Archive for the ‘General Decorating Ideas’ Category
Posted on May 7, 2009 - by admin
How to make your Window Treatments work year round
A big mistake that I see when dealing with customers who have designed their own windows is that they don’t take into account the other 3 seasons beside the season that they are currently in. For example, it’s Fall and Thanksgiving is fast approaching. Susie really wants her window treatments to be finished for the holidays. The air is just starting to turn cool and she is comforted by warm plaids and deep velvets. She makes curtain panels out of a pumpkin colored velvet and a valance to match. 3 weeks later, Christmas rolls around and that “pumpkin” colored velvet now appears fluorescent orange next to her deep red and green Christmas decorations.
Next, all the snow melts and March is upon us. Susie is desperate for spring and something happy and cheery. Now, all of a sudden, her heavy orange drapes with their heavy valance look sad and outdated. HOW did this all happen in less than 5 months??
One question I tell people to ask of themselves is “am I wiling to tweak my window treatments throughout the year?” Notice I said “tweak” and not “change”.
If the answer is YES, then I would recommend choosing one color or pattern that you absolutely LOVE. Something that makes you smile every time you see it! Now, use that fabric as a basis for a window treatment. Perhaps it becomes a cornice in the kitchen, or a pair of pinch pleated draperies in the living room hung off of a gorgeous chunky wood rod. Let’s say in the summer the treatment remains “as is” (we tend to go more casual in the summer). BUT, in the winter, you have a pair of red (or orange, green, plaid etc.) swags made that you hang over top of the panels!
Now, I’m really giving away my secrets!! These swags could be heavily trimmed with fringe, or beads etc (maybe something that you don’t want to live with year round. I guarantee that when you pop those swags up, everyone will think you just got new window treatments. OR, let’s go back to the kitchen. Remember your simple little cornice that you hung over the sink? Well, maybe in the winter you put up a simple pair of half width red velvet café curtains that look so warm and yummy they make you think of hot chocolate every time you do the dishes. Little changes such as these keep your windows looking fresh and new throughout the year.
If the answer is NO, I refuse to mess with these treatments once they are up - then I really suggest that you choose a year round fabric that won’t tire easily through the seasons. I’m not going to tell you not to use velvet, but certainly think about how it will feel in the heat of August. Maybe you are decorating your finished basement and it’s always slightly cold down there. Or, maybe this is a room that rarely gets used in the summer. In those instances, you can go more seasonal with your fabric. However, for the most part you’ll want to stay with a medium weight fabric that can move throughout the year. You can always change your pillows come Christmas time!
Melissa Lauer is an interior decorator and custom window treatment designer. She owns http://www.onlinesilkfabricstore.com which specializes not only in exquisite silk fabrics from around the world, but also in custom silk drapery and silk bedding.
Posted on May 1, 2009 - by admin
Flower Centerpiece Arrangements
Floral Centerpiece
Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Cincinnati Flower Show. They had a lot of great ideas for both home and garden. One thing I am always on the lookout for is new and exciting centerpieces. These flower centerpieces really caught my eye as I thought I could easily replicate them with flowers available at my local market (or even local discount store like Sams Club or Costco). For the pot, you could use a nice looking garbage can (I say this because I have a great looking black wicker can and an equally attractive black tole one). While these twigs are special designer versions, I feel you could get the same effect with dried reeds or twigs from your area. However, if you are interested in buying the twigs you see in the photo, I’ve seen them both at Michaels craft store and Sams club. The nice thing about buying good ones is that you can save them for use again later. The same is true of the paper lanterns, you can find them almost anywhere (Target, Walmart, Michaels, Hobby store, Party Store etc.) The carnations and pom pom mums are also readily available - around here you can get a couple bouquets of both for under $10. Another nice thing about this centerpiece is its longevity. All of the flowers chosen are long lived and can withstand moderate heat… no wilting flowers here! I loved the color scheme of hot pink, lime green & black. I’m going to do my own version in lime green and lemon yellow - fresh and fun for the spring/summer.
I often buy bouquets of fresh flowers for my kitchen and my dining room, but when I’m looking to take it up a notch I really prefer an organized display. I even keep a virtual file of season arrangements that have caught my eye and that I feel I can easily replicate. On of my favorites was found in the fall at a very upscale antiques festival. I was able to purchase the centerpiece after the show was over for maybe $25. I took a few photos from various angles. When it came time to discard the spent flowers, I disassembled the arrangement and kept everything that wasn’t perishable (ex. feathers, floral picks, dried berries, and the basket it came in along with the liner) I put everything in a ziptop bag and down to the basement it went. It only took 5 minutes more than chucking the whole thing in the garbage. Now, every year for the past SEVEN years I have pulled out that basket and re-created the arrangement. Talk about getting my money’s worth!
I encourage you to do the same, even if the initial arrangement is a bit of an investment. If you have the PERFECT spot for it and you know that you’ll create it again - just do it. Mother’s day is the perfect example.. if you see an adorable sunflower topiary in a cute tin pail that would look great next to your kitchen sink - grab it! Enjoy it, take photos and do it again next year at the same time. You’ll thank yourself.
Posted on April 29, 2009 - by admin
Topiaries - both real and “preserved”
WOW - I wish I had known about this site 10 or so years ago when I was making 20 or so topiaries for my wedding. At the time, there really weren’t that many good options on the market. They were either too fake or too cheap or too something. SO, we opted to make our own. A LOT of time and a LOT of money later we had 20 beautiful topiaries. It was a true family effort. My dad cut the wood from a fallen tree in our family’s yard, my mom painted the pots, grandma hot glued, uncle assembled… you get the picture.
Ivy Ball on Stem Topiary 14 inch
Well the point of my telling you this story is to stay that those topiaries are STILL in rotation. My best friend (and her sister) used them in their weddings, as did my sister and my brother. They have been used at countless parties and every year during the holidays. A well made topiary is a MUST HAVE for your decorating rich decor. Although there is something about a topiary that makes me want to have them in pairs. After all of these years I am still in love with those manicured balls. I now have two real ones outside my front door. I love them and get complimented all the time. Check out the great ones available at Fresh Topiary. Click on the link below and browse their site for ideas. I love that they sell topiaries in 2 and 4 packs - as I said, I like them in pairs.
Ivy Ball on Stem Topiary (pair)
Posted on April 27, 2009 - by admin
What is a Designer Show House?
WHAT:
The name Decorators’ Show House is generally associated with a fund-raising project for a charity organization where a house is donated (acquired, borrowed, offered), redecorated and open to the public for viewing. The organization’s committee selects numerous designers to participate in the redesign of the rooms in that house. Often the interior designers are required to conform to the architecture of the house and respect the time period, while other committees give the designers carte blanche for design. After a short period of time, the interior designers have transformed a slightly “loved” house into a showcase. That showcase is open to the public to make money for the charity.
WHO:
Interior designers and decorators are the primary participants in the show house. The occasional landscape architect is also invited as well. Depending on the prestige and geography of the show house, the list of participants can read like a Who’s Who of the design industry. Generally many designers vie for the opportunity to be chosen to participate. Room selection is often given to the biggest names in design. Once the designers solidify the concept, they pull in all of their top resources. Because of the extreme cost to the designer and their firm, they often showcase (and reveal) their best vendors, craftsmen, and resources who participate at a reduced or nominal cost. (It is for charity!) However, the exposure is enormous for the designers, and the press coverage is high. Many potential clients walk through these show houses to get an idea of which of the designers might fit their needs. (I once saw Oprah canvassing Kips Bay for ideas and a designer.)
WHERE:
These events are held around the country. Check our calendar continuously for updates. The most prominent events are in the bigger cities like New York, Washington, San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, etc.However,Pasadena has one of the best, and prestigious communities like Greenwich and Darien, Connecticut, put together some pretty spectacular events. Some of the show houses like Kips Bay in New York and the NSO in Washington, D.C. are more than 25 years old and very worth marking on your calendar as must-do events.
WHEN:
The show houses are generally presented in the spring. However, clever fund-raising committees are now staggering these events throughout the year. The annual events are scheduled in the same general time frame (look at our calendar of last year’s events to make travel plans for next year). The show houses are generally open for about one month. Once the show house closes, the charity organization immediately begins the search for the next year’s property.
WHY:
These Decorators’ Show Houses are fundraising events but are also a prestigious way for the local and often national design community to show off their latest visions and trends in interior design. Designers spend tremendous amounts of their own money and time to create a finished space that exudes their talent and capabilities. With such compressed time schedules and great expense, it is really an undertaking for any designer to pull off remarkable results. Oh, but they do!
HOW:
Once the location is chosen, the charity committee invites designers to visit the house and submit a request for a room and a concept for that room. Through a private (and often very political) selection process, a designer is assigned a room. Once the rooms are assigned, the designers go to work. Generally the designers have about six weeks from selection time to the opening to the public. The houses are then opened up for house tours to the public, for a fee. Additionally, there are often auctions of the contents of some of the rooms, preview galas, raffles, great programs, and business cards galore to pick up. The proceeds go to the charity, usually with great results.
Posted on April 22, 2009 - by admin
HAPPY EARTH DAY - Eco-Wallcoverings: Not Your Parents’ Wallpaper
It’s common knowledge among remodelers and interior designers that the easiest way to transform the look of a home is by changing the wall color. Often the design element used is paint. Not so in my childhood home.
See, I had a wallpaper designer parent (Dad), and my other parent (Mom) was over the moon over wallpaper. My father’s flocks and my mom’s modern metallics were in full bloom all over the walls of the house. Along with the rolls of wallpaper samples and those thick, stumpy wallpaper books, there were tiny flecks of film that caught on all the textured surfaces of the house. My Dad’s handprinted silk-screening pieces from his graphic design process landed on more than just the walls. It gave new meaning to “wallpaper world” and let’s just say they had their share of wallpaper wonders and woes.
Now we know the lowdown on wallpaper is low. Traditional vinyl wallpaper leaks VOCs. The adhesives used in pre-pasted wallpaper emit vapors. The chemicals used in vinyl wallpaper have the potential to harbor mold. Mold growth behind wallpaper aggravates a plethora of health problems. No wonder wallpaper wallowed away from the home design scene.
But lately, wallpaper has been popping up all over the blogosphere.
There’s one basic credo about green home design: If it is eco-friendly, eco-chic and makes the homeowner happy, then bring it home. Wallpaper hasn’t seemed to fit this model … until now.
Think of these eco-friendly wallpapers as upholstery for your walls. Don’t forget the wallpaper paste. Care2’s got an excellent DIY green recipe for wallpaper paste that is free of pesticides and easy to make.
The most eco-friendly:
• At Madison and Grow, the wallpaper is hand silk-screened using water-based ink. The papers are clay coated for extra durability and can be wiped with a damp sponge. Their manufacturing process emits no VOC’s.
• Designer, Angela Adams’ Wallcoverings are known for their sense of timelessness, simplicity and balance, inspired by Maine’s natural beauty. The wallpaper is breathable, has no pvc, 100% post consumer recyclable, uses water based inks with no heavy metals and Greenguard certified for low-VOC emissions.
For the wallpaper commitment-phobic:
• If you just don’t want to make a permanent statement with wallpaper, try Blik Surface Graphics. These oversized, self-adhesive, removable decals and stickers allow anyone to quickly and easily create decorative patterns or custom wall murals at home.
• Marimekko makes a non-toxic product that you peal, stick and decorate on your wall called WallCandy (love it) that looks great for using in kid’s rooms.
• Ferm Living has absolutely beautiful wallpaper and wall stickers. They are quite pricey, but recently had a 60 percent off sale on their fun wall stickers. Here’s their popular kid-friendly paper and stickers. No statement about how green the company is, but worth a look for inspiration.
Ronnie Citron-Fink lives in New York with her husband, two children (when they come home to the nest), two dogs and a cat. Ronnie is a teacher and a writer. She has been a contributing writer for Family Fun magazine. She currently writes articles about education and home design. Her writings are in four books including Family Fun Home and Some Delights of the Hudson Valley.
More from Ronnie Citron-Fink (56 articles available)
Posted on April 21, 2009 - by admin
History of silk industry is recalled
The silk industry from the 1890s to the mid-1930s employed thousands of local women, according to Martha Capwell Fox, an industry researcher.
Fox spoke at the First Presbyterian Church in West Pittston on Sunday afternoon in a program titled “Silk Weaver for the World.” She described the history of local silk mills and their eventual demise.
Fox, of Catasaqua, Lehigh County, has a special tie to the industry, being a daughter of a silk mill owner.
She showed photos circa 1890s to 1970s of women working in local silk mills. During its height, there were more than 25 local mills, some big enough to house 1,500 employees. The industry was “huge” and now barely a trace remains, she said.
Several of those in attendance remembered their parents working in the mills. One man talked about the mill located in West Pittston on Philadelphia Avenue. It employed Polish and Lithuanian girls, he said. A woman told nostalgic stories of her mother who liked working in local silk mills.
During the contentious anthracite strikes in 1902, the silk mills kept food on the tables of local families, Fox said. That kept the coal barons from “starving the miners out.”
In the 1890s the mills employed girls age 10 to 18 at 10 cents per hour, she said. At the time it was good money, she added, because most mills added pay based on production.
Most girls wanted to develop a good relationship with the repairmen because the women could lose money if their machines were broken. Many romances started in the mills, she added.
Processing raw silk was a very intricate process that made young girls the best candidates for the job, she said. Around 1910, Pennsylvania started to enact labor laws to regulate the age of the workers and the amount of time they would have to work, she said.
However, the girls really liked the jobs, Fox said. Many returned to work after getting married and raising their children. Some worked into their 70s and 80s, she added. The local silk industry was very good to its employees compared to others of the time, she said.
In the 1920s the industry went through a surge in which mills were changing ownership frequently, Fox said. Silk was the bubble of the 1920s.
At that time there were seven mills in Pittston and two in West Pittston employing immigrant families, she said. They’ve all completely disappeared leaving a spotty paper trail, Fox said.
Today, there are only a few silk producers in India and Southeast Asia. She predicts silk will go back to being a fabric available only to the very wealthy as its supply dwindles.
But in its heyday, silk was so important it was transported in and out of Northeastern Pennsylvania in armored trucks.
Fox was invited to speak about by the West Pittston Historical Society.
RALPH NARDONE Times Leader Correspondent
1. SILK. Silk is a very high-end material that has recently become more readily available at the retail level. It’s shiny, soft and glamorous and can be used in a number of no-sew ways. Try a table runner or centerpiece. Simply buy enough yardage to cover the length of your table and to hang over by about 10 inches on either side. If you have them, cut the ends with pinking sheers (as silk tends to fray terribly!) and, if desired, hem the ends with no sew hem tape. If you’re like me and like to change your runner with each season and holiday, don’t even bother hemming! The silk runner in this photo was purchased for under $5 at my local fabric store. I simply cut the end with pinking sheers. Now, I pull it out to add that special touch to those impromptu get-togethers or a formal dinner party. 2. LIGHTING. Chandeliers, chandeliers, chandeliers. Add them now! You’ve seen it in every high-end magazine, a chandelier in the bathroom, over the kitchen island and even the walk-in closet. Luckily, you can afford this luxury as well. Most big box hardware stores carry chandeliers that are pre-wired with a plug. For a few extra dollars you can pay an electrician to hardwire the chandelier into an existing light source. 3. FUR. Mention fur (either real or faux) and most people immediately think rich. Almost every local fabric shop now sells great faux furs at bargain basement prices. This allows you to use fur in the most unexpected ways. How about getting some faux mink and tossing it over the arm of your sofa? Nothing looks more glamorous than the plush soft folds of a mink throw. You can back the fur with some inexpensive coat lining (acetate) or go without the lining and use the fur purely for decoration. 4. TASSELS & TRIM. Tassels & trim are like the icing on the cake. The difference between a nice pillow, curtain or lampshade and a STUNNING pillow, curtain or lampshade is usually the trim. Just like everything else, tassels and trims are now readily available at a retail level and offer quite a lot of “bang for the buck.” For example, to trim out a lampshade you usually need less than a yard. A lampshade is a great place to add trim because it’s often at eye level and acts as a secondary focal point of the room. If you have a few dollars more, try adding some fabulous trim to a pre-made set of drapes. Not sure how to attach it?? If the drapes are non-working and purely for decoration, simply pull out your trusty glue gun or nearest bottle of fabric glue. I’ve trimmed drapes in everything from glass beads to peacock feathers! Which leads us to………. 5. FEATHERS. Unexpected – YES! Expensive – NO! Again, here is a great way to get the most bang for your buck. Feathers of any kind make a huge design impact for not a lot of money. They’re also a great conversation piece. Try adding feathers to your living room lampshade. Stick a few pheasant feathers into a premade floral centerpiece. OR for those of you with sewing skills, trim out a silk throw with feather trim – now that’s pure glamour!! Here are a few photos of custom silk throws that we made for clients… trimmed with… you guessed it… FEATHERS! It may not be a great time to be selling antiques and collectibles, but it sure is greatest time to buy. As I’ve said before, one of the secrets to decorating rich is a sense of history. Well, if you don’t have mementos of your own family’s history now you can buy those belonging to someone else. Many auction houses are holding Spring Decorative Arts auctions that happen weekly or monthly throughout the spring. You can expect to find staples of decorating rich such as oil paintings, antique furniture, rugs, clocks and the like. Even if the antique style isn’t quite your thing, there is always room for a little “patina” as we call it. Even the most contemporary penthouse could benefit from an antique chandelier or turkish rug! So how do you find these great deals? Start out by using the good old fashioned yellow pages. While many auction houses are well up to date on the world of e-commerce, there are still quite a few gems that don’t know (or care to know) anything about that “fancy internet”. You’ll want to visit these auction houses in person to participate. Registering for a live auction is not only easy, but a lot of fun! Don’t let cold or rainy weather deter you, the nastier it is outside the BETTER. This means less competition. I’ve gone to auctions where it’s raining so hard you can barely see (and gotten some really great deals… like that antique oak coat rack sitting in my hall) . No local auction house? No problem! As I mentioned before many many auction houses have taken their business online. You can even find some of the biggies on Ebay - that’s right - Ebay! You’ll want to look for an established auction house with a high number of positive feedback. So get off the couch (or don’t) and see what treasures you can unearth! Christie's Auctions - one of the nations most prestigious
Posted on April 20, 2009 - by admin
Silk flowers that don’t SCREAM “fake”!
Recently, I was looking for a new springlike centerpiece for my dining room. You know the feeling, the holidays are finally over and all of the heavy decorations are packed away. Well, this left my dining room feeling a little naked! Too many cold hard wood surfaces. I was reading one of my many decorating magazines and saw a dining room professionally set for the shoot and there was a beautiful vase of Casablanca Lilies right in the middle of the table. I was drawn to the elegant simplicity of the chunky clear glass vase (with a nice heavy bottom) and the bright cheeriness of the lilies. I was lucky enough to track down that arrangement, and at $139… I might buy two! They’ve got some really adorable Gerber Daisies for under $80!
Posted on April 17, 2009 - by admin
Five Beautiful Ways To Add Glamour To Your Decorating
Posted on April 16, 2009 - by admin
Now is the time to buy at AUCTION
Posted on March 27, 2009 - by admin
Apothecary Jars
Apothecary Jar
Check out these great Apothecary Jars! We love these versatile containers for just that reason - they are SO versatile. Try two or three on your kitchen counter Change their contents throughout the year and your look will never tire.
SPRING - fill them with brightly colored Easter Eggs.
SUMMER - maybe some sand and sea shells.
FALL - pine cones mixed with pine straw
WINTER - Peppermint candies and vintage mercury glass.
You can even take the ever changing pace a step further and add seasonal candies. We love the pink & white M&Ms out around Valentines day. Come to think of it - M&M’s come in holiday colors all year long. Although, it would take will power of STEEL to have a constant, never ending supply of chocolate right at your finger tips. On second thought, maybe pine cones are the way to go after all.
