Wesley Hall – KAREN MILLS

Interior Design: 7 Steps to Designing a Dramatic Dining…

July 14, 2017

Karen Mills' blog — Photo courtesy of Lillian August furniture

Who doesn’t love the thought of a beautiful dining room where you can have dinner parties, a romantic dinner, or just intimate family gatherings. Read on for how to design your own beautiful dining room.

1. Select Your Personal Design Style – If you have no idea what style you are start by finding inspiration photos online or in print. Then notate your favorite elements from each room to get a sense of your style. In this room a transitional glam style sectional is combined with a more traditional style chair and artwork.

2. Pick a Color Scheme – Most of us don’t spend much time in a dining room so have fun in here and pick colors you love. Bolder colors can go on decor, rugs, chairs, or even walls but if you like to change up your style often, you might consider neutral walls and floors that give more flexibility when you want to change your color scheme. Here the yellow green chair fabrics repeat one of the colors in the art while the buffet and tabletop add a dark contrast to the bold colors.

3. Add Dining Table and Seating – The dining room table and chairs along with the items directly behind them are the focal point of your room. Begin by determining how many people you need to seat and ensuring you have room for the table you want. Plus remember that your chairs don’t need to match your table, just enhance them.

If you opt for a dramatically styled table, then consider simpler style chairs and backdrop. Or if you go with a simpler style table, you might bring in drama with a wall covering or beautiful buffet with art above.

4. Consider Including Additional Furniture – The majority of dining rooms benefit from functional storage furniture like a buffet and curio cabinets shown in this photo, but don’t forget about sofa tables, tea carts, and other furnishings that can enhance your room and provide handy surfaces for lamps, platters, trays, or display.

5. Introduce a Dramatic Element – A bold element can range from a gorgeous piece of art like a sculpture or painting to wallpaper or beautiful buffet/curio to a stunning light fixture.

6. Layer in Texture – Adding texture softens all the hard surfaces of the table, chairs, buffets, and hard flooring. Texture can be introduced with an area rug, drapes/window coverings, fresh flowers, live plants/trees, or textural decor. In this photo fresh flowers on the table and upholstered furniture add texture.

7. Add lighting – Don’t forget about lighting because it creates much need ambiance and light when necessary. Table lamps on a buffet or sofa table look beautiful behind a table along with a stunning chandelier and/or sconces on the wall behind.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 7 Easy Ways to Style Your Foyer

June 30, 2017

Front entries are the first impression you make on guests so why not create an inviting space. As an interior designer I tell my clients to think of their entry as an advertisement for their home and what’s to come. The entry should hold some of their favorite things and introduce the color scheme for their home’s interior design, revealing a little about their personal style. Read on for 7 simple ways to create a beautiful foyer.

Introduce a Sofa Table or Case piece – Start with a piece of furniture that fits easily in your entry and ideally can also hold decor. Examples of case pieces could include a chest like this photo, a curio, sofa table, desk, etc. A chair adds pattern and color to create a more interesting look.
Freshen Up with Live Flowers or a Plant – In the photo above the texture of the flowers and branches balance out the cold surfaces of the mirror, chest, and vases, bringing the outdoors in.
Layer in Artwork or a Mirror – Introducing artwork can add texture and reveal a bit of your personality, while a mirror is not only functional but also makes a style statement and can bounce light around from a lamp placed in front.
Ground Your Entry with a Rug – Layering a rug underneath adds warmth, color, and style to your foyer. In this photo the rug also picks up the colors of the chair and flowers.
Photo courtesy of Schumacher
Light it up With a Lamp – Lamps not only provide function and ambiance, but they can introduce more style to a space like the demure pink lamp in this photo of a sofa table grouping that’s actually part of a living room. The gold color throughout creates a cohesive element, while the pattern of the sofa table, stools, and branches add style and interest.
Replace Your Overhead Lighting – This photo provides a great example of how to dress up an entry with a stunning light fixture. Of course an actual entry chandelier might be smaller but this fixture adds style without competing with the rest of the furnishings.
Photo courtesy of Motif Designs
Tell a Color Story – You don’t have to be as bold and bright as this entry photo, but every space does have a color scheme even it’s neutral. The red color of the sofa table and vase do add more sizzle to the blue lamp and wallpaper, but their simple lines and lack of pattern help calm the space to keep it from being overwhelming. Fresh leaves give life while the mirror helps bounce light and visually enlarge the space.

To learn about color options for your foyer, read my Houzz article titled 7 Color Palettes for a Pleasing Entryway –

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/…/list/7-color-palettes-for-a-pleasing-entryway

become a fan of Kansas City’s interior designer and former Living Large design show host Karen Mills, on Facebook here

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