Redecorating Dining Room - Paint and more (6)

Submitted by Dotty Wyman

The dining room project is once again moving along.  When the rain came, so did the painter for some interior work.  He called me on Tuesday last week and was there on Thursday to start the job.  Since I had already selected the colors for the room and ordered the wallpaper, he could come even on such short notice.  The work to replace the baseboard moulding, wallpaper and paint was completed in two days.  They accomplished everything I requested.  There were only 2 small changes to the original estimate, which the painter confirmed with me prior to starting.

A view of the overall look of the walls

The picture above shows the rich brown paint on the upper portion of the walls which is balanced with the bold striped wallpaper below the chair rail.  The 2 3/4" baseboard moulding has been replaced with 7 3/4" moulding (the same height as the heat registers) and all the trim has been painted with a fresh coat of white paint.  I decided to paint the ceiling a golden yellow color (pictured below).  I thought the color on the ceiling would give the room a more contemporary feeling and it was an opportunity for me to introduce the yellow color from my design inspiration photos into the room.

Below are a few more detailed pictures of the walls and ceiling.

The 7 3/4" baseboard adds a strong architectural detail

The baseboard heat has also been painted white to blend
with the baseboard moulding

The yellow painted ceiling is unexpected and helps to
accentuate the crown moulding

The dining room redesign is almost complete.  The window treatments are the next step in my project plan.  I am in the process of making the drapes and I have ordered the decorative drapery rods.  

Please write me any comments or questions you may have about this redesign project.

www.DottyWymanDesigns.com 

Redecorating Dining Room - Select Finishes (3)

Submitted by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs

This is my third blog about redesigning my dining room.  I initially identified the Wynn Hotel lobby as the inspiration for my room.  Next I made a plan of all the tasks I need to accomplish prior to starting work or making purchases for this redecorating project.  I have determined the scope, budget and date I would like to have the room completed.  Now I am able to do more of the fun and creative parts of decorating, selecting the finishes to be used in the room.

 The walls will be painted and wallpapered in a dark brown tone, similar to some of the Wynn lobby walls.  Since the furniture in the room is also dark I have selected a striped wallpaper with a lighter brown color as well.  The wallpaper will be hung below the chair rail and paint above it.  All the moulding in the room will remain white.  This will help to keep the room from getting too dark.  The fabric choices will also need to be light in color to keep the room lively and inviting.

Wallpaper to be used below chair rail

Four fabrics have been chosen for the room.  The window treatments will be made from a bone colored velvet and rasberry/green tassel trim .  The dining chair seats will use a raised velvet rasberry colored dot pattern along with a green fabric used for piping around the edge.  Finally, the upholstered chair in the corner will use an intricate and colorful floral fabric.  The floral fabric helps to tie all the other fabrics together.  Usually, I will find the fabric with the large print and multiple colors first and select the solid, stripe and/or small patterned fabrics after, but this time the floral was the last fabric selected.

Overview of fabrics and wall coverings

Dining chair seat fabric

Dining chair welt around edge of seat

Upholstered chair fabric

Drapery trim

Now that I have made all of my selections I need to verify everything is available.  Once this is accomplished I will order the fabrics, trim and wallpaper.  I will also start the process of hiring the trades people.

Dotty

Dotty Wyman Designs

www.dottywymandesigns.com/

Redecorating Dining Room - Planning (2)

submitted by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs

 

The planning portion of any design project is the most important. Start by identifying the scope of the project and your budget. These two steps are critical whether you use an interior designer or do the project yourself. The scope of my design project includes painting and papering the walls, replacing the window treatments and reupholstering the chairs. Things I also am considering to replace are the base moulding and adding recessed lighting. My budget is $4,000.

Below I have outlined my project plan. These are all the things I want to have accomplished before I have any tradespeople come to my home or order anything. Remember this is a design plan and may change as the project evolves.

Project Plan for Dining Room

1. Identify scope and budget - above
2. Identify date needed - If you want a project completed prior to a special event try to start it early, 2 to 3 months prior. Design projects always seem to incur delays. Lately, many fabrics are not carried in stock and the waiting time to get them can be 8 weeks. I would like to have my project completed over the summer. I am in no rush, but want to set a deadline for myself.
3. Select finishes - I like to have most or all new finishes and fabrics selected prior to purchasing anything. This allows me to coordinate and see how everything works together. Also, if a finish is no longer available you have the opportunity to change several of your choices if needed. For example, if the paint color is based on the fabric that is now out of stock, you can get a new fabric and adjust the paint color to match. Your choices can't always occur in advance for large projects, but for my dining room project I believe it is the best approach.
4. Hire trades people for each job - I will need to hire a carpenter/painter, electrician (if needed) and an upholsterer. I am hoping the same person can do the painting, wallpapering and moulding replacement, since it is a smaller job. I will use the same upholsterer and electrician I have used in the past. As a designer, I have contact with trades people that I trust and have seen their work. Make sure you hire reliable people with references. I will make the window treatments myself, but have factored their cost into the estimated budget.
5. Timeline for project task completion - Most design projects need tasks to occur in some type of order, because they are contingent on the prior task. The painter/carpenter need to come first, then I can install the window treatments. The upholstery can be done any time (no contingency). If I decide to add recessed lighting, the electrician will need to come first. They will make the biggest mess and the painter can repair any damage.
6. Execute the plan - Purchase fabrics, paint, wallpaper. Have your room ready for the trades people to do their work. Communicate with tradespeople what you want. It's hard to fix something that is already completed.

I am starting to get a good sense of where my interior design project is going. I now have my inspiration, my project scope and the design plan in place to get started. My next step is to start moving on the to do's created in my design plan. I look forward to sharing my fabric, paint and wallpapber choices.

 

Dotty Wyman

Dotty Wyman Designs

www.DottyWymanDesigns.com

info@dottywymandesigns.com

Emotional Effects of Colors

Submitted by Marie Hoyt-Pauriry - Pixel Artists Design

 

We have been getting more requests for logo design. And this article about the emotional effects of color can help you choose what color(s) you want for your logo. Or at the very least, explain the meaning of the colors you have already chosen…

Colors have different psychological effects, positive as well as negative. This point must be kept in mind while choosing colors in your design since various colors convey varied meanings

Red

Red is the color of energy, it’s bold, it’s powerful, it’s vibrant. It has the longest wavelength (the distance over which the wave’s shape repeats). It’s the color of effectiveness, excitement and liveliness. All over the world we follow red traffic light to stop, its visibility is the strongest amongst all other colors because of its highest wavelength. On the other hand its negative impacts can be aggression, visual disturbance and strain. You live in a red room for a day and you will go crazy, it has to be complimented with other colors to make it subtle.

Yellow

Yellow is a very emotional color, it is the color of self esteem, confidence and optimism. After red yellow has the longest wave length, appearing to be strong from a distance. World over yellow cabs can easily be seen, sunflowers, daffodils appear to be friendly. Contrary to this it also communicates few negative values like depression, hatred and anxiety.

Blue

Blue is the color of intelligence, vastness, royalty, serenity, coolness and tranquility. Sky appears blue and gives calm effect, water appears blue and gives peace of mind. Blue appears to be the favorite color of most of the people but on the other hand it is also a color of coldness, unfriendliness and unemotional.

Green

Green is the most refreshing and cool color. Green is the color of life, fertility, reassurance, peace, harmony, balance. Nature is green and how soothing it is to our eyes. Not a single tree in this world is of the same green tint or shade, yet it appears to be so full of life and create environmental beauty.  As for its negative traits it is the color of Boredom, stagnation, blandness and enervation.

Violet

Violet is color of truth, luxury and spiritual awareness. It has the shortest wavelength therefore it is considered to be weak also. A color of introversion and suppression. It is associated with deep contemplation and royalty, meditation and quality.

Orange

Orange gives warmth, comfort, security, passion, fun and frolic. Due to the mixture of red and yellow it gives stimulation and sensuality. Use of too much orange gives a feeling of no serious attitude and gives a feeling of deprivation if used with black.

Pink

Pink is a cute color, very feminine, love and tranquility. Though pink is a tint of red but it soothes rather than stimulates. It gives comfort and suggests grace and elegance. Sometimes too much pink looks physically weak and appears full of flaws. It creates impact of inhibition.

Grey

Grey is a neutral color, not giving a direct psychological effect. It may represent emptiness and dullness. It gives impression of dampness and right tone of gray must be used otherwise it may make your composition depressive.

Black

All colors are absorbed in black. Black is glamorous, graceful, efficient and security. Women wear black to attract, they look sophisticated. Black creates hindrance since there’s no light no reflection. It works perfectly with white thus the co relation is either alternation or repetition. Black is the color of mourning also. Too much black creates heaviness and scary look.

White

White is pure, clean, hygienic, innocent and simple. White is total reflection. It gives perception of space, too much clutter in a design can be overcome by using spaces of white. The negative effect of white is that it makes other colors used with it cold and unfriendly. Can create a diminishing effect.

Brown

Brown is the color of earth, rugged, serious, old, and ancient. Rustic look can very well be created with this color. Since brown is the combination of red and yellow with much larger percentage of black, it also gives the same seriousness as black but in a warmer way. It is natural and supportive but at the same time it is too non humorous and appears heavy.

http://pelfusion.com/design/color-wheel-classifications-emotional-effects-and-color-theory/

marie hoyt-pariury
designer ~ sales ~ social media
mpariury@pixelartists.com
p 781-355-2160
www.pixelartists.com/marie

Redecorating Dining Room - Inspiration (1)

 Submitted by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs


I am going to give my dining room a little bit of a face lift and wanted to give you some insight about the process from beginning to end. The plan is to give the dining space a bold new look without replacing everything in the room. The big ticket items such as the dining room set and oriental are staying put. I will work with these pieces, because I like them and they have classic designs. I will accomplish this new look by changing the walls, the fabrics, drapery hardware and a few different accessories.

I have not done anything to the dining room in over ten years and it is due for a change. The draperies have faded, the curtain rods are dated and so are the fabrics. The positives about the room are the hardwood floors, the detailed crown moulding and the 8' ceiling height. The space is good size for a dining room 13.5' x 14.5', so there is plenty of room for the large scale furniture.

My first step is to find an inspiration for the room. This could be anything from a piece of artwork you want to build the room around or a room you saw and want to recreate it in your home. I was inspired by the lobby of the Winn Hotel in Las Vegas for my dining room. The lobby has a sophisticated harlequin theme with dark walls, luxurious fabrics and playful colorful accents sprinkled around. I want to incorporate some of the same rich fabrics, dark walls and colorful accents they used, but tailor it for my home. Included are a few pictures of the Wynn Hotel lobby.

Now that I have my inspiration I can pull together a plan for the redesign of my dining room. I will go over planning in my next blog.

Dotty Wyman
Dotty Wyman Designs
 508.219.4739
http://www.dottywymandesigns.com/

California Closets - My Experience

 Submitted by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs
 
Recently, I attended a charity auction and bid on (and won) a $500 gift certificate for California Closets.  I wanted to learn more about their closet systems and the company.  The closets always look so organized and perfect in the brochures, but I wanted to know if it was really worth it. 

Below are a couple of pictures of what the closet looks like now.  The wire rack system works and makes pretty good use of the closet space compared to a single wood pole.  I don't like the wire shelves.  Items don't seem to sit well on them, especially shoes.  Clothing is hung up in 12" section, so you can't slide you clothes to see what you want to pull out.  Many items need to be stacked on top of each other which makes it difficult to get at them.

A week after the auction I called the California Closets sales person about my closet project.  I explained, the need to redo my daughter's closet to accommodate her hanging clothing, shoes, her fathers off season shirts and piles of stuff on the closet floor.  I met with Nancy a few days later to discuss my options.   She put together a computer drawing for me to see during our meeting.  She easily made adjustments to shelf  heights and widths.  When she left I had the closet layout and the price.

Once I confirmed the closet layout I scheduled an installation a week later.  Prior to the installer arriving I had to empty the closet and take down the wire rack system.  Removing the racks and screws from the wall only took me about 1 hour.  I have yet to Spackle the holes left, so I still have to do a little more work.  They would have done it for me for an additional cost.  California Closets called to confirm the appointment the previous day.  The installer arrived on time and completed installing the closet system in a little more than an hour (I thought it was very quick).  The closet system seems very sturdy, strong and used every inch of space.

My overall assessment of Tori's new closet is positive.  I really like the solid lament shelves.  It allows more items to be up off the floor and at eye level.  Most of the hanging clothing is easily accessible on aluminum poles.  The upper right bar for clothing is a challenge to reach, but this area is great for items you don't need to get to everyday.  The new closet system does not allow us to put more stuff in the closet (same amount went back in), but the items there are more organized and can be accessed more easily.  This is a pricey investment.  It cost $1,030 to do the entire closet, including installation.  After saying that, I received excellent customer service and the closet is guaranteed for life.  They made it so easy from my initial call until installation.  If you want that extra attention, convenience and quality then this could be a good option for you.

 Closet is filled and every shelf is used

  Not as perfect as the brochure, but everything fits and I can close the doors

Dotty
 Dotty Wyman Designs
 508.219.4739
 http://www.dottywymandesigns.com/



Add some Spring indoors

Submission by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs

Spring is here...sort of.  I know it isn't that warm out, but we are all itching to do a little something with our homes to spruce them up from the long cold winter.  Outside you can see the plants sprouting and the trees budding.  There are lots of ways you can bring this new growth into your homes and make it feel refreshed.

 One option is to bring budding branches into your home.  Branches have a much different look than a vase of flowers and they will usually last longer. Branches have a variety of shapes.  They can be long and straight or others are crooked with lots of little branches attached.  Long branches can be arranged in floor vases to make a dramatic impact in your foyer. Or a large arrangement can be placed on a dining room table to add a more organic look. These branches work well in any home, but they are especially suited for contemporary and transitional interior designs that are currently so popular.

Branches are available to everyone.  Your local florist can provide them or you can cut them yourself.  For example, Forsythia is a bush or hedge and is native to New England.  Most of the year it is green, but in the spring it produces thousands of small yellow flowers.  They grow very quickly, so there is no worry of cutting off to many branches.  When I was a kid, every spring my mother would bring in large bunches of Forsythia, Pussy Willows, apple blossoms and some times Dogwood branches throughout the season.  She would cut them prior to the buds opening, put them in water and wait.  Once the branches were warm inside the house, the buds would start to bloom.  She called it forcing the blooms.  The florist has access to more specific looks that may not be available in your yard.  

  

The wall sconces pictured are a great option if you want to change their look every few months.



Natural elements are easy ways to enhance the look of your home.  I don't have much of a green thumb, so these types of arrangements are right up my alley. 

Dotty Wyman

Dotty Wyman Designs

info@dottywymandesigns.com  

Do you own your website? (Part 4 - website hosting)

Submission by Robin Clapp - Web Design by Robin

This is part 4 of the series "Do you own your website?".  Today you will learn what website hosting is and how to purchase it.

I will ask a new client to perform two tasks when they hire me to design their website.
1) Pick and purchase a domain name for their website, which I covered in another blog article.
2) Purchase a hosting plan, which is the main focus of this blog article.  I will start by explaining what a website host is.

How does an internet browser know where a website lives?



It begins with registering your domain name with the whois database.  All domains are registered here.  This is how they know which ones are available and which ones are not.  The whois database record that contains the domain name also contains the address of where the website lives.  This address is normally that of a computer server that has access to the world wide web 99.9% of the time.  You want as little downtime as possible, right?

When you pay for your hosting plan you are paying for your website to be hosted on a server - giving it an address.  Once you know your server and website address it can be recorded in your domain name record and VOILA the connection is made and your website can be found.

Not all hosting plans are the same.

I specialize in content management websites, specifically in an application called Joomla.  The hosting plan needs to support the tool set I use. Not all hosting plans are the same. Godaddy hosting plans are a great fit for Joomla websites and are reasonably priced.  This is why I recommend their economy hosting plan to my clients.

Website Ownership
By completing steps 1 and 2, listed above, you have claimed ownership of both your domain name and hosting plan.  Now my favorite part begins, CREATING A REALLY COOL WEBSITE FOR YOU!

Robin Clapp
Web Design by Robin
Bringing Your Website to Life
Robin@Web-Design-By-Robin.com
508-622-1464

Shag Carpeting is Back!

submitted by Dotty Wyman - Dotty Wyman Designs     

 Shag carpeting is back and of course with a new twist.  It's not the same shag I grew up with in the 70's, with all the bright colors and long strands.  Today's shags have lots of lush texture, a thicker pile and the strands are a little shorter.  The colors are more neutral and multi-colored for today's homes.  I was surprised to see how many options and price points that were available as well. 

     Shag carpeting has a cut pile, the yarns are slightly twisted, with a much less twist than the frieze. The individual yarn strands are longer and spaced further apart.  The shag gives a "grass type look" because the strands lay in a different directions.

             A client of mine is redecorating her family room.  We are changing the paint color, selecting fabrics for window treatments and pillows, and purchasing a new carpet.  This large family room has beautiful oak hardwood  floors, but we wanted to create a fun casual and comfortable feeling.  The shag rug is a great solution.  We plan to treat the shag carpet as an area rug.  It will be cut to size and bound around the edges.  The thick plush shag will stand out against the hardwood creating tremendous impact for the room.  I really like using the shag carpet as an area rug.  It keeps the rug from overwhelming the room and it keeps things looking fresh.

A few tidbits I learned at the carpet store;  Shag carpeting is easily seamed without needing to match a pattern.  This allows for very little waste and a cost savings to the consumer.  The seams are undectible creating an even more beautiful rug.

Please send along any comments I would like to hear from you.

Dotty
Dotty Wyman Designs
508.219.4739
www.dottywymandesigns.com/

What's In YOUR Closet?

Submitted by Susan Finn - Buttonwood Originals 


Chances are, I have never been in your home.   

But this is what I already know about you ….

Somewhere in your home….in your closet, in the back of your drawers, in your laundry room, in your attic, in your mother’s attic….. you have at least one piece of clothing ( at least one…..most likely more) that you will never…EVER…wear in public again in your entire lifetime! 

 I also know this about you  (sort of creepy...I know)  You absolutely will not, CAN NOT, throw that piece of clothing away...you’re not even able to donate this piece of clothing to a worthy organization.  

    

  These fabrics are holding a deep, meaningful memory for you.  It could be a smell that elicits a memory (I kept my grandfather’s button-down shirt for over 10 years). Perhaps the texture of the piece elicits a memory of comfort and peace.  ( I still miss my baby blanket with its worn polyester quilted center, and especially its satin edging - how many times that blanket soothed me - through my parent’s divorce, through boyfriend break-ups, through numerous hair-too-frizzy-to-go-out nights ) 

      Most commonly, the piece of clothing brings us back to a certain moment in our life we would like to remember -  a great concert, a family reunion, a road race, a sporting event, etc.

Time get them out of the closet and into a life of usefulness, love, cuddles and sharing.     You can wrap yourself in your memories with a quilt made from your own collection of t-shirts. 

  

What kinds of items can be used in a memory quilt?   You can use pretty much any thing in a memory quilt.  We have used hats, karate belts, newborn onesies, hair ribbons, doll clothes, back packs, sheets, scarfs, nightgowns, and more!    The goal is to create an item that holds memories for you.

  

 At Buttonwood Originals, we take time to sit with you to go through your selections of items to discuss  the memories each one holds for you.  We work out the ideal layout, size and backing for your finished product.    It is our mission that we help you to preserve the fabrics of your life.

                             

For more samples of our products, 

please visit our online portfolio.  Buttonwood Originals . 

With warm and comforting wishes . . .

Susan Finn       

   Buttonwood Originals  -  For the Fabrics of Your Life