Cheryl Perotti
Do your walls speak to your décor? Do they reinforce the style and mood you are trying to achieve? Most important, does the wall color create the sense of space or warmth you are after?
There are so many possibilities when considering how best to cover your wall surfaces. If you are painting- color, texture, finish, faux effects, patterns and accent treatments are decisions that have to be made.
If wallpapering, do you use more than one, do you cover all of the walls or use the paper as an accent, and do you go for texture, pattern or a mural effect?
Beyond the usual paint and paper, there are a myriad of other applications. Mirrors, painted or etched glass, split bamboo or wood, paneling such as bead board, brick, stone, tile, and fabric are just some of the options. Mirrors, glass and Plexiglas can be used to add light, space, and reflection. In addition they can provide a surface for pattern and/or color.
Split bamboo is available in a range of colors, textures, and applications. Accented with wood beams, it can be a very thematic and unexpected accent for a wall. Wood and wood paneling can provide the perfect backdrop for any style – Contemporary, Shabby Chic, Cottage, Rustic or Traditional- depending on the presentation.
Highly textured surfaces such as brick and rock can also find their place among various design styles. Painted brick is perfect for cottage, a rock wall can be the warmth factor in a sleek, modern décor, and antique brick is perfect for a modern industrial look.
Tile is under utilized in design, usually relegated to the kitchen and bath areas of our homes. But with the evolution of so many materials such as glass and metallics, along with stones, porcelains, and ceramics, tile represents one of the greatest opportunities for creating accent areas on our walls!
Fabrics, also rarely used, can be backed for wall application in the same manner as wallpaper. Some of my favorites are denim, suede and leather.
Regardless of the medium you select for your walls, remember that the overall tone can solve problems in your space. Color can cause walls to recede or brighten a dark area and texture can add interest and warmth. And accent walls or moldings are often the answer to unify spaces and create color flow. While tackling all of these decisions, keep in mind the anticipated activities in your space, plus the ambiance you wish to achieve then cover your walls accordingly. After all, when your walls do speak to you, you want to make sure they are speaking YOUR language!!!!
Cheryl Perotti, author of the monthly feature Environs, is the owner of Fountainhead Design, an interior/exterior consulting firm working with residential, as well as, commercial projects. You may contact her at 813.417.9400
Generally the biggest challenge in planning your gathering space is allowing for AV equipment. You may want it out of sight when not in use, therefore a cabinet that closes or components that raise and lower would be your best option. You definitely don’t want your equipment in a traffic area and your seating should allow for easy viewing, plus conversation! Easy viewing means comfortable height as well as proper distance. Allowing for conversation dictates that some of your seating be capable of swiveling or moving easily from one focal point to another. If you are remodeling, buying or building, layout your floor plan before you commit, locating your media outlets and seating accordingly.
But most important is not the space but the lesson. The lesson? Organization and caring for your personal belongings is easy! Toy bins are key, but labels are an absolute necessity plus they provide opportunities! “ B” for books or the word “books” is the perfect vehicle to encourage reading or phonetic skills. Add to that the organizational habits you can encourage and you have scored one for the home team! Those keepsakes we mentioned can be displayed on wall to wall shelving installed a couple of feet below ceiling level, And while on the subject of neatness, please keep the closet storage at a height that is accessible so they can hang up their clothing and store their shoes. Really Mom, you know that if your own closet is over packed or your shelves are out of reach, you become less than tidy yourself!
Drape your tables with cloths, use placemats or runners. Cut yardage from your fabric store can create table coverings, allowing for unfinished edges by tying ends up at the legs. You can also swirl cloth in the center, even covering makeshift risers, rather than using typical runners. Placemats can be customized laminations of photos or fall foliage. Dining chairs can be festooned with fabric or ribbons, adding whimsical touches of floral to the chair backs.
Shutters are extremely functional since they can direct the view, provide light control, close for total privacy or open completely. If you live in an environment with tons of humidity like Florida, you might consider the polywood shutter products as an alternative to wood. They are hard to distinguish from one another, so you are not sacrificing appearance over function and you may experience a savings as well. Probably the only drawback to shutters is the dusting chore, but at least you avoid the dry cleaning associated with fabrics.
If there is a woman in the house, she wants, needs and deserves a comfortable spot to sit to apply her makeup, creams, and lotions. Hey, no one has ever said that being a woman isn’t complicated! And what about the guys? They need a place to clip the toenails (a major yuck factor that should be confined to the bathroom). So think seating, including built ins in your shower. It makes shaving your legs and scrubbing your footsies so much easier!
