“The Call Of The Computer!”

You can probably tell by a few of my post I have been in a thinking and analyzing  mode. One of the things I was thinking about is, Why is blogging so addictive  fun!!
I think it fulfills a few needs we as human beings on the creative curve seem to crave.

Change:

No matter what time of the day you sit down at your computer there will be someone out in blog land that has just made a change. Now why would this fulfill a need?

Well, if we don’t have the time or the resources or the ability to make the change in our lives or our homes we don’t mind one bit living vicariously through someone else’s achievements for the day.

Inspiration:
Oh My!! I  hardly need to say why there is so much inspiration out in blog land. There are so many amazing bloggers that inspire me with their creativity.
All you have to do is go blog hopping for a short period before you will find a blog post that will make you take pause and think and you will be inspired.


Knowledge:
By reading some blogs we can get a wealth of free information on just about any subject. I of course am referring to design blogs, because that is where my interest lies.


Possibilitly:
This sort of goes along with inspiration, but at the same time it feels a little separate to me. I see some blogs and what they are presenting and I think to myself, Wow! I think I can do that!!!


Motivation:
I have days where I am totally un-motivated and I will read a post and all of the sudden I feel like getting up or out to do something.
Now, I do not know about you all, but this sounds like a wonderful prescription medication to me and a pretty harmless, addiction, fun thing to do.

Excitement:
I  don't know about you all, but I get soooo excited when someone get's something new for their home. I also get equally excited if they just move things around and make a change. I love for others to make their homes look and feel just like they want.

I have told you before I get excited easily, I just am that kind of girl, I love life and all it has to offer.


So if it  is alright with all of you I am going to continue with my addiction, reading of blogs!!

How about you all, do you feel the, ”Call of the Computer!?” What do you do when you hear it calling your name???

Enjoy the Process of:

Choosing the blogs you want to read, and reading however many and whenever you would like.

Kathysue

Visually Flowing

The other night I was watching Candace Olson on TV. She was designing an open concept home.  The familyroom was  connecting to the kitchen architecturally but not visually. You can see the episode HERE!

The kitchen had been recently renovated in a beautiful, sleek modern feel. The family room or great room had no connection other than its location to the kitchen. There was no flow from one space to the other. It made me think back to a phrase I used often while working with clients.

“It visually flows,” is a phrase I have used throughout my career in design.  In fact I used it so frequently, those who knew me or worked with me, knew it was one of my catch phrases and one that was very important to me.

What do I mean by visually flowing? Have you ever gone into a room and your eye literally would gently scan the entire room without any jolt or interruption. That is what I mean by visually flowing.

There is nothing worse than going into a room where the eye does not know where to look first. A room that will make your eye jump from one object to another without any flow at all.

How do you attain a room that will visually flow?
I think it has a lot to do with the feel of a room and also the colors and patterns that are used.

If you are using color in your rooms it is important that the colors are dispersed throughout the room in an easy flowing manner. The same goes for patterns they need to coordinate or have some connection in pattern and in color.

The room should maintain the same feel as the adjacent room if they are open to each other. For instance it would not look like a well designed space if a person had a kitchen that looked like this……..

A charming cottage kitchen with country accents has absolutely no continuity or “Visual Flow” to this more modern sleek looking room.

There is no connection in style, color or feel.

Here is an example of a room that visually flows gently into the next room.

This home has an open concept. You can see the edge of the sofa that is in the family room. Let’s look into the family room………

Notice  how one room visually flows into the next. There is no jolt to the eye, there is a soft transition from one room to the next.  How did they get such continuity? 

The homeowner has chosen a common color pallete. They have chosen a soft neutral color scheme with a touch of blue.

 There are also some similar textures from one room to the next. Take notice of the linen fabric on the sofa and chairs,it is also repeated in the cushions in the eating area of the kitchen.

Look at the chandelier, the small table by the chair, the eating area chairs and the hardware on the door. Notice they are all made out of black wrought iron, and a little of the metal is used in each room.

They mixed in another metal in both rooms by repeating the sink fixtures finish in nickel by also using it in the hanging fixture and the two sofa table lamps.

Next look at the simple accessory of the wooden vine ball it is textural just like the natural weave of all the roman shades on the windows.

The small wooden log tables texture is repeated in the kitchen counter where they used a wooden bowl to hold the green apples.

As you can see by studying images of a room you can learn a lot about how to make a room “Visually Flow.” It is all about repeating colors and textures and the feelings in a room in relation to the adjacent room or rooms.

Now that you have done a quick study with this room, how is your own home visually flowing?  Take a look around and see if you need to make a few adjustments.

 Sometimes it is as simple as removing something that pulls the eye to abruptly. Also, maybe taking some accessories from another room and adding them to the mix in the adjacent room will give you some continuity.

Have fun, play around a little. Who knows you might come up with a whole new look by  adjusting just a few things in your home.

“Enjoy the Process!” Of:

Making a few adjustment so your rooms will, “Visually Flow!”

Kathysue

LETTER, LETTER ON THE WALL!!

I have a love for letters or numbers in design. I use a letter “P” in my own home and I have several displayed throughout.

On  the Mary Tyler Moore show, Mary  had a very large “M” on her wall. I believe that was in the early 70’s and that began my love of letters on walls. I had a letter “P” on a bookshelf very much like her letter, “M.”  In my boy’s bedrooms I had their names on the wall.

 

This is a design element that has stuck with me much of my adult life.

I have images of displays that are done with letters that I have saved in my files.

I actually saved this display as inspiration for the playroom re-do I am working on

 

A nursery done by Sarah Richardson.

I love this idea and have thought seriously about using this in my guest room. What do you think?

Ballard

 

I am so excited because yesterday something came via a little brown truck in a great big package!!

It came from Grandinroad catalog!!

A Great BIG TWO Foot Letter “P!”

It only came in antiqued yellow so I will probably be painting it, but it is so amazing!!! It doesn’t take much to make this girl happy, does it?!!

The letter is made out of metal and it has an antiqued finish and I actually do not mind the yellow at all. I need to put all the other elements together to determine if it will look better painted another color. I have a couple of good options up my sleeve.

So now I have added yet another letter,”P” to my collection. I did a post on all my letter “P’s” HERE if you would like to see them.

Do any of you decorate with letters in your homes? What are some of the ways you have used them?

“Enjoy the Process!” Of:

Using Letter’s as a design element in your home!

Kathysue