Boulevard Interior Design

Free Advice Friday...Bedside Sconce Placement

A reader writes:

Hi Kristin, I love your blog and look forward to each new post. You are always full of wonderful information. I just bought some sweet milk glass wall sconces recently (I still need to get shades for them) that I want to hang on either side of my bed. I have no idea of the proper placement (height and width apart) and knew you were the woman to ask. Can you help me out?

 

Thank you,
Petrina
www.foobella.com

 

After asking Petrina a few more questions, most importantly, if these were functional or decorative, I was able to show her were she should hang her sconces.   These are going to replace the bedside table lamp and are to be functional.  With that in mind they need to be placed close to the bed and at a height that will illuminate reading material.  If they were decorative you have a bit more flexibility.  They are not swing arms but stationary sconces.  This is what I'd recommend.  I've specified where to put the sconces on the photo that Petrina sent to me showing her bedroom.  This gives her a visual of exactly where to put them.

 

Place them approximately 4-6 inches away from the headboard edge and the light height can be determined by your preference.  It is important to note whether you read laying down or sitting up.  The light needs to be high enough to shine on your reading material.  As a guide  line, if the bottom of your light is about 24 inched above the top of the bed that should work. 

If your headboard is really tall you could raise it up to 30" or more as long as it stays functional.  I hope this helps.  It was a great question with a bit of a subjective answer. 

 

Free Advice Friday...How to Pick Good Upholstery

 I so often get asked why one sofa is $995 and another $3500.  Well there is a reason.  Fortunately, I will be able to illustrate this for you since I witnessed the fabrication process at Hickory Chair U.  The most important aspect is finding out where the sofa was made.  Bench made upholstery is made in the US, usually in North Carolina. 

HC first starts with a kiln dried 1 1/4 in hardwood kiln dried frame that has been glued, screwed, and doweled in each joint.  They use 3-4 dowels instead of the industry standard of 2. 

Notice how they shape the frame instead of using padding which shifts over time.

8 way hand tied coils add support that will last for years.  Cheaper methods employ no-sag springs or just one size coil.  It was truly fascinating to watch them tie the coils. They were really fast, I got exhausted watching them.

Time to get some padding, cushions, and upholstery. I won't put upholstery in a clients house unless it has pocketed spring coils inside the cushion.  This is another way some manufactures will skimp to keep the price down.  With out the springs, a dacron wrapped piece of foam will start to break down fast.  I've had spring down cushions last 16 plus years.  HC Spring down cushions are standard.  Nice!

How about some fabric?  Not only does HC stock lots of fabric they will COM too.  COM is an acronym for Customer's Own Material.  I will be honest.  I COM almost everything.  Fabrics are not created equal and I need to know the rub test numbers.  Wyzenbeck in a rating system on fabric durability.  30,000 double rubs is considered heavy duty.  I have many in my repertoire with 100,000.  What can I say.  My clients have kids and pets.  That doesn't mean you have to give up the pretty though.  There are many durable, stain resistant fabrics that look sumptuous.  Again, this is yet another place where companies can really cut costs by using inexpensive fabric.

 

Nail head trim is done one at a time at Hickory Chair.  Some of the imports and less expensive furniture brands use a strip of nails where only every fourth or fifth nail is real and tacked in.  The ones in between are faux nails.  It is way less labor intensive, and the strips are cheap.
  

Almost done and ready to ship.  When that much labor and attention to detail is applied to each piece you know you're getting  quality, long lasting furniture.   I hope that explains why there is a price difference to upholstery.  There are so many ways to cut corners.  The old adage holds true.  You get what you pay for.  I hope you find this helpful when you head out to buy your next sofa.  I'm joining Met Monday over at Between Naps on the Porch .  Jump over and see amazing transformations.

Free Advice Friday window valances

Stephanie, over at A Fine House recently blogged about finally obtaining some new fabric for some window valances.  Here is her story.

Here is the living room picture and the fabric.

This is what I would do:

 

 

I'm kind of picky about valances.  I really am really partial to Roman shadeswhich I've blogged about before.  If drapery (which we are supposed to be calling curtains, now) can be used, that is my preference.  I know... I'm going to have to do a post on the curtain versus drapes.  Even though Stephanie thought she couldn't do drapes in this room, it would have been perfectly fine.  I gave her a couple options with this shade. I like having more than one fabric to add interest when doing valances.  Adding a contrasting leading edge is always nice too.  Which do you prefer?

I'll be joining the party at Hooked on Houses, be sure to check it out.

Free Advice Updating Chests and Chairs

These days I have a hard time keeping up with all the blogs I enjoy reading.  I really like it when other designers have enough confidence to ask their reader's opinions on a project.  The other day at coco + kelley, she did a post on some bedside chests she had for an ongoing bedroom project.  Here is the dilemma:

First of all, how awesome are these chests?  I love the deco look to them.  She has painted her walls Gray and is going to do either Coral or Tangerine accents.  So this is my advice to her.  I love the idea of going high gloss Gray (one step lighter than the walls) where the light wood tone exists currently.  I'd do the Tangerine (over Coral) in high gloss where the darker wood tone is.  It would pop off the walls, but wouldn't be too in your face. I love the hardware that's on the chests and would do that in the Tangerine as well.  Anywho, that's my two cents on that one.  I recently just did some bedroom chests for myself.  This is how they turned out.

  

Abbey K also had a bit of a dilemma with some fabulous chairs she inherited from her Grandma.  Y'all know I love that since I just recently did a post on all the things I have of my Grandma's in my home.  Especially her chairs. 

Great chairs.  This is what I would do.  I would probably do a solid welt that matches the Darker Green in the fabric.  If her upholsterer is good, they can center the smallest diamond in the buttons.  Lastly, because I'm a nail head freak (plus it is a classic detail that is really "in" right now) I'd outline the sides and do a row around the bottom.  This is what I did to my Grandma's chair.

As always I'll be participating in the hooked party at Hooked on Houses today and The Inspired Room.  Make sure you check them out.  What would y'all do to the chests are chairs?

Free Advice Friday - Arranging Artwork and Pictures

I had a reader email with a question on how to arrange her artwork and pictures.  She had recently moved (can totally relate) and had a pile of pictures laying on the floor. She was overwhelmed with how to hang them or to even get started.  

 Solution:

1. I begin by laying the arrangement out on the floor. I like to have consistent, not exact, frames on all the pieces.
2. I start by putting the biggest piece in the middle.
3. I prefer symmetry, so I find frames that are similar in scale and group them.
4. If you have architectural pieces to mix in or a sconce, it gives it dimension and character.
5. As you put the arrangement together, keep the spacing consistent.
6. Once you have it on the floor the way you like it, you can cut the sizes out of paper and attach them to the wall for guidance.

Here is an example from my portfolio:

Yes, the dog is real.  She thought she was debuting for her career in doggy modeling.  I'm joining the Hooked on Houses, what you're hooked on blog party, and The Inspired Room's Beautiful Life party be sure to check them out.

 

Free Advice - Difficult Drapery

This reader wrote:

	Pictures for you! Hi! We emailed last week. Thank you so much for agreeing to help me with my "problem" window. We have been working on remodeling our 13 year old house that we bought last year. We just don't know what to do with our big sliding glass door in our family. We have a new sofa that is neutral (we are still awaiting our throw pillows that have turquoise elements). Our window is near our kitchen window, which we like but have RED curtains. So we are at a loss. Any advice you can give about height (I think probably 127" to be at the same height as the kitchen) and ESPECIALLY fabric, will be greatly appreciated! We love your site and are so grateful for your help!

Solution:

 

What makes this situation difficult, is not only the Red kitchen valance and new Turquoise Blue, but the different adjoining room elevations and the built-in bookcases.  To try and keep a nice linear balance, I would hang the drapery hardware at the same height as the top of the bookcases.  Since the new sectional, carpet and paint are all neutral, I would start with a pretty color for the drapery.  They have a floral in the the kitchen and the new pillow fabric also has a pattern, so I would begin with a solid.  I chose the new Turquoise Blue because there is a pool outside those sliding glass doors and it would blur the line between the two spaces.  The Red window treatment in the kitchen is pretty dominate and right next to the sliders, so  I suggest adding a contrast fabric leading edge to the drapery that incorporates the Red.  I would then probably have a pillow made for the sofa, using the same fabrics. To complete the space,  I would then add a few red accessories to the living room.  Any fabric incorporating both colors would also be a very nice alternative for the leading edge.  I know that finding Red and Turquoise in one fabric is difficult.  Trust me, I have those colors (plus black and cream) in my house and I have scoured the fabric companies looking for that combo.  Every time I come across one, I order the sample.  I tried to show in the illustration, how a reader who doesn't have a fabric library at their disposal can combine any color combination to customize their personal palette.  The last element to mention is the style of drapery.  In the rendering, I've shown a double width pinch pleat drapery hung on 2 1/2 - 3 inch (in diameter) hardware in the wood tone of the built in bookcase (which they have since stained darker than the picture shown).  When you have a large expanse of window or door that doesn't require privacy, it is nice to do the panels in a double width.  It is important to note that the hardware needs to be substantial enough to hold the weight of the panels.  Otherwise, it will bow in the middle.  This also looks nicer when you have long drapes.  Hope this helps.  I'll be joining the Hooked party on Hooked on Houses today.  Check it out.

Free Advice Friday-TV in the Master Yes or No?

The timing of this question is ironic.  This reader writes:

I'd  like to know what your thoughts are on having a TV in the bedroom.  My husband wants a plasma or LCD mounted on the wall and I don't think that it will look nice.  As a designer what do you think?

You readers and your controversial questions.  Y'all are killing me.  This question happens to be ironic because for the first time ever in 16 yrs of marriage my Husband and I won't have a TV in our bedroom in this house.  At least we are going to try it out. We've been sleeping in the guest bedroom because my new bed for our room hasn't come in yet(it did ship Monday, YEAH!).  We just don't have any place to put a TV in the new room. So back to the question.  I'm all about the pretty, but one of my very few pet peeves is a space that doesn't function.  I know the medical research says a big "no" to the TV in the bedroom.  The reality is, if you want a TV in the bedroom, I'm gonna give you one. I'm gonna make it as pretty as possible though.  Ideally, I'd like it to be hidden but a flat panel mounted over a beautiful piece of furniture works too.  Another option is to hide a flat panel behind drapery.  They are making them 1 inch deep now so you have lots of options.  I'm dying to hear if you have a TV in the bedroom.  So I'm doing my first poll.

 

 

poll by twiigs.com

Free Advice Friday: Tutorial on Book Shelf Organization

I hesitate to even answer this question.  

Several people have asked about accessorizing/organizing book shelves.  The reason I hesitate when answering this question is because there isn't a right or wrong but lots of opinions.  So I'm going to tell you how I approach it.  Now, I love a great book.  I've had a library for over 10 years now.  So the first thing to determine is what kind of book shelf you have.  Decorative or functional or a bit of both.  I'm going to address the "both".  If you're strictly a functional person, I'd advise the Dewey Decimal System.

1.  Decorative, Functional or both?

2.  Consider painting or adding wall paper to the backs of the bookcases.

3.  Okay, I know this is going to be controversial, but I take the jackets off the books. The exception is if I'm doing a one color library and then I cover them all in creamy parchment.  This is usually complemented with a patterned wallpaper in the backs of the shelves or a strongly painted color.  This is drama and clearly isn't for everyone.

4.  I like to then sort the books by color, topic, and size.  If you have a collection by one author, you may want to keep those together. I try and keep authors together but will split them if the colors are drastically different.  This might not be an option for some.  I get that, this is just a guideline and not in stone. 

5.  I prefer to display hardbound and put paperbacks in decorative storage or behind doors.

6.  If you have magazines its great to get color coordinated magazine holders for displaying those.

7.  Display oversize books horizontally.

8.  Add meaningful objects or art. Edit them to one item per section.  You don't want it to look like a collectors cabinet.

Here's a pic of mine--your comments are welcome...

Free Advice Follow Up

A few weeks ago a reader had submitted the following for free advice:

This Mom sent in this picture of her sons' bedroom.  They are ready to change the baby room to a big boy room.  The two boys have bunkbeds and share the room.  They would like to keep the bunkbeds but are open to painting the light wood finish something different.  The boys are into pirates and they would like the color scheme to have Blues and/or Greens. 

 

This was the before

This was my my design board (for the original post and the design board explanation http://www.boulevardinteriordesign.com/boulevard_interior_design/2009/06/free-advice-baby-to-big-boy-room.html)

Here is how my reader implemented the design.  I love it.

Hope they can keep those shelves that organized.  My reader also told me that the boys love their new room and want to show it to everyone who visits.  That my friends is what it is all about.  Love making people happy.  Especially the kids.

 

Free Advice... Living Room Space Plan

Question:

This reader has a 18 x 18 ft living room with a fireplace in the center of the back wall. She is  interested in doing matching sofas and is having a hard time with a space plan.  She wants to know if matching sofas are a decorating "do" or "don't". 

Solution:

Personally, I love symmetry so I would position the sofas facing each other in front of the fireplace.  This space plan works particularly well in a sq room.  I've illustrated in the rendering below this configuration.