by Carmen Boyer | Feb 9, 2016 | Interior Design, Window Treatments
To reconnect with the outdoors from inside, try a stylish and functional window seat! They can be a wonderful addition to any home and can aid in providing a great space to nap, eat, read, or even hide flaws in the home. Combined with custom window treatments, the effect is both attractive and practical.
The kitchen is a great place for custom window treatments such as a window seat. Assuming you have large or corner windows in the kitchen, a window seat could serve several purposes. It could be a spot to enjoy the day’s cup of coffee and newspaper in the morning or the seating can be used to create a banquette. The kitchen is usually the hub of the home and a window seat here will help free up space and be a great place to relax when the family gathers.
Window seats in the bedroom might be every child’s dream space. If you use a cushioned mattress in this area, it can be accommodating to their overnight guests and be the ideal spot to help cultivate a child’s love for reading. An added bonus for the adults, you can add some cabinets underneath to create some discrete storage options for toys or other knick knacks and even some cubbies to keep shoes out the middle of the floor!
In a living room or den, window seats can provide a quiet nook to read or do some gazing outside. A customized nook can incorporate extra space for a bookshelf and an arched ceiling over your nook can make you feel very snug. Even if you don’t plan on reading, it’s still one of the best seats in the house for tv watching!
No matter what room you decide to put in a window seat, there is so much you can do with them! If storage is your thing, seats with hinged tops and drawers will allow you to slip in blankets or anything else you need out the way. Unsightly radiator? Some clever paneling can help you hide it, while also giving access to it in case it’s in need of repair!
Window seats are most commonly seen in older model homes but they can easily complement some of today’s styles just as well!
by Carmen Boyer | Feb 9, 2016 | Interior Design, Residential Interior Design
When it comes to interior design, having a great eye for color palettes and textures is important, however the experience of working with a designer to transform a space can be a stressful one. Carmen Boyer of White Oak Interiors, Crystal Lake, understands this, and has alleviated client stress, then replaced it with excitement and relief for over 15 years. Her hard work has not gone unnoticed, which is why Houzz, the leading social network for home remodeling and design, has named Boyer’s firm Best Of Houzz for Customer Satisfaction.
Each year, over 25 million unique visitors visit Houzz to review the portfolios and design concepts of local designers. These visitors also receive the option to vote for their favorite designers in a variety of categories, including Design and Customer Satisfaction.
“Houzz provides homeowners with a 360 degree view of home building, remodeling and design industry professionals, empowering them to engage the right people and products for their project,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of industry marketing for Houzz. “We’re delighted to recognize Boyer among our Best Of Houzz 2015 and Best of Houzz 2016 professionals as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”
The Houzz designer community is comprised of more than 500,000 active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals, of whom the top designers are ranked in their respective states on factors that include the number and quality of client reviews received in 2014.
Follow White Oak Interiors on Houzz at http://www.houzz.com/pro/whiteoakinteriors.
by Carmen Boyer | Feb 9, 2016 | Interior Design, Residential Interior Design
Interior Design Vintage style is always in! Even if your home is fairly new, you can add some vintage flair to give it more character. By shopping around and keeping your eyes open for good deals, you can find some overlooked pieces at a great price! The good thing about interior design vintage style is that it can be relatively inexpensive to recreate unless you are looking for specific antiques.
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Use what you’ve got stored away!
Remember that furniture your grandma gave you years ago that is sitting away in storage? Time to start picking through it! You might come across some great finds. If you don’t want to use a big piece like a couch, you might be able to find lamps and wall mirrors that fit in seamlessly with your idea of what your vintage décor should look like!
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Get sale savvy!
Yard sales, thrift stores, and estate sales are promising places to find well loved and unique interior design vintage style pieces that people simply just don’t have a use for anymore. Frequent sales in your neighborhood when you can find them and you might stumble upon a priceless piece! You can also sign up or mailing lists for people that host estate sales, like Lifestyle Transitions, so you can browse pieces and get direct notifications for when a sale is about to hit! Didn’t your mama ever tell you to shop around?
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Give your favorite piece a makeover!
Have a couch with classic build that shows potential? You can either add accents with an abundance of pillows or you can reupholster the couch completely! Florals are popular in vintage style, so find what appeals to your taste when incorporating them. They can also be added through window treatments and rugs, so see what works for you.
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Pay attention to the hardware!
Swapping the hardware is an easy way to complete a polished vintage vibe. If you have silver or steel pieces throughout your home, go for warmer pieces made of bronze, iron, or gold tones. Drawer pulls, hooks, and light fixtures will usually be some of the more important pieces to swap out.
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If you can’t find it, make it!
You can repurpose older pieces of furniturefor other uses, like making an old dresser into a charming vanity, repainting pieces as you see fit (adding French typography is not only vintage, but romantic!), and using pallets to create shelving for a vintage, rustic quality. We often find that the more creative we are, the more our ideas come to life!
Are you a fan of vintage styles and need help finding signature pieces for your home? Schedule a consultation and let us know what you’re looking for!
by Carmen Boyer | Feb 9, 2016 | Interior Design, Residential Interior Design
Floral arrangements are known to have mood-boosting qualities (much like those of artful interior design), so it makes sense to incorporate beautiful blooms into the decoration of your home. Whether you want to accent a newly designed space or have special guests over for the holidays, what better way to complement your home than with a fresh floral arrangement! Use a Barrington Interior Decorator, such as White Oak Interiors to help you tastefully compliment your home.
When choosing flowers to display, there isn’t just one type or one way to go. The beauty of making your own arrangement is that you can mix various types of flowers to create the look you want! Now, you can select just one type of flower to create a more elegant display, but choosing more than one is great for making a playful bouquet. With autumn approaching, you may opt to use yellows and oranges to mimic the changing colors of the trees.
In addition to selecting a certain look that you want for an arrangement, you can add fragrant flowers for an extra boost to the senses. Certain varieties of orchid and gardenia plants have pleasant scents and also come in different colors. Make sure you read the information on your plants to be sure you select the right variety; they aren’t all created equal.
The vase that your arrangement is presented in will vary depending on your choice of flowers (use a Barrington Interior Decorator for help in selecting an appropriate vase). If your flowers are long-stemmed, you’ll need a taller vase to support them and keep them upright. Shorter or wider vases are best for an arrangement with a variety of flowers, as it is a better way to showcase and arrange them all. The size of your vase will also depend on the room that you’re making the arrangement to go it; you won’t need a 6-10 inch centerpiece for your bedside table or vanity! Don’t be afraid to trim those stems if need be! The flowers shouldn’t be too tall for the vase, nor should they appear to be peeking out and struggling to be seen!
Think outside the box when making an arrangement to fit your mood and needs. A hollowed-out pumpkin can be a nice alternative to a glass vase when decorating for the holidays, as well as using marbles or fruit inside a clear vase. Anything you find beautiful can amplify your arrangement and add to the ambiance of your home. Always be sure to read the special instructions for the care of your plants and add greenery to keep your plants vibrant and long-lasting! Happy decorating!
For a personal consultation from an award winning Barrington Interior Decorator, call White Oak Interiors today!
by Carmen Boyer | Feb 9, 2016 | Furniture and Accessories, Interior Design
“There should be as many (styles) of houses as there are kinds (styles) of people and as many differentiations as there are different individuals. A man who has individuality has a right to its expression and his own environment.” – Frank Lloyd Wright. White Oak Interiors your one stop shop for Crystal Lake Furniture and Accessories to implement a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired residential interio design.
Walter Gale House in Oak Park, Illinois
With an organic style characterized by smooth, clean lines, open floor plans and natural elements, the influence of legendary architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright lives on today. Learn more about characteristics of his style so that you can decorate your home and pay homage!
Unifying, but Unique Look
With the thought that everything in a space should complement each other, Wright believed furnishings should serve as an extension of the home. Simple furniture that comprised of geometric shapes was used often in his work and they added a simple kind of beauty to the home. Oak and other woods provide a timeless appearance that is also in line with his style and Arts and Crafts style pieces can also work well! He would also incorporate built-in pieces in the design of his homes that included (but were not limited to) window seats, desks, bookshelves and lighting. This helped create the unique interiors he felt each home should have.
Free-Standing and Family-Friendly Functionality
To create open floor plans that achieved a beautiful natural flow, Wright would decorate homes with moveable furniture, as well. Chairs, beds, tables and couches could all be moved around easily to change the aesthetics of a space. Some of his most popular free-standing pieces were in the dining room: a large table with high-backed chairs. This design was made to strengthen the family unit by blocking the outside world from the dining table.
Minimal Materials Crystal Lake Furniture and Accessories
By limiting the use of materials in a room, Wright felt that this could make a space simpler, but more expressive. Oak was a material that he worked with often and extensively, especially in his own home. Natural materials were also used in most of the accents he featured in his work. Geometric stained glass windows, pottery, murals and sculptures fit along seamlessly in his designs to add to the whole of the home.
There was a method to Wright’s genius. When asked about his work on interiors, Wright said, “They are all mere structural details in its character and completeness, heating apparatus, light fixtures, the very chairs, tables, cabinets and musical instruments, where practicable, are of the building itself. Nothing of appliances or fixtures is admitted purely as such where circumstances permit the full development of the building scheme. Floor coverings and hangings are a part of the house as the plaster on the walls or the tiles on the roof.” By understanding Wright’s philosophy on design, you can appreciate the method to his madness and incorporate changes into your home that honor his vision!
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