Window Treatments - Part 2, Blending with the Walls

Back to discussing window treatments! Window treatments that blend with the walls have a softening effect on a room.  Whether it's panels, valances, or shades, treatments of the same color or tone as the walls don't call attention to themselves.  Particularly in a light room, I think they have a way of attracting your eye to the view and not stopping your eye at the window.

The space above was a butler's pantry I did in a Showhouse in 2008 here in The Woodlands.  This home was located in the Garden District of this area and I wanted to relate it to the gardens outside. You see how the walls and Roman shade blend together to create a soft look and the lush garden is quite apparent.  The window treatment doesn't compete with the view.

Here's another project of mine where the sheer panels blend with the walls and envelope of the room, softening the bedroom and not competing with that beautiful view.  Your eye looks right through those window treatments.

These beautiful patterned sheers with a rope trim provide a gauzy, romantic softness at the French doors in my recent Showhouse room. They're kind of like an invitation to step out on to the balcony.

There are many other designers who also use this tool very successfully.

Martin Lawrence Bullard - Elle Decor

Ellen O'Neill - House Beautiful

Emily Robison - Elle Decor

Tracery Interiors - House Beautiful

Tobi Fairley

Kate McIntyer and Brad Huntzinger - Traditional Home

Elle Decor

Jason Bell - House Beautiful

Ginger Barber - House Beautiful

Frank Delledonne - House Beautiful

In dark rooms, same color window treatments also give a romantic, soft feel.  They sort of turn the room in on itself and have a cocooning affect.

Elle Decor

Nancy Price - House Beautiful

Alessandra Branca - House Beautiful

David Mann - House Beautiful

This is a great NYC view. Imagine if the designer had used some contrasting, colorful panels at the window instead of the same smoky gray.  It would've stopped your eye and not felt nearly as romantic.

Window treatments can add such personality to a room.  Next window treatment post will be about pattern at the windows!  Have a great weekend everyone.  I'm moving my daughter back to her college apartment.  Fun!

Patterns of Light

Zamzam Riad Boutique Hotel

It's not really about that orb floating inside the groin vault in this hotel in Marakech, is it?  It's about that exquisite pattern of light that the orb creates.  Magical.

Circa Lighting Blog - the shadows here align with the vaults in the ceiling

Selecting lighting for a space involves so many considerations.  How much wattage needs to come from a fixture? What type of bulbs?  What direction does it need to illuminate? How does it scale in the room?  What material and finish is best for the space? What about style?  These are just a few of the things designers have to consider when selecting lighting for a project. 

Zamzam Riad Boutique Hotel

Sometimes the pattern of light created by the fixture is an afterthought.....a reward after the fixture is installed.  Many times there is no way to see the fixture lit beforehand. There may not be a photograph of it lit and choosing one that is in stock and installed in a local showroom for a client to see live and in person is rare. So, when the fixture is flicked on just after it's installed and we're all looking up with an expectant smile, hoping it will do everything it's supposed to, and then.....

My bathroom fixture - Circa Lighting

I LOVE this moment.  The pattern of light created in that particular environment is always unique.  Color, texture, and objects in the room are all affected in a different way.

Zamzam Riad Boutique Hotel

Sconce by Two Hills Studio, Austin, TX

Sorry for the glare here, my job site photo!  Love the pattern on the ceiling though.

Very blurry shot of one of my master bath remodels in progress.  Moroccan fixture installed. I'll post the final shot soon!

Another Zamzam Riad photo - beautiful!

Patterns of light in a room add another layer to the overall depth and richness of a space.  It's not always about the beautiful fixture, but about the way it brings everything to life!

Kitchen Cabinets to the Ceiling

Darryl Carter - Elle Decor

 I'm loving upper kitchen cabinets taken all the way to the ceiling.

It appears to be popular!

Christopher Peacock - Traditional Home

Nate Berkus - Elle Decor

Nancy Boszhardt

-

House Beautiful

Kay Douglas - House Beautiful

Whether your ceilings are high or low or if you have a traditional or modern style, it is a great look and gets rid of that dust catcher shelf that people always feel like they have to decorate.

Meg Braff - House Beautiful

Joe D'Usro - Elle Decor

Jay Jeffers - House Beautiful

This is a before photo of a kitchen remodel I've recently been working on.  10 ft. ceilings and a typical upper cabinet height.  It makes the space look very horizontal and monotonous.  Mostly, it brings the ceiling down.  The homeowner wanted a new white kitchen, but loves the bit of wall color above the cabinets and needed display space for ceramics.

Here's what I proposed.  Cabinets to the 10 ft. ceiling, with color inside and a painted sheetrock hood that would make a more dynamic color statement than a strip above the cabinets.  I think it adds height to the room and gives a strong focal point to the kitchen.  Can't wait to see the end result!

I've moved! Check out my new design blog at

Designed w/Carla Aston

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So....Is Brass Coming Back?

"So, is brass coming back?", the contractor on this recent bathroom remodel asked me this past week. We were in the midst of a photo session and homeowner, contractor, photographer, and I were discussing the project and the materials I used. My answer was not a succinct yes or no, it was one of those, "It depends."

First I want to say that this photo above is just my shot with my Iphone. The pro shots will make that brass sing! Frankly, I don't think anything really goes "out", it just becomes so badly and cheaply repeated that we tire of it and shun it for a while.


Cheap, shiny brass faucets, hardware, and lighting used in a lot of homes built in the 1990's should never have happened anyway. Something about when a cheap product is bright and polished, it catches the eye and just screams, "Hey, look how cheap I am!"

Faceted plastic knobs also do a little screaming.


Quality, however, is not a trend and will never go out of style. The faucets and fixtures we used in that brass bathroom remodel will last as long as the homeowners will live there and have a timeless look that fits with their personality and style of the home.



Bathrooms and kitchens are a different type of design challenge than other rooms in the home. They must serve their functional purpose first and are therefore less decorated and furnished than other spaces. A metal finish is a key design statement in a bath and kitchen. Fixtures and hardware are the jewelry and play a more substantial role in the design. The bathroom above needed the definition that a dark bronze finish gave to the curves of the sconces and faucets.

The dark bronze in this bathroom provided a masculine look the client wanted and relates to the dark mahogany used for trimwork and cabinetry.

Dark bronze here works well with the dark emperador marble tops and adds interest, especially in the chandelier, to an otherwise neutral space.




The copper sink and faucet used in this kitchen remodel added lovely color and a French look that the homeowner desired.



The black faucet, sink, and hardware repeat the black in the tile backsplash and relate it to the black kitchen island in this space.



When I toured this home at the beginning of the job, I noticed all the brass. There were beautiful, heavy, antique brass candlesticks, chandeliers, and door hardware throughout. None of it was cheap and it spoke to the traditional feel and the warm, cozy atmosphere created there. I didn't want this bathroom to feel out of place just because brass wasn't "in" now. I chose an antique brass look because I thought it caught up with the other metal finishes and had the same subtle, warm feel that was the look of this home. It also enhanced the other finishes used, especially the onyx mosaic tile, with its warm undertones. Can you imagine if I'd gone with chrome? It would've all gone flat.

So, is brass coming back? I really think it depends. It depends on the homeowner, the home, the other finishes to be used, the overall design statement. What do you think?

If you would like help deciding what metal finishes would work best for your home, contact Aston Design Studio today!

If you have a design related question or need some advice on any aspect of interior design, e-mail me HERE. I might feature your question in a special Q and A blog post!

Loving the Color Emerald

A noted and experienced designer once told me that if I wanted to see the next trend in home design, look to the red carpet. I do watch with that in mind and this year at the Golden Globes, the color emerald to me was the most eye catching moment of all. Most critics loved these three looks, with their outstanding color. Angelina Jolie looked wonderful in this color.

Mila Kunis's dress was beautiful on her.

I love Catherine Zeta-Jones in this gown, a little darker emerald, but definitely not "forest".



What woman wouldn't just love to have Kyle Richards' emerald earrings.


Blenko glass defines the exact color of emerald above. Emerald has a bit of a blue in it.
Love Blenko glass!



Love the emerald green sofas and pillows here, image from House Beautiful.

Fabulous headboard! I think emerald goes really well with white. Image from Decorpad.

Another great headboard in emerald with white bedding from Sarah Richardson.

Decorpad image.

One of my favorite spaces by Steven Gambrel as featured in Elle Decor. Wouldn't this space have been boring without the emerald!

I love tape trim. Here is a nice emerald one above from Kravet.

Kravet wallpaper......wouldn't this be rich in a powder bath?

Silk velvet by Thomas O'Brien for Lee Jofa. I could see some stunning dining chairs upholstered in this luxurious fabric.

Last but definitely not least, Schumacher's Nanjing. The color here is just brilliant. Perfect for pillows, a bedskirt, headboard, and on and on.


I've moved! Come and visit me at my new blog, Designed w/Carla Aston!