Designer Q&A

Embrace the cozy element that an 8’ ceiling brings to a home but at the same time use some tricks to make the ceilings feel taller: bring your drapery and drapery hardware from the ceiling to just kissing the floor; bring cabinetry and built-ins to the ceiling; choose one color for the room (base, wall and crown), choose furniture that scales nicely in the space and isn’t too big and overpowering.

-Vanessa

There are certain tricks and careful consideration with scale of furniture. Mount your drapery rods close to the ceiling or crown so your panels are as long as possible, it helps create the illusion of greater height. Also opting for taller baseboards, like 7” is a subtle change that gives the sense of more height. Remove any soffits and anything built in should extend up to the ceiling, such as kitchen cabinets. In a small room, furniture should not be oversized, consider a sofa that is 34-36” deep, rather than 40-42”, and always be mindful that your flush mount light fixtures don’t drop too low.

–Joanna

The key to mixing light fixtures is focusing on different types of lights and making intentional changes.

Mixing metals is great, but keep them in the same warm tone. For instance, polished nickel with brass are two different metals, but both have a warm undertone.

Another tip is to mix fixture types. One can be shaded, while the other has an exposed bulb or globe. One can be a linear light, while the other is a pendant.

Mix dimensions and width for added layers of interest and your space will look timeless and collected. 

PS: Stick to the same color temperature! Around Just under 4000 lumen will give you a natural and neutral warmth.

-Susie

It is best to approach this type of room by playing into the asymmetry. Designers like Darryl Carter aim for this style by keeping layout eclectic and creating separate, smaller vignettes of seating areas throughout the room. This design style is great at tricking the eye. You can also level out some of the asymmetry and achieve a balance by adding a tall bookcase beside an off center window and matching that height on the other side of the window with a taller floor lamp and wall art. 

-Erica

It’s helpful to lay out a palette in front of you, in this case paint samples! We recommend seeing the paint color in different light throughout the day to help make a decision. A few of my favorites are Pale Oak by Benjamin Moore, Dead Salmon by Farrow & Ball, and Pewter Green by Sherwin Williams.

-Giselle

It depends on the space. Generally, start by looking where your cans would be placed in a room. In most cases, you can reference this and this is where you could place the mini flush mounts. Consider symmetry, and creating a leading line when placing these. Features in the room like windows, fireplaces can be another aspect you would plan their placement around.

-Emma

Absolutely not!  With the way homes are designed and/or reconstructed today, clients oftentimes omit a formal dining room in leu of a Great Rooms, which are a combination of kitchen/dining/family rooms.  

With this design change, people are often left with a kitchen size that is conducive to two islands.  

Rather than incorporating two visually heavy islands within a space, we will typically designate the island closer to the perimeter wall as the ‘work horse’ island, which houses the main sink, dishwasher, trash roll out etc. while maximizing the storage capabilities.

This offers us the opportunity to design a second island to read more like a furniture piece while still complimenting the kitchen built-in design.  This also provides our clients the ultimate counterspace for more casual gatherings as well as a sizeable dining table for more formal celebrations.

-Patricia