Living Large – Page 2

Interior Decorating: 3 Ways to Cozy up Your Bedroom

January 8, 2021January 8, 2021

Often we take sleep for granted until we start to have problems with concentration, alertness, or our overall ability to function well. Then good sleep becomes more of a priority. Read on for 3 ways to create a nest like atmosphere in your bedroom that’s conducive to better sleep.

Interior design by Karen Mills featured in international book titled **Architecture Today Interior Design**

Simpler Bedding and Patterns As an interior designer in Kansas City I’ve used simple tone on tone patterns and texture in bedrooms for years in everything from fabulous washable linens from Italy to textured velvet or sheared fabrics like we’ve seen recently in fashion wear. Here in this Overland Park bedroom Italian bedding from Terrasi Home on the Plaza in simpler patterns, textural finishes and clutter free space create a stress free environment where we can unwind and relax.

Karen Mills' blog — Interior design by Karen Mills featured in international book titled **Architecture Today Interior Design**

2. Cozy Beds Beds that envelope us will continue to be popular whether its are a four poster bed, an upholstered bed like this guest room in Mission Hills, or a fabulous combination of both. In this guest room calming colors and patterns, low lighting, and clean lined furnishings enhance the overall feel, creating a beautiful interior design.

In this bedroom we designed a four poster bed creates a cozy feel
while the wallpaper, area rug, upholstered bench, and simpler fabrics on the chairs beyond enhance the relaxed inviting feel of this beautifully designed master bedroom in Mission Hills.

3. Textured Walls Painted accent walls have been a craze for years but wrapping the whole room in textural walls are becoming more popular. In this interior design space featured by Curated Kravet an upholstered bed, area rug, bench, throw, and bedding add to the cocoon feel created by the gorgeous textural walls enveloping the space.

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For more information on how to get better sleep and create a healthier environment, learn more at SLEEP BETTER LIVE BETTER now!

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Interior Decorating: 3 Tips for Selecting a Cozy Rug…

December 10, 2020November 30, 2021

An Interior Designer’s Ideas for Creating a More Inviting Feel in Your Living Space Using Area Rugs

Create a cozy seating area for conversation. In this room we introduced a rug that not only adds another layer of texture but also nice contrast to this darker space, picking up some of the daylight beyond. To further enhance the coziness of this interior design we went with a wool and silk rug that has a luxurious soft texture so it feels great on bare feet or in socks. Tips for Selecting the Correct Size of Area Rug

rug sizing example — Interior design by Karen Mills

2. Layer an area rug under the furniture (or at least the feet) of your seating area. Placement of the rug under your furniture in a cozy arrangement draws onlookers into the space for a closer look like shown here where we used a high quality hand knotted wool rug that is both washable and comfortable to walk on. 3 Tips for Creating a More Inviting Living Room

3. Select a rug with a soft hand or texture that feels great underfoot. In this living space our interior design firm layered in a super lush long shag area rug where you can dig in your toes and snuggle up for conversation, reading, or just watching a movie.

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Interior Decorating: The 3 Secrets to Monochromatic Living Room…

December 3, 2020December 3, 2020

Choose One Color Hue – When an interior designer says the word hue, we are referring to a color family such as blue, white, or black, for example. By focusing on one color like the white we selected for this family room area, you can make a huge impact. Here the white colors vary from walls and trim to finishes, furniture, and floor coverings.

2. Use a softer variation of color hue on upholstery or walls. In this lobby living area space, a darker color of pumpkin grounds the floor, while lighter upholstery fabrics and tile on pillars repeat the color scheme

3. Layer in multiple textures. Textured finishes in fabrics, flooring, wall and furniture can make or break a great interior design. Here in this taupe living room texture has been introduced on pillows, draperies, wallpaper, throws, upholstery, and rugs to create an interesting room that’s inviting but not overdone.

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Interior Design: 5 Tips for Selecting the Best Sofa

November 24, 2020November 24, 2020

As an interior designer I realize how little most homeowners know about selecting a sofa that will fit them so here are my top 5 secrets to selecting a perfect custom sofa for your home!

example — Interior design by Karen Mills

1. Determine the style and size of sofa needed. If you have tall ceilings and supersized furnishings, you will need a sofa that’s in proportion to the room’s height. In contrast if it’s a smaller space you need to make sure the sofa height doesn’t overpower your room and will fit by measuring your space ahead with room to walk around.

2. Ensure the sofa is high quality. As an interior designer I recommend looking for three things:

a kiln dried hardwood frame that has joints that have been dowelled, screwed, and glued with reinforcements at corners.

eight-way hand-tied springs or at least sinus spring construction
cushion filling that’s high density foam, down wrapped high density foam or all down.

Please note that if you have a bench style sofa (one seat cushion) you will want a firmer cushion fill so the seat doesn’t lose its shape. If you want to sink down into the sofa and don’t mind the daily care of fluffing your cushions then down fill could be the right option. As an interior designer though, I usually prefer down wrapped foam cushions that look nice on the exterior but still have long term comfort.

3. Make sure sofa fits your body type and height so your feet aren’t dangling above the floor or you aren’t unable to lean back comfortably in the seat because it too deep.

4. Select the quality fabric meant for upholstery. If you will be using the sofa regularly then you will need a higher double rub count for durability and if you have cats or dogs, avoid fabrics that can be snagged easily. Also keep in mind how easily the fabric will clean.

5. Use the best type of pattern. As an interior designer, I usually recommend a solid color or tone on tone fabric (pattern is all the same color) because a sofa usually dominates your room and often can be overpowering or date quickly with a pattern that’s too bold, trendy, or busy.

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Interior Design: 3 Tips to Creating a Comfortable Inviting…

November 20, 2020November 20, 2020

Ideas for Making Your Living Room More Cozy

1. Comfortable seating. As an interior designer I always recommend selecting upholstery that’s high quality with cushions that will comfortable to sit in for hours while ensuring your feet are able to touch the floor and the seat depth is right for you. Here we designed this seating area with high quality custom furniture that’s comfortable and inviting. 3 Tips for a Budget Living Room Makeover

2. Create a Cozy Conversation Area When an interior designer puts together a floor plan for a living area, they should focus on designing intimate seating areas like this one shown to create a relaxing comfortable space. Adding an area rug underneath helps define the space and pillows enhance the feel. 3 Big Design Mistakes We Make in Living Rooms

3. Layer in texture Texture can be added with fabrics, soft window treatments, decor, rugs, or art. In this intimate living area drapes, pillows, and a throw bring texture into the space along with a fabric ottoman, tray, and artwork.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 3 Tips for Making Your Bedroom Look…

October 29, 2020October 29, 2020

Choose bedding in a similar color to other finishes or lighter. In this master bedroom design, we opted for white airy bedding that bounces more light around the room while also nicely offsetting the dreamy light blue green wallpaper, hand knotted wool rug, and other reupholstered furnishings . In contrast you can also opt for darker bedding and walls to help the boundaries of the room disappear.

2. Layer in some furniture that feels visually lighter. In this bedroom space, we layered in some furniture with legs showing underneath along with a lighter wood bed, and light fabric on the chair to make the room feel larger. Light neutral bedding, a bed, light painted walls and a light chair bounce more light around the room also visually expanding the space.

2. Add fabrics and finishes with little or no pattern including bedding, walls, furniture, and flooring. In this bedroom the homeowner used tone on tone bedding, a white upholstered bed, an acrylic bench with invisible legs, and mirrored nightstands to help visually expand her bedroom.

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Interior Design: 3 Tips for Creating Rustic Glam Design…

October 23, 2020October 23, 2020

As an interior designer I’ve noticed a huge trend over the past several years towards creating simple spaces that are a wonderful mix of rustic and glamour. Here are my 3 tips for creating your own style of rustic glam.

Introduce weathered furniture/furnishings

Weathered style furnishings could include anything from antique/vintage brand new furniture in weathered finishes and styles that remind you of a farmhouse look.

In this great room a rustic wood coffee table and wire bin end table on wheels were introduced along with the casual cotton covered sofa and chair.

2. Add touches of white

By juxtaposing the white chairs in the eating area against the rustic table finish and shimmery light fixtures, a wonderful symphony is created that undulates between masculine and feminine in this relaxing space.

The family room beyond continues the rustic glam theme with its beach elements on the coffee table contrasting nicely against the tufted sofa and gold mirror beyond which feel more glamorous.

3. Layer in a glamorous element

In this kitchen area matching mini chandeliers provides the perfect glam touch to this older kitchen with updated finishes. The rustic table juxtaposes nicely against the marble in the kitchen to create just the right amount of tension.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

The Home of the Future

October 2, 2020October 2, 2020

An Interior Designer’s Tips for Building a Home That Can Adapt to Changing Needs

Homeowners are looking for a home of the future that’s not only functional and healthy, but also flexible and inviting whether its a home office (or two) for work/school, a gym, coffee shop, entertainment area (home theater), or a place to vacation at home. Read on for my interior designer tips on how to make your home easily adapt to your future needs.

When you’re designing a new home consider first how to create a clean healthy environment. Some options to consider include:

– a floor plan with a mudroom/laundry area and shower just inside the garage door where family members can get cleaned up before entering the rest of the house

– a high quality air purifying system that removes toxins including viruses and bacteria

– bathrooms with all tiled walls and ceilings that can be hosed down when needed.

– a floor plan that allows great cross ventilation of fresh outdoor air and for sunlight to penetrate further into the home.

Click now to continue reading our City Lifestyle article here.

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Interior Design: A Historic Kansas City Kitchen Remodel

September 25, 2020September 25, 2020

Are you dreaming of a kitchen like the after but your reality is the before?

BEFORE

AFTER

As I toured this historic high rise condo on the plaza in Kansas City for the first time as an interior designer, the reality of the situation was bleak. The condo hadn’t been updated for years and the maze of tiny crooked rooms made it difficult to imagine the beautiful open kitchen it could be.

To start I knew we had to enlarge the kitchen so we took over the tiny adjacent maid’s room shown above to gain a few more feet, knocking out that wall.

Our end goal was a large open inviting kitchen full of natural daylight that was classic like this historic high rise located in the famous Country Club Plaza so to start we tore down the existing entrance wall to open the kitchen up to the existing dining room and resized the mismatched windows in each room to be more consistent.

We also relocated the adjoining dining room to the over sized living area and made the former dining room a hearth area that opened into the kitchen.

To make the rooms feel more expansive but also timeless, we tore out the flooring in the kitchen and wove in new wood floors to match the existing wood flooring elsewhere.

Next we began to lay out a floor plan that included a gorgeous custom island along with designing custom flush mount European style cabinetry that was also functional and a lighting plan that would make the room pop.

On the right we designed a beautiful custom stove hood with lit glass cabinetry and large drawers underneath to hold pots and pans. Plus we took the beveled subway tile to the ceiling to add height and drama to the space.

In the back we designed a pantry area that disguised the crooked structural wall and added doors that opened to reveal a coffee station and appliance storage along with additional glass lit cabinetry.

On the left we created a bar area with a wine cooler, additional sink, and storage along with lit glass front cabinetry to hold glassware.

And on the island we added a thick mitered top to give the beautiful Cambria marble style top even more importance!

The result – a large open living/work space that lives large and is also functional.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 8 Ingredients of Timeless Design

September 17, 2020September 17, 2020

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2MB-great-room.jpg — Interior design by Karen Mills featured in *Architecture Today Interior Design* book

So if you would like to avoid trendy decorating and have a more enduring design too, here is an informative article I wrote for Houzz . (Click link below to read)

8 Rooms with Staying Power

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