Before, During and After Designing

      Writing a blog takes a lot of time.  A LOT of time!  The best blogs take the authors hours, perhaps even an entire day, to write.  At Margery Wedderburn Interiors we LOVE to write in our blog, but we are currently super busy with our amazing design clients, so time is limited.  For that reason I want to take you with us on a journey as we work directly on design projects. 

Before, During and After ...

We are going to start a new series called, "Before, During and After" and we will ask for your input.  We will show you photos of a project we are just starting to work on, and then you will journey with us as we work with the client and make decisions about a project.  We will even have you vote for what you think might work.  Sounds like fun, right?  Let's get started!!

Our first client has a condo in the Washington, DC area.  She is a fun, energetic person who wants things done "yesterday."  With her own individual drive, she tends to make decisions quickly and precisely...we love this in a client!

This is her Master Bedroom.  We will call her "Jeanette" to keep her privacy.  Jeanette has a limited budget, which is fine and perfectly normal, especially in this economy.  Margery Wedderburn Interiors (MWI) is happy to work with all types of clients with big and small budgets.   At MWI we believe that every person has the ability to create and enjoy a beautiful home, whether they work directly with an interior designer or do it themselves. 

Jeanette needs more storage...LOTS more storage.  So we are going to give her exactly that in this MBR, and make the room even cosier and more user-friendly.  She's very excited!!

 In the past Jeanette's taste has been all over the place...she's done French Country, then went for an Asian contemporary style, and now she's back to her original love of the French Country style with happy, fresh colors such as light yellow, lime, various hues of blue and tones of red.  She is so much fun!!  Nothing like designing for someone we love with good taste!!

So...what would you do here in this room for Jeanette?? 

We are going to add built-ins along the entire headboard wall.  This will give her an enormous aount of storage space for all of her seasonal bedding, seasonal clothing, etc.  She will have this very comfie niche in which to relax in the evenings while watching TV.  Here is a preliminary (VERY preliminary) sketch of what we are going to do:

Isn't this fun??  Built-ins on either side of the bed...the bed will be ensconced in this little cozy niche with the wall sconces above .  The built-ins will hide everything she is wanting to hide in this room.  

Do you have any suggestions you would like to add?  Please let me know and I will share them with our readers.

Stay tuned...I am going to Home Depot today to meet with the Kraftmaid expert there.  We are doing Kraftmaid as opposed to custom built-ins to save her money. 

Escada...Window Into Future Interior Design

Oh, For the Love of Escada!

About 9 years ago I went shopping with my mom to Saks Fifth Avenue and discovered the latest spring fashions from Escada.  Naturally, I fell in love with that season's styles...(the same personal story every season for me...can't get enough of Escada! ).

But the color combinations that year were breathtaking, hanging there on those hangers with those sumptuous fabrics.  Most noted were the color combinations of light blue with light brown, and then light brown with pink.  Woweee.

I immediately went to our Washington Design Center to find similar color combos in fabrics.  There were none, nada, zero.  When I inquired about these color combinations I was met with a few stares and squiggly noses.  Not sure if they questioned my taste or personally disagreed with those colors.  I could only find the single solid blues or browns or pinks and had to combine several fabrics myself for a space I was designing.

Nowadays there are hundresd of fabrics with these two color combinations, and you will even see the spectrum has broadened to include every hue and combination possible.

The thing is that the interior design industry follows fashion, but it's about 3 years behind.  SO!  If you want to know what is coming down the pike, just study Escada or some of the other haute couteur fashion houses.  If you are about to drop a bundle on your home softgoods, this is not a bad idea.  Then you can be assured that you will want to keep your new, fresh, beautiful home design for about 10 years!! 

Here are some inspirations from the new Escada Spring Collection, 2012.



Brown is the new Black...This has been true now for about, what...8 years??  And still we are seeing the brown in fashion.  It's really hot in the interior design world right now too.   




This year we are seeing a lot of this combination in fashion, but it is a few years old...you will see it carried over this year in Designer Showhouses across the country, butnotsomuch in homes yet!!


Love love this color combination...the purples are huge right now in fashion and in wall paint and accessories.  It's still very tough to find the purple and lavendar tones in rugs, however.  Rugs and carpets are always about 5 years behind the fashion industry.  This makes sense...think about it...carpet is made on a huge loom, where the threads and yarns are pre-dyed and placed on that huge loom...That part alone takes hours.  Those carpet companies are NOT going to mess with fashion color trends that may not translate to interior design.


More...do you want this green in your home?  Kind of fresh when combined with other colors, right?

 My favorites here...look at these splendid colors, and the combinations are yummy.  This will DEFINITELY translate into the interior design world in another year or two.  Can't wait.  You will already see it a bit...but just wait.

 Last but not least, the quiet combination of the neutrals, but set off in a new fresh way.  This will remind you of the 70's but it's only a quiet nod.

So for your homework assignment, if you are about to embark on an interior design project of your own, get online and study these fashion houses.  Then make your own intelligent choices from the fabric houses or stores near your home, and you will be pleased for years to come!

 Margery

Bath Tubs

Note from Margery:
Recently we were researching new tubs for one of my favorite client's Master Bathroom.  She is ready to re-do the whole bathroom, so we did a bit of research to find out what's out there.  I got my Senior Designer, Kimberly (who is amazing, I might add!!), to do a bit of research for us and here's what she came up with:

Bath Tubs

Photo Credits (from top): 

http://www.copycatchic.com/, Houzz.com, Mary MacDonald

My favorite little luxury is to take a long quiet bath. I love the ritual of it, the pampering, the bubbles and bath salts, and my favorite rubber duck. 

I am amazed with that “spa blue” color that the water creates when I fill my large white oval tub.  

We neglect to take this luxurious time out for ourselves because other things usually take priority over “me time” (and for the most part rightly so). We all have over scheduled lives with demands: kids, spouses, jobs, commitments. A quick shower in the morning is all we have time for.  So when we do take time out for a bath, you want a great tub to pamper yourself in. 

Here are some examples ranging the full spectrum in prices for this true luxury. Starting at the top of the line model...this beauty costs the same as most luxury vehicles ($69,000. Kallista, “Archeo” Model # P50202-00, www.kallista.com). 

To the other end of the spectrum would be the Home Depot most basic tub, 

($198. Agua Glass Eleganza 5 ft. Left Drain Soaking Tub in White Model # 39764L)

Here is one of my favorites by Kohler:

(White Vintage Tub, www.us.kohler.com)

Some more fun tubs and bathrooms:

Photo Credits: 

1. www.baldi.biz, 

2. http://www.sicis.it/eng/Mosaic/Collections/Icons/Bathtubs/Models 

3. http://freshome.com/2010/02/23/dramatic-opulent-and-original-bathtubs-from-lineatre/ 

4. http://thismyporcelainlife.tumblr.com/post/9799509650 

5. http://www.houseofturquoise.com 


Q and A Time:

Q: So what makes that “spa blue color” in the tub when it is filled with water? 

A: Basically the answer is: because water is Blue!

In a nutshell, water not completely a transparent liquid. “All substances to a certain degree absorb light, ... the intensity of a beam of light spreading through matter drops exponentially with distance, as described by the so called Beer-Lambert law.”

For a very through scientific explanation you can find out more by clicking here:

http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2009/01/water-is-blue-because-water-is-blue.html

I recently took a mini-vaction to a Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida, where I learned all about the amazing variety of salts and the many health benefits from cooking and using salts in our baths.  One particular salt they use at the Spa and in their signature restaurant, aptly named, “Salt,” is called Himalayan Salt. It is pink as a result of the minerals in it including: iron, magnesium, calcium & copper, along with 80 others!  This Himalayan Salt claims to help with circulation, removes toxins, lowers blood pressure, and helps with overall well being!  

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/AmeliaIsland/Default.htm 

You can also find out more about the history of the bath tub including a hoax of the anniversary of when the bath tub was invented!!) at the wikipedia link below.:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub

So take time out for yourself,

grab your favorite rubber ducky 

& take a bath!

Available at amazon.com 

"http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=margeweddeint-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000WWCSY2&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr"

Accessories - Home & Design Magazine Blog

This is a blog for Home & Design magazine's website from a few months ago.  It was fun to do.  Hope you enjoy it!!

http://homeanddesigndcmdva.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/design-insight-guest-blog-series-the-season%e2%80%99s-best-accessories-2/

Organizer vs. Designer

Here is the link to a blog that was published in the Washington Post's online blog this past Wednesday.  It discusses how to figure out whether you need a designer or an organizer.  I was honored when Washington Post reporter Teri Sapienza contacted me regarding this issue.  Do you feel you need an Organizer? A Designer?  Or both?  Let me know which one you need at your home.  Hope you enjoy the blog!!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/where-we-live/post/do-you-need-an-organizer-or-a-designer/2012/01/31/gIQARW5phQ_blog.html

Sweeping Color

Remember your high school art class?  Do you remember learning about how the eye sweeps over a page in a magazine? The eye sweeps from top around and back up.  This is true for designing a room as well.  When you walk into a room, you will focus on a single wall.  Perhaps the focal point is the art, and what is below this art?  Try to use the Sweep of Color to pull your eye down from the art onto something below it, and then back up again.  Very appealing.  Your eyes will love it.

Whe you see some designers' work in the magazines, you can almost tell what the starting point was for that room.  Was it the artwork? Or a piece of fabric? These rooms most definitely started with the artwork as a focal point.

The above room absolutely started with the large piece of art on the wall. The eye is drawn downward to the furry pillows, soothing sofa fabric and light blue walls, then back up again to focus for a longer period on the art.

This light, contemporary piece of art ties in with the mantel below, and then continued throughout the space with grays and light yellows. Fab.

 The same theory works for fabrics, finishes...anything.  The picture above has the beautiful blue drapes. The eye sweeps over them and down onto the sofa pillows.  Same effect with panel drapes.

Aaaccck!! Please Help Me Accessorize!!

Home and Design magazine approached me this past September and asked if I would Blog for their website on accessories.  While writing that blog, I decided to write a series of blogs on Accessorizing, since one blog couldn't do it justice, so here's the first in the series, and this one will focus on Mirrors.

"Aaacck!!  Please Help Me Accessorize!!"

Often at a cocktail party, someone will begin to talk to me about the interior design of their home, and they will lament its current state.  The questions and comments that I get the most center around accessorizing.  I always hear things like, "I have everything in place but it just doesn't look right…something's missing." Or, "Can you help me out? I can't do the final touches."  Or, "It just doesn't look warm and homey…it's very sterile."

Adding those final touches can be the last straw for most people.  They see ideas in a magazine but cannot translate them to their home.  So what to recommend that so people find that warm balance they're looking for?

First, study magazines that you like.  Study the catalogs.  Cut out pages.  Put them in a file, and put them away for a day.  Then go back and look at them.  Do you see any similarities or  trends?  Can you hone down what it is that you like or dislike? 

It is all in the design basics: all about balance, proportion, color, and then adding touches of texture here and there.

Some of the latest, most exciting design trends offer great examples:

Mirror Image

Every room needs at least one mirror for sparkle, to make the space look bigger.  My all time favorite style of mirror is a sunburst style mirror…very dynamic and very in style right now.  Look at these rooms using mirrors as a focal point:

This is my all time favorite sunburst mirror.  It's the Constellation Mirror by Thomas Pheasant for Baker Furniture.  Isn't it amazing?  Tom was inspired to design this mirror after seeing a brooch in Paris that was similar to this. He's so talented.

Picture above:  Design House at Washington Design Center by Margery Wedderburn Interiors, LLC.  I used this favorite mirror in a room for The Design House...such a fun focal point.

  In years past the only sunburst mirrors out there were beyond most people's budget, but now there are so many to choose from at reasonable prices.  Here are some favorites:

This mirror from Ballard is about as dynamic as you can get.  Add some fun vases to a chest below it, or some pillows on a sofa and you are all set.  Here's the link:

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/suzanne-kasler-sunburst-mirror-234/15125



And what about this interesting sunburst mirror from Ballard?

It looks amazing in this space:

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/oversized-sunburst-mirror/198107

What is not to love about this mirror from the Ballard Designs catalog (above)?  Dynamic, casual, you can't beat it.  It can go above a chest of drawers (any toned wood or a painted finish), or above a sofa…add some energy to your wall with this mirror.  And don't be afraid to go big…sometimes one big mirror on a wall is all you need.

Now take a little look at this fun one below, great for that outdoor space:

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/decorating-and-accessories/mirrors/driftwood-mirror/s577238

And how fun is this one for a super casual space (above)??  This is from Crate and Barrel and is made with driftwood.  Add this to your Recreation Room or that outdoor space for something fun and different.

Stay tuned for more on these fun sunburst mirrors.  Next blog: accessorizing around and below these super dynamic mirrors.