interior designer in texas

Pillow Talk

Okay, I am obsessed with old romantic comedies from the 1960’s, mainly Doris Day’s movies. Doris Day epitomizes glamour and classical style. The interior design and clothing design for her movies are timeless. The movies and TV shows I watched as a kid have shaped my interior design love and style.

Doris Day 1960’s romantic comedy movies are my version of a Dylan’s Candy Bar, the candy store in New York City. I love them – they are colorful, uplifting and visually stimulating. if watch to many of them you will get a sugar hangover. It is worth the indulgence, of course in moderation.

Pillow Talk is one of my favorite movies. Love Doris' apartment.

Pillow Talk is one of my favorite movies. Love Doris’ apartment. The movie is about Doris Day and Rock Hudson sharing a telephone line called a party line. Arguments arise when Rock Hudson hogs the party line to woo his girl friends.

In this scene Doris is talking with her housekeeper in the living room. I would wear her pajamas. love the pink walls and white furniture. I envisioned my grown up apartment to look like this, but as you know I love blue and white.

In this scene Doris is talking with her housekeeper in the living room. I would wear her pajamas. love the pink walls and white furniture. I envisioned my grown up apartment to look like this, but as you know I love blue and white. Doris and her maid Alma are discussing Rock Hudson conversations.

The two images above are the

The image above is a photo of the set, the image below is also a photo of the set.

image

 

Check out more movie homes at one of my favorite blogs hookedonhouses.net

 

 

Thinking Small

The August edition of House Beautiful arrived a while ago, I am behind on my reading. The cover story is about living in small spaces. Obviously I am not the only one thinking about living in reduced square footages. The articles prove you don’t have to give up style and function .

Customize - Bespoke built-ins, storage nooks, and furniture tailored to your exact needs can utilize every available sliver of space. Design by Brockschmidt & Coleman

Customize – Bespoke built-ins, storage nooks, and furniture tailored to your exact needs can utilize every available sliver of space.
Design by Brockschmidt & Coleman

Use bigger - fewer things. It may seem counterintuitive, but outfitting a small space with just a few large-scale pieces (rather than a mishmash of pint-size furniture) can actually make it feel grander. That said, don't be afraid of filling up the space. When a room is populated with furniture, it actually appears larger. Designed by Mona Hajj

Use bigger – fewer things.
It may seem counterintuitive, but outfitting a small space with just a few large-scale pieces (rather than a mishmash of pint-size furniture) can actually make it feel grander. That said, don’t be afraid of filling up the space. When a room is populated with furniture, it actually appears larger.
Designed by Mona Hajj

 

Choose furnishings and decorative elements that offer maximum functionality in minimal square footage. "Use two small round tables instead of one big coffee table," designer Ken Fulk says. "They're better for traffic flow than one of those huge knee knockers, and easier to move." Designed by Ken Fulk

Choose furnishings and decorative elements that offer maximum functionality in minimal square footage. “Use two small round tables instead of one big coffee table,” designer Ken Fulk says. “They’re better for traffic flow than one of those huge knee knockers, and easier to move.”
Designed by Ken Fulk

 

Think Vertically - Exploit the often under-utilized space between the tops of furniture and a room's ceiling with hanging or high-mounted elements. They'll draw the eye upward. Take bookcases and cabinets all the way up. Designed by Summer Thorton

Think Vertically – Exploit the often under-utilized space between the tops of furniture and a room’s ceiling with hanging or high-mounted elements. They’ll draw the eye upward. Take bookcases and cabinets all the way up.
Designed by Summer Thorton

 

 

The articles demonstrate how to live large in small spaces. Some where apartments and others where diminutive homes. I am posting some great ideas from House Beautiful’s website.

Itty Bitty in the City or Country

 

Example 2 - 1014 square foot home by Mr. Rowan

Example 2 – 1014 square foot home by Mr. Rowan

Example 2 - My redesign. I added a small vestibule with storage, created an open living, dining and kitchen wing, a study/bedroom with built in cabinets. I love builts in small spaces because it keeps the space visually organized. I expanded the deck to incorporate more living space.

Example 2 – My redesign. I added a small vestibule with storage, created an open living, dining and kitchen wing, a study/bedroom with built in cabinets. I love builts in small spaces because it keeps the space visually organized. I expanded the deck to incorporate more living space.

this is a 912 square foot cottage. The living area is open, however the furniture plan is terrible. tons of open space in the middle of the room. Furniture doesn't have to cling to the walls.

My re-design of example 1. The entry features a table for mail, keys etc. The living room can actually be used for entertaining or relaxing. Galley kitchen with long work island. Two bedrooms with buill

My re-design of example 1. The entry features a table for mail, keys etc. The living room can actually be used for entertaining or relaxing. Galley kitchen with long work island. Two bedrooms with built-in dee

I recently checked out Compact Living by Gerald Rowan. The book feature home designs 1400 square feet and under.  As interior designer I think you can live well in any size space. It takes planning and creativity to make a small space work. Storage, privacy and feeling cramped are issues or perceived issues in living in a small space.

Once I started reading the book I noticed how many design opportunities were missed in Mr. Rowan’s plans. Now I am going to plug the benefits of being an interior designer and NOT an architect.  Architects are not trained to think about the interiors and how they function which is a very important factor in homes and work spaces. People live and work in the interior space. I am amazed at how little planning goes into planning the interior.  I could go on for a while on the benefits of working with an interior designer, but I will save that for another posts. Annoyed with the designs found in the book Compact Living  I took it upon myself to redesign the interior space with in the same foot print.  I just hand sketched a few ideas.   The plans in the book are awkward, wrong proportions on furniture and rooms sizes. Clearly these plans were designed by someone not trained in interior spaces. I am thrilled that Mr. Rowan is championing smaller living spaces, however I think

“What color is in Style?”

As an interior designer I am constantly asked by home owners “what is the color is in style?” My response, ” good design is always in style.” Shades of blue, reds, yellows, greens, white and black appear in almost every home at anytime in history. My point is a room that is well design can introduce the trending version of any color. The color can be added with throw pillows, a new carpet and accessories.

A great design keeps the major elements of a home neutral. Neutrals are not just cream, white and black. Grey, navy blue and even a red can be a neutral. Brown has been a neutral for many years and it can be updated with grey, cream and hint of pink or orange.

The photo images I have collected for today’s posting highlights red as the star. My inspiration is from my favorite designer Sarah Richardson. One of my goals is to have a friend and design buddy like Tommy Smythe, who is also an excellent designer.  They make our jobs look like fun. Some days it is some days not so much.  I found some of these images on her website which is great place for perusing interior design ideas.

This is an excellent example of a neutral back drop with accents of red. Imagine this quilt could be yellow, pink or green. The possibilities are endless, but i do love the red.

This is an excellent example of a neutral back drop with accents of red. Imagine this quilt could be yellow, pink or green. The possibilities are endless, but i do love the red.

Hints of red add a vibrancy and warmth to this room without being over powering.

Hints of red add a vibrancy and warmth to this room without being over powering.

How fun is this?

How fun is this?