Oh, the Disconnect!

Hi Christine,
First, I wanted to let you know how much I LOVE your blog.  I have been neglecting my kids/husband/house to read your posts ever since I discovered you.  Thank you so much for all the great tips and ideas! 
 
Secondly, I'm writing to ask (beg) for your help.  I am struggling with my living/dining room and hope you can point me in the right direction.  I've enclosed pictures, but as you can see they are two rectangular rooms with a large opening between them.  We are in the process (thus the lovely tape and missing baseboards) of painting all the woodwork "white".  I've also announced to husband that I would like crown in both rooms and wainscoting in the dining room.  (He wasn't very excited about either project!)  We purchased this house almost four years ago as a foreclosure and it has needed a LOT of TLC.  It is a center hall colonial but doesn't have much character -think golden oak on every possible surface - yuck! - and we are in the slow process of making it over.  I love modern, clean, lines, but with some warmth, and I'm not afraid of pattern (not that you can tell it from these rooms).  Also, I have two girls under the age of 3 which explains the tea party in progress on the coffee table.  These rooms are more for grown ups, but they need to be somewhat kid friendly.
 
Here are my problems:
 
1.) Fireplace - it is giving me fits.  I've tried a bunch of different things with no luck.  Nothing seems to look quite right.  You can see my most recent acquisition in the pictures (a sunburst mirror that I love) is still mounted on the plywood it shipped on!!  I think it would look awesome in my entry way so I'm not too worried if you don't think it should stay.
 
2.) Ceiling - don't know if you can tell from the picture, but we have a small tray.  I made poor husband spend a week of vacation scraping the popcorn off the ceilings (who sprays popcorn on a tray ceiling???), but now I don't know how to treat them, so they've just been painted white.  Should we add additional trim to the tray? It's only about 2" deep.  Obviously when we add crown molding in white, I'll need to paint the ceiling, but which part?
 
3.) Pulling the color scheme together - I somehow ended up with purple/grey/green in the living room but have purple/red/green in the dining room.  The red/green with orange continues in the kitchen and family room which are through the door of the dining room.  How do I tie these rooms together?  I know part of it is pattern and that my curtains probably need to be replaced.  I just can't figure out what would work in both rooms - the windows should match, right?  I found some artwork that I like, but they are only purple/green/grey.  How do I pull the red into the living room - do I need to???  Also, I would definitely be open to wallpaper in the dining room - as I love the look of wallpaper with wainscoting.  I can certainly repaint, this was our "we need to paint the walls before the floors go in" color.  (I know, I know - pick paint last)
 
4.) Furniture arrangement - I feel like I'm close on this, but not quite there.  I would love your input.  I do have chairs for the dining room that I plan to reupholster and two China cabinets that I am refinishing that could be used in either room.  I can augment my furniture, but don't have the budget to replace everything and would prefer to spend on curtains, accessories, etc.  I think maybe I need a new/bigger rug for the living room.  The cream just doesn't seem to be doing it for me. 
 
Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide.  Please feel free to be brutal and frank!  I promise to follow your suggestions and send after pictures.
 
Kind Regards,
Angela

Hi Angela,

Thank you for the kind words.  I hope you will still like me when you are done reading this post.  ;-)  I have 12 things I need to share with you.  The writer in me wants to be concise, but this time, at the risk of boring the readers out there, I need to say all 12. 

1.  You have two sunburst mirrors in sight of each other.  That is at least one too many. 

2.  Ditch the drapes.  (See I am being concise after all!)  They are far too traditional for your contemporary furnishings.  Replace them with a simple drapery panel.  Green is too much for your walls, and purple would be too much purple.  I would use the neutral color in your chairs and then add a trim in purple.  I woud also add a drapery panel on the windows by your fireplace.  On those windows use drapery rosettes instead of a rod to keep them in place and pull them to the sides, working with your rounded shape.  I would hang them higher, and use four panels in the living room and four in the dining room. 

3.  Accessorize the sideboard and table better.  That is what your dining room needs more than anything.  (Along with new drapes)  ;-)  On a rectangular table, either use a rectangular centerpiece, or use three items, which gives the arrangement a rectangular shape.  Can you see how adding the two candlesticks in the photo below works so much nicer than if there was JUST the plant?  

(photo from A'LaMode)

4.  Replace the round coffee table with a square. It should also, and more importantly, be larger. 

(photo from Southern Living)

5.  Your lighting is terrible.  Add can lights.  See this post on a lighting plan.

6.  Yes, trim out the ceiling tray.  Yes to the wainscotting (3/4 way up) and yes to the crown. Yes to painting all of it a glossy white.

7.  Your fireplace decor needs some color to really be connected to the room better.  Use the 40 x 40 purple flower picture that you sent.  Your current fireplace decor is way too formal for the room.  Your fireplace mantle is shallow; I would take off the candle sticks.  Keep it simple.  Your modern look is more simple and clean.  Move that miror to replace the mirror in the dining room.  I would get rid of everything red. 

8.  The sconces in the living room are way too modern for your house.  In general. all of your decor is too modern for your architecture.  You can get away with it more in furnishings, but once items start being attached to the room, you should maintain architecutral integrity.  I do however, appreciate that you have sconces.  I love and applaud the all too infrequent use of sconces.  ;-)

9.  Your living room only has one strong pattern.  Your use of pattern is too weak to really look pulled together. I picture a look more like this in your room:  Notice the strong pattern in the chairs, rug, and throw pillows?  In your case, add some pattern in the drapes as well if you'd like to.

10.  It is too small and too open a space to have two separate color pallets. 

11.  If you don't want to replace your chandeliers- change positions.  Personally, I'd say they were too modern, and too formal for your architecture and your space, but they are also the wrong shape.  Put the rectangular one over the dining room table, hung much lower, about 30" above the table, and put the one in the dining room in the living room.  I think those blingy chandeliers are something that we as a society will look back on in 10 years the same way we look back on the shirts that show your belly that everyone was wearing 10 years ago, but they really only looked good on anorexic people.

I do know that they are very popular right now, and every store is selling their version.  That's just my opinion.  Now I just offended all of my friends with chandeliers like this...  I might have to come back and delete this section...

 12.  Too large of a disconnect.  The big overall probelm is simply stated one of a disconnect.  You have a traditional home, with traditional trim, right down to the rosette in your woodwork.  Then you have this very blingy modern thing going on in your chandelier, and everything in between.  It's like you wore these earrings:

With this outfit: 

The thing is, sometimes it's really great to mix things up.  Some of my readers are saying, "I love the idea of those earrings with that outfit. "  I will say that mixing like you are doing is something that some people can do amazingly, but honestly, it is a hard thing to teach.  It is so very instinctual.  Your silver candlesticks and buffet lamps belong on a Downton Abbey dining room table, and the dining room table belongs in a Pottery Barn catalog.  Consistency is what you need. 

Master Bedroom Lighting

Christine,

I am trying to figure out what kind of ceiling light (and perhaps what color to put on the walls) would go with the room..

As you can see in the pictures below, the room has wainscoting around the room (I know, I know, the chair rail is either too high or too low and in a bad spot), is white all around with mirrored closet doors and a large curtain on the wall with the sliding glass door.

I do like the curtains as they add color but could paint the wall(s).

 

I should mention that my wife thinks there is not enough light in the room.

The other boring option would be to have canned lights put in (which would add general lighting).

Thanks in advance!

Regards,

Hi Eric,

Before I get to the lighting, I have to say that you have a huge disconnect in the color/style pallet of the room.  You  have three different things going on.  Here are your options:

1.  Keep the sheets and the white bedding, and leave the walls white.  Change your top bedding to something like this piece from West Elm:

And change your drapes to a fabric like this:

Then add a rug like this one from Dash and Albert:

OR- Keep your coverlet and your drapes and replace your sheets and bed skirt and wall surface or color:

And add a rug like this one:

Either way the two pillows in the front don't go with either. 

Now, for the lighting.  A lighting design in a master bedroom should provide multiple levels of light.  I would start with both can lights and a hanging light.  Can lights can be centered in the room, pulled a bit to the perimeter, and on a dimmer switch.  I would keep the hanging light fixture fairly neutral.  Bedding wears out much faster than a light fixture.  I like to update mine every 5-7 years, but your light fixture should last much longer.  Allow yourself to change the bedding color by staying neutral.

Let me tell you about your lamps.  If you like to read in bed, the bottom of the shade should be above your eyes as you are sitting in bed.  I know this is very picky and finicky- but I'm here to tell you exactly how it should be for optimal lighting.  Or you could wear your camping head light.  Either one.  ;-) 

When you have insufficient lighting:

1.  First check to see if you are currently using the maximum wattage, and you don't have burned out bulbs.  I had a client once (a commercial job) where they wanted me to redo their lighting.  Upon first inspection I could easily see they were dealing with about 50% burned out bulbs, bulbs replaced with lesser than maximum wattage, and different hues to the bulbs.  You might start with your bulbs.

2.  Now, let's say you have low wattage and your lighting is funtioning up to capacity.  I had a client where I suggested cans and hanging lights, and they decided to JUST do the hanging lights.  I said, wait then, and I re-selected hanging lights that offered a much higher wattage.  On many websites you can actually search for lighting by wattage.  When purchaing lights consider the wattage.   Check out this terrific pendant light:

It only holds one bulb.  It maxes out at 150 watts.   There are MANY terrific looking pendant lights out there right now that do the exact same thing, hold one bulb.  Unless I was working with a very small property, I would never JUST have 150 watts over a table or bed. 

Check out this fixture:

This one holds three bulbs, 300 watts total.  I think this is what happens, people shop around, they see that the shade on the top is the same diameter and less than half the price and buy it, many times not even considering the light output.

3.  Increase the number of light sources.  Add lamps, add sconces, be creative. 

I have this really cool toy, a digital LUX meter.  If you live locally, I can come over, measure your light output in the room and let you know how to make it perfect.  Keep in mind that especially the aging community needs good lighting.  Your eyes let in less and less light as they get older, so whereas I could bet my average blog reader is NOT in that category, for safety purposes, check out the lighting at your parent's or grandparent's place and help them out.  (Yes, I do a lot of work in nursing homes and assisted living facilities- so bear with my tangents.  ;-)

Thanks for writing in Eric!  Good luck with your bedroom.

Leave a comment today and let Eric know which bedroom option you prefer-

1.  casual red

2.  more formal sage

A Lighting Plan for Quinn

Hi Christine,

I started reading your blog a few months ago when I started looking for a house. I'm now in the process of buying a place and am thinking about what to fill it with. I am in a lucky position of starting from scratch and getting to buy all new things. I know what I want as far as furniture, but this will be the first time I need to think about lighting. The only hardwired lights in my new place are in the kitchen and bathroom, and there isn't a way I could easily add any (e.g. no ceiling fans there already), so I will need lamps or something else that plugs in. I saw your previous post about different types of light bulbs, but I was wondering if you had any more advice on types and styles of lights- floor lamps, wall sconces (would still have to have a cord), hanging lights, etc. I'm including a picture of the main room, one of the kitchen (the walls are actually painted the same color), and the existing light fixture in the kitchen ceiling. The kitchen/eating area opens into the main room.

The only idea I had so far was to maybe try a little art project and attach a small strip of LED lights to the top of a painting, but I am not sure that would be bright enough by itself, and it might look really tacky. I couldn't find a good picture for an example, so I can't tell.

Thanks in advance for your help! I look forward to reading your opinion!

Best,
Quinn

Quinn,

Let me start by saying, "No" to the strip of LED lights on top of a painting.  For a painting, you should have light shining ON the art work, not on the wall above it. 

With that said, you should always be careful when lighting artwork.  If we are talking about a trendy piece you picked up at Home Goods, and won't keep for more than three years- I wouldn't worry about it, if however, this is an expensive piece of original art work, UV rays need to be controlled.  Keep it away from direct sunlight, and only use accent lighting with UV filters.  No fluorescents.  The most important contributing factor of damage is due to overall brightness of light.  If you have accent lighting on art, use UV filtered light sources, limited exposure, and low overall brightness.

That was a bit of a tangent there wasn't it? 

Let me go back to your place.  I cannot give you a good lighting plan without a floorplan.  Start with a floorplan.  I would invest in ceiling light.  I think people think electricians are more expensive than they really are.  In a living room, family room or bedroom, you don't want such bright light from above that you cannot use shadow in your lighting design, but you do need some light from above.  Perimeter can lighting is a common tool that I use.  You need to have furniture placement nailed down to know where to put this exactly. 

(photo from Houzz)

Then you need to plan your wall decor before you can decide on wall fixtures such as sconces or accent lighting for wall decor.  I'm a big sconce fan, personally. While the electrician is there, have him (or her) hardwire some sconces for you.

(photo from interiorinspiration)

Then, you need your furniture in place before you can determine where you will use floor, table, and accent lamps. 

(photo from Homesweethome)

Last but not least, you should add some lighting from the floor, such as a good uplight like I referred to in this post. 

And so, you see in the grand order of things, lighting is best determined after the furniture placement and wall decor. 

For more lighting plan ideas check out this post,

Powder Bath Pickiness

Hello Christine,

Thank you so much for your wonderful blog!  I eat it up like chocolate.
My last email got lost last year so I have finished that remodel and
started on a new one : )

I am a first time home buyer and I have gutted out my kitchen, full
bath and now I have redone my powder room but I am not sure how to
complete it.  I have included the items I would like to put in there
but thought I would run it by you first.  I won't bog you down on how
it looked and how I changed it already but I am trying to go bold with
wallpaper (which I am scared of) but I am taking your advice on the
powder room.  Now, should I do the whole wall, half way down, put a
chair molding, just use gray or white paint on the bottom below the
chair molding, help! : )

I only put a temporary vessel sink which you can see in the mirror
until I install the attached vessel sink because I was missing the
drain stopper on that one.  I would like it to have a Victorian feel,
I think.  I want to put a oval mirror with a silivery/gray ribbon at
the top to coincide with the color scheme.   Lastly, I am looking for a complimentary piece of granite to replace the top of the sink.  As
you can see, it was damaged and I got hundreds off of it, (yaah).  How
should the shape of the granite be to compliemnt the vessel sink?  The
faucet is a nickel finish and so are the sconces (I'm not really
loving the sconces though).  I just had my contractor put them in and
tear out the one vanity light over the mirror temporarily.

Thank you so much,
Liz

Hi Liz,

Thank you for comparing my blog to chocolate- surely one of the highest compliments a girl could receive! 

Let me give you a few tips for a beautiful powder bath:

First of all, attention to detail:

(designer Samantha Friedman)

Notice the crystal in the little knobs?  The embroidered towels?  The tiny pleats in the cafe curtain?  If you want to bring a real atmosphere into the room, you can't only have a Victorian feel in 50% of the elements of the room.  Your gut was right on the sconces.  Personally, I would not try to go toward "Victorian" unless you actually have a Victorian home.  Your flooring is not Victorian, your wood trim is not Victorian, it's just too far of a stretch.  How about we just try to dress it up, so the bathroom is more consistent with the console sink you purchased?

The sconce above is from Lamps Plus, the Kathy Ireland Collection.

You might not want to hear this, but I would also say that your scones are installed too high.  The light bulb on a bathroom sconce should hit level with your face.  (an average person's height)  The idea with the light is to not cast shadows on faces.  Shadows are not attractive.  They make us look like characters in Tim Burton movies. 

Ideally, you will have some light coming from above as well as your sconces.  You might consider a small chandelier. The lantern below is from Shades of Light: 

Look closely at the reflection in the room below, and you can see a third source of light.  Without that, the room is simply inadequately lit.

2.  I know that I mention the word "scale" just about every day, but I'll stop when it stops being an issue.  I want you to remember scale in selecting your mirror.

The mirror in the bathroom above is too small for the room.  I'm sure it's some special antique or something, but that doesn't make it a good vanity mirror.  What has happened above is that you end up with such separated areas.  You have the sink.  Then separate from that you have the faucet.  Then separate from that you have the mirror.  (the lights are also too  high)  Compare that to the powder below:

Can you see how the mirror is larger, and the faucet comes up and bridges the gap, creating overlap that marries the sink with the mirror?

In the same way, readers of my blog have read me saying that wall decor hung above a piece of furniture should be hung close to the furniture, creating a relationship with the two elements.  It is no different with a sink and mirror.  When you have all this wall space in-between, it's like a guy whose shirt is too short and you can see his gut.  The shirt should meet the pants.  That's what I'm say'in!

(photo from houzz)

This sink mirror combo above is great- the mirror is hung very close to the sink, and then you have some overlap, with the vase of flowers, bringing it all together like one happy family.  Here are a few more examples of both unified and disjointed combinations:

(photo from houzz)

UNIFIED

(Photo from Do you think they want me to say when I am using it specifically as a bad example?)

DISJOINTED

(photo from houzz)

UNIFIED

DISJOINTED

I also wanted to mention your commode.  It doesn't go with your sink or wallpaper either.  It is a very contemporary style, and you are trying to go so much more traditional.  The contrast is glaring to me.  (Sure- the average person might not notice- and you probably just purchased it- so this advice is for all of those readers who haven't purchased theirs yet- don't just pick one up at Costco- go to a real plumbing source and select one consistent with your architecture!)

You need a more traditional one like the Kholer model above.

Your wallpaper selection is terrific.  Do the entire room, all walls- baseboard to ceiling- be sure to add crown molding.

I hope by "granite" you actually mean marble.  I would do a Carrera marble, or something similar.  Granite is way too "kitcheny."  Your marble should mimic the shape of the sink, just like your damaged piece.  Make sure you have an ogee or other style decorative edge on it.

Light Bulbs 101

Hi Christine,

My question today is about lighting. Specifically, light bulbs. In my kitchen, we have the basic builder  6" pot lights (8 of them) and they give off a really yellow light. We have windows lining one entire wall and I still feel that it's hard to see properly! Not great for cooking.

So what I'm wondering is, are there light bulbs that will give off a really crisp white light? I've heard good things about halogen, but don't know anything about them and whether they are an option for us. I know it would probably be best to convert the lights to better quality 4" cans, but I don't think that's an option financially for us right now.

Thanks for your help!

- Jenna

Hi Jenna,

You asked a great question.  Let me give you a quick rundown of your light bulb options.

Lighting can get confusing, with a lot of new terms, and newer terms coming at you all the time.  There is a big push toward energy efficient, but let's not forget design along the way.  Good lighting is a whole level of good interior design that rarely comes standard with any home, but rather requires thought and planning, and in some cases, an education.

Imitating natural light is what most light bulibs are trying for.  Some of them get closer than others.  The difference in how colors look in your home depends on a light bulb's CRI, or color rendering index, with a rating of 100 considered closest to duplicating natural sunlight.

When we talk about lumens, we are talking about the brightness of the bulb.  

When I refer to watts, I am referring to energy use.

Incandescent
They are inexpensive and produce warm light in all directions the second you turn them on.  Their warm cast enhances the warm tones in a room.  Incandescent lights make your skin better looking than a cooler light, like a florescent.  Builders putting in fluorescent bulbs in bathrooms should really be thinking more about their naked bodies than energy savings, if you ask me.  (Honestly, can you put a price on that?)  A cozy warm traditional environment would be very appropriatly lit with incandescent blubs.   Federal legislation will start phasing out incandescent light bulbs starting in 2012.  I am considering stockpiling. 

Halogen
Both warm and cool colors are equal in a halogen bulb, giving you a more neutral, or true reflection of color. I would use halogens as under cabinet lighting in a kitchen, as well as anytime I have a spotlight on artwork.  They are fully dimmable, and cast a nice sharp crisp light in all directions.  The light is the closest to natural sunlight.  The bulbs are 10 to 30 percent more efficient than an incandescent bulb.

The main disadvantage is the danger from the heat of the bulbs, as they are much hotter than regular incandescent models. The risk of burns, fire and other hazards are greater.  I would never use a halogen light in a location where it would remain on for long periods of time, due to the heat it would generate.  They are also more expensive than incandescent bulbs.  I have a family member who has a large number of halogens and their place is definitely a lot warmer because of the lighting.  Personally, I like it, becasue I get cold very easily.

If my daughter's easy bake oven had a halogen in it, I think it woud function much better than the incandescent it currently uses. 

Compact fluorescent

I have always hated CFLs, but I must admit, they are improving over time.  Why do I dislike them?  They cast such a harsh cool light, and don't turn on instantly. In addition, the bulb itself is unattractrive to me.  You also need to be careful what fixture you put them in:

On the bright side, they use about 75 percent less energy than the incandescent bulbs they replace. They claim to last 7- 10 times longer, but personally, I have had CFLs burn out much sooner than those pushing them say they do.  Several CFL brands offer bulbs with a plastic coating that contains the mercury and any shards if the bulb breaks. 
 

On the down side, they take time to fully brighten, (does this drive anyone else a little crazy?)  typically from 19 seconds for spiral bulbs to several minutes or more for flood/reflector bulbs, especially when used outdoors in cold temperatures. Can you see it: you worry there is a home intruder, so to scare them off, you turn on the light, then, a couple of minutes later, it's on.  Nice.  Most CFLs aren't dimmable, and since frequently turning them on and off affects the bulbs' performance and life, they shouldn't be used in certain sockets. Maybe those claiming they last seven years are not considering that you might be turning them off and on....?  CFLs also contain mercury, like I mentioned.  Because of this, you should recycle them instead of simply putting them in your garbage.  In short, it's a hassel, and a possible danger.  Personally, I have never heard of it ever being a problem for anyone, mercury poisoning from their CFLs, have you?  Here in California, building codes require the use of CFLs in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms.  I find the laws offensive.  I think these decisions should be made by lighting designers, not the government. 

I would say that any fixture where you SEE the bulb, don't use a swirly bulb.  They look bad.  (At least I think they do.) 

Can you tell the difference in the lighting of the two kitchens below?  The first one is a cooler, harsher light, the second is a warmer light.  In my mind there is a HUGE difference.

Kelvins make a difference. 

Light-emitting diode

Better lighting is on its way, with LEDs.  LEDs don't have filaments that burn out (incandescents do), don't contain mercury (CFLs do), and don't waste energy by putting out useless heat. (Hello halogens)  Manufacturers claim LEDs last 20,000 to 50,000 hours. That's about 18 to 46 years when used three hours a day. They also don't take 19 seconds to turn on and are dimmable.

There is a down side.  They are expensive (screw-in, globe-type bulbs can cost $20 to $60), and there have been complaints that they give off a bluish cast (their CRI is 92).   Personally, I think we need to keep our eye on these.  I went to a seminar on LEDs a while back, and learned that they are terrific, but still evolving.  Different manufacturers make them in slightly different ways.  I think that in a few years, they will perfect the LED, improve the CRI, and make them in such a way that they are not so expensive. (The price of the screw in bulb is getting lower all the time)

I don't want you all to think I don't believe in saving the earth.  I do.  But there are a lot of different ways we can work to save the earth that do not make our homes look worse.  Personally,  I don't use paper towels.  So, I think with that, I should be allowed to use incandescents, at least until the LED industry can make a comparable product in CRIs and price. 

Do you know what I love?  I love the look of the vintage light bulb.  You can order them from Anthropologie.  They look fabulous.  I admit, I am much more concerned with the look than the watts.

One word: stockpile.