It breaks my heart to say this. Due to some endless sabotage on my computers, email, etc… I have to take a break from Design Hole until things settle down a bit. I most definitely will return in a few months or , hopefully, sooner. I hope you’ll come back to Design Hole when I can start writing again.
And now, time for a good cry.
Interior Design Trend: CB2 Is Seeing Red This Fall
An age-old rule in the interior design world is to always place something black in a room. Well I say, “Let it be red.” Please? After all, it’s my favorite color. Here are three red design items from CB2 that I’m loving for Fall.
The Fyrkat charcoal grill is a must have for any tailgate party. Cook up some brats or burgers in the lower level and veggies on the top. Add some beer and everyone’s happy. This grill roasts up at $179.99.
Who wouldn’t love this cute table lamp from Faroles? Place it on a desk, a side table, or your kitchen counter. At only 18″ high, it will look great just about anywhere. Take it home for $99.00.
Last, but certainly not least. I totally love their Rig bar stool. It’s made of sustainable mango wood. Whatever. I love good design that doesn’t cost the moon. In this case, you can be sitting on this stool for $149.00.
Living Room Interior Design: The Final Floor Plan
Why is it that we tend to put ourselves last? In my case it’s because I’m so busy designing other people’s homes that I run out of time for my own. Then, of course, there’s my family life, which always comes first before anything. So, I’m really thrilled that after a couple of years I’ve finally begun to work on my own living room.
Previously, I’ve used my living room as a template for two interior design companies that offer an online service. You can read my reviews of Designer At Home and and RoomJuice to see their solutions. The upshot is that, while I think this is a growing trend, it can’t yet compare to creating the best interior design solution without actually seeing the space. Read my reviews to see exactly what I mean.
I thought I’d share my interior design plans with you.
Here is the horrid picture of the living room “before”. I know, it’s a sad tale of woe.
I’ll spare you the gory details. But it involves no time and not enough parties. I definitely need to change all of that. Anyway, I did enough interior design work so as not to totally embarrass myself. The art placed along the floor was not part of the plan. I wonder how it got there?
Getting down to business, the major problem with the interior design of this long and narrow (23′ x 14′) room is that the coffee table is out of scale. It’s way too big. Basically, this is called Trying to fit the furniture from your old house into the new one. The sequel is called Then I got too busy to fix it.
The room is long and thin. That makes it very hard to create one seating area without wasting a lot of space. So I divided the room into two groupings.
New Shop On Etsy: SockTales Makes Headlines
I’m a little off topic today, but I had to share these awesome, handmade headbands now available at Etsy’s SockTales shop (love that name).
My niece has fashioned these one size fits all must have fashion headbands using a variety of colorful new socks. Each headband is finished with a special button or bow. To check out what’s she has in stock, go SockTales and check them out.
Each headband sells for $12.00. Awesome price! I love a one of a kind accessory. As I always say in the interior design biz, accessories are the jewelry that make a room look finished. The same is obviously true for fashion. It’s the shoes and the headband that make an outfit look pulled together.
Take a look at SockTales. These are original and fun.
Yoo Hoo! Where Has Design Hole Gone?
Well, it seems I’ve been on vacation and forgot to write a post to let you know. But guess what? I’m still at the beach! Yay! Now that it’s just us three, I’ll have more time to write. I’ve got a few things up my sleeve. But I had to finish the jigsaw puzzle first. See you in a few days. Have a great weekend!
How To Create A Recessed Lighting Plan
Want to make your friends ooh and ahh over your beautiful living room? Don’t forget the recessed lighting. A good plan for recessed lighting is they key to creating a room that perfectly lights the room and adds some drama and romance. Take a look at a quick recessed lighting plan I designed.
The grey dots represents the recessed lights, or “downlighting” as we sometimes call then in the interior design trade. The first thing that might strike you is that they’re not placed in a grid pattern. You don’t need one because you want to highlight different areas of the room.
First, you must have proper ambient light. That means enough light so you can see. I’ve accomplished that pretty much with the lamps (in blue). Recessed lighting, set to their own switch, can add more if you need it.
Now for the most important part of your overall design of the room – the placement of your recessed lighting. You want to create drama! You may want brighter light on a rainy day. But you definitely want a romantic feel for parties and… well, use your imagination. Do this by putting you recessed lights on dimmers. This is essential! It might be the art, or it might be the seating.
Next, spot different areas you want to highlight. These can be things like artwork and separate seating areas, as I’ve done here. Set your switches so you can control what you want to highlight. Let’s take a look a few essentials.
On the left, I’ve installed three adjustable recessed lights to frame a large piece of art (in green). Lighting art obviously, brings more attention to it. The same goes for another adjustable recessed light over the mantle. By adjustable, I mean you can aim the lens at whatever you want. They’re not facing straight down.
Now, think of walking into a gently lit room for a party. The recessed lighting is focused on the seating and, therefore, highlights the people. There, again, is focus. That’s really important to creating a romantic and dramatic feeling. (Please note that the placement of my recessed lights aren’t perfect. Have your interior designer or a lighting expert plan the placement)
Here are a few tips to think about
Don’t place the recessed lighting directly over your guests’ heads or they’ll look like Frankenstein. Use a professional to help with the placement.
Step away from the grid! I promise you, no one will notice the recessed lights. They’ll be looking at that hot guy sitting on the love seat.
Use small, 4-inch recessed lights. The giant 6-inch “cans” are so last century.
Note that there a variety of adjustable recessed lights. You want the ones that don’t fall below the ceiling height. Halo makes a good product.
Don’t buy your recessed lights from the big box stores. They’re not the quality you want and a few dollars more will be money well spent. Go to a local electrical supply house. Or have your electrician buy them for you.
Have any questions, comments, photos you’d like to share? Ask away, comment away, and email your photos to me at designholeonline [at] gmail..com. Caio for now!
FLOR’s “Reoriented” Enters The Over-Dyed Carpet Trend
I’m so glad I held onto my grandmother’s threadbare, sun-bleached dining room carpet. Thanks to the over-dyed rug rage, it’s looking soooo HOT!
Which brings me to FLOR, our favorite carpet square company. They’ve entered the competition with Reoriented. It looks really good, doesn’t it? Read More…
4 Beautiful Bowls To Decorate Your Table
Whether you’re looking for a centerpiece that will make a stand-alone statement, or a decorative bowl to use as an accent, here are 4 finds I especially like.
Red is my favorite color, so I know I can’t go wrong with this red bamboo bowl.($28.00) It’s 14-inches wide and hails from Ten Thousand Villages. Read More…
How To Add Accessories To Your Home Without Spending A Bundle
Have you ever noticed a woman wearing a beautiful dress only to notice that her shoes are the wrong color, a belt would have added a lot of zip, and that she forgot the jewelry? I think in the same way when I walk into a home. The furniture is beautiful, but where is the jewelry? You might think that art and accessories are the least important part of decorating a home. “Those things are so small. Who’s gonna notice?” And hey, after spending all that money on the furniture it may seem that spending even more on accessories really isn’t that necessary. Or, it will get done later. Much later.
I want you to love where you live. All of it! So make sure you’ve got the tchotchkes. They’re just as important as the right pair of shoes. Read More…
The Hottest House Plant? Say Hello to the Fiddle Leaf Fig
Did you ever think there could be a trend in house plants? To be honest, I’m not a plant person, so I’ve never given it much thought. As a designer, I choose a plant that looks great and will get the right amount of sunlight for the room I’m working with. And I make sure my clients are prepped for its care and feeding. I haven’t ever fallen in love with a ficus tree. But things have changed.
I’m working with a client who loves plants. She runs a business creating floral arrangements for events. So I had worked closely with her to make sure her plants would be perfect. After all, I’m all about creating spaces so you’ll love where you live. That’s when I discovered the Fiddle Leaf Fig.
Once I saw them and fell in love I started seeing them everywhere. Isn’t it funny how that sort of thing happens? This plant has surely transcended the tried and true Ficus tree.
The Fiddle Leaf Fig is actually a bush, but it can be trimmed into a tree and shaped in all kinds of ways. Here are some design ideas to check out using the latest thing in house plants. Hey, you don’t want to be left behind!
The Fiddle Leaf Fig has made its way onto the covers of several shelter magazines like Elle Decor (above). Read More…
Willows in my Backyard
I’ve been writing about my husband’s idea of planting an alle of trees on the side of our home. It began as a sad walk edged on either side by patches of stones which had begun to look like litter boxes with weeds. After three years, his plan is looking lovely.
Here’s where we started. The cat box was still the focal point, but you have to have faith. And a neighbor with a green thumb. Read More…
Color Reformed Carpets and Over-dyed Rugs: A Major Trend
Have you seen the latest craze in rugs since shag carpet? Over-dyed carpets have taken off like a rocket since I saw them at the Salone in Milan last April. Moroso’s “Carpet Reloaded” styles had lovely colors that set the high mark for this trend. Take a look at these images, top and below. Moroso rocks, don’t they?
Who first came up with this idea? Ask around and you’ll get several answers, but everyone agrees the trend really took off in France. Here’s how they’re made. Read More…
The Latest Trend In Interior Design: Sculptures Are Must-Haves For Sophisticated Rooms
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Accessories are the most important part of any properly decorated room. They’re the finishing touch – much like the earrings, scarf and shoes you wear to complete an outfit.
Sculptures and statuary are an emerging trend that will help you put that final piece of jewelry in any room. Here are a few I’ve chosen to get your creative decorating minds a head start on this trend.
Have you visited One Kings Lane? They feature daily sales on individually selected home products. This Saturday, June 4th, interior designer, Michelle Nussbaumer, will be featured as one of their Tastemakers. They select items from their own inventory. Which brings me back to statuary.
These Tang Dynasty-style ceramic rams (pictured above) will be included in the sale ($749 – marked down from $1,400). You have to grab these deals fast as there are only a few pieces available and they sell out quickly. In the case of these horses, they’re one-of-a-kind. I often see statuary and sculptures at One King’s Lane.
On Vacation: Be Back Tomorrow
I forgot to tell you that I’m on vacation. In fact, I was on vacation all last week. Well, I was actually working on a HUGE project for most of last week and couldn’t even think at the end of the day – except about a glass of wine. Then, I went on vacation to our beach house (shown above).
I know. You’re all jealous. But I hope you’ll forgive me if I add that we also have a HUGE pool only seconds away. Read More…
DIY Project: Create Your Own Paint-by-Number With Paintapic
Do you remember those paint-by-numbers we painted at camp or on rainy summer days? I remember the choices were pretty much limited to autumn scenes and wolves. Snore. But don’t fret. Paintapic has transformed the paint-by-number world just in time for summer. Keith Gould, a technical director for a design industry web site created this easy to use personalized process. Read More…
