Tablescape: What are the Secrets to a Great Looking Table?

I was watching the Food Network, one of my favorite weekend activities, and was listening to this one show when all of the sudden the host said a word that I flinched at in bewilderment. Tablescape… no, not landscape but tablescape.

The best way I can explain this is, it’s a made-up term that gives identity to the act of making your dining room table look pretty for an occasion. Think about wedding receptions, the act of designing the elements to work cohesively: silverware, centerpieces, plates, chargers, glasses, accessories, napkins…the whole kit and caboodle.

So tablescapes would be a way to enhance a space and complete the design package when company arrives.

Here are a few things I gathered as ideas for a successful tablescape:

1. There are two major routes – a single focal point or multiple points of interest for each individual. This means either you can design the table with one large centerpiece that acts as a focus with surrounding details – or you can make a focal point for each individual – adding a fancy napkin ring or something like that.
2. With the first point in mind, you have to think about height and what you want the emphasis to be. Using multiple heights can add variety to the table. Think about a city skyline and how the beauty lies in the changing shapes, their varying height and the change in materials.
3. Like any good combination, you have to think about texture. The plates are most likely smooth – and the glasses may follow that route. So what are you going to do in order to add variety in texture to add interest? One idea is the napkin texture, perhaps a unique candlestick holder, or even individual unique chargers beneath the plates.
4. Color and sheen is the last component. This is absolutely important and sets the mood of the space (along with the lighting). For instance, if I want a summer table, I am not going to put down a black table cloth. If we are celebrating the holidays, candy red and evergreen may be the way to go, or maybe not. Try a path of mixed metallics that emphasize the reflection of the materials and will reflect candlelight.
5. To theme or not to theme…I can just leave that one there. If you are looking to be very literal, go for it with your accessories. If you just want a “pretty” table, keep it simple and classy.

In the end, a tablescape will have all the same basic design principles as if you are designing an interior. Do you do anything special to dress your table?

The Debate Between Low Voltage, Solar, and Decorative Outdoor Lights

Low voltage lighting is a type of landscape lighting that uses 12 volt electrical instead of the 120 volts delivered by regular household current. These 12-volt systems do not require an electrician to install, which makes them safe and easy to work with, and thus popular with homeowners.

Another benefit is that light fixtures can be added and adjusted while the system is plugged in and turned on. Low voltage landscape lighting kits are generally affordable and available in most hardware and building centers. That said, professionally installed and designed low voltage systems using higher grade components will give you lasting satisfaction that stands the test of time.

Solar lighting is a relative newcomer to the outdoor lighting market but has captured homeowners’ fancy with a vast selection of fixture styles and dead-easy installation and upkeep. Like landscape lighting, solar lights can be used to illuminate steps, paths, and pools. However, instead of an electric power source, solar lights use a photocell that charges a NiCad battery during the day and then powers the light at night.

With virtually no wiring to speak of, solar lighting kits have become very popular and if you are not careful, very ugly! I can’t stand some of these little sticks with lights attached that you find at CVS, or your local drug store. People are going way, way, way overboard! There is nothing worse than seeing a neighboring home use twenty or thirty of these ugly lights to line their path to their home! What did you do a few years ago to “light the way”? I am sure that people will be able to find your house without them!

When I think of patio lights, I immediately recall plastic owls and plastic bee hives that my grandparents hung at their lake house back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. VERY TACKY! Yet so lovely! Now, strings of brightly colored party paper lanterns come to mind which can be tastefully done for PARTIES only! Please take these down when you are not celebrating a birthday or having a garden party. There is nothing worse than a backyard that is full of party gear all summer long. You wouldn’t keep streamers up in your house so don’t do it outside either. String patio lights are perfect for temporarily dressing up patio seating areas or entertaining spaces.

Lanterns may be low tech, but nothing beats the charm and versatility these provide. You can find garden lanterns in a huge array of styles, from Chinese to Victorian. Let go of the bamboo tiki torch. Unless you are having a luau or live on a tropical island, these should not become part of your normal backyard décor.

If you are fond of the torch style lighting, select something that is more stable like wrought iron or copper. Styles range from classic Art deco to metallic finish oil fueled torches and wall torches. It is a simple way to add a glow without having to run wiring for electrical ambiance.

Explore your options before you buy, and think of how you will be using your summer space. What kind of lights do you have hanging in your backyard? Do you agree with me about the tackiness of some lighting options?

How Does the Interior of a Grocery Store Affect Your Purchases?

Product placement, sale signs, prices slashed, end cap purchases…sounds like a trip to the grocery market! I like to think that I am a pretty good cook and over the years have definitely refined my senses of taste and smell when cooking – but, being an interior designer, I can never turn off my interior design eye. Therefore, I hate to admit, but I have become a grocery store snob. I like to think that I can be pretty thrifty and save money well, but when it comes to shopping for my groceries, I am having a hard time getting away from my fancy “wine aisle ready” grocery stores and produce markets.

So what is it about these stores, besides the fabulous produce, that gets customers to pay higher prices for the same groceries found at the local “mega shopping plex”? I mean, what really gets me to pay two dollars more for a bottle of olive oil? Same brand, same size bottle and I am still paying more! Here are a few keys into my interior design consumer mind:

The Ambiance: The overall lighting of the produce market is warmer, more natural and makes all the produce look more appealing than if sitting flooded with yellow tinted fluorescents. Not only that, but I think I look better. When I catch myself in the mirrored back of the lettuce stand, I even look more appealing in that light!

The Materials: The display stands, signage and flooring are made of more natural looking materials. It gives a psychological connection to the food being natural versus processed, even if I am buying bottled salad dressing that has preservatives in it. The use of exposed wood beams give a feel of “produce stand” that implies a straight off the farm attitude, even while in the city.

The Colors: The walls and ceiling feel more natural, once again, not competing with the food but working with it. By letting the food stand out as the pops of color, the bright peppers, bananas, green veggies (are you hungry yet?), they become the focus and you can’t help but want to take them home.

The Signage: By using more “creative” signage, like chalk boards in hand written text, the signage seems less intrusive and demanding. It is more…suggestive, as if to say “I think you should give this a try” instead of the mega stores methods that screams “cheap – buy – now!!!”

Check out this site about food market design if you’re interested in learning more.

How do you feel about smaller produce and family owned grocery stores? Do you prefer them over the mega-stores, even if you end up having to pay a little more? If so, what draws you to them – is it the design or something else?

Impacting Rooms With Window Treatments

Whatever your design style is, window treatments and wall coverings can form the decorative framing for the rest of your scheme or palette. You may prefer to have white walls, or maybe you are afraid of color that “drowns” the room that way. Could it be that you are trying to create a clean, uncluttered, contemporary space and you just don’t know what to do with your windows? Here is a brief summary of how I help my clients decide on the style of window treatment to choose from:

Think Practical: Window treatments can monitor light filtration, save energy, and operate as a privacy feature. For example, cold rooms that may have old windows could be quickly fixed by adding a honeycomb shade or a heavy weight curtain. I often have a client who really appreciates the classic and timeless style of a shutter treatment too! If you can tolerate the sun and maybe a small draft, I recommend a cafe style shutter which sort of acts like a top down bottom up roller shade, allowing privacy on the lower portion of the windows but allowing light in from above. If you have a view that you don’t want to block entirely, this may also serve you well. For bedrooms, this also acts a s a great privacy, but it may require full treatment rather than cafe to maximize your privacy.

Think of the Ambiance: Decide on how you want the room to make you feel. Then decide on whether or not your windows are where you would like to draw attention too. Is it an older home and are your windows not the most desirable thing to look at? Are they uneven? Perhaps you can dress your windows with panels mounted to correct the misshapen window, acting as a camouflage. Decking out your windows in a gorgeous floor to ceiling silk, fine tapestry, or sheer that flows and puddles to the floor will add instant elegance, character and flair to your room design. There are so many beautiful embroidered sheers, some traditional and others that, believe it or not, really cater to modern design. Think of Robert Allen, JAB and Stroheim and Roman to name a few. Their sheer books are phenominal! Full of texture and elegance…sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Think Architecture: Extend the window treatments beyond the bounds of small windows to make them look taller or wider. Raise the illusion of a low ceiling by mounting the window treatments just below your crown molding. Treat a non-descript portion of a wall by widening your fabric widths and “blanket” the wall, giving the illusion of a longer, extended window behind it.

Think Creatively, think of possibilities, and know that a window treatment could be your room’s greatest asset!

When is a Cornice a Lighting Fixture?

Remember that cornice that my husband and I wrote about that we created for our super long window?  Well, apparently we hadn’t thought ahead to far. When the cornice was up, we then wished we had thought of adding light to it!

We began the process of trying to find a small fixture that would work. We had a hard time finding a fluorescent fixture that was small enough not to protrude about the top of the cornice. There were a plethora of problems: should have recessed another inch; if you put the fixtures end to end, you had black spots between them; not exactly the look we were going for. Then we staggered the fixtures and that created hot spots and dimmer spots. Again, not the look we wanted. So far, we were not finding the solution for the perfect accent light we strived for.

When visiting a friend, we saw the soft glow of light we wanted at the top of their kitchen cabinets. They told us they had used rope light. Rope lighting would be an excellent solution because it is made up of LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lighting.

LED’s are all the rage now because they do not get hot like the ballast system for the fluorescent. They are less than an inch in height so they wouldn’t show over the top of the cornice. They use very little electricity and they last for almost forever. Hmmm, rope lighting easily comes in the length we have hanging on our wall over the windows. Now how to get electricity to the cornice…

Sometimes even we get lucky. There was an electrical switch box below our cornice end that turns on the outdoor flood lights. My husband (being the electrical engineer that he is) gave me a smile and went to work. After a lot of attempts, he was finally able to “fish” the electrical line up the wall and into the top of the cornice. He then hard wired the rope lighting.

In the evening when we want “mood” lighting, we can turn on the lighting over the cornice and we get this really cool glow. How do you create “mood” lighting in your home?

Do You Want WIFI With That??

Food + Relaxation + WIFI = Money Maker!

Goodbye library, hello Starbucks! While I will be one of the many to mourn the lack of library usage nowadays, I can also jump on the bandwagon of coffee shops and local eateries becoming the standard place to work and meet. There are many reasons that come immediately to mind when thinking of why coffee shops and restaurants are becoming the new quiet place for concentration and focus (even though there are many more distractions, ironically).

The first things that come to mind are:

· Free WIFI

· The accessibility to food and beverages (and being allowed to have them)

· The social agenda, see and be seen – we are the generation of multi-tasking!

· Free places to meet with colleagues or work groups

· Extended hours (huge difference with a city-run library system!)

· The ability to work/study but not be in the office!

These are just a few of the benefits, but what aspects of the interior are so appealing? What makes the space inviting? There are so many of the same standard restaurant accouterments in a setting like this, so how are they altered to draw in the masses?

The Palette: The color palette of most coffee shop interiors is very warm and inviting. They tend to have a “come sit by the fire” kind of appeal. This can be so delightful, comfortable and soothing. Unlike a library, which traditionally are a little cold and can be stark.

The Feel: The furnishings are a combination of lounge furniture, table and booths. By making a variety of postures well suited, the establishment will appeal to whatever type of work someone is looking to do. Plus, there is a variety of tables and booths, so depending on the size of the group, they can be accommodated.

The mood: Look up next time you are in a Panera – in most cases, they have a standard drop ceiling with acoustical tile. But when mixed with more residential pendants, the ceiling disappears and your focus becomes the human level, versus above you. I believe (not confirmed) that the use of more warm incandescent bulbs assists with the warm feeling as well.

The Convenience: I already mentioned the WIFI, but don’t forget, when you battery dies, so does your work momentum. Most coffee shops that cater to “on the go” workers will provide free electricity plug ins to keep you moving, and keep you buying!

So, I may be saddened by loss of library time, but at least I know there will be an option for offsite work around the corner. I know walking into a library can make you feel instantly smarter, but at least walking into your local coffee shop will also make you feel socially connected! Kudos to whoever decided coffee and WIFI was a good combination!

Where are your favorite places for working mobile?  Do you prefer a coffee shop or the library?  Which places have the best ambiance?