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Design Plan: Yellow and Gray
I recently created a DIY Design Plan for a young couple in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. If you live in the metro area, you know that this and other areas of the city are experiencing a real estate boom. Developers are renovating and rebuilding old row houses, and new restaurants and shops are popping up everywhere. It’s a great time to be a resident here — and it’s very exciting when I can help my DC clients add color and personality to their new homes.
{BEFORE}
In this post, I’m featuring part of a Design Plan that I designed for my Columbia Heights clients. Their home is a rebuilt, two-story loft style condo. My clients wanted modern furniture, contemporary gray tones and pops of vibrant colors. Here are a couple of the design boards that I created:
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I hope to post “After” photos sometime soon! A few notable items in this plan are:
Pocket White Extension Table from cb2.com {perfect for a small space, but it extends to accomodate extra guests}
Gerber Storage Ottoman from target.com
Clark sofa from roomandboard.com
Carpet Tiles from flor.com
If you need design help and would like to learn more about my DIY Design Plans, email me at kelly@porterhousedesigns.com.
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Modern Centerpiece Idea For Spring
If you follow design trends closely, you’ve probably noticed that vintage bar carts and drinking glasses are super hot right now!
{pinterest}
So, for my latest spring centerpiece I decided to play on this trend by using vintage drinking-glasses as my containers. I snatched up my drinking-glass caddy at the thrift store for less than $20 {you can also find them online at Etsy, eBay and on-line flash sale sites}.
Pink roses and yellow tulips create a classic, casual centerpiece that can work for a bridal shower, baby shower or any spring party.
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Stay tuned for more spring entertaining ideas!
Centerpiece design and photographs by Kelly Porter
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Pink and Gray Craft Room
Today’s post tells the story behind one of my recent projects.
Not long ago I had the pleasure of working with Jayme, who lives in the Baltimore area. She contacted me because she needed help designing a craft room for her two, adorable little girls — Skylar and Hayden.
When I visited Jayme’s home, she showed me a large space that was already dedicated to the girls’ playthings and craft supplies. But the girls were beginning to outgrow many of their toys, and the space needed storage, organization and a fresh new look.
- BEFORE PHOTOS -
Jayme wanted the new craft room to have a fun, finished look that the girls could grow with — something that was “more sophisticated than cute.” She also wanted a space that would allow the girls to do their homework, in addition to crafting and playing. Taking all of that into consideration, I created a DIY Design Plan that included this Design Board and Rendering:
After receiving her plan, Jayme wasted no time with implementing the design. The result is a craft room that is sophisticated, streamlined and stunning — if I do say so myself.
••••
The room is very long {over 20 feet} but it is also narrow, so using a vibrant wall color would have overwhelmed the space, especially with the bright overhead lighting. The solution was to use a subtle color on the walls {Evening Shadow by Sherwin-Williams} and a more savory hue {In the Pink by SW} on the expansive ceiling. This also brought a fun ‘wow factor’ to the room. Jayme did a great job of clearing out the space by giving away many of the toys and books. This made room for two new desks {from IKEA} where the girls can work on projects and do homework. For the girls’ names above each desk, we used custom vinyl lettering from trendywalldesigns.com.
The plan also included dress-up stations.
Design Tip: Hanging costumes on wall hooks allows for easy access and also adds colorful ‘wall art’ to the space.
The ebony stained desk was the only piece of furniture that stayed in the new craft room. Jayme bought it from IKEA a while back, and it has held up well. It’s also long enough so both girls can pull up a chair and work on craft projects together. And did you notice the paper towel dispenser on the wall? Jayme’s husband thought of that, and I must admit it was a great idea!
Storage and organization were also a big part of this design. The room already had built-in shelves, so it was just a matter of finding containers that would work the best and fit on the shelves. Jayme decided on the Smart Store totes from containerstore.com.
- BEFORE -
- AFTER -
We also brought in another great piece from IKEA that provides additional storage for items of different sizes.
- BEFORE -
- AFTER -
Jayme says that the girls love the new craft room and they are spending a lot of time in their new space…which makes mom and dad very happy. Now, that’s music to my ears!
If you have any questions about this design, or if your room needs a new look and you’d like to become a client {eDesign services are available}, contact me at kelly@porterhousedesigns.com.
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Room Tour: My Gray Dining Room
I’ve finally completed the re-design of my dining room, and here’s the big reveal!
Years ago, I designed my dining room in the Spanish Mediterranean style…complete with Venetian plaster faux finished walls and tapestry-inspired fabrics. I love the warmth of this look, but it was time for a modern makeover:
The glass dining table and sideboard {shown below} remain in the room, along with a couple of clay pots. These pieces give the space that Spanish warmth that I wanted to keep. I purchased some new items for the room, like the white leather dining chairs…but it’s the older pieces, passed down from family members, that add real character.
My husband’s aunt gave us the sideboard when we first moved into our home. It’s from Century, made in the 1970′s so it’s solid wood! It originally had brass handles but I switched them out for new chrome pulls. The mirror above the sideboard belonged to my grandmother-in-law. It had a dark wood frame that I spray-painted silver.
Another special and unique addition to my dining room are the acrylic bubble panels:
These panels are my prized possessions. My favorite aunt gave them to me after many years of displaying them in her home. I remember looking at them as a young girl and thinking how cool they were, so I was thrilled when she “handed them down” to me! I love that they are so 1970′s retro. My aunt passed away a few years ago, so I’m glad to have such a special reminder of her in my home.
To the right of the bubble panels, you may have noticed my ‘plant stand.’ This is yet another family piece that has a fun story behind it…literally! It’s a city-issued metal box that my grandmother-in-law kept on the front porch of her Washington, DC row house. Back in the day {before I was born, I might add}, a real-live milkman delivered jars of milk and left them in the box.
Years later, after the milkman became a thing of the past, Grandma kept the box on her porch and it was used as an extra seat for family and friends. That’s why I say it has a story behind it! The box has a dent in the lid because so many behinds have sat on it over the years! It’s a fun accessory, and the red stamp helps it fit in the room perfectly.
Wondering why I chose red as an accent color? A couple of reasons. First, the adjoining room is red and my husband’s favorite color is red. I also wanted a color that would pop and stand out from all of the gray and white. When incorporating an accent color, here is an idea that you may want to try yourself: The chandelier in my dining room came with all clear crystals, but I replaced all but one of those crystals with red ones. This is very easy to do. You can find a great selection of crystals at crystalier.com.
{My thrift store finds: a ceramic lamp, amber pedestal glasses and red water goblets}
I used gray paint colors that have warm/taupe undertones: Dovetail and Gauntlet Gray, both by sherwin-williams.com. Because of the different undertones, selecting a gray can by tricky. I originally started out with a lighter shade, but ended up going with the darker tones which look more rich and inviting.
If you have any questions about this re-design, or if I can help you select the perfect shade of gray or any other color {through my Online Design Service}, contact me at kelly@porterhousedesigns.com.
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Online Design: Working With Yellow Walls
If you’ve ever bought a new home or remodeled one, then you may have had this dilemma:
- You have no furniture for the room, so you decide to paint first.
- You select a great color and have the room painted.
- You love the color, but now you’re stuck…
- You don’t know what furniture pieces to get, and you don’t want to make a mistake.
Sound familiar? This is exactly what happened with one of my recent clients Vendell, who lives in Detroit. When she contacted me, she had just painted her living room/dining room with Melted Butter by Behr, a warm, welcoming and vibrant shade of yellow. Vendell’s home is older and has tons of character, but she wanted a more contemporary look that would fit her young family. This post features the DIY Design Plan that I created for her.
Aside from glam gray, black and white, this design also introduces green, which is a color that Vendell likes when it’s paired with yellow. The Chester Sofa is from westelm.com, the Bailey Chairs are from zgallerie.com, and the Aggie Beaded Lamps are from homedecorators.com.
Vendell also wanted ideas for accessories. Among the ideas shown above, I suggested that she purchase dinner and salad plates from the Labyrinth dinnerware collection to hang as a group in the dining room.
{this is now a room with a plan!}
Vendell was so excited about her DIY Design Plan but she was even more relieved to finally have a starting point and strategy. If your room needs fresh colors or a new look for the new year, email me at kelly@porterhousedesigns.com to find out how I can help!
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Candy Coated Christmas Colors
If you follow my blog you’ve probably seen this room. It’s my red room and I’m always changing things around in there — especially during the holidays.
Every Christmas I put up my white tree in my red room, and each year I decorate it with a different colors. This year, I chose pink and orange. My inspiration was a pair of pillows I purchased online a few months ago {seen in the photo above}. I absolutely love their retro pattern and bold shades of candy pink and orange.
I started looking for pink and orange ornaments well before Thanksgiving and I found just what I needed at Michael’s and Wal-Mart. Easy and inexpensive. I also grabbed up a couple of white tinsel wreaths that were already decorated with colorful ornaments.
My only issue with the wreaths was that none of the ornaments were orange, but that was an easy fix: I just pulled some of the ornaments off and used a glue gun to replace them with orange ones.
I also stumbled upon these snowmen ornaments at Kohl’s:
They not only showcase my colors but they also fit in perfectly with my tree topper — a wicker snowman that I bought last Christmas. This year, I dressed him up in candy colored ribbon.
If you want to use different Christmas colors this year but you’re not sure which ones to go with, create an inspiration board and fill it up with items and colors that catch your eye. Here’s what I did:
You may not even use everything you put on the board {I didn’t} but it will keep you focused and soon you will start to see a theme emerge.
And when you’re looking for holiday decor, don’t overlook the thrift store. You knew I had to mention that! I found this wooden sleigh and reindeer set at Goodwill:
I’m in the process of backing my bookshelves with marbled paper, which is still a work in progress, but I think the paper creates a very magical setting for my thrift store finds.
I always enjoy sharing my projects and ideas with you this time of year because color makes our holiday celebrations more memorable and special. So, as you host family and friends, and celebrate the reason for the season — the birth of Christ — I hope you’ll use color boldly!
I’d love to see your decorations, so please send me your pictures! Email me at kelly@porterhousedesigns.com.
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Online Design: Modern Bedroom Retreat
Today I’m sharing one of my recent Online Design projects that I put together for Theresa in Cincinnati, OH.
Theresa contacted me because she wanted a new, updated look for her master bedroom. Like many of my online clients, she already had a few ideas of what she liked — which included a specific type of headboard and bedding – and she really wanted to paint the room gray. But she needed help pulling the whole look together and selecting the right paint color. Theresa also wanted the room to look modern and she wanted accent colors. With all of that in mind, here is the design board that I created:
Here is the bedroom BEFORE:
And here’s the bedroom AFTER:
What a glamorous makeover! You can’t tell from the photo, but the room has a high, tray ceiling so I wanted to emphasize that by using a different color. I chose aqua because it’s one of Theresa’s favorite colors. For the bedding, Theresa chose the Pintuck duvet and shams that she previously found at westelm.com.
For the fixture, she selected the Rondo chandelier {available at amazon.com}. This is a slightly different chandelier than the one I specified in the plan, which brings me to a good point. My online design service is tailored so that you can easily substitute other items that catch your eye online or in a local store.
Theresa’s bedroom is now what she wanted…a relaxing retreat with fun pops of color. She still plans to purchase a few more pieces, such as the turquoise Ravello mirror from jonathanadler.com. But even without it, her bedroom’s new look is a welcome change.
Here’s what Theresa had to say about the process: “Your services worked very well with my hectic schedule, yet with just one phone call and a few emails you were able to get a good sense for what I was looking for in our new master bedroom. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect working with a designer long distance, but it worked well.”
It’s almost a new year… Isn’t it time you did something with that room of yours? Contact me at kelly@porterhousedesigns.com to find out how I can help bring color into your life.
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Non-Traditional Christmas Colors
It’s that time of year when many of my posts will focus on chic and unique color ideas for Christmas! So, be sure to check back often or subscribe so you won’t miss a thing!
Today, I’m starting with one of my custom wreaths. I’ve made several different wreaths over the years and I make a new one {or two} each Christmas. I’m actually running out of places to put them, so I end up giving them away as gifts.
Plum Spice & Ice is mostly a warm color combo but it also has a bit of a chill. I mixed a toasty purple and spicy coppers with icy gray-blue to create an exotic look that also feels wintry. Also, copper is a stylish, unexpected alternative to gold and silver. I love using non-traditional colors for the holidays because it brings a real personal touch to our home.
Hurricane Sandy update: Fortunately, here in central Maryland we escaped the worse. We lost power for a couple of days but that was about it. I feel very blessed and continue to pray for our neighbors to the north in New Jersey and New York. All of our prayers can make a difference. Also, please consider donating to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts.
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Add Silver To Your Fall Decor
Today I’m sharing a very quick and easy way to add a little glitz and glam to your fall decor.
I love decorating with warm autumn hues but I also enjoy adding a pop of unexpected color. Metallics are very hot right now, so I used this canister {from HomeGoods} as inspiration for silver centerpiece ideas:
With just a little silver spray paint, you can turn ordinary fall items into something special.
Here’s a snapshot of my work in progress:
The best spray paint for the job is Krylon’s Premium Chrome. This paint also comes in 18kt. gold and it really does look like metal when it dries.
Metallic spray paint is a very simple way to shimmer-up your fall decor. So, what will you turn to silver?
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Fall Centerpiece
When it comes to fall entertaining, using candles is an excellent way to make your guests feel welcome.
One of my go-to items for fall decorating is a silver candelabra that I purchased a few years ago at a discount store. Candelabras are great for creating a centerpiece, but they can look very formal and serious. So, sometimes it’s hard to figure out how to use them in a fun, modern way. My solution? Ribbon — a cheap but very pretty way to spruce up just about anything. I have tons of boxes filled with ribbon spools, and I’m always buying more. I think I’m addicted!
To create my fall candelabra, I tied orange and yellow ribbon to the arms and used elegant, pearly white candles {I couldn’t light the candles for these pictures because it was too windy}.
My outdoor setting was inspired by a photo that Pauline of elationsdesigns.com sent me. This is one of her designs:
{photographed by Eric Carlson}
I love how the dark wood, autumn orange and grassy green all look together. For my design, I used a small console table {taken from my dining room}, and partially covered it with orange burlap. Then I added white mini-pumpkins.
Another sweet touch — I filled the rims of the candelabra with candy corn that guests can help themselves to.
And little details make a big difference, such as dove-tailing the ends of the ribbon:
The simplest of things can make a festive fall table, and the harvest season gives us so much to work with: pumpkins, acorns, ornamental corn, leaves, apples, and of course, candy! You can use all of these things to decorate with style.
In my next post, I’ll show you how spray paint can transform a few of fall’s favorite things into shimmering home accessories.
{Part of my ribbon collection via instagram}
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