Laundry Quandry

My laundry room is a room inside my home but is has no windows and only one door. I have always wanted to make it a special place by doing something interesting like maybe a cobblestoen floor and painting the walls and cabinets an exciting color then painting a window scene on one wall to make it appear like you are looking out a window onto a quaint European street somewhere. Then I found this:

And now I cannot make up my mind between the scene which is totally unuseful but really cool, or this drying rack. Any thoughts?

European Dining Flair

As you probably noted from my dining room in process shot and my previous entries, I love this European style. I like the casual elegance noted in this dining room but I'm not sure that the draperies are a fit for me. I think I'd like to see something a little more provincial, some color. Without that it seems a little boring. All that aside, if you are looking for reasonably priced furniture and accessories you might try Ballard Designs. Each time I receive their catalog or an email from them I have to check out their new offerings. I get so many ideas from them that I cannot possibly implement them all. Have fun!

Country French Accessories

Do you like the Country French look? I do but I do not necessarily like the prices of Pierre Deux. I was in Boston a few weeks ago and stumbled upon a little store called Comptoir de Famille. They have a wonderful selection of accessories and furniture at most reasonable prices. Their candles smell really nice and they have a lot of linens, glassware, pottery, pewter, etc. I, of course, bought a few accessories and had them shipped home.

To Paint...Or Not To Paint?

I'm sure you've heard a million times that painting is the least expensive but most dramatic design element. There are hundreds or thousands of colors and one thing you will grow to know about me is that I love red! I think I mentioned earlier that my husband painted one wall in my dining room red, we used Dutch Boy's Lady in Red color custom mixed at Kelly Moore. The other walls are a light but true yellow color but I have a heavy buffet and a rather large window treatment on two of the walls in the dining room that needed some balance. So, painting a wall a deep, rich red was an inexpensive way to balance out the room, here's the look.

So, first let me apologize for the photo as I think I said before, I am not an artist and photography is definitely not my strong suit, as the above photo proves. But, you get the idea of what I am talking about. The room is no where near complete, still needs roman shade under the existing window treatment, custom chair covers, trim work including crown and base, new chandelier, accessories, etc. So, please ignore all the work that needs to be completed, I just wanted you to get the feel for the weight the red wall has. But now I have my red to work with.

First Things First - Determine Your Likes

Everyone has a good idea of what they like and what they don't. As you wander around the mall, the boutique shops and into your family, friends and acquaintances homes you've for sure had various reactions based on your sense of style.

If you are not sure what your style is, don't run right out and hire an interior designer or decorator, first try this. Browse through various catalogs and magazines and tear out pages of things that appeal to you, like fabric, pattern, furniture, room layouts, etc. Compile all of the cut out material into a folder or a binder and keep it for your reference. As you decide to design a specific area in your home, pull out the folder and flip through it. You will be surprised how many ideas will come to you as you do this. This collection process may save you the money you would spend on assistance and if it doesn't then it will give your decorator a place to start.

Decorating is a process and can be overwhelming but my advice is to take it slow and have fun with it. You will be amazed at what you can create on your own.

What A Home Should Have

Architectural Digest has an interesting series on its site that highlights "10 Things Every Home Should Have." The article is a slideshow of 10 pictures with quotes from 10 different designers about the topic. Most of the designers suggest a comfy chair with good light is a must (I agree). Then Mariette Himes Gomez suggests that you need "a place for everything and everything in its place...."

That got me thinking, I try really hard to keep my home up and looking like a picture perfect home. But, I never can quite get there because we actually live in our home. Have you ever wondered if people really live like the pictures we see in such magazines as Architectural Digest, Veranda, etc.? And if so, how do they keep it that way? Extremely organized, trained relatives, hired help? I'd really like to know because no matter how hard I try there is always something that does not have a proper place or is not in its proper place if it has one.

I think I just found myself another research project....

LED Lighting, Now or Futuristic?

LED lighting is apparently coming of age. It uses very little power per watt, even less than fluorescent.

We know because we have a soffit in our family room ceiling that contains the light source. Currently, the light source is fluorescent tube lighting that does not really matter because you cannot see the source only the light reflecting out of the soffit. We rely on the light from the soffit as our main light for the room so it must remain fairly bright. Of course, as our home gets older, the fluorescent tube fixtures get older. As the fixtures get older they get worn and the florescent tubes will not shine bright for very long. Instead of replacing the old fixtures with new fluorescent fixtures we thought it would be interesting and economical to replace with LED lighting.

We did a little research and this is what we found out: LED lighting is up and coming but not quite here yet, unless, of course, you want to pay an arm and a leg. In order for us to get the amount of light we have now in our family room we would need between four and six LED lights per foot at about $30 each light. Our soffit measures more than 30 feet, so if you do the math that's about $10,000 for a family room light fixture!

Needless to say, we decided to wait. I can limp along for a year or two while the technology becomes more mainstream and more economical.

Color by Art

One of my favorite artists for her whimsical illustrations of French scenes is Ellyna Berglund. She also does many other themes but her scenes of Paris and other French cafes are favorites of mine.