July Design 411 Show
Segment 1: Christopher at FIDM and on The Sopranos
The Design Doctor is in! You will be getting personal attention from Christopher with solid, classic ideas for your home as he answers your design dilemma questions. Christopher recently went to the FIDM, the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing which is now incorporating an interior design program and has asked Christopher to assist them in this endeavor. Students learn such things as the CAD computer program, sketching and creating complete windows as room vignettes. Christopher will be soon announcing a series of lectures he will be giving there.
The Christopher Lowell Show was featured in the background of three episodes of The Sopranos and also in the premier episode of Big Love. Christopher was the inspiration of a character in the children's book "The Graves Family" by author Patricia Polacco. patriciapolacco.com
Segment 2 -Design Dilemma Email and Calls
I have a window treatment dilemma. I've attached a picture of my
living room with the windows showing. Our problem is: how to put curtains
or some type of window treatment into the upper section of the window.
As you can see, we have triangular windows at the top. Can you help
us?
Lynn from Mahomet, IL
The windows mirror the roofline that go to a peak and Lynn needs to control the heat coming into the room from the windows. Measure the window and make a valance out of a solid fabric with a band of the sofa fabric. Measure the tallest side that is in the middle and square it off and cut it. Hold it up into the window once you have hemmed the three corners and you'll be able to turn that back on itself and get just the right angle. But start with a square cloth first and when you get the right angle, put a piece of tape on it, cut the excess fabric off and then hem the top to make a great looking little valance which almost looks like a pull down shade. It brings the fabric from the furniture in front of the window up above your head. You can attach it to the inside of the window frame. Another idea is to go to the art store and get what artists use to stretch canvas on. They come in various lengths and are pressure fit. You can make a frame to fit each one of those windows and then take a sheer fabric which would knock down the light but still give you filtered light. You wrap the fabric around the canvas stretcher, staple it on the back, cover the staples with seam tape so they look nice from the outside and pop them in. You could also remove the frames when you wanted to clean the windows.
We just finished building a new home in Fort Myers,
FL and it has a guest room above the veranda 14.4 W X 16.8 L with one
closet. We want to make this room into a mini apartment with a living
area and sleeping area. There is an existing area for a bath/kitchenette.
I really need your expertise. I purchased your book Small Spaces but
I really need your help. PLEASE!
Mary from Cape Coral, FL
Seeing a bed in an open studio area is not a problem. However, if you are going to show a bed - then show the bed! Keep your linens and sofa neutral, no big loud patterns. A four poster bed would be quite dramatic in a space like this. To make the suggestion of a living room in a space like this, anchor the bed on one of the walls, put a 2-3 foot curtain rod attached to the ceiling on both sides of the room at the end of the bed so that you have two beautiful, solid drapes that just pull back. Though they won't close it gives a visible suggestion that there's a separation between the bed area and the living area. Use the same fabric for the window treatment panels in the room as well. Murphy beds are not a great idea and the mechanisms have to be installed in an armoire which can be better used tricked out into a home office. You can add terra cotta pots with a couple of palm trees by the drapery facing the living room as well to finish it.
Segment 3- Design Dilemma Email and Calls
I have honey spice cabinets in the kitchen with a wide plank wood
floor and Verde peacock granite countertops. I would like to use a tin
backsplash with some copper jello molds for accents on a painted wall.
What color should I paint the walls and ceiling and what color for the
backsplash: Should I go with the tin or tiles? The house is an old Victorian
and we like a country style.
Donna from Hampstead, MD
The black, olive and sage green glass tiles Donna has selected are beautiful but don't paint the walls green. Use the paint color Golden Waffle which is a little darker than the baskets on top of the cabinets. The cabinets should feel as if they have emerged from the wall instead of creating a stark contrast. However, the back splash would be good in green and the color Peas and Cream from the Color Courage Deck would be great on the ceiling. The tiles should go straight as opposed to putting them on a diagonal. The copper tile accents are not necessary. Great looking canisters and similar items that match the copper jello molds distributed evenly around the room would work well.
My family room is deep beige/caramel with a purple metallic (4 inch)
stripe on the walls close to the ceiling. I don't have curtains and
would like advice on how to accent my room.
Denise from Laurel, MD
The family room has two large windows with verticals, but fabric would look great in this room. The wall with the plasma screen would look stunning if the entire wall was draped. It will give you the feel of a theater and will absorb the reverberating sound from the big screen TV. Bring the sheering around to the wall with the loveseat by about six inches on both sides. Then find a collection of art, depending upon your interest. Get four to six pieces, all framed exactly the same, perhaps picking up the aubergine color that you have in the room. Put them between the two drapes where the loveseat is and don't be afraid to put them close to the ceiling.
Segment 4: Design Dilemma Email and Calls
We're planning on putting in hardwood floors (real, not laminate)
throughout our house, but have a question about which direction or orientation
the planks should be. Since we don't want to have the planks of wood
changing directions midstream from one room to another, we're wondering
if the predominate orientation of the hardwood planks "vertical"
(i.e. parallel to the direction you're standing) or "horizontal"
(i.e. intersecting crosswise with the direction you're standing). We
will choose one direction and just maintain it throughout the house
so that we can have a uniform look throughout.When you first enter the
front door of the house it leads straight back to the back wall. We
could maintain a vertical direction throughout the house from that entry
point even though that would make the orientation of the planks horizontal
in the dining room, the main hallway, and one of the bedrooms.Are there
any guidelines we should follow for deciding what direction the hardwood
floor should be laid so that we can have a uniform, spacious, attractive
feel throughout the house?
Teresa
The general rule of thumb is the planks should go in the direction of the general flow of traffic and in the direction of the length of the room. If you have a narrow space and you try to place them wall to wall in the short direction it actually makes the room look smaller. Generally speaking when hardwood floors are laid in a new home, you would look at the house as four big squares, all of the planks go in the longest direction of the room, parallel with the wall. If you do change direction, you can add a threshold in between. For those who can't afford to replace carpeting with hardwood floors, area rugs can help define the room and change up the style. Trends today are the very dark stains on hardwood floors.
Segment 5: Classic Design
There are several design websites where people often times receive
brutal reviews of their homes and apartments that they have worked so
hard on. We hope the radio show is a soft place to come. Our homes should
be a reflection of each of us and not up for criticism from others who
are quick to judge in a harsh way online. Our goal to give advice on
how to design spaces based on what the client would want to do with
the space. We make sure that the advice given is what the client will
actually do or suggest some of it be done professionally. Once the client
sees small successes with several small projects, their confidence level
goes up and they are willing to tackle more and more complex projects
on their own. Classic means you have the understanding that if you go
too aggressive building print into the room it's going to be the first
to date it so you want to use accent fabrics that can be easily changed
out. Many designers these days are getting bored and bringing back the
retro style. Beware! Step away from retro because it will be in and
out in a minute. It looks fun in a magazine, but could you live in a
room with that style and do you have enough money to change it once
the trend is over? Classic stands the test of time. You should only
have to spend that money once!
Segment 6: Design Dilemma Email and Calls
I have slanted walls in my living room and don't know how I should
paint them or how I should hang anything on the walls. Please help.
Ellen from Jeffersonton, VA
Rarely will you hear me recommend wallpaper in public spaces but this is an exception. You can purchase wallpaper murals that can look really stunning. Find wallpaper textures like grasscloth and use a wide border wallpaper. The second thing you can do is put rods top and bottom and sheer fabric between the rods on two of the walls. Or actually upholster the walls using batting underneath to add padding and softness. It will also change the acoustics in the space. When it comes to painting the space, if the slanting wall is higher than the rest of the room, it's best to paint the ceilings the same color as the walls. Find a color that will envelope you. Mounted mirrors in panels can look great, too.
We just bought this mobile home as a vacation home. As you can see
from my pictures the kitchen area currently has a temporary table and
bench. Should we buy a round, square or rectangle table for this area?
Also, we have a sectional couch in the small living room and I am wondering
if I should buy a square, round or rectangle coffee table or leave it
open? We have two small children and would like to use the table as
a place where they can play with toys and do art projects etc.
Margaret from Healdsburg, CA
The human form only needs between 18 and 20 inches to comfortably get in and around a sofa. When in doubt, go larger with the coffee table. Use your sofa length as a guide and subtract about 10 inches from the measurement to come up with the width and depth of the coffee table. In order to make hard surfaces work, they should be at arm's length. Think of dual function with either hard wood or stainless steel on top and baskets on a shelf underneath for the kids to keep their toys. In the bay window in the kitchen, build in a window seat and hang a curtain rod along the back wall. Suspend cushions from the rod for the back of the window bench. Use a table that is straight on one side and curved on the other and place three chairs around the rounded part of the table. Look at what restaurants do. If you don't want to do that, go to a restaurant supply store and purchase a stainless steel table at bar height. Then put a couple of upholstered bar stools around it. It can be used as a buffet serving area or as a work surface when you're plating food.
I moved into a small apartment back in May and just can't
seem to come up with a design that will work for the kitchen/dining
living space that is the first thing you see when you open
the front door. I've searched the web and magazines for some
direction, but none have the space dilemma I do. I would be
happy to send you pictures of the space. Please, please, I
need help!
Debbie from Huntington Beach, CA
Thematically and color-wise, treat the space as one. Think of where you'll put clusters of furniture into individual living spaces. Don't be conventional about the dining area. How often do you entertain? Do you need to keep the space for dining? The long narrow high window is difficult to decorate. Spend a day moving the couch around. Have it face the window toward the center of the room. Place a table behind the couch with a chair facing it. That will create a foyer. Paint the trim of the room Pearled Gray, a light warm gray. Paint the wall where you have the sofa and the ceiling Creamed Leek. Paint the rest of the walls Broiled Fennel. Check the Christopher Lowell Color Courage Deck for color references. Hang a rod over the area by the kitchen and hang three drapery panels than span the entire wall. When they're closed, you will create a beautiful background for your sofa.
Segment 7 - Design Dilemma Email and Calls
Please Help! I love the flagstone fireplace that my grandfather
built in 1952, and want the fireplace to be the focal point
of my living room. Any fabulous suggestions?
Colette in San Diego, CA
What's great about the fireplace is that it's flagstone in a neutral gray, absolutely unadorned and fabulous. It has a high hearth. The surround is brass. Remove the brass chain surround and replace it with trim molding in stone or a beautiful brushed stainless steel piece. Paint the walls surrounding the fireplace. If you use stainless steel in the fireplace, put stainless steel cuff around the fireplace where it's now painted. There are fabricators that work with stainless steel. They will cover wood with the stainless steel sheeting and you can adhere it the fireplace with Liquid Nails. Scan the family photos in black and white and frame them all in stainless steel frames.
One of the ways to update a brick fireplace is to either paint it or use the unmixed top portion of oil-based stain to wash over the brick.
I really need your help! I've searched magazines and
the internet and haven't been able to find any information.
We are currently remodeling a small house and would like to
add a fireplace. The only place for it is in the corner. What
suggestions can you give for furniture arrangement? I'm really
nervous about that aspect!
Michelle from Del Rio, TX
Use swivel club chairs. You can turn them toward the fireplace to enjoy the fire or turn them back toward the room for conversation. Keep a coffee table low in front of the fireplace. Another solution is to use ventless, free standing fireplaces such as ones that are made by Real Flame. You can have a beautiful fireplace in many different styles and finishes using cans of gel for the flame.
The Lowell Down
- Focus on the results rather than focusing on the fear.
- Lighten up. Where there is fear there is no creativity.
- Grant yourself permission to do a project for your sole enjoyment, not the skeptics around you.
- Mentally think through a project step by step before you try it. Plan ahead.
- Clear a creative space to do your projects from beginning to end.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions.
- Use the right tools for the job.