Design Cures

Home Rehab

Designer Phoebe Howard of Mrs. Howard and Max & Company worked her magic on this coastal space -- to rid the condo of light-barring walls and cramped, cheerless spaces.

The Quick Fix: Infuse life into a small room by combining a variety of textile patterns in similar tones -- like the polka-dot, honeycomb, and geometric fabrics shown here.

Custom Kitchen Island

The designer installed oak floors stained dark to resemble old European hardwoods, then she enlisted help to design a kitchen island and bath vanities to distinguish the condo from the run-of-the-mill builder's special.

The Quick Fix: Craft your own kitchen island using a favorite antique piece as inspiration. This one was made with a wooden shiplap back and bracket feet.

Looks Built-In

The Quick Fix: Customize a kitchen corner with a tailored piece like this banquette that looks built in and saves space.

Versatile Palette

For the homeowner's requested palette (Brown, yes; wicker, no), Phoebe took a cue from the faux wood screens and incorporated natural-tone furnishings spanning from bleached driftwood to stained teak. "It's amazing how warm and cool brown can be, " Phoebe says of the anchoring color. "That's perfect for a family who uses a space year-round."

The Quick Fix: Enliven a plain-Jane drywall surface with a textural faux-bois wallcovering. Its vertical lines create the illusion of height within the 8-foot-high space.

Slimming Shutters

"In Condos like these, you have to work a little magic to make the space seem wider and taller. Sort of like when you want to look thinner -- you put on stripes that are going the right way." -Phoebe Howard .

Graphic Print

Beef up plain drywall with heavy trim, and let a bold geometric print be the starting point for a room's entire color scheme.

Mirror Magic

In this all-white master bathroom, the cabinets get a special treat with glued-on mirrors which reflect light in a windowless room.

I love these rooms and the palette used is calming. via

Instant Room Part 1 0f 2

Interview with Joe Nye

Los Angeles-based designer Joe Nye creates a room inspired by florals from Manuel Canovas's latest collection, and McKinnon and Harris furniture: "Using outdoor pieces inside — in a sunroom or even a living room — is fun and fresh."

Curtain Lining:
"I chose VANESSA'S FOLLY to line the striped curtains. Most people get lazy and just do white lining, but a contrasting color has a more finished, couture effect — like you thought about it."
Chairs:
"BEAUVOIR is the key fabric in the room, the starting-off point. You can pull lots of colors from it. But you have to be careful not to overwhelm the room with it — it's not a timid pattern. I see it on a pair of duVal Club Chairs."
Sofa:
"BRASILIA is a divine color, a wonderful mucky green, and the texture is really cushy. It's comfortable to sit on, even when you're in shorts, so I'd use it in a big way, on a sofa."
Curtains:
"Striped curtains are always a winner, and a turquoise lining would really kick off the bright raspberry. With a bold stripe like ELOI, I wouldn't do much in the way of trim. You want to keep it fresh, not fussy like silk curtains."

Beauvoir in Fuchsia

"These colors are loud and brash — but in a good way!" Nye says. "The pattern is a new take on an old standard, the Jacobean tree of life. It's fun, but it's busy, so it could get dizzying if you used a lot of it. The trick is to use it in a restrained way. On a pair of chairs, it would look special — it would be the focal point of the room."

Cotton Club II in Framboise

"It looks like a coarse sailcloth, but it's so soft you want to put your head on it. I would make two 22-inch-square pillows with tiny French pleats, one for each end of a sofa."

"I'm crazy for animal prints, so chic! They never seem to go out of style. I'd use this for a skirted table. It's a stylish way to add punch to a room

Eloi in Fraise

"Because it's all cotton, Eloi looks informal and canvasy, like a tenting stripe. For curtains in a sunroom, it's exactly the right look

Vanessa's Folly in Turquoise

"I use this all the time to line curtains — it comes in so many colors. I'd do pillows with it, too. Repetition is good — it ties a room together

Colorful Rooms/Part 2 of 2

This wall treatment  is clearly a labor of love. Painting stripes in several shades of pink and green and mixing them with black and white furniture and bedding is a beautiful combination that is all girl. We especially love the green leaves that extend color out into the room in an unexpected way.

Feel the sunshine in your home even when the weather is dreary. Just start with a neutral palette and bring in sunny warm colors as accents. Design by  DianaMync.

It's hard to believe this family room is located in a basement. A mix of patterned and solid carpet tiles adds warmth underfoot and creates a cozy color palette.

Orange can be a wonderful choice in a dining room. Chose a warm shade and pair it with rich wood and crisp white. The pop of blue from the artwork compliments the orange perfectly.

Black/White and Color

"The little Black dress", it always works for simple elegance, the beauty is that you can add any color of your choice shoes, handbag, earrings, necklace, etc. that will fit your own style.



The same applies to the rooms in your own home. The basics work and never go out of style, the plus in designing this way; you can always change the colors which helps on any budget.....this allows new art, new floral arrangements, new rugs, new accessories to be added to break the boredom of a room.

Color Palettes

Selecting a color palette can be confusing, these samples show if you stay within the same color tones you can add interest by mixing and matching fabrics designs, color and scale.. Furnishings with simple lines invite fabrics that are more complex in color or texture. Most people use two fabrics when decorating a room -- a print and a solid. Add interest and variety by using three or more fabrics in a room with a pleasing mix of color, pattern, scale and texture. First, begin by choosing your focal or main fabric. Be sure it is a pattern that you LOVE!!!!!, it is the main pattern which guides you to choose the coordinating fabrics. Choose a pattern with a minimum of three colors. Choose two more fabrics, each having one or two of the focal fabric colors in their pattern. Vary the three fabrics in contrast. One fabric should be light, one medium and one dark. Change the scale or size of the patterns by choosing one fabric with a large pattern, one medium and one small. Solids fall into the small-pattern category. Using all the same size patterns will cause each one to overpower the other. Of course, fabric decisions will depend upon your room’s ‘design styles’. This means that a particular style will require a specific material pattern.
Be sure to bring home a sample and view it in your home lighting, colors appear different in sunlight or showroom lighting .

Today, fabric companies are offering coordinated fabric sets; which mean choosing matching fabrics is easier and the decision is less confusing.

http://www.housefabric.com/defaultproduct.asp

Neutrals/ Purple/Blues/ Paisleys

· Neutrals:
Neutrals are always the safe choice when dealing with color. These combinations are soothing and appeal to those looking for an “uncluttered” feeling. Also look for neutral palettes to pair with metallic accents for an updated blend.
· Purples:
Purples have remained the “new neutral” for over almost ten years, and show no sign of slowing in popularity! This is the color of the mind. Purples will pair with browns for a chic sophisticated combination. Pressing to the forefront are shades of lavender. Soft blue cast lavenders are predicted to be mixed with soft greens for a fresh, clean palette. Think Hydrangeas!
· Blues:
Surprise…spa blue combinations are still in the spotlight! Spa shades are like animal prints they have passed the “fad” stage and have taken their rightful place as a major force in the blue family. Peacock and Turquoise are also making strong fashion statements. Normally, these shades are seen as accents in a color palette, but now they are taking on the primary focus. Blues are being shown in all shades from the lightest sky blues to medium federal and Wedgwood all the way to deep navy.