Monthly Archives: May 2014

Do I Need a Designer to Choose a Sofa?

Purchasing the right sofa can be a long and drawn out process if you don’t have any idea where to begin. Hiring an interior designer often speeds up the process, allowing you to make the right decision using fact-based knowledge about interior design, especially your home’s design elements. Employing a professional can save you time and a headache you don’t want.

The first rule of thumb: a sofa should stand the test of time. Make your purchase legendary, even unforgettable. So unforgettable in fact, that you cannot see yourself living without the piece. How do you decide what makes a sofa purchase a smart purchase? Check the country it was manufactured in, and decide based on your own set of moral import laws whether or not you deem it quality, or not. Quality is the most important facet of purchasing a sofa, as you will be enjoying a sofa day in day out with your friends and family. How comfortable is the sofa? Do you have kids who rough house in the family room despite your rules against it? There are a variety of questions your designer may to ask to make sure he or she makes the right decision for you.

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Shop for a sofa that will be the focal point of a space. If you have a better understanding of your preferred fabric choice, material and size you will have an easier time telling your designer ahead of time instead of scouring furniture stores for the right choice. We have multiple options when it comes to interior design, but at La Maison we suggest searching for the right luxury furniture based on the existing elements in your home, unless you’re doing a complete remodel—then create your aesthetic before purchasing furniture. A sofa should never contrast with an existing aesthetic, as it will be the focal point of a space.

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Placement is often the most important aspect of implementing a new sofa to a space. Don’t be afraid to inquire with an interior designer to help you accentuate the existing elements of your home with the right sofa placement. Place artwork above your sofa if it rests against a wall or accessorize it with two end tables for visual interest and convenience for guests. Consult an interior designer if you’re interested in more unique placement among the other pieces in your family room. Create enough room to circle each piece of furniture and make sure the space does not feel too cramped. This is important to keep a good flow throughout a space, and into the next one if your home is an open floor plan.

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Don’t let your instincts drive your design choice towards the “safe” choice!  Go bold, vibrant or even outside of your comfort zone. Often, a new sofa can change the look and feel of any room in your home without trying. Your interior designer will guide you in which sofa would be too much of a change from the existing elements of your home so you won’t go too bold. Trust your interior designer to divert you from your comfort zone if you feel an itch for something new. The slightest alteration can change the way any space feels. A simple fabric change, new texture or additional accent color will do wonders if you’re in the market to update your space. Allow a designer to present the reasons why a style different from what you might ordinarily choose could be the pizazz you’ve needed!

The most important reason to hire a designer may be mediation between spouses. Often times, it may be hard to find common ground between two spouses with opposite design aesthetics, but a good designer will find a perfect medium. Allow a designer to offer ideas that lend to both of your tastes to allow for a new perspective. We get stuck in our design choices, but seeing a fresh idea can infuse a new sense of cooperation between two people.

 

 

 

 

Mid Century Modern Design

When you embark on a renovation, it’s important to decide on an overall design concept to create flow throughout your home. This is especially important when you redesign a space to fit your needs. Currently, a popular renovation style is mid-century modern. Mid-century modern design is most recognized through simple, clean lines echoing from organic forms in nature. Functionality is important to emphasize, as Scandinavian influences induced a breath of fresh air in the post-war era architecture of both residential homes and urban areas.

Always keep it simple. Expose architectural elements within the home to add visual interest that is completely original. Keep in mind organic lines and simple architectural form. Avoid embellishments and ornate finishes to create a sense of flow alongside nature’s influence. Let natural light in as much as possible, but include visually interesting fixtures to keep with a modern touch.MCM9

Lighting is the most important characteristic of mid century modern design. Large pane windows let in ample natural light for a sense of openness and connectivity with nature. Stay in touch with natural elements when choosing the materials of furniture, flooring, ceiling beams and countertops. Think you’ve found your choice in wood flooring—forget the fancy finish and install the wood in its natural state. Bring in materials from the exterior of the house indoors, or keep the original architecture such as exposed brick or crown moldings to accentuate the original construction.

Partitions throughout a mid century home are also important to create a sense of privacy as you move from one space to another. Choose opaque glass partitions instead of building a solid wood partition to stay consistent with a mood of transparency, while still creating private spaces throughout the home. If you’re faced with a large room, splitting the room into two parts will further influence the feeling of mid century modern design.

Keeping open spaces between the indoors and the outdoors was very important to one couple in north-central Phoenix, who purchased a home built in 1954 by Phoenix architect Ralph Haver. They chose to replace the windows to bring in more natural light, and changed the location of the front door to create a better flow from the entrance to the exit of their home. They chose geometric stone slabs separated by river rock for a modern stepping-stone walkway. The couple included small details to accentuate their love of mid century modern design using bolts instead of nails and painting the front door a mustard-yellow color to create a strong contrast to a dark pewter color for the exterior of the home. In keeping with simple lines found in nature and creating angles throughout the home, their dream of a beautiful mid century modern home came to life.

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Mid-Century Modern furnishings combine beauty and function. Representative of clean lines, vibrant colors and unique material constructed with sweeping dramatic curves. Color choice in mid century modern furniture looks forward to a contemporary palette rather than light, airy pastel colors. Do your best to reflect the existing architecture of your home.  Think sleek, clean lines and organic fabrics. Choose furnishings with unusual materials such as plastics, lucite, exposed wood or stone. Geometric patterns and unique lighting fixtures will evoke the era.  Eames and Herman Miller furnishings are great inspiration.

New Traditional Wing Chair

We’re introducing one of our hottest items in stores rightnow! Check out the New Traditional, a new spin on a classic wing chair. Incorporate a traditional look and feel into your family room with more elegant and soft fabrics. This creates a relaxed atmosphere in your home.

La Maison Interiors presents luxury furniture with brand new organic fabrics. There’s a fabric to match your style! Try an urban style fabric for a more contemporary aesthetic or go for light blues, whites and greys for a French Country look.

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The New Traditional wing chair is embellished with nail heads for an industrial appeal with a sense of relaxation and coziness. This isn’t your average armchair you might see in your grandmother’s home or your mother’s bedroom. This is a contemporary rendition of a classic winged armchair you have to have!

We haven’t been able to keep these on the floor for longer than a day! Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to check out the luxury furniture at La Maison Interiors. Experience contemporary furniture fit for the modern Scottsdale home! 

Reinvent Your Home: All White Design

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Have you always wanted to design a space with a white theme, but aren’t sure where to begin? We have useful tips and tricks that are easy to implement and are guaranteed to bring a sense of freshness to your space.

White is a fresh, clean and pure color, and experimenting with shades of white adds contrast and depth to your space. Think of an open, airy space as a “palate cleanser” says Will Meyer, a New York City-based interior designer. White can be difficult to work with, and it’s easy to wash out a space if you do not include the right level of contrast throughout your space. Create contrast so you can avoid “having your all-white space look like a sheet-rock box” says Meyer.

Texture and contrast are two simple ways to design an all white space while developing your personal aesthetic.  Minimal contrast in shades of white adds dimension to an all-white design, as does textured flooring. Focus on the details in an all white space to accentuate the existing elements in your home. If you want to redesign your entire home in an all white theme increase the scale of contrast and choose one space to paint a dark color. The higher level of contrast that exists in a white space will make it more successful and engaging. Artwork, throw pillows and decorate accessories will make more of a splash! 

allwhitedesign2Do not forget the most important aspect of any space, light. If you’re lucky enough to have ample natural light it will flawlessly accentuate an all white space, but if you lack the right amount of light experiment with glowing light for a warming effect. White spaces achieve their goal of openness when light flows into the space accentuating your choices in furniture and accessories.

A white space often calls for contemporary luxury furniture echoing Scandinavian aesthetics to play on the simplicity of a white aesthetic. Include accessories that accentuate luxury furniture, and choose an accent color that lends toward a vibrant color palette.If your taste lies in traditional luxury furniture choose accessories that offer continuity within the existing elements of your home for a cohesive look and feel.

Remember to add personal touches throughout your home. Flowers often accentuate a white space with a pop of color, and your favorite bWhiteDesignCollageooks exude a homey feeling no matter the space.

Throw pillows in bright colors instantly make a space more vibrant, but make sure to place color strategically not to detract too much from white themed space. All white spaces are beautiful and offer a contemporary avenue to those who want to create a luxurious space that also feels open and airy.