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Before:
The Problem
THE
living room in Maggie Seymour’s home in Arlington,
Virginia, isn’t working well for her family. They use
the 13-by-11-foot space as a mudroom and a place to keep
backpacks, sporting gear, shoes, coats, the vacuum and
golf clubs. A bulky armoire stores winter coats,
umbrellas and pool towels and hides a window that has an
unsightly view of the carport. They need a better method
of organization and a plan to make this main entry more
welcoming.
Design
solutions:
1.
Paint. Cheyenne Green for the walls and Navajo White for
the trim.
2-4.
Bring in a free-standing wardrobe. Use an unfinished
maple wardrobe as a closet to store coats, backpacks and
umbrellas. Paint the wardrobe the same color as the trim
and replace the wooden knobs with bronze pulls. Add a
faux fern in a bronze stand for softness and color.
5.
Storage. Fashion a storage bench from bookcases for
hiding shoes, backpacks and bike helmets. Add a comfy
cushion for pulling on boots. Bolt two unfinished
bookcases together and paint them the same color as the
trim. Cover a cushion in a sage-colored fabric.
6-7.
Conceal the unsightly window view with a large mirror.
Remove window molding and hang an oversize, arched
mirror to open and reflect the space. A sculptural and
functional umbrella stand will finish the entry area.
8-11.
Accessorize. Remove the wall mirror with hooks and
replace it with an elegant, walnut demilune table. Hang
artwork and add a lamp and accessories for texture and
warmth.
12. Add
softness. Add extra softness and insulation with a
natural woven shade, hung behind the existing fabric
Roman shade.
13.
Flooring. Replace existing carpet and runner with wood
laminate flooring. Lay a patterned area rug on top to
hide dirt.
Designer’s critique
VICKI
ANOFF of Vicki Anoff Interiors in
Bethesda,
and Ronnie Jaffe of Caron Associates in Potomac, say the
first priority is to declutter. Then, carve out a
distinct entry way to make the room more welcoming for
guests. Add storage pieces to keep mudroom items out of
sight. Coordinate furniture, fabrics and an area rug
with the remainder of the room to dress up and unify the
space. The
Washington
Post
****
Putting big TVs in proper perspective
By Kira Goldenberg
Hartford
Courant
Big-screen TVs are, well, big.
As more
people buy big-screen TVs for their homes, interior
designers face the challenge of finding innovative ways
to make the screen feel like part of the room instead of
visually taking it over.
“Conceptually, what we’re finding is, yes, people want
the focus to be on television viewing, but the question
is how to hide the television,” says Laura Bordeaux,
owner of FX Design in Glastonbury and president of the
state chapter of the American Society of Interior
Designers.
“It’s
become a focal point but yet an eyesore in the same
respect because it’s so large,” she says.
Twenty-nine percent of US households own a TV that is 40
inches or larger, a Consumer Electronics Association
study found this year, and 61 percent said they expected
to own one at some point if they didn’t already.
Some
people buy a colossal set to show that they have the
latest technology. For many, it’s just a guy thing—a
bigger screen is ideal for watching sports and playing
video games.
One “TV
guy” is West Hartford resident Jeff Anderson. Last year,
he and his wife, Kristin Anderson, renovated the living
room of their home, adjacent to Rockledge Golf Course.
Jeff agreed to the major renovation Kristin
envisioned—if they could incorporate a big-screen TV
into the redesign.
West
Hartford interior designer Kathy Hayes worked with the
Andersons to make sure their new 50-inch TV did not
dominate the living room.
She set
the screen in a dark wooden wall unit to mask the screen
size and filled its other shelves with textured
knickknacks that she says balance out the slickness of
the screen.
Thick
draperies hang on each side of the French doors that
face the golf course, creating a larger visual unit that
draws the eye away from the TV toward the view outside.
Hayes used the same effect around the fireplace, hanging
a painting that filled the space between the mantle and
ceiling to create a greater whole. She also incorporated
circular designs throughout the room—end tables, rugs
and wall decorations—to contrast with the squareness of
the TV set.
Hayes
visually deemphasized the television. Another way to
mask a big TV is to frame it and pretend it’s a piece of
art.
Chris
Ardery of Designs by Chris in
Newington
hangs flat-screen TVs over client mantles. They sit in
custom frames with a print rolled between the screen and
the frame like a shade. When the television is not in
use, the print can be unfurled to hide the screen and
make it look like a framed piece of art.
“It’s a
lot prettier than letting that black thing hang on the
wall,” she says.
But
sometimes that black thing gets to shine. Bordeaux is
designing an entertainment basement for Phil and Iwona
Leger of Tolland, who plan to buy a TV with a 50- to
72-inch screen.
“We went
to [Bordeaux] and we said, ‘We want to have a wine
cellar, and a pool table, and a home theater area,’”
Phil Leger says. “What can you do with the space that we
have?”
Bordeaux
designed the space with half-height walls so the Legers
can watch TV both from the couch and also while playing
pool in the next room.
“In an
entertainment space,”
Bordeaux
says, “you’re not trying to hide the box.” |
