Royal Hue to Reign Supreme in 2014

February 2014, Issue 6.0

Pantone, the recognized color expert for fashion and design, has declared Radiant Orchid as the color of the year for 2014. This shade, which is on the red side of lavender, can be combined with a number of other hues for effects from elegant and understated to bold and energetic.

BOLD CHOICES

When combined with coral and a deeper value of purple, Radiant Orchid creates an analogous color harmony for a rich and intriguing effect.

An exotic tribal vibe is created by a vibrant and varied palette that includes liberal doses of purple hues.

When used in a complimentary color palette that pairs the purple with shades of yellow, Radiant Orchid suggests garden-inspired decor themes.

Similar to yellow, a citron green combined with Radiant Orchid with creates a brilliant fresh spring-inspired effect.

SUBTLE AND SOPHISTICATED

A monochromatic color scheme that combines light and dark shade of the same color can be restful and relaxing.

Radiant Orchid can be combined with grey, burgundy and navy for a rich, elegant and understated effect.

This monochromatic color scheme featuring Radiant Orchid is punctuated by the contrast of the purples against the cream in the striped and paisley pillows.

We'll never be royal, but we can definitely appreciate Radiant Orchid and other rich purple hues for 2014.

Update your Entertainment Center

January 2014, Issue 5.0

You have the latest flat screen television, electronics, and gaming system, but has your TV stand made the upgrade too?  The sleek shape and thin dimensions of modern TVs have changed home theater furniture.  To match emerging technologies, entertainment centers have advanced to provide a solution, style, and size to match your needs.

TYPES OF ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS

+ Consoles are the most prominent choice for housing modern flat-screen TVs.  Wider than their TV stand ancestors, they offer more stability and storage for other media components.  Even if your TV is mounted on the wall, a console placed beneath helps to ground it and fill in the space.  This leaves the top of the console free for display space.

+ Entertainment walls are designed to be customized to your storage needs and give the look of built-in cabinetry. Several different components can be mixed and matched, the general arrangement consisting of a stand to support the TV, cabinets with adjustable shelves on either side, and a bridge on top connecting the two cabinets.  They offer a place for every piece of equipment and make good use of vertical space.

+  The streamlined design of modern TVs means they can become part of the décor more easily than older boxy television sets.  The option to mount them to the wall leaves you free to construct the space around it.  Flank it with floating shelves, hang framed photos around it – make the television part of the arrangement.

+ If you do prefer to keep your TV out of sight, choose a cabinet with doors.  Fold or slide the doors into place, and you switch a room’s focal point away from the screen.

+ Organize your components, create a focal point, AND enjoy the warm ambiance of flames with a fireplace console.  Like regular consoles, these units are designed for use with TV on top and shelves for components and storage.  The electric heat is efficient, clean, and safe.   Turn off the heat option, and enjoy the flame effect year-round.

FEATURES TO LOOK FOR

+ Many manufacturers offer different options for the doors on their entertainment furniture. Some have glass doors so that the remote will work without having the doors open or cabinet doors fitted with speaker fabric that allows sound to travel through them.

+ Look for easy hook-up systems that don't require you to crawl inside your entertainment unit to install a new component.  Integrated cord management systems keep cords tidy and out of the way.  Integrated surge protectors help to protect your electronics from power surges and voltage spikes.

+ A quality piece will incorporate safety features.  It should be structurally sound so that there is no wobbling; corner blocks ensure stability and levelers will make sure all the doors and drawers line up correctly. If you have small children in the house, get an anti-tip device that will secure the TV to the console or the wall.

+ Measure all of your components for height, width, and depth before you buy, as well as your room to make sure your entertainment unit will fit!  Remember that TVs are sold using a diagonal screen measurement, so you’ll need to know the dimensions of the unit itself.  You want the width of the console to be wider than the TV itself so overhanging corners don’t get bumped.

Happy viewing!

Space-Saving Dining Solutions

October 2013, Issue 4.0

Tired of getting creative with card tables when company comes for holiday dinner? Here are a few space‐saving items and tricks to help you get the most out of your dining furniture.

ROUND TABLES
Stylish and space‐saving, a round or oval pedestal table makes it easier to add a few more place settings. Without table legs in the way, additional guests can sit more comfortably. Its shape and small footprint also improve the traffic and visual flow of the room. For a further sense of space, try a glass‐topped table.

EXTENDABLE TABLES
As their name suggests, extendable (or expandable) dining tables can be transformed to increase the table surface area. A variety of mechanisms allow additional leaves to be inserted or removed as needed. Drop‐leaf tables offer another flexible space‐saving solution with hinged sides that can be brought up or folded down. Depending on the table’s proportions, they can easily serve other roles as sofa tables, end tables, desks, or media consoles.

GROUP SEATING
Instead of individual seats, maximize space with a bench. Substitute a few chairs with a bench and create the “kids’ side” – an alternative to the “kids’ table” - that keeps everyone together. Many dining sets in a range of styles come with a bench option. Along similar lines is the banquette – upholstered bench seating that’s built up against or into the wall, usually wrapping around a corner. A cozy booth in your kitchen or dining room, it may also offer storage space underneath.

CHAIR CHEATS
Furniture of a smaller scale or with slimmer lines can make a difference in how the room looks and feels spatially. Choose visually lightweight open‐backed chairs rather than solid, high‐backed chairs. Chairs without arms require less space to maneuver in and out of and can be placed closer together. Even if they aren’t official pieces of your particular dining set, a few extra upholstered chairs can find work in other rooms when they aren’t needed at the table. They’ll look smart and serve a function at the desk, in a bedroom corner, or in the living room. If you do need to stow them away, it is possible to find stylish chairs that don’t look like folding chairs.

MULTI-TASKERS
If the dining experience at your home tends to carry over into the living room, think about getting one or two versatile pieces of furniture. A sofa table is easily repositioned to become a server or bar, offering extra surfaces to hold appetizer trays or silverware and drinks. Multifunctional coffee tables with adjustable‐height tops provide solutions for entertaining and beyond – tables with lift‐tops are very handy for laptop use. For clever casual seating, check out coffee tables configured with stools that can be tucked under the tabletop when not in use. A cocktail ottoman multitasks as a table, a seat, and a footstool, and often offers storage inside. Go bohemian and arrange a few large cushions that encourage guests to get comfy on the floor. Whether you’re decorating a small space, or just hosting more people than usual, you’ll be able to maximize your space and enjoy dining stylishly with family and friends.

Contemporary Style

September 2013, Issue 3.0

If you love the look of clean, sleek lines, airy open spaces and clutter-free surfaces, Contemporary style is for you. Its minimalist “less is more” approach emphasizes form and function to create an inviting, comfortable room. Here are a few of the style’s attributes to inspire your own Contemporary interior.

COLORS
+ Neutral palettes keep the look simplified and provide a backdrop for your bolder accent colors.
+ Brighter, bolder splashes of color are generally reserved for use as accents. A vibrant sofa, throw, piece of artwork, or other accessory can make a visual impact.
+ Contemporary-style interiors are spacious, bright rooms. You’ll find a lot of white used, particularly as the wall color. It reflects light and opens up the space – a useful effect to implement in a smaller home.
+ Avoid mixing too many different colors in one room, otherwise it becomes too busy and undermines the orderliness you’re striving for.

FURNITURE
+ Contemporary furnishings showcase streamlined shapes and smooth surfaces. No ruffles, carvings, or floral prints found here!
+ Design elements include exposed legs, slim profiles, linear shapes, light colored wood, and solid or subtle patterned fabrics.
+ Furnishings often have a high-gloss shine, thanks to stainless steel, chrome, glass, plastic, tile, and polished wood.
+ Natural materials and fibers balance out the sleekness with their textural appeal. Furniture upholstered in textured fabrics keeps the room from seeming too cold or spare. Organic materials such as stone and wood also provide some contrast to the industrial feel of metal and glass.

LIGHTING
+ Take advantage of natural light as much as you can by using minimal window treatments. Unobtrusive blinds or a sheer textured fabric will provide privacy and without spoiling the clean look.
+ Contemporary light fixtures themselves have a sculptural quality, featuring sleek lines and metallic finishes.
+ Light is often used to highlight an artistic focal point or structural feature of the room.
+ Track lighting and recessed lighting draw attention to artwork and accessories.

ACCESSORIES
+ Chosen deliberately and used sparingly, a few pieces serve as focal points or are highlighted as pieces of art.
+ Try a simple botanical arrangement in a tall vase, a large mirror, or metal sculpture. Choose a few large dramatic pieces positioned to draw the eye, rather than lots of small trinkets.
+ Artwork hung on the walls is a good place to showcase your accent colors. Abstracts on stretched canvas or with simple frames, black-and-white photos, or wall sculptures become focal points in your own personal gallery.
+ Contemporary style floors are usually wood, tile, or vinyl. Though typically left bare, a rug with a solid color or geometric design wouldn’t be out of place.

No matter what kind of living space you have, Contemporary design can bring a modern quality to your interior – clean and livable, smooth and stylish.

Choosing the Perfect Palette

August 2013, Issue 2.0

A great color scheme can transform your home into your own ideal living space. It can communicate personality and set the mood for any room. But how do you go about choosing the perfect combination from a nearly limitless spectrum of hues? Here are some tips, tricks, and tools to guide you as you decorate with color.

Start with a favorite color. It may sound obvious, but if the color resonates with you then it will probably make a good go-to color in your home. Take a look in your closet. These are the colors you surround yourself with already, so you may want to translate them into a room. Another place to draw inspiration is from furnishings you already have. Pick a color from a rug, painting, or bedspread to build from and use throughout your home.

Select 3 to 5 colors to make up your palette. Combining too many colors creates more contrast, and a scheme can get too busy. Like highlights and lowlights, they don’t have to be exactly lighter and darker versions of your main color, but consider mixing a range of values. A common formula interior designers use is the 60-30-10 rule: 60% of the room should be the main color, 30% is a secondary color, and 10% of the scheme is an accent color.

+ Select your color scheme based on how you want the room to feel. Warm colors generally provide an energizing effect, blues and greens are more calming. Keep these qualities in mind while decorating an active, busy kitchen or creating a cozy bedroom retreat.
+ Try some color tricks to manipulate a sense of space. Painting a large room in warm colors will bring the walls in, while cooler colors can open up and brighten a cave-like space. Long curtains draw the eye upward, giving the illusion of height, as will a light-colored ceiling.
+ Pay attention to the lighting effects in a room. Natural light changes in quality over the course of the day. Incandescent light is redder than sunlight and fluorescent light is bluer, and they can change a way a color looks. Check the colors you want to use under different types lighting at different times of day to determine whether you need a slightly different shade. The paint department of your local hardware store has various lighting sources you can test them under too.
+ If you prefer a neutral background or you’re limited as far as what you can change, introduce your color scheme through accessories. Window treatments, rugs, pillows, and artwork can bring visual interest as well as add pattern and texture.
+ For rooms that open onto each other, try to avoid using drastically different colors. It creates a better transition if they flow more naturally into each other. For continuity through your entire house, alternate your main, secondary, and accent colors in each room. Switch them up from room to room but have hints of them all over the house.

There are a wealth of online tools to help you visualize your color scheme. You don’t need to be shopping for paint to use the color selectors on paint companies’ websites. One of our favorites is "Chip It!" from Sherwin Williams. Use sample room photos, images of furniture from our website, or upload your own. Browse swatches or build from scratch. Search for inspirational palettes on websites like Pinterest and Design-Seeds.com.

Summer Colors & Design Inspiration

July 2013, Issue 1.0

In the 1920s and 1930s, Art Deco was the popular choice for elegant, modern interior design. With its clean, streamlined shapes, geometric patterns and smooth finishes, the style was a deliberate departure from heavy, ornate Victorian-era furnishings. Echoing the spirit of jazz, Machine Age technologies, and a post-war society looking to the future, Art Deco offered a glamorous style for a new era. Thanks in part to the new movie adaptation of The Great Gatsby, the Art Deco influence is experiencing a resurgence.

If you’re aiming to bring this distinctive look to your décor, choose furniture with strong sweeping lines. Large scale pieces were used to add drama, so feel free to go big with an armoire, sideboard, or oversized chair. Art Deco style furnishings made use of materials which were new at the time, such as chrome, stainless steel, and lacquered wood. Mirrors were a big accessory, providing some of the shine and sparkle associated with Art Deco. Mirrored furniture was considered a glamorous addition, so a mirrored coffee table, dresser or buffet would make a glitzy focal point in your room. And for entertaining in 1920s fashion, what home would be complete without a bar or a chrome and glass cocktail cart?

Art Deco replaced Art Nouveau’s intricate flowing lines with angles and clean shapes. It emphasized form and symmetry, incorporating patterns such as zig-zags, chevrons, sunbursts, and elongated shapes reminiscent of skyscrapers. In your home, a touch of this streamlined aesthetic can be reflected in the lines of a fan-shaped dresser mirror, a rug with a geometric design, or a linear patterned wallpaper on an accent wall.

Glossy black, gold, chrome, silver, white, red, and yellow are the most popular colors of the Art Deco style. Black and chrome were thought to reflect the current technological advances, so the combination was used often. Black and white was also a common pairing – a classic choice for a tiled floor. On the other end of the palette, neutrals like beige and cream contrast nicely with dark lacquered wood furniture, particularly in a sumptuous bedroom setting.

Mood is everything for Art Deco interiors, and layered lighting can create the right atmosphere. A wall sconce or torchiere floor lamp offers flattering indirect lighting. Lamp bases of bronze or wrought iron are typical, with clear, frosted or colorful glass shades. A lamp with a futuristic shape is a perfect accent in an ultra-modern Art Deco décor, and if you can’t resist Hollywood glamor, a sparkling chandelier will add the shimmer you’re looking for.

While the Art Deco style tends to feature smooth surfaces, rich materials and textures keep them from looking plain. Veneers and inlaid wood provide depth and design to wooden pieces. Velvet upholstery brings a sensuous quality to solid, neutral-colored fabrics. Avoid using floral prints or plaids with this style, but if you’d like to add a bold statement, stick with repeating, symmetrical patterns. Zebra print is another Deco-appropriate option, thanks to the rise in travel in the 1920s and 30s, when African safaris became all the rage. For a Tropical Deco twist, try a palm tree print and a pastel color scheme to echo the feel of Miami Beach’s Art Deco district.

Art Deco’s sleek style fits in well with most of today’s interiors, and retains its timeless appeal. With its forward-looking approach to style, hopefully Art Deco elegance will continue to inspire generations.