How to Prioritize Your Renovation Dollars / Top-to-Bottom Re-Design

At long last, many of the decor elements of a client’s renovation I began work on last summer have now been implemented – which means there are some finished areas to reveal!

A large portion of a re-design can often take place within a few months ... but sometimes exceeded budgets on the reno side means new furniture, window coverings etc. have to wait and thus can stretch the total project into many more months – sometimes even years [after all, I can’t show you a 12-yr old couch amongst the new elements ... now can I? :) ]

My client’s - Professional Organizer, Rowena List - “Office to Dream In”
{photo by Anna Beaudry}

So – how does one go about prioritizing a top-to-bottom re-design if there simply isn’t enough money to do it all at once? Structural changes and kitchen/bathroom renos aside, here is the order I recommend spending your re-design dollars in:

1. Flooring: newly painted walls, a new layout, furniture etc. will be lost on worn or uncoordinated flooring – I say this is priority 1.

In my client’s 1960s bungalow (below), we went with a medium brown laminate in most areas (the kitchen and bathrooms were left alone). [Identifying the overall colour palette before settling on your flooring colour is key.]

{photo by Anna Beaudry}

(Re-cladding the fireplace in this project was also prioritized; big elements like that should squeeze onto the list, somewhere near the top.)
Tips:
a) don’t use laminate in an entry way in a wet climate (ie. Vancouver!) [we went with a porcelain tile above];
b) when the space is an open plan* and the entry way is a smaller area, choose a colour that most closely matches the main flooring so that the eye is tricked into seeing it all as uniform.

* Many designers recommend keeping all flooring uniform from room to room regardless of the plan (eg. hardwood throughout the entire home), but I think there are instances when different flooring for different spaces is not only appropriate, it’s more interesting. I don't disagree with the reasoning of keeping it entirely uniform, I just think the rule can be broken successfully ... with a clear and carefully chosen palette, of course.

2. Lighting: most homes of yester-year have lighting that is nothing short of terrible. Not just the fixtures themselves are outdated, but the amount of illumination per area is usually highly inadequate.

If you’re going to re-paint the interior of your home, do yourselves a favour and evaluate your lighting plan first (as walls and/or ceilings may need to be ripped open).

Consider a mixture of recessed ceiling lights, hanging ceiling lights (pendants), wall sconces, up-lighting, down-lighting, under-cabinet etc. – yes, in addition to floor, table and task lamps you may wish to use.

{photo by Anna Beaudry}

With no budget for a kitchen reno, I updated my client’s kitchen above with new animal-print inspired pendants + additional recessed lights (along with a new backsplash, tobacco woven blinds and copper-backed stools that all pull in the new colour scheme the owners love in the adjacent Great Room).

3. Doors + trimwork (eg. baseboards, mouldings etc):  Be sure to evaluate the state of the doors and trimwork inside your home; painting worn doors and trimwork only brings them back to life if they're in decent shape to begin with.
And please don’t think that painting those non-wood doors that are finished with a ‘wood grain look’ are going to do the trick – they look cheap no matter what.

Either refurbish solid wood vintage doors (check out your local salvage dealer and home demolition sales), or paint new, modern-looking doors (and if they’re not wood, don’t try to make them look like wood...).

{photo by Anna Beaudry}

In this part of my client’s Great Room above – I updated existing furniture with pops of colour, a knock-out mirror and a custom built-in cabinet that delivers on both functionality and aesthetics. There was a door where the mirror is, and instead they splurged on glass folding doors that lead out to an inviting outdoor living area.

4. Painting: Next figure out how much, what and where you’re going to paint (ceilings? walls? doors, trim ...) Are you going for a clean, neutral colour throughout the home so you can have dramatic features in areas/rooms here ‘n there?

Or are you implementing a varied palette that still flows from room to room and ties to look smashing together? Wallpaper accent or mural? Colour blocking? If you’re unsure, hire a professional colour consultant or designer that can help you get the look and feel you’ll love living in for years to come.

{photo by Anna Beaudry}

In the case of my client, she wanted a clean look that would also feel warm, inviting, casual – while still elegant, and a bit funky (and she loves earth tones, not on-trend-right-now-grey).

So I recommended a soft cream on all walls, BM Simply White on the doors, trimwork and ceilings (except the great room which has a tall slanted ceiling – in which case carrying the wall colour onto the ceiling works best).

5. Window coverings: I would rather see old furniture in a room with new window coverings than the other way around. Old furniture can be dressed up with decorative pillows, a throw, slipcover.

There’s no getting around outdated or worn window coverings – they take away the lustre of other re-design efforts in a space quickly!

In my client's master bedroom above, I added shimmer to chocolate drapes by hanging glimmering charcoal gray beads over the drapes.

{photo by Anna Beaudry}

I recommended my client prioritize the purchase of the above white dresser for their bedroom – using their existing antique teak unit would not support bringing the room up-to-date. It also supports the luxurious and inviting feel to the room sumptuously!

In terms of the remaining items “on the list” in a top-to-bottom re-design, I recommend choosing updated decor objects next if new furniture is not in the budget right away. This includes pillows, throws, area rugs and art.

Of course, the list can go on and on ... I remember my client saying to me about 2/3’s of the way through the process, “I just want to get this done”. But we would never buy three new necklaces and consider our wardrobe ‘done’ for the next 10 years ... and so it is with a well-designed home.

What’s next on your list?

It's Your Space, Your Place, Your Life:  want a great-looking space that embibes the feel you'll love living in?  Contact Liz to help make it happen!

Liz

Credits

www.ElizabethRobertsDesign.ca
annabeaudry.com
gharexpert.com
bathroomdesignideas.com

How to choose the right dining room furniture: the table

Buying furniture for a dining room – or main eating area, if it’s not a room per se – can be an expensive proposition, especially if you want it to look well-designed.

Every designer will tell you that the worst thing you can do is to go to a ‘box’ store and buy an entire “set” – table, chairs, buffet.  You may get quality furniture at a great price that gives you good functionality, but it will leave your space looking outdated as soon as it’s arrived.

Worse, it will create a feeling of ‘sterility’ which is not conducive to the enjoyment of food and spirit with family and friends ... It would take a LOT of dressing up to make this area inviting, no?  Yes!!

Example of what not to do

Example of what not to do

Buying the right furniture for your dining room/eating area is an expansive topic ... so much so that I’m going to break it down into separate posts; this one is going to focus on the table element.

You want to choose a table that is able to morph many looks.  While most of them can by nature, think about the “lines” that would be most associated with the type of looks you are attracted to. 

For example, if you like French country, French provincial and shabby chic looks, you wouldn’t choose a table with very rectilinear lines / hard edges; you’d want something softer, with at least some curvilinear lines.

And conversely, if you like a more modern feel – whether industrial, masculine, minimal, organic, or a bold and funky look, rectilinear lines would fit the bill.

Next think about size and scale: while functionality is paramount (ie. how many people will be eating around the table regularly), the space will look poorly designed if the size and scale are not proportionate.

If your space is smaller and you need to maximize the amount of people you can seat, you may want to opt for a round table.  With either movable chairs ...

... and/or fixed bench seating, round and oval tables can keep a small space feeling open while maximizing functionality.

To determine how large your table can be (using just movable chairs), leave 3' to 4.5’ of space around every angle of the table for chairs and traffic.  Whether your space is open or has walls, and the table/chair placement in relation to other furniture can change the required breathing space needed around the table. 

TIP:  empty the space and put masking tape on the floor to ‘draw out’ the potential size of a table. It will give you a good feel for how large a table the space can take before it feels out of proportion.  Place chairs around the imaginary table to further visualize.

Once you know the size and general lines of the table you’re after, you can start looking.  Here you will want to rule out tables that aren’t a fit with either, and also ones that don’t fit your scale.  Remember that “size” is the physical dimensions and “scale” (fm a decorating perspective) is the relative size as it relates to the size and scale of other objects and fixed elements in a room.

For example, you might love the above table and think it would look great in your 8x10 dining room as long as it’s (custom) made to fit – but the scale of this table begs for a taller ceiling, a bigger room or open space, an expansive window, etc. -- to not just look really great, but to look right.

TIP: if considering a table with the above type of ‘bench pedestal’ legs, watch where the legs are going to 'land' re: the placement of chairs around the table. Notice in the above picture how the chair on the left has to straddle the table leg. If you wanted to place a standard 6 chairs around this table, you would not be able to without the side chairs sitting very unwell!

 
Last but not least is colour.  The 2 biggest mistakes I see is people who buy their dining room table in the same wood colour as their floors and/or kitchen cabinetry.  Remember -- we want contrast for interest.

Or they go too far the other way and buy in a colour that doesn’t relate to anything at all.  While the best designed spaces have colour values in the light, medium and dark ranges, all colours in the space need to work well together.

The material with which the table is made is another important element.  Whether solid wood, wood veneer, glass-topped, etc. ...

But all of the above that I've outlined – in my opinion – trump the material.  Do your research on the material in relation to your targeted price point so that you will know good value when you see it, but if you get the lines and shape, size and scale, and colour all right, you will have chosen a strong foundation for creating a dining area that will beckon family and friends for years to come.

It's Your Space, Your Place, Your Life -- if you want a great-looking space that's right for you and embibes the feel you'll love living in, contact Liz to help make it happen!

Liz

Credits

housedesignsplan.blogspot.com
designstyleguide.net
dimensionsguide.com
decorpad.com
furniturehomedesign.com
houseandhome.com (sarah callanan)
countrylivingfurnishings.com
flairlanes.com
topdesign72.com

How to make a glamorous drapery panel

When I designed our new-build home in '08, I decided for both space and safety reasons that I would implement a drapery panel instead of a door for the closet in our master bedroom.

Since that notion can remind some of an earlier look they may have had in their college dorm room or first basement suite rental, it's often forgotten that it can be a truly gorgeous solution that also brings personality into the space.

It's also a great space saver -- a recent client of mine did not know how she was going to get nighttables on both sides of their bed in their very small master bedroom. It had an awkward closet with a door that opened right into the space for one of the nighttables, with no possibility of orienting the bed differently.

"Remove the door?!", she exclaimed at my suggestion. We were both happy that the door could be re-purposed to properly lock off their rental suite, but even if she couldn't have used it elsewhere, I would have stuck by my recommendation.  It looks great and they have plenty of room for the nighttable and space to move around it.

Drapes are also a great way to create closet / storage space where there otherwise was none!

OK - now how about that glamorous drapery panel?!  My Mom had given me a gorgeous piece of white french linen at least 15 yr's ago to make a skirt, which I never got around to, and I thought it would be the perfect starting point.

I initially thought I had just enough for the length I needed and it was only when I got down to seriously measuring to start sewing that I realized I was a couple of inches short.  Which was a blessing because it forced me to put a border on the bottom and now I wouldn't want it any other way.

As you can see, I ironed on rhinestone fleur de lis emblems randomly on the white linen to give it that glamour vibe.  (I chose the Fleur de Lis Paisley ones thru A Treasure Nest; I bought 24 and used 23). And I bridged the white linen and silver grey crushed velvet-looking poly with a silver satin ribbon. 

To make the panel:

- measure the area to determine the finished width and length you want (for pooling like mine above, add 1.5" to the finished length).  You want your finished width of fabric to equal a min. of 1.5x the width of the space (more if the fabric is flimsier) to get fullness in your drape.
 

- allow a min. of 2 - 3.5" at the top for a simple finish re: inserting the rod; decide ahead of time how big of a hem you want and include in your overall requirements; and a min. of 3" total to the width for finishing the sides
*TIPS: choose fabric as wide as possible to reduce the amount of vertical seams; press all finishing edges accurately in place before sewing.

- I only had the one piece of linen and I knew finding an exact match would be mission impossible, so I needed to use as little fabric as possible when I finished the sides. I wasn't particular about how the drape would look on the inside, so instead of creating a seam, I simply sewed the fabric I bought for lining on top of the backside of the panel.  See pictures above and below.

- I chose to finish the top simply, to save time and I also had no room for excess fabric above the rod.  Folding the fabric over to create a tunnel for the rod insertion is easiest; I created the tunnel by sewing on a 'hem band' on the back of the drape to make it sturdier.

- make the main part of the panel first and then hang it on the rod (I ironed on the rhinestone emblems before I started sewing once I knew the finished width/length of just the linen piece; the lining should be done next).

Pin your border fabric onto the drape so you can see how it will look before you cut and sew; you may want it bigger or smaller than you initially thought (buy for bigger so you have the flexibility).  You can also take this time to accurately pin the hem line of the panel / border fabric.

- depending on the fabric you chose for your border, you may need to interface it before sewing it on. I ironed on a thin interfacing to the crushed velvet-looking poly I chose because it would have been too flimsy otherwise.

- I used hem tape to secure the hemline in place - not only is this a time-saver, but an invisible hem is most suitable to a crushed velvet-look.  A sewn 6" or 12" hem can look great with heavier cottons and twills.

I love my new glamorous drapery panel and it all came together for under $100.  I don't like the way cheap doors look, so I can say this solution not only looks great, it's cheaper than a door.

My new glamorous drapery panel sumptuously supports our master bedroom that I recently re-decorated (above). Could a glamorous drapery panel(s) support a feel you have going on in your space?

It's Your Space, Your Place, Your Life -- if you want a great-looking space that's right for you and embibes the feel you'll love living in, contact Liz to help make it happen!

Liz

Credits:

houseandhome.com
apartmenttherapy.com
atreasurenest.com
Elizabeth Roberts

How to Update a Kitchen with Rustic Floors

I recently had the pleasure of working with a new client who was faced with the challenge of picking materials and a colour palette to update their kitchen and eating nook – the challenge being they are not going for a ‘top-to-bottom’ renovation and wish to keep their existing floors and cabinetry.

They love their very rustic concrete floor (which were coloured to look more like thick, mottled tile work), and if they were updating their cabinetry in any way (painting, re-facing...), there could have been a plethora of directions to go in for their new countertop, backsplash and wall colour. 

But -- with wanting to keep their bright, glossy white cabinets, the style contrast between the floors and kitchen cabinets narrowed the choices significantly.

Here is their existing space:

BEFORE

BEFORE

To successfully update older, big fixed elements, it is important to select a colour palette and materials that will ‘bridge’ any contrasting style between them.  My client was attracted to more rustic / earthier materials for the backsplash, which would work well with the floors, but not the cabinets.

Here is one of the renderings we did to show them that a darker/earthier option for the backsplash would not look good:

EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO

EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO

I recommended a warm light grey for the countertop (they fell in love with a darker one, which works also), and a honed (matte-finish), tumbled white marble tile for the backsplash, with accents of tumbled light grey marble (which has veining and variations in it that speak to the terra cotta floor).

The white colour of the marble creates a link to the cabinets, and the heaviness of the stone and all its variations also links to the floor – and thus is the perfect ‘bridge’ to tie the two contrasting styles together.

RECOMMENDED PALETTE and MATERIALS - KITCHEN

In their eating nook off the kitchen (ok, it’s bigger than a nook), they have a fantastic tall coved ceiling.  I recommended that they paint the ceiling grey to both create an accent but also to lower the ceiling a bit (visually).

The ceiling height of the kitchen is so much lower, by giving the illusion of lowering the very tall ceiling in the eating area, it will give the illusion of adding height to the kitchen ceiling.

RECOMMENDED FURNITURE / LIGHTING / PALETTE – EATING AREA

I designed the sideboard unit to be able to house a wine fridge ... it's expensive to go custom to achieve that functionality, but the concept looks great; don't you agree?!  They have a very interesting collection of wine labels which hold a lot of meaning for them, so I recommended they create a collage of framed pictures above the sideboard.

Do you agree that the recommended colour palette and materials update the rustic flooring, bridge the contrasting cabinetry and create a soothing and inviting space?

It's Your Space, Your Place, Your Life -- if you want a great-looking space that's right for you and embibes the feel you'll love living in, contact Liz to help make it happen!

Liz

Credits:

- Elizabeth Roberts
- Rendering work: Margarita Poliakova

How to update your home with color and inexpensive art

I recently sourced orange, gold and vivid blue-green accessories for a client who wanted to update her old tan sofa and brighten their open plan great room.  I knew after the transformation that I needed to do some updating in my own space.

When I designed our new-build house back in ’08, neutrals were still on trend and we also didn’t know how long we would be in the house before wanting or needing to sell – so my mantra words for the house were “neutral, elegant, comfortable.”

Having always been a lover of the colour grey, I’m happy that my use of it in all our flooring is on trend now – but the more recent surgence of getting away from “boring beige” and really pouring on the colour translated into me already needing to update our space in other regards.

So – what to do to add some spice? Our chocolate brown sofa is just over a year old and it was expensive, so replacing it was not an option. And, not only did I want to add some colour, especially to our family room -- I wanted ‘something unexpected’ in the space.

I recalled an Andy Warhol poster my husband purchased at the Vancouver Art Gallery well over 10 years ago (his Marilyn Monroe, pop art style), which had been just sitting in storage since then ... Considering the overall elegant and classy feel of our space, I felt this would be at least somewhat unexpected.

We trimmed off the border and had just the Warhol image dry-mounted (this will take out any ‘dimples’ in poster or print art and make it sturdier), and then ordered a custom double mat to use as the frame for the image (I’m not a fan of metal frames, and didn’t think wood would look right). 

I chose a yellow-orange for the inside mat (speaking to, but not exactly like either the yellow or orange in the image), and a blue-green for the main mat -- again, not exactly like any of the blues or blue-green in the image, but complementing it well nonetheless.

I’m thrilled with how it turned out and can’t imagine another type of frame – in the affordable range – that would look as good!

I had found various fabrics earlier and along the way, and made new toss cushion covers that – while they’re not the exact colours found in the Warhol image (not the exact blue-green or exact yellow) – they work with the image and help to brighten the whole vignette up.

Here's a closer look at the cushions I made:

- I had bought the yellow-green fabric first with the olive-gold beaded tassles, and then it took weeks before I found other fabrics I thought would work

- The blue-green with the yellow-gold 'overlay shmoosh design' speaks directly to the yellow-green cushion

- The goldy-khaki polka-dot fabric is exactly the same colour as the beaded tassles on the yellow-green
cushion, with the gold shimmer of it also speaking to the blue-green cushion ... plus this darker pillow provides a 'bridge' between the brightly coloured cushions and the darkness of the chocolate sofa.

Here is a BEFORE picture of our family room:

Don’t you agree that a pop of inexpensive art (no pun intended) and colourful throw cushions adds some new life and wow to the space?!!  What I love most about it is I implemented it all to coincide with the arrival of Spring – on a sunny day, it seriously now feels like Spring in my living room!

And both the art and fabric for the cushions were affordable enough that I could (and probably will) revert to the ‘before’ look (or maybe another new look ...) when winter returns.

Decor accessories are like jewellery for your home – you don’t always wear the same necklace with your favourite outfit, right?

It’s not just ok to change the look in your home from season to season with decor accessories, it’s recommended.  It keeps boredom from settling in (you know, the kind where you feel “that’s it – we have to completely re-do this room!”), and keeps your look fresh and updated, even if your furniture is older.

Now that vivid colour is here to stay (for a few years anyway ...), I encourage you to think about how you can update your space, on a budget that works for you. I hope you have as much fun as I did!

It's Your Space, Your Place, Your Life -- if you want a great-looking space that's right for you and embibes the feel you'll love living in, contact Liz to help make it happen!

Credits

wowpaintinganddecorating.com.au
a212.com/2009/08/interior-design-wow-extreme-wow-suites.html
Andy Warhol
Liz Roberts
1.bp.blogspot.com

How to use plants to add interest and life to your space – successfully

Have you noticed the lack of life – plant life, I mean, in images of beautiful interiors? There’s often a fabulous bouquet or two of cut flowers in a vessel of some sort, be them large or small, but I’m talking about actual plants. In pots.

I find these next 2 rooms suggested by Cattalen Italia *stunning*. And many would argue that you can’t plop a plant into rooms of these stature. {How dare I even suggest it?!}

Well – take a good look at them. What are they missing? Besides some obvious colour (and I’m a huge fan of monochromatic and simple colour schemes), I believe they are missing some life to them.

I am not for a minute suggesting that you go take your aunt’s collection of green plastic potted plants from her window sill and adorn the above – or any – space with them.

But the right plant – in the right vessel (doesn’t have to be a ‘typical’ pot) – can bring life to the room, add warmth and comfort, and enhance the overall look and feel of your space. Even if you’ve gone contemporary.

THE BELOW IS A PICTURE OF WHAT NOT TO DO !!!

THE ABOVE IS A PICTURE OF WHAT NOT TO DO !!!

Ok – so I’m exaggerating a little. If you’re reading this blog, I know that you’re not likely to go off track that far. I just wanted to be clear that I am not advocating plants for the sake of plant life.

So what’s an example of a carefully chosen plant and vessel for the space?

I’ll start with one of my own rooms. This is a sitting room opposite our family room – fairly monochromatic in its tones.

It’s eclectic with a mix of contemporary furniture, flooring that is both traditional and contemporary, traditional architectural details, and a bit of ‘exotic’ thrown in with the Kim Taylor Reece photo of a beautiful Hawaiian woman with a lei around her neck.

I chose a ‘birds of paradise’ house plant, in just-the-right-height so that it would lean into the photo a bit – not so much that it would block it out, but enough that it would enhance the exotic element in the room, while adding colour and interest.

I kept the vessel simple, neutral and light-coloured to let the plant take centre stage, but still elegant, as that's the overall feel I wanted for the space.

Here’s another example of where a birds of paradise plant adds a finishing touch to the space that makes it – quite literally – come alive. (Notice how Alison Spearaia further added colour by using a brightly coloured pot, which is a complementary colour to the red credenza.)

Can you visualize the above space without the plant in the corner? If you can, doesn't it suddenly lose its life / look a bit 'blah'?

Not everyone has the space for a birds of paradise or other sizable plant though, and those are also not necessarily going to be the right plants for your space. Here are some data points to consider before buying plants and vessels (pots) for your space:

1) Exactly where would you put the plant? Don’t define just which side of the room, define the exact spot – will it be on the floor, a window sill, shelf, table?

Then write down how much space you have to work with. ie. what are the maximum width & height measurements the plant can be (with vessel), given where it will be fitting into?

2) How much light does that area get? Direct sunlight (ie. sun will shine on it for a few hours/day), indirect natural light (it’s well lit with natural light in that area, but the sun’s not shining on it directly), or is it a low-light area?

3) What is the overall feeling you want your room to have / what is the current look, if you are staying with it (including its colours). ie. do you want to add a bit of an exotic feel, do you want to continue to support its contemporary look, do you want to add frivolity, whimsy or an industrial feel? Etc etc.

You now have enough info (to be dangerous and ...) to go to a plant store and begin your search for the plant(s) that is/are going to bring your space to life.

If you’re not horticulturally inclined (as I am not), don’t be afraid to ask for advice at the plant store – make sure you know how much care is involved in looking after the plant*, and that you can live up to what is needed, because if you’re going to end up killing the plant, it’s not only a waste of your money, it is truly a waste of a life that gives us a gift.

*I was given a great tip wrt the birds of paradise plant:  when watering it, make sure the water is very warm (not hot, but also not just luke warm).  Because of where they hail from (warm climates), their make-up is used to warm rains.  Our plant has been thriving fm day one, and it requires minimal care -- so it pays to ask! 

In this lively interior below, they’ve used plant life in vases at a minimum.   I think this space is *screaming* for a fabulous tall plant in an electric blue pot! (And/or smaller plants in colourful vessels on the ledge above the beds.)

Don’t you?!

It's Your Space, Your Place, Your Life -- if you want a great-looking space that's right for you and embibes the feel you'll love living in, contact Liz to help make it happen!

Credits

cattalenitalia.com

parehe.com

kimtaylorreece.com

alisonspearaia.com

plantcareuk.com

homesdesigninterior.com

ffffound.com

kolkata.olx.in

I always *love* a good damask!

I feel like I should be talking about pie crust or brioche (I always love a good one of either of those also) [in fact, I make an awesome pie crust – no cheating either, but I digress...].

I feel moved however to talk about the gorgeous patterns we are seeing everywhere today, that get their inspiration from the old world reversible figured fabrics that bore a pattern formed by weaving.

Its name derived from the city of Damascus, Damasks were traditionally woven with differing textures of yarn, and sometimes included metallic threads and varying colours to create rich repetitive patterns.

The use of ‘damask’ patterns has morphed throughout the centuries, bringing inspiration to creators of fabrics and wall coverings through to today.

And with today’s technology, we can find damask patterns on everything from wall decals to wall paper, wall tiles and fabrics for use in all areas of the home – including bedding, drapery, furniture and oh-so-necessary decorative cushions.

{We are kind of cute calling this wonderful pattern “modern” when it originated on this planet when our forefathers’s forefathers were still amoebas!}

I’m *loving* the New Baroque Velvet damask-patterned wall tile by Settecento. I find the below application of it stunning – but a bit stark.

I myself would prefer to see some colour with it. For a more contemporary and youthful feel, I'd suggest apple green, or light or bright turquoise, or hey – the colour of the year – honeysuckle!

Or, for a richer, more mature feel, I'd suggest a smoky lavender, rich olive green or deep watermelon.

Here’s an example of a black and white theme with a more subtle damask-inspired wallpaper, with pops of colour.

While a black and white theme is common with damask pattern-inspired home decor items, many other colour and texture choices are available – it’s a wonderfully versatile motif that can dress up and even warm up a space.

This bedroom design by Nicholas Haslam uniquely pairs a custom bedskirt and headboard (both different damask-inspired patterns) with more rustic / country-feeling elements, creating a space that feels both luxurious and accessibly comfortable.

In a light rose colour, the damask-patterned comforter paired with complementary linens that boast a smaller pretty print – all amidst a white backdrop – evokes a feeling of femininity and frivolity fit for princesses from 8 to 18, without feeling overdone.

Choosing a damask-patterned fabric to upholster furniture is gutsy and bold – I personally would keep it to just one or two chairs in a space (as opposed to a whole dining set, or sofa, for example – although I would put damask on a chaise...).

Damask-patterned fabrics in bold colours elicit that visual ‘wow’ best when they are juxtaposed with more subtly-patterned (or no pattern) items – which means that less is more in that instance.

I love this Cotswold Chair in Smoke Damask available through The Cross Decor & Design!

If you want to give damask a try but aren’t ready for the more costly commitments of wallpaper, linens or furniture, funk up your space with damask-inspired wall decals.

This damask scroll graphic available through the byrdiegraphics shop on etsy brings colour, punch and some needed panache to this otherwise mostly achromatic, eclectic-modern space.

The golden nugget of damask-patterned items for the home lies not just in its inherent beauty, but in how well it can support and contribute to the overall look and feel you want in your space.

Whether the feel you're after is more classic, funky, retro, mod, glam or – as we saw above – even quasi-country, damask-patterned items can be the most prized feature in your room, and add a "wow" factor that literally pops out of the mouths of all who enter!

It's Your Space, Your Place, Your Life -- if you want a great-looking space that's right for you and embibes the feel you'll love living in, contact Liz to help you make it happen!

Liz
http://www.elizabethrobertsdesign.ca/

Credits:

littlecherubsheirloom.com
worldmosaictile.com
pantone.com
housebeautiful.com
thibautdesign.com
decorpad.com
bestbeddingensembles.com
thecrossdesign.com
etsy.com (byrdiegraphics shop, damask scroll)