Sofas 101 ... Made Real Simple

As we move indoors from our summer outdoor living...we may decide that some key foundational pieces need to be replaced! A new sofa could be  just what your room needs. Its best to understand the styles and shapes of sofas and the message they send. Then you can choose the right sofa for the feeling you want to convey.

Below is an excerpt from one of my favorite magazines Real Simple. They make sofas 101 easy to grasp.

When I was hired to create a living room for a couple in their early 40's ... Their first words were "We don't want Biege! And we want to be wowed!" So using high contrast colors and designing high backed sofas I was able to create HIGH impact... Just what my clients wanted. Sofas can be a real statement piece in your home. 

Photo: www.kimberleejaynes.com

Do you really need an interior designer?

Do you really need an interior designer?  The cabinet maker measured the master bathroom wall and made the rendering below. I was brought in and made the rendering below it. Yes it is simple but has so much more style and it does not smack of grandma's home!

Rendering made by non design professional

Rendering below by Kimberlee Jaynes Interior Designs Inc.

You be the judge...design professionals can pinpoint the look and feel you are trying to achieve but might not know how to get.  I also saved my client money by using 1/2 slab quartz composite counter tops instead of full slab solid surface material. There are many resources that designers have that can help you save money and get results!

What is my Message? Does your home have an identity crisis?

What Is My Message?

Challenge:  Discovering how you want to live and what message you want your home to convey. There are basic questions I ask my clients; these answers aid me in understanding what they want their home to say about themselves. In fact, your answers to these questions may actually surprise you. This is the section that will help you discover a true reflection of your authentic self. If you want serenity and relaxation, think about comfort; use soft fabrics and soothing colors. At other times you may want to be energized. High contrasts of bright colors and bold patterns give energy to a room. You decide if you want your whole house in one mode of style or just a few rooms. Solution:  Use the space below to describe what identity you want from your home. This will help you personalize your space, since no two people are alike. You will want to pay attention to the answers to the following questions. Do I want serenity, relaxation and comfort? ____________________________________________________  Do I want to be energized by a colorful home? _________________________________________________  Do I want lots of textures and finishes? Some shiny, some dull?____________________________________  Would I like a home that impresses others? ____________________________________________________  If so, what impresses me? ____________________________________________________________________  How do I want to feel when I enter my home? _________________________________________________  What fabric patterns do I like? _______________________________________________________________  What colors do I want to live with? ___________________________________________________________  Do I like touches of whimsy?_________________________________________________________________  Am I sophisticated? Subdued? ________________________________________________________________ You get the idea. Ask yourself the questions that will give you the words that will describe who you are and how you want to live.

The Message

My client wanted color and playful energy in the entry of her downtown loft. Before, it was boring and bland. During our discovery interview, I asked my client what message she wanted her house to send. I had the direction I needed to turn blah into bold and beautiful.  The Red laquer mirror adds glamour and reflection in a dimly lit entry hallway. The animal print and bright solid rug squares create an inviting and playful entry. The metallic gold-backed grass cloth gives much needed w armth and texture opposite the concrete gallery wall. To see lots of before and after transformations visit Kimberlee Jaynes  Exerpt from my DIY eBook Design it Yourself  A Step-by-Step workbook for interior design

Whenever I go on vacation I' m thinking of you my readers...what might you be inspired by?  I found this fabulous store called Bungalow in AZ.
I had a wonderful time examining all of the fanciful finds that the owner and her stylists unearthed. 

               

I fell in love with this patio furniture...so much so that I'm thinking at the end of this season I will shop for a sectional for our upper deck!  

Bungalow has a real sense of the MIX old and new worn and weathered...

I hope you have found some inspiration in these photos from my trip...take a chance and mix and match and shake up your home decor. Happy decorating from Kimberlee Jaynes Interior Designs Inc.!

Interior Design Shopping in Scottsdale

I had a wonderful time in Scottsdale AZ and whenever I travel interior design is always at the forefront of my mind. I seek out shops that might be of interest. I found the Scottsdale Market Place 35 stores under one roof! I was in heaven! I found everything from mink covered footstools and pillows to "criquers" every home in France has a cricket for good luck. I bought one for me and one for my mother. I was surprised how much of a French influence the market place had, I was also pleasantly surprised by the choice of wall colors. Very vibrant combinations!
More tomorrow!

When do you know its time to hire an interior designer?

I had a client that was from France living in the US, he moved to Stuttgart Germany. He asked me to design his home in Stuttgart. He was moving into a very contemporary space. My client had many antique family French treasures that he wanted to incorporate into his new residence along with some modern art that he had collected and some that we had had commissioned when he lived in the US.

Mixing old and new could have been a sheer disaster if the right balance had not been struck between the two. He was wise to hire an interior designer to pull it all together. A seasoned eye and competent professional can easily guide you through the process and edit the non estensitials.

The walls were left in a pale white so I used warm colors and inviting textures of velvet, mohair and leather to create a welcoming space in this otherwise sterile modern home. I mixed very modern lamps, end tables and artwork to "temper" the antique settee, writing desk, bar and French country dining table. The Kravet linen and velvet from Belgium is an unexpected flourish of softness that plays beautifully against the antique settee in the sitting room adjacent the living room and makes an inviting place to sit on the fabric covered floor cushions. I carried the same fabric into the dining room on the modern bench I had made by a local artisan that nestles next to the dining room glass wall. The modern mix continues outside with a rusted metal sculptor. My client is thrilled with the results and is so happy to live with ALL of the pieces he loves.

A few things you need to know about remodeling.

BEFOREAFTER

1. Get a good contractor.

Many home owners think they organize the job themselves. If you have more the three trades people coming in to work you will want a contractor they will schedule the order in which the remodel will flow and make sure that the trades are doing a good job. A good contractor is a problem solver and every remodel has its share of head scratching.

2. Hire an interior designer.

Working with a good interior designer is like taking out an insurance policy for your decor project. The designer will guide you through the process and away from trendy products and applications. A good designer will make sure that your dollars are well spent and that you end up with the result you desired and more!

3. Purchase good quality cabinets.

There is no substitution for quality and the sting of the price will be gone long before the pride and pleasure of the cabinets are experienced for your lifetime.

4. How do you choose those three professionals?

Due diligence. Last weekend was the "Tour of Remodeled Homes" Its a good idea to go to these events and meet lots of contractors, cabinet makers and interior designers. Find a team that you connect with. Ask for references, not just from the past but ask for clients they are currently working with. Anyone can find 5 people from the past that are happy clients but it tells you volumes when you can talk to current clients. Ask if they were on budget on time friendly and cleaned up when the project was done. Were phone calls and emails returned promptly? Were they happy with the end result?

I had a home on the "Tour of Remodeled Homes" last weekend and I am happy to say that I can refer the contractor and the cabinet representative. T.H.E Remodel Group : Steve and Artistic Cabinet Creations: Josh were a delight to work with and were on budget and on time and the most important thing is that the clients were very pleased.

Day five of ten days of interior design things I Love

I LOVE clean / simple...bold / graphic...colorful yet sophisticated. The glasses are from Germany and are called Love Potion. There is a face representing each nationality. The inside is 24K gold! This fabulous entry table from JD Madison has the perfect simple clean lines for the vermilion, marigold and metallic gold painting from Butters gallery.

I am the luckiest woman in the world!

Because I love my job! I want to share some more photos from the a job I recently finished. My work never ceases to give me great pleasure! I am as amazed as my client's are when the job is done. It gives me so much satisfaction to see the end result and to be pleased and surprised by how it all works out. I am impressed with my client's savvy to hire a designer in the first place, because many of them have never worked with a designer before.
It can be a frightening proposition! Think about it...a stranger is going to come into your home and spend your hard earned money on big ticket items and you wonder HOW can this designer possibly know what we want/need? A good designer uses a comprehensive questionnaire along with strong intuitive skills for reading not only the most important ingredient -the- client but what design would best fit the architecture of the home, the lighting, the position of the home on the site etc. Below are some reasons to get some help from a professional.

Why Hire a Designer
1. Provide solutions: Each project, small or large presents challenges. Whether it is lack of storage, poor traffic flow, lack of a color scheme, maximizing light and space or unusual windows and how to dress them.
2. Prevent costly mistakes: So many choices, too many options, and this product over that product. There are so many decisions to make and questions to answer it can be overwhelming unless you have encountered those decisions dozens of times before. With all of my experience I save you money by working quickly and doing it right the first time.
3. Guidance: I know sources well enough to edit the options and offer seasoned advice to guide clients through the myriad of design choices. I will give you peace of mind you will get all of my experience.
4. Well connected: Any design is only as good as its execution. Designers work with the best workrooms, carpenters, and painters and have the clout to make sure the price matches the quality.
5. Resources: I have access to the world of furnishings, fabrics and accessories that are “to the trade only” that would be otherwise unavailable to consumers.
6. Convenience: I will save you time and aggravation by bringing the store to you.
7. Set priorities: I will help allocate your “design dollars” and how best to spend your money now and plan for the future phases of your design project.
8. Liaison/advocate: I work with the trades-people and manufactures regularly and have more leverage to get things repaired or replaced when necessary.
9. Working through opposing taste: I can be the third party to join taste and style between husband and wife or significant other.
10. Get the job done: I see to it that everything is completed. Often when a project drags on for months, clients might be inclined to leave those few details undone if they are doing it they are doing it themselves. It’s the designer’s job to see to it that every aspect is completed to your satisfaction.

I just finished this job today...It's all in The Mix.

I think my client was surprised when I confessed that her home was the most fun that I have had designing for some time. And you ask why? Because they let me mix it up like nobodies business!

This couple has a sophisticated style. They also understand how important it is to mix.

Mix Styles, Colors, Patterns and Proportions.

I started with the Italian white lacquered dining table and used a Danish modern 1960's buffet topped with a gorgeous piece of white Carrara marble. The host and hostess regency chairs are Italian black lacquer with black and ecru colored demi -slipcovers. The side chairs are brown leather. To keep it all from floating away, my client and I designed the multi colored striped rug.

Then to throw it off and keep it from being too matchy ...we introduced the raw wood light fixture with Mercury glass bulb. The black and white photos are from my client's Europen travels. The yellow wall color ties into what is happening in an adjacent room. (I will share more photos when the photographer takes some shots in April.) I want to thank my clients for being lovely people to work with and trusting me and being open to the process of interior design!

Buy Vintage...It's Eco Friendly!

This photo is from the photographer James Salomon in his residential portfolio.

(House of Turquoise is featuring him on her website http://www.houseofturquoise.com/ .)

With all the hip, slick, "eco" brands emerging into the market it can be difficult to keep in mind that pre-owned goods can be the most green purchase of all. Vintage and second-hand furniture requires no additional resources to manufacture, is often locally sourced (cutting down on transportation), is pre-off gassed and eases the load on the landfill. Quality vintage furniture can also have an excellent resale value (sometimes selling for the same price it was bought) which certainly can't be said for most new furniture, green or otherwise.

Take a chance...live a colorful life!

http://www.diamondbarattadesign.com/portfolio.php

An interior designer can only be as creative as their client's will let them be. Baratta Design attracts some very adventurous clients! I adore the colors and playful interiors of this very talented designer.

I hope it inspires you to take a chance on at least one room in your home.