Christmas staples: Buds, twigs, branches and berries

There's nothing like the real thing for Christmas decorating.  You get to go for a little adventure in the woods with your trusty snippers, and come away with a red nose and a trunk full of inspiration.

Sometimes you just have to go to your backyard, but there's a limit to happy cutting in a small space. That's where I got the materials for my front porch planters, if you don't count the leftovers from my summer planter and feathers I've recycled several times.   

 Hubby made me a trough box for my trunk/ottoman.  I knew what I wanted to put in it, but I couldn't hack away anything else in my yard. My sister came to the rescue.  Remember last year when I posted about her nature inspire Christmas?  She  had already made her yearly trip for bough and twig cutting to complete her planters and agreed to take me to her spot. Bonanza.

Here's her efforts ...

Don't you love that hit of yellow with the red?

Now on to my family affair project..

My son sprayed the box for me with  Krylon Colormaster  in nickel.  Then I taped it off and used gold to create two stripes around the box.  I figured I may as well get with the mixed metal trend.

  I had three LED candles (so safe and they actually flicker- daughter tip from Costco) I wanted to use and went to the dollar store and bought seven square glasses  to put oasis in to keep the boughs fresh. The alder twigs looked a little boring so they got the spray treatment too in a mix of nickel and gold.
Then I began the arrangement.

Fresh flowers are a must anytime of year.

A favourite vase, fluted and textured makes a stunning centerpiece on my coffee table. Nothing else is needed.

And my favourite berry wreath that has been in every room in the house over the years surrounds a vase of baby's breath and white carnations.  You can tell I like my flowers simple and usually white because they work anywhere with anything, especially with red.


I was very lazy with the  dining room  additions....

I'm not a theme driven decorator, but  nature is always a staple in whatever I do.  My new purchase for 2014 was two white carved reindeer.  I always buy a green plant;  this year it is a Norfolk pine in a faux burlap container.  May it live for awhile.

For my dining table  centrepiece I simply added some fresh cranberries to my Boblen vase, and used it as a candle holder, added a string of red wooden beads  (at least 30 years old) and fake red berries  to the well used  vase of twigs.  In honour of the season I changed my tray to my favourite white one with the silver leaf birds and leaves.

And wise silver bird  looks on knowingly because he's seen it all before.

And art won

After a perfect summer 

 There's nothing like a summer away from the wear and tear of business to hours and days of art  to make you aware of what's really important in your life.  The voices in my head were murmuring at the beginning of the summer, but by September they reached a crescendo; I couldn't ignore them any longer.

 I need more time to make art.

There, I finally said it out loud.

 I've decided to bring my design business more in line with my art practice by eliminating some of the services I offer design clients and focusing on the ones that are more art related.  Enter the designer artist  from the sidelines to front and centre.

Colour me happy 

Colour has always been my specialty because I've honed my knowledge through years of  mixing colour in art making.  I enjoy creating  welcoming colour schemes for clients, and I will continue to do this.

The art of designing home

 In addition to colour consultation,  Designing Home will focus on the finishing touches/ accessorizing (art and objects) that move  a space from ordinary to exceptional.

Many times decorators can successfully source objects to add interest  to your space, but sometimes what you need is original and designed with you and your home in mind.  That's where Designing Home is different from other design businesses.

I can create commissioned work to fill your needs or offer a large selection of artwork to choose from or help you select work by other artists.   And just as important is  advice on where and how to hang your work. 

Some of my works that already have  homes.... 

Margaret Ryall 

Margaret Ryall 

Margaret Ryall 

Margaret Ryall

Margaret Ryall 

 I work in a  variety of media and styles from realistic to abstract and non representational. 


Check out my Instagram feed or The Leyton Gallery  website.

Choosing what's important

Summer is officially over.

Did any readers notice  I took an extended holiday away from Designing Home blog?

I also bravely put my design business in mothballs except for a few clients.  That's right a four month holiday to complete artwork for two shows.  Brave or foolhardy? Only time will tell.

This is where I spent my summer.

The little speck of a house in the background is my favourite place in the world. The views are spectacular and the ocean in all its moods speaks daily.  Duntara is as close to heaven as you will get.

I had a marvellous summer full of creativity, conversation, relaxation, long walks roaming the beaches, whale watching and iceberg viewing directly in front of the house and on and on it goes.  I'm coming to fall with a renewed focus on my art practice.  It feels very satisfying. 

My new work continues to focus on  what gets left behind, but I have moved from two dimensional works to three dimensional using found wood and objects to explore Compositions in Time.  

Composition in Time #22,  2020, Margaret Ryall , wood assemblage, 16 x 16 in. 

Composition in Time #27, 2020, Margaret Ryall, Wood assemblage, 16x16in.

Composition in Time #29, 2020, Margaret Ryall,  wood assemblage, 16 x16in. 

For more work check out my website   

One or the other of my two careers  usually gets the short end of the stick;  I may have to do something about that.  Decision time is creeping up on me.

Yes, I know I never did write a post about my new kitchen.  That is coming this fall, but first I have two more weeks in beautiful Duntara.

Designing your IKEA kitchen

We are out the other end of our IKEA kitchen design & install and hindsight, as you know,  is a wonderful thing. Our family joke is now we are ready to tackle an IKEA kitchen. This is the first of a series of posts around the design and installation of our new kitchen.

 Design is key

Without good design any reno is throwing good money after bad.  If you haven't really thought out how you want to work in your kitchen,  and how you want it to look overall, no matter how well you install it, you won't be happy. 


 I hope some of my musings, and what I learned as I worked through the design process, will be helpful to you if you are planning an IKEA kitchen as a renovation project. 

Get what you want by designing well 

Know what's hidden

Know the bones of your kitchen  so there'll be no surprises. We wanted 90 inch pantry units and had a bulkhead with pot lights in it.  I kept nagging my husband to have a look, and I was so glad because to our surprise we found vent work.  Just enough to cause me to move to 80 inch pantries.  Not a happy camper letting go of my floor to ceiling pantries, and needing more filler pieces to accommodate what was available in that height pantry.

We were also planning to keep our current footprint and we knew that the flooring did not extend under our cabinets. 

That meant we had to get all our cabinet measurements correct and use fillers to make it come out even.  If you have an island or peninsula and are keeping your existing flooring,  it is even more important to do careful measurement in terms of depth. We found out we could not have a toe kick on the back of the peninsula so the cover panel had to extend to the floor.  

Analyze your current kitchen 

Make a list of what works and what annoys you in your current kitchen layout.  For everything that annoys you, you should try to come up with a solution if possible. It is easier and more cost effective  to keep appliances where they are, but sometimes their placement is part of the inefficiency. Our cooktop and oven were in a major traffic area, and it was downright dangerous when we entertained.   You could also see the stove top from the dining room; I am not a tidy cook. We chose to flip the refrigerator to the cooking area, and make that area into a wall of pantries with the refrigerator centred.  The perfect solution to storage in a walkway.

80s cooking area 

Standard sizes for pantries 

Fridge and pantries

80s layout of kitchen across from cooking area 

Moving appliances meant hiring an electrician, but it was worth it. 

 Everyone expected me to move my sink under the window, but that would have meant a very squat prep area if the stove moved to where the fridge was.  When I stand at my sink now I have a view of two prominent St. John's landmarks - Signal Hill and Cape Spear.  Why would I want to exchange that for a view of my neighbour's house? Now I have a huge prep area and I can make all the mess I want when I entertain.  Perfect planning!

Several friends brought up the idea of "updating" to an island.    I like my kitchen to myself when I cook, even when I entertain.  No island for me, and it could have happened in the space without too much effort.  Personal choices are important in design.  I made an entertaining hang out area by removing the half wall in pic below and opening it up to the family room. 

Another big problem for us was  a bottleneck area  at the end of the peninsula because of a contractor error in the initial construction. The wall by the oven was  built 10 inches too long and changing it was complicated and expensive because it contained pipes, heating and air exchanger vent work, plus light switches.   When we redesigned we took three inches off the length of the peninsula to open up the walkway.   That was possible because we had floor tile left over.  

Visit an IKEA store 

By chance we ended up grounded for 24 hours in Toronto when returning from a trip.  We took advantage of that time ( a year before our reno) to check out everything kitchen related.  I took over a 100  pics of things that interested me, and  I kept referring to them as I designed.  If you can't do that, find someone who has designed and installed an IKEA kitchen and go for a chat.  I managed to find two people who were obliging, and it was helpful even after the store visit. 

Start a reno board on Pinterest 

Look at various IKEA kitchen layouts and cabinet styles online.  Think about  improving storage options especially if you have a smallish kitchen.  Pinterest is a great resource and you can pin everything you see on one board.  Consider a secret board so you can make comments and track ideas or a shared secret board if you have a design partner.  Check out my Kitchen reno board here and a previous post about Finding your decor style.

Find inspiration pictures

Your kitchen should meet your needs in style and function.  Make it yours.  Here are two pics that helped me refine the look I wanted. They are not everyone's cup of tea!

Create a vision 

Many people just go headlong into a reno and don't stop to think about their design aesthetic.  What kind of feel do you want in the space?  What style of cabinets and layout suits that feel? What is the rest of your home like?  Are there interior aspects of the cabinets that will add to how you want to feel in your space? 

After all the cabinets and gray horizontal lines in my old kitchen I wanted something  visually quieter this time around. 

 The two photos above illustrate "the feel" I wanted : uncluttered, quiet, airy, bright, calm and minimal,  but with elements of warmth and nature. These are the words I kept in my head throughout the design process.  I wrote them  down and checked my decisions against them constantly.  You will probably have other words entirely, but have  descriptive words as benchmarks for decisions.

I really wanted a kitchen that flowed from the rest of our house  and reflected our arty, organic and calm decor style. 

• Uncluttered ...lots of thought to interior storage options and eliminating "stuff" you don't need 

• Airy ... an absence of upper cabinets so your eye moved around the space 

• Calm and bright...  from colour and style choices and layout

• Warm and quiet ...   no laminate, granite, or other hard surface counters 

• Organic...  from natural products like wood, cork, plants etc.

 Stick to your vision 

A reno is a headache in many ways, and you will reach a point where you are fed up and want to take the easy way out.  Don't.  Take a break from it and look at the problem with fresh eyes.  Make all decisions based on your initial concepts for the space.  

Work out a rough sketch on paper

Perhaps it's my age and my visual art training, but I begin everything with paper and pencil.  I found the kitchen booklet  we picked up at IKEA a great help when doing this because all cabinet sizes were listed and you could plainly see what was inside  each one.  There is an online version.  I didn't spend a lot of time at this stage,  just enough to decide on the flow and placement of drawers or doors. 

Refine your sketch in the kitchen planner

I work  with design apps all the time, but I found the IKEA kitchen planner very frustrating.  It had lots of little glitches, and if you have an island or  peninsula as I did, the cabinets kept wanting to line up by a wall.  I was also working on a MAC.  In the end I refined the plan enough to send to IKEA and get the order made, but it never looked pretty.

 Imagine working in your new kitchen 

Once you have a preliminary design in mind, consider it the next time you bring home groceries.  Is there a place for everything.  If you are entertaining, is there a place for all those things you only use every now and then?  Prepare an imaginary meal and clean up. Are your movements efficient? Have you solved all the design issues in your previous kitchen?

Explain your design to someone outside your family 

Walk through your design with someone outside the family and explain your layout decisions. This really helped me confirm that I wanted things the way I thought.  You also have an opportunity to question the IKEA staff when you order your kitchen. They were super helpful when I called.

Record your questions before IKEA ordering 

I had at least ten questions recorded for clarification when I called to place my order.  Many of them were of a confirmation type, making sure I had interpreted the cabinets properly and that I could do what I wanted to do. 

And yes, you will have more than one design.

 I'm happy to answer any questions or hear your comments about your IKEA kitchen design suggestions. 

The big reveal is coming up in the next post and yes, it was worth all the thought, frustration and mess.... 

From snow to eggs

 We are hunkered down for a winter storm with 40 cm. of snow predicted.  Everything is closed so there are no schedules to keep. It's the kind of day where I have lots of time to let my mind wander where it may.  That's a dangerous thing when you can go from one thought to a hundred in a minute.  So let's see how I got from snow to this post.

White, cold, wishing for spring,  Easter, eggs, decorating eggs, symbolism of eggs, egg imagery through history, eggs in art, design trend for 2020 (read it on Houzz this week),  Las Vegas Market trends Winter 2020, should write a new blog post because I have time today, anyone else predicting eggs are hot, search Pinterest.  Yep!  That's how my head works.

What is a trend?

Decor trends  are predictions based on patterns recognized from multiple viewings of similar material.  Anyone can make trend predictions if they have enough information and time to look for patterns.

 Here are some of the patterns I'm seeing on Olioboard, Pinterest and design blogs that indicate that eggs and egg shapes or oval shapes are appearing in textiles, lighting and home accents.

Sometimes  eggs are represented literally and recognizable as what they are.  You will often see nests accompanying the eggs as in the pillow and art works above.  Sometimes the egg shapes are abstracted and used in repetition to create patterns.  These are the ones I find most pleasing.  

Is it just me or do you find anything egg shaped or hinting of it pleasing/soothing to the eye? This characteristic makes it a perfect shape to choose when you want a lighting fixture to just sit there and hold a place without being  too dominant in the decor.  Sometimes this is not what you want!  For excitement do not choose  of the lights above (except the red one).

Jeff Koons, Cracked Egg- Blue

Egg shapes have always been a favourite of artists through the centuries.  Not only is it a pleasing shape, but the symbolism of promise of things to come, fertility, and creation  makes eggs a multifaceted starting point for many artistic explorations.

Paul Lichetenhan - Nest 

This work created by Paul Lichtenhan couldn't be more different than Koon's  reflective, slick and very large cracked egg above.  In this piece the aged patina of the recycled metals stand in striking contrast to the delicate ceramic eggs. 

Andy Goldsworthy 

 Goldsworthy, an environmental artist, makes a different statement with his large, stone egg defying our usual interpretation of this delicate, fragile shape. 

Ron Layport

Finally Ron Layport creates  intricate, egg shaped carvings from wood.  In all of the presented  works the material used to create them is as important as the subject matter.  Each has its own beauty. 

Eggs, simple or complicated, realistic or abstracted, may appear in some form in your decor this year. Perhaps you are ahead of the game!  Have you noticed egg motifs in your online viewing or shopping experiences?

6 Options for painting trim

  There are so many decisions to make when you begin decorating a new home or renovating. Something as basic as what colour to paint the trim often causes homeowners hours of deliberation.  How about you?  What decision have you made about painting your trim work?


1.  White/off white

This is  the most common solution to painting trim .  It works with every style and is fresh and crisp. 

 Norwich Architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

Nightingale Design

Even if you have white walls your trim can also be white. Consider changing the paint sheen to semi gloss or gloss if you want to accentuate the trim in a white room.        

2. Wood - natural  or stained 

There was a period of time when many homes had natural or stained wood trim, but this trend has slipped a little in the last ten years.  When you have wood your decision is often to leave it natural or stain it.  When your floors are also wood, it can help you decide which stain option to go with.

 Contrary to popular belief wood trim is not sacred.  If you want to paint it don't hold back.  Interestingly enough it is mostly men who revere wood. When you choose this application your are making a decision to outline a room.  Make sure this is what you want to accomplish.

 Rebekah Zaveloff

 In this space the trim colour is in keeping with the floor tones and is just a little darker.  

Houzz

With light wood floors you always have the option to choose your trim stain  to work  with your furniture. I think the omission of crown in this space really works well to provide a lofty look and keep the viewer's eye at living level.

 Gary Earl Parsons, Architect / Muffy Kibbey Photos

Your wood trim  doesn't have to be dark to be effective.  You often see natural wood trim  in more modern spaces  where the walls are usually a  light colour  Hint. If you want to achieve a lofty look as in the previous room shown, paint your crown the same colour as the wall.

3.  Same colour  as walls
I often use this application in modern spaces or in rooms where there are too many doors.  When you do this a seamless look is created and the walls become the perfect place to display art without  all those lines you get with alternate colour trim. If you have a more traditionally styled home and modern furniture,  painting your trim the same as your walls will provide an updated look. 

Houzz

Traditional Home

Wondering about chair railing or other paneled effects ?  Rather than removing it, paint it the same as the wall.


4. Colours 

If you are someone who loves colour, this might be the look for you.  It also works well in kids' rooms.    Beware this application creates strong outlines in a room and can chop up your space. Some would say it adds energy because your eyes are always wandering.

Houzz

Pink Wallpaper 

Design Crisis  

Centsational Girl

5. Darker Than the Walls

This is a good solution in certain spaces. When you paint your trim darker, choose a colour that is roughly two values darker than the walls. This is a great treatment for modern spaces or commercial spaces.

Bernard Andre Photography

 

 Terri Symington, ASID

6. Black
This is a daring solution for trim.  When used with white/off white  walls it provides a crisp look that is elegant and serious.  Black looks equally good with soft gray walls.

 Architect Neuhaus Design Architecture, P.C.

If you have very ornate trim , black can really accentuate this sculptural element in your home. Don't be afraid to use it. 

 Linda McDougald Design | Postcard from Paris Home

Lots of options....

Finding your decor style

Have you ever looked for similarities in rooms you are attracted to in magazines or online?
That's one of the best ways to determine what you like for your own decor.  If you don't know where to start here are several suggestions to set you on your way to finding your personal decor look.

Develop a vocabulary for your style 

Initially you may not have the words to describe  why you are attracted to a space or why you find it interesting, but you will over time if you do enough looking and comparing.

1. Start with some rooms you  don't like at all. 

When you have about 10 or so look at them and decide what you don't want in a space.  This is just as important as what you do want.

Here's a room that doesn't  particularly ring my chimes because it has too much glitz and materialism.  It reminds me of  a woman who has on too much makeup and bling,  but there are lots of people who love a glam look.  I'm not judging, just saying it's not for me.

source 

 2. Have a category for rooms that you like aspects of


     It might be the furniture or the fabrics or layout.  It could be how it is accessorized. It could have one thing you like or a number of things.  Identify what you like and don't like.

Caleb Anderson 

source 

You can be attracted to a space and not like all the components of it. I appreciate that this space is dramatic and artfully conceived.  Dark wall colours are not part of my aesthetic nor is traditional decor, but I find myself drawn to this space. Why?

• mix of  some traditional and modern (furniture and art)
• accessories in vignette combine colour, texture, form and  different styles
• the perfect intersection of chair back with art  making the chair an integral part of the vignette
• there is nothing cookie cutter about this space; it's totally individual /unique
• the variety in the vignette arrangement takes my eye back again and again
• it is the opposite of what I like usually (light interiors, clean lines and more minimal look) 

3. And most importantly find rooms you love

 

 Here are some spaces I love from recent pins on Pinterest.

Room #1

House and Home

 This room couldn't be more different than the one above!  It is a space that I think is timeless even with the bold tile choice.

Here's what I like about it:

• simple geometric patterning in neutrals 
• simple lines in flat panel doors
• mix of open shelves with doors to provide some visual relief
• mix of wood,  white and geometric to add interest 
• this would be in style for years

Room #2 

source 

There are similarities to the kitchen above if you really look. Here's why I find this appealing:

• mix of warm wood and neutrals
• a room has to have at 3-5 different patterns for me to find it interesting
•  a touch of the outside is important to me (plants and wood) 
• lots of textures
• pared down but inviting because of the rug and the pillows

Room #3

source 

Such a great space:

• white, black and wood
• it looks like a well composed abstract painting
• very geometric in layout, especially the vertical window and cube lights
• the mirror connected everything visually 
• like how the sink is like a piece of furniture, not hidden
• this is a unique space

 Establish a my style and not my style boards on Pinterest 

I find it useful to have one board on Pinterest that focuses on my style. I am selective in what I put in there and often go back and delete things until I am left with what I find pleasing. If you don't want to have it open for all to see, set up a secret board and record negatives and positives without insulting anyone!

Find your look/style by doing quizzes online 

The Decorist 

This is a short quiz and was spot on for my style when I completed it.  You have to provide your email address to get your answer. 

7 Quizzes to check out 

There's a range here from Houzz to Lonny and  Better Homes and Gardens. 

I hope these simple suggestions will help you define your decorating style.  We are all unique and that's what you should aim for in your home.   Go for it!