I was thrilled to be asked by Traditional Home to take part in the “What’s New, What’s Now” interior design event in New York on September 18th at the New York Design Center.
Are you familiar with it? It’s going to be a fun day filled with events with over 36 presentations from designers, architects, and people in the design industry from across the country.
I will be a part of the panel discussion about incorporating modern touches into spaces to push–but not overstep–the boundaries of traditional design. The panel will feature Chad + Christina Graci from Graci Interiors, Katie Lydon, and myself. The fabulous Tori Mellot, of Traditional Home, will moderate the discussion.
I am honored to be a part of the event and I look forward to sharing more when I return. If you are in New York, please join me and say hello!
If you have any recommendations of “must dos” while I am in New York, please comment below. I am there pretty often, but always love to hear of the latest restaurant, show, etc….
Remember the contest that I houndedasked you to vote for me as the Trad Home designer whose style you like the best?
I cannot believe it, because I never win anything, but I WON!
Yes, I WON!
May 2014
There is no doubt in my mind YOU are the reason I won. I am humbled and grateful, and I could not be more flattered.
Thank you. Thank you for all of your support and for your vote.
Hunter Douglas was giving away $1,000 to a lucky recipient who entered the contest. I am hoping one of you won, so if you did, please let me know!
As always, thank you for reading and for encouraging my work. I truly love what I do, and I am grateful for the opportunities and blessings that have come my way.
I thought it might be fun to look at a few BEFORE and AFTER pictures of the home featured in TradHome (click here to see the full article) to see why I took the design approach I did for this project. This is going to be in two posts, so here goes part one….
When the homeowner first contacted me, she was frustrated. She had purchased a few pieces that did not fit in her home and she wanted to unify her choppy, cluttered, mismatched home. She wanted it to reflect their fun personality, but she also wanted it to feel calm, cohesive, and be a place to retreat from their hectic lifestyle.
Below is the foyer, which sets the tone for the home. As you can see, there wasn’t much to the existing space, other than a rug too big for the space.
BEFORE
BEFORE- the foyer
AFTER
AFTER- the foyer
The space is tiny, but you can see we added quite a bit of warmth without overcrowding the area.
We painted her existing console table because the size was good for the space. Everything else was added. What was once a cold, mismatched space now feels warm and pulled together.
Know what my favorite thing is in there? The cast baby foot of one of her now teenage girls… How sweet is that touch?!
The foyer opens up into the living room, which was a walk-through space for the family. Imagine an 18 x 24 room of basically wasted space they never used.
Here is the BEFORE of the living room:
BEFORE- the living room
AFTER
AFTER- the living room
I wish I had a picture to the right of the sofa in the bay window. Not only did we create a great place to lounge, we also included a second seating area with the sofa and two chairs.
AFTER- the living room
The homeowners have several collections- from crosses from oncology patients, to tons of family photos, to baseballs from their favorite major league teams. They had them spread throughout several rooms with no order to them at all.
I incorporated their momentos in a way that is cohesive and tidy.
BEFORE
BEFORE- the study
Before- the study
AFTER
AFTER-the study
AFTER- the study
AFTER- the study
After- gallery of family pictures
Notice the grouping of family photos and the shadow box of the baseballs? Now they hold special meaning and are focal points in this home.
Stay tuned for part two as I will talk about the master, family room, and kitchen. This transformation is amazing- not only aesthetically, but how this home functions for this busy family of five.
Also, please remember to take a second and vote here for the NewTrad designer’s style you like best. It is quick and easy, only takes a second, and I hope you will vote for us. Every time you cast a vote, you enter a chance to win $1,000 from Hunter Douglas.
Have a great day everyone-
Dana
If you would like to see more on a day to day basis of what we do at DWI, join us.
