Alluminare Craft Contest

What would you do with 20 square feet of wallpaper? Come up with your best handmade plan and you could win a gift certificate to make your creation a reality.

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!

• Posted by Jennifer at 1:15 pm
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• Tagged: Design Ideas, contest, crafts, custom wallpaper, giveaway, handmade

Design Dilemma: A Vibrant, Contemporary Living Room

Anyone who loves a Charles Sofa is my kind of person. 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 version inspired by the original. It’s sitting in her newly constructed Florida home and she asked me to come up with some ideas to complete the room.

Georgia loves strong colors. 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!

Inspiration

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 and 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?

Do You Have A Suggestion?

Feel free to add your own thoughts and ideas. I love a good discussion. Of course, you can just tell me I’m a genius. I like that, too. :)

• Posted by Jennifer at 4:04 pm
• 2 Comments
• Tagged: Design Dilemma

Design Dilemma: A Multi-Purpose Bathroom

Family bathrooms that double as guest powder rooms are tricky to decorate. The purpose of the first is both private and utilitarian – get the family clean and spruced up in a hurry each morning. This requires sturdy, washable elements.

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.

• Posted by Jennifer at 3:41 pm
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• Tagged: Design Dilemma, Kitchen & Bath

Chair of the Day: Plan Canvas

Hi! I’m supposed to be relaxing at the beach. But I found this great site called Plan Canvas and decided to post a Chair of the Day. It should probably be called Chair of the Week.

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!

• Posted by Jennifer at 5:03 pm
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• Tagged: Chair of the Day, Furniture, diy, You Could Make That Yourself

Design Tip Tuesday: A Contemporary Foyer

Today’s design dilemma is from Design Hole reader, Nuzhat. She has a beautiful, contemporary apartment which she’s decorated with an eclectic mix of furnishings, mostly Italian. Nuzha would like some help with her foyer. One enters the apartment directly from the two elevators shown in the photo, above. Currently, she has a black, lacquered table filling the space with a small carpet underneath. The space is painted a bright fuchsia. (The colors may look different onscreen, but she was kind enough to give me the exact color, which was very helpful). There are some downlights, but Nuzhat would like to add a chandelier. What should she do to make this space pop?

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.

• Posted by Jennifer at 7:02 pm
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• Tagged: Design Dilemma

Chair of the Day

I thought I’d spend the week focusing on famous Chairs of the Bauhaus for all those returning college students who might be studying it this term. First up is Marcel Breuer’s Wassily Chair, which he designed in 1927. It’s hard to believe that something which looks so contemporary is actually celebrating its 80th birthday, isn’t it?

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?

• Posted by Jennifer at 10:17 pm
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• Tagged: Chair of the Day, Furniture