The Joy Of Moldings

There's nothing I love more than a good old fashioned decorating project - the kind where you take an existing space and create a gorgeous living environment though color, furnishings, accessories and art.

One thing that makes that job a whole lot easier and much more impactful is having a backdrop of interesting architecture.

While subtle, this particular treatment breaks up the expansive wall area and implies attention to detail, craftsmanship and luxury. It's the most formal of the molding treatments we'll talk about today.

The photo above is of an entry hall we did last year. We applied moldings directly to the sheetrock and painted everything in the same white satin paint. My client favors a slight nod to coastal design, and the white walls, bleached wood, and blue accents speak to her preferred aesthetic.

More recently, we installed a wall of wainscoting as a feature in a family room - again, applied directly to the sheet rock, and then painted everything out in the same color.

Here is a photo I took during installation. We also added the same type of molding over the mantel.

You should also know that moldings don't have to be formal. One of my favorite wall treatments is a simple board and batten style treatment that has a casual feel to it.

Here's a bathroom renovation we completed in the spring that combines board and batten walls, a navy vanity, and aged brass and bronze hardware for a preppy cabin vibe.

And while it's not technically a molding, it seems the whole world has gone crazy for shiplap walls, and I get lots of requests for this from clients.

The texture and character you get from shiplap walls is outstanding.

Excuse the poor image quality in the next few images - these are phone pictures from over a year ago.

In the dining room below, white shiplap was used on all 4 walls.

On this project (photo above) we created a single accent wall in this foyer with shiplap walls.

And in this Monteagle cottage renovation, we installed whitewashed shiplap in the living room, dining room and foyer. This was perfect for a cottage in the woods!

If your carpentry skills are good, adding moldings to your walls is a cost-effective way to create interest and add architecture to your home. If you are DIY challenged, the majority of the cost of adding these types of moldings is in the labor cost for skilled finish carpentry.

I say it's worth the trouble and/or the investment. Wall moldings are a great way to add architectural interest and provide a backdrop that celebrates the details!

Call Kim today if you're ready to take your home's interiors to the next level! 423.653.3186

Graphic Floors - Trendy Or Timeless?

With the explosive popularity of cement tiles in bold patterns, you might be wondering if this look will stand the test of time, or whether it's a trend to just wait out.

The pattern of the tile above and below is called "Tulum", and it's a favorite of mine.

The graphic floor of this Kelly Wearstler designed foyer was achieved with different varieties of marble and is definitely the star of the show!

Painted floors are the most flexible way to create bold patterns, limited only by your imagination (or your skill set!)

Charming kitchen above designed by Nick Olsen.

Guest room below by the brilliant Jeffrey Bilhuber.

While I don't think graphic floor patterns are necessarily trendy, I do think they are very specific, and they may be challenging to "work in" with other design elements.

Novice decorators will want to keep other design elements simplistic, allowing the graphic floor to be the main feature.

The exception to that would be a striped floor, because stripes go with everything!

Still worried that the graphic floor trend will pass? Check out this room (circa 197x) below by the iconic American decorator, Billy Baldwin.

If you're considering installing a patterned floor, my best advice is to proceed with caution. Commit to a smaller area, like a powder room.

Even though you may be totally convinced that you can't live without it right now, flooring is a pretty permanent and not always inexpensive to change out if you grow tired of the look down the road.

xo Kim

This Sofa Won't Go Out Of Style. Ever.

As style-focused consumers, we walk a fine line between what's currently trending and what will stand the test of time. Especially at this point in history. We are flooded with so. many. beautiful images of cutting edge design on Pinterest, Instagram, Houzz, TV and shelter magazines. It's hard not to get caught up in it and fall prey to the look of the moment.

And I'm not sure if that's money well spent. Instead, I think it's preferable to stick to the classics for the major furniture purchases. T

Today we'll have a look at a sofa I think will look good 20 years from now and will fit right in with whatever is trending in the design world.

It's the English Roll Arm Sofa. This would have to be my top pick for favorite sofas of all time. It's uber classic and yet it holds its own in modern settings too.

Not too feminine and not too masculine, the English roll arm looks great done up in solid fabrics (linen or velvet are top choices).

Above is the Glenlee sofa from Anthropologie. Note the turned legs on casters and tight back. This is an English roll arm in its purest form!

Are you more of a risk taker? Never met a pattern you didn't like? No worries! The English roll arm has you covered.

Photo above, note how well our traditional English roll arm mixes with the more modern companions. How I adore a colorful, eclectic mix like this - perfection!

Here's another happy, eclectic room that features an English roll arm sofa, this time in a fun floral print piled with pink pillows:

Do you like your English roll arm a little quieter? Fear not. Here's a slipcovered version that is relaxed and understated.

Finally, I'll leave you with a roundup of my favorite English roll arm sofas in three price categories:

(Damn) Good:

This is the Brampton sofa from the Robin Bruce collection by Rowe Furniture. It's American made, extremely comfortable and well priced. To further entice you, a nice selection of fabric options are available (including crypton). Mommies rejoice!

2. Better:

This is the Telford sofa from CR Laine upholstered in a fun and fabulous yellow zebra fabric. YOLO.

3. Best:

From Baker, the "Elements Long Sofa".

A few more inspiration images:

xoKim

Mad For Plaid

Maybe it's the cool weather that's finally moved in. Maybe it's because Christmas is just a few weeks away. Whatever the reason, I'm feeling particularly attracted to plaids and tartans lately.

Scot Meacham Wood's apartment that was featured in House Beautiful a few years ago is a favorite and makes me love plaid even more. It has a comfortable, collected appeal. The aesthetic is an updated take on English country.

Plaids and tartans add instant warmth.

Antiques and plaid are perfect partners, again, creating an English country feel.

Which is not to say that plaids couldn't work in a modern setting.

Plaid and leopard? It can be done.

As can plaid and pink!

I love the plaid headboard and pillows combined with the floral coverlet below.

In fact, plaids and florals are perfect partners!

Here's more English country - plaid chairs and floral chairs - about as comfortable as it gets.

What do you think? Will you be adding some plaid to your winter decor?

Chattanooga Interior Design Project - Home Office Makeover

It's been a while since I've posted anything here because I've been busy participating in an online linking event called The One Room Challenge. The premise of this event is that participants make over a room of their choice over a six week period updating their progress once a week. On the final week of the event, everyone posts photos of their completed room.

The room I decided to make over was a room in my own home - a much needed home office. A bedroom in our house became available when my oldest daughter moved out and my youngest daughter claimed her upstairs bedroom.

My biggest priority from a functionality standpoint was getting more storage. I desperately needed storage for rolls of fabric and wallpaper, samples from vendors, and a place to store materials for upcoming installations.

Here's a look at the space before. I wont's sugarcoat it - it's pretty bad. My intentions were good but finding the time to plan and execute the design was rather elusive.

Regarding space planning, I knew I wanted two workstations. One area where I could work at my computer and have easy access to client files. The second workstation needed to be a place where I could spread out materials used in the development stages of designs for my clients.

Once my needs were determined and the layout was decided that would best address those needs, it was time to focus on the aesthetics - my favorite part. Since this is an office in my own home where I will mostly be working alone or with an assistant, I felt free to really personalize the space. And that's what I did. I envisioned a space that felt fresh, feminine and full of beautiful color. The color palette I landed on was lavender and red with metallic gold accents.

As you can see in the moodboard I created above, there are a mix of design styles - mostly traditional with a few modern accents. The paint color I used on the walls is Benjamin Moore's Touch of Gray. It's a very subtle shade of lavender that changes with the light. Somehow, this color manages to feel energetic and restful at the same time.

Want to see the finished space?

It's quite a change, isn't it? I relied heavily on vintage items - I love pieces that are a little rough around the edges and don't mind showing their age.

To address my storage needs, I bought two metal garage shelving units from Home Depot and spray painted them with a metallic gold. The loveseat provides a nice perch for family members who want to hang out with me while I'm working. Ok, mostly it's the dog.

In the image above, you can see how I gained more storage by removing the bifold doors from the closet and installing long shelves. It's the perfect solution for holding multiple bolts of fabric and wallpaper! Open storage below the shelves is useful for storing lamps and other accessories waiting for installation in my clients' homes. The vintage French dining table is wondeful place to lay out fabrics, trims and wallpapers as I work through the design process, particularly with the natural light from the big window.

Here's the other workstation. My computer, printer and client files are housed here. I also had a little fun creating an inspiration board.

I really enjoy working with color and I find it energizes me and lifts my spirits.

My fabric storage is seen in the background of the photo above, and a big tray on my work table keeps pencils, paint decks, notepads and supplies both tidy and close at hand.

The vintage elephant seen above provides a little whimsy and ups the "happy" factor. Fun touches like this can really lift your spirits!

This little Windsor chair was my husband's chair from his grandparents house, and it now has a new purpose - holding all of my magazines and keeping inspiration within easy reach!

If you're really paying attention you noticed the pillows on the sofa are different from the pillows in the first images. I love that my color palette gives me the flexibility to change things up like this!

One last note. I am a huge proponent of splurging on custom window treatments. There is simply no substitute for the beauty and sophistication of hand crafted window treatments that are made to fit your particular windows and your aesthetic. This room would not feel the same without these custom curtains. They're made of a simple cotton linen blend with velvet accents and they transformed this space into a cozy retreat. Curtains out of a bag just can't do this! (Speech over.)

I'm so thrilled with how my office turned out! It's nice to have a space that is organized, comfortable, and "me". And isn't that what it's all about?

Thanks for stopping by - and if you're in the Chattanooga area and could use some design assistance, I'd love to hear from you! Call Kim at 423.653.3186 and tell me about your interior dreams!

Thoughts On Creating A Home Office

After 5 years in this home, I've decided it's high time to get serious about creating a home office for myself. Since my oldest daughter left the nest and my youngest will graduate high school in the spring, there's really no excuse for not taking advantage of the real estate that's available. I do have a bedroom I've claimed as the office, but it's a far cry from my ideal workspace. Rather than share sad pictures of this space, let me paint you a picture of current office conditions.

I have an old desk for my computer on and a bunch of cardboard filing boxes, some/most of them on the floor. And speaking of things on the floor, that's where a lot of things end up due to a lack of proper storage pieces and shelving. I also have one of those useless shallow closets with a rod, a shelf above it and bifold louvered doors. Not exactly ideal.

The first step in designing any space is getting the layout right. Form has to follow function, particularly in an office where the goal is be organized and productive. (So basically, you have to figure out the room's layout before you start thinking about pretty things, like paint colors, fabrics, and art.)

The image below doesn't represent my own office space, but you can see how drawing out the room to scale is key to getting furniture placement right before any purchases are made.

Here are few things I will be keeping in mind as I start to plan my office space.

Work Surface - As I collect fabric, wallpaper, paint, tile and flooring samples for a project, it's helpful for me to spread them all out and play around with the options until I come up with the most pleasing mix.

There are many things I love about the setup above. I like the long work table, the wall of inspirational art, dual workstations, and the books stored below the desk for easy access. I could see the lower area being used for fabric and wallpaper samples and catalogs.

Storage - there is a huge need for storage in my line of work. There are product samples, accessories and furnishings that need to be stored until installation day, and the massive amounts of paper that come with each job (order confirmations, receipts, packing slips, spec sheets, client profiles, and on and on.)

Have you seen these shelves that Windsor Smith put in Tracy Anderson's headquarters? They're your basic big box store metal shelving units that she had brass plated, added wheels, and replaced the shelves with slabs of marble. I probably would not go to the expense of brass plating and adding marble shelves, but I think this shows how humble materials can be used in exciting ways. I think you could get the same effect with a little spray paint and some wallpaper. And there's tons of storage for larger items.

Here's another storage idea I love:

Brooke Gianetti used an old built in china cabinet for storage in her office. I like that there's a little bit of display on top and closed storage on the bottom.

Below is another antique used for home office storage. See the framed bulletin board with a grass cloth surface? It's an easy modification that looks a little more personalized that a plain cork board. You could do this with a favorite fabric too!

One area that could be valuable to me is the 1972 shallow closet with bifold doors. I would like to remove the doors and fill the closet with shelves (sans the work station seen below). This would be an ideal storage solution for bolts of fabric, wallpaper and client accessories as they await installation day.

I think the office below is my favorite and it was designed by Myra Hoefer.

Here's what I find so appealing. The giant work table in the center of the room means you could be working on multiple projects at once. Seating can be accessed from any side of the table which really gives you some flexibility. Added storage is found on the shelf below the table, so materials are easily accessible while not being used. I also adore that antique storage piece. It provides tons of storage and gives the space so much personality!

Style - even though offices are viewed as utilitarian spaces, I think it's important to bring the pretty. Your surroundings have a big impact on your state of mind, and you should feel good in your work space.

This one feels about right for my style:

Soft colors, simple floral window treatments, and stylish seating feel comfortable to me.

So to summarize, when planning your home office

1. Assess your needs. What pieces do you need to perform your daily tasks?

2. Measure your room, and create a drawing (to scale) to determine the best way to utilize the space that makes sense for your work process.

3. Source the furnishings for your office that will meet your needs, fit your floor plan and reflect your personality. As long as the piece is addressing the function it's meant to address, the sky is the limit! Have fun with the pieces and add some personality.

Chintz In Modern Interiors

Most people think "Chintz" and Modern" don't belong in the same sentence, much less that they can coexist in the world of interiors. And I get it. If you grew up in the 80's when Laura Ashley and Waverly polished cotton chintz fabrics were all the rage and window treatments looked like this:

then you probably have an anti-chintz clause in your Decorating Plan.

I, on the other hand, happen to still like a pretty and colorful fabric that's inspired by nature's biggest and boldest blossoms.

The key is to have a very light hand when using floral chintz fabrics. I think the image above demonstrates just how effective and relevant these fabrics can be in today's interiors. The white walls and graphic stripes on the table skirt take the space out of the 80's and put it firmly into the right now. In case you're wondering, the fabric on the curtain is Scalamandre's China Rose. It's been in production for decades and is still highly sought after.

I love the floral chintz headboard above - and - oh my - peach walls! It's so refreshing to see something other than gray, isn't it? Can you imagine how different this room would feel if there were lots of other patterns used with the floral headboard? The Decorator kept the other design elements simple and clean, which gives takes the room in a modern direction.

Here Miles Redd takes an old school chintz, (Althea by Lee Jofa) and ups the ante with forest green lacquered walls. Would I call this space Modern? Not in the sense that it's modern in style, but Miles Redd has a knack for using old school materials in a way that makes them feel "of the moment". Bottom line is that this room is timeless, and will be relevant decades into the future. And speaking of old school, pleated lamp shades (above) are also enjoying a resurgence in popularity. This makes me happy.

Chintz upholstery + antiques + oversize modern art = forever timeless. Note the seagrass rug and the baskets. Those design elements go a long way to bring the formality of the space down to a more casual/comfortable level, which is how we're decorating now.

The bedroom below? Well, this is me. Not my work, that credit goes to Megan Rice Yager. But this is a bedroom I would be totally comfortable with for myself. The soft color palette, the feminine feel, and the Chinoiserie accents all add up to my idea of perfection. The headboard and the valance are done in Colefax & Fowler's Bowood, an iconic print that has been around for decades.

OK, I got one more for you. Below is Lee Radziwill's Paris apartment circa I'm-not-sure-when, but I would say at least 10 years ago. And doesn't it feel Modern? Yes, there is chintz upholstered everything, but the white walls, simple curtains, natural fiber rug and edited accessories make it could have been done yesterday.

So the takeaway here is that you CAN use chintz today. You just need to pick a pattern you love and don't layer lots of additional busy patterns with it. Keep your backdrop simple, and mix in a few modern design elements - like a lucite table or a piece of modern art. Remember, the most memorable interiors are those that have an interesting mix of styles and materials - if you keep these guidelines in mind, there's no reason a bit of chintz can't be part of your mix!

A Bunk Room For Everyone

Today we'll take a look at a design trend that continues to gain momentum. Bunk rooms. They're functional. They're fun. They're here to stay, and style-wise, there's a bunk room for everyone!

I certainly don't consider myself a minimalist, but I find this bunk room from Thorp Designs in the UK so appealing! It feels clean, breezy and restful - a true retreat!

Is your style more Modern Glam? Then I think you'll love the bunk room below by Sophie Metz in Nantucket! The suspended bed is a great use of the space under the sloped ceiling.

There are no bunk beds in the bunk room below. Under bed storage provides the platform for each bed, which is so smart and clean looking. To me, this room has textural appeal with just the right amount of color.

The bunk room above and below are both from Tracy Hardenburg of Dallas. I love the use of color in both of these spaces.

If you're reader of design blogs, then you've surely seen the bunk room created by Grace from A Storied Style in the last round of the One Room Challenge. It's bold and fun and no doubt a huge hit with the kids!

Remember at the beginning I said there was a bunk room style for everyone? Here's one that's a little more grown up and sophisticated/romantic. I love how the drapery panels provide privacy and softness. Every little detail was planned out - did you notice the sconces above each bed?

Did you ever think it would be possible to sleep 6 in a single room so stylishly?

I'm currently working with 2 different clients on new construction homes that have incorporated bunk rooms into their new homes. And although this isn't a bunk room proper, we recently built and installed bunk beds as part of a Signal Mountain client's basement renovation.

So I think bunk rooms are here to stay. Would you consider a bunk room in your home?