A Pretty and Functional Den

I was visiting Mom recently and she gets pretty much every magazine there is. She had a copy of the Dec. 2010 issue of a really good home magazine, Southern Living.

I spotted a room makeover in this issue and was really impressed with the attention to detail, palette and design of the room. The article appears on pg. 72 and is called “Meet The Hassingers.” It is a story about a couple that met and married and then had to mesh their own personal styles. I am not sure what happened to this world, but apparently men also have opinions on design and style. When I was first married this was all considered the woman’s prerogative and frankly, my own husband never cared what I chose.

But, it’s all different now and that is a good thing. Anyway, if you take a look at the “before” photos, they are comical at best. They feature two giant brown leather recliners and for added measure a huge green leather (pretty sure we are talking faux leather here) wing chair, a sad window treatment and a super-sized TV above the fireplace. This must have been his home, not hers.

The transformation is fantastic. The designer chose a soft neutral grey green for the walls, a large sailcloth sofa big enough for two or four with masculine tacks and then to feminize the space, added bright pink and green pillows, hot pink vases with roses and colorful art to the walls.

But what most impressed me was the window treatment. So many people are skittish about anything but beige fabrics and this designer chose an ikat design drapery in a green, red, pink and gold palette. It totally pulls the room together. The TV is still atop the fireplace, which is ok since there are other interesting things to focus like the jute rug, artwork and accessories.

Of course, I have a few areas I would have treated differently. While the fireplace is not centered on the main wall and is flanked by bookshelves, I think the choice of recovering books with white or off white covers is weird. These shelves would be better suited with some interest, like greenery, and vases in the accent colors or even plain white vases mixed in with real book covers. I think the art on the left wall is hung way too low, as if only a three year old could appreciate it and the giant lamp hanging over the sofa is really difficult to sit beneath. A really big lamp in red or pink on the table behind the sofa would be great. I do like the comfy upholstered chairs that flank the fireplace but I am not wild about that cocktail table.

That said, the overall transformation really captured what the clients wanted – a comfortable and functional room in which they could relax and entertain.

Photos from Southern Living

Redo Update

Emily, our NYC career girl has been working hard to update her apartment using both my suggestions and her own ideas. I promised to keep you informed so check out these great photos Emily recently sent. She purchased that cute giraffe chair and a gorgeous sofa table from Pier1.

Emily recently asked for help on choosing a lamp. So far, I have only one photo for her but I will keep looking. She needs a lamp WITHOUT a dark shade (yes, I know they are good looking but as a light source the shade blocks too much) and with wattage capability of 150. Wattage of 100 will work in a pinch but 150 is better. The wattage is what causes the search difficulty - to find something fashionable and sharp often the wattages are low - like 60. Pretty much worthless as a real light source, I would consider that ambient light only. Check out the one (so far) lamp suggestion.

Becky Lights it Up!!

Good lighting is essential to your environment both at home, in an office or retail space. But lighting can “trick” you too. Ever notice how nice that produce looks in the grocery and when you get it home, not so good? Or how great you look in that swimsuit in the dressing room – and then when you try it on again at home it doesn’t seem to fit as well? On a side note I once herniated a disc in my neck trying on a bathing suit that was sized incorrectly – as in way too small. Any of you who know me, good luck getting this picture out of your head.

Anyway, lighting is vital to our natural well-being and as a tool for our lives. Let’s address regular day to day lighting in your main living space, great room, family room etc. Height and wattage are the most important issues. Depending on the height of your end table (or whatever you are using as one) the lamp height will vary. When you are seated, the light (not the shade) source should fall over your shoulder and down.

The teensy lamps are really decorative only and can be used to light up a kitchen counter at night or fill in a space on a bookshelf or are pretty in a powder room.

Ambient lighting, like those interesting candlestick lamps (sold everywhere from $-$$$$) are really decorative and lovely to turn on at night to light up your foyer or dining room or a small corner – but they are not suitable for tasks or reading.

To really have functional light, you need good wattage. I prefer the three-way (I am not talking about Skyline Chili here or any other weird thing that might pop up in your head) bulbs, that have a 150 wattage at their highest point. A lamp has to have a broad enough shade to actually let the light spill over you. Dark shades of course are cool looking, but they won’t give enough light unless they are very wide at the bottom and tall. Light colored shades have a glow from top to bottom. A mix of shades and styles work the best in a room (please no matchy matchy) but to actually read or do needlework or whatever, keep the lamp close and bright.

*Becky Knows Everything: I would love to see pictures of your favorite lamps or comments on what works for you! Send them to me at beckybarras@hotmail.com or leave a comment on my blog.