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Finding the formula for a balanced space
By Nan Harris
When you enter your living room, is there a feeling of heaviness that you cannot explain? Something seems unbalanced but you can’t quite put your finger on the reason why. Perhaps your space is heavy-bottomed. A heavy-bottomed room can feel unfinished and aesthetically unpleasant. It is likely that you have a “weight problem” because all the visually heavy items in the space are filling only the lowest portion of the room. After all, the largest pieces in any room are furnishings like the sofa, tables, chairs and rugs located in the areas closest to the floor, while the mid and upper parts of the room naturally have lighter weight items such as lamps, artwork and window areas. As we look up to the ceiling area, there may be a lonely light fixture or possibly just a bare white ceiling.
To achieve a comfortable balance in the typical eight or nine foot ceiling room, think 1/3, 1/3, 1/3! You want to picture the space in thirds and distribute the weight of the room so that it appears visually equal. The bottom third will naturally have the weightiest pieces because furniture and rugs, by their nature, contain heaviness of physical presence and/or texture and color. Moving up to the middle third of the space, you will want to create a balance with the lower third by choosing one or two tall furniture pieces, artwork groupings, lamps and shelving that lend substance to the mid section of the space. The use of window treatments and crown moulding can top off the space and balance the weight of the room.
Wall treatments are also part of the equation. The use of vertical wall stripes, even a subtle tone-on-tone wash of color, is one idea that can help draw the eye upward and give a lift to the space. Texture or color on a very high ceiling helps to bring the room visually into proportion.
Room balance includes the choice and use of color. To balance the color in the room, spread it throughout the space. As an example, a deep brown sofa can be balanced with a dark, chunky drapery rod placed high above the window trim, containing fabrics that pick up the chocolate hues of the sofa. If red is your color, splash it throughout the space in pillows, lamp shades, artwork and décor items.
Balance is the key to a pleasing, comfortable and cohesive space!
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Nan Harris, Design Consultant and Décor Stylist, is the owner of Decorative Expressions, LLC in Geneva, IL, specializing in affordable home décor solutions for everyday living.
Phone: 630-715-3771
e-mail: decor2please@yahoo.com
http://www.decorativeexpressions.net/
By Norma J. Smith
Outdoor rooms are a great way to increase your living space without the expense of an addition. No need to worry if you don't have a porch or a deck. You can use existing structures to create your walls, like the side of the house or garage, a fence or a row of hedges. You can also create walls using outdoor draperies and /or trellises. Floors can be anything from grass to patio bricks. Try using one of the beautiful outdoor rugs that are available to really define the space.
There are so many great outdoor fabrics available that are made to resist stain, mold and mildew. You can use fabric in all aspects of your outdoor decorating. Recover the cushions on your existing patio furniture for a fresh new look or bring out some old chairs that you are no longer using in the house. Throw on a coat of paint and some new cushions and your good to go. Be sure to add some throw pillows in coordinating fabrics.
Outdoor dining does not have to be plastic tablecloths and paper plates! Buy some fun, inexpensive dinnerware and use them with cloth tablecloths and napkins for a really sophistcated look. For a centerpiece, use a grouping of different size candles for both light and ambiance.
Outdoor lighting can be electric, candles or solar. There are some great fixtures available from chandeliers to lanterns that hang from tree branches. Of course all outdoor rooms need a fireplace or firepit! If you really want to extend the season of your room there are even outdoor heaters available.
Put some thought into the greenery of your outdoor room. Plants can be used to outline and define areas as well as to add privacy. Choose plants that give off a nice sweet fragrance. If you will be using your room primarily at night, consider a Moon Garden.
Think about the flow and function of the room just as you would an indoor room. Create little conversation areas, dining areas, quite areas; maybe a hammock tucked over in a corner. But make sure there is plenty of room for traffic.
What ever you decide to do, get going because summer is short! Enjoy!
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Norma J. Smith is an Interior Decorator in the Boston area. She specializes in Custom Window Treatments and Soft Furnishings. She can be reached at 781 665-1306 or via email at norma@njinteriors.net. Her website is www.njinteriors.net.
By Nanette Catarinella
Want a New Year’s resolution that is easily achievable, guaranteed to have a positive impact on your daily life and doesn’t involve counting calories? Resolve to clear your clutter!
Look around your home. Is it filled with papers, magazines, old clothing, toys, knick-knacks, dishes and junk? Are your closets jam-packed and over flowing? Is the garage too full of stuff to park the car and the basement a cavernous hole where things just disappear? Are you over-whelmed by the clutter that’s taking over your space?
You are not alone. Out of control clutter has become an epidemic in this country and may be cause for serious concern. Psychologists, professional organizers, Feng Shui practitioners, re-designers and home staging professionals know that too much clutter can cause emotional and physical distress.
No need to feel overwhelmed at the thought of organizing the entire home. Start small and achieve big results. Commit to beginning with one closet. How about the one you visit each morning when you get dressed - the one with the too-small jeans that you haven’t worn since college.
Begin by taking out each piece of clothing and asking yourself these four questions: Does it fit?
Is it in style? Do I look/feel good in it? Have I worn it in the past year? If you answered “no” to any of those questions, it’s time to toss it out. This goes for shoes and handbags, too. Remember the 80/20 rule. We wear twenty percent of our clothes eighty percent of the time. Donate your discarded items to charity and get the additional feel-good benefit of sharing your possessions with those who are less fortunate.
When the purging is complete, put everything back in the closet and sort by color and item. Put all jackets together, all pants, skirts, tops and blouses. Buy new hangers and make sure everything is hung in the same direction. Purchase shoe racks and shelf dividers to neatly stack shoes, sweaters and tee shirts. Now, step back and admire your hard work.
Wow, what a difference! Just think of the time you will save by knowing where everything is. Think of the ease of getting dressed knowing that everything fits. Think of how good you will feel whenever you open the closet door. By getting rid of the old clothes that no longer fit or the shoes that pinched your feet, you will dramatically improve your mood and your energy.
Clearing out a closet may sound like a trivial chore, but if you think of it as letting go of your past to open yourself up to the possibilities of the future, it can make a tremendous difference in how you start your day. And, I’ll bet you will feel at least 10 pounds lighter!
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Nanette Catarinella, owner of Room Styles Interiors, is a home staging professional, interior re-designer, decorator, author and trainer. For more information, call 412-351-2525 or visit the web site at: http://www.roomstylesinteriors.com/
By Nanette Catarinella
The holidays are over and the decorations have been packed away for another year. Suddenly, your home feels as gloomy as the gray January days ahead. The holiday lights may be gone, but that doesn’t mean you have to live in the dark.
Proper lighting is a vital component of a well designed room. Lack of adequate lighting is a common decorating dilemma in almost every home that I redesign or stage. It’s also the easiest problem to correct. Clients are often surprised to learn that most rooms should have a minimum of three sources of light and can often accommodate five, seven or more fixtures.
The key to a well lit room is to use a variety of light sources. A careful mixture of general lighting such as ceiling mounted fixtures, task lighting such as table and floor lamps and accent lighting such as spotlights and wall sconces can be combined to enhance the overall illumination of any space.
Here are a few lighting tips to help brighten your home and your mood:
Create a Triangle – Regardless of overhead lighting, use a minimum of three lamps, ideally placed in a triangular formation throughout the room. Install dimmer switches to lamps and fixtures to easily adjust lighting levels to a desired intensity. Use metal can up-lights in dark corners, behind large plants and on top of armoires for added drama.
Consider The Bulb – Different bulbs create different effects. Incandescent bulbs cast a golden tone while fluorescent bulbs create more bluish tones. Halogen bulbs produce a bright white tone, but can get very hot. For the most natural lighting and truest colors, choose the new “natural” or “daylight” bulbs. Always check for recommended wattage for all fixtures.
Adjust the Height – Ideally, a reading lamp should be situated beside a chair so the light can pour over the shoulder. The bottom of the lampshade should be at seated eye level for maximum light and minimum glare. If the lamp is too small, place it on a few hard bound books to raise it.
The Right Size – Keep the scale of the table in mind when selecting a chandelier. Choose a fixture that is approximately ½ the width of the table plus 5 inches and hang it 30” from the top of the table. Add decorative shades to bare candle bulbs to soften the light.
Remember, correct lighting – and abundant lighting – are important to the overall design and mood of every room. Don’t let the post-holiday blahs get you down. Bring more light into your home this winter.
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Nanette Catarinella, owner of Room Styles Interiors, is a certified staging professional, interior decorator, re-designer and career trainer. For more information, call 412-351-2525 or visit the web site at: www.RoomStylesInteriors.com
By Nanette Catarinella
Winter may lurk outside your window, but spring is just around the corner. It’s time to begin thinking about lightening up your home’s interior to reflect the changing season.
Warm weather décor is about bringing the outdoors in with sheer fabrics, pretty florals and garden elements. Here are a few simple ideas to help you “spring ahead.”
Flower Power – Time to toss those dusty silk floral arrangements and replace with fresh, live spring bouquets. The life expectancy for quality silks is three to five years maximum! Treat yourself to a few bunches of daffodils and tulips in shades of yellow and pink. Use floral china and white ironstone pitchers in simple shapes for your containers. Set out a favorite gardening book on the coffee table for inspiration.
Lighten Up - Remove heavy window treatments, afghan throws and dark area rugs. Use filmy sheers on windows, cotton or silk throws. Leave floors bare or use casual, neutral sisal for an outdoorsy feeling. Replace heavy down bedding with a light weight matalasse bed cover and crisp white cotton sheets.
Room with a View – Change the focus of your furniture placement from the fireplace to a picture window with an outdoor view. Position a conversation grouping facing a garden or patio. As soon as the weather permits, fill the outdoor space with pretty potted plants and flowers to attract butterflies and birds for an ever changing display of nature’s creatures.
Clean Sweep – Nothing clears out winter’s stuck energy like a good spring cleaning. Open the windows and let in some fresh air. Put on some lively music, get out the cleaning supplies and go to it. Spring is a time of renewal. A good deep cleaning including clearing out excess clutter makes room for new things in your home and in your life.
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Nanette Catarinella, owner of Room Styles Interiors, is an award-winning interior re-designer, home staging specialist and Certified Staging Professional trainer. For more information call 412-351-2525 or visit the web site at: www.RoomStylesInteriors.com
By Nanette Catarinella
One of the decorating dilemmas that I encounter regularly is the improper use of wall art. Generally, I find that art is hung too high and does not relate to the space. You may have heard that pictures should be hung at “eye level”. But, whose eye level are we referring to…the six foot two husband or the five foot two wife?
Positioning wall art depends on a variety of factors including the size and shape of the wall, the ceiling height, the focal point in the room and the size of the furniture. Here are a few tips for hanging art in your home:
Relate Art to Wall – Choose small with small, wide with wide, tall with tall. In other words, keep the size and shape of the art consistent to the wall on which it will be hung. If you have a large, wide wall, do not hang a small, narrow picture.
Relate Art to Furniture – In general, artwork should take up approximately 2/3 of the space above a piece of furniture. If you have a 90 inch sofa, for example, one large piece or a grouping of several smaller pieces, should take up about 60 inches of the space above it.
Keep It Low – Visually connect furniture and artwork by hanging art about 6 – 10 inches above the furniture. If you have very tall ceilings, consider hanging another coordinating piece above the lower piece to bring the eye up
Increase the Size – If one picture is too small, group several pictures together. To unify the grouping, keep the matting and frames alike. Keep the width between the artwork visually connected by hanging approximately a palms width apart.
Gallery Height: When hanging art in a hallway, the center of the art should be approximately 56 inches from the floor. Unite different sizes and shapes of artwork by keeping the bottom of the frames even.
You don’t need to own a Picasso or buy expensive pieces to decorate your walls. Create unique, one-of-a-kind works of art by framing just about anything….a child’s drawing, an antique hankie, a series of postcards. Hanging wall art is a great way to add color and personality to any room.
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Nanette Catarinella, owner of Room Styles Interiors, is an interior decorator, award winning re-designer and home staging expert. For more information, please call, 412-351-2525 or visit the web site at: www.roomstylesinteriors.com
By Nanette Catarinella
Dramatically change the personality of a room with a new window treatment. From country casual to sleek contemporary, you can create instant, no-sew window fashions from everyday items found around your home.
Here are a few of my favorite ideas to start you thinking…
- For an instant valance, attach table runners to café rods with clip-on rings.
Frame a window with plate racks. Add a series of decorative plates and change with the seasons. - Use coordinating bed sheets draped over a decorative pole or attached with rings.
For a young boy’s room, tack a series of sports pennants across the top of a window frame. - For girls, hang rows of pretty ribbons, bows, beads, or tassels.
- Teens' rooms – use frayed, cut-off jeans shorts. Just slip a slim decorative rod through the belt loops.
- Cut out cardboard stars, spray paint silver and attach in varying lengths with clear fishing wire.
- For a rustic cabin look in winter – attach old ski poles above the window frame. Hang plaid blankets over the pole.
- For spring and summer - nail a lace table cloth to the window frame. Wire bunches of dried flowers at the corners.
You get the idea…anything goes! Just have fun and let your imagination soar! Happy Decorating!
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Nanette Catarinella, owner of Room Styles Interiors, is an interior decorator, award winning re-designer and Certified Staging Professional. For more information call, 412-351-2525 or visit the web site at: www.RoomStylesInteriors.com.
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