To Hide or Not to Hide- That is the TV Question

Living Well

To Hide or Not to Hide- That is the TV Question

Is your television in plain view or hidden out of site?

Many times I have clients ask not only where should they place their tv in a room, but how it should be treated within it.

Not to show my age, but who remembers the bulky TVs with the rabbit ears? There was no hiding those big ‘ole things. Thankfully, televisions have become much more discreet.

Don’t get me wrong….. I do not mind a tv in plain sight, but I do try to tuck them away when possible or make sure they are not a big focal point. If they are placed as a major focal point wall, it usually calls for me to hide or dramatically soften it.

The picture below is from a client’s living room. Yes, I said living room, and that is a tv near the piano. They had this large room with incredible light that was- get this- pretty much a walk-through room. They have a large family with a revolving door to family and friends, so it made sense that when we redesigned this room to incorporate a tv in here.

I can’t show you too much of the room right now, but I can say it’s pretty incredible. We reworked the furniture layout to add more seating. The room is casual enough to feel comfortable lounging on the sofa, with your feet propped up with a bowl of popcorn, or it can stand formal enough to serve as a living room when having a dinner party. Either way, it works, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, the space is used by their family.

hidden tvs — Notice how the tv is tucked away into a side wall but is on a bracket to make it easy for viewing?

The picture below shows how I will sometimes try and soften the space around a television. Make no doubt about it, sometimes a TV needs to stand proudly in a room, ready to serve its purpose, but a little softness never hurts.

Put careful consideration into whether or not putting the TV about the fireplace is the best option. Most of the time, the TV ends up above eye level, and it is too high for comfortable viewing.

What are your thoughts concerning the tv? Are you a “let it hang on out there” and serve its purpose or do you like to tuck it away? I am interested in your thoughts.

Have a great day,

Dana

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Living Well

Choosing The Perfect Headboard

When decorating a bedroom, choosing the type of bed can be one of the hardest things to do. It is usually the focal point of the room, so it is essential to get it right.

Today, I am sharing a few tips that will help you pick one that anchors your room in a perfect way.

One of the most important factors to consider is the size of the bedroom. How much space do you have for the bed?

Keep the size of your headboard in proportion to the bedroom space and ceiling height. While I don’t mind bigger scale pieces in a bedroom to create a cozy space, you do want to make sure there is room for bedside tables and perhaps a place to sit in there as well. The larger the room, the larger the headboard can be without swallowing up the room visually.

headboard1 — Image from Dana Wolter Interiors

Consider the look you are going for in your bedroom. To work well as a visual focus, a headboard must not only look good, it must also fit within the context of the room.

If you prefer a more elegant, sophisticated style, a complementary upholstered headboard that’s covered in a rich textile, such as velvet or suede would compliment the room best.

satinheadboard — Image from House Beautiful

Bold, patterned fabrics add a splash of color and create a focal point for the room.

For a more airy and light feeling to your bedroom, a minimally detailed headboard with soft curves and caning may be for you.

Headboards with straight lines in wood or sleek leather tend to have a more masculine feel.

masculine headboard — Image from Tidbits and Twine

Regardless the style of your bedroom, keep in mind the scale of your room, ceiling height and decor style and you are on your way to a gorgeous headboard.

Enjoy your day,

dana

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Living Well

Five Things To Avoid When Working On Your Home

There are a few things when building, renovating, or just plain working on your home that, in my book, you want to avoid.

Here is my top five list of things NOT to do to your home:

1. Do not plant landscaping that is too small.

There is nothing worse than driving by a beautiful home where it’s obvious they have invested wisely in the materials chosen, only to see a bunch of dinky plants surrounding the beautiful structure. Yes, plants grow, but by the time some plants are finally a decent size, five years have passed. Buy larger when it comes to plants that are slow growing. I promise, this makes such a difference. See below how landscaping that is invested in can add to your home’s aesthetic.

Newman & Cebulak — Image from Architectural Digest via Pinterest

2. Never buy a piece only because it is on sale.

Do you love the piece or did you buy it because it is a good deal? If it is the latter, you bought the sofa, bookcase, bed, or whatever it is for the wrong reason. Never, I repeat, never, buy a piece just because the price is good or because you need something to fill a space. If it is for one of these two reasons, you will eventually tire of it and you won’t enjoy it in your home for very long.

3. Don’t buy an entire room off of a showroom floor and never match all your furniture.

Regardless of your taste- modern, traditional, or transitional- you always want your home to look like it has been collected over time, even if it was installed in the same day. This leads me to the next point of making sure you don’t match your furniture. There can be an overlap of the same material for continuity, but make sure you have a mixture of elements in the room to cause a little tension in the space. Use a mix of upholstery, stained wood, painted wood, glass, iron , etc….

foyer by mcalpine booth & ferrier — Image from McAlpine Tankersley

4. Do not have a room that doesn’t serve a purpose.

Do you walk through a room, only to have it be a “catch all” or a place to host guests once a year? If so, you are missing out on a room you could be enjoying, and you need to rework this space. Gone are the days where rooms sit unused or are “saved” for special occasions. Repurpose a room and ENJOY it.

5. Don’t wait for tomorrow to pull your home together and make it a place for you and your family to make memories.

Money does not necessarily guarantee good design, so don’t wait until tomorrow to make your home something you can be proud of and enjoy. Stop comparing your house to your neighbors’. Instead, focus on making your home a cohesive safe haven to build memories for you and your family.