LoveYourRoom

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Staging Kitchen Displays DAY ONE

Today was DAY 1 of staging four kitchen displays at Kitchens by Design. We are so excited to be a part of their project.

The challanging part is that we are working with four completely different themed displays! A rustic chic, a contemporary glam, and two traditional displays with zaps of bold color! We can't wait to the new lighting in, the new stools, and wall decor. We found this enormous wall pocket watch clock, a shutter chalkboard, porthole mirror on a rope, and more!

See more photos from today at our Love Your Room facebook page.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Add 2015 Spring Colors To Your Home

Pantone has pretty 2015 hues but I have my favorites! Check them out:

I love using the colors above against a soft beige or grey (or the ever trending 'greige') background. Try adding one, or a combination of these colors, as accents in a room with soft wall color.

I am tired of seeing all this white snow outside. I'm itching for spring when we clean out, renew and revive our homes. Are you going crazy for the briliant colors of spring? To scratch my itch, over the weekend I started to work on my family room, to infuse the color teal. Check the progress (also see snow out the window):

My family room

I moved into this new house last June and now that the demolition part is over, we are able to put some much needed touches in! I went for light painted walls and bold accents like using this Benjamin Moore CSP-705 color in the bookcase, and adding lots of teal accents. It is really inviting and fresh to me.

Besides teal, spring decorating is looking delicious in hot shades of lime, tangerine and rosy warm reds.

Below is Pantones list of 2015 Spring Colors

Some are bright and some are reminiscent of 1980s pastels.

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Fun ways to bring Spring 2015 Colors into YOUR home:

Bring Color In With The Power of THREE

Start with a fresh light beige or gray on the walls (try Sher Williams Reliable White or Ben Moore's Shoreline). Next bring on the color in THREES! If you didn't get in your color in at least three areas then you did not take it far enough.

Can you spot The Three in these inspirational rooms?

Margaret Donaldson

Well balanced bedroom because of these blue/green THREE:

1. Drapes pull your eye up.

2. Bed pillows carry your eye to the left side of the room.

3. Accent chair then carries the eye to the right side of the room.

Rethink Design Studio

Fresh Coastal Feelin' because of these THREE:

1. Painted furniture (try painting one of your own pieces!)

2. Reupholstered cushion.

3. Bold pillows across back of entire neutral sofa.

Olive Interiors

Funky Colorful Office because of these THREE:

1. Large artwork

*(make your own art using the 2015 colorful paints - try abstract or pattern of chevron or moroccan motif!)

2. Lamp shade (Many retailers sell colorful patterned shades)

3. Seating -eclectic mix of upholstered desk chair, ceramic garden stool and bamboo one.

Paint your front door ON THE INSIDE your house

LOVE THIS! People tend to forget to address how the front door looks inside the house, concentrating solely on the outside. I encourage the use of color on your front door INSIDE your home to get a beautiful pop of color! Here are some inspirational painted door photos:

House of Turquoise

Teal, turquoise and lime shades boost any inside door

Feldman Architecture

*Don't forget about your back doors. Paint the inside a beautiful shade of your favorite color.

Add Color to the back of your Media Unit & Bookcase

Have a dark big piece of furniture? Lighten and brighten it by painting the back piece a striking color! Check these ideas out:

Nikkisnacs

Cory Connor Designs

Martha Stewart

Dove gray with orange back and shelves really make a soft yet powerful statement.

Easiest way to transform a dull room is to install window treatments with bold color. Neutral rooms turn into

DIY Paint Lift
I love renewing used pieces like turning this old wooden basket into an 'Art Supplies' holder.

I added the lime green stripe using paint. Using a pencil I wrote 'ART SUPPLIES', then using white paint and a thin paint brush, went over the letters.

Here it is!

Here is the basket tucked inside a painted accent table. I love revitalizing worn furniture pieces. A simple paint lift turns it into something new!!

Furnishings That Are You Can Get Right Now

Want ideas for furniture and accents you can get now? If you are looking to add some new pieces to your home to get the soft pastel and bright finish look, here are some that rock!

Pottery Barn Clerks Console Table is a really pretty piece in person! I used it recently in a family room and it showed off beautifully looking vintage in a soft blue.

Mi Zone Curtain

I used this drape in my family room (photo at beginning of this blog post)! It needed a little steaming but looks great (I used a pair on either side).

CB2 Green Fields Painting

At 58"s wide this vibrant art piece is a great buy! I dig the colors and the abstract fun!

Odestrad Duvet Custom Fitzsimmons Upholstered Bed

Patchen Ottoman at West Elm is a bold piece to give the middle of your room a smile! The elongated honeycomb pattern looks great.

This Robin Arm Chair has a beautiful green color and my favorite, nail heads!

The Cubed or Ovate pillow cover is 20", perfect for large scale color infusion, and has a luxurious look. These colors are right on trend!

Safavieh Marbella Stool

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

'Paint Lift' A Basket And Add Color To A Lamp Shade

I gave an old wood basket a 'Paint Lift' and am so happy that I am able to use it again! I also added some fun color to a lamp shade and now its 'bloomin' with color'! Check out these 2 easy DIY projects below:

my TWO quick DIY projects

Paint Lift Basket

Take one old basket, dust it off and reinvent it!

I simply painted a lime green stripe, then when dry, used a pencil to write 'ART SUPPLIES'. Lastly using a thin tip paint brush and white paint, painted over the pencil.

TA DA! Old becomes new again!

Add Fun To A White Lamp Shade

I saw this lamp shade at Target that had a blue ribbon around the top and bottom. I thought it was cute and then said 'I can do that!'

I used a white shade, 1.5" wide ribbon I picked up at Hobby Lobby, tacky glue and a box of paper clips.

I glued half the ribbon down the front side of the shade, then folded the ribbon over to the inside of the shade and glued it down. As I worked I placed paper clips

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

A Decorator's Secret To Store Bought Curtains

Loft apartment in downtown Allentown PA designed by LoveYourRoom

Ok, here are the "do's and don'ts" of store bought drapes as promised, and as seen on WFMZ 69 News at Sunrise today.

Eve Tannery and Shosh

Thanks for having me Eve!

This blog details what I look for when searching store bought curtains. It also includes how to hang them correctly. I have learned this through countless client projects I have tackled where budget was key. A retail window drape can still look fabulous if you apply these tips!

The Hunt For A Store Bought Window Curtain

I narrow my search down by looking for the following criteria:

1. Stick To Back Tab or Grommet Header – Back tabs are hidden tabs located in the back of the drape that you slide the window rod through. This gives the drape elegant soft vertical folds at the top of the window. A grommet header uses metal eyelets that the curtain rod slides through. This also gives the drape a soft folds but is considered more contemporary because you can see the curtain rod through the folds. Both of these options allow the drape to hang well from the curtain rod AND make it easy to open and close the curtain. The grommet header is a more contemporary look of the two.

Back Tab

Grommet

*Why I do not use rings with drapery hooks or clips. I have found that the drape never hangs right this way unless it is done professionally, or by someone who knows how to do it right. With drapery hooks the fabric, unless pleated, looks pierced and ‘puckered’ at the top, and with rings that use clips, the curtain tends to sag between them because its being pulled up by the clip.

2. Go For Lining – Lining not only adds weight and color depth (by less lighting peeking through) to the drape so it looks better, but helps insulate and there is less fading of the material from the sunlight. For a bedroom or media room I opt for ‘lining with black out’ so no sun gets through.

Lining Sample A

Lining Sample B

3. Height Is Key – I always measure my window from the very top (this includes window trim) to the floor. AND I measure the ceiling to the top of the window. This is so important because store bought drapes typically run 7’, 8’ and 9’. Long. If your window height (top of window to the floor) is not exactly one of those lengths than you need to mount it above the window, closer to the ceiling. Knowing how much room you have to that ceiling is key! See example below:

4. Width May/May Not Be Important – Rule of thumb is that a single window requires one pair of curtains to have the ability to open and close completely. This is called ‘Functional Curtain.’ If you have a double window (larger in size), then you will need two pairs of curtains to be a ‘functional curtain’.

If you only require the curtain to be hung for aesthetics, and not have the ability to open and close completely, it is called ‘Non Functional Curtain.’ For a double window, in this case, you only need a pair of curtains.

When do I use a 'non functional' curtain? If the window already has a shade or blind, I use the curtain to simply soften the edges of the hard treatment. Another example of when I use non functional curtains is if I am dressing a pair of windows that are either side of a fireplace. There may not be room on the side of the windows closest to the mantel. In this case I would hang a curtain on the outer walls of the window. It looks symmetrical and beautiful!

IMPORTANT: Measure Your Window Curtain

So you have your curtains, your window rod, and are ready to hang them! Please oh please measure the length of each store bought curtain again. Why? Because this just happened to me at a clients' home......

Installing A Window Curtain

The Wrong Way:

I cannot tell you how many times I get to a clients home for the first time and am shown curtain rods that are hung right on the window frame and the brackets are on the trim itself or screwed in right next to the trim. THIS IS NOT RIGHT!! And I bet if you are reading this you are nodding that you know what I mean.

When I see the rod hung like this, the curtain is typically dragging on the floor or an inch above the floor, and the entire width of the curtain is inside the window when opened. Then the client tells me that they never want curtains again because it looks like this. And I say ‘It’s not supposed to look like this!’

Treat your curtains like you would a pair of pants. They should be flattering and the leg pant should end at the right spot, not look yanked up high like you are walking through mud, or so long you are tripping over the bottom hem.

The Right Way:

To find the right height is a TWO PERSON JOB. One person places the curtain onto the curtain rod and holds it up to the window. The other person then looks to see where the bottom of the curtain is just touching the floor ('kissing it'). It is at that point on the wall, where the rod should be installed.

The brackets should not be placed directly on either side of the window frame or on the frame itself. If possible keep the bracket two inches or so from the frame on either side. This allows you see more window and less fabric when fully opened.