I recently completed a project with design challenges I have not faced to date. The biggest challenge…. I never met with my client as he resides in Indonesia and my budget was 30K to completely furnish a 1600 square foot condo in the heart of Seattle.
Challenge: The owner resides in Indonesia and provided a 30K budget to completely furnish the entire condo this included kitchen, dinner and flatware. Also part of the challenge was to take a modern built condo and create an interior that provides a welcoming, warm home for my client.
Solution: I provided my client inspirational photos so we would be speaking the same language with regards to style, color and texture. The space is dramatic with large windows, high ceilings and dark wood finishes throughout. Rather than choosing something that would fight with the boldness of the space and architecture, I have unified the elements with a neutral palette and accents of my client’s favorite colors. To keep on budget, I divided the space into zones creating a design plan before any purchases were made. I mixed products from the Seattle Design Center, local consignment shop as well as a few items overstock.com.
A special thank you to Carolyn Machetanz for her hours of assistance, she truly made this project FUN!
Before the photo shoot, I worked with a delightful Floral Designer at Willow & Bloom in the Fremont neighborhood.
Miya Ferguson and her staff created the beautiful centerpiece for the coffee table using fabric swatches I provided for texture and color. Her shop is a jewel, filled with floral delights from around the world as well as charming gifts. www.willowandbloom.com
I feel it is important that someone address the illusions created by the home design programs that flood our TV screens. I must admit that some are interesting and fun to watch. But herein lays the problem: most viewers see the programming as real and factual, you know…the total makeover in 2 hours with a [...]
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WHAT’S YOUR STYLE? Traditional, Contemporary, Modern or perhaps Transitional…. everyone has a style. It may take some detective work to expose it, but believe me it’s there.
Traditional: Design preferences are influenced from 18th, 19th and early 20th century European and American furnishings, colors and textures.
Contemporary: Styles range from the later half of the 20th century. [...]
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I have discovered an amazing website I want to share with you, ColorSchemeDesigner.com. If you LOVE color, as much as I do, this site is super fun and can take the guesswork out of color relationships. It allows you to design a color palette from monochromatic, complimentary to triad. Altering colors by reducing pigment or [...]
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I love to mix patterns, textures and time periods together – the results are always unique and unexpected. Mix it up, have fun and don’t be afraid to get creative. There isn’t a right or wrong way to do it. Here is some advice to get you started:
When mixing patterns, it is always a [...]
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I LOVE COLOR!! It is one of the most powerful design elements and can change our perception of reality. In nature color exists in perfect harmony and balance, but it seems a mystery when we try to bring it in doors. What better time to observe color and all it’s beautiful than Spring? Keep your [...]
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What if you could use what you already have to create a great space? Finding beauty in what you have means looking at things differently. Sometimes it means a fresh set of eyes; perhaps a friend.
Often when I meet with my clients I find that they have treasures just waiting to be discovered. In [...]
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For most people, blogging has become such a basic part of their daily route that it may seem odd that I have labored over the idea for 2 years. I worried that it would be one more thing to take away from my creative time; would I have anything interesting to share and who [...]
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