4 New Ways to Use Art as a Design Statement in Your Home

I was meeting with a client this week who wanted some new and exciting ways to use art to command attention and create something visually interesting to look at that’s not just hanging another framed print on the wall.

It made me realize that all too often art is only thought of as something to hang on the wall.  It might be centered above the sofa in your living room, or over the mantel.  If it’s an artist’s original work, it may be placed it a small alcove in the wall and given a spotlight.  Or maybe all the art in your home is finger paintings by your 6 year old that are attached to the refrigerator with a magnet?

We wanted to help you break free from those as your only ideas of how to place art in your home.  We’ve partnered with Dan Campbell of Modern Art by Dan, to show you ways to use art (his art specifically) in new and different ways to make a statement in your home!

One great way that we incorporate art and graphics on a large scale with with wall murals.  The art shown here is Dan’s ‘Johnny B’, and I think this would be great in a budding musician kid’s room!  While it would be amazing to commission an artist to paint their art directly on the wall, sometimes that’s just not feasible for budgetary reasons, or because your favorite artist is not available for painting on such a large scale.  Here, we’d work directly with the artist to purchase their high-resolution images, we’d have the art scaled perfectly for your wall, and installed just like wallcovering.  Easy as that, and it’ll make a huge impact in your room!

While the walls in your home may be less ‘industrial’ looking with the mottled paint job in the next image, a large-scale work of art on a canvas can make an incredible impact in any room.  The original painting, ‘Canvas Can do Miracles’, is 30″ x 40″. It alone would look great in many rooms, but to move away from the norm and have it printed on a large scale would really give people something to remember!

 

Where do visitors always seem to gather?  If your house is anything like mine, it’s the kitchen.  And while there are often a few places to hang traditional framed art, how about having a work of art tiled onto your backsplash?  Did you even know you could have tiles custom made with an artist’s image on them?  There is some legwork involved in having this done (you obviously can’t buy Dan’s ‘Sunrise Sail’ glass tiles directly at your big-box home store), but it’s a great way to make a big impact in your kitchen, it keeps the art protected from splashes and splatters, and it’s less costly than you might think!  We are glad to help you with the process.

 

If you’re feeling really adventurous in giving your home a unique look, consider adding art to a sliding door.   The door shown here with Dan’s ‘Don’t Fly Away’ makes a great impact while standing in the kitchen and hallway, but think about all the possibilities for what you could add to the other side of the door as a surprise view from the living room as well!  What a treat for you and guests alike!

Just like in the wall mural of the first image, you could either commission the artist to paint your door (a little easier here, since the door could be removed and completed in the artist’s studio), or you can find the perfect painting that’s already been completed and have it blown up to the perfect size for your door.

Really, the possibilities for placing art in your home are endless, and while we’ve given you a few of our ideas here, we’d love to work with you to add a big impact with art to your home!

Thanks again to Dan Campbell of Modern Art by Dan for giving us free-rein to get a little playful with his art.  Make sure to check out his other works on his website and facebook page for even more inspiration.

And thanks to the following sources for the interior images sans Dan’s art.

Bedroom from Bozeman House

Large Living Room Canvas from House Beauty

Kitchen Backsplash from Adagio Art Glass

Sliding Door from Home Adore

 

Looking for more ways to give your home a big impact with design, but don’t know where to start?  Call or email our designers at Interiors by The Sewing Room.

(309) 755-0045

We can even show you how to use your company’s branding and logo to your business’ interior.  One of our Registered Interior Designers or Architect at our parent firm, Conceptual Designs, Inc. can help!

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Peppy Pillows: 4 fabrics, 7 pillows, endless combinations

We love it when clients come to us with a fun idea in mind, but need our help to put it all together!  Here, our client wanted to be able to easily change up the look in their living room whenever the mood strikes.  We helped them select 4 fabrics and a great magenta cord trim to finish off the look.

We started with the Moroccan print with dark brown and magenta velvet.  Because this is a large-scale pattern we knew it would command the most attention, so we wanted to add some more classic patterns to mix with it.

Second is the fun & fuzzy-edged polka dots.  A classic pattern with a twist!  The size of the dots is larger than those you’re used to seeing, and with the fuzzy edges, the fabric has a softer look (making us want to dive right in to that pile of pillows!).

We rounded out the design with a very classic black and white houndstooth pattern and a checkerboard print with a repeat of that wonderful magenta color!

With a quick flip of the pillows, they’re able to get a classic look:

Feeling Bold on a Friday?  Flip again:

Do you like Drama?  We LOVE Drama!  Dramatic interiors, that is!

Or are you simply symmetrical?

These pillows have 2 different corner styles (4 knife edge and 3 turkish cornered), and are in 3 different sizes (21″, 15″ and 12″x18″).  All of our pillows come standard with zippers so you can easily slip off the covers for dry cleaning, or change the pillow forms to down filling or polyfill for a fuller and softer feel!

What’s your favorite pattern mix?

 

We’re ready to help you put it all together today!  Call or email our designers at Interiors by The Sewing Room.

(309) 755-0045

Are you interested in seeing how peppy patterned pillows can add to your workplace?  One of our Registered Interior Designers or Architect at our parent firm, Conceptual Designs, Inc. can help!

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Color Inspiration: Navy and Olive

We are always seeking out great inspiration for your home, and we know you are too!  One of the most popular images from our Pinterest Color Board is this rich Navy walled kitchen on the right above.  We love it too!

So, you’ve found a look you love, but now what?  We’re starting a series featuring your favorite interiors and putting together a color palette you can use for your room or as a design scheme for your whole house!

While there’s a couple of main colors in this room, the accessories add so much more to the design, and today we’re doing a spin off of the Navy and Olive pairing that really completes this room.   All the color names shown are from Sherwin Williams, and we’d be glad to work with you to put these to use in your home!

We also wanted to give you a few other ideas on how to use the same color palette with the living room, and a little spin on the colors with the beautiful patterned pillow in the first group of images.

What are your favorite inspiration images?

 

Image sources:

Kitchen Image from Desire to Inspire

Pillow Cover by Lynnes This and That on Etsy

Living Room by House Beautiful

 

What are you favorite inspiration images?  We’re ready to help you put it all together today!  Call or email our designers at Interiors by The Sewing Room.

(309) 755-0045

Are you interested in seeing how Navy & Olive can add to your workplace?  One of our Registered Interior Designers or Architect at our parent firm, Conceptual Designs, Inc. can help!

Click here for

 

Design Board: Marsala is Pantone’s Color of the Year 2015

By now, you’ve probably heard the announcements of Pantone’s Color of 2015.  Marsala is “dramatic and at the same time grounding, the rich and full-bodied red-brown Marsala brings color warmth into home interiors” – from the Pantone website.

Our designers at Interiors by The Sewing Room have taken inspiration from Marsala, added a neutral light gray-beige and paired it with bold blue-teal!

Our inspiration photo is from an adorable and modern B&B in Nantucket, Chapman House, and shows a great balance of color and neutrals that could be the perfect way to incorporate this year’s color of the year into your bedroom or guestroom!

Our great window treatment fabric & trim suggestion could be made into functional Roman Shades to continue with the modern, clean lines of the room.  An accent wall or nook covered in the bold teal wallcovering gives great balance to the warm red-brown Marsala.   The beautiful upholstered headboard with nailhead trim in the inspiration image can be created by our very own Seamstresses, just for you!  Add some accent pillows, a comfortable chair, with a lamp for reading, and you have a bold and beautiful, but relaxing room for guests, or yourself.

If you’re still looking for something on trend, but a little more subtle than bold, we’d suggest that you pair Marsala with a nice aqua and a creamy neutral background, like Pantone’s pairings below.

We’ve put together even more inspiration for using Marsala, over on our website’s homepage.  Click here and scroll down to check it out!

 

Shop for the look:

Window Treatments

Wallcovering

Pillows

Armchair

Table Lamp

 

Let us know where you’d like to use Marsala, and we’re ready to help you put it all together today!  Call or email our designers at Interiors by The Sewing Room.

(309) 755-0045

Are you interested in seeing how Marsala can add to your workplace?  One of our Registered Interior Designers or Architect at our parent firm, Conceptual Designs, Inc. can help!

Click here for

 

4 Tips for Getting your Dream Home in 2015

Just like many girls spend countless hours (and years) envisioning their dream wedding, as an interior designer, I’ve spent years picturing my dream home!  I have pictures from magazines collected in folders and countless ideas tagged online.  My husband and I talk about it often, especially the kitchen, since we love to cook.

My dream home has a chef’s kitchen, with all top-of-the-line appliances; a Viking Range (with a pot filler faucet above) and a gorgeous statement range hood and beautifully tiled backsplash.  There’s double wall ovens, a deep double sink, an island with a prep sink and seating for kids and guests to play and talk with me while I cook.  It also has an area with lowered counters for me to use (since I’m shorter-than-average), and an area with higher counters for my husband (who is above average height).  I’d love it to have giant glass doors that open wide to let in a cool breeze, sunshine and a great view of my perfectly-manicured garden.  Can you picture it?!

But my current home is far from the dream.  And although I’m sure your dream home looks different than my dream home, I’m guessing your current home may need some improvements before it can live up to those dreams.  But there are ways to at least get closer to your dream home quicker than you think!  It’s all about focusing on areas that are close, but not quite there yet.

Tip 1:  Start Small

I really like my living room.  It’s a great place where my family can play, talk and spend time together.  There’s a giant sectional sofa where we can all curl up and watch movies and read books, and there’s still plenty of room leftover for a home office, and play space!  But it’s missing something.  The giant brown sofa in the middle of the room can sometimes be an eyesore…and my cheap broken miniblinds just don’t give it the luxurious look that I’d hope for.

So what to do?  Keep the parts you love about your space in mind, but look back to your dream home images for inspiration.

The details are what make an average room look amazing.

Add some variety with pillows in lots of complimentary colors and patterns!  Tie those colors and patterns in to your drapes, artwork and add fresh cut flowers.  Looking better already, right?!

Image Source: Design Sponge

 

Tip 2:  Declutter

I don’t know about you, but even the parts I love about my home are often buried under piles of paperwork, toys and clothes.  Those magazine photos that I covet seem to have everything in it’s place, and a place for everything…of importance.  Where is the rest of their stuff?  Guess what, they don’t have extra stuff!

Use the New Year as a chance to get rid of old things you no longer value or need.

So many decluttering experts (and novices) are planning New Years challenges to sort through and purge what they don’t need.  Find an online group, or just join up with a friend for support and donate all that extra stuff to people who might actually appreciate it!  In just 10 minutes a day, or 1 day a week, you’re house will start to feel lighter and look more like those dream home pictures in no time!

 

Tip 3:  Don’t Wait, Set a Date

You’ve thought long and hard about what your dream home looks and feels like, so what are you waiting for?

Carve out a weekend to paint a room you’ve been thinking about for months, make an appointment with an interior designer to start discussing your remodel, or set a date with your spouse, roommate or a friend to go on the search for a new sofa you’ve been dreaming of.

Put it on your calendar, prepare and conquer!

By enlisting the help of a professional or even a couple of friends, you’d feel more committed and less likely to cancel your planned improvements.

 

Tip 4:  One Thing At A Time

If you’re like me, the big picture can get so overwhelming that we stop in our tracks and no progress is made.  My whole bedroom doesn’t feel like the relaxing sanctuary that I picture, but how long have the shoes been spilling out from my closet into a pile on my bedroom floor?  Far too long to admit!

By just focusing on one tiny part of what could improve the space (spend 20 minutes reorganizing my shoes so they fit back into the closet), it will not only improve the look of the space, but it will make you feel more satisfied with the space overall.

After that’s done, what’s the next step?  Maybe now I need to find the perfect bedspread and pillows to give my room the cozy feeling that my dream bedroom has.  It’s now so much easier to focus on searching for the bedding or designing it to be exactly what you’ve pictured with custom bedding when you’re just focusing on one thing at a time!

Kitchen and Bedroom images by Urrutia Design

 

Ready to update your home?  Call or email our designers at Interiors by The Sewing Room today!

(309) 755-0045

Looking for a Registered Interior Designer or Architect to help with your business design needs?

Click here for our parent firm, Conceptual Designs, Inc.