The Design Diva Dishes! Design Trends and Lifestyle Tips

The Design Diva Dishes!
August 2009
Design Trends and Lifestyle Tips
Dear ,
I am pleased to report that I have been invited to be a presenter on the
Main Stage at the Southern Ideal Home Show. The show will be held at
The Park (formerly the Merchandise Mart) on Independence Blvd in
Charlotte August 28 - 30. Friday night is "Date Night" and my program will
be "Compromise Design: Home Interiors You'll Both Love." Saturday's
topic is "Outdoor Living: Indoor Comforts for Outdoor Fun," and Sunday's
session is "Great Design: Where to Splurge and Where to Save."
I have also been asked by Lite 102.9 (the competitor to my radio station
K104.7) to do a room makeover for a contest they are running called
"Lite's Chic Retreat Makeover." Listeners are submitting photos of
rooms emptied by children who have gone off to college and I will be
reinventing the room as a "Chic Retreat" for the empty nesters. The
winner will be announced at the Southern Ideal Home Show on Sunday. If
you or your neighbors would like to attend the show on any of the days,
please let me know, I have free tickets that I would love to share.
For more information
about the show go to:
SouthernShow s.com
This month I thought I would give everyone a primer on window
treatments. The better educated you are, the better choices you will make
when you are ready to decorate your windows. Fall is a popular time to
decorate, as homeowners are gearing up for holiday entertaining. You will
learn what questions to ask to get the best results. The Trend Report will
share the hottest trends in window treatments. The Color of the Month
is Teal. Our Green Report will share eco-friendly options for windows,
and our Recipe of the Month is Summery Tomato and Cucumber Salad.
Please enjoy the rest of your summer, and feel free to contact me
at [email protected] with any questions or comments.
Barbara Green
Window Treatments
This may sound crazy, but window treatments hold a special place in my heart.
Those who have been to my website, sensiblychic.biz, already know that window
treatments were my specialty when I started my business 17 years ago. While my
list of products and services has grown substantially over the years, window
treatments still form a cornerstone of my current design business. It is my belief
that the right choice in treatment can totally transform a room. There are several
questions you need to ask yourself when considering new window treatments:
Do I need Privacy, Light Control or Decoration?
You might have a different answer for each room in your home. For the most part I
find people want privacy in their bedrooms, light control in their media rooms, and
design elements in their living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens. However, if you are
in an urban area, privacy is probably desired in every room. The draperies in the
master bedroom below offer total darkness when closed, perfect for sleeping late.
Conversely, the silk draperies in the living room below are not functional for light
control or privacy, but simply add color, elegance and warmth to the room.
What is the look I am trying to achieve?
Would you like your room to have a formal look, or do you have a more casual
lifestyle? Do you like traditional design, or do you prefer the clean lines of
contemporary styling? If you are not sure, look to your wardrobe for inspiration. Your
room style should suit you as well as your favorite outfit does. I also recommend
looking through design magazines to get an idea of likes and dislikes.Traditional
interiors will have have more elaborate drapes, perhaps even several layers. One
window might incorporate panels with swags and jabots, or valances. Contemporary
rooms with clean lines and sleek surfaces are best adorned with simple styles such
as the sheers in the dining room below. Blinds, shades, and grommet topped
draperies also translate well into modern styles.
What kind of fabric should I choose?
If your style is traditional and you want a truly opulent look, try the richness of velvet,
damask, silk, or leather. Lavish fabrics are now available with sequins, crystals,
beading, and embroidery. If your style is contemporary and you want an understated
look choose fabrics that get their beauty from lush textures and colors. Not only do
you have to think about the pattern, color, and style of the fabric, you also need to
consider the weight. Heavier, stiff fabrics are great for roman shades, cornices, or
valances. Lighter weight fabrics offer the needed drapabilty for gathered, pleated, or
swagged styles. The wrong fabric choice can make the best design a disaster.
What is my budget and how long will I live here?
Quality window treatments will last 10 to 20 years, so they are definitely an
investment. If you plan on moving in 2 years, consider styles that will adopt easily to
different sized windows. If you do plan on staying for a while but your budget is tight,
invest in the best quality you can afford for the main rooms that guests will see, and
use less expensive options for the more private rooms.
Trend Report
I had to laugh when I was researching information for my trend report. I know a lot of
my faithful readers are also devoted fans of HGTV. They did a show featuring the Top
10 WIndow Treatment Trends, but they featured so many divergent ideas, the
trend they illustrated best was that anything goes! I, however, am taking a stand and
giving you three indisputable trends in window treatments:
1. Jewelry for Windows - There is an endless supply of trims available for adorning
custom window treatments. They range from fringes, tassels, cording, beading, and
ribbons. Dressmaker details such as pleating, ruching, applique, and ribbons allow for
truly distinctive and unique designs. I always tell clients to imagine your window
treatment as a little black dress, it doesn't really "come alive" until the accessories are
added, much the same as trim is to a valance, shade, or drapery. Decorative hardware
also adds incredible style to otherwise simple panels.
2. Motorized Window Treatments - Motorized window treatments allow you to open and
close blinds, shades, and draperies with the touch of a button. These motors can be
pre-wired into a home during construction, or can be battery operated for easy
installation post-construction. Imagine the convenience and ease of closing the
blinds or shades on two-story windows, without those long, unsightly cords. The french
doors below are covered with a motorized product called "Panel Track Shades." They
are a sleeker, more attractive alternative to vertical blinds.
3. Outdoor draperies - I went over this topic in last month's issue, but it is still a major
trend. Window treatments are adorning outdoor areas such as verandas, patios, and
poolside cabanas. They add style and softness to otherwise hard surfaces.
Color of the Month
The Color of the Month is Teal. If you have been in any stores recently, you will have
noticed that this color is EVERYWHERE! You see it in fashion, home furnishings, and
even housewares. Teal is a great color to work with because it goes with almost
anything. The fact that it is neither blue nor green, yet an amalgamation of both adds
to the color's versatility. It works beautifully as an accent color, as shown in the
brown room below:
It looks equally terrific enveloping a room in color. The photo below not only illustrates
the richness of a teal room, it also includes another hot design trend, bold graphics,
as displayed on the tree and bird mural above the bed.
Color expert Dewey Sadka teaches that teal inspires you to believe in your wishes. He
encourages you to wish over and over again until you believe in your capacity to
accomplish your dreams. Dewey says "If you believe in your wish you will gain the
power to believe in yourself."
Green Design
There are a couple of aspects to examine when applying green design to window
treatments. First of all, window treatments have the ability to insulate a home from
heat in the summer and cold in the winter. Did you know that properly lined and
interlined draperies have better efficiency than even the best energy efficient
windows? Since there are multiple layers of fabrics, the outdoor elements get
trapped before they get the chance to adversely affect the temperatures in your
rooms. Cellular shades also provide great insulation from the outdoor tempuratures.
Skylights and window walls no longer have to drain your energy budget if you cover
them with the motorized cellular shades shown below.
Another way to incorporate green design into your window treatment is to use
organic fabrics. One of my favorite lines of is Oeco Textiles. They offer luxurious,
sensuous fabrics that are made from high quality, natural fibers that have been
grown without pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers. Why is this important?
Because fabrics grown and processed with chemicals are know to cause allergies,
cancer, birth defects, and genetic mutations. Luckily, you don't have to sacrifice
style, since they have gorgeous colors and textures of organic silk, linen, hemp, and
bamboo. The pillow below is constructed from organic fabrics and filled with organic
plant fibers made from corn.
Quote of the Month
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. ~ Henry Ford
Recipe of the Month
My dad was an amazing man. From meager beginnings, he was able to study and
work hard and create a wonderful life for his wife and five children. During the
summer months he would relax after work by tending his vegetable garden. He was
so proud of the tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and cucumbers he grew. His
attempts at growing corn were always thwarted by the critters who knew the exact
time to harvest it, which was concidentally the day before Dad planned to. This
August is the 25th anniversary of him succumbing after a valient battle with cancer.
In honor of this special man, I share a recipe for Tomato and Cucumber Salad. He
used to love to make this salad with his perfect beefsteak tomatoes and cucumbers
fresh off the vine. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I have enjoyed sharing
his memory with you. Bon Apetit!
Summery Tomato and Cucmber Salad
4 large beefsteak tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
2 large cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut in 1/4-inch thick slices
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3 tablespoons Italian red wine vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
1. In a large salad bowl place the tomatoes, cucumber slices, olives, red onion,
basil, and oregano.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the red wine vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper until
the salt and sugar have dissolved. Add the oil in a thin, steady stream, whisking
until completely incorporated. Pour dressing over salad and toss to thoroughly
combine.
Let salad sit for 5 to 10 minutes for flavors to mingle, then serve.
Community Outreach
Most people say there are only two things guaranteed in life: death and taxes. Well I
would like to submit to you a third guarantee: No matter how bad your life is, there
is always someone worse off than you. I believe that it is more important to give than
to receive. Additionally, it has been my personal experience that when I give
generously, whether it be of time or money, the rewards I get are exponentially
greater than anything I might have given. In this spirit, I am going to share with you
each month opportunities available for us all to give back, for we are all greatly
blessed, even in these times of struggle.
Stuff the Bus
Everyone knows how budget cuts and reduced donations have negatively impacted
local charities' day to day operations. The United Way is sponsoring a "Stuff the
Bus" drive for office supplies for our area Health and Human Services Agencies.
They are accepting donations of copy paper, notepads & post-its, staplers
& staples, flash drives >1GB, paper clips, pens, & pencils, hilighters, and dry erase
markers. To drop off donations in your area, the United Way bus will be parked at
the Mooresville Lowes on Monday, August 3, Sabi Restaurant in Davidson on
August 4, Our Towns Habitat for Humanity in Cornelius on August 5, Presbyterian
Hospital in Huntersville on August 6, and Citizens South in Mooresville on August 7.
For
more
information
you
can
email
Shelly
Wright
at
[email protected].
Lake Norman YMCA Triathlon
The Lake Norman Triathlon is the largest community outreach of the year for the
YMCA.This year it is a two day event, on August 21 and 22.Volunteers are key to
making this event a success and are needed in the following areas: packet pickup,
timing, refeshments, and body marking. Also needed are volunteers to man the bike
course, the run course, the water stations, and give out ice towels. If you are
interested, please contact Amber Baker at (704) 716-4068 or email her at
[email protected].