UPDATE YOUR LIVING ROOM TO REFLECT YOUR LIFESTYLE

Your living room no longer has to be a place that is stuffy and formal. Gone are the days of matching furniture covered in plastic so that it won't get damaged. We no longer need a parlor type room to entertain friends for afternoon tea. Today we are living a more casual lifestyle. So why do you need a formal room that is never used. You can still have a nice room for entertaining guests, but a stiff, formal room is not exactly conducive to having a nice visit with friends and making people feel comfortable while entertaining.

So what can you do to still have a casual but welcoming living room?

Use more versatile furniture and invest in pieces that are classic in style and comfortable.

Make your living room look more comfortable and "lived in". Don't buy matching sets. Mix new pieces with old pieces. Start with comfortable seating and add in antiques or flea market finds.

Place lighting at different levels in the room. Use a combination of accent lighting, table lamps and decorative lamps to add warmth and atmosphere to your living room

Try to create a 'lived-in' look for your living room, in other words, make it look like you use it more often than you actually do. Place small furniture in the room, accent tables or an ottoman work well. Place magazines or a book on tables – they can spark conversation as well as liven up the room. Don’t overaccessorize, or the room will look too cluttered.

If you tone down the formality of your living room, you can not only make guests more comfortable, but you can make it comfortable enough to make it your own personal hideaway. Wouldn’t you love to have a living room you actually use? Create a place that you will enjoy spending time in.

Country Living Magazine

Designed by: Space Design Studio

Designed by: Cote De Texas

Celebrate with me and watch this project unfold

I am honored to have been chosen to help this client decorate their new home. The house is under construction and I have been hired to decorate from the ground up. I am excited to share with you the decorating plans from the beginning to the final photos of the end results. Follow along as this project unfolds. Here are a few of the decorating plans. As the weeks unfold, I will share with you others as well as where we stand on the project.

This is the decorating plan for the Kitchen and Breakfast nook.

This is the decorating plan for the Library. This will be the first room you see when you walk into the home.

Design Outside with Style

Today was a beautiful day. The weather was warm and sunny, and for a change, no rain. It really had me thinking about spending time outside. Clearing off my deck, cleaning up my outdoor furniture and firing up my grill to cook a great meal.

But more than that, it really had my creative mind thinking about what I could do to spruce up my deck and really create a space that we would all enjoy spending time in and how to make the most of the space we had and possibly create additional space.

I approached this project just like I approach an interior design project. I measured out the space, gave some thought as to how I would like to use the space. I decided I wanted a space to eat, relax, read and entertain. Then I layed out a floor plan to see how I could make the use of the space I had or create an additional space somewhere else. So here is my deck floor plan.

Stay tuned as I begin to shop fabric, area rugs and accessories for my deck design. You are going to be quite surprised at the beautiful fabrics available for outdoor use. They have really come a long way. Outdoor fabrics can also be used indoors. They are a perfect choice if you have small children. They clean up very easily and the colors are very fun and vibrant.

http://www.angelathee.com

Is It Real or Is It Faux

Is It Real Or Is It Faux?

Many people have been emailing and asking me about the faux treatments I have had done in some of my clients homes. So I thought this was a great topic to talk about in my blog.

I am a huge fan of faux painting techniques. Faux painters are artist. A good faux artist can make a treatment come alive. Nothing softens and enriches a wall like a rich, warm faux wall treatment. There are hundreds of possible combinations and new techniques and materials are being discovered everyday. Most faux treatment copy nature in one form or another. This may be from the natural pattern of veins in marble, the rich patina of a stone or rock to the natural aging process of tiles, copper, brass and bronze.

Faux (pronounced "foe") is a French word for false or fake.

Faux finishing has been used for many years. From Ancient Egypt's cave painting, however, what we generally think of as a faux finish in decorative arts began with plaster and stucco in Mesopotamia some 5000 years ago. Faux became hugely popular in the form of faux marble, faux wood and Trompe L'oeil murals.

I am very intrigued with French Design. One of the things that inspires me about French design is the use of worn, aged, distressed and painted furniture and walls. I guess this is why I like to use faux treatments. Many of the designs that I have used in my clients homes are recreated from French design books that I have collected.

The most important challenge in doing a faux treatment is to find an artist, a good faux painter. The beauty of the final result is all in the hand and creativity of the painter. Two artist can do the same treatment and both treatments will look different. You are only limited by the creativity of the faux artist. You want to make sure the artist is creative and willing to think outside the box.

The cabinets were stock stained light oak. Kimberly Brandon from Color Your Home refinished the cabinets in a black distressed finish. What is new become old. Aging finishes gives texture and interest.

This is an unexpected faux finish. The floor is this basement is concrete. The concrete was faux finished with different colors of stain, then a coat of poly was applied over the stain..

Ceilings are my favorite places to use faux treatments. Ceilings always seem to get forgotten when people decorate. My motto is bring the eye up to the unexpected. All of the above ceiling treatments were created by Faux Maison, Flowery Branch, GA. http://www.fauxmaison.com/
Faux treatments on the ceiling create an added dimension to the room. The right treatment can add interest and texture and the softness of certain treatments can be the backdrop to beautiful stencil treatments. To me it is like I am hanging a one of a kind piece of artwork on the ceiling.

A few more ideas for using faux treatments: Have a small are of the wall fauxed and trim it with stock trim, then you have a one of a kind painting. Have your favorite saying painted on your kitchen wall or bedroom wall. This is a great idea for a nursery. Have a mural painted of your favorite vacation spot painted on a wall. Accent a niche with a metallic faux finish. Metallic finishes are a great way to add sparkle and shine.
I am also a big fan of shimmer stone. It is a faux finish products that creates a muted shine and sparkle. Ask your faux artist about this product, it comes in a lot of colors and I just love it done on a ceiling.

I hope I have inspired you to try a faux treatment. Consider faux treatments as artwork. The sky is the limit and you can create a one of a kind inspiration in your home. Call me if you would like some ideas or would like additional information.

Black and White Design

I love a black and white color scheme. It is always so fresh and crisp to me. Just look in my closet. I love to wear black and white. I love when it is popped with a bright color such as fuchsia or teal blue. I found the following pictures on various blogs and design magazines and thought they were simply fabulous. If you want to update your interior and create a space that is fun and elegant, consider a black and white palette.

Pictures from Apartment Therapy, John Jacobs Interiors, and Designer Stephen Shubel.

My latest project

It is hard to believe this started as a blank wall. With a little imagination, a lot of fabric and a fantastic workroom and craftsmen, this is what we ended up with. Now my clients have a room fit for a King and Queen.

So what can you do to turn your Master Bedroom into a romantic oasis? First and foremost start with a great color. One that you love and one that will create the mood that you are trying to accomplish. Cool colors: Blues, greens and yellows with add softness and create a quite calm. Warm Colors: Red, purples and oranges will spice up a room and create the feeling of excitement. Next choose the best bedding you can afford or have something custom made for you. Custom will allow you to choose the fabrics you love. Next add a lot of mood lighting. Lamps and candles will add ambience. Think outside the box when using accessories, try to find other uses for items that are out of the norm. The larger the accessories, the less you will have to have and the less cluttered the room will feel.

Visit my web-site to see other Master Bedroom Designs.

www.angelathee.com