Design Plan - knocking out a wall

Have you ever stood in your home and wondered what it would look like if you took a sledge hammer to a wall?   Would it look big and open?  Would it create an awkward flow and not be worth the mess and trouble?

That's what my clients wondered as they considered tearing down the wall that separates their kitchen and family room.   They needed a design plan so they could visualize a new layout and to re-position the referigerator and dishwasher. 

Here's the view of the appliances, showing the basic layout of the kitchen.

My design plan allows most of the existing cabinets to be used with only a few new ones that will be custom matched to the existing ones.

This is the opposite side.   My clients don't need the built-in desk or the chair that sits in the passage way to the family room.   

The full-sized cabinets were re-positioned and new cabinets added for additional work space.

From the family room side, the space is more open and appears much larger.

In my opinion, taking down unnecessary walls in a home can be a good option to create a large and open flow.  A custom design plan allows you to see the final result before you spend your time and money!

Creating a cloche

I've seen these cute things all over blogland and chances are you have too.  They're so cute to display all sorts of fun things in - holiday items, kitchen or bathroom decor, special souvenirs from a trip, etc.  I knew I really liked them and knew they would be easy to make, I just didn't know what they were called.  After searching, I discovered they were called "cloches".  I wondered what the word meant and my google searches kept coming up with images of vintage looking hats.  Curiosity got the best of me and I decided that if I was going to have one, I wanted to know why it was called a cloche.  Here's what I found when I read the article here.
"The word ‘cloche’ is French, meaning simply ‘bell’. Earlier origins are found in the Medieval Latin word ‘clocca’, or clock. Today the word cloche is used in many ways, typically when something is bell-shaped such as a hat or a food covering."

Here's a picture of a cloche hat.  Perhaps you already knew this and I'm the last person to know, but I found it interesting!
Anyways onto the easy DIY!

Purchase a cheese dome and a candle stick from your favorite thrift store.

Pry off the little feet "jobbers" on the bottom.  Take it outside and spray it with primer, then a few coats of spray paint.

Use a heavy duty glue to attach the two together.  I used Instant Krazy Glue - all purpose brush on - which worked great!  So so simple, yet so so cute.  I'm already thinking how fun it will be to put mini-pumpkins inside in the Fall and maybe some pine cones or mini ornaments for Christmas.  The possibilities are endless! 

Redesigning an Elegant Home

When I walked into this home for a Redesign and saw their elegant home and beautiful furnishings,  I knew instantly my clients had great taste.   Here's a look at the space before I started:

I love the beautiful fireplace and mantle.  The large window to the left almost spans the entire wall and brings in a lot of natural light.  As pretty as this room is, the distance from the sofa to the two chairs didn't allow for close conversation.   The client wanted me to make this room function better and to incorporate design concepts that would make it cozier.

I pulled the furniture out into the room and closer together and brought in an additional chair from the dining room for more seating.  This room is a perfect example of how pulling your furniture out from the walls doesn't give you less space, it actually gives you more areas to place additional pieces.  This technique allows the "conversation" area to be toward the center of the room.

This view shows there is still plenty of room between the furniture.  I placed a table (that had been hiding behind a chair, next to the fireplace) under the mirror by the entry to give it better presence.

I'm not a fan of mirrors above a fireplace if all they do is reflect the ceiling.  In this room, however, the mirror highlights the beautiful chandelier, and reflects even more light!  I did some "shopping" in a storage room upstairs that had some nice decorative items to choose from.  Symmetry is more formal, so on this mantle I wanted to add some symmetrical elements with the topiaries  and the red glassware without overdoing it.  I also took a couple of small mirrors and over-lapped them (behind the left topiary) for an interesting and unexpected twist.

The side by side view shows how pulling furniture out and closer together, creates a warm, inviting area that invites you in to sit down and enjoy a relaxing conversation!