Make a Room Feel Larger

Everyone wants their home to feel warm and inviting but we also want the room to appear larger. As a rule, we recommend mounting window treatments several inches above the window. For example, say you have an 8' ceiling height and you mount your window treatment under your crown molding or just below the ceiling, not only will the room appear larger but the ceiling height will appear taller as well.Another mistake a homeowner might make would be to add a cornice with a straight bottom and then mount that cornice at the top of the window. Below I have created a rendering with our "Minutes Matter Studio" graphic design software to illustrate the different look achieved when the cornice is mounted near the crown molding or ceiling opposed to mounting at the top of the window. See how much taller the ceiling height appears and how much larger the room looks.

Here is another design tip when trying to make a ceiling look higher. Add a shape to the bottom of the cornice. By adding movement to the bottom of the cornice it can trick the eye into moving up and down so the eye does not stop at the longest point of the cornice.

You could also accomplish extra height with drapery panels and a decorative rod. Notice the difference when you mount the drapery rod at the top of the window or when you mount the rod under the crown molding or near the ceiling.


We recommend giving every room that extra lift! Would you like to see how new window treatments could change your room? As part of our service we create renderings to help our clients visualize how new window treatments will look on their windows.

Paint Those Baseboards Dark ~ See the Difference

When you want an inexpensive way to dramatically change a room; consider changing your paint color. Doing something as simple as changing a paint color not only will freshen up the room, but create a totally new mood in the room. When you decide to paint your walls a different color, you should also consider painting your trim and baseboards. The furniture and the window treatments did not change; only the wall color and the trim color changed. The room a few new touches by adding oversized mirror over the fireplace and a few new wall prints.

In the photograph above, you can see the previous paint color "Roasted Pepper" on the walls with bright white trim. Years ago almost everyone painted their trim a white color. Now trends have changed and trim is being painted much warmer colors. Even though most people paint their baseboard the same color as the other trim in the room, those clients that have hardwood floors should consider painting their baseboard a dark color. Not talking just two shades darker than the trim but really step out and go very dark, such as a chocolate brown. By painting the baseboard a dark color, it helps ground the floor. Remember, a chocolate brown baseboard can be used with any room color including red walls, blue walls, etc. Take a look and see the difference!