The story below is from our November/December 2020 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Experts give their best tips for your design dilemmas.
In the previous issue, we helped you style a bookcase and a mantel and furnish a difficult room. Now two of the area’s leading interior designers give their pro tips to conquer more of your organizing and decorating challenges.
We are all at home, maybe more than we’ve ever been, and pondering ways to better enjoy and utilize our spaces. Interior designers are inundated with calls and clients’ requests, but you don’t have to wait your turn for a consultation. Read on for their sage advice.
Manage shared spaces
It’s become the theme of the year at home—rooms and people are being called on to do double duty. Are you suddenly an employee and a teacher? If so, you may need an office or room to function for multiple workers and learners. The trick to balancing a shared space is yours, mine and ours, says Abby Hostetler, who has a Roanoke-based design business.
“Each person should have a drawer or cabinet that is theirs and only theirs,” Hostetler notes.
She says that each person should ideally have their own work surface, and that shared supplies like printer paper should reside in a designated drawer or cabinet.
“Organization is key, and prevents school papers from being mixed in with household bills,” Hostetler says.
A home office may have sat idle prior to the pandemic, but is being called on now to be a workhorse. Despite the chaos of the daily to-do list, put in the effort to set it up properly, and you’ll save time down the line. A printer that works well, a chair that is comfortable and school and work supplies that are functional (throw out that broken stapler!) and within reach will make work less frustrating. If you don’t have a drawer for each person, Hostetler recommends a plastic, portable file box that can be customized with vinyl decal lettering, available for a few dollars on Etsy.
Some work-from-home families have commandeered a bedroom for office space, and siblings may be sharing a sleeping space for the first time. The same concept applies, says Hostetler—clear boundaries of shared and individual space prevent arguments and frustration.
Edith-Anne Duncan, an interior designer who serves Roanoke clients through her Blacksburg firm, says that for a shared sibling space, a color palette that’s easy for both children to live with should ground the design. Choose a neutral wall color, and work accent colors into accessories that are personal to each child. In a shared space, a sense of individuality is even more important, so consider monogramming matching bedding, suggests Duncan.
One of the more difficult aspects of sharing a space is finding privacy, which can be achieved in a number of ways. Have a closet that isn’t being used? Turn it into a reading nook, with a door that can be closed.
For young children, a teepee in the room is another spot to get away and daydream, or a custom curtain divider can break up the room. In built-in bunks, small curtains can be added to each bed that can be closed for privacy or nighttime reading, a nod to vintage train sleeper cars. Check out Pinterest for low-cost hacks using cafe curtains.
“In children’s rooms, I like for kids to be able to easily tidy up toys in bins and baskets,” notes Duncan. “If everything has a place, it can be put away quickly.”
Find storage options for a steal at discount retailers like TJ Maxx in Roanoke, or online through Pottery Barn Kids, IKEA or Crate&Kids.
Create a gallery wall
If you’re ready to adorn a blank wall, a gallery or collage wall could be a winner.
“Decide if you want an eclectic or structured look,” advises Hostetler, who prefers a more casual look in the family room but opts for structure in more formal spaces, like a dining room.
“Structured” may mean a grid pattern of family photos in clean frames, while something more casual could have a mix of frames and three-dimensional and other objects, like an oversized family monogram, tribal masks collected from trips abroad, or decorative plates.
“A collage is really a collection, things that speak to you,” Hostetler notes.
You may have some of these things stored in boxes, like family china you never intend to use. Why not add a hook on the back, and hang it on a kitchen wall in a pleasing arrangement to enjoy looking at it every day? If you have memorabilia from trips, couple it with photos of your adventures.
Or, perhaps COVID-19 has given you the time to go through family photos on your computer, and identify ones that are wall-worthy. While custom framing is expensive, a custom look can be achieved with little cost at retailers like Target, who sell gallery frame sets that could cover a large wall for $100.
Once you’ve determined what you want to hang, grab a tape measure, pencil and painter’s tape.
“I like to determine what the boundaries are on each side…how far I’m going with the collage to map out my real estate,” says Hostetler.
Measure out your frames and objects and put painter’s tape on the wall so you can see if you like the arrangement before committing. If you can’t think of an available space but want to try your hand at a gallery wall, try your staircase wall, hallway, or the space above your laundry area.
If you are going for the eclectic look, be sure to mix your sizes proportionally so the collage has balance. Place the largest items first, then add in the smaller items. Place an item on one side, and then shift to the other side until the collage is completed.
Do you want an interior designer to answer your design dilemma? Reach out to us at llong@theroanoker.com.
The story above is from our November/December 2020 issue. For the full story subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!
