how to incorporate bright pink paint into a girl's room

So a little while back I had a client email me for an online consult. He had just moved into a new condo in the city with his daughter. We worked on choosing two grey paint colours for his main space, and then he asked for help with his little girls room, shown bottom right in the floorplan below.

It seems like most young girls request a pink room at some point, and it's almost always fuchsia, or another shocking shade of this colour that they like. The question is how do you work this colour into their rooms without it becoming garish?

My client asked me to find a way to tone down the colour, and work in black, which is what his daughter had asked for. This is not a large space, and so we needed to incorperate the pink without it overwhelming the space. Thought maybe some of you are struggling with the same dilemma in your own homes, and would be interested in the options we discussed.

First of all, I asked him to show his daughter the photo below - was it really bright pink she wanted, or just pink? A softer pink could be paired with black and used on all her wall space and the effect would be soft and lighthearted.

Nope. MUST be bright pink.
How about bringing the bright pink through accents?

No dice. ON THE WALLS. Right. This girl knows what she wants! Moving back on track...


First of all, there is the accent wall. I'm not a huge fan of accent walls, but in a child's room, on the headboard wall, they can work. I suggested a white bedding, warm white on the other three walls, and adding the black accents on those walls via picture frames. This striped treatment can be achieved by using a high gloss and flat paint in the same shade.

and while we are on the topic of stripes, this is cute as well....

Second, the partial wall options - these emphasize the horizontal and thus make the room feel larger.

love the black pinstripe detailing on this version....

The next look brings in slightly more pink on the walls but still allows for some visual relief - 

three tints of pink in an ombre horizontal stripe. Darling, isn't it?

But what if we NEED to have pink on all the walls, to bathe ourselves in the very brightest pink out there? Well, you can always cheat a little - bring the ceiling colour down a few feet and have the pink meet it (I did this in my son's room when he insisted on royal blue walls in a space with north facing windows). You'd be amazed what a difference this 20 - 30" makes...

My client and his daughter mulled these over, and in the end she fall in love with the striped headboard accent wall idea. I suggested Benjamin Moore Peony 2079-30 on the headboard wall in a semi-gloss and matte to create the striped effect.

If you are working with white furniture, like my clients, you want to ensure that the walls are a warm white, because white furniture is seldom a true white. If the white on the walls is too cool then the furniture will look dingy. Benjamin Moore Simply White OC-117 is soft and warm with out being too yellow, and works well with Peony on the three remaining walls. 

I suggested black be used sparingly, on picture frames, desk accessories and a pillow or two.

This keep contrast to a minimum and doesn't create a lot of visual distraction.

I'm happy to say that both my client and his daughter love her finished room, so my job is done!

Have you ever used an option like these to tone down the impact of a vibrant colour in your home?

Which one would you choose?

Feng Shui in a Family Room

So this fall a really interesting client emailed requesting an online consult. K and her family have just recently moved into a new house, and are working toward creating a harmonious home incorporating Feng Shui.

I was at once intrigued. I have a very loose knowledge of the Feng Shui principles, having applied certain bits to my own home. Even if you do not specifically subscribe to the belief that our homes have energy passing through them, and we can funnel that energy in ways that are beneficial to us, I think that anyone who is consciously working to create harmony and order in their home to better their life is probably applying this same effort in other areas of their life, and this will likely bring them some great results. There are also some facets of Feng Shui that simply reflect good design principles, such as incorporating mirrors to bounce light (or energy :) around, eliminating clutter and restricting your colour palette. There is also the familiarity factor: it may bring a certain sense of peace to a person knowing that specific areas of your home are always going to contain certain colours, for example.

The first room K wanted to work on was her family room. A traditional modern family two-story, the family room is open to the kitchen/eating area.

Here are some of the before shots:

Beautiful wood floors that complement the cabinetry tones, a lovely fireplace with built-ins, a breakfast nook and plenty of natural light and space - this home has great bones to work with!


K wanted to work with blues or greys, to bring the best fang shui for the particular positioning and placement in the home found here. I agreed that cool-toned walls would work, as her space receives warm southern light and has all that lovely warm wood for balance. Blue pairs effortlessly with orange-toned woods because they are complements on the colour wheel, and blue brings out the richness of the wood. K has bold colours present throughout her home, and wanted this space to have some character.

After working out that K quite liked modern furnishings, we needed to find a way to mesh those styles with her home, which is much more traditional. She had already ordered a white leather sofa. The first thing to work on was the floor plan. By placing the sofa against the wall we opened up the room, creating a better flow (for Feng Shui and design purposes!) I suggested K purchase two chairs to face the sofa, thereby adding comfortable seating without blocking the doorway off. A low bench positioned where the sofa had previously sat provides additional seating for larger gatherings but still allows the two areas to be connected.

Since we are planning to move onto the living and dining areas next, I suggested adding a warm orange in small accents to give us another colour to pull out in the adjoining rooms. The wall colour you see here is Benjamin Moore 1626, Gentle Gray.

DESIGN TIP: When working with pale blues, you really want a grey with a blue undertone, rather than a true pale blue, or your room will look like a baby boys nursery :)

Chunky chairs in the same espresso finish as K's table and chairs help the two spaces to relate to one another, and of course we need a round coffee table - this is a major Feng shui principle - avoid corners whenever possible, they are thought to create disruptive energy within your home. a selection of carpets allows K to choose exactly how energetic she would like this space to feel, and of corse, the art references the Feng Shui water element we are channeling here.

K responded that she wanted to replace her dining set with something lighter and more modern, and that she was wary of making such large commitment to blue with the leather chairs. She sent a link to the dining set she was considering, and asked me to create a board incorporating that and the large floral carpet. These chairs work with the wood tones present, and the modern abstract back picks up on the legs of her new dining chairs. Having just the seat upholstered blue allows for that hit of colour without the commitment - it would be easy to swap out this fabric down the road.

After receiving that board, K mentioned wanting a more neutral option to show here husband, who wasn't sure about the blue. She had used Benjamin Moore OC-52 Gray Owl in another room in her home which faced north, and had thought it was a bit too cold for the family room. I assured her that in the warm southern light at the back of her home Gray Owl would appear more neutral, and suggested she try a swatch out. 

I sent her another board illustrating this neutral palette option. I'm in love with that carpet. LOVE.

At this point we were nearing the beginning of holiday season. K wrote that she loved both options, but that she was leaning toward the more neutral version. After New Year's I got an email that made me smile :) K and her husband tried the Grey Owl on the wall, and found it did nothing for them, but the bluer option, Gentle Gray, looked wonderful! They decided to go ahead with the second blue design option, and were very happy with the progress so far. I'm hoping for some pics of the finished space to share with you...

and that, darlings, was my first official Feng Shui Design Consultation! Something of an adventure, and I learned a lot along the way... as side note, I may try to tackle how to bring some basic Feng Shui principles into your home in some future posts - would you ladies like to explore with me? I'm thinking a little cleaning a re-organizing can't hurt anyone.... my house could definitely use some love! x

Retro Mix First Home

A few months back E. emailed me asking for a design consultation for her first home. Being a military family, this couple has moved and travelled extensively, but after receiving a long-term posting had just bought their first home. I LOVE working on a first home with a client - they are always so enthusiastic and appreciative of their space. E described her loves as mid-century style, and the colour red.

Sounded intriguing!

When E. sent me the photos of her home, they brought back a flood of memories - their home is a raised bungalow, and the layout actually almost identical to the first home my husband and I bought, almost fifteen years ago. The open living space is lovely, and E. already had some great mid-century furniture and unique accessories from living abroad that she wanted to incorperate. The challenge was to make it all work together.

E. decided to replace the vintage orange chairs with Ikea Poang chairs, and the existing sofa and console were to remain. She wanted to work on tables, lighting and accessories for the living room. In the dining room, the table and chairs were staying, so we needed to find a way to make the dark finish work with the rest of the space. E. wanted to update here kitchen by painting the cabinetry and adding a new countertop and backsplash.


We started with the living room space. Here is an inspiration room that best summed up the feel we wanted to achieve.

The caramel tones in E's sofa and console really set the palette. She and her husband plan to replace the beige carpeting in the living room with hardwood down the road, and so we decided to lay an area rug down over the carpeting now that will work over the hardwood once it is in place. Since E and her husband both like bold, saturated colour, we incorporated red and small amounts of green as accent colours, against a clean backdrop of walls painted in Benjamin Moore's Moonlight White.

E has a handy husband, lucky girl, and he reconfigured the small cabinets that go with the console into side tables by mounting them horizontally onto some vintage legs he found. The console will serve as an entertainment stand, with the television placed on top. The only things we were really missing were lighting, a carpet and a coffee table. I found the vintage inspired surfboard table on Etsy - E had it custom made in a glossy red. A moroccan inspired carpet adds some softness to the design, and the diagonal pattern will lead the eye across the entire space, corner to corner, visually expanding the living room.

As always, there is a plant tucked in here. This is a fiddle leaf fig, the tree to end all trees :)

It's large size will fill in the space beside the console, and if it were real it would bask in the light from the large window. The couples frequent travels don't allow for plants, so this very good quality imitation will work for them.

If you know me at all, you know I'm an art junkie! 

The sofa needed tone grounded into that large blank wall, and defined as the focal point here.

Since we are on a tight budget, I suggested E purchase a canvas and try an art DIY...

In the end, however, she decided to add some bold red wall cubes above the sofa and place some of her treasures collected through the couples travels - 

perfect for remembering all the previous homes they have lived in.

Let's look at the changes the kitchen are currently undergoing.

The cabinets are in good condition and so will be painted out white to freshen up the space.

I suggested adding a butcher block countertop in beech from Ikea to bring some of the wood tones from the living room into this space, and keep it warm -

don't you love the way they have stepped the end of the breakfast bar, below?

Hardware with a retro feel in brushed stainless will work perfectly.

E wanted to add a backsplash. 

A subway tile is a classic look, but we wanted something a little edgier. 

How about a square tile, with dark grey grout.

This echoes the retro vibe we've got going on, 

and adds some graphic lines here without overwhelming the space.

Since the back wall of the kitchen is the first thing you see when entering from the living room, 

we needed to add some interest to this spot. 

I suggested E remove the wall cabinet between her sliding door and kitchen window, 

and add open shelving.

After considering various options for the shelving,

 she decided to use the leftover Ikea countertop and install wood shelving here, 

creating a beautiful place to display a collection of colourful ceramics, etc.

Although E will be keeping her dining set for now, a change is not far down the road.

A table in the same wood tones as the countertop and some interesting red chairs will keep this space light-hearted and consistent with the rest of the home.

and, of course - art again!

LOVE these Enzo Mari prints for the dining room wall.

E has been wonderful about keeping me up-to-date on her progress, and the work here is nearly complete. She is loving the way the changes to here home have brightened the space up, and unified her furnishings and all the treasures from the couple's travels.

Hopefully I'll have some pictures of the completed space to share with you all soon!

Design Boards: Elegant Club House

It's been quite a busy fall, my online client list has almost surpassed my local client list! Thank you so much to all of you ladies who have entrusted me with the design direction for your homes - it's been a wonderfully creative couple of months around here, and it shows no signs of stopping...

I thought perhaps some of you would like to see some examples of the design boards I have been doing up. Colour consultations have been few and far between, with more and more clients requesting design consultations. This is exciting because I get to put the whole look together, rather than just a part of the puzzle.  Many of my clients this fall have had dramatically different taste, and that is what keeps me challenged and loving this job!

Let's begin with the Elegant Club House Client. This client's home backs onto a golf course, and she would like to combine her love of the outdoors and neutrals to create a country club feel within her great room and kitchen. This home was built in the seventies, and has great soaring ceilings and a large brick fireplace  which need to be left as is. The walls, kitchen cabinetry and built-in's will be painted, and the countertops, furniture and lighting replaced. The ECH Client requested a space that was up-to-date but had a timeless appeal, with a soothing atmosphere. She liked the idea of grey, and had just purchased a white and black ottoman that she loved.

Many rooms like this were considered...

These were on the right track, now the space must be fully considered before deciding on a personalized colour and design plan...

The pale grey-white brick of the fireplace meant grey was already part of our scheme, which works against the warmth of the hardwood floors and the sun from south-facing windows.

So we had it:

Steel grey upholstery balanced by warm grey paint on the walls and cabinetry, warm wood floors and furnishings. Black accents add some crucial contrast.

A television will be placed opposite the window of the great room, and so placement of the sofa under the window works well. A matching armchairs provides a cosy corner by the fire for relaxing and conversation, while two smaller armchairs provide additional seating and define the living area without blocking off the view to the fireplace.

The dining table is placed across the room, so that the dining views are the fireplace and into the kitchen beyond. Four chairs will serve for everyday meals, and two additional chairs for guests are tucked in alongside a small cabinet. This sideboard provides a place for display or to set up a bar/buffet for larger parties. It also grounds the dining table, making it part of a distinct area rather than just a table floating in the room.

In all pieces, clean lines are tempered by graceful curves and pattern is used sparingly to keep a restful atmosphere. The board below does not show many accessories, but the china that will be displayed inside my clients built-in's will offer plenty of eye candy on our focal wall.

The ECH fireplace is a bit of a conundrum (don't you just love that word?!)

It's asymmetrical placement in the fireplace facade had my Client baffled by how to decorate this area.

Once the built-in's a painted out in the pale grey we've chosen, this will be even more obvious. 

The client is considering adding a mantle, which isn't really necessary, and may even take away from the simplicity that makes this fireplace wall work.

I suggested two solutions:

One, place a pair of baskets like these beside the opening, stacked with logs, for balance,

 and centre some art above.

Adding art above a fireplace where it may be subject to heat requires some care - 

metal sculture is ideal here, and the organic forms of these pieces work well in this space.

The second option is simpler, and my favourite. Gather some tall branches into a glass vessel like the one shown below, and place them beside the hearth. This look doesn't require any additional accessories. I think this is a softer approach, and looks less "decorated". My client has decided to try this out before making any other decisions.

For the walls we've chosen Classic Gray, Benjamin Moore 1548, in the Ulti-Matte finish, which will minimize the textured walls.  Nimbus, Benjamin Moore 1465,  will be GORGEOUS on the cabinetry in the kitchen and built-ins. Happy to say the client has tried these out and loves them :) In the kitchen , I've suggested a dark countertop, perhaps soapstone or honed marble, to draw the eye around the room and create the illusion of space. My client has said this may be a challenge for her - she usually goes for "safe" neutrals, but likes the idea more each day.

And that, dear lovelies, is the Elegant Club House I've been working on in a nutshell.

Would you like to hear about the Rock & Roll Baroque Home? How about a working to create Feng Shui Harmony in a builder home?

I'll post about those soon, promise - 'til then - a big MWAH, miss you all - x

Project Brownstone: The Dining Area

So you've seen the foyer and the wee "brownstoners" rooms, so how about the living space? What about the heart of the home: the kitchen, dining and living area's?

This home has a lovely large area across the back where the kitchen opens up to light-filled eating and and family room area. This is where life will happen :) as the formal living and dining spaces are being used for other purposes. These homeowner's put family life first, and entertain casually. Thus they have opted to use their formal living space at the front of the home as a gorgeous library/home office, and their formal dining room, which closes off nicely with french doors, as a large main floor play area for their young children. This leaves us with a smaller than normal dining area and main floor living area, and so we have had to be a bit creative with our use of space.

Let's look at the dining area first. It is narrow, and also serves as a passageway to the rear entry of the home. As this is the most used entrance, and the home owners are frequently passing thru here with heaps of luggage, we need to leave a wide path clear. But since this is the only dining area, we also need to be able to accommodate a larger crowd here occasionally for dinner parties, etc. There is a large built-in island separating the dining area and living space, and a breakfast bar separating the dining area from the kitchen.  I measured and measured, and decided a slim rectangular extension table was our best option. It can be placed against the wall for everyday use, leaving plenty of room to pass by, but also can be pulled out and the extensions added for larger crowds. This will also give them the option to move this into a larger space in their next home, if they have it.

My client loves trestle tables, and so I found a fabulous local company who are going to custom build a trestle table to our exact specifications. They are called Provenance Harvest Tables, if you are interested, and they have had their work featured on the hgtv show The Property Brothers. Here are the drawings for my client's table, which will be built in the next few weeks. The builder is scaling down the leg of the royal trestle table model, pictured below, and adding some square detailing, a la the Balustrade table from Williams Sonoma, pictured.

Before we chose a finish we needed to decide on chairs, and again we wanted a smaller scale leggy chair, to create visual and actual space.  Four bistro chairs in a smoky oak stain work perfectly.

Two side chairs upholstered in a steel grey linen will live in the upstairs hall on with side of a console table most days, but can be brought down to accommodate extra diners when needed. The grey upholstery and nailhead trim will also work really well with our sofa on the other side of the room - but I'll save that space for the next post!! These people love neutrals, so blue-greys will serve as our colour in this home, balanced by warm woods and soft white walls throughout. A built-in bulletin board is getting dressed up with some striped linen and a special trick, which I'll show you when it happens :), the existing art shelves above the table will hold family photos, and a clock will fill in a blank wall that you'll see upon entering.

My design goal is a space that feels relaxed and classic, just like my client's, and that is flexible and will serve them well in many homes to come. What do you think so far? am

Project Brownstone: Boards for The Darlings

Hello, hello!  It's been far too long, lovelies... after the pause I've taken, if any of you are still dropping by I'd like to share the boards for the rooms for my clients two wee darlings with you :)

Their son is just a year, and such a little heartbreaker. His room on the smallish side - why do builders still create bedrooms that are 9' x 12' and then have these enormous hallway spaces connecting them? I will never understand. In any case, he is still in a crib, so that leaves a little more room, but we also have a very large built-in, that the previous renter installed, to accommodate. Here are a couple of pics...

The built-in's have a dark black-brown walnut finish, and the furniture is much warmer orange-based woods, but this is something we cannot change, and that is one of the challenges of living in a rental. I have chosen to put the focus on the other elements of the room by using colour and pattern to distract the eye from this contrast in woods. We are adding a West Elm carpet with bold stripes to tie together the existing pale blue bed linens and the navy accents, and the stripes will draw the eye across the narrowest part of the space, making it feel wider than it actually is. The client has some adorable sports inspired prints that we will be framing and placing above the bed, and some RH letters as additional art. I found a metal faux bois polyhedron light at Homesense for a steal - it's gorgeous!  Bold navy curtains will accentuate the height of the room and make the space feel larger, and a throw and pillow for the existing chair will bring the navy over to that side of the room. Perfect for a growing boy, yes?

Their daughter is four, and in the dreamy princess, pink and sparkly stage. She is a doll! Here again we have built-in's to work with, and they are dark and heavy, so we need to bring in a little softness to contrast all these hard edges. The client's chose a really luxe bed frame, dark charcoal velvet, prior to me being on the scene. I am so lucky they have great taste!

We decided on a pink (of course!) and grey colour scheme. The client's travel frequently, and we are working with a loose Parisan theme -  I say loose because I am not a huge fan of overly themed spaces, I find them too contrived. We started with the bed linens, a classic brocade.

From there we added a chair, one that will match a different desk in the future, when they have re-located and this little girl does not have this built-in desk in her room. Some additional fabrics will be added to the backs of her shelves and her bulletin board, and that will break up all the dark wood. A snuggly bean bag chair provides a spot to curl up and read a book in, a pretty light adds some of sparkle. The art is from Etsy, by ShellSherree - don't you love it? It brings exactly the right amount of whimsy and lightness to this room. The mirror art will hang over her bed, a cute reference to the princess element without going completely disney!

 I think it is a darling space for a darling girl :)   What do you think?