Monthly Archives: August 2013

Just “Wing It”

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Before the days of central heating or triple pane windows, wing chairs offered an elegant, impressive refuge from the winter cold. As a “room within a room,” wing chairs keep out drafts, and help concentrate the warmth of a fire in the fireplace. Even with modern conveniences in place, wing chairs, with their expressive lines, can still offer a unique, inviting invitation into a room.

Not Your Grandmother’s Wing Chair

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Call them wingback chairs, wing backs, or wing chairs, the modern version of this traditional stalwart is by no means obsolete. Over the years, styles have changed, and the current wing chairs—while they’ve inherited the basics from their predecessors—have changed to match the tastes of the times. As opposed to older pieces with exposed frames and cushions on the seats, armrests, and occasionally the wings, current versions are most often fully upholstered with exposed wooden legs.

Those expressive lines come in a range of styles. Most chairs you will find have “scroll wings” or “flat wings” but you can also find exotic shapes, like “butterfly wings” on some chairs. Upholstery can help add a modern touch as well, with bold geometric and floral patterns offering an extra dash of color. Leather can also complement the natural tone of the wood legs on some pieces.

 

Where to “Wing It” (and How)

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As they always have, wing chairs work great in front of a fireplace. The added comfort from the padded back and sides, along with the heat the wings will catch make for just as hospitable a seat as they always have. You can also put a pair in the corner to create both a distinctive look, and comfortable nook, in any room.

The heights and patterns of a wing chair can vary greatly, and they can have an impact on how they ought to be used in your home. The right wing chair can go into just about any space in a home, not just a living or family room. Offices and bedrooms can also use a wing chair in the corner to add height and distinction to the room’s profile. A wing chair with a shorter back can sit well alongside other pieces in a living room, like a sofa. More statuesque wingback chairs work well on their own as focal points in a corner or hallway that might otherwise go unnoticed.

 

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When selecting wing chairs for your home, keep variety in mind. The expressive lines of a wing chair can tie a room together, or provide the right touch of contrast to make a room really shine. No matter what, they make a statement. From the boldly exaggerated, to the angular, even the restrained, wing chairs are an excellent statement piece.

Come by the showroom at La Maison Interiorsto view a sampling of fabulous wing chairs suitable for your home.

Creating Comfortable Spaces with Wall-to-Wall Carpeting

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Here in Arizona, many homeowners have been moving away from wall-to-wall carpeting, with hardwood and tile flooring making for cooler rooms. Yet in spaces like master bedrooms, wall-to-wall carpeting is still common. Why? Even in hotter climes, stepping out of bed every morning onto plush carpeting is a great way to start the day, adding a cozy feel to the room. Plush carpeting in lighter and natural tones can make for a great option in a bedroom. Let’s look at some of the things to consider when choosing carpet, and some of the other places where carpet might make sense in your home.

 

The Carpet Conundrum

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Since the carpet in a room can often outlast the furniture which sits on on top of it, getting things right the first time is a must. That means taking into account things like the size of a room, expected traffic, color, and texture of carpet when making your calculations.

Color has a big impact, affecting both the apparent size and feel of a room. Lighter tones give an impression of space, while darker colors create the sense of a smaller room. Each can be used to great effect in the right situation. Try a light neutral tone in a smaller guest bedroom to give an airier impression. If you are looking for a cozier feel in a study or an office you can experiment with rich, darker tones. Darker tones can also help a large space that might feel overwhelming seem more connected and manageable.

For colors impact on the feeling of temperature in a room, the paradigm is relatively simple as well: cooler colors like blues and greens make for a cooler ambience, while warmer tones have the opposite impact. It makes sense to use cool colors in warmer regions, as they can help impart an airier feel to a room, while in a home in a cooler locale, colors that add warmth can be a great option. We’ve discussed the rise of grey as a neutral color, and it’s true of carpet as well. A good grey can really let the other colors in a room be themselves, showcasing their natural attributes.

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Thinking about foot traffic can help avoid the hassle of excessive cleaning. Simply put, when looking at carpets, consider what’s likely to wind up on them. Natural tones that mimic materials like wood or slate are often the best bet for disguising lint or soil that has the potential to wind up on your carpet. That makes them good compromise tones for high traffic areas, while a room with infrequent foot traffic can be a great place for carpeting of a color or material that might show stains more easily.

 

Bling out your Bedroom

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There are plenty of ways to add a bit of “bling” to your bedroom, we’ve written previously about headboards with a rhinestone trim for instance. Did you know that carpet can add some shine to a room as well? Some carpeting contains subtle metallic threads that add a touch of sparkle, and when paired with the right headboard or pillows, can highlight the metallic accents present elsewhere in a room. That means floor to ceiling glamour for your bedroom.

 

What it Comes Down to…

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If you are curious about how wall-to-wall carpeting might look in your home, come by the showroom at La Maison Interiors to see the different looks carpet can achieve. Careful consideration, and expert advice will help make sure you are happy with your choices.

Bathroom and Powder Room Design Trends

Just because your powder room is small, doesn’t mean it can’t be big on design. Likewise, your bathroom can be much more than just a place for a bath. These rooms, with the right touch, can create a unique sense of style and space that will add distinction to your home. Below are some design tips along with a few trends that have recently bubbled up to the surface.

Let Flooring Lead The Way

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When it comes to choosing the flooring option for a powder room, consistency is the best bet. Say you have a hallway with tile leading to your powder room, when selecting a flooring option for the powder room itself, stick with a tile as well. More and more homeowners are also electing to put wood floors in their full and half bathrooms, so keep that in mind as a possibility if you have wood flooring elsewhere in your home.

If you’re looking to bring variety to a powder room or bathroom, don’t despair! The walls of those rooms can offer a canvas for experimentations. Wallpaper has been making a comeback. In particular, textured patterns provide homeowners with an easy way to make a statement that speaks to their personality, without overpowering the other elements in the room.

 

Lighting

Powder rooms and bathrooms have different lighting needs. In a powder room, dim lighting can make sense, to create a cozy ambiance in the small space. A bathroom, on the other hand, should have plenty of light directed at the mirrors and sink space, making sure you have plenty to see by in the morning and evening hours when you get ready for your day, or ready for bed.

More unconventional lighting options can also make a bathroom or powder room stand out. Pendant lights are hung with a metal rod, chain, or cord, and can often be seen in multiples lighting a kitchen countertop. In a bathroom or powder room, they can be a great way to provide task lighting near the sink and mirror. While a chandelier is a bolder bathroom statement, to be sure, in the right space the right chandelier can make a room come alive, adding warmth and individuality to a space that is often overlooked.

 

Mirror, Mirror…above a Bowl?

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Mirrors and sinks are staples of bathrooms and powder rooms alike, so it’s no surprise that they are a focus for those seeking to innovate and create new trends in bathroom and powder room design. Recently, there has been a major movement towards simplifying the look of these spaces. The overall results: rooms that feel cleaner and airier.

At the same time, simplifying the look means that the impact of each choice you make is amplified. Making a well considered, creative choice when it comes to a sink or mirror can add a splash of personality. Framed mirrors have been popular recently, as have less conventional sink choices. From glass bowls to other vessels you might not think of as a typical sink, homeowners are experimenting with approaches that feel fresh, not forced.

Curious about how some of these tips might impact your home? Come by the showroom at La Maison Interiors to see how you can better a bathroom, or perfect a powder room in your home.

 

Light Up Your Life

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Lighting is essential to interior design. Light is what gives a diamond its sparkle, and it is a critical part of showcasing a home’s beauty as well. Light creates warmth and space, directs attention, and helps homeowners with the myriad everyday tasks they face. The right light fixture can add to the ambiance of a decadent dining room, or help illuminate the pathways from one area of a home to another. Plus, as you and your home both age, ensuring there is enough good quality lighting in all areas is more and more important.

See Your Home in the Right Light

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When choosing the lighting for a room, consider what it is going to be used for. If you need a light to read by in your bedroom or study, take steps to ensure that it will actually  light your reading area. As a rule of thumb, the lampshade should be at a point between your ear and shoulder. Another example: consider a bathroom. Rather than lighting the ceiling, you should focus light on your face to better see yourself during your morning and evening routines.

There are a number of other helpful hints to keep in mind when choosing lighting that will make sure you get not only the look you want, but also the light you need. For instance, when it comes to hanging a pendant or chandelier above a surface, like a dining room table, there should be somewhere between thirty and thirty-four inches between the two. Also, make sure that the light the chandelier casts illuminates the whole table.

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If you are choosing lamps for a living room, consider how the light you bring in will highlight the textures, colors and patterns present in the room. Table and floor lamps can help to showcase the many winning aspects already present, while adding an extra bit of decorative panache themselves. Plus, since most table lamps are small and portable, you can even consider changing them seasonally, like throw pillows on a sofa.

Make sure to properly light the artwork in your home as well. Spotlighting a canvas, or other art object, can be done with any number of track systems. Additionally, that same lighting can help provide extra illumination that will enhance the texture of fabrics and the grain in the wood of your existing furniture.

Set the Mood

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Mood lighting is a great way to directly impact the ambiance of a room. Dimmer switches give you control over the light in a room, tailoring it to suit different times of day or different occasions. You might have divergent goals for different meals in a dining room, for example. Dimmers give you the possibility of setting the mood for a romantic candlelit dinner for two with minimal ambient light, or an afternoon family meal for the holidays that’s brightly lit to encourage conversation.

Even in rooms where you might not have considered adding a dimmer, like bathrooms, the effect can be striking. Dimmers also help save energy, only providing the light you need at that moment, and can help avoid unsightly glare from open bulbs. Lighting control systems can help to avoid the complication of a bank of dimmer switches, and some can even be programmed to remember certain paths, modes, and settings.

 

Let the Light Shine Down

Chandeliers are more versatile than they might first appear. Along with common placements—over a table in your dining room, in the entryway to your home—consider more nontraditional locales. A unique chandelier placed somewhere unexpected, say a bathroom or laundry room, can make the space feel more welcoming. It’s also a way to add a personal touch to even the most utilitarian of rooms.

La Maison Interiors can illustrate what lighting can do for your home!