Color Repetition

I suppose it is easiest if I am just honest. I am a bad shopper. In fact people like me, should not be allowed to shop without bringing people like you along.

Item to be shopped for today: Bar stools. Sturdy ones. The last set my children have managed to…. destroy. So, I don’t want to go overboard on price, as they may just destroy these – but I will pay enough to buy sturdy ones.

The trick is… this room is boring!! No color! Sometimes I introduce color into my kitchen simply with placemats, etc. But, do you have a better idea? Maybe some fun RED bar stools? Or blue, or anything fun that can bring in some style / color? Or should I keep it simple (and inexpensive) and bring in color and style another way?

Attached are photos of the table as is, as well as a few other of my house, to get you an idea of what my current color palate is, etc. The walls are a very light blue with dark wood.

- Kim

Dear Kim,

And I say this for everyone- your photos need to be in a jpeg format for me to post them. ;) Please re-send.

For the benefit of everyone- her kitchen was all dark espresso cabinets- with a dark table- and light blue walls. She had dark brown woven wood shades.

Yes- Kim- you are right- you do need some color. The blue has to be repeated- you can't just have it on the wall- and nowhere else- it is too detached. These barstools are on sale from Pottery Barn right now. I would get some fabric- have some cafe curtains made- and use a color from the fabric in the stools. I think I would use a pattern like green one- and then trim it in a pattern like the small print at the top- to add more pattern and color in the area. Then I would use the green barstools.

Repeat your colors again with table linens and accessories. Also add a rug or runner in front of your sink area- like the one in the post from Dash and Albert. This repeats your blue and green- as well as some red- repeating your sofa color in the next room.

The top pattern is from Amy Butler- and the stripe is Waverly.

Thanks for writing in!

Christine

Allison

Hi Christine.
Before marrying my husband (who has traditional taste), I would say my style was contemporary to almost modern. Now as I age, my taste is changing to traditional contemporary. I love decorating and with a one year old, I really do not have time to do the things I wish I could these days. This wall started with 2 pics....all black of white. I sort of patterned it after Pottery Barn sort of collection of black and white frames. I am torn...I think now it looks like a big mess and need some order....I know how, but honestly, I love my artwork and photographs and need help picking and choosing.
Also, should I stick one style of frame?
- Alison

Dear Alison,
You have four issues with your wall- relationship, scale, repetition and overlap

1. The wall decor above furniture should have a relationship with the furniture below it. You have a good 15 inches between your lowest frame and the sofa. Lower everything.
2. I told Laura this same thing- You need some large scale items. Why? You are not in a hallway. There needs to be some items that can be seen from more of a distance- because of the size and nature of the room.
3. I don't like the single shelf. Repetition is important. If you are going to keep the shelf- get a second one and stagger them. Maybe a smaller one of the same style. (I know that my picture has one clock. I am allowed to break the rules. You are not. :)
4. Overlap. I have said this many times- but you should have some pictures a little behind that lamp. There should be some overlap.

Don't worry about hanging every single picture that you want to hang. Hang the number and size of pictures that will look the best. Should you have just one frame style? No. Not from what I can see of your home. That is the more "modern" look- but your home is more "traditional modern", as you said, and for that- the mismatch collection is better. Draw it all out on graph paper- OR- lay it all out on the floor with some painter's tape showing where your walls and furniture are. This keeps you from too many mess-ups with the nails. You don't want your wall to look like a "drive by shooting".

The wall decor and clock is from Uttermost.

Dawna's Bedroom

I took my kids to southern CA to visit G'ma and Legoland last week. While I was there I went to visit my good friend Dawna, that I haven't seen since my wedding :) She is re-doing her Master Bedroom, so I took some photos of it, and wanted to share what I planned for her. Her 6 year old (she has the CUTEST boys you have EVER seen.) was sent to Mom's bed for nap time, and wasn't very tired. He created a very detailed "Star Wars" pictorial for her on her wall above her bed. I took some close-ups for you :) I wanted to design my plans around keeping this precious work of art.

A word on scale. Unless you have a very large home. Chances are you do not have room on your headboard wall for more than your headboard and two nightstands. Find nightstands that are not too small. For a King or Queen size bed, you should have lamps that are around 36 inches in height. A lamp and bed of these sizes need a generous night stand, for it to have balance. Keep in mind that it does not need to be a "nightstand" that you purchase in the "bedroom section" of a furniture store. It can be a table, a three door chest, or in Dawna's case I am suggesting... a file cabinet.Dawna has some things she needs storage for- and two beautiful file cabinets like the one above would make perfect night stands, and be completely functional.

For her bed I selected an extra tall (72 inches) leather quilted headboard. (Dawna mentioned to me that she was not a fan of footboards.) A beautiful headboard like this can be bracketed to the wall, and add a softness and texture that is YUMMY! Your headboard wall should be the focal point wall of any bedroom. Loosen your wallet and get one that you love. This is a key furniture piece in your home, (along with your sofas). Get a nice quality timeless piece. The headboard above sells for around $4000. (less if you attended my wedding :) It MAKES the room. It is unique, elegant, and yet not over-the-top.

Keep your bedding simple. Dawna wanted to go with a green color. The bedding below is a good option- It is from the Candice Olson "Fantasy Flower" collection- available at Dillards.

For your curtains, bring in a pattern that will marry your green and cream. Like the fabric below from Duralee. Repeat the dark wood color of the night stands with dark wood shutters, or 3" blinds. Repetition is an important element in interior design. We would not want to use dark wood in only one location.

Have a sisal/ grasscloth on the walls. (except not on the star wars mural which is hidden behind the headboard :) The one below is from York.

So- do you get a view of my vision? Add some greenery. Every room needs plants. :)

On the wall to the left, hang a large mirror, or collection of mirrors. The one below from Uttermost is 65 x 65. Remember that we need a size relationship with the wall.The wall to the right will have your beautiful drapes, and a collection of photos. Hang a painting above the fireplace. (not shown).

I'd like to make mention of the pattern used in the room. There is a large print in the bedding, a medium pattern in the drapes, and a small pattern in the headboard. Together they will blend together very well. Leave one out- and the room would not feel as "put together."

Check here for a perfect chair to finish off the space.

Anyone have any other ideas for Dawna?

So great to see you!

- Christine

The furniture in this post is from Global Views.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Christine,
Thank you so much for taking the time to come to my home last evening and helping me with color and window treatments. I'm looking forward to seeing the samples in a larger format. Two additional questions please. We spoke about a photo gallery in the hall with the frames being different. Can you show me an example? Also when does the use of mirrors in a home become too many?
Linda

Linda,

I'd like to answer the second part to your question now. "When does the use of mirrors in a home become too many?" I think this is something that a lot of people run into in some form or another. For example, I used to sell clocks. I was always finding more and more new beautiful clocks, and frequently they would find a home in my home before I ever sold them. The question is the same- when are there too many clocks? I had a client that really liked art work; how many different pieces of art are too many? First of all- this I stand by- if you like it, if it makes you happy when you look at it- then it doesn't matter much what a "professional" says. With that said, if you are in a category of "too much of something"- then even if you do like it, you would probably like it even more if you had items on the wall that complemented each other rather than competed with each other. Let me set some rules to explain.

1. Every room should have a "focal point." In a kitchen, this should be the hood of the stove. (In my opinion- if you are designing a new kitchen, put money into the hood- make it beautiful- this is the "hearth" of the kitchen). In a room with a fireplace, this should be the fireplace. In a bedroom, this should be the wall with the headboard on it. If you have a passion for something (art, mirrors, clocks).- make it special by putting it on the focal point wall.- This is where you design the room for the eye to gravitate. The other items in the room should give balance and rhythm, leading the eye here- to the focus of the room.

2. If I were to hang two clocks near each other, people would automatically, unconsciously, select a favorite. In too close a proximity, they are competing with each other. Do I have more than one clock in the same room? Yes- I have two in my family room. One is a large clock above my fireplace, the other is a small clock on the opposite side of the room, on a small wall. In this way, there is no competition. If the second clock were the same large size, or if it were too close to the first clock, this would not be the case. There should be a natural rhythm moving around the room. Two clocks the same size would stop the rhythm; the eye would bounce back and forth, rather than flow (like on that old Nintendo game Break Out- where the ball would get stuck bouncing back and forth and go that way forever unless you moved that paddle).

3. A collage is different. You can design a collage of different mirrors and hang them on the same wall, as one entity. The mirrors should have a common theme, say, round, vintage, similar frames, something to make them work well together- or you need to just have a really good feel for what will work. In a case like this, you do not want one to stand out when your eye goes to the collage- it should see the collage- not a single item in it. This is not to say that you can't have one mirror larger than the rest- I am simply advising against one that doesn't work well with the others in color or thickness, one that feels awkward. A few years ago Pottery Barn made popular a wall of clocks (thanks Pottery Barn, that really boosted my clock business!) This is where I say, hang them close to each other, very close.

4. When designing someone's room, I like to use different items- this gives variety, and when well selected they compliment each other and work well together. For example, in one room, I might choose a piece of art on one wall, relief plaques or decorative iron on another, a mirror on a third. Is there anything wrong with having a mirror in every room of your home. No- go for it!

Good luck Linda! Let me know if you have any other questions.

- Christine

Thanks to Pottery Barn for the photo!