Multiple Personalities

Catch up with Jill here.

Hi Christine-

I am so excited my kitchen/dining made your blog! I think wallpaper can be beautiful as I've seen following your blog but I don't feel it's for me-especially for kitchen area. Perhaps an accent wall in grasscloth but I have so many walls that jut out in odd places-where to stop & start? I think Anonymous comment is interesting about adding texture with accessories. Not sure what undertones in my cabinets but is it possible to suggest a paint color & build from there with accessories. Possibly different rug & suggestions on art? Not fond of my light fixture as it looks French country & do not want to go that direction. The wall in pic when dining chairs were black -before they were reupholstered- shows the hutch behind it-I have since moved it to the shorter wall (2nd pic) so I now have nothing behind dining table in that space (cleared out brown hall table also-was too short). I like coastal cottage too...clean/simple-not busy, natural, neutral. I love to WINDOW shop at Williams Sonoma:) Window treatments to soften/bring interest/texture or leave as is? Maybe a less traditional but timeless look. Wow-getting way ahead...just wanted to get a few thoughts out - love your blog & thanks for comments everyone. Hope this didn't throw off course too much.

Jill

Hi Jill,

Let's take a look at your kitchen again. How many patterns do you have? I am counting one. The area rug. I like the idea of changing the rug. What I would do is coordinate your colors with the rest of your home. Not knowing what those colors are- here are some ideas. Give your room some personality. Use the fabric for some custom Roman shades.

Personality #1- The Bold Contemporary Red and Brown.
Rug from Madeline Weinrib- combined with...

this bold fabric from Fabric.com

Personality #2 The Fresh Garden Pallet

Rug from Madeline Weinrib- mixed with...

this fabric from Fabric.com.

Personality # 3 Blue and Green Blends

Fabric from Duralee with the...

Rug from Dash and Albert

Personality #4 Bright and Cheerful

Rug from Dash and Albert and the...

Fabric from Duralee.

What do you think readers- have a favorite- look at Jill's kitchen and tell her what you suggest.

Variety is the Spice of Decorating

Hi Christine,
I love the decorating advice that you give on your blog and am hoping that you can help me out with some ideas for redecorating/furnishing one of the rooms in our house. This room used to be our family room but after doing some remodeling we have changed around all of our first floor rooms and it will now be our dining room. It's a large room so we would also like to have a cozy conversation area at one side of the room. We only have one piece of furniture for the room at this point - our 42" x 108" dining table that we got a great deal on when a local Drexel Heritage store went out of business. How great to have such a large dining room. We are also considering buying two Kensington leather loveseats that are currently on sale at Restoration Hardware. I love that piece. I've come up with a tentative room layout that I attached to the e-mail. I also attached some pictures of the room but the dining table is the only thing that belongs in it (the other furniture is from other rooms of our house that we moved in for a recent party and the window treatments also go elsewhere). We are going for a bit of a Tuscan feel but not completely Old World traditional. I love earth tones but don't want the room to get too dark by bringing in too much dark furniture/dark colors. I was thinking about bringing in some pattern by having the two chairs in the seating area be upholstered chairs and also having upholstered end chairs at the dining table. We'd like to have leather side chairs for the table since we have young kids and actually use our dining room fairly often. I would put leather on the sitting side of the chairs and a pattern on the back side of the chairs. This is a large area of the room- and more pattern would add a lot. Here are some of the questions that I have:
Do you have any recommendations for a buffet/sideboard that would go with our dining room table?
Should we center the dining room table on the short wall (the one with the windows) or move it off-center to allow more space between the table and future buffet?
Do you have any recommendations for a chandelier?
Do you think we should use a rug under the dining room table and in the seating area or just one or the other?
Any recommendations for fabrics for the chairs or for window treatments?
Any ideas for paint color or wallpaper?
Beyond these specific questions, we would welcome any additional suggestions that you have for decorating the room.

Thanks so much!
Kris

Hi Kris,

I thought I would break up your questions over a couple of days and start just with the fabric today. Use different sized patterns as well as a variety of styles and of pattern. Notice the collection of fabrics I have for you include a small leaf pattern, a large floral crewel fabric, and a medium size paisley pattern. Notice too the variety of textures- the green is velvet, the floral is a crewel, the paisley is a cotton- and the cream is a leather.

So- for your checklist in fabric selecting for a single room:

Variety in:

1. pattern size
2. pattern motif
3. fabric texture

Uniformity in:

1. feel
2. color palletI am sure that I break these rules from time to time, but they are a good guildeline for the novice designer. And, since I made the rules, that gives me the option to break them- right? :)

Thanks,
Christine

The fabrics in today's post are from Lee Jofa.

Nichole's Pallet of Pattern

Dear Christine,

I am a 34 year old single mother of a 6 year old little girl. I have been in my small Georgian home which is located right outside of Chicago for 12 years now. Since my divorce I have pulled up carpet, remodeled the kitchen and bath, painted all 3 bedrooms and had crown molding installed throughout the house. You see, I am trying to make this house a home to me and my little one. My dilemma now is with my living room and small dining room window treatments. There were vertical blinds hanging from them since the day I bought the house, but I had them pulled down and replaced with horizontal blinds this past June. I thought about having JC Penny or Eddie Z's install cornices with side panels, but i couldn't swallow the $3500.00 pill.

It's a new year, and every year for the past 5 years I have taken on different projects within the house. I always do a little at a time. This year, I want to do something beautiful with these windows and save for a new roof if needed. What do you suggest? Should I whip out my grandmother's sewing machine and try to sew cushions for window seats (I'm not very handy), should i bite the $3500.00 bullet and get custom made cornices (I believe I'll only be living here another 3 years or less). Do you think I should get rid of the small table in the living room area and replace it will something else? I've had the tables for years and I'm open. I don't even know what I should have on the tables.

I do plan on going to home depot today to by accent lights to go under my new wall unit that i love. I think that would be nice. I'm also having issues with what to put on my wall in front of my dining room table. There was once a huge picture of fruit that my mother gave me. It was more her taste than mine. I'm leaving the wall blank until i figure out what to do with it.

Any advice you would offer would be GREATLY appreciated. I need some help big time.

Sincerely,
Hopeful for the New Year - Nichole

Dear Nichole,

I want to go over three things with you today- to make part of your long term plan.

1. window treatments


2. area rug


3. wall decor

First of all- let's tackle your window treatments. You have a traditional home, and yet very little pattern. Increase your pattern. Start with your drapes. Style-wise- put two floor to ceiling panels in the dining room, and faux relaxed Roman shade valances or stagecoach valances in the living room. These styles shouldn't be too hard to sew- or too expensive to have made. I selected a couple of fabrics for you from Beacon Hill. Because you don't have any pattern in your leather- I would use both fabrics in the drapes- one as a four inch trim. This adds some interest in a room that is nice, but a little dull. These fabrics would also act as a unifier in your room. You have black, brown, beige, but nothing pulling it all together.

Your plan also needs to include a rug, which will help by adding textural variety as well as more pattern to the room. I selected a giraffe rug for you from homedecorator.com. You also could use more softness in the room, which will make it more inviting.

Your dining area needs a chandelier as well as wall decor. The drum shade at the top of the post is from Room and Board. It also helps to increase the pattern and softness.

The wall decor is from Uttermost. You have a mirror in the room- add a piece of art, as well as other alternative wall decor. Don't' have, one, one, and one. Especially in the dining area where the walls are adjacent to one another. Notice how the metal wall art is a set of four, and the painting is one. You need variety in numbers, especially when your walls are right by one another like they are here.

Odds and Ends:

The two pieces of wall decor to the right of the door to the kitchen should be directly on top of one another- not staggered, and they should be hung about six to eight inches lower.

Try switching locations of the sofa and chaise, and then lowering your mirror a bit. Put the chaise in the corner rather than across from the sofa. Put a large plant behind it. You shouldn't have it floating out there in the middle of the room on an angle like that. Eventually you will need an additional chair to fully balance your arrangement.

Replace your coffee table- (the style is too similar to the dining table)- with a tufted upholstered ottoman.

I want to come over and rearrange your wall unit a bit. Maybe next time I am in Chicago. :) I love the merchandise mart there. :) For now- read the advice I gave in this post. I'm sure you'll do great!

Hannah's Window Treatments

I will interrupt in orange.

Dear Christine,

I love your blog. I've found it very helpful in my recent attempt to spruce up my home now that I've decided to be a stay-at-home mom and actually have time to think about a spruce-up. . . and by "time", I mean a few hours each day during naptime. Ha! But, seriously, all your ideas and pictures are truly inspirational. I'm a mother of two little boys (2 1/2 and 4 months) and wife to a husband who is very understanding of my new-found obsession with these issues--I'm sure he would prefer that I had a cupcake baking obsession too!

The first thing that is on my list is window treatments for the kitchen and den. The two rooms are side-by-side, but it's not an open floor plan. Our home has a few antiques like the pie safe and antique ice chest in the kitchen, and the giant cherry armoir and deacon's bench in the den. We'd like to preserve the look that these pieces give--I'm not sure if that's "traditional" or "country French", etc.

Because you do not have an open floorplan- you do not have to do the same thing in each room. If they face the front of the house- you will want them to be somewhat similar from the back side.

I saw your spot on July 21, 2009 for another lady's windows in her bedroom. The design of her windows is very similar to mine--except mine don't have moulding (should I try to get that done?). With your traditional feel in your home- trimming your windows is a perfect idea. I've never known what to do with that "transom"-like window over top the other windows. Your suggestion was really helpful, but I'm not sure about the soffit/valance--it sounds a little formal for my kitchen and den. Your floorplan is such that I would not do it. I liked it in her home because it worked so well to go wall to wall. Initially, I was thinking of doing panels in between each window and flanking the windows (with or without a valance ?????). You could do that- or just have a collection on the right, and one on the left- like my picture for Mrs. Holland. I would not do a valance. I have faux wood blinds on the lower windows, as you can see. Those windows face northwest and so are in quite a bit of evening sun, which is very hot here in Texas most of the year. I would love to preserve the privacy that I have now (or at least be able to go back and forth--?? Bamboo shades or . . .?). Bamboo shades are a great look- but beware of the many different types- some of them will not give you the sun protection that you want. I like the idea of using something like a Roman shade- or roller shade. Use the same shade on the top windows as the lower windows. I explain the importance of this in this post. I'm not at all sure about fabric/color. I'm naturally fearful of patterns, but when I see them in others' homes, I love them--I just can't seem to put things together for our space. In a traditional interior like yours- you really should have pattern- and not just one- at least three- different sizes- check out this post where I explain the need for pattern in more detail. My first instinct is to go with red/paprika/gold, but I'm so afraid of getting a huge wall of garrish red that makes my space look like a circus--the windows cover just about the entire wall and I don't want to make it an eye soar. I love golds, rich burgundy, greens, and ecru-type tans. This may NOT be what would look good, so just call me out on this if you like! I would avoid the golds. They would go great if you had dark wood cabinetry- but your whitewash look is asking for cooler neutrals.

In the den our furniture consists of a dark leather chair, burgundy and gold chair and ottoman, and a deep green sofa. These will probably stay for the time being, although I would love to change out the sofa for a leather one as well, in the future (after toddlers get older). The carpet will stay until the kids get older as well, but I'd like to replace it all with a walnut or oak floor years from now. Overall, we're pretty casual folks, but I would love to see a little flare or somehow to make our rooms "finished". I'm terrible with accessories, and that may be all I need to get that finished look. Super cute baby- not super cute furniture arrangement... Set your sofa parallel to the fireplace. I don't like the red chair and burgundy chair in the same room. I wold move one elsewhere. Can you get by with just a sofa and chair until it comes time to get new? That is what I would do. Don't get a leather sofa if you choose to keep the leather chair. The lack of variety will put me to sleep. You don't have to wait for the hardwood floors to get an area rug. Your room is crying for pattern- I'd add it now. When you get ready to replace furniture- e-mail me a floorplan and I will help you maximize your space.

I feel like I can't move forward on any of this until I sort out the windows. Most of these questions are about things that I'll not be able to change for a while, ie. the cabinetry and sofa. I would love your suggestions for our windows, fabric, and paint colors that I could live with now and maybe add to the rooms over the years as we're able.

Thank you so much,

Hannah

You went on for a while in your e-mail about paint- (I left it out) but before we can even go there- you need your window treatment fabric. From that specific fabric- you can pull paint colors. I selected a few fabrics- all from Robert Allen/Beacon Hill. I tried to look for fabrics that went with the whitewash look AND your existing furniture colors.

1.

This is good one for you. Remember when working with pattern on window treatments- you see it all "bunched up" - not spread out like the picture.

2.

This is another good background color to work with your cabinets- Picture a materials and finishes board. A sample of those cabinets would be on it- and you want them to feel like a part of the look- as if you had them special ordered to go with everything.

3.

Another good option- If I were doing this- I would order in fabric samples and once you saw them in your room- you would find some clear leaders.

4.

See how the golds are absent? I think that is the key to making this room work.

5.

Here is the fifth fabric. OK- so- help a girl out- anyone have a favorite- which direction should Hannah go?

A couple more items: empty your bookcases. Check here and here for bookcase ideas. Your mantle... Your art work is a good size and scale- but other accessories are totally off. Take a picture straight on- give me the dimensions- and I will help you with it.

From 80's to Amazing

Hi -
I wrote you a few weeks ago about my dining room and you told me to send a pic - just got to it...I know dining room is awful - a throwback to my blue/pink floral days. These rooms make the best "before and after" pictures.I am planning on painting the walls above the chair rail Benjamin Moore Olive Branch (from Pottery Barn)..I was going to do a cream on the bottom, but worried about the "light on bottom" thing. I am thinking white wainscot.... If it is a wainscot in white it is fine- just white paint I would not do. I am keeping table - getting black chairs (Ethan Allen) with like a goldy/greeny seat - swirly gold-ish area rug - window treatment will be panels on window - there is a door you can see to the sunporch - was thinking about a long Roman shade in same material as panels? Nice idea- that will blend together nicely. Ethan Allen had a really pretty green/gold/burgundy paisley-ish fabric...very $$ so I want to be sure it's right!! I can't say without seeing it- but I will give you a good example. Advice please, please, please! (esp about walls) - thanks much!!

Your wall decor has too many little things. Remember to vary your decor- not all pictures- have a large item- like the mirror below. Balance that on another wall with some beautiful art- like the trees at the top. Then go ahead and make a wall of family photos- and a collection of smaller items. Have your family photos in sepia tones. Start by removing EVERYTHING from the room. Then only deliberately add items that go with your new updated look.

You mentioned a greenishness in your chairs- but with a solid gold rug- I would not go with a solid green wall. In a smaller room- like yours- be consistent- don't slpit your color pallet right in half. Go with a lovely gold grasscloth like the one above. This will also add texture and interest. Do this with a wainscot below. I would paint your woodwork the lightest shade of the wallpaper rather than white.

Now you need a unifier. Something that will bring the room together and keep it from being a bunch of separate items. You mentioned gold, black and a little green. I went with a black background for your drapery fabric- giving you a beautiful contrast with the walls. The black and gold will make everything "pop." You will love it. The photo below is a close up of the same fabric. Make sure your draperies are lined and weighted.

Your dining room will be amazing! Don't go skipping steps like the grasscloth, or wainscot- I know they are a lot of work- but are key to making the room really perfect. I didn't get a name in the e-mail- but good luck whatever your name is!

wall decor: Uttermost

grasscloth: designerwallcoverings.com

fabric: Beacon Hill