Designing in White

As much as I love color, I have found that white can be inspiring too.

White is clean, timeless, serene and soothing… And never trendy.

Gotta have a touch of white …

Photos courtesy of Pinterest.

http://www.pbid-interiordesign:  Whites with a striking pop of color!

Last photo: Sette courtesy of Pottery Barn.

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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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A Sense of Place and our own space

We all need a space where we can take refuge after a long day. The day-to-day demands we face can take their toll on us physically and emotionally, without leaving room for much more. As residential interior designer, I whole-heartedly recommend setting up a place of comfort in your home where you can rejuvenate.  It can be as simple as a comfortable chair in your bedroom where you can put your feet up for a quiet moment, a window seat, or a sheltered area on your backyard patio where you can sit for a while to catch your breath. It’s in these sacred spaces that we can regroup and call in the good energy we need in our daily lives.

http://www.pbid-interiordesign.com

We have been designing those spots in our client’s homes for over 26 years.

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Living Walls, Indoors or Outdoors. It’s all about surrounding ourselves with the beauty of nature

Check out these gorgeous ways to incorporate nature into our homes when space is limited.

Love it!

• Creative and unique
• Great for indoor air quality
• Year-round herb garden at your fingertips
• Space saving
• Improve your environment–love your space!
• Vertical gardens, imagine the possibilities .

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