La Vie En Rose -- FABulous artwork!

Finding a piece of artwork that fits your space and ties everything together can make a world of difference in the entire aesthetics of a room!

A client and I poured through art books and finally decided on this print -- "La Vie En Rose" by Didier Lorenco.  The painting had the corals and blues that were already in this sitting room, and also some darker colors to help tone things down.  The strokes of the painting and shapes in the balcony rail followed the same form of the patterned wall-covering, and helped to ground the piece.  We framed the print in gold and silver scrolls and swirls, a specialty frame from Max Moulding.  The piece gives the room such depth and life, and provides a visual escape to a Parisian lounge-y day!

Bold lines redefine a pair of valances

A client had some valances in her kitchen area, made about 3 years ago.  She still liked them, but felt they needed to be a little bit bolder.  I suggested using fabric from the draperies I was making for the adjoining room to create some bold lines on the valances and tie the two rooms together.

The results are in:

Before:

After:

This was such an inexpensive way to totally transform the look of these valances.  Using the contrasting darker fabric, made these valances more sleek and modern -- creating a new look, with very little cost!

How to: Make a cornice-- the at-home and easy way!

To begin, we measured the curve of the window and extended a foot out on all sides, using a large sheet of paper-- tracing the inside edge of the trim on the window with chalk, to create a pattern. 

We then laid the pattern out on a piece of plywood and using a jigsaw, cut out the shape of the cornice.  For 6 inches of depth, we had boards ripped at the store, and screwed them into the plywood front of the cornice.  We used L-brackets for additional support in fastening.

Next, we laid down a synthetic batting over the entire cornice, for padding and softness of shape.  After the batting, we laid down our fabric and trimmed it to the shape, then made sure to line it up and center it before beginning to staple.

To install above the window, we attached larger L-brackets to the wall, mounted the rods and draperies to the cornice, set the cornice ontop of and screwed into the L-brackets.

Ta-da!  Here you have it, a bold cornice -- done by you!

Fresh accents for the Greslick room

Creating a more modern, finished look in this sitting room was a bit of a challenge -- it's rich red walls, and mixture of tones and textures required a bit of creativity in finding a harmonious, balanced feel.

Before:

Solutions:

The first thing to do was switch out the area rug in the room.  The previous had become faded and was more antiquated, so we selected a colorful rug with larger florals, that seemed more to scale with the room and gave the room and younger, fresher feel.
For artwork, my client had two frames, with doilies and broaches mounted in them, that had belonged to her grandmother, so I felt it was important to incorporate these into the design of the room -- because of their significance.  I also decided to feature a fabulous painting of a woman and doves that my client already had hanging in the room. 

We kept the existing furnishings, with the exception of a few pieces (a chaise and side table), added in some lattice-patterned nesting end tables in black (for contrast and sleekness) and gold table lamps.  We fashioned a cornice to mimic those found in another room of the house, and added some new draperies and sheer curtains.  The fabric we used in the cornice is a modern touch, that ties into the shapes and colors of the framed doilies, while the drapery and sheer fabrics give the room rich pops of color.

Almost no room refresh is complete without a change in the furniture layout, so I moved the furnishings around for ease and functionality in the space, placing the sofa on the opposite wall, and moving a side chair and cabinets as well.

After:

A new seat for a crossback desk chair...

Yesterday, I was commissioned with the task of recovering a desk chair for a client as part of a room re-do for her son.

The chair was structurally in great condition, but had a few stains on the upholstery of the seat, so I decided to recover it with a Greek key patterned fabric.  This gave it a fresh look, helped to tie the chair into the other fabrics I selected for the room and provided a little variety and texture to the furnishings in the room.

Before:

Step 1. Remove seat from chair.

Step 2. Remove liner fabric from underside of seat.

Step 3: Lay out seat on top of fabric and cut out around seat.  Leave about 3" to turn over the edge of the seat and cut along the contour/curve of the seat.

Step 4: Stretch fabric over the edge of the seat, staple in place.  I used 3/16" staples for the sides, and 1/4" for the corners where the fabric is thicker from being folded over itself.  Be sure to staple about 2" from the edge of the seat, but not too close to the edge of the fabric.

Step 5:  Re-adhere liner fabric to the underside of seat.  This can be glued down, or in this case, stapled down.  Some people do not replace the liner, but it helps to give a more finished/clean look.

 

Step 6: Reassemble seat bottom to the chair base.

After:

And that is how you recover a simple crossback chair.  As easy as 1,2,3,4,5! :)

A few subtle changes; a few major effects

Hello Blog World!

One of my recent projects has been to refresh a combination living and dining room for a home in Plymouth, MI.  The space is wonderful, with great architectural features-- high ceilings, detailed wall and trim finishes, hard wood floors, and large divided windows-- allowing a lot of natural light. 

My client's concerns were the scale and proportion in the room, and creating an updated look.  She felt that the window treatments were too small for the space, and created a disproportional feel.  The oversize mirror above the sideboard in the alcove, also felt too large for the thin legs on the table and filled too much space of the alcove. 

Before:



Solutions:



To scale down the ceiling and add more cool colors into the room, we chose a blue-grey ceiling paint, leaving the existing detail work on the beams, but bringing some cooler, darker grey into the detail.

To make the window treatments more proportional, I made some floor length draperies, simple, but with a fun (more modern) pattern, to contrast with the existing cornice fabric.

In the alcove area, we brought in a smaller mirror, and my client selected a painted Harlequin Diamond pattern for a special, dramatic feature for the room.  Again, we went with a grey color, to incorporate more cool tones into the room,  but chose a darker hue for more contrast.

In rearranging the layout of the room, I removed select furnishings, and replaced some artwork to streamline and simplify the room. I rotated the sofas so they would open up to the room-- creating a more inviting living area, and ease of movement throughout the space.

We took down the vines strung around the beams, replaced hardware and drawer pulls on the cabinets, sideboard and end table, replaced the area rugs with more modern and darker ones for contrast and scaling, and brought in a few new colorful accessories as accent pieces.

And here are the after pictures you have all been waiting for -- proof that subtle and simple changes can have very grand effects!

After:

Decorative Details:

Wine Bottle Lamps

My friend Stephanie Pease recycled wine bottles to make these cool decorative lamps that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE!!!  Check them out, and stop by Frame Factory in Ann Arbor to see more!

Antique Mirror with a new frame!

I found this antique mirror when my parents were packing up their things for a move.  It had been stored since our last move (13 years prior), and was antiqued when we acquired it from the previous owner of our house in Maryland.

The frame was still all in one piece, but was chipping and brittle, the corners were pulling apart and the mirror's backing needed to be replaced.  The mirror glass, however has a nice 1 inch bevel and just a few minor scratches, so I decided to take it all apart and put a new frame on it.  It's amazing how different framing can produce such different results!

The original frame was a ribbed, simple wood that had been painted white with a light green wash.

I chose something a little more ornate: a highly detailed wooden frame in silver/grey carved pattern with a dark (almost black) edge.

Only 9 more days to enter our drawing for a FREE ROOM MAKEOVER!

Reminder:  Entry deadline for our Free Room Makeover is 7:00pm March, 19th!

Stop by Frame Factory at:

3540 Washtenaw Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI
48104

Call for more info:
734-971-1100

Progress on the lakefront

This winter my sister, Christi, moved into lakefront room in a home in St. Joseph, MI.  The view is AMAZING, and the space is very open, but required a little planning to make it a usable, efficient, and attractive space.

When I met with Christi, we discussed what the space would be used for, and determined she would need a place to sleep, space and seating to entertain up to 8 guests, a living area that doubled as a guest sleeping area, and a dining space that doubled as workspace.

There are no built-in storage units, or closets in the space, so finding adequate places to stow things was an issue.  We decided on a decorative coat hanger near the entrance, and other smaller tables with drawers.  We also used the larger dresser that had been left behind by someone as a stand for the television, and for the majority of her storage needs.

This room is still a work in progress, with a need for more lighting (there is one main light to fill the space).  We are also still planning window treatments for the exterior windows in the room, since the existing blinds are in disrepair.

Here are some pictures to show you how it's coming along! :)

Before

Because this room was a four-seasons room added onto the back of the house, there is a sliding glass door, which is the entry-way for the room.

There is also a window between the master bedroom and this bedroom (another result of this room being an "afterthought").

For privacy, and aesthetics, I installed curtains in front of both the window and the door wall.  To liven the room and create visual interest, I chose a bright green color for the window treatments. 

The view outside is Lake Michigan.  We chose a light blue-grey, soothing tone in an eggshell finish for the walls, to mirror the color of the sky, and tie into the theme of water surrounding the home.

 The wall color, being a cool finish should help to create a relaxing environment.





After

You see here, the bedroom area in the background, and the living room in the foreground.  Not shown is a small dining set, near the entry way of the room.

Once we sat down to discuss and plan, the layout of the room became clear-- entry, dining, living, sleeping.

The sleeping area would be furthest away from entry, for privacy and safety, with a dressing mirror close to the bed. 

Seating and an entertainment area would be central to the room, with the seating positioned so that guests could easily view the television, as well as the view outside.  The tan sectional is a used freebie I found a few years back, and is perfect as multi-functional, movable seating, as well as a sleeper for guests (when all sections are pushed together in a row).

The dining area would be closest in proximaty to the entryway of the room which is almost adjacent to the kitchen.  We positioned the dining here for ease and convenience, and to keep food and beverages far away from the bedding.

As I said, this is a work in progress, with much to be done!  I will keep posting updates of the space, for your enjoyment!