The Sky’s The Limit….

Next time you are in a room, look up.

Go ahead, I will wait…….

Notice anything?  Probably you are looking at a white ceiling with no interest or defining details.  Getting a client to agree to a ceiling treatment is typically pretty difficult.  I liken it to being 16 and trying to get your parents to allow you to stay out past curfew.  You may have a logical and completely legit argument, but they aren’t budging in their final decision.

However, you get those occasional clients who trust your vision and allow you to try something out in their home.  This was the case of my clients at the Calvert Court project.  As a quick recap, they have an amazing mid-century home which we are slowly working on.  At the moment, we are putting the finishing touches on the living room which leads into their dining room.  The living room has very much a “Mad Men” vibe to it with brass fixtures, faux-silk wall coverings, a curved couch….you get the idea.  However, the clients wanted to reuse the dining furniture from their past residence which was not quite mid-century.  Actually, it all was quite modern – white leather chairs, acorn ceiling fixture, mirrored bureau……and it was lacking.   We had furniture that didn’t feel grounded in the space.  We knew the space would feel slightly disjointed from the living room and we were okay with that but the space felt adrift, which was not what you want.

Initially, I suggested we swap rugs but the clients wanted to use their existing rug.  Knowing that we had spent a majority of the budget for the room on new captain’s chairs, I had to figure out a way to anchor the space.

Thus enter the ceiling.

Rather than paint an accent wall, which would have competed with the floor-to-ceiling windows in the space, we opted a large square centered on the ceiling.  After a few testers, we decided on Benjamin Moore Caribbean Sea – it is a hue of the peacock-blue we used throughout the house and it looks equally great  in bright and low light……

Painting the ceiling instantly grounded the room and directed your focus to the amazing windows.  It brought a sense of mood to the space and dulled the modern feel of the furnishings.  The rooms feel connected rather than competing now……

Best of all, the client called me and said “Thank you for suggesting this.  It looks amazing.”  Ummm, how awesome is that?  It totally made my day and put a notch in my “design belt”.  A few finishing touches and we should be ready to call the dining room done!

So tell me, do you like color on your ceiling or do you prefer crisp white?  Speaking of painting, I am back at the Hawthorne project as the painters are back finishing up the bathroom in shades of grey (no relation to the book).

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Calvert Court Update: Wallpaper…..

I have been working on several long term projects, one of which is the Calvert Court project in the beautiful hills of Piedmont (which is the fancy name for the part of Oakland that seceded years ago).  In any case, the couple I am working for are true mid-century buffs and we have slowly been working on the main living quarters (bedroom, dining room and living room)  since the start of the year to update the house.

It’s been slow slogging but this week was a bright spot as we hung the wallpaper in the bedroom and living room.  What should have been a nightmare installation thanks to thick paper, metallic surfaces and uneven walls was saved by my wallpaper installer Susan.  She worked her wallpaper voodoo and aside from some two small patches that need some work, the installation ran flawlessly.

In the bedroom, we opted to install a paper wall covering from Prestigious Wallcoverings called “Rhythm” which fits the mood perfectly.  The paper is a soft creamy white with a gold metallic wave pattern.  It’s a bit mid-century but definitely sophisticated yet fun – the perfect trio in my book……

In the living room, we wanted a slightly more masculine feel, so we opted for a bronze faux silk wall covering from Thibault.  Funny enough, when we received the wall covering sample, someone had written the words “style” across the back of it.  While not the covering’s name, “style” fit the paper perfectly and its what we kept referring to it as throughout the process……

So we got rhythm and we got style….who can ask for anything more?

Well the clients are asking, since there is still a TON of styling to to be done, a ceiling to painted (notice those patch swatches in the living room pic) and custom furniture to receive.  The space is going to be a showstopper – it just needs to get done!

So tell me, how do you feel about wallpaper in your own home?  Love it or leave it?  And one final thought, thank you to everyone who supported my Joss & Main sale!

Okay, I am off to sketch shelving and work with a decorative painter on one final element for the Hawthorne Street project.

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Joyus Recap: Why Did He Do That……

Hey y’all !

It’s the  final week of voting for Joyus.com’s Viewer Choice Challenge!  I thought it would be fun to recap the process and explain some of my design decisions .  To give a brief reminder of the contest, myself and 6 bloggers were given a blank “white room” in which to create a living room space.  Each blogger was given access to artwork, furniture and accessories from a variety of companies such as H.D. Buttercup and 20×200 from which to decorate the room in 4 hours.

I opted to go with the idea of color, pattern and texture for my space after spying a great rug that I thought could be the unifying item for the space.

In all truth, that rug was a god-send as it helped me quickly cull through the various furniture and accessory options.  It took me about a half hour to pull the items I wanted to use in the space.   The rug inspired my selection of the purple chairs and grey couch as well as the inlaid trays.   With selections made it became a job all about staging and accessorizing.

So to address the “elephant” in the room – the vase with the tray on it that I used as a side table.  I have read through the numerous comments  on Joyus.com and to address the concerns actually, it was pretty stable.   But in all likelihood if I was to do this in a room that was not for “show”, I would epoxy the tray to the vase for added stability.  However, I think the point I made was valid – look for items you already have in your home and recycle them.  A tray plus an old pot could just as easily become an end table …… think outside of the box so you don’t have to dig inside your wallet.

I also got some flack for my “ban the bookcase” (BTB) comment but I still stand by it.  Unless bookcases are staged correctly, they become a catchall for clutter –and clutter my friends destroys even the best designs.  By stacking the books under the chairs, not only was I giving the chairs additional visual heft, I was using space that would normally be overlooked.  I love stacking large art books beside chairs, under furniture or in little niches.  I think of them as sculpture.   Honestly I can’t say the number of times I have found people sitting on the floor flipping through a new discovery.  As for them getting dirty, I have a dog who sheds so I dust once a week and have never had an issue with damage.

However, what surprises me most is the feedback I have gotten on the gallery wall.  Evidently, the votes are evenly split – folks either love a gallery wall or hate them with the same passion as they reserve for telemarketers.  Personally, like french fries, I have yet to meet a gallery wall I did not love.  Let it be noted that we weren’t given any large-scale pieces of artwork to use, so I opted to fill the wall space ala gallery style.  It allowed me to use the variety small prints we had on hand and create a unifying theme via their frame finish.  Using the paper templates were a quick and easy way to get the pictures perfectly placed in a quick manner.

Overall, I am still happy with the room I created.  Are there things I would change about it?  Sure!  I would love to have fresh flowers and real plants.  I would love to have a large-scale art piece for above the couch.  I wish I had added another end table beside the purple chairs.  And that list could go on…..

In the end, this was an exercise in thinking on your feet, using what you have in  interesting ways and sharing some tips on how to navigate the tricky terrain of decorating for yourself.  What I can say is that I had a TON of fun and learned a lot about how to work on camera.  My biggest takeaway from all of this is my newfound respect for Ryan Seacrest.  Honestly how he smiles for the camera, remembers what to say and doesn’t sweat like he just ran a 5K is beyond me.  I bow down to his overly tanned, slightly plastic self…….

Okay peeps, I am officially solidly in 3rd place.  I harbor no notion that I may win this thing, but I just don’t want to come in last.  I will even take Mr. Congeniality (which we all know is a cop out for the person they feel least threatened by).  I just don’t want to be last, so if you can help a brotha out, I would appreciate it.  Voting closes April 23 and each time you vote, you are entered to win a $1500 shopping spree from Joyus.com.

Okay I am off to see if I can precariously place any more trays on wayward vases!

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