Design Archives - Page 8 of 14

03/02/2018

Our Home Featured in Design Mom!

Recently our home was featured in Design Mom, a clever, supremely popular site that promotes the “interaction of design & motherhood.” What I find most captivating about the house tours is how they are more than an assembly of pretty images but unearth the true essence of the dweller, doors are open and accessible to all who scroll by. Visitors can virtually linger on the sofa and connect with the family, discovering their relation to the environs. Practical how-to tidbits transgress into such genuine discussions as raising a family in a technologically amped society and monitoring old school beliefs in a modern home.

Table in the parlor room, which has a constant rotation of books and seasonal flowers.

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Posted By jdemontravel

02/15/2018

Nostalgic Textiles Made the Old-Fashioned Way

In the Michigan home of designer Lisa Price passed down traditions reign and are reimagined. Price is the ideal representative behind her whimsical, nostalgic textiles printed with squirrels, cherries or a charcoal grill, further emboldened by bright colors. Her organic pieces are all handmade in the classic wood cut technique, which add a time-honored cache of connecting to the artist—a rare skill in an age of fast fashion and Amazon Prime. Under the early tutelage of her “Grandma”, Price spent summers at her home where they would garden, feed wildlife, stock up on farmer’s market produce and “can up a storm.” She learned to sew and was inspired by her grandmother’s collection of vintage fabrics, which she would repurpose into clothing and aprons. Her creative instincts are atavistic, as her grandfather was a chef in the navy and wrote a cookbook, she owns multiple quilts made by her great grandma, along with a collection of antiques from her great aunt. “So the idea of a unique home, textiles, cooking, etc feels even more deep rooted,” says Price.

A selection of tea towels with wood cut prints of nostalgic emblems that work in the modern day from their color and retro appeal.

Price shares her home with her recently wed husband Stephan. They partner in such activities as creating a grass free lawn so they can garden on their “.007 acre plot” and acquiring vintage items that they prop in their home. A house filled with spider plants, retro prints in mossy green and diner-styled fixtures that reflect all the happy nostalgia of a Drive-In theater. Her influences come across in her wares. Tea towels, pillows and aprons that comfort us by knowing that such a person exists and still designs nostalgic textiles the old-fashioned way. A true creator who upholds a quiet yet powerful existence drawn from baking, outdoor activity and nature.

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Posted By jdemontravel

01/31/2018

Art Inspired Home Design

There are designer homes that follow a Starbuck’s model, despite the different location they all look the same. A formula consisting of high gloss furnishings, gilded bar cart, area rug and textiles in a trending pattern like Greek key or Moroccan trellis. Spaces that appear to be replicated and itemized from the very design books perched on their Lucite coffee table. There are touches that cannot be experienced via print or digital like techno music and scented candles, which must cost more than $75 for fear of smelling like a Walmart variety. To slip away from the prescribed trappings of a designer cliche, where guests will remark whether Poppy, Lilly or some other floral inspired name fluff their pillows, unique pieces and treating your home artistically will distinguish the look.

Merging artistic elements in a home’s design secures originality.

Living in an art inclined home you can swop out paintings the way some people change hair accessories. Paintings, works or art and furnishings assembled from an inherent love over what’s trending creates a kaleidoscope of pieces in home’s accustomed to a perpetual rotation. It’s a process where you mine what you’ve accumulated, edit, acquire and resume the cycle.

A vanity area is given an abstract boost when juxtaposed against original art.

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Posted By jdemontravel

01/26/2018

Wallpaper Design

Take a blank space, add wallpaper, and achieve instant personality. The papered look has range too. It can embody Old World richness, embellishing rooms in grander estates with historic prints, usually of swirling florals in a panoply of garden inspired colors or Asian pagodas, to 80’s metallics that take inspiration from a disco ball. Wallpaper design may evolve though the style always evokes a reaction.

A simple pantry/bar area is elevated to a designed space by the addition of wallpaper and complimentary elements.

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Posted By jdemontravel

01/19/2018

Simple Laundry Room Makeover

Just because your washables are in need of attention does not mean your laundry room has to follow suit. Take the dread out of doing loads of laundry by revamping the space. While a laundry room makeover may seem like the last update needed in a project-heavy household, simple tweaks garner major results.

An overlooked area of the home shines after a simple makeover.

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Posted By jdemontravel

01/12/2018

Conceal Wires with a Media Cabinet

There are some things that should never be revealed: bra straps, teeth stained with red wine, political fanaticism and television wires. The inevitable acceptance of granting a television access in the family room escalates into more cable channels, media devices and the uncertain welcome of xBox. A setup bulging with electronics cause cringe-worthy moments for the most adept designers. Solutions include slide down screen, situating the television within an armoire or that flat screen behind a painting trick. For this room, the right media cabinet (or television console for your web searches) has the ability to make a television appear part of the decor and conceal unsightly wires for a designed look.

The right television console can make design-challenged electronics look like part of the decor.

A media cabinet does not have to intimidate or look sterile. Countless options abound. Simply find a piece that seamlessly connects to your room’s scheme within your budget. In this room the style transitioned from an antique, eclectic look to a more streamlined clean and modern style. The inclusion of this single television console from AllModern omitted messy strands of wires and added a contemporary feel to the scheme.

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Posted By jdemontravel

01/01/2018

Decorate with Statement Pieces

While dominant furnishings ground a room it’s the supporting accents that make a lasting impression. To enter the annals of true design as an artistic, personalized form you follow a few basic principles, notably melding disparate pieces with an unified thread, and then abandon the rules. It begins with an inherent understanding of your style, which directs the acquisition pursuit. The process is imprecise, less formulaic than an overly designed look where some showcase homes appear to be domesticated hotel rooms. When you decorate with statement pieces take a confident approach. They will fit into your scheme because they were acquired based on an initial attraction. The theory may sound like a guide in finding true love and, in fact, the same edicts apply. When you choose a significant other, in human or inanimate form, it’s that over-the-moon electricity that separates a nice, safe relationship to one that has passion.

Add like-minded accents to support the main piece through color and scale.

Accent pieces have passion. They are bolder than a simple, quality sofa or solid wooden table but there needs to be stylistic relief in an overly prescribed design. Whether it’s the artistry found in a chair’s silhouette or captivating materials and colors, such accessories command an environment. Risks are encouraged and there will be some pairings that do not fit, which is part of the process in achieving the destined look.

A coffee table book with a striking cover commands the table.

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Posted By jdemontravel

11/30/2017

Christmas Decorating Details with Taste

When it comes to adding all the fa la la to a holiday home, the tree can become an afterthought. Becoming reacquainted with your decorations, along with other festive pieces used in all seasons, you can achieve Christmas decorating pizzaz simply and beautifully.

Metallic ornaments in soft, trending colors do not need a tree to shine.

The other holiday go-to that delights the senses is food. Christmas cookies, candy and even boxed brownies spruced with red and green sprinkles can achieve instant oomph.

Festive cookies set with springs of herbs, vintage Christmas tree balls, over a handmade placemat made from Midori gift wrap.

While there will always be a craving for gingerbread and candy canes during the holiday, food does not have to be Christmas themed to have value. This also applies to everyday favorites like your child’s toys or mittens, which can add a personalized touch to a holiday vignette.

: Save the gingerbread man and use as a prop with a burlap dish towel and rope as a napkin holder.

: Children’s toys and mittens add seasonal flair.

Create your own Christmas spectacle by following a few basic tips:

Look to tree ornaments in new ways, such as adding flair to vacant, fragile-friendly spaces or shiny ornamentation in a table setting.
Wrapping paper can do double duty as placemats or wallpaper.
Treat any visual edible as an opportunity to embellish a vignette.
Keep some of the Christmas decoration boxes in storage and look to everyday items as holiday props. Such decorating thriftiness will be even more valued once the holiday is over and cleanup begins.

Baked goods and candy highlighted on gold trimmed dessert dishes create a sophisticated, personalized look.

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Posted By jdemontravel

11/16/2017

Everything You Need to Know About Framing Your Own Art

Art creates a Cinderella effect to a space, transforming a basic room through color, visual excitement, and scale. Though an unframed work will make Cinderella appear like she’s wearing her ball gown with mussy hair and no makeup. It takes the right frame to accentuate a piece’s beauty and understanding framing’s intricacies, like matting and scale, are nuggets framers earn top dollar for. Online framing resources allow you to take control of framing your own pieces, but there are few considerations you need to know before choosing that route.

: Works of art pre-frame.

: How a diptych will experience a classic transformation via framing.

A notable transformation with a silver frame that captures the style of the art.

Chrissy Droessler, co-founder & president of framed & matted, oversees an online framing destination where art enthusiasts can customize a frame to their piece’s specifications. “Our selection includes 14 frames and 30 mat colors, giving customers the confidence to choose their own custom framing materials at home. We also offer complimentary design assistance and samples. And if you are stuck deciding between two mat colors, we will send a second mat color so you can make your final decision at home,” says Droessler.

A larger painting has a styled look with the thick mat and white frame.

While many will be deterred by that key one to one interaction with a framer, where the ability to play with a variety of frames to the actual physical piece is lost, framed & matted is doing what Warby Parker does for buying eyewear via the web for picture frames.

A basic white frame gives a colorful piece a calming presentation.

How It Works:

Droessler shares tips on how to make the best choices when framing your own art.

Selection: You can select up to five mat and four frame samples to see the colors in actuality with the artwork. There are also detail images and a look book that offer a sense of how the frames look on the wall.

Customization: If you are going to pay for a custom frame, why not make it look custom? There are so many great ready-made frame options out there. Add some personality to your frame with a pop of color or interesting mat margin. You can either go bold and pick a bright colorful mat, or just add a little color and design a double mat with a neutral top mat (white, grey, black) and a colorful bottom mat.

How to choose: Pick a detail in your artwork and selecting a complimentary mat color. This will help draw attention to your artwork and make it look special. Of course, if white is what works best, try framing with a double mat using the same color white. This will add a little extra custom look to your frame.

The blue under mat subtly picks up the colors in the art for a distinctive look.

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Posted By jdemontravel

11/11/2017

Color Crush: Pink, Orange + Gold

Pink and orange is not just for kids coming off a sherbet rush, especially when glamorized with a hint of gold. Tapping into the retro era of rainbows and illuminated disco floors, the scheme has a modern resurgence when paired with like minded decor-reliables such as books, wallpaper and textiles. However you wield pink, orange + gold, the result is fun and vibrant.

Despite a varied mix of accents, the design keeps from looking cluttered by sharing the same color scheme. Original art atop metallic wallpaper by Aimee Wilder creates a classic composition.