Window Treatments
Window treatments are often done wrong. You can pay a fortune and if you execute them incorrectly it can end up hurting your space. If you are selecting drapes for a home, make sure you hang them high and wide. Hanging them high and wide actually makes the space feel taller and the window feel larger.
When choosing roman shades, we often use an inside mount in a window that is just floating in a wall without architectural details going on around it. Outside mount is our choice when the window is close to the ceiling, and we want to accentuate height or if it’s in between cabinets or bookshelves; this helps the scale of the space.
Café curtains are determined by the type of window and the depth you are working with. We often choose to do half of the window for the café curtains but do consider privacy here.
We don’t like to use roller shades unless they can be completely concealed or motorized. If we are designing a new build, we can plan with the architect to create a concealed soffit to conceal the drapes in the ceiling.
If you are wanting true blackout window treatments then just the blackout drapes alone will not be enough, light will filter through the edges of the drapes. To solve this problem, we add blackout roman shades underneath the drapes which also adds an extra layer.
Rugs
Rugs that are not appropriate in scale to the size of the room make a room feel smaller and more cluttered. A large enough rug is needed to anchor a large seating group appropriately to scale the space. A rug in a dining space needs to be large enough to fit under the table as well as under the chairs when they are pulled all the way out from under the table. If you fall in love with a smaller rug one option is to put it in the center of the room layered over a natural textural rug such as a sea grass or a jute rug.
Layer Lighting
Whether you have the ability to choose a custom design or you are working with existing lighting, adding lamps with dimmers can give you the opportunity for much more control on different moods for the room. Timers are also a nice option to add to lamps to control the timing and mood of each room. Adding art lighting to your pieces of art can add an extra layer or interest to the piece. We are big fans of layering a lot of different lighting to elevate a space.
Understanding the impact of bold color choices
It’s a common misconception that a dark color makes a room feel smaller and a light color makes a room feel larger, this is a myth. What really makes the room feel smaller is the contrast. If you a choose a dark wall with light trim and a light ceiling the room will feel busy, and the contrast defines the boundary making the space feel smaller. The same space painted with a dark wall and a dark trim feels expansive and continues pushing out.
Some people think accent walls are a great way to bring in a bold color or pattern in the form of wallpaper, the result is often the opposite. A contrasting paint color on one wall is rarely the answer. It is possible to use a wallpaper on an accent wall if it’s tone color blends in with the surrounding space. Mel chose a light, sheer and reflective wallpaper on her headboard wall that tied into the white paint color in the rest of the room. The metallic quality of the wallpaper catches the light and the finishes of the rest of the room.