5 Things I’m Really Into

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Veronica Solomon

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As a Residential Interior Designer, there is so much beauty that I get to experience everyday in home fashion and styling. My personal taste constantly changes, although there are the classics that I will always love. My personal decorating style can change from one week to the next. This is what makes me different from other Designers; I don’t necessarily embrace just one signature look – I love and appreciate every design aesthetic, and I am very flexible to each client’s unique needs. So from a mountain lodge to a beach cottage, and everything in between, I craft each space to suit my client’s lifestyle and taste.

Having rescued a 1905 Victorian cottage that is now my design studio, and refreshing it to its former glory, has also allowed my personal design aesthetic to evolve – from traditional with dark cherry woods to light & airy cottage style with a hint of industrial.

During the planning phase, and now adding the finishing touches to this turn of the century gem, I have realized that there are a few things that I am really into, and had to have in this space.

Here is a list of 5 things I am really into (currently, because I know this will change pretty soon )

1. Large Scale Horizontal Striped Walls

horizontal striped walls 5 things I am into

Source: Casa Vilora Interiors – Horizontal Striped Walls

decorating with kids at home

Source: Casa Vilora Interiors – Toddlers’ Bedroom with horizontal stripes

I don’t know what it is about large scaled horizontal stripes on walls that totally get my attention. Maybe it is the fact that it is such a big trend at the moment, but still has a very timeless appeal. It could also be because it is simple to do, not very expensive and adds a certain je ne sais quoi. I especially love the more subtle tone-on-tone version, but I also like a bold contrast in certain settings.

2. Shades of Gray

5 things I'm into

Source: Décor Pad.com

5 things I'm into

Source: Usestack.com

For a very long time, I was into the Tuscan look with warm neutral colors accented with red and burnt orange for my personal home. But these days I have made a 180 degree turn to cooler, more relaxed and monochromatic color schemes in shades of gray…… all 50 of them . Ok that was a bad joke. I just love the calming effect of gray – especially in a bedroom. Don’t get me wrong. I still love a punch of color. But this is what makes a gray neutral back drop so great. You can then accent with whatever color you enjoy.

3. Open Shelves In Kitchens

5 things I'm into

Source: TheInspiredRoom.net

5 things I'm into

Source: Centsationalgirl.com

5 things I'm into

Source: HammersandHighHeels.blogspot.com

Look at the amazing photos above and you can see why I’m really into kitchens with open shelves. This is a great way to highlight a beautiful collection (which is one more thing I’m into) and a wonderful way to break up the look of a bulky bank of cabinets, and lighten up your kitchen just a bit.

In my Victorian cottage, there is a small kitchen that I am sure is original to the house. My landlord painted the cabinets in a really yucky shade of red and they just don’t look that great. The layout of the kitchen is also very poor and it is sorely lacking in storage. Since I am leasing this property for now (hoping to purchase it next year), and won’t even use the kitchen that much since I am not living there, I was looking for ways to freshen up the look on a very tight budget. Open shelves came to mind immediately and of course repainting the cabinets. I will also add a subway tile or mosaic tile backsplash that I may even cover the entire wall with.

Here is a BEFORE shot of the kitchen.

5 things I'm into

This is a BEFORE shot of the kitchen in the design studio for Casa Vilora Interiors

Can you see that it needs urgent attention? Right now it is a catch all for all the things I have no idea what to do with. I literally close my eyes as I walk through it to get to the back office sample room.

AFTER pictures will hopefully be coming soon. It’s on my list of projects to get to soon.

4. Collections (White Plates and Ironstone)

5 things i'm into

Source: RosemaryOnTheTV.com

5 things I'm into

Source: Burlap and Blue.com

5 things I'm into

Source: Indulgy.com

5 things I'm into

Source: Casa Vilora Interiors

I love collections! Whatever is placed in well thought out groupings always look fabulous to me. Blue and white porcelain, a collage of mirrors, family photos in great frames, you name it; grouping them in a collection always has a bigger impact in a room.

I have a weakness for white plates, especially hanging on walls. I have had quite the collection for a very long time, but have only recently started to hang them. My obsession has brought me to the world of collecting ironstone. I only have a couple of pieces so far, but I am really enjoying the hunt.

I am making room in my design studio for future pieces. I had my carpenter build me this plate rack that I hung in the kitchen, and will be painting in white next weekend. I will slowly be adding new pieces in, along with some of my older pieces. Exciting! Take a look

Here is a post I wrote not long ago about my love for plate racks. Click here

5 thing I'm into

Plate Rack for white plates collection for Casa Vilora Interiors

And in case you are wondering how I hang plates on the wall……..

5 things I'm into

Source: Casa Vilora Interiors

5 things I'm into

Source: Casa Vilora Interiors

6. Skirted Tables

5 things I'm into

Source: Casa Vilora Interiors

5 things I'm into

Source: SoHauteStyle.com

5 things I'm into

Source: Chic and Glamorous

Source: House Beautiful

Source: House Beautiful

I just love skirted tables. They add such a feminine element to a room. I especially love the very tailored box pleat versions. To think that underneath the beautiful facade is probably a particle board skeleton of a table, shows just how a bit of creativity and a fabulous fabric can change the look of a piece of furniture. Click here to see the article I wrote a while ago about my love for skirted tables.

And here’s a BONUS of one more thing I’m really into

6. doTERRA Essential Oils

5 things I'm into

doTERRA Essential Oils

Many of us are searching for a more holistic approach to self care, aroma therapy, and staying healthy. Essential Oils are gaining in popularity and mainstream acceptance.

doTERRA Essential Oils are certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils. I made the decision over 8 months ago to take charge of my own health and find a better alternative to mainstream medicine and my diet. I switched my diet to almost raw vegan and I never looked back. doTerra Essential Oils is a natural choice for me. It complements my lifestyle in a wonderful way. I recently signed on as a Wellness Advocate for doTERRA, and I am very excited about this opportunity to share my experience with using these amazing essential oils, and hopefully help influence others to take charge of their health with this natural alternative. Click here to find out more about doTERRA Essential Oils and to try them for yourself. I will be talking more about doTERRA in great detail in a future post, so please watch for that.

I have enjoyed sharing 5 things that I am really into. Let me just add that I am REALLY into YOU the readers, commenters and followers of The Naked Decorator. Your support means the world to me

Now it’s your turn! What are some of the things you are into?

Have a fabulous Friday and an amazing weekend! It’s finally Spring, so get out there and do something fun this weekend!

Be Inspired!

Casa Vilora Interiors

Veronica Solomon, Casa Vilora Interiors
VeronicaSolomon.com

My 5 Biggest Decorating Pet Peeves

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Veronica Solomon

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Let me start out by saying that I am not here to judge, but merely to point out some of the decorating blunders I have seen throughout my decorating career, and to help you find better and more stylish solutions. After all, my job as a Decorator is to solve design problems and gently guide my clients to finding their design style and achieving beauty and comfort in their homes. So if you are guilty of any of the decorating faux pas on the proceeding list, please know that my constructive criticisms are coming from a good place – a heart of design love, so please – no hate mail

So without further ado, here goes my list of decorating pet peeves.

Toilet Rugs and matching lid covers - I am referring to those rugs that are used in the bathroom, that are contoured to match the base of the toilet. In most cases they come as a set with a matching lid cover. I guess I can understand why people would like them – they keep your feet warm when you need to spend some time on the “throne”. But toilet rugs and lid covers are germy little things and usually aren’t that attractive anyway. Definitely every designers’ decorating pet peeve.

Solution: Go for a small rectangular area rug or a runner instead, and keep them at a safe distance from the toilet. If you have to keep the little piggies warm when you go, just wear slippers!

Drapery panels that are too short – My next decorating pet peeve is store bought drapery panels that are often too short for a standard height window. Most big box stores stock them in lengths up to 84″; way too short!

Solution: You can shop for custom drapery panels starting at just $269 per pair through my online store. If you already own the short curtains you can visit your local fabric store and purchase a small yardage or remnant of a fabric that coordinates well with your short drapery panels. You can even use an old dust ruffle for this. Sew or use iron-on tape to add the fabric to the top or bottom of the panels, and voila, they look like they were designed that way. Beaux R’eves Blog has a step-by-step guide to doing this. Click here to see.

Art hung too high – This is one decorating pet peeve that I’ve seen more than my fair share of. Art should be hung at “eye level”, but whose eye level? What if you are 6’4″? Then clearly it would be too high for me, who is 5’2″ to comfortably view.

Solution: A simple rule of thumb for hanging art is to place the centerpoint of the art at 60″ to 63″ above the floor. From there you can adjust accordingly for the overall height of the ceiling or height of the furniture over which the art will hang. This measurement provides a great base-line starting point and a good foundation for staying away from the too-high syndrome. To find the centerpoint of the art piece measure the full height of the piece (if framed include the frame in the measurement) and divide by 2. Then measure the full width of the piece and divide by 2. The point at which these measurements intersect is the centerpoint of the art piece.

Room in a bag sets- You know the ones, found in department stores where the bedding matches the curtains that match the pillows that match the shower curtain. I understand where the designers of those sets were going with that concept – they want to make it easy for homeowners by doing the matching for them. Well the problem is just that, they lack personality and way too matchy, matchy. The one shown below is a 24 piece set! Yikes!

Solution: You can opt for custom bedding, where it’s all designed just for you with your choice of fabrics and trimmings. Custom bedding can be quite pricey, but another alternative is purchasing a comforter set and then choose pillows, bedskirt and shams in fabrics that coordinate with the comforter set rather than matching exactly. Our online store has a great selection of comforter sets. Click here to take a look. Also, try to avoid matching your draperies exactly to your bedding. A wonderful mix of fabric patterns, fabric types and textures is so much more interesting than fabric matching.

Wallpaper borders – I’m sure there was a time when wallpaper borders would make a wonderful statement in a room (can’t think of that time right of the top of my head :-)), but these days they make a room look very outdated.

Solution: Run the opposite direction! :-). On a serious note try doing an interesting paint treatment instead, like bold horizontal stripes, tastefully done faux painting, or a full wallpaper treatment on all the walls. Here are some examples

So there you have it, my list of decorating pet peeves. I am sure you all have a few that you could add to this list as well. In fact, go ahead and leave a comment with a list of your decorating pet peeves. Don’t hold back, I’d love a good laugh :-).

Of course I am here to help you find solutions to those pesky decorating pet peeves. I am just an email or phone call away

Be Inspired!

Veronica Solomon

Veronica Solomon

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