Buying furniture for a space can be overwhelming, especially when on a tight budget. I often encourage clients to purchase a neutral base with their furniture (tans, creams, brown or black leather). This allows you to bring in color with your accessories: pillows, window treatments, and so on. It becomes a more cost effective option down the road when you want a new look. It is MUCH less expensive to replace a throw pillow (just re-cover it!) than to replace a whole couch when you’ve become tired of the pattern.

Neutral base + colorful accessories

turquoise

turquoise

Whether it’s two brothers, two sisters, or a brother and a sister sharing a bedroom, designing for two unique children can be a challenge. You want to have a cohesive look, without taking away from their individuality. Some tips to go about this:

• Buy matching matching bed frames. No matter what is on the bed, this will unify the space.
• Buy coordinating bedding, not matching. Let your daughter have her pink, and your son his orange (or vice versa!). Companies will often offer the same pattern in various colors. Letting them chose “their” color is a fun way to involve them in this process.
• Personalize.  A monogramed pillow, their name in letters above their bed, something that says ‘this is my space’ is a nice way to add a personal touch.
• Be creative. Sister #1 loves soccer, and sister #2 loves ballet. Have each of them draw themselves doing what they love best, and frame them in identical frames. It will save you some $ on artwork as well!

Have your own design dilemma you’d like help with? Email me at summersaltdesign@gmail.com

shared bedroom

3 for 1 today! 

Wednesday Website  I began to despise the word “fabulous” around the second day of design school. EVERYTHING was described as fabulous. Not that I didn’t want my work to be so, it just loses it’s impact when it’s said or heard 4,000 times a day. This site, however, has renewed my faith in all things Fabulous, the way it was meant to be. It combines amazing designer products with daily inspiration, earning it’s name: www.fab.com

Design Tip Tuesday When you have hit the proverbial brick wall when facing a design challenge in your home, walk away. Stop staring at it, stop looking at it, stop thinking about it. Take a break, go outside, do something else, ANYTHING else. Don’t come back to it until you clear your head, and are ready to look at it with a new perspective. That walk you take outside may lead you to the inspiration you have been searching for.

Monday Inspiration Board: 

b+w

FRIDAY DIY
Message Board

Message Board

———-
You’ve all seen chalkboard paint in your hardware store by now. But did you know that they also make MAGNETIC paint? I chose to layer the two on this project.
First choose a space to create your message center. I chose a large wall in my kitchen, and decided to frame it out. I bought a long piece of the inexpensive pre-painted trim at Lowe’s and had my brother mitre it into 4 pieces. A mitre box and a hand saw are all that is needed. If you have a smaller space, consider painting the entire wall, and skip the frame.
I took the measurements of the square created by the 4 pieces of trim, and taped it out on the wall. Paint directly onto the wall (you can always paint over it if you move) You will need at LEAST 10 coats of magnetic paint…the directions say 3. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Then layer over the space with chalkboard paint. Once it dries, nail the trim to the wall creating a frame around the paint.
In total I spent about $45 on this project. A board this size in a retail shop would run well over $200.
Send me pictures if you decide to take on this project!  summersaltdesign@gmail.com

“I don’t know how to buy art” a recent client said.

I am certainly no expert, but my advice is always, if you love it (and can afford it), buy it. If you don’t love it, you’ll find something else. It’s really that simple.

Affording art is a whole other story. I fell in love with a painting on Martha’s Vineyard, and decided I had to have it. When the artist told me the price tag (which was more than the cost of my and my husband’s cars combined), I almost passed out. I will, someday, go back and commission some of her work. Until then, here are some places I shop for art:

• Young and upcoming artists can provide an amazing resource for artwork. And most of the time they are not in a place in their career where they will charge 100′s of thousands of dollars for their work…yet! Check out local art schools for shows.
• Made in (fill in state here). Not only will you be supporting your community, but fill your home with beautiful pieces made where you live
• Consignment shops. I found this piece below at a local consignment shop, buried for months behind an old couch. I paid $100 for it (which, at the time, was a lot for us). It’s one of the best investments I’ve ever made. I see it every day, and I love to look at it.
  

  sculpture from consignment shop

Choosing the right paint color for your home can be difficult. To make the process easier, find a photo that you love, and head to this site:

http://www.degraeve.com/color-palette/

Upload your photo, from say a vacation, holiday, day at the park. This website will generate a color palette for you based on the colors of the photo. Genius.