Let’s Talk About Interior Paint

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As designers, it is perceived that all we do is pick paint colors. This is a MYTH. We do much more in the design process than just pick paint colors. In fact, paint is one of the last steps in the process, but it is a first to do in the construction world.

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NOT SURE WHICH SHEEN TO USE?

Eggshell

Eggshell paint is a gloss that looks and feels somewhat flat, but it has a slight gloss to it. Eggshell is easier to maintain because it has a slight gloss. It is great to use in finished basements, offices, hallways, and bedrooms. Avoid using eggshell paint on ceilings and trim.

Flat

Flat paint has a matte look and can be used to hide any wall imperfections. It is reflective, which means it will soak up light that is directed at it. Flat paint tends to be easier to apply and less expensive than other paints. It is the least durable and doesn’t handle scrubbing and should not be used in high traffic areas such as kitchens, bedrooms, or bathrooms. Flat paint should be used in low traffic rooms that have a lot of light like formal dining rooms, and offices.

Semi-Gloss

Semi-Gloss paint is similar to satin finish paint. However, it has more of a sheen than a satin finish paint. Light will bounce off of the paint more easily than a satin or eggshelf paint. Semi-Glass paint should be used in rooms where stains end up on the walls like the bathroom or kitchen. It can be scrubbed and cleaned so it can be used in children’s rooms too.

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Paint Samples? We Got You!

Lots of times, as a homeowner you want to see how the paint is going to look on the wall before it’s applied. Don’t worry! We got you! We have a ton of paint samples and to make it even better they are HUGE! You’ll get a great idea of exactly what it’s going to look like.

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WE LOVE COLOR

“Remember” our color of the month!? We had a whole year of color! Click the pictures to see some highlights about colors.

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We can’t wait to help you find the perfect paint color! Don’t forget to check us out on our Instagram page to learn more about paint colors.

- Paige

“She shines bright in her business and her life. She lives in color, with passion”

— Ellevated Outcomes

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How to Style a Bed

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We often get asked about how we, as designers, style beds. And although each room is different and custom to your home, there are some general rules of thumb. We’re paying attention to pillow height, scale, functionality, and quality of the materials and fabrics we choose. Finishing out a bedroom by making custom pillows and even custom blankets, is something we love to do (especially when we get to pair it with a custom headboard)! It makes a big impact with minimal commitment. Remember, we do have four seasons and each season calls for new bedding. Exciting, right!?

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Foundation

Quality

Starting with a good foundation is important! We spend a third of our lives in bed, so selecting good quality bedding is a must. It’s a simple solution to making life a little more luxurious, so we recommend spending on quality sheets and pillows because this is an investment in daily living.

Color

A good base color would tend to be a neutral and you can never go wrong with a classic white. However, we’re seeing lots of fun natural muted colors, like oranges, greens and lots of dusty pinks. Don’t be afraid of color, but make sure it compliments the rest of your bedroom!

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Layer Up

Layering up is what’s going to make a bed look the most cozy and inviting. And it allows for different temperatures through early mornings and late nights. Duvets are great for adding fluff and texture. In the winter, you can sleep under the duvet and add a quilt at the end of the bed for extra warmth. During the summer, you can move the duvet to the end of the bed and sleep with a lighter quilt.

A quick bed making trick: fold your duvet in half and then pull the top part back into thirds so you can show off your pillows and if you have pretty sheets, fold the duvet in thirds and get a peek at those sheets! A messy bed will still look good with the right elements!

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Pillow Talk

Contrary to popular belief, you can, in fact, have too many pillows. A good rule of thumb is a couple of Euro shams (three for a kind sized bed), two standard shams or pillows, and a decorative pillow.. When too many pillows are added to a bed it takes away the functionality and tends to look silly and uninviting. When mixing patterns, find a unifying element. This can be accent colors in both pillows.

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Top it off!

The finishing touches is what’s going to set apart a well designed space. An accent throw at the end of the bed (or draped over the edge) or even a piece of furniture at the foot of the bed, can tie in the colors to a room. This is a great time to play with a little texture, as well.

Remember to tidy up your side tables and style books, add a big lamp or maybe a sconce, and lean a few photos to finish out the space. It makes a big difference!

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The Yellow Bedroom

When designing this master bedroom, we started off with one of our favorite wallpapers. From there we selected an accent color of yellow—blue and began designing. We wanted a pop of color somewhere in the room and found this velvet yellow stool that we adored. It really ties the room together.

See how we mixed colors, fabrics and textures for the pillows? We think it turned out really well and our clients were beyond happy. Exactly how we want to finish out every project—to the very last details.

“With four seasons in a year, that’s four completely different looks we can have! Start dreaming! ”

— Paige W. Interior Design Team

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Have you voted in the 2021 Sizzle Awards yet!? If you haven’t, we’d love for you to show us some love!

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Our Thoughts on Pillows

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Hiring a designer means each space will have both intention and functionality. With this month’s accent, we wanted to give you some of our thoughts on how we use pillows and why we select the ones we do. Pillows serve both an aesthetic and functional purpose and our job is to find that middle ground. We like to use pillows to tie in the colors and feel of the rest of the space to finish out the entirety of the project. These are a few categories to keep in mind when selecting pillows!

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Size Matters

Nothings worse than having a bunch of small pillows. For one, they’re uncomfortable to lounge with and tend to just be thrown on the floor, unused and unneeded. Secondly, it can make the scale of a couch, seat, or wherever you have these pillows look smaller and less intentional.

We have sleeping pillows and we have decorative pillows. Sleeping pillows are typically 20” tall and then become wider, as the bed becomes wider.

Decorative pillows come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and when working with an interior designer, we have some creativity here to figure out what works best for the space. Some popular pillows are Euro Pillows, Boudoir Pillows, and Lumbar Pillows.

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Fill Matters

When shopping for throw pillows, consider the fill and how it will affect the appearance. A feather-and-down fill, for example, has more "give" and a softer squish. Foam and other synthetic fills are stiffer and generally more affordable. These pillows will hold their shape better but don't look as luxurious.

Feather

Feather pillows come from the wing and back feathers of the bird, the ‘top’. Whereas down is the underside of the bird. Feathered pillows are heavier, which gives the pillow more structure. These hold shape well and are a great option for a less expensive down pillow.

Down

Down pillows are the softest pillow, they have less structure and more ‘fluff’. They have the longest lifespan of most of the fills and are comfortable.

Polyester

Polyester pillows are good in that they are affordable. However, they have a short lifespan and don’t have the best feel to them. As they’re made from chemicals they tend to clump over time as the filling clumps and the pillow becomes lumpy. Not giving you a promising lifespan for your price.

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Texture Matters

Textures are important in design, it creates depth, luxury or just a little fun! And it’s totally okay to mix textures, finding the right juxtaposition of smooth and rough, soft and fuzzy. Even a splash of something exciting like a faux fur, velvet, or a tassled accent can finish off a space. Keeping your color and pattern theme in play, you can get creative with touch and feel.

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Here are some of our favorite pillow selections, if you want to shop around!

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“We hope you learned something that you can use when searching for your next pillow purchase! ”

— Paige W. Interior Design Team

Brentwood Escape

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We have a new project to show you! And we are SO excited with how it turned out, and our wonderful clients are too!

This space was incredibly expansive, but the wall wasn’t utilized and the fireplace looked bulky and out of place. With this wall being seen throughout the rest of them home, we needed to make it full-scale at every angle.

One of the main desires was comfortability for the family because its the main gathering space that opens up from the kitchen. Our clients loved soft earth tones with an emphasis on blues and greens. They wanted to display treasured books, vases and family photos. Adding bookcases made the fireplace make sense and helped ground how heavy the stone was to the once-bare room.

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Can we please have more custom ottomans in 2021? Thank you!

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THE BOOKCASES

A shining star on this project was the paint we chose for this space! It’s even more beautiful in person. It’s a beautiful moody blue—green—grey!? It transitions depending on the time of day, but what we do know, is that it works! Sherwin Williams, Escape Gray, was used on both the bookcases and walls to make the entire space seamless. A designer’s note: when ceilings are so tall, it’s important to minimize the odd space above the bookcases. We do this by painting the bookcases the same color as the entirety of the wall. Try to avoid the gap above cabinets when they don’t reach the ceiling.

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THE TELEVISION

The family didn’t want the television to be the main focus and with the fireplace being so tall, we wanted to take advantage of the height when designing the bookcases. These reasons validated our decision to place the television on the lower bookcase. You can’t see this in the pictures, but the television swivels out to help the flexibility and ergonomics of the space.

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LIGHTING

With only two recessed lights and a ceiling fan, lighting was a main issue, even with the large windows, the room always felt too dark. You’ll hear us often say we need to “layer lighting,” refer back to one of our previous blog posts to understand what we mean by that. We replaced the ceiling fan with a beautiful chandelier, added sconces to the bookcases and placed table lamps throughout the room. This made the room well-lit but still moody, cozy and functional.

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THE DETAILS

We tried to reflect the family’s love for Arts and Crafts style throughout the design. Selecting cabinet pulls, hinges and even the lighting gives a slight nod to the classic craftsman style. Luckily, our client trusted us and our vision and we think it turned out beautifully.

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“We finished out this project with a small get-together, which of course included champagne and all the curious animals. ”

— Paige Williams Interior Design Team

Our Philosophy on Curtains

… and the price behind them. We’re breaking it down for you on why you need curtains, why they’re worth it and what a difference they make in your home.

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PHILOSOPHY

Personality:

Curtains are the perfect place to give color and texture to reflect what your design style says about you. There are a ton of options to play with, like different materials, rods, patterns, textures, and trim! Don’t be afraid to go BOLD!

INVESTMENT:

Having custom curtains in your home is like having a well-tailored suit. It’s going to fit you and only you. It enhances the height of the ceilings by bringing your eye upward all while hiding the edges of the window to make it seem bigger. It softens all the sharp angles in a room and tricks the eye to make the space feel more expansive. We like to highlight what we like and to hide what we don't.

FUNCTIONALITY:

A question you’ll hear time and time again from designers is, “how do you live in this space?” we want to know the little details from where you sit in the mornings, how the sun comes in, to how much privacy you need at night. Draperies can give you the flexibility you want in a space, by giving you the function you need for the time of day and occasion you’re faced with. Everyone is a bit different, some like a lot of light, and some like a lot of flexibility. Working with a designer gives you the practicality that works for you.

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WHAT YOU’RE PAYING FOR

PROFESSIONAL WORKMANSHIP:

The level of sewing detail is unmatched to buying curtains ready-made. Working with talented makers also helps when a material is out of stock because it allows us to be a bit more creative.

Lastly, the people we work with have been in business a very long time, it’s a family-run business and we hold value to that! We love supporting people who are hardworking, have attention to detail, and love what they do, it makes our job and everyone’s experience a brighter one!

PROFESSIONAL INSTALL:

We price out our curtains with the material, labor, and install all in one. We try to avoid the DIY process here. For those of us who have hung curtains ourselves (headache), then spent another full day steaming them to try and get them to sit just right… OH, and then they’re too long and puddle on the floor? We avoid this scenario because really, it’s not worth our time and it’s not worth yours. With a professional install you’re guaranteed perfection and efficiency. They’re steamed at the end of install, guaranteed to be the perfect length, and then you never have to touch them again. It’s a win, win.

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STILL HESITANT?

Curtains are one of the number one things that make your space feel custom, well-planned, and stunning. Trust your designer’s eye, because we know how a fabric can transform the depth of a room. We wanted to show you a few before and afters of projects we’ve done.

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Before…

AFTER…

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BEFORE…

AFTER…

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“We hope this blog showed you how much we love curtains and why we think they are such a statement! ”

— Paige W. Interior Design Team