Not the same old doors

Comparisons are easy when you are an interior decorator.  You get to visit different homes build at different times, with different styles.  One feature in home decor that rarely has much variety (at least where I live)  is interior doors; most are white with raised panels and round knobs.  Pretty understated, pretty boring, but it doesn't have to be like that.  Let's look at some options.

Paint them dark

Paint is one of the cheapest solutions for making your doors standout and invite.  If you like drama go for dark.  Stick to painting the doors only and keep the trim colour neutral unless you have a very high contrast look going on. Dark trim colour outlines a room.

 House and Home

 I love this door painted Benjamin Moore Overcoat CC 544 in Cameron MacNeil's home because it is a destination for the eye.You have no choice but pay attention to it.  The four pieces of art work hung vertically add to the overall look of the space.   It's easy to get away with a dark door if you have glass in it and if it is a front or back door.   I prefer dark charcoal doors to black and my favourite colour is  Benjamin Moore Iron Mountain (2134-30).

House and Home

Solid black doors are more imposing and double doors painted a dark colour beg to be noticed. In this room the floor colour  supports the black scheme. The rectangular hardware adds interest too.  There's nothing as boring as a stainless round knob.

And stencil it

  homedesign decorator 

 Check out the other 24 ideas on this blog for black doors. 

 Paint them bright

Houzz Sarah Richardson

I found a large number of red exterior doors, but red works equally well on interior doors as Sarah Richardson proved in one of her many makeovers. 

  Cathy Schwabe

We don't often think of purple when we are trying to come up with a hue that goes well with most wood tones, but it does.I love the splash of colour with this basically wood toned room. Can you have too much wood?  Yes, in my opinion, no happens to be my husband's take on this much debated question in our home.

Paint a stripe

Emily Elizabeth Interior Design

I like the way the stripe on the wall is extended across the door and the door trim. You have to really love stripes for this application.  I want to close it and see the full effect. Interesting and fresh.

Paint the detailing

 Centsational Girl

Sometimes painting details can create a fussy and cluttered look.  That is not the case in this room because of it's very neutral palette.

Add trim  

Gauhar

This more traditional look can be created by gluing (construction adhesive) ready made trim to plain doors. All you need is a miter box and saw.  You won't get the lovely curved corners, but everything else is possible.A stencil can produce the  design  in the middle panel.  

Use wallpaper

If you have a door with a recessed panel or a plain slab (hollow core) door you have many options to use wallpaper to embellish  it. The trick is to integrate the door into your decor in a seamless way.  This is an idea that could go very wrong and look absolutely cheap.  Keep your wallpaper colour the same as the wall colour for best effect.

via Room Envy

 Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Add  3 D detailing

Using upholstery tacks can create very interesting door detailing. If you like to cross stitch this is the door idea for you!  I can't imagine being this repetitive but to some it's a pure form of meditation.

Martha Stewart

Nail head trim can be  a great solution for decorating a plain door.  You can make  the door colour  colourful or dark.  Depending on the colour you choose to paint the door, this look works well in a den/ study or boy's room.

That's a quick roundup of great DIY door solutions.  Hope you found one you liked. 

Thursday Tip # 3- Destination walls

 What do these rooms have in common?

Jona Collins

Powell/Kleinschmidt, Inc.

Fiorella Design

Elad Gonen & Zeev Beech

All  of the walls featured are small  "destination walls" which you walk toward.  The darker colour draws the eye and helps to visually draw you toward them. They also serve to showcase the furniture that is in front of them.  Do you have a destination wall in your house that would like a shot of colour to help anchor it? Look at the end of hallways or in long narrow rooms.

Thoughts on armless chairs

Armless chairs are very popular in today's decor, but they can be a decorating challenge when it comes to table selection.  What I like about armless chairs is what actually causes the problem using them- no arms!  End tables which usually range from 24 to 26 inches or zooming up as high as 30 inches look cumbersome with them. The table between the two chairs below towers over the chair seats and you have to reach up to place anything on the table.  This table would be better suited to the side of the sofa.

BHG

While there are several ways to integrate armless chairs  into your decor, my best advice  is to organize them in a pair around a coffee table.  That eliminates the need to have a side table.  

houzz
The long narrow coffee, table which I have a serious love affair with, helps to solve the problem of functionality in this room.  Wherever you sit you have a place to lay down a glass or a book. 

Laura Manning Bendik

At first glance this room looks well decorated  The colour scheme supports the dark accents, the drapes are interesting as are the two cylinder coffee tables. When you examine it in terms of functionality it could be improved . This is the same set up  as in the previous shot but it  doesn't work as well because  you cannot reach a table if you are sitting in one of the chairs.  The problem could be solved by moving the chairs in closer to the tables and pulling out the end table to provide table space for the left chair.  For prime functionality a square coffee table would be the answer in this room. 

 

BHG

This is a great nesting coffee table for solving design issues. Just pull out the bottom one and everyone seated will be happy.  Isn't this a beautiful, refreshing colour scheme?  I want to nestle up against the pillows with my book. 

Colvin Design

Another great design that is totally functional. Let the younger folk sit on the bench; I'd head for a chair with a back!

 Marie Burgos Design

This chair is tucked away in a bedroom corner and works well because it serves a totally different purpose. It is not meant for lounging, but if you need a place to lay something the bureau is within reach. 

  usona

If you have a chaise which is armless or you are placing a table on the armless side I recommend following the same guidelines as choosing a coffee table. Keep the table a little lower than  the height of the seat.

 BHG 

 The proportions of this table work well . In the absence of the tulip chair a round table would soften the rectangular form of the chair. My that sure is a vibrant blue on the walls! I know an adventurous person lives there. Boring me would have chosen a soft navy.  

And after all that discussion I have to admit that I do not have an armless chair.  How about you?  Have you seen an arrangement of armless chair and table that you liked? 

Achieving colour continuity

Colour continuity in a colour scheme is important for a smooth transition from one room to the next in your home.  It is even more important if you have an open concept home, a smaller home or one that is organized around a central hall plan.  If you were to stand in one spot in your house and do a 360 degree turn you should have a harmonized look.  Many people understand this basic concept in decorating, but often it's the execution that causes difficulties.

Colour continuity does not mean having every room painted the same colour (but your can).  It means a smooth colour transition from room to room.  My preference is to choose up to 6 neutral colours for walls in a two story home and then organize them in an interesting flow from room to room. I like some surprises and greatly dislike a look that is too put together (matchey, matchey is my term).   Walls are an envelope to contain the excitement you create with accessory choices.

 The simplest way is to begin with a colour key or inspiration piece.  It could be an art work, a piece of fabric, a photo of a scene, an area rug a piece of pottery or china - the sky's the limit.  In my case I began with an artwork by Elena Popova   France 11 that  has a personal connection for me and always makes me feel happy....

I kept the wall colours in the house very neutral with warmer tones in north facing rooms and cooler ones  south facing. Then I used  colours from  the artwork to choose furniture and accessories.  My window treatments tend to be as neutral as my wall choices.

Deciding what your accent colours will be and how you  allocate them is  a personal choice.  I happen to love the peaceful nature of green; I feel fresh and relaxed in its presence.  It appears in many guises and in varying degrees in each room  in my home. I also like purple and green together (my favourite plants are often purple). There is a direct relationship between the colour palettes I use in painting and my subject matter and what I put in my house. Sometimes we understand why we are drawn to certain colours  and other times we just know what we like. 

My accessory colours are green, buttery yellow and purple, 

 but orange keeps popping up in the art work I buy or trade (and I keep saying I dislike orange). In the dining room the walls are BM Light Khaki which has a greenish undertone. It is the only wall that is actually a "colour". I had to warm it up because it gets little light.

My accent colours move around my house in happy harmony  existing in  varying proportions from room to room. 

But what happens when you already have major furniture pieces and you want to establish a new colour scheme?  Look for a  fabric that already has some of your furniture colours as part of its colour scheme and move on from there.I find paintings and textiles the best sources for colour inspiration.

Here's a glimpse of how  my colour scheme works .

 My living room wall colour is BM Elephant Tusk which is a great neutral colour for a north facing room.  The largest portion of green in my colour  scheme is my living room sofa and chair. You can also see the purple reflected in the cabinet, pillow, and the flowers in the vase.

More purple, a touch of golden yellow, and one hit of red.  Every room need at least one unexpected colour somewhere. My favourite "hit" colours are turquoise, lime green and red.  I like to mix up patterns too. Over the years I've tired of wood tones and have been slowly removing them from furniture.  The floors are enough. I've committed the worst sin by painting solid wood furniture a neutral gray!

My kitchen wall colour is BM Rockport Grey. The room  sports a recycled wicker chair purchased for $40.00.  A little spray paint and away you go.  I've paired a  golden beige with it. Remember the hit of golden in the border on the Turkish throw in the living room? A lighter version can be found in the artwork above the chair.

The sofa in the family room was the inspiration for the cabinet in the kitchen and the mantle colour. Notice the purple/ blue used as accents.  Gray  is repeated in this room in furniture, pillows and other accessories in slightly differing proportions than in the living room. The walls are BM Rockport Gray. It works well in this south facing room that has warm light most of the day.

And my vase of pods moves around! The table is painted BM Iron Mountain.  Love that gray.

You can see purple and green used in accessories in the porch. I now have a lovely light purple pillow. The drawers are on casters and pull out  for storage. The bench is Wish AF 680 in Affinity line by BM. The walls are AF 675 Fusion (lower picture is closes to real colour).  My house is as much about comfort and convenience as it is about style. It can't just look good, it has to work.

A  yellow green is used as an accent in the study upstairs. This is an unusual  colour combination that I took from  the fabric that I used to create a stretched fabric piece.

 

And how about this great roman shade?

And that's how I went about developing my colour scheme.  My home isn't a showpiece, it's a place where you can relax and mess  it up a bit and it's always in transition. Stay tuned for  my dining room make over....

Thursday Tip #2

Webber + Studio, Architects

Use accessories to carry colour

 The vibrant yellow green in the artwork in this hallway is repeated again in the pillow in the bedroom. A darker green appears in the art work above the bed.  When walking down the hallway your eye pops from the artwork into the adjoining room  which is seen at a distance.  This causes visual movement from one room to the next.  A small thing but very effective for connecting one room with the next. Never underestimate the power of accessories to improve every room in your house. Have you carried colour from one room to another in your home? 


Check back for my next post on Colour Continuity when creating a colour scheme.

  

It's never perfect

There's room for improvement in most decors because perfection is difficult to create and every set of eyes will see a design in a different way.  I'm amazed by the discussion that ensues when several decorators look at the same photos of a project.  Often an  aspect of a  room that I will focus on may be ignored by someone else or one of my colleagues will bring up an aspect of the design that I didn't even notice. 

  Look at each of the photos below and see how you feel about the decor. You will notice a general theme of art work running through my commentary.That's because I feel strongly that art work can make or break great decor.   What do you think are the strengths in these rooms?  Is there anything that bothers you?  Is there anything you would change  (add or take away) if you could? Or is the room just perfect in your eyes?  Decide what you think and then scroll down to my commentary.  Did we focus on the same strengths and things that could be changed to improve the overall design?  Did entirely different things come to light for you? Remember it's opinion.

Number 1

 BHG

A bed between two windows calls out for symmetry which this decor has.  The colour scheme that supports the light wood tones is very soft and  pleasing  which I predict would make sleeping in this room pleasant and relaxing. Given the overall symmetry of the room, I find the artworks above the bed begging to be lined up with each other.  Better still I would have just one piece hung since the second piece almost reaches the ceiling.  I crave  pattern for variety and it could be added in pillows , a throw and/or and with the addition of an area rug under the bed. I'm personally not fond of all the wooden furniture matching  and think that something more bench like  would work at the end of the bed.   The lovely cabinet could be moved to another room.

Number 2

BHG

I like this neutral bedroom that just sings with the splashes of orange red on the bed and in the art pieces above it. Any art work arranged in a grid interests me, but this bed seems to need larger pieces above it.  Even with the massing of smaller, brightly coloured  works, the scale doesn't work with the bed.  It's crying out for something with more visual weight. I bet there is another spot in this room where these pieces could be used to better advantage.

When choosing artwork for over a bed I like to see at least 2/3 of the linear space occupied. With a queen bed,  I'd aim for  two 18 x 20 or 20 x 20 inch works or one larger piece of approximately 40 inches in length. The higher the headboard the smaller the vertical measurement.  Something brighter and larger in scale could be added to bring more visual interest to the bedside table that is visible. While there isn't much pattern in this room, the little bit on the pillows appears enough for my tastes.

Number 3 

SchappacherWhite Ltd.

The elements in this room are quite interesting, especially the inclusion of the yellow flowers that are beautifully framed by the doorway beyond.   The zebra is an unexpected touch and creates some pattern in this room which seems a little devoid of it. The two things I find jarring are the two pieces of artwork.  I want to line up the small piece on the left with the chair under it and the large piece on the right  is much too large for the space and looks awkward and squat. Sometimes this forced confinement of a work can be used to great advantage, but this work doesn't have that kind of imagery. I want to see it on a large wall which allows  breathing room all around it. The brown  light fixture  is  large, but it works because the room is vaulted and the dark colour connects with the wood on the ceiling.

Number 4

 Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc.

Many times in our homes we have to use the furniture that is available  and arrange it to best advantage.  I think the table is such a piece of furniture.  It reads as just a tad too big to place between the two chairs, but thought has been put into creating  visual flow with red to connect the disparate pieces and make the vignette look inviting.  Your eyes have no choice only follow the pops of red that have been set up in the age old triangular format.  My one great annoyance in this room is the plant that obscures the art work behind it.  It is never a good idea to mount art work and then cover it up with the next layer of design.  Perhaps it is only me who has this pet peeve;  it might be the artist in me rising to the top.
 

IMHO... in my humble opinion. As I said, there's no one correct way to design a room and we all perceive a room differently.  Do you have any reaction to these rooms? 

Thursday Tip -Fall is in the air

Many people focus on new beginnings in January, but mine are always prompted by the arrival of September.  I put it down to my past career as a teacher when September was the month of planning and new possibilities.

I just returned from a month in Europe and my mind is agog with all the possible posts I could write and it's hard to select the best idea .  When I feel like this I have to do something to focus my thoughts. Rather than choosing one topic  I've decided to go broader.  I'm beginning a new post focus which I'm calling Thursday Tips.  Each Thursday I will feature one image and several simple ideas that could be easily translated into your home decor. 

Houzz

Orange gaining favour in 2012

The colour forecasts for 2012 are just beginning to appear and orange seems to be in favour.  Not the toned "dirty" oranges of past years, but a fresher variety that brings warmth and thoughts of  a fresh autumn day.

Layering in Decor

While this orange chair is very striking, you don't need  to make such a large purchase to get an up to date look.  The tulips in the vase above are lovely in spring, but think about   Chinese Lanterns to bring a blast of  fall orange. Twigs and branches in the arrangement add structural elements and height which helps focus your attention . Stacking two mirrors of different heights on a console table provides a backdrop for your arrangement and also provides  interesting layers.Always think layers when you are decorating.

 source

If you have a neutral chair, an orange throw draped over the back or arm would add just the right amount of colour.

 

Crate and Barrel

source

When I'm adding in colour accents in this way I usually think in threes and using varying proportions  of the colour.  Think about small, medium and larger sized accessories and you can't go wrong. Variety is another key word in decorating.  Find your varying sizes in pillows, boxes or canvas totes,  a piece of artwork or large pillar candles.  Style at Home offers 10 ideas for adding Tangerine to your decor. 

What's your favourite accent colour?