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When Steve and I started working for our clients, their living room looked like this.

After a couple of initial meetings with our clients, Steve and I knew exactly how we wanted this room (and the whole house) to feel. We wanted to create a calm environment using mostly neutrals and a few splashes of color.

I find it easiest to select one key element, like the rug or an important fabric, to determine the color palette. For this room, the rug was the first piece that we found, and all decisions were based on this piece.

I know it’s hard to tell, but this rug is beautiful! It’s mostly cream and beige with hints of lime green.

After selecting the rug, we went furniture shopping with our clients. They were drawn to the clean lined classic pieces by Kerry Joyce, and Dessin Fournir.

The Paige Sofa by Kerry Joyce was one of the first upholstered pieces that we chose for this room. Only Kerry Joyce could make a piece that was beautiful and comfortable for our 6′3″ client and his 5′3″ wife!

We all fell in love with the Austin Club Chair by Dessin Fournir. Since the sofa had exposed legs, the skirted Austin would be a perfect match. (more…)

Even after a homeowner has chosen the perfect color for a room, there’s another very important decision to make. With 5 or 6 paint finishes to choose from, you should learn the benefits of each and determine the right one for your job. Should you use flat or satin and why? Browse these tips on selecting the perfect paint finishes for your interior home applications.

Matte Finish
Whether called flat finish or wall paint, this type of interior paint has a matte surface. This paint finish is usually used on interior walls. It’s expecially good if you have to camouflage small wall bumps, cracks, or other imperfections, as this finish does not reflect light. While some flat paints are advertised as washable today, you may need to touch up scratches or marks by covering with a bit more paint, so be sure you keep some on hand after you’ve finished painting.

Flat Enamel
Flat enamel is a paint with a durable flat, matte finish. It’s a good choice for powder rooms and halls, as it holds up to occasional cleaning.

Eggshell Finish
If you can picture the very low sheen of the shell of an egg, you have an idea of how an eggshell paint finish will appear. With only a slight hint of shine or gloss, it’s good for walls and holds up better with cleaning than a flat finish paint.

Satin Finish
Satin finish paint has a smooth, velvety look with a bit more gloss. It is most often used for windows, doors, trim, or ceilings, but can also be used as wall paint. This is particularly suitable for kids’ room walls, kitchens, or bathrooms, or in areas which get a lot of traffic. Paint with a satin finish is formulated to hold up to cleaning and light scrubbing.

Semi-Gloss
Semi-gloss paint is most often used on doors, trim, and cabinets in kitchens and bathrooms. It is easily cleaned and lays down a nice, subtle shine, without being too glitzy. Take care with pre-paint preparation work, as poorly prepared surfaces can be a bit distracting when highlighted by a semi-gloss surface.

Glossy
High gloss paints have an almost reflective quality, as their shiny finish mimics the look of enamel or plastic. Though not widely used in home interiors, it is becoming more popular for a dramatic look on cabinets, trim, and furniture in very formal and very contemporary settings. This finish will magnify any surface imperfections, so careful preparation and sanding is essential before painting with high gloss paints.

sources : www.interiordec.about.com

Overview

What comes to mind when you think about a beautiful garden? Do you like wild growth with plenty of color or a formal design with clean lines? Designing a garden in your landscape that fits your personality and goals takes time and effort, but the process can be an enjoyable learning experience by following a few simple garden design rules.

Identify Goals

The first thing to do when designing your garden is to identify goals. Do you want plenty of color or lots of evergreen plants? Do you want low maintenance perennials and native plants or plants that will provide seasonal color and be replaced each spring or fall? Maybe you want to attract butterflies and hummingbirds or grow vegetables. Also, consider the location of your garden. How much sun will it get during a typical day? Will it get more sun during the winter than summer? How far away is it from a water source? Do you want to create a privacy screen or a focal point? These are questions to address in order to design your garden effectively.

Choose Plants

Research and identify different plants that will help meet your goals. Be sure they will grow in your designated USDA horticultural zone. You can find your zone on the widely used USDA horticultural zone map (see Resource below) that designates geographical areas where the climate is warm enough for a certain plant to thrive. Take note of the eventual size of desired plants and any toxicity or thorny growth if children will be present.

Draw Garden Plan

Use graph or plain paper and draw your garden plan from an aerial point of view, sketching in all permanent structures and plants such as trees or large shrubs that will be part of the design. Flower beds with soft flowing lines are more pleasing to the eye and easier to mow around than those with sharp angles. Use a water hose or rope to lay out a potential flower bed so you can get an idea of how it will look. Beds wider than two feet will require you to enter the bed for maintenance, although wider beds have more impact in the landscape. Leave room for lawnmowers and wheelbarrows, and leave room for kids and pets to play. Tall plants go in the back of the garden and shorter plants up front. A garden people will view from all sides has taller plants in the middle.

Color

When adding color to the garden, most experts agree that colors on the opposite side of the color wheel look best together, such as orange and blue. Masses of one color or the same shades of color have more impact than a variety of color in one place. Warm colors such as red and yellow make a bold statement and blues and greens are more subdued and relaxing. Repeat the same colors here and there around the garden to create cohesion.

Texture and Transition

Different plants create different textures. For example, a cactus has quite a different texture than a bed of snapdragons. Vary the texture within the garden to create interest. Choose plants and designs that create a smooth transition between flowerbeds or points of interest. For example, add plants of medium height between short and tall plants or tall structures.

Scale and Balance

Planting something that will grow big and overwhelm everything will upset the scale and balance of your garden design. Choose plants that work together with other plants without overwhelming them. Also, when thinking about balance, split the design in half to see if the two sides cover about the same space and will create balance when the garden design is mature.

sources : www.gardenguides.com