Inspiring Baby Rooms

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Veronica Solomon

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Ever notice that most baby rooms are decorated either in pink if it’s a girl, or blue if it’s a boy?

Today, I wanted to showcase some beautiful baby rooms that are nothing short of amazing – with no pink or blue in sight. And no, I’m not expecting.

Here goes:

Monochromatic Baby Rooms

Notice how these monochromatic nurseries are very soothing and relaxing…. great for sleeping babies. They are also decorated in a way that’s not necessarily juvenile…..they are classic and timeless and will still be appropriate as the kids get older.

Colorful Baby Rooms

Aren’t these colorful nurseries inspiring? Such personality, and a wonderful haven for imagination and creativity to thrive as the kids get older.

Baby Rooms With Unexpected Touches

I love the light fixture and the little butterfly sculpture on the wall above the crib

How about the stylized chevron pattern on the ceiling combined with the subtle pattern of the houndstooth carpetNotice the striped ceiling and the layering of rugs in this room. I love the use of a dark wall color in this baby room

Inspired yet? How about one more?

Ok, so maybe this one is blue and pink

The wonderful baby rooms featured today are all very beautiful and inspiring in their own way, and no emphasis on pink and blue! The key to a successful design in a baby room is beauty, function and of course safety. It’s hard to know exactly what their little personalities will be like, but I like to think that a mommy-to-be feels and knows deep down inside.

Which type of baby room décor appeals more to you? Which would you choose? Please leave me a comment below.

If you are expecting, contact me and together we can create a beautiful, functional, safe, and inspiring nursery for your bundle of joy!

Be Inspired!

Eclectic Room Inspiration

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Veronica Solomon

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Are you considering a room redo? Maybe you are struggling with the direction you want to go as far as the style and feel of the room? One way to overcome this design style block, is to call in a design professional. A good designer knows what questions to ask to help you uncover your design style and aesthetic, and of course take care of all the planning and implementation of your new space. But if you’d rather take the DIY approach, the next best thing is to browse design blogs and websites, and shelter magazines for style ideas. It may be quite possible that you already own some of the pieces you need to create a brand new room makeover, and it may be a great adventure shopping flea markets, estate sales, and auctions.

By going with an eclectic look you have the ability to mix and match pieces from different design periods and design styles and still achieve a very well thought out, cohesive and beautiful result. Imagination goes a long way when creating an eclectic space that seemed to have evolved over time. It does require a steady hand and some editing and restraint. Eclectic can easily head in the direction of “cluttered” if not carefully done. The key to achieving that cohesive, pulled-together look is by observing certain principles of design

Scale – Basically, this refers to size, or grandness of the main pieces in the room. They should all have similar scale.
Balance – Refers to how these pieces relate to each other. Balance should be a prime consideration when combining disparate items
Color – Don’t go for pieces that are all red or all blue or all yellow, but instead, look for similar color schemes, a common color that runs through each style, or simply a common “temperature” — for instance, red and orange are warm, while blue and purple are cool.

The room shown below is an eclectic space with some ethnic or global influences, that is very relaxing. Take a look at the 6 tips that you can take away to inspire your own eclectic room makeover.

Photo: Dwell Studio Face Book Page

Eclectic rooms are really never finished rooms. There’s always room for your next favorite piece.

Here are a couple other eclectic spaces for your viewing pleasure

Photo: Dwell Studio

Photo: Dwell Studio

Photo: decorandyouhr.com

Photo: decorandyouhr.com

So if you want a space that speaks to your personality, and a perfect showcase of all your collections and favorite things, eclectic just might be the style for you. Could you see yourself in any of the spaces above? What is your favorite design style if eclectic doesn’t do it for you? Please leave me a comment below and let me know.

Contact me if you need help uncovering your design style.

Be Inspired!

Have A Restful Sunday.

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Veronica Solomon

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Bedroom From 2008 DC Design House

Bedroom From 2008 DC Design House

The soft blue walls and the white trim, the subtle pattern of the bedding, and the cozy canopy and draperies, create a restful and serene space where anyone would be delighted to lounge on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Have a restful and peaceful Sunday….

Be Inspired!

Veronica Solomon

Veronica Solomon

Creating Cozy Little Getaways In Your Home

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Veronica Solomon

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We all have them; those wasted spaces that somehow the builder seem to have forgotten about – then slapped a door on it, and called it a closet.

Well I’m here to tell you that those wasted spaces can become prime real estate in your home.

If you lead a crazy, fast-paced life like I do…and I’m sure many of my readers do, then you should definitely consider converting those spaces into a cozy get-away, right inside your home. So look around for unused closets, under stairs storage, gables, attics and even outdoors for the perfect area to carve out your own get-away.

How will you use your cozy nook?

Maybe as a cozy reading or sitting area

Or an area to take lazy afternoon naps……..

Maybe for entertaining as an intimate setting for friends and family to gather for dinner and wine. Or dining al fresco……

Maybe a workspace? For some, this might be defeating the purpose :-)…….

Even your pets deserve to have their cozy retreat

If you don’t have an area in your home that can be converted into a cozy nook, then create one in a small corner of a big room. Maybe by a window or fireplace.

What do most of these nooks have in common? Lots of cushions and pillows…..the key ingredient to making them cozy.

So this weekend, take a look around; your cozy nook may be right under your nose

Be Inspired,

Veronica Solomon

Veronica Solomon

Taking Your Dorm Room From Drab to Fab

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Veronica Solomon

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It can be a proud but scarey moment when you leave the comforts of your parents’ home – most likely the only home you’ve known all your life, and go off to college. You finally have that independence that you’ve been craving for so long…..until you see your new accommodations for the first time.
A cold sterile room with two beds, boring furniture, plain walls and cold floors will probably come as a shock. Adjusting to new surroundings and challenging class schedules will be hard enough, so here are a few tips to get you started on making your dorm room a warm, cozy and inviting space where you’ll want to hang out and study.

Parents take note. Making a small investment in helping your freshman create a beautiful, functional amd livable space, may be the best thing you can do to help them adjust to life away from home.

If you are lucky enough to be in a dorm where it’s ok to paint the walls, then go for it! Avoid usig the school colors – that’s cliche. Go for a cool neutral to give a more airy and fresh feel. Cool colors tend to make a small room look bigger unlike warm colors that advance in a space. If painting is not an option, go with the color scheme already defined for you and take it to the next level with your bedding and accessories. You may also consider using removable wallpaper or wall decals for a unique look. Deco Mates sells peel and stick wallpaper and wall decals inexpensively.
Use modular furniture instead of fixed pieces. Modular furniture are designed to be moved around and used in various configurations, so you are not locked in to any one layout. Always keep scale in mind when purchasing furniture. Most likely you will not have room for a sofa, but a small chair may be ideal to give you additional seating
Build a loft to basically double your space. Adding a sleeping loft using inexpensive materials like plywood, frees up floor space that you can use for a desk area or seating area. You may want to call a professional in for this one, because it has to be fully secured to the walls
Lighting will be your best friend in a small dorm room. Most don’t come with an over head fixture, and even if they do, they are not the best looking. You can pick up an inexpensive chandelier and replace the ceiling fixture or buy a plug-in pendant and ’swag’ the cord into the wall. Attach the chain or wire to a hook in the ceiling, swag it into a corner and use the outlet. This overhead lighting will make the space a lot more inviting and add more task lighting for study time.
Plastic crates are a staple item in dorm rooms when it comes to storage, but not the most attractive. Cube ottomans look better and can be just as spacious. They look more like furniture than storage space, but serve as a good place to hold video games, books and other smaller items. Great idea for functional storage
Say goodbye to cold floors. There are wonderful products available that are inexpensive and will add warmth to the floors. Flor is an innovative system of carpet squares that you assemble to create area rugs or wall to wall designs of any size. . Allure Stainmaster Vinyl Flooring is a thin laminate that adheres to itself, rather than the floor. That makes it easy to put down. It’s about $25 a box, and an average dorm space might use about five-and-half boxes. All you need is a blade knife to cut the ends to size and then snap each flat vinyl piece to the others.
Decorate with pictures of your family and friends. For one, it helps to have your family around you even if they are just photographs. If you have a free wall, why not create a collage or a salon style design with framed pictures in various sizes or take your favorite picture and have it blown up to larger than poster size. It makes a bigger statement than just taping pictures to wall.
Don’t skimp on your bedding. You’ll have to sleep under it every night, so make sure it’s something that feels good to you. Choosing a solid pattern will give you more decorating options than bedding with bold patterns.
Use throw pillows to accent your room and provide comfort, as well. Plus, you can get quality ones without spending a great deal of money
Outfit your closet with items that will make life easier, like plastic hooks for hanging towels and shoe organizers that hang on the back of the door.

Here are some pictures of dorm rooms that anyone would want to hang out in.

www.casavilorainteriors.com/products.php

Create a Great First Impression in Your Foyer

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Veronica Solomon

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Foyer, entry, entrance hall….whatever you call it, the “lobby” of your home, while it may possibly be the smallest area, can have the biggest impact.

The entrance hall sets the tone for the rest of your home, so be sure it represents the style and feel you want to communicate to your guests. Design elements such as balance and scale will play a major role in the decorating of your foyer. Whether it is a small or large area, the foyer is the first impression or introduction to your home, so this is where your creativity should shine.

Whatever the size of your foyer, follow your heart and be as adventurous with the color and pattern you would like in the room. You can get away with thinking outside of the box with a foyer because it is a small space and you only spend short periods in there.

You’ll want the room to have impact and make a statement. Of course, keeping in mind the spaces your entry foyer may be linked to. This after all, is the space where your guest will get a preview of the rooms to come. The goal is to create a continuous flow, room to room, each space complimenting the other. This doesn’t mean matchy- matchy….the foyer should have its own identity while visually connecting to the rest of your home

Combine function with aesthetics as you place a table to hold your mail, briefcase and phone. Put in a small bench to sit on to remove boots or shoes and store the kids’ backpacks underneath. Include an umbrella stand for umbrellas or walking sticks and install a key holder on the wall for your keys. A mirror is always a great idea as well. It gives you a chance to check your makeup or outfit before heading out for the day.

Create a dramatic effect with the flooring, ceiling, lighting and wall treatments. This is a great way to bring in strong colors, fabrics, and interesting materials. Try a horizontal stripe paint treatment or grass cloth wallpaper. Maybe the flooring can have a special design or an interesting area rug or runner. Find every opportunity to bring in fabrics to soften up the area – try upholstering a bench to complement the window treatments in the adjacent rooms and add throw pillows.

Place a signature piece in the foyer. Hang a large mirror to reflect a scenic view or put a large painting on the wall opposite the entry door so it draws you into the room. Place a sculpture on the table or a corner stand. Pick a piece that coordinates with the other artwork in the home. This is also a great way to show off a collection or collage of special mementos.

Bring fragrance into the foyer through fresh flowers or scented candles. Sometimes living in a space for a long time you cannot detect odors, but someone visiting will be sure to detect them. Let freshness, beauty, creativity and even whimsy be the first impression to your home, while allowing your guests to feel welcomed.

Check out some grand and not so grand foyers. Hope you are inspired to create the home of your dreams!

www.casavilorainteriors.com/products.php

White On White; But Which One Is Right

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Veronica Solomon

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Color is known to affect and stimulate your mood. Yellow can put you in a cheerful mood, blue stimulates the intellect, red sparks passion. But white doesn’t have that same effect on the senses. White is a relief and lends itself to the trend of your home being your sanctuary; a place where you escape to decompress from the demands of life. But with hundreds of shades available, finding the right white can be very tricky.

Creating a white on white room isn’t as simple as it may seem. If not done properly, the room can become bland and boring. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when going for a monochromatic, white on white decor.

Warm whites are tinted slightly with hues of yellow, orange, pink or brown. If you are going for an intimate feel in the room then warm whites is the way to go.
Cool whites are tinted with shades of blue, green and gray. Cool whites can make a space feel larger – so if you are working with a tight space, cool whites is the way to go
Avoid a sterile look by working with various shades of white to give a layered look with some depth.
Avoid mixing warm and cool whites
Opt for contrast – a rich cream on the walls and a clean white on the trim.
Add texture to give the room depth.
White on white doesn’t necessarily mean every single piece in the room has to be white – the key pieces should be, but you can layer in darker wood tones or even accessories
Opt for easily laundered slip covers for upholstery pieces
You can add a little bit of color as seasons change, as an example. Again, keep the key pieces white.
Have fun with it!

Here are some pictures with some well appointed white on white rooms. Enjoy!!

www.casavilorainteriors.com/products.php

A Serene Sophisticated Bedroom Makeover

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Veronica Solomon

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Do you have a guest bedroom that is in need of a makeover? Or a master bedroom that could use a more relaxing, serene and sophisticated feeling? Well this design may just be what you’re looking for.

For today’s virtual room, we’ll create a bedroom design using a color palette of soft buttery yellows and soft grays.

We will start as usual with our walls. We will paint the walls in a soft yellow from Sherwin Williams called SW6687 Lantern Light

Next will be introduce our bed. An upholstered headboard is a great alternative to a traditional wood framed or metal bed. It is more comfortable to lean against for reading in bed. It gives a softer sophisticated feel to a bedroom. We have hit the right balance with the feminine lines of this queen headboard coupled with the more masculine gray fabric and nailhead trim. Our headboard is from Norwalk Furniture.

Next we will introduce our bedding. This beautiful paisley print semi-custom bedding from Legacy Linen is perfect. The soft gray and limestone color is definitely adding to the serene feel we are trying to accomplish in this room.

We will add a couple of yellow linen euro shams to pull our color scheme together. We will use this butter yellow linen fabric from Kast Fabrics called Linette Cornsilk and a matelasse coverlet made from this beautiful fabric from Kravet called Sand Dollar Natural

Next we’ll add our nightstands. We’ll add two of these beautiful pewter hand-painted demilune chests from Steinworld on either side of the bed

We’ll add a couple of table lamps on each nightsatnd.

And a few table side accessories

Next we will need a dresser for storage. This beautiful, bow front, mirrored top dresser from Worlds Away is the perfect scale for the room. This will allow enough room for a seating area.

We’ll add a mirror above our dresser. This beautiful silver leaf, antiqued mirror from Worlds Away is great because it’s not matchy matchy but speaks to the silver and gray tones in the room.

I always like to add a bench at the foot of a bed to anchor the bed, and just an area to sit and put shoes on. We’ll add this cute slip covered bench from C.R. Laine. We’ll reupholster our bench in this beautiful fabric from Vervain. We will skip the rouching for a more tailored look.

We’ll add a chair to our room as well. Great for reading a book or just relaxing. This great chair from Candice Olson Collection at Norwalk Furniture, done in this yellow linen fabric with nail head trim is perfect for the room. We’ll also add a pillow in the Kravet fabric below

We’ll add a floor lamp to this “reading” area. This arc lamp from Trend Lighting is a great choice

Next we’ll add our drapery. We’ll do two simple pinch pleat panels done in this beautiful fabric from Thom Filicia Collection for Kravet called Griffith Fog.

Now that we have all our furniture pieces, we’ll add some accessories and ceiling lighting.

Our room is now complete. Any guest would love to fall asleep in this beautiful, serene getaway. Hope you are inspired to create the home of your dreams.

My top three “Fun Finds”of the week

This beautiful scrolled, bow front chest from Worlds Away is a great addition to a bedroom. Would look great as nightstands.

These iron tables (a cocktail table and an end table) from Rustic Living, are definitely gonna catch the eyes of your guests. They are as beautiful as tehy are functional

www.casavilorainteriors.com/products.php

A Fun, Colorful Lounge

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Veronica Solomon

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Living in Katy Texas, most homes come with a gameroom, a media room or some type of bonus room, designed to be the family hang out spot. I often get clients who are not sure what to do with these areas to make them fun and interesting. Most people are very accustomed to decorating the rest of their home in neutral colors, that they think they have to keep the flow going in their lounges or game areas. I beg to differ! A lounge or gameroom should be a fun hang out spot with a big personality! After all, this is where you go to let your hair down, play video games, watch the football game and spend quality time with family and friends. There is no reason why these areas should look exactly the same as the rest of the home, so we are going to kick it up a few notches and create a fun, colorful space for today’s virtual game room.

Our color palette will consist of teal, tangerine, fuchsia, chartreuse, and white. With such a palette, we have to be careful not to end up with a clown house or a crazy house for that matter. So we’ll add color where it counts without becoming overkill.

Let’s get started with our wall color. Instead of just slapping on some paint on our walls, we will do a two-tone horizontal stripe paint technique but using very light colors. Each stripe will be about 24″ high and will wrap around the entire room. We’ll use Sherwin Williams SW6483 Buoyant Blue (in a flat finish) alternated with SW6484 Meander Blue (in eggshell finish). Using two different finishes will create a visible contrast between these two light colors with similar shades, without being the focus of the room.

Now that we have the walls painted, we can start bringing in our furniture pieces. Our sectional sofa from Norwalk Furniture is the right mix of comfort, function and beauty. We’ll make it pop by doing it in a colorful tangerine with white piping.

We’ll add some pillows in these beautiful fabrics.

Next we’ll add two chairs to round off the seating area. These Norwalk chairs done in this fun fabric with a contrast piping is perfect

A couple of ottomans is always great as well. Great for extra seating for guests. These fun round ottomans from Norwalk Furniture will be placed by the window in the main seating area.

Next we will add our cocktail table and end tables. These urban contemporary, meets pedigreed traditional tables are from Hooker Furniture Trilogy Collection.

TV watching is an important function in this room, so we’ll add a console from Lexington Home Brands for a big screen TV, and a place to store games and display personal items.

We will create an area for playing board games or to act as a bar. This pub table and chairs from Hooker Furniture are the right scale for our game room. We will re-upholster the stools in this fabric from Duralee.

Now for our window treatment. We will create a cornice board with a couple of panels. We’ll use these two fabrics – the solid as the cornice board, adding nailhead trim, and the circle fabric as the valance. That oughta up the fun factor in this room.

We’ll add an orange stripe on the leading edge of each panel to tie in the drapeery to the rest of the room.

Next we’ll add some artwork. These fun, colorful, floral glicee are the right ticket for this space.

These gorgeous capiz shell pendants from Worlds Away will look great over the seating area hung in a cluster of three at different heights

We will add other colorful accessories to complete the room. And our colorful game room is finished. Hope you are inspired to create a fun, colorful room in your home.

My top three Fun Finds of the week:

The Le Premier chair by Christopher Guy. Can you say WOW!

This sweet “Beattles” settee from Vanguard Furniture

How fun is this chair from Anthropologie!

We’ll throw in just one more fun chair from Christopher Guy

www.casavilorainteriors.com/products.php

A "Woodland Chic" Sleeping Porch

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Veronica Solomon

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Yes, I admit it…..”Woodland Chic” is a term I just made up (In case you were wondering, that is). I had to come up with a title for this blog post somehow. Woodland chic is a design style that uses objects that can be found in nature, out in the woods. The woods used on furniture is rough hewn or in their natural state…. just really woodsy with a casual elegant twist. We are not going for a lodge look, although we may borrow some ideas from that design style.

Your next question might be “what is a sleeping porch?” Well, back before air conditioning was available, people would build their homes with an enclosed screen porch, where they would sleep on hot, humid nights.

For our virtual sleeping porch, we will actually create a small sleeping area and seating area for guests. Let’s start with the wall color. Since this is a porch, there is really just one full wall to speak of – the other walls are windows for the upper half. we will add paint to the minimal amount of wall space. Our paint color of choice is Sherwin Williams SW6408 Wheat Grass. This green is the perfect tone for a woodland inspired room.

We’ll add our window treatment at this point. We will keep them as simple functional panels that can be drawn close for privacy at night. We will use this cashmere color solid linen sheer without lining.

Next we’ll move into our sleeping area. We will bring in a full size iron canopy bed. This beauty from Sundance Catalog is a great start.

Our bedding will definitely be influenecd by our woodland surroundings. Our duvet will be made from this beautiful nature inspired fabric from Calico Corners called Woodland Moss. The other fabrics will be made into pillows and shams.

Next we’ll introduce our nightstands for either side of the bed. This sketch of a solid wood nightstand from La Lune Collection in Wisconsin is the perfect woodland inspired piece.

For our dresser, we chose a weathered teak sideboard from Sundance Catalog

Next we will add an area rug for some warmth underfoot and to define the sleeping area. This wood grain patterned rug is a great choice.

Next we’ll add lighting and accessories. We’ll add this mirror above the dresser with the sconces on either side.

Floral is always a nice touch in any room. This waterlike hydrangea bouquet is from NDI. No one can tell that it’s not real

We’ll add a grid of these bird drawings by British artist Robert Clarke on either side of our canopy bed.

Now for our seating area. We’ll add these two rustic wood chairs from La Lune Collection. We’ll reupholster them in a solid green linen fabric with contrast welt.

We’ll add a pillow to each chair

We’ll bring in a small sleek sofa for some additional seating. We will keep this Kravet sofa in the same mushroom fabric shown.

We’ll add some pillows o the sofa as well

Now for our area rug. this wool rug from Safavieh is a comfortable and natural choice

Next we’ll add our beautiful cocktail table from Sundance Catalog

Next we’ll add the light fixtures for each area. This twig chandelier from Shades of Light is the perfect woodland chic choice for the sleeping area and the lantern below is for the seating area

Two of the lamps will flank our canopy bed

This floor lamp will be used in our seating area

It’s refreshing to decorate a room inspired by nature. Hope you are inspired to create the home of your dreams.

My Top Fun Finds Of The Week:

These gorgeous needle point and embroidered pillows from Peking Handicraft Inc

www.casavilorainteriors.com/products.php

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