Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Winning tips from hot young designer
Margaret Kirkland, who participated in this year’s Southern Living Idea House, is an interior designer based in Atlanta. She was recently selected as one of the designers for 2016 Southern Living Idea House. Known for her timeless interiors, she has been named a Next Wave designer by House Beautiful and best 15 under 40 by Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Magazine. Kirkland works on projects throughout the East Coast and abroad to bring a fresh, young approach to traditional design.
Kirkland joined Post staff writer Jura Koncius last week on our Home Front online chat. Here is an edited excerpt:
Question: What are your favourite types of textile floor coverings, and why?
Answer: I think rugs and carpeting offer so much personality to a room with texture, colour and pattern. They also absorb sound and add instant coziness to a space. We often start from the floor up in our designs, especially if we are using a unique rug. I love vintage and reproduction Oriental rugs, and Oushaks and dhurrie rugs are among my favorites. I also love using sisal and jute rugs and will layer them underneath Oriental rugs. We love wall-to-wall carpet in textured colours, geometrics, trellis patterns — even animal prints!
Question: I want to get slipcovers for the two hideous couches in my rented house, but everything I’ve found costs as much as a new sofa. Where can I look that might not be obvious?
Answer: When buying slipcovers, I always like to use a local workroom to get a snug custom look. A great way to go about this is to ask a local upholsterer, workroom or seamstress to make slipcovers and then try to save money on the fabric. I have been known to make slipcovers out of cotton dropcloths from Home Depot just to get a fresh, clean look. For online sources, Ballard Designs, Ikea and vendors on Etsy are great resources.
Question: We live in a 1920s brick four-square home. There is a bank of windows in the living room, across the front of the house. A double-size window is flanked by two single windows. Right now, we have white mini-blinds with swags and jabots, which are very outdated. We do need privacy but like the windows with the mini-blinds pulled up to make the room seem larger. Plantation shutters would not work well with the window arrangement. Our style is English and traditional with a twist of contemporary. Ideas for bringing our living room windows into the 21st century are appreciated.
Answer: First, I would take those jabots and swags down to simplify the look. I would do simple, functional drapery panels across the entire wall to let light in. When you need privacy, you can pull the panels closed. If you cannot easily do draperies across the big and small windows, I would do bamboo matchstick shades. They have a more updated look than blinds and let in much more light than plantation shutters.
Question: Do you have a good online source for beautiful pillows?
Answer: Recently, I found a great source on Etsy, AccentMarks. It sells great pillows using exclusive designer fabrics. As for online sources, I like Ballard for outdoor pillows and Serena & Lily and West Elm. On the more expensive side, Hable Construction has beautiful, one-of-a-kind pillows. Hable designs its own fabric, so the pillows have a unique touch.
Question: I have an antique four-poster bed in my bedroom, with wood floors and a Persian rug dominated by burgundy. The curtains are ecru but kind of puffy. It just feels so old! I am looking for a younger touch but would like to keep the rug, because it contains the remnants of so many good memories. Can you give me some ideas that won’t break the bank?
Answer: If you need to keep the rug, I would paint the bed to lighten things up. Paint is always a cheap way to make a change. One of our clients recently transformed her furniture with Chalk Paint. Also, adding bed linens will help freshen up the room. One of our favorite sources is Serena & Lily, which always has great sales. Also, you can buy pre-made drapery panels to simplify your look. Ballard has great options.
Question: Is it better to mix table lamps in a room or keep them the same?
Answer: I always like a good mix of lighting in a room. Don’t get me wrong — it is great to have a pair of lamps flanking a sofa, but a mix of lamps makes the space feel more interesting and allows for different levels of light to offer good task lighting, as well as an overall glow to the room. I love using table lamps on tables, floor lamps next to chairs, sconces on the wall, art lights on art and bookcases, as well as overhead lights to keep your eye interested and make the room feel more alive.
Question: We have an Oriental rug (mainly burgundy) in our dining room and need to find a new place to put it. With wood floors throughout the house, you would think it would be easy, but we’re struggling to figure out where it can go without totally replacing things such as bedding. Any ideas for how to move it to, say, our master bedroom (where it should fit)?
Answer: It can be nice to keep a darker rug in a dining room because the red palette will help hide spills. If you want to move it to your bedroom, make sure the walls are painted a light colour. If you keep everything else light and airy, hopefully you will not have to change your bedding.
Question: What Southern cities are your favorites for shopping for home design products and antiques and touring old houses?
Answer: There are so many great Southern towns. Some of my favorites are Charleston, S.C.; Savannah, Ga.; Athens, Ga.; and Atlanta. Athens is a great place for shopping and touring old homes. For shopping, there is the Hawthorne House, Athens Interiors Market and Agora for vintage items. In Athens, take a drive down Milledge Avenue to see all the historic sorority houses. We recently have spent a lot of time in Birmingham, Ala., for the 2016 Southern Living Idea House. Some of my favorite stores there are Iris & Co., Circa Interiors & Antiques, Hanna Antiques Mall and Henhouse Antiques. In Charleston, three of my favorite historical places to visit are Calhoun Mansion, Aiken House and Joseph Manigault House.
Question: What’s your go-to solution if someone spills coffee, wine or food on your carpet or sofa?
Answer: First, don’t panic. Spills can always be fixed, and you never want to make a guest feel uncomfortable by making a big fuss and drawing more attention to an accident. We like Wine Away and OxiClean powder. Do make sure to act quickly. Blot with a dry towel to clean up the spill, and try the old standby of soda water. To prevent stains ahead of time, I always like to use a stain protectant on clients’ rugs and upholstery so liquids will not be absorbed into fibers.
— The Washington Post
Renovation & Design
Order and opulence
If you’re tired of tapestries, taxidermy and other crafty kitsch that have taken over mass retail, you’re not alone. The defining design trend of the past five years — a feminine mix of California bohemian and mid-century modern that’s ubiquitous on blogs and Instagram — may have crested.
"It’s everywhere. It’s too everywhere," Bethesda, Maryland designer Marika Meyer says. "We’re about to see a call for the masculine again, for something more structural and modern."
What fits the bill? One theory is art deco, a style characterized by geometric shapes, strong arches and angles, and high-contrast color schemes. It first became popular after the First World War and was a reaction to art nouveau’s whimsical ornamentation and floral motifs. Deco, which conveyed strength and industry, was seen as glamorous and bold.
"If you think about what’s going on in our country politically, it makes sense that we’re seeing it come back," Meyer said. "A sense of uncertainty tends to drive people to seek structure and stability. Art deco has that."
The style will have modern adaptations. Expect its signature sense of opulence — often evoked in sweeping marble staircases, pinstriped wallpapers and high-gloss paints — to be toned down in favor of high-tech or sustainable materials. And too much of one look can feel thematic, so designers predict people will stick to a few key pieces.
"Focus on the smaller moments, like a cocktail table or a tray," said Mat Sanders, who runs the Los Angeles-based Consort Design with Brandon Quattrone and counts Jimmy Kimmel and Jessica Alba as clients. "These pieces are like jewelry for a room and the easiest way to make a statement. No need to overdo it."
Even in small doses, though, it’s important not to confuse boldness with flash. Tim Barber, a Los Angeles architect who specializes in art deco (he’s perhaps best known for helping Moby renovate a 1920s castle in the Hollywood Hills), said the style is often misunderstood as luxe or over the top. "It’s under the top," he said. "It’s about scale and exaggerated forms. You’d be surprised at how much drama you can achieve just by playing with proportions."
Art deco posits that there’s power in the unexpected. A low coffee table, such as West Elm’s Metal Drum Coffee Table (US$399, westelm.com), can make a neutral room feel artistic and modern. A black steel table with strong angles (US$425, consort-design.com) looks confident against a white wall. For added visual interest, consider a mirror so tall it almost touches the ceiling (US$372, bedbathandbeyond.com) or a club chair that curves like a shell. Of course, antiques stores are gold mines for authentic treasures if you’re willing to pay big bucks.
If you aren’t ready to invest in larger pieces, try playing with patterns and textures. High-contrast ceramic tiles liven up a kitchen backsplash or bathroom floor, and unusual fabrics such as velvet or mohair spice up canvas sofas and chairs.
Wallpaper is an opportunity to experiment with classic deco motifs, such as fans and sunbursts, and to add a hint of glamour. Meyer recently designed a powder room in a Maryland farmhouse for a client who wanted a blend of deco and Moroccan. She used a metallic pearl wallpaper called Lantern from Clarence House that was subtle and sleek.
Art deco’s biggest hurdle may be that it doesn’t have enough hard guidelines or rules to follow. There’s no catalogue to pull from or uniform to fall back on, and lots of room for interpretation.
"There’s definitely a challenge to it," Meyer said, "but I think we’re ready for that."
— The Washington Post
Renovation & Design
Birds will flock to this backyard feeder
With summer here, you’re probably spending more time outdoors, so why not add a pop of colour to your backyard and invite some birds to join you?
Materials:
Empty coffee can with plastic lid
Can opener
Spray paint
Scissors
Duct tape in various colors
Yarn
Birdseed
Glue (optional)
Directions:
1. Clean the empty coffee can and use a can opener to remove the bottom piece.
2. Cut the plastic lid in half, spray paint both halves and let dry. It may need two coats. (I tried craft paint but the coverage was poor. Spray paint worked better for me.)
3. Decorate the can with the duct tape. Have fun with it!
4. Attach a half-lid to both ends of the can. You may need to glue them on if they’re too loose.
5. Wrap yarn through the opening a couple of times (I did it three times), making sure it’s long enough to hang at your desired location. Fill with birdseed and enjoy the show!
— The Orange County Register
