Books and ladders

This living room set has two interesting ideas:  lighting and book storage.  Chandeliers are not just for the dining room.  I hung a funky modern chandelier over the end table.   If you are someone who likes to rearrange your furniture every six months, I wouldn't recommend a hanging fixture.  But if your room has limited furniture layouts or you prefer great style for long periods of time, I say call that electrician!  A chandelier keeps the table clear, and adds vertical interest. I've seen designers add chandeliers over night stands, free standing baths, end tables, coffee tables, and beds.  There are so many great fixtures for every style that it would a shame to just buy the cheapest table lamp you can find.  Be as discerning about your lighting as your were for your sofa.

 

As for the books, I used an old farm ladder.  Now, since this was a TV set, it's just leaning against the wall.  If I were to do this in a real home, I would securely fasten it to the wall with "L" brackets or hinges and anchor bolts.  Adding some extra supports to some of the rungs may also be needed.  (*Side note -- If you have little kids roaming around, I wouldn't recommend this! A ladder and kids are a disaster waiting to happen.) Notice I didn't formally arrange the books .  I mixed sizes and stacked some vertically and some with the pages facing forward instead of the spines.  This stacking method adds to the informal nature of the ladder.   

It's little things like these that make impressions on people visiting your home and help make your room just as unique as you.  "I never would have thought of doing that!" is a great compliment that all designers secretly love to hear.

Ladew Gardens, Monkton, MD

Since it's summertime, I will posting a lot about plants and flowers. I love container gardening! I always look forward to planting the urns and pots at home.  While we don't have any, I think flower boxes beautify almost any home.  For rural or suburban homes, they can help continue flower beds and draw your eye up the face of your home.  For urban homes, they are one of the ways to add some greenery to a sea of brick, stone, or siding.  I think plants in general help to soften hard lines and surfaces and add a welcoming touch to your home.

(www.ladewgardens.com

On a day trip to Ladew Gardens, I saw these beautiful flower boxes filled with all types of succulents.  This a great example of texture and color.  These are two of the factors to think about when selecting plants for containers.  The shades of greens, yellows, purple, and blue-silver give this box excitement and the textures and various sizes of similarly shaped leaves add a great complexity to otherwise simple plants. I could see this box on the first floor of a city brownstone, so every passerby can get a great look.  I don't think it would work quite as well on a second story window since many of these plants do not grow too high or dangle over the edge.

There are plenty of premade boxes to choose from at home and garden centers. Or you can create and build your own.  Make sure they can easily drain and be removed if needed.  Happy gardening.

Let's get acquainted.

Every time someone asks me what I do, I always give a little sigh and chuckle.  It's not that I have a difficult job, it's just not easily summed up with a label, like doctor, accountant, or actor.  My official title is Content Production Stylist.  Huh? First off, I don't cut hair. Basically, I make things look pretty.  I am one of 3 people that make products look good for an electronic retailer that starts with a Q.  We dress models, "build" sets and decorate them, create table top environments for a slew of products (beauty, jewelry, accessories, collectibles, linens, food, and anything else), and work with producers, videographers (who double as Directors of Photography and Lighting Directors) and a bunch of office people, all in the name of selling you a product.  What we do is video, so it's seen on air and on the web.  There are 4 photo stylists as well working on web and paper publications.  

Here's an example:

I arranged the wall flats and decorated this living room set.  The camera tripod is behind the sofa in the foreground.  The tops of the flats were never seen, so on camera it looks like a living room with an office alcove. The product, a printer sitting on the desk.  The action was a model with a laptop sitting on the sofa and sending a document to the printer. This probably took 6-8 hours to set up, was shot the next day, and torn down as soon as we wrapped.

We do some interesting setups and can experiment with different looks for interiors, fashion, etc. I thought there might be someone out there who could translate that into their own life.  So I will be posting things from work, my home and neighborhood, travels, and wherever, that I think are interesting or of good design. Hopefully I can give some tips and hints so you can create some beauty in your world.

Enjoy!