It’s fireplace season! Time to enjoy a steaming cup of hot chocolate or glass of mulled wine while curled up next to a cracking, roaring fire. Sounds delightful! Not only do fireplaces add warmth and comfort, they also create a dramatic focal point in any room, provide the perfect backdrop for entertaining and add value to your home. But with so many options to choose from, selecting the right one can be overwhelming. Read on to learn about the types of fireplaces and the pros and cons of each so you can find the one that’s right for you. Wood Burning Fireplace Essentially, a standard wood-burning fireplace comprises these elements: Hearth (floor in front of the fireplace), Firebox (where the wood burns), Damper (the lever that opens and closes the flue) and the Smoke chamber and flue (where the smoke is drawn up and out). There are three types of wood burning fireplaces: How it Functions Before lighting a fire, the damper is opened to allow smoke and combustion gases to escape. Once the fire is lit, the extremely hot combustion gases begin to rise up the chimney by convection. At the same time, the fire is drawing air from […]
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“The history of architecture is the history of the struggle for light.” Le Corbusier – Architect Think about the difference between getting your photo taken in at your local DMV under harsh fluorescent lighting, versus your picture at a sexy, low-lit restaurant. Good lighting is truly everything, but it is oftentimes an afterthought when designing a room. Whether it’s a bright task lamp on your desk to help you stay productive or a sconce by your bedside for cozy late-night reading, lighting is one of the most powerful tools for creating a specific mood. Bringing lighting decisions to the forefront of the design can make all the difference, and we’ll show you how. Layer the Light Lighting, like any great interior design element, should be layered to create contrast. A mix of accent, ambient, natural, and task lighting in the home provides a nice balance of light and dark that grants each room richness and depth: Accent lighting – supplementary light that illuminates dark corners or small spaces. A can light placed above a shower enclosure is one example. Ambient lighting – the general overall light that illuminates the entire space, such as a chandelier in the center of a […]
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If you ask someone, “what is art?” they will usually refer to a painting or a photograph. In reality, art comes in many forms – performance art like dance, music and song, nature, poetry and architecture. Now, just for a moment, imagine a world without any art. Our world would be a very dim and boring place, devoid of imagination. Without art, the banality of reality would be intolerable. To paraphrase Nietzsche, “We have art in order not to parish from the truth.” Why Art? While it feels like a simple question, with an even simpler answer, the truth is that it goes way beyond bringing a little color into a living room. (1) Art breathes life into a space. It allows us to express ourselves, encouraging dialogue and welcoming emotion. It reminds us of what is possible—all to help turn an ordinary house into a home. Art connects us to the past and future. It feeds our curiosity and inspires our imagination. I love this quote from fellow-designer, Tara Bernard, “For me, art is like punctuation to a sentence; it is that all-important ingredient and without it, a space lacks the layers and attitude that a significant piece can […]
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Let There Be Light! Lighting is arguably the most important element in interior design. It is an essential ingredient and not an afterthought as many consider it to be. If you’re tempted to spend more time picking out furnishings or puzzling over layouts, remember that lighting can completely transform a space – not just by brightening dark corners, but by affecting your emotions. (1) Lighting creates mood and sets tone. It can affect the perceived size of a room, add dimension, draw attention and create depth and balance. In order to achieve the true power of lighting, designers consider lighting placement, amongst a myriad of other things. Standard lighting layouts with symmetrical cans, chandeliers and pendants (peppered with table, floor and task lamps) are a great starting point. After all, you need more than one source of light in a room (think layered illumination). (1) But, when you get creative on where and how to place lighting, “wow-factors” can be born. Here are a few creative lighting placement ideas that take lighting to the next level. Forgotten Corners: Light ‘em up The goal is to create contrast between the light at the center of a room, the light around the […]
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When it comes to designing your walls, there are so many fantastic opportunities to be creative and to express your style and artistic interest. Each wall in your home is like a blank canvas and it’s up to you to fill it with your imagination. Your walls can help define a certain style, direct your furnishing selections, showcase your personal tastes, tie your room together, add texture and create remembrances of friends, family, and occasions. (1) You might be someone who subscribes to a more maximalist way of designing, and if so, you might have a lot of stuff going on in your room already. You might need a spot for your eyes to rest. Letting a wall stay blank could be a great way to add much needed negative space to a room that is bordering on to busy. But, for those with a more minimalist design aesthetic, it’s easy for our walls to appear too sterile or just like big soulless spaces, so it’s important to design them with texture and color. Check out these six fun ideas to bring your wall(s) to life. Geometric Wood Accent Walls A custom geometric accent wall is a great DIY opportunity to […]
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It’s finally Spring and soon we will be stepping into summer!! I know we all hoped this summer might be different from last year…and that we could return back to “normal.” But, sadly we are still amidst a pandemic, although things seem to be improving. Even though we cannot go out and live our lives the way we used to this summer, we can still have fun at home. So, what better time to spruce up your house than now? Below are some tips to help you get your house ready for summer.
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Bedrooms are arguably one of the most important rooms in the house. In fact, the average person spends about 26-years sleeping. Surprisingly, the average person also spends seven years trying to get to sleep. That’s 33 years spent in bed! (1) Creating a comfortable respite that encourages sleep is paramount.
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Whether you’re installing brand new kitchen cabinets or looking to refurbish existing ones, the range of available kitchen cabinet styles can seem overwhelming at first. Exploring the most common options and keeping a few helpful pointers in mind will help you choose the style that’s right for your home. (1)
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Choosing paint can be a difficult and daunting task – of the thousand shades of white, one may be too gray, another too green or too yellow. On many occasions, I’ve walked into a client’s home and found small patches of various shades of paint on the walls where colors are being “tested.” But what clients don’t realize is that the paint finish, or sheen, is just as important as the color they’re meticulously debating.
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Homeowners in all stages of life – from first-time buyers to retirees – are seeing the merit of living in less space. Downsizing and consequently de-cluttering or simplifying, has become a popular “less is more” trend.
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