Small changes that make a big difference:
The holiday season brings joy and festivity to the winter months, but also brings visual over-stimulation from the bright lights and vibrant colors of most holiday décor. To create a center of calm during the most hectic season of the year, consider slip-covering your couch in a crisp white or soft cream. A white or cream sofa will offer a fresh touch to your living area and neutralize the riot of color and lights that can rob your space of some of the peace of the season.
Another advantage to a slipcover is easy cleaning: you can serve the red wine and chocolate you and your guests love without fearing any permanent damage to your couch. Most slipcovers can be machine-washed, so the day after the party you can simply was away any stains.
Putting a slipcover on your couch is a small change, but it can make a big difference in your living space this holiday season.
Labels: Interior Design
There is a wonderful new addition to the local arts scene in Louisville: the Anthony Grant Studio Gallery, which opened earlier this month. Grant, who is also an architect, has a colorful and vibrant style of painting, and visiting his gallery is a real treat for the eyes and the soul. His bright and modern studio is located in the lower level of the Art Underground building at 917 Front Street in Historic Downtown Louisville.
Be sure to stop by the studio for the Louisville’s art walk on Friday, December 4th from 5 to 8pm. The Anthony Grant Studio is also open daily from 10 to 5 or you can call 303.408.5533 for a personal appointment. Tony also teaches both private and group lessons, so if you are inspired by his work, consider learning to create some of your own!
Labels: local artists, Louisville Colorado
The Design Matters Home Team hosted a fun, festive and informative workshop on Holiday Decorating at the Mountain High Appliance showroom this past week. This workshop was the second out of three holiday oriented workshops to get you inspired for the holidays.
Led by Helly, the Team shared many valuable tips for bringing sophistication, sparkle, creativity and a little humor to your home this holiday season. Guests were treated to delicious treats from the Mountain High kitchen and beautiful examples of the Design Matters’ vision for making your holiday décor unique and affordable.
A celebration of the rich colors and bountiful foods of autumn is the cornerstone of a beautiful Thanksgiving table and the centerpiece of Helly’s tips for decorating this fall. To give this traditional look a twist, incorporate metallics by spray painting pumpkins and gourds in silver, copper or gold (the fake versions take paint beautifully and last year-to-year). Add flowers in deep colors, like chrysanthemums, for contrast. Amber glass is also a beautiful compliment to the fall colors and brings in a retro touch—an important trend this season.
When thinking about the winter holidays, resist the urge to over-do it. Less is more: you can have a festive home that is still a peaceful retreat for you and your family by editing your holiday décor. Pick a single theme and use it throughout your home; it can be a color (again, metallics are a fun trend), shape (think round Christmas balls) or item (repeating a winter icon, like the snowy tree).
By being selective with the items you display, you can keep your holiday collections fresh by packing some accessories away for a few seasons and revisiting them when you are ready for a change. Also, when you pick a theme it is easier to shop the overwhelming holiday displays at your favorite stores. You will know just the color, shape or item you want and being decisive will save time and money.
Below are the five themes we highlighted in the workshop. All will remain on display in the Mountain High Appliance showroom in Louisville Colorado through the holidays. Stop by and check them out!
Casual autumn decorations with a metallic shimmer:
Bringing the outdoors in, but with a bold pop of color:
Decorating with candy for the young and young at heart:
Highlighting blue and silver for an elegant and modern table:
Ringing in the New Year with a luxurious and playful setting:
Here are a few of the hot holiday trends you’ll be seeing this year:
We so enjoyed sharing our holiday vision with our guests at Mountain High Appliance! If you feel inspired by our choices, please call us at (303) 249-4661 for an appointment for our Holiday Styling Services. We would love to bring some holiday shimmer to your home!
Also, we will be hosting an encore presentation of the Holiday Eatertaining live cooking workshop that we held on October 27th. The second date will be on December 8th, 5:30pm - 7:00pm at Mountain High Appliance in Louisville. Seating is limited and they filled up quick for the first workshop so call (303)249-4661 today to reserve your spot!
Labels: holiday decorating, Interior Design, Workshops
We attended a very informative seminar last week in Boulder on Hiding Technology put on by Tyler Lantzy of
Saavihome - the only national network of professional home electronic integrators in North America according to their website. Tyler presented what appeared to be a presentation from CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association). Topics included the value gained in working with an ESC (Electronics Systems Contractor), an overview of the different types of residential systems, the importance of including your home electronics wants/needs early in the home planning process, and some of the methods and strategies for hiding technology.
A key to hiding technology, especially for new homes, is to integrate technology with the design and décor rather than treating it as an afterthought. To achieve the goal of integrated technology it is recommended to engage the ESC in the planning process 2-3 months prior to the completion of the construction drawings.
Today's home entertainment systems are seeing more rooms with multiple televisions along with televisions in rooms that traditionally did not have them like kitchens and bathrooms. Done poorly, the increasing presence of technology in the home can detract from the décor. Done properly though technology will not even be noticed, that is being noticed in a bad way.
Subsystems in homes include home theater, distributed audio, distributed video, lighting control, climate control, custom motorization, security and fire, video surveillance, and voice/data networking. Many homes already include all of these subsystems but they are not integrated. Integrating them together is a good way to enhance the experience of the homeowners while significantly reducing the adverse visible impact to the homes décor.
While there are definitely high end options for integrating all these systems, options are becoming more available for middle class homes as well.
Tyler showed examples of the following methods of hiding technology - conceal, camouflage, consolidate, remotely locate, and eliminate. Since video and audio are designed to be seen and heard respectively it can be challenging to hide them but it can be done without compromising their functionality and quality. Examples of ways to hide video displays include: recess in wall, behind doors, behind two way mirrors, behind art, motorized lifts, and drop screens.
For sound, technology today is allowing concealment through total blend-in with sheet rock, faux painting, behind grills/heat registers, disguising with artwork and tapestries, and integration into light fixtures.
Another key part of hiding technology that was covered is the consolidation of controls. Instead of having multiple switches and remotes for your lights, sound, video, heat, etc. you can now integrate all the controls into single units that are more functional and do not deter from the décor.
When you integrate all the technologies of your home you can have enhanced experiences, reduced clutter, and possibly even more efficient power usage through smart homes. One concern I had was that with stand alone technology units the technology is not tied to the home and it is typically not a part of the selling process. When it is integrated though it becomes a part of the selling process and can most definitely enhance the value of the home but it can also detract if the technology has not been kept up to date. Remember all the homes that have antiquated intercoms that no longer work and are now eyesores? The key is making sure that the foundation is solid and the wiring is there. New technologies are able to run through more consolidated wiring so that even if the technologies change well designed solutions should still last a long time by allowing you to plug and play the respective end delivery technology (i.e. speakers, TV) without having to dig into your home's walls every time tech changes.
So if you are building a new home or retrofitting an existing home it makes sense to consult with an Electronic Systems Contractor before getting to far along in the project. Even if you don't think you can afford all these integrated systems talk to them first. Just like with Interior Designers their subjective and expert viewpoint will make sure you are getting the most for your budget and will be most satisfied with the end result.Labels: entertainment, Interior Design, technology
