Don't Make These 5 Common Design Mistakes

Good morning Design Fans!  We picked this blog from designer Meredith Marlowe... she hits the nail on the head with these common design mistakes.  Are you making them??

I am all about breaking the rules and pushing the boundaries of design, however there are some things that just do not work and are just bad design. Here is a quick list of the top 5 most common mistakes that I see in people’s homes.

1. Using matching sets of furniture:Nothing screams amateur and boring more than matching furniture sets. People get scared about pulling a look together so they walk into one store and just buy the entire bedroom set. Your space needs some creativity and it should look as though it evolved over time. If you are on a budget, mix low end, vintage and a few more expensive pieces to make your place look stunning. Remember vintage shops and local auctions are great places to find deals.

2. Beige overload:How many of you get nervous choosing paint or fabric colors so you just go beige? Neutrals are amazing when mixed with textures and accent colors but who wants to enter a room and get swallowed in a sea of boringness? Can you imagine if a woman put on beige blush, lipstick, eyeliner and mascara; it would be freaky and blah. Your eye needs to see contrasts. If you really want to choose only beige then pump it up with lots of textures and a touch or white, black or accent colors along with a glittering jewel of a light fixture.3.  No focal point:

Every room needs a place that draws the eye. Whether it is the fireplace, a beautiful bookshelf, a gorgeous view framed by amazing curtains; find your focal point and don’t be afraid to make it bold. Everything should not compete for attention or the eye gets fatigued and some of us get a headache. You need uncluttered and blank spaces for the eye to rest.

4. Incorrect Lighting:Lighting can be tricky since it is affected by everything in the room and it changes with the time of day. When considering how much lighting think about the colors of your walls, fabrics, floors and if you get a lot of natural light. Very dark furniture will absorb light so you will have to amp it up a bit. Also remember to consider what activities will take place in the room. If you are reading, studying or cooking, you will need more light than a room for TV watching or sleeping. If you are feeling unsure just use dimmers so that you can adjust the light accordingly. Do not go overboard and punch too many holes in your ceiling. Remember to put different kinds of lighting - lamps, pendants, recessed and even candle light and your space will be excellent.

5. Photos hung too high:I cannot tell you how many times I have entered a home only to strain my neck trying to look at art and photos on the walls. Art and mirrors should be hung at eye level when standing and not so high that it will be uncomfortable to look at while sitting. Your art should not be more than about 6”-1’ above the sofa. Of course, there can be reasons to break this rule but just make sure you are breaking it for a good reason.

The Momentary City – Urban piece of Oriental Philosophy

The Momentary City is a delicate sequence in the anonymously ever-chaning cityscape of Hefei, China. Beijing-based Vector Architects have designed this structure to convey a glimpse of sky and an instance of tranquility, filtering dust and noise, retaining light and shadow, plants, delicate phenomena in a subtle hierarchy.The Momentary City is a series of courtyards between indoor space and outdoor city, enclosed by fiber glass grid screens that cast light and reflect the courtyard themes, affording transparency from the outside.With its orientally austere display of warm materials, perforated fiber glass, blonde wood, white surfaces, copper shell and gentle tree silhouettes, the Momentary City is tranquil yet thought-challenging, a refined array of feelings.                

Fantastic futuristic residence in the woods

A single deformed cylinder, prolonged and carved into, is an enclosure bringing tribute to the organic nature of the  environment it was built in. The concrete shell of the cylinder wraps around a porch and ends circling a tree which is the focal point of the patio. The construction conveys a duality with nature in spite of appearing highly futuristic.  No curve is unaccounted for, each being prolonged from one plan into another. The shape of the walls makes for a warm and comforting inner space and accents the change of light during the day by utilizing two glass facades and the round piercings into the cover. The flowing spaces afford a gradual, intimate and sinuous perception and natural ventilation throughout the residence. The main materials of the building are white concrete and rich wood, simple and appropriate for this privileged enclave. The beautiful venue uses the lush forest as an integral part of its landscaping.

ARTWORK - ONE OF THE FIVE FOUNDATIONS of Good Design

The ART of ART

Key to successful interior design, Artwork is one of Beasley & Henley’s FIVE FOUNDATIONS of Good Design.  

Artwork serves both an emotional and practical function in a space, tying the space together and bringing unity to sometimes disparate elements.  The color, subject matter, theme, even the framing, are critical to the completion of the design and to creating a focal point where a room’s colors and elements coalesce.

Artwork can do this subtly by carefully coordinating colors and styles with the environment or it can be done in a very bold fashion with artwork that seems in contrast with the environment.Remember that like everything else, artwork is subject to trends.  Its colors can come into or go out of fashion, an artist can be more or less popular, a style might be all the rage – for the time being.  Trends will just eat up your money, so unless you are a serious investor, just buy the art because you like it and it fits your design purpose.Here are some of the things that we look for when selecting artwork:The Tie-In: Artwork doesn’t have to tie in perfectly to everything but it needs to relate to the overall design of a space either in theme or color.

Contrast and Friction: Contrast can also be a tie in and add Friction or interest to the design.  A monochromatic room with bold bright artwork is an example, or visa versa.

Framing:  Framing is an important part of the artwork and is part of the color scheme of the room. The color tones of the frame should be appropriate, the matting complimentary to the artwork and the room, the size of the frame and matting are important in relation to artwork.

Non-Art:  When a space has too much artwork, we use ‘Non-Art’ such as a  sculptural piece, a tapestry or some other design element that is not made up of paint, paper and a frame.

As with most creative endeavors, the attempt to put hard and fast rules on the use of artwork will fail.  However, there are some common errors that do-it-yourselfers and even bad designers make that should be avoided. Here are some examples we found on the internet:Don’t hang it high!  This is the #1 most common error. Artwork should be hung at eye level.  Even if you have a collection of many pieces taking up a large portion of a wall, keep the center point at eye level.

Below: The artwork in this picture is hung too high and the pieces are underscaled. It also has no relationship to anything in the room. One solution would be to move the two pieces to the narrow wall and stack them.Reframing would make them appear larger with more substantial matting.  Over the bed the large mirror could be used instead of artwork to enlargent her oom and reeflect the bold colors of the bed.

Too small or too big.   Scale and proportion seem to be a tricky thing in selecting artwork.  A common sight is a regular size living room sofa with an undersized piece of art floating alone on the large wall behind it.   If it is a single piece of art, it should run at least 4/5 of the length of the sofa.  If the art is too small put a larger matte and frame around it to extend the size.No big gaps! The space between the top of your furniture and the bottom of the artwork only needs to be a few inches.

Below: Move the artwork to one side and then add two smaller pieces to balance it. The pieces should be large enough to reach close to the edges of the bench.

Below: The theming of this piece framed in shiny gold makes it an odd selection for this Victorian chaise surrounded by dark woods. A solution to make it look more appropriate is to move it to the lower side of the chaise an add a round piece or a mirror to the other side. I couldn't resist adding a lamp too...

Too much of the same thing .  Matchy-matchy only works in small does. Keep a variety in color and theme, while maintaining a general tie-in to the environment

Below: This room is matchy-matchy and so is the artwork, except for the gold frames, which don't match anything. If you can't donate to charity, then one solution is to lower and level the artwork, and reframe so they blend in.

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Cheap framing.Decent framing is expensive so expect to pay.  You can make or break a piece of art by the framing, the matting and the filet you use. Designers use professional frames and so should you.

Orange and Magenta -it's where its at!

The HookGood wine and good company were key to getting the interior designers and design marketers to the event at Ceramic Matrix tile showroom last week. At the mention of the seminar however, everyone suddenly had something to else do. Wash the dog, visit in-laws, get stuck in traffic – anything to avoid another tedious lecture from someone telling us how to do something we already know how to do. Swayed by the offer of CEU credits and more wine, many stayed and though we never would have guessed -  it was so worth it!The presenter, Feras Irikat, Design Director for Oceanside + Mandala tile companies, and Color Guru extraordinaire, filled us up with amazing facts, knowledge and tricks we didn’t even know we needed to know! Orange and Magenta and you’re good to go! After a quick hour, we found that the bottom line is the only two colors you really need to know are Orange and Magenta.  All things flow from there. Crazy I know, but we’ll get to that later. 

  

The BasicsFeras started with the Basics. Color is a science based on wavelengths, absorption, and reflection. Color, to be color, needs 3 things: pigment + a light source + an observer. Voila- color! Lighting 101: Let there be light – wait not that light!Interior Designers know light has a huge effect on color. At it’s most extreme, No Light=No Color.  So the amount of light in a room or on a building exterior is critical to deciding a color or color palette.  You can’t choose an exterior paint color from inside your design studio and you can’t choose a color palette for a client’s interior space while you sit outside. That 'tan' selection for the building facade wont look the same inside under halogen or fluorescent blubs and vice versa! Texture also plays a part. A pretty burnt orange tile is going to look very different than the same color on a very textured pillow.

Why are these people so difficult?Another important aspect of how we perceive a color has nothing to do with real life, it is all about emotion.  “Color Conditioning" as Feras explains it, is each person’s emotional connection to a color. 

Men can’t do pink because in our culture pink is for girls. I don’t like Avocado Green (even if it has been renamed) because it reminds me of old refrigerators. Peach can be a hard sell to a generation who grew up with peach and seafoam green everywhere.  Different cultures view colors differently.   

 

You wont be using that perfect green bathroom floor tile for your Middle Eastern clients because they consider green a sacred color.  Your all-white sofas may not be popular with some Asian clients who see white as the color of mourning. Regional differences matter too - Color trends in Florida are going to be different from colors in Wisconsin.Old CorneasThe age of your clients will also effect how they perceive the colors. As we age our corneas yellow. So if your client is older or younger than you and you can’t agree on subtle color changes, consider the age of your corneas! You may not be seeing the same thing!

What went wrong? The lesson of Undertones….Yep, chose your color, great. But then realize that your wonderful color choice is actually second in importance to the primary color issue, the undertone. All colors have an undertone which are either a variation of warm yellow or a variation cool blue. For example, red is never just red. It is red with a blue-green undertone, red with a yellow-orange undertone. Benjamin Moore Paints for example has hundreds of reds and more than 200 variations of white. White! Each has a different undertone.

 

 What was that about Orange and Magenta?Feras, aka Mr. Color, walks around with 2 large fabric swatches draped over his shoulders. One is Magenta, the other is Orange. To understand why you have to look at the color chart.

Each of these 7 simple colors has an endless possibility of undertones (in the warm-yellow or cool -blue family) that create huge changes in their look.  With all the possibilities, Feras uses a system that is even more refined than looking at the yellow-blue undertones.To find out where a color falls, and therefore what it’s undertone is, simply know 2 important facts: there is only one color that exists on the warm side of the chart and not the cool side: Orange. And, there is only one color that exists on the cool side and not the warm side: Magenta. Put a swatch of orange and magenta up to your color or a color palette and you will see quickly where your colors fall on the spectrum. You will know if your undertones are consistent and if they will result in a harmonious and perfect blend for your purpose! All Colors are Good, All Palettes are NotRemember there are no bad colors, but there are bad palettes. Keep the Harmony of the colors, a smooth transition on the eye between the pigment and the undertones make a beautiful palette. Thanks Ceramic Matrix! 

LIGHT UP!!

I am little delayed in blogging, what with summer diversions and all.  But I am back, talking appropriately enough about LIGHT.  It is one of Beasley & Henley’s Five Foundations of Design and in a nutshell, this is how designers make it work… Generally we look at 3 kinds of lighting: 1. Natural light a/k/a, good, old-fashioned sunshine. 2. Ambient light, which is general room lighting. 3. Specialty lighting, which illuminates specific objects or areas. 

 In any one room, there should be at least one of each of these light sources. A few of each would be even better. 

 First, start with the natural sunshine: make sure your windows are unobstructed by heavy draperies, big pieces of furniture or other large items that would intrude into your sunlit world. 

Simple window treatments allow plenty of natural light in the room and add to the mood

 Second, look at the ambient lighting. Use a good general overhead fixture that provides ample room light. If an overhead isn’t possible, use enough lamps with floodlighting to generally illuminate the room. Hallways should be well lit with a sequence of lighting overhead or with scones.

The large fixture provides overhead lighting. This room has natural and specialty lighting as well

For maximum mood and effect make sure all your lights are on dimmers and remember to use low voltage dimmers for low voltage lights or you will get a burn out you weren’t expecting. A few more notes about things people always ask us…

- Chandeliers: they hang between 36”to 48”off the table in the dining or breakfast rooms

- Recessed Cans: If you are using recessed cans, use halogen not incandescent bulbs- you get more light and they last longer.- Also with 4”-5” cans available, there is not reason to poke 6” holes in your ceiling anymore.- Green:  We think ‘green lighting’ is a great idea, but it is still a work in progress.  The bulbs cast a horrible light, so we are waiting for the next generation.- Florescent bulbs?  Let’s not even go there – they are loaded with mercury, have special disposal issues and they look bad. Sorry ‘green’ people!

Friction is Hot! It keeps things interesting.

Like a hot relationship, Friction is an element in an interior that you may not even notice at first.  It is the thing that makes it all blend, spices it up and makes it interesting.  “I don’t know what it was, but everything flowed.” That was the Friction. The visual and tactile textures that keeps interiors interesting. Smooth surfaces combined with textured fabrics or finishes and contrasted with the backdrops in the room create a lot of interest. This principal applies to all types of interiors from modern, traditional and all points in between. 

Interesting textures are the things that make you want to reach out and run your fingers along a countertop or sofa or fabric.  It is even in the artwork. Maybe it is a bold piece in a white room, or a highly textured piece beside a silk sofa. You may be tempted to reach out and touch both of those! Silks, wools, nubby boucles, leathers, grainy woods, glass/metal combinations - all these elements compliment and contrast, helping to form the finished look.  Then you can add in wood clad walls, contrasting flooring, mixing stones…

Friction also works with mixing of styles. For example, if you have an old piece of furniture that you just can’t get rid of, like a family heirloom, then change its look for some style friction.  Reupholster or slip cover that old chair in a mod fabric and hang a great piece of contemporary artwork over it. Change the chandelier over the traditional dining table to a wild contemporary piece. Pair up the old with the new and give it a fresh lease on life.

Like a hot relationship, Friction and Contrast can get out of control, so plan ahead and have fun!

Oh my God this place is amazing!

...We love to hear that.

You know, it's when you walk into a room or a home and just loved, but can't quite put your finger on why. 

It is more than just chance that a place looks or feels great.

Five Foundations

Troy Beasley, Beasley & Henley's Design Principal says Good Design breaks down into five basic rules. He calls them the Five Foundations.1. Color2. Lighting3. Architectural Detailing4. Artwork and Mirrors5. Contrast and Friction

Color

One important note regarding color... never does it stand alone!

If you want to paint a room a gorgeous high gloss red, remember that red meets another color at some point.  When you plan one color you have to plan all colors so they can nicely meet -not garishly clash. Even within a room,  think about the final mix of all the color combo's in the space.  More than once has a client worried that the colors on the walls of their new home are too dark or too light, or too bold.  Once all the furnishings and artwork and lighting are in though there is an incredible blend of colors that all work together.  For example, that  '”too light” wall has darker piece of furniture in front of it and the contrast is needed. That bold room is meant to be vibrant and the furnishings balance it out.Often a neutral palette is the backdrop to a room.  Then adding warm colors in small doses adds the warmth – this is an element that a lot of people feel is lacking in modern design.  For example, you can decide on white walls, white floors and white fabrics and then layer colors into it with contrasting accent fabrics and bright artwork. Another option is a more blended setting; paint the walls warm gray and buy upholstery in variations of blue or beige. Then pick similar color values for artwork and accessories to create a warm environment. You can also do a neutral backdrop adding patterned effects on draperies and accent pieces.  Again, high contrast artwork adds a lot of interest and warmth.

Hot color combos right now are:Crème and GreenBlack and WhiteCool Grays and shiny PlatinumsBrowns are still nice but are fading from their once overwhelming popularity as the "new black"Black, is the "new black" – again!