“Nobody puts Baby in a corner!” said Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing as he grabbed Baby’s hand and rescued her from the depths of sitting in a dark drywall auditorium corner. Nowadays the average corner is more like an oasis of cool. What I refer to as the “wall-ternative” is now comprised of open sided bookcases, string curtains, pierced metal screens, airy fabrics, sliding panels and wood sculpture. These dynamic room partitions have raised the bar in solving the form + function dilemma while adding layers of texture and versatility.
Category: Contemporary Living Room
Mirror, Mirror – The Illusion of Enlarging Small Spaces
OK, so the The Palace of Versailles Hall of Mirrors isn’t a “small space” in the least, but it was one of the first architectural projects to feature new technology in mirror making. Built from 1678–1684, this great hallway incorporates seventeen mirror-clad arches that reflect the seventeen arcaded windows. Each arch contains twenty-one mirrors that were created by the Venetian Republic, who, at the time controlled the mirror monopoly. Mirrors were among the most expensive items sold during the 17th century. Thanks to Justus von Liebig and his advance in the modern techniques of silver-glass mirror making in 1835, we now have perfected the chemical process of coating a glass surface with metallic silver, which is the most widely known mirror making process used today. Life and design would be drastically different if it weren’t for mirrors, and here are just a few reasons why.
Painted Ceilings – The 5th Wall
I think it is safe to say that most ceilings are ignored when redecorating is in progress. Most people toil over what color to paint the walls, or which wall should be the accent and what color that accent should be. In the end, the walls are covered in a fresh coat of paint and the ceiling remains… white. As an interior designer, I too have left most ceilings white for one reason or another, but every so often I run across the right situation and a courageous client who allows their ceiling to join in the fun. I have recently completed a residential project (above) that included a living room that was the perfect candidate for a dark painted ceiling. Although the client absolutely loves it now, it wasn’t an easy sell. In fact, most people wouldn’t want to deviate away from the white ceiling. It is not because they didn’t have the ceiling heights or imagination to go for it, but rather they are simply accustomed to the norm and never considered the ceiling as “The 5th Wall.” Let’s explore.
