Anna's Custom Design

Ashley's Wedding

2011-10-15T10:51:00.022-05:00

I can't believe I did not blog about my niece's wedding.

We had a Victorian theme for Ashley's wedding. Her dress was lace, so swags with cheesecloth just made sense

The buffet table had yards of swagged chessecloth, with silver and glass for serving behind the food table was more cheesecloth to make a beautiful backdrop for photos. Above the buffet table was Chinese latterns with tiny mirrors to reflect the beautiful day. All the flower arrangements were made by Judy (my sister)

Wedding cake table

The drink area, we offered, fruit tea, punch and water.

Sister's Wedding

2011-10-15T10:06:00.011-05:00

I can't blog about my nephew's wedding without blogging about my sister's wedding. It was a very busy weekend. Going to two weddings in one weekend, you are thinking that is doable. To have to decorate for two weddings in one weekend is another story. My sister got married on Sunday after my nephew on Saturday. The advantage is all the family that had to travel only had to come in one weekend. The disadvantage is it was hard work, and I was still recovering from the other wedding.

Bobbie Jo and Butch were married in his backyard. I will say his backyard is made for weddings. The beautiful white picket fence around the yard with a gazebo in one corner and a beautiful pool with a water feature in the other corner is what everyone wants for a backyard. They brought in white benches for the wedding party and white folding chairs for the guest. It was a very small wedding, family only, but it was beautiful. We decorated the patio area with cheesecloth for the bride to make her entry into wedding. Our dad escorted her down the aisle and gave her away. We used white toile on the gazebo with flowers around the top.

There were candles lining the walkway has she came down
the aisle, topiaries at the end of the path and flower arrangements placed entering the gazebo.

Toile was used around the garden, it was beautiful.

To me no wedding is complete without a picture of all the family.

Wedding Decorations

2011-10-10T13:09:00.013-05:00

My last wedding to decorate for until my children get married. Yes, all my nieces and nephews are now married and ready to start their lives.

Here is a picture of the Sanctuary. We stayed very traditional with white and ivory flowers along with the large "A"s for Apple the groom.

The cake is staying with the theme with ribbons around each layer with rhinestone buckles in the middle. The table and the beautiful backdrop for the cake and pictures were created my Judy and myself. The table cloth was straight with 5-inch tabs placed around the table with rhinestones on each edge of the tabs and tiny mirrors randomly placed. The edge of the table had wide rows of rhinestones with ribbon and a rhinestone buckle at the top of each tab. We spent several weekends cutting, hemming and adding the rhinestones. It was so much fun working together during the prep time and then the days of decorating.

This was the buffet area. Judy created beautiful rose balls that hung over the buffet. Everything on the buffet table was mirrored from side to side. The buffet table had a flat table cloth with 5- inch tabs with rhinestones down each side of the tabs with ribbon and a rhinestone buckle at the top, rhinestone ribbon connecting each section.

Guest sitting area for the reception, the flower arrangements were all created by Judy.
Did you notice the green apples? Apples were part of the theme, can you guess the grooms last name, yes it is Apple. Green is the bride Mamie's favorite color.

Last is the area for the small thank you for each guest. We had apple jelly for each guest, to finish out the theme of the day. Judy created the labels and dressed up the jars.

Judy spent endless months working afternoons and weekends putting all the items together. My part was really the easy part a few weekends and the week of the wedding decorating. There is so much to do when preparing for a wedding. It took three days to decorate the church and then the fellowship hall. Some of the little details that have to be done never really show. With the help of family and friends, we created all the wonderful food. The food consisted of broccoli salad, pasta salad, cheese tray, ranch dip, fruit trays, fruit dip, vegetable trays, ham, chicken salad, pimento cheese, rolls, crackers, salsa, spinach dip, and chips.

SugarSync Cloud Storage

2011-09-14T18:35:00.021-05:00

Have you ever wanted to view your photos that are on your home computer from your phone or ipad. With sugarsync you can do just that.

Click on this link and download the program to received your free 500MB of storage

Now you are asking why sugarsync and not one of the other programs out there, well that is what I asked also. Then when I found I could sync the items from one computer to the other I was sold.

Since I started using SugarSync, I began referring friends, family and clients, because SugarSync has such a great referral program to earn additional free space.

SugarSync Works With Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, or Symbian device.

What really "Excites" me about Sugar Sync is the free referral program. It works like this, for every friend you refer to SugarSync, they give you BOTH (the referrer and the one who signs up) 500MB of bonus space for every free account (5GB). If your friend joins a paid plan, you each get 10GB storage for free! Basically that means that you can increase your storage by referring others to use their great service. There is no limit to how much space you can earn.

Drapery Install

2011-06-03T11:25:00.021-05:00

I thought I would share what I did on my birthday. Here are pictures of some of the installation.

There was a little planning going on to figure a way to install the 241 inch long drapes beside the staircase where there was not enough room to put the ladder on the wall beside the window. We had to use a walk board, open the window, so we would not damage the window ledge. There was a ladder at the other end of the walk board with a very large C clamp to make sure it was secure when moving around. The second ladder for the other wall has extension legs that we had to use that worked perfect. Of course the cautious person I am I had Johnny attach a tie down strap to the center mullion of the window. The plan was if we fell we would take the window with us. Next issue was the grand piano, was it possible to install the Living Room drapes without moving the grand piano. With a 24 foot extension ladder, we could angle it to the wall and miss the piano by inches. We were set for the install all problems resolved.

Then after the main drapes were installed, I have to climb the ladder dress the drapes at the top and add the flag, they were embellished with 9 inch black bullion and another beaded trim on top, of course let's not forget the applique that was at the bottom of the flag. I do not like heights so you will notice I kept a hand on the ladder at all times.

The drapes with the flag really brought your eye up. The beautiful wrought iron at the top was just icing on the drape.

The Dining room curved bay was really a easy install, we had separate brackets for the iron work, we just had to walk it up the ladder and sit it in the brackets, and the drapes were ready to install and dress. After I dressed the drapes the designer put his touch on the design with a few embellishments.

The last room was the Master, and I only wish I could have taken a picture of this room completed. The headboard and bed were breath taking but still under construction so it was not photo worthy at the time. The drapes were a power blue with a 8 inch fur lead edge, with 3 rows of rhinestones 1.5 inches off the fur so it would not be lost in a pleat all hand sewn on of course. I really thought when making them how fancy they were and how they would stand out when installed. Little did I know that the bed would be the star of the room. When working with designers you really don't know what the final design concept is, I just love it when I can see the design come together when installing.

Envision & Ingenuity Awards Competition

2011-04-27T08:31:00.008-05:00

The Vision 11 Awards competition was exciting this year, it is the first year I have entered. I was so excited when they announced my name during the awards as a winner. While I was a second place winner, it was a honor to be able to accept the award. The competition was stiff this year so anyone that won an award came away with a huge smile and a real feel of a great accomplishment. When all the winners treatments were shared, all you could be is in awe. The designers and workrooms more than surpassed the past years in stepping up their creativity and quality. I entered the workroom side of the competition, the designer of my project was Phillip Suits of Landy Gardner Interiors, located in Nashville Tennessee. My client is also located in Nashville, she was thrilled to hear about the win.The velvet pelmets were all hand sewn, then a 1/4 cord was laid inside 1 inch from the edge following the shape of the the design. Just to add a little surprise for the client and a surprise for those that like to checkout the workmanship behind the scenes I did a fleur-de-lis out of the cord at the long point that only a few will see but a nice little touch. . We did workable drapes and Austrian shades to finish off the window. The clients room was beautiful, I was able to stop by just this last week and she has added a crystal chandelier that is breathtaking that finished off the room.

This was a hard treatment, but one I was very proud of once completed but most of all the client and designer loved the end product. Here is a close up view of the pelmet area.

2011-01-05T19:26:00.004-06:00

I recently completed a job that had several top treatments and I wanted to share them with my readers.

Cornice Keeper with workable linen drapes.

Silk Treatment with workable drapes and austrian shade

Stationary drapes with workable roman

Slip Cover your Dining Room Chairs

2011-01-05T18:19:00.004-06:00

Now that we are trapped inside. You are looking around all the Christmas decorations are gone, what to do to put some life back into you room.A simple slipcover just on the top section of your dining room chairs should do it. These chairs were very bulky looking but with a simple boxed slipcover with a D in the middle made the difference.

Seasonal Slipcovers

2010-07-13T14:52:00.013-05:00

Do you have a worn out/dirty chair but really don't want to have it re-upholstered? I know everyone out there is saying yes I have one of those. You can have a very simple slipcover made, wait you can have several made that can be quickly pulled off and replaced with a new one. Wait, I did not say that this will be cheap but it is a great solution to that great sitting chair that you would love to change from time to time. I took a class with Angie at the SlipCover Summit and she taught us how to cut a pattern just for that quick fix. The first pattern was really funny, I had to pin fabric in places I had taken to much away, but the whole time I was thinking of a great idea. Making a simple slipcover that would fit a chair style everyone had.

First I cut the original pattern it was rough but it worked. I then took the pattern back to my workroom to hammer out a pattern I could reproduce. I cut the finial pattern from canvas so it would take abuse and reuse. Now I had to decide on the perfect fabric, I used a silk gold with red dots.

In the back of my mind I am thinking I want to paint this chair red and put it in my bedroom. Then I pulled the fabric and started making the cover. I wanted a tiny welt and decided to use 1/2 a zipper as welt cord around the seat bottom and the backs. I really did not want a fitted slip cover I wanted something fun. The chair is now red, not really loving the red, what to do next.

I am thinking now it needs a walnut wash over the chair to tone down the red and show the carving on the chair. All projects seem to take on a life of their own. Oh what a difference it made to put a stain on top of that red, don't you just love it.

11th Annual Slipcover Summit

2010-05-31T17:00:00.004-05:00

Local Contact: Anna Davis of Anna's Custom Design

What do people do with their furniture, when it is worn, torn or just needing a face lift. Why not cover it with a slipcover! In today’s economy one simply can't afford to just throw furniture away. Is there really an "away"? So why not learn how to sew "your own slipcover".

June 23-25, 2010 the Slipcover Summit, the only event of its kind, will be held at Madison, Tennessee from 8am-5pm daily. It is the first time the Slipcover Summit has ever been in the Tennessee, as it travels regionally each year to various areas of the country. This year is the Tennessee next year possible PA, or WI.

Learn how to make Slipcovers from instructors who are actively involved slipcovering furniture for their own businesses. Class size is limited so each participant has the opportunity to experience hands on. In many workshops participants will make or take home samples.

Instructors are working professionals who have volunteered to teach what they have learned over the years. They have worked hard to put together packets of information and samples for a memorable learning experience. They are giving of their time and experience in the field they know best. Sharing knowledge they most likely have acquired the hard way, through actual experience.

To find out more go to http://www.slipcoversummit.com/, print a schedule of classes to be held, and register as class size is limited.

Click the link below to listen to various instructors teaching at the Slipcover Summit. http://community.icontact.com/p/homefashionsu/newsletters/homefashionsu/posts/slipcover-summit-2010

Donating your time.

2010-05-08T14:47:00.000-05:00

I don't have the opportunity to donate my time often for a good cause so, when someone ask me to donate my time and I can, I love to help. As you know I am a sub-contractor for Minutes Matter the drawing program I use to create my window designs. We had a customer email us and ask if anyone would be interested in giving some time on a project she was working on. After reading her story, I knew I could help.

It was really simple they were doing a fund raiser for a sick child and part of the job was to create a rendering of the donated room in different colors so everyone could see what the room choices were and how it would look finished.

Carol sent me links of what she had in her mind along with the color suggestions, headboard design, and the fabric description. No I really did not have the actual fabric to pull from just jpegs of what she was thinking. I thought I would share with you the jpegs of her ideas and then the final renderings.

She needed the bed to have the feel of the bed on the left. They wanted the dust skirt to have the same feel as the purple skirt to the right.

They needed the fabric on the comforter to be white with a Greek Key Embroidery on the pillow shams, no I did not have a JPEG of the fabric just a description of what she needed. I was able to draw the Greek Key in my program and incorporate it into the design.

They needed a simple headboard with a diamond design fabric that would go with anything. I had the information now it was time to use the program to create the design.

Here is the room with a blue wall, loved it. Isn't it amazing what a difference the color of the wall makes in a room and using the same fabrics and colors on the bedding and the draperies remain the same in each sitting.

On the second story board Carol wanted a soft green, green is one of my favorite colors.

The Next colors Carol choice were a deep Terra Cotta and a Melon /Cantaloupe color, I just

loved those, what a difference the color made. Being able to see the difference without even opening up one can of paint, what a money saver.

DSL or Comcast Internet

2010-02-04T09:11:00.000-06:00

Which Internet service are you using? I have had DSL for years, I am one of those loyal customers, I admit it I don't like to change things that are working (I find changing Internet service to be a hassle). It has worked great for years. Last year I discovered you could purchase a Network Extender and boost your cell phone reception, it worked great. My business is on the Lower Level so cell phone reception was an issue so I was on board. January 2010 I started receiving complaints that others could not hear me, so we started the investigation, they were right it was terrible. We called Verizon and asked if they had any idea of what the problem could be. "We have DSL". Verizon "let's check your speed"! http://www.speedtest.net/ No wonder you can hear everyone and no one can hear you, your outgoing speed is to slow 3kb for outgoing it needs to be 1mb. We called AT&T, they checked the line, no problems, they checked the speed, no that is all they promise. You are kidding right, "no" they are never faster. Now we are Comcast Internet users. Check out my new outgoing speed is 3.53 MB can you say huge difference. Before my incoming speed was 5 MB that was ok, now it is 20.64 MB another huge difference.

What a difference, had I been told Comcast was faster, of course, me being a loyal customer (and not wanting to unhook, rehook and change everything) stayed with AT&T even though they were not the best. I am still a loyal customer, LOL I am still using the AT&T telephone service, they offer a few things that Comcast does not so I need to stay. Check your speed on your Internet Service; make sure you are getting what you are paying for. I really do like change in many ways anything that can help my business I am all for it, I just truly did not realize that this change was really for the better, I thought ok speed was ok.

Window Coverings for Childrens Rooms

2009-12-22T08:35:00.000-06:00

SuperBaby #4 -- Roman Shades, Roll Up Blinds Product Recall from Window Covering Safety Council on Vimeo.

Habitat for Humanity, a great cause.

2009-11-25T09:45:00.000-06:00

Our WCAA (Window Coverings Association of America) group had the opportunity to donate our time to a great cause. The Habitat for Humanity which builds homes for needie and deserving families, click on the link to learn more about this organization. Annas Custom Design is a member of the local non-profit group. We could donate our time for one of the nine homes in this project. I made the drapes for one of the single windows in the home. Johnny, my partner and Jerry Green from Dandelion Interiors, could volunteer their time to install the drapes we made , along with several other windows that were donated by other members of our local WCAA group. Jill Robson of Robson Designs by Appointment was responsible for organizing the project and was on hand to steam and dress the drapes in each home. This was the first time our group has taken on a project like this, but I hope it is one of many that we can volunteer for. In Tennessee every County offers Habitat Homes, if you are not volunteering in your community check out this great organization.

Holiday Season Dangers

2009-11-22T09:49:00.000-06:00

It is that time of the year when we start to have parties and attend parties. I recently had a few friends over and did the normal thing, clean, cook, and clean some more. Before my guest arrived a ventured through the house and turned on small lamps and lit candles. I checked all the candles and made sure they were in a good location and had protection under the candle. I was sitting with my guest talking and laughing, something brought my eye over to a table I had in the corner. I looked and immediately jumped up and went to the table to blow out the candle; the holder I had put under the candle did not hold all the melting wax. I was just sick; my new silk table cloth was ruined. I left the wax to cool, after the party the wax was now cool enough to remove. I remove the top portion of the wax, but it had gone through to the interlining and the lining. It was at the edge of the table so now my lamp has a new location on the table. You can't see the wax, but I know it is there. So during your holiday season please be careful with you decorations. I have had wax issues before and could remove the wax. When wax is melted on silk it leaves a grease spot that is very hard to remove. I hope this warning will help you to have a safe and mistake free holiday. The trouble maker was this small candle holder on the right the cup was not large enough to hold the candle size "I" put in the container.

Looking for Inspiration

2009-11-18T09:51:00.000-06:00

I am always looking for Inspiration. I recently attended a Sales and Marketing seminar by Jeffrey Gitomer in Vegas. While in Vegas we went to the World Design Center, what a great place. There were only a few vendors open, but they all had great inspiration. The first store was the Ethan Allen Showroom. I took pictures at most stores, but I failed to get a picture of the Smocked Pinch Pleated Draperies they had displayed, but I could recreate them with my drawing program, Studio.

Most showrooms were full of great items, they had displays of different drapery treatments all made with the same fabric. This was a great way to display the different type treatments, it was easy to look at the design instead of the fabric they were made with.

One thing I really loved is the building that was across the street from the World Design Center. It was perfect for the location, as you can see it looks like it is falling down, but no it is new and being built this way, I just loved it.

I also loved this bench in one of the showrooms the bench wrapped around the couch, what a great way to add seating in a room where you entertain.

Our Vegas Sales and Marketing Trip

2009-11-11T20:27:00.000-06:00

The day was spent shopping, well maybe I should say our day was spent looking and being inspired. It was great, would you like to know how many stores have pocket books. Johnny asked, "How many pocket books stores were in Caesars Palace and the Bellagio, there are a lot". I think the bags/accessories we saw were a great example of what is to come in the Drapery Designs. Home design always follows fashion. I had my camera but I know the designer stores would have died if I had pulled it out. Gathered ruffles, rossettes, grommetts and zippers where everywhere. The color purple was in everyone's color scheme. Black was also very popular along with platinum. It is amazing how going on a simple shopping trip to pass the time before the seminar we flew in to attend was so inspiring. Store after store was so inspiring. After we left each store Vickie and I had to sit and write down our inspiration, it really makes me want to run back to the Studio and design and incorporate the ideas. We are going to our Sales and Marketing Seminar tomorrow and we can't wait.

When You Can't Afford Custom

2009-11-04T09:57:00.000-06:00

In the current times everyone can't afford custom but they can afford to hire that Interior Designer for a few hours to help them pick all the colors and tell them key pieces they need to purchase. I recently helped my niece with her Window treatments in just this way. She is engaged and the wedding is in January, she and her fiance have already purchased a home and needed my help. I spoke with the bride to be's mother (my sister) and talked in detail about the things she needed to purchase and what to look for. The blinds we purchased at Lowes and had them custom cut to fit the windows, can everyone do this of course, and they can also install them, did it help that I do professional installs all the time, of course, I knew what sizes to give them and the key questions to ask. One of the key things on installing your own blinds is to cut away the excess slates at the bottom.

The drapery treatments were purchased readymades in the master bedroom and for a wedding present I installed them for the couple. Does having the drapes installed by a professional make a difference, yes it does, just ask my sister. I have been in many homes that had ready made drapes installed and one of the first mistakes I see is they did not press them. The store clerk told them that the wrinkles will fall out, I have yet to see this happen. So always press your drapes, just check your label first for the ironing instructions. Judy, my sister made the living room drapes, I gave her a few tips and she was on her way, she did a great job. I was able to go back and take some pictures after he moved in and everything looked great.

I know most never thought to have the drapes installed by a professional, or even hiring a Designer for some of the basic information, but that is a great way to have a professional look without paying for custom drapes. When I install readymades I ask the client to have the hardware purchased and ready to install, and to have the drapes pressed, I will not install unpressed drapes.

Café Drapes

2009-10-20T19:25:00.001-05:00

Cafe drapes are a great solution when you need a little privacy. The pictured cafe's are installed at the second mullion from the top. The hardware was custom made by Kevin Johnson out of the Knoxville TN area. I needed custom hardware because on the left and right window unit, the hardware needed to have an inside mounting bracket, on the right side it needed an outside mounting bracket this was also true on the opposite side. It is very hard to overcome issues like this without ordering custom.

The cafe's were located in the Media room, the Master bath, and the child's bath. The lining was separate from the sides and only attached at the top to give an airy effect, yet give privacy from the neighbor but not taking away from the architecture. My client was already for Halloween, with the spider sitting on top of the floor lamp.

The drape on the Master bath door helped give the homeowner more privacy. The drape was attached at the top and bottom with custom iron work by Kevin, small one inch loops were put on the back every 4 inches so the drape would achieve a tailored look. We needed to attach the drape at the bottom so when using the door it would not be in the way when closing. We did not want a shirred looked so I opted for the tabs.

Cafe's can be used in many ways, they don't have to be short and to the ceil of a window, they can be made to the floor, or from any area on the window.

I love a café and they are defiantly not our mothers café curtain.

Kitchen Revamping

2009-09-04T14:22:00.000-05:00

So many times we post only what we do for others. This summer we did a project at home. We took up the parquet that was down, with care. We were able to give that to our niece for her new home. I love being able to be green in some way, while she could add it to her closets that did not have hardwood. The new floor was Bruce, prefinished, (I did not want the mess from sanding a new floor) color Marsh. We were not able to save the old counter tops, they had served there purpose for 25 years, along with the sink and stove top. I wish I had pictures of the removal of each individual tile, Johnny down on his hands and knees, so he would not damage any of the tiles, so they could be reused.

The new counter tops are granite, Giallo Nepoli, from Silver Stone, www.designwithgranite.com a company we found locally and just loved them. When purchasing granite a lot of companies give you the sink, so that was nice.

The tile was the biggest decision, I felt every clients pain here, tying to decide. I brought several choices home that we just could not agree on. I will not go through all the choices that did not pass, but they did help on the design. The final choice was a simple subway tile called Tiffany crackled with accent glass tiles. The 1 x 1 tiles were Cristali Durango Glossy, the border tiles were Cristali Durango Glossy Strip Mosaic. For the grout, we decided to use the color seashsore, it was a great blend between the subway tiles and the glass. The tile company was Ceramic Tile Distributors, Inc. in Nashville. This was my hardest find, I had to ask a friend where she got her tile to find a company that had some choices. They had a great showroom, so it was easy to find what I wanted.

The cabinets needed to be addressed and by this time I was not willing to deal with painting them, even though I think that would have been the best look. We decided to remove the solid inserts inside each large upper cabinet door and replace with seeded glass. I checked with several companies, and you would not believe the difference in prices. One company was 550.00 higher than the company we finally settled on. The company we went with was Morris Plate Glass & Mirror Inc. There prices were great, plus they were local, my dad suggested them so they were perfect. I think the glass was the easiest part of the project. Yes you can see everything in my cabinets, but I am ok with that. I think it updated my kitchen. I chose not to replace the small cabinet doors with glass.

Hardware Dimensions

2009-08-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

Debbie Green and myself were working on a project and needed to know exactly where to install a wood bracket. We needed to know exactly how much to deduct from the drapery for it to be the correct length. I do this all the time, and with the same hardward. Here is just another way Studio can help you. Below are the steps to create your own hardware templates for other hardware vendors.

Scan the bracket, save it as a JPEG
Import it into Studio
Change the Drawing Scale in Studio as 1 to 1
Trace around the bracket (use the Close Beizer Tool)
Measure your bracket, with the dimension tool draw a line the correct length
Hold down the shift key and click on the corner edit point and resize the bracket to the correct size. (your scan decreased the actual size)
Measure the diameter of the pole
Draw a circle and change the circle to the size you measured for the pole (hold down the shift key to ensure a perfect circle)
Measure your ring or use the specifications given by your vendor
Draw two circles, change the dimensions to the specifications given by the vendor for the inside dimension of the ring and another for the outside dimension of the ring. Use the Align to center tool, make sure both the center and outer circles are selected.

I have attached two files to get you started. 2 1/4" Select Hardware from United Supply and 2" hardware by Kirsch. Here is a link to the United Supply Select Product.http://www.selectdraperyhardware.com/products/13-108/3/

Warning Vendors can make changes to hardware without notice so always double check the templates by printing and laying the bracket on the template to assure accuracy.

The MMS file can be edited to match the changes, just duplicate the page, edit the hardware to the new specifications on the new page and make a note on the file.

Find the downloadable files on "The Lounge" http://www.minutesmatterstudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2845

Make a Room Feel Larger

2009-03-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-06T10:07:00.001-06:00

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!