A Designer’s Pledge

I pledge to listen to my clients and make every effort to create a dynamic yet practical space in which to live and work.

I pledge to be mindful of the environment with each of the decisions we make for your home or office.

I pledge to respond to your phone calls, texts and emails  promptly.

I pledge to be respectful of your budget and to not show my disappointment when you (occasionally) second guess our decisions.

I pledge to be the only designer you will consider hiring for your next project after this one is completed.

I pledge to help you enjoy the design process.

With over 26 years proven success:   http://www.pbid-interiordesign.com

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Artistic Composotion / Art and Soul Expressions

A client recently asked me to post some design tips for hanging art, photography, and wall groupings. There used to be a lot of rules of thumb for this, but anymore the basic rule is that there are no rules. That being said, it is very important to keep in mind the scale and proportion of the room, as well as the style of the furnishings. If you are grouping over a large space or a very finite space such as an entry way (as shown in this photo found on Pinterest), pay close attention to the furniture placement as part of the grouping.

A wall grouping that is very busy and full of various frame styles fits more with a vintage style than a modern one. Odd numbers work well in this type of wall grouping and generally, the eye tends to feel more comfortable with the pieces that hold the most “visual weight” to be hung on the left side of the grouping. Notice in the photo on the right (also a beautiful Pinterest find), the wall display is very balanced in both color and style and has been methodically-planned to work  horizontally with the long cabinet in a transition area in the home.

In the photo to the left it is apparent that the furnishings in the room, bookcases and table tops, are equally as important for displaying art as actually wall mounting your art. I often feel this is the most charming way to display art, and it allows flexibility to move things around when you need a change. (Third photo also courtesy of Pinetrest.)

Here’s a list of guidelines that can help you in your quest to hang your treasured art:

• Use paper outlines of the sizes of the frames to help you visualize and decide on the ideal arrangement. Tape these to the wall and arrange and re-arrange until you find the combination that suits your eye. Once you have the right look, hang your art according to the placement of the templates.

On HGTV, Designer Candice Olsen recommended using blue painter’s tape to mark the area of the wall that you wish for the grouping to cover. This is a good lesson in proportion. Then, when hanging your art, keep it within the parameters of the painter’s tape.

Designer Barry Dixon recommends that to achieve balance with a group of pictures that are different in size and scale, draw an imaginary axis vertically and horizontally on the wall and make sure that the art has equal weight in each of the four quadrants.

Lastly, keep in mind to always hang things lower rather than higher and closer together rather than farther apart.

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Quick Project Re-DO: Update your frames with paint

Easy and Quick! Repaint an old picture frame to give your art a new look.

Sometimes you realize that things just look dated. You may still love them, but they are looking old and tired. I am referring to art and accessories. (I will not go there in another context.)

A quick fix is always paint. In this case, I took some much loved french photography prints and updated the frames in about an hour. I purchased a dark grey Restoration Hardware paint sample ($5-$6 approx for a small sample can) and simply painted over these 80′s gold frames. Since they are ART and hang on the wall, I didn’t even sand or prep them other than dusting.

2 coats of satin paint, and they were ready to rehang that afternoon.

Follow our blog for more creative re-purposing and quality time-tested interior design philosophy. 

http://www.pbid-interiordesign.com

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A Girl’s Gotta Have a Project

My creative side is always yearning for a new project. So, one beautiful fall afternoon I dragged and antique oak music cabinet into the back yard and began sanding the old, dated finish. Because the size of the cabinet was so manageable,  it did not take long before it was all sanded and smooth. Always sand following the grain on the wood.

Next, I cleaned off all of the dust and primed the cabinet with a good quality acrylic primer.

I let the primer dry over night, and then lightly sanded it with a fine sandpaper.

Next, I cleaned the cabinet well  to remove any trace of sawdust and painted it with a Benjamin Moore shade of paint AF-155 Weimaraner. I used their top quality “Aura” paint for durability in a satin finish. Note: Apply paint as well as primer following the direction of the grain of the wood.

I had a magazine photo of a cabinet that I liked, which had a warm rustic finish. I used this as my inspiration for selecting the paint color and how I wanted the finished product to look. I emphasize that it is important to visualize the desired outcome so that you are working from a plan.

I let the Weimaraner top coat dry thoroughly for 2 days, and then had some fun creating the rustic look.

I sanded off the edges using both my electric sander and hand sanding. I played with this look until I was satisfied and that the cabinet looked “naturally” aged.

Again, I thoroughly cleaned off any sanding dust before adding the final touch!

I used a Bri wax in dark brown, for a furniture finish that would make this piece look professionally refinished. The Bri wax is really great because it not only deepens the color, which adds another dimension of layering, but it creates a smooth waxed fruniture finish that protects the piece.

Follow the directions on the Bri wax insert. I lightly applied the wax to the piece, let it sit for a short time, and then buffed it a soft shine. Because I wanted to deepen the color, I applied a second coat of Bri wax a day later, and followed the same pattern of buffing to a deeper wax finish.

The whole project took about 5 hours and less than $45.00 for all supplies. View the end result:

Creative re-purposing by http://www.pbid-interiordesign.com

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