Saturday, May 28th, 2011
I just bought a new house, which was a bit of a crazy idea since my husband and I were both swamped with work when we stumbled across this house and we weren’t even house shopping. But it felt like it was meant to be ours, so we went for it. Of course before I could be sure it would work for us I had to visualize where EVERY piece of furniture would fit in the new space. Crazy? Do you experience the same thoughts when you move?
At least I knew I wasn’t the only crazy one in the family because my husband (who is a landscape architect) had to design the entire backyard landscape plan before we even decided to buy the house. Well, at least that helps explain how we are well matched. A pair of crazy, detail-oriented designers who excel at Excel spreadsheets.
Anyway, the point of this story is that I have been working on the design for the new place since we made an offer, and with 2 weeks until the move I’ve started honing in on specific details. The latest? Lighting for the living room.
There are sconces on two walls in the living room that throw the balance off in the room. They provide some general lighting now, but by converting them to adjustable arm sconces they could offer valuable task lighting on both sides of the room.
Here’s an example in designer Francis Costa’s home.
This Wall Sconce with Three Rotating Arms by Serge Mouille I found on 1st Dibs is the kind of piece I had in mind. However the more than $7,000 price tag is not really worth it to me, no matter how iconic a piece it is. (I’d rather buy a Womb Chair and Ottoman for half the price.)
So how can I achieve the effect of a wall mounted light fixture with adjustable lighting that can extend farther than the average bedside wall sconce at a reasonable price? Here are a few options I’ve found so far.
Here is one of my top 2 favorites so far. “1940s Architectural Boom Sconce” by Restoration Hardware is designed to allow the light to articulate in multiple directions a nice distance from the wall. At $450 it’s a steal compared to the Mouille fixture.
The No. 214 wall lamp by Bernard-Albin Gras available through Holly Hunt is another great option. It has two points of articulation on the arm plus it can be moved up and down the bar. The bar is rather long, so you would need to have the right space to let it breathe (visually), but at $485 retail it is very competitively priced compared to it’s rival the Restoration Hardware Architectural Boom Sconce. I’m sure someone can (or already has) made a hack version of this using a clip-on desk lamp and some plumbing parts.
Another option from Restoration Hardware: the Atelier Wall Sconce. Although it is only $239 and has that great caged industrial vibe that I love and has been really popular lately, I don’t think it will extend far enough to meet my functional needs in the new space. But it would be great as a wall mounted bedside lamp. I love that look, it opens up space on the bedside tables, and allows you to direct light where you need it.
Another visually interesting option is the 1940s Train Station Swing-Arm Sconce from Restoration Hardware. I like the lines and how it highlights the vintage style bulb. But with the extinction of incandescent bulbs impending, I can’t in good conscience purchase this fixture. Plus it only swings left and right, and that certainly doesn’t meet my needs for this project. ($160)
I know there are other good options out there, I just haven’t thrown myself into the search full force. But I’m keeping my eyes peeled as I’m searching for lighting solutions for my clients because you never know when you are going to stumble across the perfect piece.
Have you spotted any great lighting solutions lately? If lighting is a challenge you are dealing with, don’t be afraid to ask Fox Interiors for help!
Tags: interior design, lighting, living room, sconce, swing-arm, task lighting
Posted in Design & Home Living Tips | 4 Comments »
Friday, March 18th, 2011
Spring is hinting at a return of all things bring and cheerful. But until I see a week of 50 degree days I know not to get too hopeful. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have spring fever and start craving bright, sunny, and upbeat spaces that look filled with sunshine and warm air. Here are few favorites to help you through this transition season.
The light floors, walls and ceiling open up this living room and allow the bright colors room to breathe. The open chandelier isn’t visually heavy so it doesn’t weigh down the space.
Spring and summer I start bringing bright colors and patterns back into my wardrobe in more frequent rotation. The same is true with interiors. Why not go for it with a mobile of paper lanterns? This works over a couch in a living room with high ceilings too. Add a fun border or wallpaper to add pattern to a otherwise simple room. Notice that the crib and couch both have black frames and white bedding/ cushions? The pops of colors come from the lights, curtains, border and throw pillows. The one olive green side table is a fun addition.
The green backsplash is the perfect fresh cut grass color to remind me of the grass finally breaking through the melting snow piles to reclaim their turf (literally). So cheerful!
A few well placed accessories transform a home office nook into a springy destination. And the daffodils on the windowsill? What better representation of spring is there? I love buying the bunches of fresh daffodils during the American Cancer Society annual fundraising drive.
This is the way I want summer to feel. Sitting on a big veranda, lounging amongst the cushions, surrounded by greenery with interesting leaves, and a little cafe table where I can have a morning cup of iced tea and a scone. Oh gosh, I’m so ready for it… maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
But if I’m going to torture myself, let’s go for the full fantasy.
This shingled beach house says Cape Cod or the Hamptons in the height of summer to me. You can even see a bicycle leaning against the wall on the left, ready for me to peddle into town for a lobster roll from the best fresh seafood shack.
Or perhaps you’d prefer to escape to your rustic cabin with modern details. A modern sink and faucet are juxtapositioned against the raw wood planks and vintage mirror for an unfussy minimal aesthetic that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
In the end, the best part of summer is really the ability to hang out with friends outside, and the long nights which seem to never end and no one wants to go home. Get ready, because before we know it the warm weather will truly be here to stay!
What are you looking forward to in Spring? How about summertime?
Photo credits: 1 – Living Room by David Jimenez. 2 – Nursery source unknown. 3 – Kitchen by Eve Robinson. 4 – Home office by i-can’t-remember-her-name. 5 – Porch by Suzanne Rheinstein. 6 – Beach house source unknown. 7 – Bathroom source unknown. 8 – Backyard source unknown.
Tags: beach house, grass, green, home office, interior design, Kitchen, living room, nursery, paper lanterns, porch, spring, summer, wood planks
Posted in Design & Home Living Tips, Inspiration Boards | No Comments »
Thursday, February 10th, 2011
It’s time for another edition of my favorite photos from House Beautiful. You can tell we’re deep in the depths of dreary winter when magazine covers look like this. A light-filled room in bright cheerful colors helps remind us sunny days will return, even if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and we’re stuck with plenty more winter ahead of us.
I really like these rooms by Alexandra Angle because they all have intesting but subtle details that add to the rooms rather than detracting. The top left image is a reading nook. It’s difficult to tell with the cropped photo, but it seems like the cushion is much larger than a typical window seat cushion, so you could really relax and spread out like on a full size mattress. I could see a pile of kids on here reading books when they are little, and a group of teen girls gathered here gabbing, reading magazines, and talking about boys. Or maybe it’s where mom escapes to read a little Jane Austen (or Jonathan Franzen) in peace and quiet.
The double office would be a great little space to take care of personal documents, and with a desk for each person you don’t have to worry about someone moving that bill on you. Clearly these aren’t home offices, but most people don’t need that much space and storage for managing their home life. A low bookshelf or cabinet fitted with file storage and boxes for basic supplies would be sufficient to provide a functional work space with these desks. I really like the legs on those desks, the small lamp and the artwork leaning on the desks.
There is a nice symmetry to the bedroom with the matching dressers and rugs, but the different lamps and artwork mix it up. I’m loving the green lamp on the left by John Derian. Where can I fit that in my house? (That’s one of the biggest dangers in being an interior designer – we see soo many beautiful objects, fabrics, etc and it’s difficult to not want to enjoy it all in our own homes.)
The detail on these kitchen cabinets by Garrow Kedigian were inspired by the details on the windows in this NYC pre-war apartment. Paired with slab Calcacatta Gold marble countertops and backsplash the look is fresh but timeless. Pairing this look with an Artemide glass fixture (top left corner of the photo), 18th century bamboo chairs and a modern wood and steel table is truly a contemporary spin.
This is a fun feature they have added to the magazine that really shows how a room can be transformed by design professionals in one (long) day into a more functional and beautiful space, even utilizing mostly off the shelf items. What’s really nice is they break the process down into all the steps that took place over the course of that one day, from analyzing the space, to shopping, to setting up the space and trying out different pieces in different locations, to final staging details. These are the steps we take with our clients but the process is not as condensed, which allows us the time to develop custom solutions and evolve the design over a series of meetings with our clients in which we get to know their lifestyle and personal style in more detail.
Would you allow a designer to make over a room in your home (other than a kitchen) in one day? Would you feel it was a benefit utilizing retail products or would you prefer to mix them with custom or to-the-trade pieces?
Tags: bedroom, desk, House Beautiful, interior design, Kitchen, living room, makeover, marble, office, twin cities, white, window, window seat
Posted in Hot off the Press | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011
I just realized how quickly time passes when I went to post my favorite images from the latest issue of House Beautiful and realized that I never shared my favorites from the previous issue! Tisk, tisk, Colleen! But at least I’ve read both issues cover to cover, which doesn’t usually happen this quickly. Thanks are due in part to our local cafe North Washington Cafe where we’ve been going to listen to live music, enjoy a little dinner and wine and catch up on reading (me) and work (the husband). If you are in the area be sure to stop in for live music Thursday nights or any of the other events they are adding to the calendar. I helped them with design ideas to quickly transform it from the black, royal blue and industrial steel look the previous coffee shop sported to a warm neighborhood wine bar.
These are certainly not your typical sliding panels to divide a kitchen from a dining room. These laser cut oak panels were designed by Thomas Hamel, the interior designer, to reference Indian jalis. With ceilings that high you have a lot of room to make a statement. I’m a fan of a well-designed Klismos chair and these have a great silhouette and finish. I’m not sure what the material is but it looks like aged metal. The custom dining room table has great legs too.
I like the new editor’s choice to do more large photo spreads in the magazine so we can appreciate the details in these rooms, but it does make more work for me! Oh well, some rooms are worth the extra effort. I love this new traditional living room. The sofas have white slipcovers and velvet pillows in icy blues and purples. The wallpaper and the chandelier are traditional but not too fussy. The arrangement on the mantel is casual and the coffee table is downright unexpected (in my mind at least). I would expect to see a glass and metal oval cocktail table or a more refined wood table in this room. It’s taking traditional elements and mixing them with more casual elements to create formal living rooms that people actually feel comfortable living in. Crazy notion.
This living room reflects one of the new trend in interior design for 2011: global world traveler with an emphasis on indigenous textile patterns and natural fabrics. The window treatments are made of burlap. The sofa is a mattress and box spring covered in painter’s linen. Then to mix it up he added a 1960s brass lamp in the back corner with a custom red linen shade and a Hans Wegner Wishbone chair on the left with a bright red finish which add a punch to the room. It’s eceletic and feels authentic. I can tell this is a space that he has filled with objects that he loves over time.
So, could you see yourself living in any of these rooms?
Tags: coffee table, dining room, global, House Beautiful, Klismos chair, living room, North Washington Cafe, screen, sofa, velvet, wallpaper, white
Posted in Hot off the Press | No Comments »
Thursday, January 20th, 2011
I thought I’d give you a quick update on the construction project.
Here is the kitchen now that the walls have been primed and painting has started.
When you see the finished project you will see how dramatic the change is from this angle looking from the entrance. The angled wall to the right of the doors leaning against the wall will be covered in Moroccan tiles. A custom bookshelf will extent off the column in the foreground providing great display space for the homeowners’ vast collection of beautiful objects from around the world.
Look at this side by side comparison with the room pre-construction. Removing that wall allowed us to reconfigure the space and provide a modern flow.
Tags: construction, interior design, living room, remodel, twin cities
Posted in Sneak Peak | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
I’ve always focused on inspiring you with images and color palettes on this blog, but I realize I rarely include my own work. After the reaction I got when I posted a couple of sneak peak photos of some bathrooms I did this fall, I realized you might enjoy seeing more of the process involved in my remodeling projects for clients.
Since I have a fun remodel in process right now, I think I’ll share a few photos with you so you can see how the space is evolving as we move through the construction process.
This is a view of the kitchen from the living room on my first visit to meet with the clients.
Here is a wrap around view of the kitchen, moving from the left side to the right side.
And a view of the wall between the kitchen and the living room (to the left) and the entry (straight ahead).
The challenge with this space is that all the walls and openings between the kitchen and the rest of the unit chopped up the sight lines and hid their amazing views of the Cathedral and the State Capital. We wanted to open the space up, increase the functionality of it, and provide a better flow for both entertaining and hanging out at home alone.
Here is the kitchen on construction day #1, all cleared out and ready for demolition!
And after a bit of demo (to say the least) the walls are opened up, the electrical work is exposed, and we get to come up with solutions.
The view from the kitchen to the living room and dining room is suddenly vastly improved as sight lines are opened up.
A few days later, a new half wall opens up the kitchen to the rest of the unit even more. All the electrical has been rerouted to maintain an uninterrupted view from the kitchen all the way to the State Capital.
Isn’t it amazing how different it looks once the drywall is installed? The beams conceal the electrical work and accommodate new pendant lighting over the future raised breakfast counter. Now when guests walk in the front door they won’t be trapped in a narrow hall with no view – they’ll walk into a open space with views in every direction.
Next steps: painting, installing flooring, installing cabinetry, installing countertops and appliances, finalizing updates to the bathrooms, installing new blinds, and installing new lighting. (You don’t want to see the actual super detailed list of steps involved in each of these tasks, but trust me, we’re so on top of it!)
We still have a lot of work to do, but you can see how much work has been accomplished already. The messy phase is almost complete, and now we get to start bringing in the color, texture and patterns. I can’t wait to see it all pulled together!
Did you enjoy this sneak peak behind the scenes of a construction project? Would you like to see more?
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Tags: construction, dining room, entry, interior design, Kitchen, living room, remodel, twin cities
Posted in Sneak Peak | 2 Comments »
Colleen Fox Slack | email: colleen@colleenfoxinteriors.com | phone: 612.868.0348
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