Tiernan Design

Color cont......

Color seems to be my thing lately, so why not keep it going.  I found this great idea in Home magazine.  If you don't want to paint an entire piece of furniture robins egg blue or tangerine, this is the perfect solution.  Paint the underside and inside of the piece.  I think this obviously will work better with tables, but this concept has been around a long time particularly when it comes to china cabinets.  The back panel of the of china cabinets has been a place to add great color, great wallcovering, etc.   So if love orange, and I really do, why not bring it into your room in a clever, subtle and smart way.

Elegant Fix to a Common Problem

     

I am sure you have walked through many houses that have the "I bet you can't guess where my closet is" wall of mirrored bi-fold doors.  Don't take that comment as an insult if you have one of these, but those closets are everywhere and that is why I am showing this before and after shot.  This is another highlight from the Architectural Digest's Before and After issue.  It happens to be from the same designer (Charles Allem) I posted about yesterday.  I hope you can get the gist of the renovation as my scanner was not big enough to scan 11 x 17.  As a result, some of the image at the top of the page has been cut off, but I wanted you to see the before picture in the lower right hand corner.  Allem took out the wall-o-closet and created two very stylish closets flanking the window.  By doing this, the room gets wider and allows for more furniture, hides the heating unit, frames the window nicely and gives the room an illusion of a greater space.  An idea that is attainable.

I went ahead and scanned each page separately just so you can see the full design.  It really is well done.

This Sun Room is Some Room

As I have stated before, much to my husband's dismay, I subscribe to a lot of design magazines.  Architectural Digest is usually a little over the top for me, but it is beautifully photographed and sometimes there are interiors that normal, everyday, ordinary people can use.  That is why I posted the cover of the latest issue.  It is nice to see an after photo that is actually shot at the exact angle as the before photo.  So many times the after photo is shot from a completely different angle that you can't really appreciate the transformation and "what the hell?" comes out of my mouth for the 18th before noon.  Once again, color is the Belle of the Ball;  black cabinets, chocolate milk colored walls and deep stained floors.  I love the transformation of the skylights into a coffered ceiling and balancing the wall of windows with tall black casework.  I bet most people would have installed a wall-mounted flat screen on the back, smaller wall and arranged the furniture around it, cutting the room in half.  Sorry, but that is boring and I was glad to see a dynamic space not designed around the Technology Du Jour.  The last item I noticed was the TV.....refreshing.  This is a cozy, smart and a great combination of traditional and contemporary.   

Do You Have Guts?

 

I titled this post "Do You Have Guts?" because it takes a pair of you know whats to paint your house black or your room purple.  All three of these images are three different homes I found in one magazine (Domino).  I am always telling people "do not be afraid of color", but even I would be a little worried if I told a client or a friend to paint their breakfast room a Benjamin Moore color called Soot (as seen above).  I do have to say, I love all three of these designs.  But I have painted a four poster bed almost the same purple and I have just painted my butler's pantry black, so these images are right in my wheel house.

The purple (Ralph Lauren "Embassy Purple" #TH59) is beautiful and I think works well because it is paired with pewter, white, champaign colors, not gold or other heavy colors.  The Soot color works because, again, it is paired with light and not-so-serious surroundings.  The black house looks sharp because it recedes and acts like a backdrop to the details and architecture of the house. 

Here is a photo of a work in progress of my black butler's pantry: 

Some Notes:  the chandelier is from the previous owner and is going soon, the yellow paint is from the previous owner and is going as well, my husband is not pulling a "Vanna" he is trying to shuffle the kids off to bath time and as you can see in the last photo, the shuffling wasn't working......surprise..... 

Waiting in Line

While waiting in line at Target over my lunch hour.....well, my lunch hour-and-a-half, I took a peek into O at Home Magazine as well as InStyle (I am desperate for a new haircut and Katie Holmes, yes Katie Holmes, was on the cover.  I just lover her hair).  O at Home had some nice ideas for Christmas decorations.  I know it is a little late to be putting up your decorations, but I got a few ideas for next year.  The idea pictured above is a nice way to display your Christmas Cards.  I don't know about you, but I just haven't figured out a way to display our cards.  I have seen PLENTY of ideas, but I think I like this one the best.  And it could put me on my way to having EIGHT Christmas trees in our house! 

What a great way to get away from the typical front door greenery, swags, wreathes, etc.  I love the picture frame and the asymmetrical design. 

I guess what caught my eye in this picture is the grouping of ornaments hanging from the porch ceiling.  The topiary is a little too much, but I do like the big mistletoe idea.  Can't wait for next year!