chocolate makers and also provided the holiday recipe cards that we gave away.
 

A Kitchen Valance

Seems we are seeing fewer and fewer valances these days.
I love a good valance that preserves your view and gives you the opportunity to introduce color and rhythm to a space.
Following are some terribly dark photos of a valance we did in a kitchen - actually three valances.  We had to match the proportion on the two side windows that flanked a large double door.  The cute ball fringe kept it from being too formal.
The inspiration for this valance was found on Pinterest!

Really Beautiful Homes

I love to tour really beautiful homes so on any given Sunday, you might find me at a real estate open house.  The house above is located nearby in Creighton Farms which is a lovely gated community.  Although the home was completed a couple of years ago, it has never been lived in.  The craftmanship of this home is impeccable!  You had me at Habersham kitchen!!   When I asked the listing agent, Lisa Thompson (super friendly, by the way) what she loved about the house, she said there were too many details to list, but that the five fireplaces and multiple outdoor living areas were really what set this house apart. 
This is a golf course community.  The Jack Nicklaus signature golf course is recognized as one of the the premiere golf courses on the Eastern Seaboard.
Even if you can't travel to Leesburg, VA, you can take your own virtual tour here.
Contact Lisa Thompson if you want your own personal showing.
As of today, the home is listed at $2,999,999.

While I was in Creighton Farms, Lisa told me about another listing she had that was a little older but just as beautiful.  This one was in the neighborhood of Beacon Hill, which is also in Leesburg but at the opposite end.

Take the virtual tour here.  And see more photos, here.
If you are looking for a house that is traditional on the outside, but with contemporary touches inside, then this is the house for you!
What was truly striking about this home were the 12 foot ceilings! Even in parts of the basement! The dining room was expansive and light.
The pool area, the patio and the loggia were so inviting, especially in the 100 degree heat we had the day I was there.  This home had a very cool hand painted mural in the bar area and the largest home theatre I have ever seen.  You could host a movie viewing for, I don't know, about 75 people in there.  There was also a great bonus room over the garage which was a perfect teen hangout.
The home is listed at $1,699,000.
Contact Lisa Thompson.

Wine Shelf

We don't know what to call it, so it has become the Wine Shelf by default.

German made by a former Brit (he Brexited??) out of wine crates from the Bordeaux region of France.  It has a rustic wood top and whisper quiet slide out drawers. 
We started calling it the Wine Storage but we are not storing wine it it - although you could.

Here in the studio we are storing fabric samples. The top is perfect for laying out design schemes.
These wine shelves are available for order in all shapes and sizes. Some are double sided and make a great kitchen island. Some even have wheels. Let me know if you need me.  I assure you, you do!

Love Affair with a Chair

A friend once joked that I should open a Chair Store. It seems that when I am looking at fabrics, sooner or later I am going to say, "That would make a great chair!"  I do have a love affair with chairs.  The more the merrier! And what an opportunity to introduce a beautiful color or pattern to a room.
Recovering a chair is also a great way to update a space. Or in the case of a dining or desk chair, if the fabric is pricey you really don't need much.
For this kitchen we had fun with the desk chair.  First we had the chair painted white and distressed a little to match the cabinets which were also getting painted.
Then we added a little PINK ZEBRA! Does it get any better than pink zebra?  I don't think so!

The walls had been painted a soft blue grey.  The pink and blue echoed the colors we had used in the adjoining living and dining room. More on that later!

It's hard to believe that two months ago this kitchen had dark cherry cabinets and Tuscan brick-red walls!

Chair seat fabric by Duralee.

Who Loves Pink?

Was so excited when this Instagram photo from Tony Baratta crossed my screen:

I am currently working on a project that we are calling A Study in Pink. It too is a living room and we are taking our palette of pinks and blues into the dining room, study and now kitchen! We are also adding a mix of silver and golds with splashes of those metallics on the mouldings and some furniture. I cannot wait to show you the finished design!
Here are some of the fabrics:

You can see, we are also mixing a lot of patterns.  This is going to be so bold!

Window Wednesday

Sometimes we like to say, "A door is a door", meaning that we don't treat it like a window.  But this door, which we had recently outfitted with a new 2" wood blind, looked a little lonely in a beautifully designed kitchen with it's lovely window treatments we did about a year ago. We used the same fabric and trim that we used in the rest of the room.

And now, everyone is happy! (Even the valance is smiling!)

Weekend High Notes

It was a beautiful weekend here, filled with morning and evening walks in town, a high school reunion, and cozy gatherings inside

and out

as we bid a fond farewell to summer........

100 Windows - #98

I was in High Point, NC last week for the Spring High Point Furniture Market.  My partners in crime and I apparently weren't on inspiration overload enough so after a full day of oohing and ahhing we decided to go to a Designer Showhouse put on by the Junior League of High Point. We were definitely wowed by this one.  There were so many good ideas.
My picture doesn't do it justice, but this design, by Lisa Mende of Lisa Mende Design features a window treatment in the breakfast room.

First of all, you have to admit that a black drape on a blue wall is pretty cool. (Unless my eyes deceive me and that is navy.  But I don't think so.)  The contrast band is cut from a piece of fabric. Funny thing is, I had just seen this black and white fabric in a showroom at High Point, and met the designer! This is from a textile line called Cotton and Quill.  You should check it out!  They design stationary, too.

The fun didn't end at the window!  Look at that ceiling!!

Happy Easter 2015!

....and we will take a little break from window treatments to wish you a Happy Easter and show you how I decorate my table in my spare time..........

It's all so random! And some of these things I've had for 15 years - others are brand new.  Sources include Williams-Sonoma, Pier 1, Anthropologie and JoAnn's.

100 Windows - #92

And then there is a window for you lovers of trim.

Definitely more trim than fabric, here!

100 Windows - #71

Here's a combination treatment to end the year.

This combination of swags was made for a breakfast room.  The arched window over the center window presented a challenge. I created a hand draped swag over the arch.

Then I stapled this to the tops of the boards of the side swags.

The hardware on this board was purely decorative, but matched the piece at the top of the arch.

The side swags were traditional swags with asymmetric cascades, that included one regular cascade and one double cascade.

This was definitely a "sum is greater than it's parts" kind of window treatment!

Happy New Year!!

 

 

 

100 Windows - #69

I'll admit, you are going to have to look closely, but this is a very interesting idea. The body of this drapery is brown or a brown print.  Along the top there is about a 4" band of blue that matches the wall color exactly.  It's one of those details that screams "custom".

100 Windows - #66

Here's a simple one. A box pleated, board mounted valance.

Great for such a long short window in the kitchen!

100 Windows -#57

It's sweet. You could use it on a single window or in repetition on a whole bunch of windows.

In this case, the swag was hung from two hooks at the top corners of the window.  What makes it special is the teardrop shape, the contrast banding and the little ball in place of a tassel.
You could also do a similar swag mounted to a board or attached to a rod.

100 Windows - #54

Did you know that some window treatments can be mounted directly to the window frame?

These valances are made in three pieces; two swags and a center banner valance, all stapled to the outside edge of the window frame. This was in another model home, so that is probably why they chose to mount it that way - less holes in the wall, less hardware - but it is hard to make the sides look finished if you are doing it yourself.
The three holdbacks at the top of each arch are purely decorative.
Love the contrast banding! Love the tassel!

100 Windows - #50

#50 ??!!  We are halfway through! This calls for a celebration so today I will share with you one of my all time favorite projects. It's hard to believe I did this 8 years ago.
Initially, I loved how the graphic black and white print played on the gold walls.  If memory serves me correctly, the wall color is Benjamin Moore's Dorset Gold.

I was also fascinated by the playful mix of floral, check and stripe. Not everyone can take that much pattern but using just black and white is a good way to ease into it.

The striped Roman shade can be lowered to block the evening sunlight when doing the dinner dishes.

On the same wall as the sink is a window seat which is so much fun to have in a kitchen! We duplicated the window treatment and used the black and white on the sides of the seat cushion but used a colorful print on top.

We played around with adding even MORE color and pattern with some throw pillows.  Do you like it better with or without?  You can catch a glimpse of the adjoining family room on the right side of the photo.

The family room had just one window, actually a door, so we treated it to a long drape in the same combination of floral and check.

Button detail on the drapery tieback.

More button details but this time I used the check, and placed the button at the bottom of each pinch pleat.  Details make the difference!!