This is the first time she’s been able to decorate a home “from scratch.” That’s always an extra challenge because everything is on the menu. Patti wants to start with this family room and use the style and colors to set the tone for the rest of her home. That’s a good idea. The family room will be a warm, cozy retreat for herself and husband. They’ll watch TV, enjoy the view, and snuggle. A desk would be nice. And maybe they’d like to have some friends over to enjoy the flat screen.

As I said, Patti sent me lots of info. I particularly liked the image of the bathroom. The friendly feeling and great use of color is inspirational. I added the image of one of the sofas she likes. Keep the scale in mind. I’ll be talking about it later.

Okay, so I know what my parameters are. Now for the design. Because of the room’s size and all the doors, I started with space planning. There are some basic rules to help. Because the room is so narrow, and there is a major traffic path from the kitchen, garage and entry, I know we’ll need three feet of space. That leaves seven feet for furniture. Next, I divided the room into groupings. We need two – one for living and one for the home office. I also want to make use of the view through the large window and sliding door. That means the scale of the furniture should be smaller. Here’s what I came up with.

It’s easiest to start with the sofa. Patti’s large, upholstered choice has a 45″ depth – too large for this room, which is a common mistake. A large sofa needs larger sized pieces to create a uniform look. That will interfere with our traffic lane, make the room look small and cramped and the furniture will look ginormous. We need to see the view!  So….

I chose a sofa that has the upholstered comfort Patti wants without the bulk. The cushions provide all the comfort they need. The rustic end table looks antique, and provides storage and a serving tray. Don’t feel that you have to match all the woods. Using different finishes creates depth and texture. Two seagrass ottomans make a great coffee table – they pull double duty as extra seating. The seagrass is great because this room leads to the backyard and creates a more relaxed mood. The table lamp has a warm crackle finish.

• Belmont Sofa, from Pottery Barn ($1,399) is covered in brushed canvas. Color: honey
• Seagrass Sectional Ottoman, from Pottery Barn ($299). Color: honey weave
• Hunter Side Trunk, from Crate & Barrel ($329)
• Kora Table Lamp, from Crate & Barrel ($199).

I kept the second part of the grouping away from the wall to make the best use of the view. Those awful blinds have got to go, but we’ll be to that later. The curvy loveseat is fully upholstered, but in scale with the larger bench-style sofa. We have space for a console table (with much-needed storage) behind it and two lovely seagrass lamps that rest on top. They not only provide extra lighting, but match the casual look of the ottomans.

• French settee, from Wisteria ($699). They offer slipcover options, too.
• Brady Console from Ballard Designs ($399). On sale!
• Cote D’Ivoire Lamps, from Ballard Designs ($79 each).
• Olivia Settee, from Pottery Barn, ($1,649). I chose this as another option. I like the red fabric on their model.

We finish the seating area with a media storage piece from Crate & Barrel. The warm wood tones and antique feel add to the room’s warm, cozy atmosphere. I included some planter options for the icus trees (or similar) I’ve incorporated into the room. Again, I want to create a transition from the home to the garden.

• Kavari Media Stand, from Crate & Barrel ($799)
• Garden Planter Baskets, from Pottery Barn ($49)

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Now we move to the home office. I wasn’t sure how important this was to Patti. Most of us use laptops these days. But it seems we have the room – barely. If I saw the room in person I might have a different opinion. The measurements say yes, but things look different in real life – the feel of the room comes across much better. I also want to take the heater into account. It may be needed.

That’s why I’m sticking to the simplest forms. A desk, chair and table lamp. Notice I am not using a desk chair or work lamp. Our purposes need to be unified. We’re at home, right? The wicker chair and rustic table lamp blend with the rest of the room beautifully. Once again, I’m mixing finishes – going for the eclectic look that make a room look less decorated.

• Andover Desk, from Ballard Designs ($299)
• Key West Wicker Chair, from Ballard Designs ($349 for a set of 2)
• Sienna Table Lamp, from Pottery Barn ($110)

It’s a very personal thing with me, but I can’t stand those vertical blinds. Yik. Lose them. Instead, opt for panels that either cover the window when closed, or  create that illusion. I don’t know how much privacy Patti needs here. I recommend a panel for the window and leave the sliding doors alone. The sunlight from the window may interfere with the TV. But the doors won’t. Then, go for matching blinds on the window above the heater. I chose treatments from Pottery Barn, but any fabric in this colorway will do. I like the feminine touch of the toile pattern.

• Matine Toile Drape, from Pottery Barn, ($89 – $119)

As I’ve said before, it’s the accessories that really make a room look finished. Don’t forget the toss pillows and some art work. Here is a collection of pillows from Pottery Barn. They add color and texture and pizzazz to the room. Don’t freak about matching colors precisely.

• Find a great selection of toss pillows, from Pottery Barn here. There are also some great ones from Wisteria that would suit the look of this room. Find then here.

If you read Design Hole regularly, you know that I always say choose the paint last. You can always start with a color in mind, but don’t buy the paint until you’ve chosen everything else. There are zillions of paint colors, but only so many pairs of curtains. I look Patti’s inspiration and used the blue and cream tones. These are just ideas. She’ll have to match things when she decides on curtains and pillows.

I like the idea of painting her ceiling a warm color. Because of the porch-like nature of the room, it will seem warmer in the winter. I recommend Jamestown Blue for the walls (use a special roller to lessen the orange peel effect). I like Arizona Tan for the ceiling and Acadia White for anything on the windows that needs painting. Paint the wall trim the same color as the walls.

What do you think? Is this a room only Patti could love? I hope not! Do you have any advice for her? I’m don’t have a huge ego – weigh in with your ideas. Remember that when you’re starting from scratch, map out your routes. three fett for major traffic, two feet – eighteen inches for spaces like the area behind the console table. Typically, you need fifteen inches between the sofa and the coffee table.

Let me know what you think! I love feedback.

Jennifer’s Design Tips

• When designing an entire house, you can start with one room, but keep other rooms in mind. How will you use the colors throughout the home? How will the style be translated in other rooms?
• Scale is really important in a narrow room with more than one use requirement. A giant sofa will take up the entire room. Use smaller pieces and keep clutter to an absolute minimum.
• Blend different types and color of wood finishes to create a textured, eclectic look.
• Painted finishes add to a less decorated look. Rooms shouldn’t look so “matchy matchy”.
• Segue between rooms. Use color, coordinating fabrics, plants etc…
• Don’t mix your messages. You’re either in an office or a family room. You can do both, but use furnishings that create a unified look. A file cabinets, work lamp and lots of wires in the family room? I don’t know about you, but when I’m at home I don’t want to be thinking about the office.

Alluminare, the sponsor of this contest, is the place to go to create your own, one-of-a-kind wallpaper. Choose your pattern, colors and sizes. Have fun! Then, scoot back here and let me know what you chose (copy the URL – it’s the easiest way to share)¬† and let me know how you’d put it to good use.

Stumped for ideas? Take some of mine:

• Cover a twin-sized headboard with a cheerful pattern for your child’s room.
• Create Instant Art with a bold pattern cut in two or three pieces. Cover canvases or canvas frames with the paper and hang them on either side of a fireplace. Or side-by-side in a dining room.
• Line envelopes, make greeting cards
• Decoupage a waste basket and cover a mirror frame to create a groovy a powder room

For all the fun details, follow this link to my previous post. Don’t wait! The contest ends this Monday. The winner will be drawn at random. And did I mention the Design Hole T shirt? Oooh!

I love it when clients pull together things that inspire them, like the board shown above. It gives me a starting point for design. And, anyone who loves a Charles Sofa is my kind of person. Those are two reasons why I was delighted to hear from Georgia B., who aspires to owning the real thing one day. In the meantime, she has settled for a less expensive “Charles” inspired by the original. It sits in her newly constructed Florida home. A sofa is always a good place to start designing a new home. Georgia asked me to take over and help with the rest. 

She loves strong colors like those shown on her inspiration board. The room needs some extra seating and a proper place for the television that might offer some storage. She’s replacing the white carpet with hardwood flooring and would like to advise everyone to stay away from white carpet in the living room!

Georgia sent me some wonderful images for inspiration. “I was really stunned by a trip I took to France,” Giorgia explains. “We saw the Ochres of Roussillon there. My husband is Jamaican and I’m Italian, so we love bright colors.”

Design Solution – Vibrant & Contemporary

Keeping in mind, that budget is an issue, I chose furnishings that would fit with the contemporary look Georgia is looking for that aren’t too expensive. As always, for these dilemmas, I try to use resources that are readily available nation-wide. I don’t always know which stores readers have access to.

I started in the middle, with a vibrant area rug that Georgia can easily clean – and take with her if she moves. Madeline Weinrib’s Otto Carpet is just the thing to set the scene. The warm orange will look great with the warm tones of the hardwood floor. This cotton carpet comes in a variety of sizes. I recommend an 8′x 10′. Check Madeline’s website for retail locations. All her carpets can be ordered through ABC Carpet & Home.

Furnishings

Next comes the seating. Georgia mentioned that she likes chair-and-a-halfs. They are fun to snuggle up in. However, the scale is too large to sit next to the sofa. Scale is really the most important thing to consider when choosing furniture. To figure this out, check out seat heights. They should match. Also, choose similar styles. I chose a love seat with the same contemporary look. CB2′s Annex Love Seat will add extra seating that looks sharp and comes in a gray neutral that will fit in nicely. It retails for $749.

I chose CB2′s Spool Coffee Table ($449) and a couple of their Xtra Square Side Tables ($179) to finish up the living area. I like how the round table off-sets all the strong squares. It reminds me of the classic Knoll table designed by Walter Platner, but if much more affordable. And the side tables are light and airy – just the thing for a small room. Georgia’s floor lamp is great. I’d add another and remove the little table lamp.

Now for the television wall. Georgia made my life very easy by selecting IKEA’s Besta wall system. It offers a style in keeping with the rest of the room, has great storage, and look great. Georgia even came up with some choices she liked. She’s got a great eye. Here’s the one I like. Switch it around so that the cabinet is on the left.

Accessories

I say keep it simple here. Remove all the clutter and the Mexican throw. Exchange it for a soft throw blanket. Add a collection of toss pillows, in solid colors (below), to the sofa. Leave the love seat bare naked. Artwork suggestions are Rothko prints, or paint your own. They’re pretty easy to duplicate (please no angry comments from art critics). You don’t even need to buy a frame if you buy a canvas that’s wrapped around the frame. Keep the look crisp and clean.

Paint & Palettes

Finally, let’s take a look at color. Georgia likes bold colors – but not lime green! I’d like her to consider a violet hue for all the walls, with a darker shade on the inner part of the tray ceiling. The rest of the ceiling should remain white. If this color seems too strong, play with it. Or consider leaving the inner walls of the house white. Be brave and go for the whole shebang.

Why violet? I chose a cool color to balance the warmth of the wood floor. The cool color will recede, making the room look larger. Using something like orange, which Georgia was considering would be blinding in a room with orange tones on the floor – meaning the hardwood.

I’ve stopped making exact suggestions because the colors differ widely from computer screen to computer screen. And you really have to test the samples in the space. I do recommend giving Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint a try. It’s a new resin-based paint with low VOCs that doesn’t need mixing. The color doesn’t differ from can to can. Best of all, it often covers in one coat. Make sure you test the colors first. Paint them on a sample board and view them at different time of the day and in different lights.

Final Thoughts

As Georgia mentioned, she’s Italian and her husband comes from Jamaica. They must make a lively and fun pair. I can’t wait to see the finished room. If I’m lucky, maybe one day they’ll invite me over for some Italian/Jamaican Meat Patties. Georgia, send me a photo and I’ll send you a Design Hole tee shirt. Okay?

Powder rooms are quite the opposite. They’re public spaces, which offer a chance to pamper a guest and perhaps add a little drama to your home.

The Problem
How do you combine the two? This is the question Lisa asked me regarding the shared bathroom for her family of six (!). She lives in a rambler-style home with one bathroom on the main floor. Lisa, her husband and their four children, share it along with their guests.

Lisa said she’s up for anything, but she doesn’t want to change the furnishings in the room right now. So that means creating a functional, decorative room that will always look nice when company arrives.

The Solution
My first thought was that the bathroom needs what most rooms do: a pulled together look. It also needs to be more functional and colorful, with a proper place for towels.

Carpet – The Place To Start
With a bathroom that needs to be both formal and informal, it’s best to place pattern on one primary surface. I chose the floor. It adds the depth we need, gets rid of the tile Lisa doesn’t like, and lends a more formal air to the room.

I’m suggesting Needlepoint Stripe carpet square from FLOR in Camellia ($12.99/tile). I’ve installed this type of carpet in bathrooms before and they’re great. If a tile gets dirty you pick it up and wash it. You can also order a few extras in case a replacement is needed. This stripe is sophisticated and provides a palette to work. Just remember to install it last!

Walls, Cabinet and Trim
Now we’re on to the paint. Lisa will need to use the carpet square to work from. I’d go with a neutral, vanilla hue for the walls, and a blue for the ceiling that matches the carpet. They don’t have to be an exact match. The doors and trim should be painted off-white. I’m not suggesting a specific color because things don’t look the same on a computer and real life.

Go to a paint store, like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams and ask for help selecting the specific colors. Use eggshell on the walls and ceiling. Semi gloss on the trim.

Paint the Vanity & Mirror

Next, you need to paint the vanity and the mirror dark brown. This will update the entire room. Something likes the photo below.

I’d even paint the brass around the lights. But leave the pulls alone – unless you feel like painting them a chrome metallic. It’s nicer to have all the metals in a bathroom match. Speaking of which, go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and change out the hardware on the vanity – or paint those, too.

Shower Curtain and Towels
Lisa is so funny. She said she really likes the expensive shower curtains, but usually buys the $30 ones. I understand that – especially with four kids. But (you knew there was a but coming), better to spend a little extra to get a sturdy fabric curtain that will look more like a real curtain. The curtain will last longer, look more sophisticated, and be nicer for guests. I’m recommending the Diamond Matelasse curtain from Restoration Hardware. It comes in a zillion colors and sells for $79. So it will be easy to find one that matches the carpet.

I had an interesting idea for the towels. Why not lose the single towel rack and use hooks instead? Hang six on the far wall – at different heights. You can find inexpensive hooks at Home Depot or IKEA. These Mercer hooks are from Pottery Barn ($19).

Now, choose towels in colors that coordinate with the carpet – a different color for each family member. If you sew a sturdy loop of grosgrain ribbon on one corner they can hang from the loop, creating a nice draped look. I like the PB Classic Bath Towels (on sale for $39.99). But any style that comes in lots of colors is fine.

Lisa will have a practical wall that doubles as art. Tip: buy towels in sets of two, so you’ve always got a clean towel on hand. When company comes over, whip out the clean set.

Accessories
Okay, so we here we are at the Joan Crawford part of this post. There’s something about paper cups, tissue boxes and liquid soap just hanging out in their packages that I don’t like. It looks messy. Turn to your inner Joan and spruce up the counter with a set of matching accessories like the Nova Collection from Target. A cheap plant could be nice too. If it dies, just buy a new one.

Storage Over The Toilet?
Lisa said she was thinking about adding another storage cabinet over the toilet. The problem with this is that the cabinets won’t match and it will look like an afterthought. I suggest hardcore editing of everything that lives in the closet and cabinet to create more space.

If Lisa really, really needs that extra space, buy some glass shelves. Do not buy one of those things that sit on the floor and go over the toilet. Those aren’t allowed – ever. They’re ugly, plus you get back into that two cabinet sort of thing again. However, the glass shelves will look messy, too. So I’d try really hard to steer clear of that.

Mark Rothko
A much better idea is to hang some art over the toilet. Something with blue would lively up the place, and go with the ceiling.

My favorite Instant-Art idea is to paint your own Mark Rothko. Go to your local art supply store and buy a canvas with a one-inch wrap on the side. You won’t need a frame. Then, buy some acrylic paints and a couple of brushes and have at it. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. Remember, this is inspired by Mark!

Some Tips For Multi-Use Bathrooms

• When designing a multi-use bathroom keep the pattern to one element: wallpaper, carpet, or shower curtain
• Spurge on a higher quality shower curtain made of fabric.
• Keep clutter to a minimum, and use tissue covers and decorative liquid soap containers to give the room a softer look.

Okay guys, what do you think of this idea? Let’s get the discussion going.

Anyway, this site sells plans for furniture that you make yourself. So, if you got power tools for Christmas and are itching to use them, maybe this is for you.

This particular chair is called Chair 00004. I think they need to work on the names a bit. You can buy the plans, which are downloaded, for a mere $3.99. What a deal!

A view into the living room

In my opinion, a foyer needs a lot of drama. It’s the entrance after all. It should make a big statement about what’s going on in the rest of the space and invite you to come in. I think that right now the table, while attractive, blocks the entrance. It makes you want to stop instead of enter. I love the color of the walls. The hot pink tells me that Nuzhat is not afraid of something bold. So let’s go!

I do love the color, but it may need to be tweaked a bit in order to best match the rest of the elements (remember – paint comes last). I took that color, and the knowledge that Nuzhat likes contemporary furnishings and came up with two variations. The plan shown is below.

New floor plan

I would start with the art work. I’d like to see something large and bold greet me when I step off the elevator. There are many ways to go. Nuzhat could choose one large painting, or a series of three or four (see the elevation, below).

Elevation showing art work option

Other choices are a mural from Ferm, or stretched canvas panels. Again, Ferm has these, or you can have them made using a bold fabric pattern. I’ve not selected anything here, because this is a one-of-a-kind thing. Nuzhat can find what she’s looking for at art galleries in her city. Now, we need a great carpet.

I think any 8′ x 10′ area rug would fit nicely and it should be colorful. For an idea, I went to Missoni Home. I chose two that I particularly like. The first is a stripe called Harlem. the second is a floral called Fleury. They are both colorful and the patterns create some lively movement. Either one, or something similar, would be great.

Next, the furniture. The typical hallway piece would be a round table of some sort. But that’s so ordinary. And, as I said earlier, it fails to invite you into the space. Further, a table is useful only for stashing the mail. Why not do something different that will really bring in the wow factor? I recommend replacing the table with some dramatic seating options – both from Moroso. The first is a round ottoman called Osorom. It was designed by one of my favorites, Konstantin Grcic.

The Osorom ottoman is 48″ round and has won numerous design awards. It’s not only beautiful and useful, but will be a piece that Nuzhat can pass down to her children.

My second idea is to use two different ottomans also from Moroso and likewise was designed by another of my favorites – in this case, Patricia Urquiola. They’re from the Fjord line. Again, these have also won many design awards.

They come in three sizes and many different colors and fabric patterns. I like the interplay of pattern and color this choice creates between the ottomans and the rug. The fabric version, below, gives us an idea of what that would look like. I like the ottoman idea because it won’t detract from the artwork hanging behind it. It’s also creates a useful space for putting on boots in the winter (I noticed the door mats).

Next, the lighting. There are four existing downlights. These should be on dimmers. In addition, the artwork should be specially lit. It would be nice to see the artwork lit so that in the evening we see the art accented. But the space needs more light, in general, and accent lighting in particular. We get two for the price of one with the beautiful chandelier, below.

This is called the Big Bang Chandelier and it’s made by FOS. I found this at Y Lighting. I like this particular piece because of its size and geometrical shape. It will play off the more organic lines of the ottoman(s) underneath.

One last little thing is to clean up the area. I’d remove the mats and paint the switch plates the same color as the wall. If you really need the mats, then buy a couple of squares from Flor. You can wash them and, more importantly, put them away when company comes over.

And that’s it! Nuzhat, close your eyes, and think of these elements in the space. They’re bold and vibrant. They create amazing drama. And, it’s completely unique. No one else will have an entry anything like this. Good luck with your project and don’t forget to send me photos.

Everyone else, please weigh in with your opinion. What would you do? And don’t forget to send me your design projects.

While Breuer was teaching at the Bauhaus he often rode a bicycle, a pastime which the folks at MoMA claim, “led him to what is perhaps the single most important innovation in furniture design in the twentieth century: the use of tubular steel.” I say, “Like, totally tubular!” The tubular steel of his bike gave him the idea for furniture which could be mass-produced and look as if it were “design-less” as well.

Mass production was a big deal at the Bauhaus. And, it had to be affordable for the masses. Their vision of society was one wherein everyone lived in beautifully designed homes furnished with beautifully designed, affordable-to-everyone furniture. Yet the furniture would not belong to any era – the form would follow its function. And you weren’t supposed to muck up the design with silly, personal things like family photos either. So, that was the plan. But in reality, things didn’t turn out that way.

To again quote MoMA, “The model for this chair is the traditional overstuffed club chair; yet all that remains is its mere outline, an elegant composition traced in gleaming steel. The canvas seat, back, and arms seem to float in space. The body of the sitter does not touch the steel framework. Breuer spoke of the chair as “my most extreme work . . . the least artistic, the most logical, the least ‘cozy’ and the most mechanical.” What he might have added is that it was also his most influential work.”

Breuer named the chair the “Wassily” after his friend, the painter Kandinsky. Kandinsky also taught at the Bauhaus. The chair is amazing, and it certainly changed the world of furniture design forever. But it was an utter failure in terms of what the Bauhaus teachers envisioned. The numerous welds not only made mass-production impossible, but quite expensive, too. I don’t know if anyone noticed, but it’s also really uncomfortable to sit in – unless you’re in a reception area where sitting time is limited. Of course historically speaking, none of that matters in the grand scheme of things. But it does when you need a place to sit.

I admit to a love-hate relationship with the Bauhaus. I love the design, but could do without the pretension. Fortunately, most have forgotten the latter. What’s your opinion?