Placement is an important consideration. Always group in odd numbers as odd numbered groupings are more visually appealing than even. If hanging photos above the mantel, consider placing one large piece in the center of the wall above the mantel with two smaller photos on either side that may simply be resting against the wall on the mantel. Grouping numerous photos together in the same frames but different sizes and hanging those on the wall down a back staircase or down the stairway to a basement family room is a great “gallery” way to display lots of family pictures. Another great look is to cover a sofa table behind a sofa or a console table near the entrance to a room with lots of similar frames in varying sizes. In this case, polished silver frames make a beautiful display. But whatever your style, the combination of professionally selected art and accessories with professional family photographs is striking and will ultimately give the spaces in your home the personal touch they deserve.

For your professional photography needs contact Ikona Photography at www.ikonaphotography.com

Next, it is important to select a frame that compliments your photo. To ensure that your professional photos are well showcased, be sure to look for frame styles that compliment the colors in the photograph (or lack thereof if it is a black and white) as well as the colors and style of the room. Black and white photos in a contemporary space should not be placed in gilded frames, for example. Match the frame to the other accessories in the room. If you have several silver based lamps, then select frames that have silver or nickel materials and tones. If you have a traditional room with lots of gold and wood, then gilded frames or frames that are made of wood similar to the wood tones in the room would be appropriate. Your design professional should assist you with the selection of the photos and frames as well as the placement of the photos.

Professional Photography Adds a Personal Touch to Home Décor

When designing a room for a client I often find that the large, more expensive items are naturally the ones given the greatest amount of thought and for which the majority of the budget has been allocated. For example, most everyone knows what type of sofa they want, how many chairs, etc. After I have selected these pieces, however, I am usually struggling to include the necessary accessories that will complete the look of the space. Accessories, (or artwork, wall accents, table sculptures, etc.), are usually the forgotten components of the room by the client but are truly the “jewelry” of the room. Once the client realizes this, I still sometimes find it a difficult journey to arrive at just the right pieces, for I like the rooms I design to be stylish, yet feel personal and comfortable. And I especially want to make sure the client’s personality is reflected not mine. The best way to achieve all of these goals is by incorporating professional photography into your room’s design.

After selecting a couple “stock” pieces of artwork or accessories, I always encourage a client to include personal, professional photographs in their room’s decor. There is virtually no space in a home where this would be inappropriate. Obviously the family and living rooms, bedrooms and library are the best places for family photos as these rooms are personal spaces and also usually have mantels and bookshelves in need of adornment as well as lots of empty wall space. So why do I recommend they choose personal, professionally photographed pictures? First, because a professional photographer knows how to manipulate light, space and his subject to ensure the best result, thus the best looking photo. You wouldn’t hang an unattractive piece of art on your wall so don’t hang a photo that has not been well shot. Second, I recommend family photos because they best serve the purpose of making the space feel personal and lived in, as opposed to stark and unwelcoming. Even if you choose professional photos of your favorite destination or landscape they will still mean more to you than artwork from a store and will make the space more inviting to both you and your guests, as well as serve as great conversation pieces.

Stay tuned to find out how to select the most appropriate frames to showcase your photos…

Bathrooms

Small rooms may only need one ceiling light or a couple of down-lights, with one set over the bath, with a waterproof bulb. Lights should be fixed on either side of a mirror used for both make-up and shaving, or just above, if only for shaving. Unfortunately, too many bathrooms are wired for light just above the mirror, and it is often too much hassle to get the situation changed.

Kitchens

All kitchens should have good overall light, plus booster light for any precise activity like reading cookbooks, chopping, mixing, assembling ingredients, and washing dishes. Well-placed general diffusing lights, fixed flush to the ceiling, or inset spots, or a mixture of down-lights and angled spots make good background light, stepped up with strip lights concealed under high-level cupboards to shine down on the work surface.

Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting fills an area with light when entertaining in the evening and helps indicate where railings, steps, level changes or other possible hazards might be. The most important factor to consider is the position of the lights. Use a combination of lighting techniques (down lighting and uplighting) to bring light to different parts of your deck.

When addressing the lighting needs in your home, remember to be practical yet try not to lose sight of the impact that varied lighting sources can have on the feel of a room, thus impacting the mood of those who are in the space.

Illuminating Ideas for Great Lighting

Dining Rooms and Dining Areas

Dining rooms and dining areas still look best, and certainly more romantic, by candlelight, but make sure that candles are either above or below eye-level, and not flickering directly in the diners’ eyes. Candlelight combined with a down-light, like a nice chandelier, and controlled by dimmer switches, is better still. The serving area should be lit separately, perhaps by a well-angled spot or down-light.

Halls, Corridors, and Staircases

Far too many halls and staircases have inadequate lighting. They should, of course, be well lit at all times, with light on the floor to show any changes in levels and surfaces, and light on the walls to show switches and door handles. When starting a lighting plan from scratch, the ideal would be to have a separate circuit of low-level lights that could be left on at all times. But this is an ideal, and seldom achieved.

Bedrooms

Bedside lamps should be high enough to shine directly onto a book. Light above a mirror used for make-up is less helpful than light placed at either side. Lights positioned to shine outwards, rather than on the mirror itself, are much better. The same applies to full-length mirrors, where the light should be directed on to the viewer rather than on to the glass.


Children’s Rooms
In small children’s rooms, all outlets should be childproof and lighting fixtures kept well out of reach. Wall lights are useful here for they will give a softer light than that of central ceiling fixtures. Dimmer switches are useful for children who are afraid of the dark; alternatives are the very low wattage baseboard or skirting fixtures. Older children will need good light for homework, hobbies, and for reading in bed. So provide adequate lighting on desks and worktables, and above beds, set in good positions.

Stay tuned for tips for bathrooms, kitchens and outdoor areas...

Illuminating Ideas for Great Lighting

Good lighting can alter the apparent size of a room, enhance good features, diminish unattractive ones, and add glamour, drama or the warm glow of tranquility at the turn of a dimmer switch. Lighting is one of the most essential elements to the good design of a room, yet it is usually given the least amount of thought, often being overlooked entirely. How often do people not even bother about the light factor in a room, or wonder how they should control, filter, or enhance light until long after the decorating is underway? If only they had thought about lighting sooner, it might have been possible to install a useful and flexible system for comparatively little expense. Well, it is never too late to start making small changes to accomplish the right lighting for your home. First, consider the natural light in your rooms. Natural light is based on the amount of windows in a room, the position of the house and time of day. During each phase of the day, the interior of a room will look subtly different. So at some point during the day and night most rooms will need the boost of artificial lighting for both practical purposes as well as to create the right mood.

Room lighting can be divided into three distinct types:

General or background lighting
Local or task lighting
Accent or decorative lighting

Ideally, every room should have a combination, depending upon function, of at least two of these types. Ideally, too, each should meld into the other to form a sometimes dramatic but always harmonious whole.
In order to achieve this kind of lighting harmony, it might help to remember that artificial light is, after all, a substitute for daylight which is never static but always shifting and flowing. Think too, of the three types of light as representing different moods of daylight and how similar effects can be created.

In living rooms, the best effect is achieved if all three types of light are used.
Background lighting will seem more subtle if it comes from well-placed wall lights, used on their own or in conjunction with up-lights set on the floor and concealed behind plants or furniture, or in urns. Up-lights incidentally, preferably with dimmer switches, provide the best way of making dramatic room changes when it is impossible to change the overall wiring, or to put in more outlets. This kind of lighting will give a soft wash of light as opposed to the bland light that comes from a central ceiling fixture. To continue the analogy of daylight: the sun is never static in the middle of the sky, except, momentarily, during midday. So why should we try to emulate that harsh midday glare?

Task or local lighting is provided by table lamps and floor lamps placed by the side of sofas and armchairs for comfortable reading, or by angled wall lamps set just above seating areas if there is not very much floor space, and, of course, by desk lamps for writing and working.

Accent or decorative lighting comes from eyeball or different spots of various types, inset into the ceiling if at all possible, or in some way angled to highlight paintings, objects, tabletops, and so on. It can also come from pools of light cast by table lamps, from concealed lights in bookshelves and display cabinets, up-lights in floors, and from candles.

One important point to remember, if you do have the chance to rewire a room, is that all these light fixtures can be controlled and subtly modulated by separate switches and/or dimmer switches set by the door. If you are using up-lights positioned on the floor, remember to ask your electrician to have them switched from the door, for this will save a great deal of irritating stooping and crawling around on the floor to switch them on and off. Alternatively, if the rewiring involved to locate the switches by the door is too complicated, ask your electrician to install kick switches by any floor lamps, so that you can control them without having to bend.

Visit my blog over the next few days to discover the factors to consider for each room in your home...

Holiday decorating continued...

OK. So both the outside and inside of your house are classically decorated to reflect the beautiful season of autumn. But what about Halloween decorations? The key to adding a festive Halloween touch to your seasonal décor is to do it tastefully. In addition to the pumpkins, mums and cornstalks you may have adorning the outside of your home, consider adding some bales of hay on which you can position a decorative spider or grapevine pumpkin with lights. Adding faux spider webs to bushes is also a spooky touch. Use white, however, as the green spider webs are a little too kitschy. If you take the time to spread them out very thinly, they appear very realistic and a lot less tacky. Other fun Halloween touches can be in the form of ghosts swaying from your trees, scarecrows leaning against your hay bales and even purple lights on your bushes. Adding some of these ideas to your Halloween landscape will not only be fun, but will make yours the most festive (and tasteful) house on the block as well as the one no trick-or-treater will want to pass up.

Let the Holiday Decorating begin…

Now that summer has officially ended and we find ourselves in the month known for Halloween, holiday decorating season for 2009 is underway. While many think only of December holidays when talking about decorating, those of you reading this blog know that giving your home a festive touch really starts in October. And autumn is such a great season for interior decorating (and exterior!). If you are looking for ideas that involve more than just grabbing a few pumpkins from your local grocery store, how boring by the way, then you’ve come to the right place. Let’s start by talking about the outside for a change…
There are two things to consider when adding a festive touch to your home in the fall – the season and Halloween. First and foremost is to pay tribute to what I consider to be the most beautiful time of year. Start with a wreath on the front door. I think grapevines adorned with leaves, berries, and acorns of various reds, yellows, oranges and purples are a good start. Next, layer the front steps, stoop or porch (depending on what you have). Start with a couple tall planters or urns on either side of the front door with mums. Light or dark purple or deep burgundies are great colors for mums. Don’t select orange because that color will be used next when you set out your pumpkins. Try to group the pumpkins in odd numbers either in front of or around the planters. Generally, you’ll have room for about three. One should be large enough to handle the carving of a good design when the time comes, while the next two should be progressively smaller in size. If you want to add more, cornstalks around columns are also a nice touch. And enjoy the season by making an event out of going to purchase your pumpkins, flowers, etc. Plan to visit a local farm that offers “pick your own pumpkins”. Most places like that also sell mums, cornstalks and gourds and some even offer apple picking. What a great way to spend a fall day!
Inside the house it’s great to have vases filled with orange dahlias, festive bowls or baskets overflowing with small pumpkins and gourds and votive holders in warm colors like browns and gold filled with candles to be lit as the days begin to shorten. The inside of the home is also a great backdrop for seasonal décor. Consider switching out throw pillows to richly colored velvets. Accent rugs can be brought in that are a heavier weight and also have hues that compliment the oranges, purples and browns that are displayed outside. If you are really adventurous, switch your window treatments in a select room or two seasonally. This time of year, panels made of velvet or suede materials in jewel or earth tones not only provide insulation for your windows, but also dress them in the right material and colors for fall and winter.
Now, what if you either have children or are a kid at heart and want to deck your home for Halloween but in a tasteful way? We’ll talk about that next…

Paint

If wallpaper is still not for you, then consider the transformation a simple coat of paint in a beautiful color can have on a room. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the number of color choices available today, a certified color expert can quickly and easily perform a “color test” with you to eliminate 75% of the choices, thus ensuring you are truly selecting the color palette you find most appealing and is most appropriate for your home. Start by selecting a palette for the entire house and carry just a few complimentary colors throughout rather than giving in to the urge to paint every single room a drastically different color. You will find that this harmonious use of your favorite hues adds warmth and sophistication to the spaces in your home, usually for the least expense.

So whether you select just one of these suggestions or a combination, you may find that by making a few, less expensive yet well designed changes to the spaces you are in will make “staying in” the activity of choice not necessity.

Wall coverings

With endless choices available in terms of colors, patterns, and even textures, 21st century wall coverings are not the dated, hard to remove prints of years past. Look through a wall covering book today and you will find a range from vivid colors and bold, contemporary prints to softer, almost faux finish like coverings as well as innovative textured paper. When used sparingly in a few key, select rooms, wall coverings break up the monotony that sometimes is created by just having painted walls throughout a house. Wallpaper creates a “Wow” effect when you enter a room making that space a focal point in your home. The combination of paint and wallpaper is also quite striking. Traditionally found in rooms where a chair rail is present and paper is applied above with paint below the rail. The cost of labor to install wall coverings is often relatively the same if not less than the cost of painting, and wallpaper that resembles a faux finish is almost always less expensive than a painted faux finish. The cost per roll of many top quality coverings ranges from $40/roll to as high as $185/roll for very extravagant, textured papers.

Maximize your Decorating Dollar

Lately it seems that we are all very focused on how we are spending our money. However, being budget conscious hasn’t lessened our desire for beautiful, quality products or changed our appreciation of great style. In fact, with less money being spent on dining out and going to the movies, and more time being spent at home with family and entertaining friends, it is more important than ever to “Love the Space You’re In”.

Here are a few ideas on how to bring beauty and style into your home without sacrificing quality or breaking the bank:

Custom Window Treatments

Custom window treatments make a huge impact in any room. Dressing an otherwise “naked” window not only adds warmth and elegance to a space, but certain styles can actually make a standard 8 foot ceiling seem higher, a narrow window seem wider and an ordinary room spectacular! Whether you choose contemporary grommet panels or traditional swags and cascades, there are numerous options available to you in terms of fabrics, hardware and styles if you choose to have your window treatments custom made. But don’t mistake the word ‘custom’ for ‘expensive’. While certain fabrics and labor intensive treatments can be pricey, several styles can be achieved for under $700 with a finished product that looks priceless.

Stay tuned for more ideas…