Redefined Designs

Creating an outdoor living area

Jenna — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:18:10 +0000

Creating an outdoor room

Whether you have a patio, deck or a grassy area outside your home you can create a functional outdoor room to enjoy all summer long. Your outdoor space can turn into an expansion of your home. With so many furniture options available you can surely find something that fits your budget just perfectly. Chances are that any store you walk into is sure to have some sort of outdoor space display or theme to help with ideas!

When creating your outdoor room, think of the space as you would a room in your home. Think about the functionality and how you want to enjoy the space. What is the purpose of the space? How much seating is necessary? What do you envision doing in the space? When purchasing furnishings be realistic with what will actually fit in the space (you don’t want to overcrowd the area). If the outdoor area is large enough consider creating separate seating areas.

Have fun and don’t be afraid to get a little crazy with color and patterns. An outdoor room can handle bold colors that you might otherwise hesitate to use in your home. Think about bold patterns for throw pillows and outdoor rugs. You can also introduce bold shapes into the space with the various lighting options such as laterns, hanging lights and lamps. Use nature inspired accessories to help make the space inviting (candles, flowers, plants).

And remember to always keep the functionality of the space in the front of your mind. If you plan to entertain often in your outdoor room, what would make it easier for you to entertain? A prep station or area for when you are cooking? A bar area or small refridgerator for beverages? Is additional lighting necessary? Do you need to create shade with the use of outdoor curtains or overhead canape? Would you love to include a firepit in the space?

Before buying anything, do your research to find your inspiration. Search the web, look through magazines, and check out stores that are known for their displays of outdoor areas such as Pottery Barn, Target, and Crate and Barrel. Take a look at House Beautiful, Country Living and HGTV websites (just to name a few).

Help… all my walls are white and I’m afraid to use color!

Jenna — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:03:20 +0000

Last week, I met with a women who has always opted to paint all the walls in her home white as a result of her fear of color. She loves color but is afraid that it will be “too much” or “something she will get tired of” or it “won’t be the right color”. I have come across this scenario more often than not so I decided to share some advice when taking the plunge from white to color!

Here a few ideas to help introduce color to your rooms:

1. Start small… selecting a wall color for a small space such as a bathroom, office or small bedroom is less intimidating and will allow you to develop a sense of confidence before moving onto larger rooms.

2. Temper hot colors (reds, oranges) with cool ones (blues, greens)… this will decrease the drama that warm colors can bring and will help to balance color within the room.

3. Choose a monochromatic color scheme… select one color but use many hues or shades of that color. This technique helps the question of “what colors do I put together”. Using different shades of one color can be soothing and harmonious.

4. Add contrast to a neutral palette… interject elements of strong color to spice up a room. Adding a punch of color such as beige with blue or gray with red will liven up a room. This allows you to add color to a space in a smaller dose (such as an accent wall).

Green isn’t just for St. Patrick’s Day

Jenna — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:25:31 +0000

This season, green is the new “in” neutral color to use and it’s popping up everywhere in the home! I really enjoyed reading House Beautiful’s March 2012 issue which talked all about the color green. I have always been and will always be a huge fan of green. I love wearing green, coloring with green and dressing my children in green which in turn probably led me to paint the walls in my house green too!

Green is such a versatile color. It can be an intense warm color as well as a soothing calm color. Green works well in kitchens, baths, bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, foyers, halls… and the list goes on! Green is also a very complimentary color as it works well against stained wood and also looks great against white trim.

While green is such a terrific color, selecting the appropriate shade for a specific area can be tricky. Green should not be over used and cooler shades of green should be complimented with warm colors such as red, orange and yellow. Warm, more intense greens such as lime green can be stimulating and should not be used in a bedroom but works perfectly for a family room or playroom.

When deciding on a specific shade of green, don’t forget to take into consideration the amount of sunlight the space has. Make sure you view the color in the room during the daytime, nighttime and among artificial lighting. The color will also look completely different in different lighting as well as within different areas of the room! Seeing the color in different lighting and within different locations of the room will help you feel more confident about your selection of green.

Decorating with the color red

Jenna — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:54:51 +0000

Color can have a profound effect on one’s mood as well as on their energy level. Therefore changing the wall color in a room can change the way a person feels when they spend time in it. Color plays such a significant role in our everyday lives without us even knowing it.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to talk about the color red. Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism (which is why you see it mostly used in kitchens or dining rooms), increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. Red is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.
Red is wonderful accent color as a result of the impulsive nature of the color. It stimulates our brains and intensifies our emotions. For those that are afraid of red being too overstimulating, red can also be used to paint a single accent wall or combined with another color in equal parts for the room. The power of red is often balanced by combining it with cooler colors such as green, blue and gray.
However you chose to incorporate red into your home, it can help to create a very warm, exciting and welcoming feel to a room.

Area rug style trends for Fall 2011

Jenna — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:22:23 +0000

If you are in the market for area rugs, you are going to find a wide range of design styles and inspiration. Designers have looked for beauty in unexpected places to reinterpret for the floor. You may notice when shopping that design inspiration has come from fine art paintings, foreign lands, ikats (design technique where the fibers are dyed before the process of weaving to create a sort of ethnic design) as well as the simple inspiration of nature. This season, suppliers have certainly broadened their design scope to appeal to the needs and design style of many.

Additionally, you will find that blue and gray shades are this season’s anchor palettes with the help neutrals such as taupes and browns. Brighter pops of color such as bright coral, crimsons and chartreuse have made their way into the designs in a less overt way to add a punch of color.

What is the purpose of the room??

Jenna — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:59:25 +0000

The very first thought that I have prior to decorating any room is to define the purpose and functionality of the room. What do you want to use this space for? What activities will go on in this room? Who will be using this room (kids, guests, etc.)? What do you need in this room? These are the million dollar questions that need to be answered before even getting into the decorating and design of the room. I feel that if a room does not meet the functional requirements it is NOT a well decorated room! Remember that function always follows form.

Once the functionality and purpose of the room are clearly defined, you can then start to think about the necessary furnishings needed. For example, you will want to think about how much seating is necessary for space. If you have a large family and you watch TV in the room, keep in mind how many seats you will need positioned around the TV. Additionally, think about the material of the furnishings. If you have you have young children you may want to select stain resistant materials. Do you really want a glass coffee table with little ones around even though you may love the table? I think you get the picture and as you can see defining the function of a room (and thinking about who is going to use the room) helps to furnish the room appropriately.

The functionality of a room is important in all aspects of decorating the room and not just when considering the larger furnishings. You also want to make sure there is adequate lighting for the activities taking place in the room. Are there enough accent tables (Does everyone have a place to put down a drink when sitting in their seat) and storage (do you have a place for the toys to be put away when not being used?) in the room? And when accessorizing once again remember who will be using the space (Should you put a glass vase on your coffee table where the kids watch TV?).

All of this may be obvious to some but I hate to see people go out and spend a ton of money on the furnishings they love but yet the furnishings are n0t practical for the space and functionality of the room!

The rhythm of a well designed room

Jenna — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:18:29 +0000

Just like music, rhythm in design is all about creating repetition and contrast to create visual appeal and interest in a room. Rhythm is one of the basics in room design and is created with the use of patterns, colors, objects, materials and placement. The purpose behind rhythm is to move your eye around the room. An easy way to create rhythm is by using the same color or shape at different intervals within the room. For example, by using a color in the pillows, picking it up in a painting, and echoing it again in a rug. These repetitions will help carry your eye around the room and create rhythm.

Rhythm incorporates the use of form, lines and contrast. Rhythm in form is the repeating of shapes, colors, textures and materials throughout a room. When these elements are weaved throughout a room you will create a harmonious rhythm. Additionally, you want to pay attention to the lines of a room which could be curved, vertical, horizontal or diagonal. Lines within a room include the walls, furniture (tall pieces and long horizontal pieces), paintings, etc. You want to balance out the lines of the room and pay attention to the variation of lines to create rhythm. And lastly, keep contrast among color, texture, materials and space. Contrast makes for an interesting rhythm in a room so you want to strive for a good mix of light and dark colors, positive and negative space and a good mix of textures and materials throughout the room!

So, create your room’s rhythm and make it sing!!!

Decorating is all about balance!

Jenna — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:28:33 +0000

Ever wonder why the rooms in a magazine look so good? Ever find yourself thinking… “I can’t put my finger on it but I just don’t like that room”? More often than not, it’s all about balance! Balance is such an important part of a well designed room. So, let’s talk about it….

Balance is the proper distribution of form, color and texture along with using the proper placement of items in a room. It’s the ying and yang, the positive and negative, the darkness and light that give a room texture and depth. A well decorated room displays a balanced in scale, proportion, light value, space, color and texture. The contents of a room should include a mixture of small and large scaled furnishings and accessories which complement and balance each other out within the room.

For example, putting all dark and heavy furniture on one side of the room and nothing visually substantial on the other side of the room will give the appearance that the room is tipping. Likewise too many hard surfaces in a room can feel cold while too many soft surfaces can make a room feel stuffy! In order to create balance, you want to mix hard surfaces with soft surfaces, dark with light, wood with fabric, etc.

So the next time you walk into a room that just doesn’t feel quite right, take a look at the furnishings in that room and see if you can see the balance (or lack of) in the room! It just might give you some insight as to why the room feels a bit “off”!

Suggestions for colors when staging a home

Jenna — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:13:32 +0000

Color choices throughout a home will have a huge impact on buyers. Therefore when deciding to change the color of the rooms during the staging process, you want to be wise in your color selections. You do not want to paint everything white which looks boring and uninviting. Instead, you should chose warm and inviting colors that will go with almost any decor. Here is a list of some of the colors that I recommend when staging a home:

Benjamin Moore colors:

- Kitten Wiskers (1003)

- Baja Dunes (997)

- Hampshire Taupe (990)

- White Winged Dove (1457)

- Monroe Bisque (HC-26)

- Quincy Tan (HC-25)

- Powell Buff (HC-35)

- Sage Harbor Gray (HC-95)

- Northampton Putty (HC-89)

- Silver Bells (1458)

Also, I really like Sherwin Williams- Virtual Taupe but as you can see, I’m a Benjamin Moore fan!!!

Things to note about staging your home

Jenna — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:11:16 +0000

Your goal in staging your home is to showcase the architecture and key features of the home and accentuate the positives when detracting from the negatives. In order to to this, it may require removing wall paper, repainting rooms as well as replacing items in the home. However you want to make sure that the changes are also cost effective. Remember that anything old, worn, damaged or needing repair will give instantly give the impression that the house is also old and worn. You want the first impression for potential buyers to be the very best!

Things to consider when staging a home are:

- Function of the space: you want to make sure that every room has a clear purpose and is staged with all the fixings (including accessories, lighting, art, etc.)

- Placement of furnishings: you may need to thin out the furnishings to help highlight the space and proper furniture placement is key.

- Color: you want to warm up and neutralize rooms in soothing shades that work with almost any decor

- Emotion: you want to tap into the emotional side of the buyer by creating an inviting atmosphere in which the buyer can envision themselves living in the home

- Play up distinctive features of the home: you will want to accentuate the positives and downplay the negatives aspects of the home. Make focal points stand out (i.e. beautiful fireplace, terrific view).