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And the winner is…

Sep 01, 2009

Theresa B. has won a $50 Inspired Room Design gift certificate, good for eDecor Plans or in-home design services! Congrats! Theresa submitted an Inspired Idea (see her fabulous budget-friendly kitchen makeover here) and was entered in the August drawing. For a chance to win yourself, email me an Inspired Idea or Inspired Question with a photo. It may be featured on the blog, and you'll be entered to win the $50 gift certificate for September. Email me!

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Juxtaposition: Vintage and Modern Furniture

Aug 31, 2009

Above: Sleek lines in the major pieces of furniture contrast with ornate detailing in a traditional room. Image via livingetc.com.

For my first "Juxtaposition" I'm writing about a combo that's important to my own style. Whether it's fashion or home design, I love my vintage. My obsession began in 1988 when I bought my first piece of vint clothing: a WWII Ike jacket. I've now amassed a small collection of 40s-60s clothing and shoes that I love to wear with modern pieces. That same era sets my heart aflutter when it comes to furniture and home accessories.

(Click that montage so you can see my notes better.) In my guestroom, I mixed a comfy sleeper sofa from American Upholstery with a 1920s-30s birdseye-maple desk and a 1960s Norwegian sewing caddy that holds gift-wrapping supplies. The maple desk chair came from the same antiques store (Wilson Antiques in Traverse City) but it's 20-30 years newer. I recovered the seat last winter. Both of the tables were steals from Salvation Army. The 1950s freeform walnut end table was $5 and the woodshop project holding the lamp was $2. I'm not sure that kid went on to great things in furniture design, but there was something about the piece's awkward proportions that drew me to it.

Old and new live happily together. It gives a house some soul. But there's a fine line between a curated mix and an out-of-control mish-mash. Here are some tips for successfully marrying vintage and modern pieces.

1. Limit the eras you collect. Most people are naturally drawn to one era or another. Whether you swoon for a Victorian fainting couch or drool over a Midcentury Danish Mod rocker, pick a decade and go with it. You'll be more successful at finding quality pieces if you specialize in one era and understand it thoroughly.
2. Go for contrast. In a room filled with traditional furniture, one mod piece can stand out in a beautiful way. Same works in reverse.
3. Let the vintage piece drive your buying decisions. It's much easier to find new stuff to go with your cherished vintage piece than it is to find that one perfect antique.
4. Don't try to match. Upholstering an old piece in fabric that matches your sofa (but is likely uncharacteristic of the antique) will only diminish the beauty and unique qualities of the vintage piece.
5. Know when to stop. Only buy pieces that are useful and effective in your home. If you don't have a good place for a piece of furniture, even if it's "your thing," pass it up. (Thus I conjured a steely resistance to a reasonably priced Finn Juhl bent-ply chair at Treasure Mart in Ann Arbor this weekend. Don't even get me started on how fun that place is!)

Check out this previous post for tips on displaying vintage accessories from Kelly Nogoski, owner of The Best Things. Kelly is an Etsy seller with a beautifully curated shop of both kitschy and classy vintage curiosities. Like this set of vintage black enamel pans, which would look great as organizers on a sleek wooden parsons desk. —Diane

(Hey, comments are working now!) What are some of your favorite vintage furniture pieces, and how have you mixed them in your own home? Send me a photo! I might show off your inventive combinations here and you'll be entered in the monthly drawing for a $50 Inspired Room Design gift certificate.

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Find: Planters with Sleek Style

Aug 29, 2009

A good planter is hard to find. Really, there's a ton of bad plastic out there. Erde Designs takes planters to a whole new level. Beautiful solid wood holds either a metal or glass insert. Many of the pieces are made from reclaimed or upcycled wood scraps. The aesthetic is clean and simple; at home in just about any room.

The tube vases are fitted with test tubes and hold a single beautiful bud or three in a row.

This wood-and-cork planter would look great filled with herbs on a kitchen windowsill or corralling office supplies on a desk.

This gorgeous poplar version would be a luxurious way to dispense gourmet salts by the stove.

Buy Erde Designs planters on Etsy or wholesale via erdedesigns.com, $18–43. —Diane

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Newsflash: Not such a crazy idea after all.

Aug 28, 2009

This tiny master bedroom (roughly 10x10 feet, closet wall cut away for visibility) required more than just decorating— it's filled with space-planning solutions. 

My friend Lissa tipped me off to this article that appeared in the New York Times last week. It's about how interior designers are finding the need to change the way they do business, to appeal to a market with shrinking budgets and an increasing hesitation to "sign on" with a big-name designer for a few years.

Inspired Room Design is based on that very concept. Whatever this idea comes to be known as (eDecor, e-Decorating, virtual room design, long-distance interior design), I'm already there! The idea is fresh and new, but it's gaining momentum, and if the personal responses I've received thus far are any indication, it has validity. People want problems solved and ideas generated. And then they want to spend most of their budget on quality pieces, not on markups and exorbitant fees.

Design for everyone! —Diane

Clearly, it's the wave of the future! :) Contact me about designing your room—anywhere. All you have to do is fill out my style questionnaire, take some photos and draw a rough floorplan. I'll make sure I understand your needs and preferences. About a week later, you'll have a complete plan for redesigning your room that fits your style and your budget. I can reuse pieces you already own or recommend a whole new plan. I can solve space problems and create a room that's more you than you could imagine yourself. Email me, or take a look at what I've done for other clients.

TAGS: edecor e-decorating online interior design long-distance room decorating affordable

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Inspired Room: Julia Child's Kitchen

Aug 27, 2009

The Cambridge kitchen set of the movie Julie & Julia.

Have you seen Julie and Julia? It's a movie about a government worker bored with her job but on fire about cooking. At night she blogs her way through every single recipe in Julia Child's iconic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, creating a cross-decades connection with her culinary idol. The film includes scenes from Julia's life in France, Norway, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. In each home her kitchen has a practical sensibility that exudes its own style. It's easy to tell that Julia put function first in her favorite room of the house, but the fashion follows effortlessly.

My favorite kitchen in the movie is her final one, in Cambridge. The kitchen was moved to The Smithsonian in 2002, two years before Julia died, and faithfully reassembled. For the movie, set decorators aimed for a perfect replica of the kitchen (Read about the process at CountryLiving.com.) I find myself craving a bit of Julia style in my own kitchen.

How to bring the style of Julia Child's kitchen into your own house:

Julia Child's kitchen on exhibit at The Smithsonian.

COLOR: The palette is very New England. Cabinet doors are painted in muted aqua. Doors and trim are a celery shade, with crown moulding a shade or two darker. Creamy white floors and walls make the whole space glow. Try these paints from Sherwin-Williams: Composed (for cabinet doors), Gleeful (doors and trim), Parakeet (crown moulding), Dover White (walls). Wood tones are also significant, and the effect of the natural wood cabinet frames with painted doors is very charming.

COUNTERS & CABINETRY: Simple square recessed-panel cabinets with chrome knobs get the job done. These knobs are old-school classics and appear to be very close to Julia's. 44 cents each! Top them with a butcher-block countertop and don't be afraid to use it!

STORAGE: Julia hung pegboard and painted outlines of each pan so guests could help put the dishes away. It's a very inexpensive solution if you have a lack of enclosed storage. Plus, it makes you look like a serious cook! She used a lot of open storage for easy access to all her tools. Note the magnetic strips for knives

APPLIANCES: If vintage appliances aren't your thing, just go for sleek stainless with an extra wall oven.

EAT IN: Few modern kitchens have a table in the middle. There's something really homey about it, though. Consider a table instead of an island.

DETAILS: Wide wooden blinds on the windows. Artwork hung directly on cabinets. Mismatched textiles. A lovely orange Le Creuset French Oven.

Don't forget to tuck a towel into your apron strings. (And a killer pair of spectator pumps never hurts!) —Diane

Meryl Streep as Julia Child in Julie & Julia.

Hear Julia Child discuss her donation of the kitchen to The Smithsonian.

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