High ceilings

How to Tastefully Update a Period Home /  by Margaret Chambers

This dining room features dentil crown molding along the ceiling. We went with a clean, elegant, geometric wallpaper pattern that wouldn’t distract from the home’s architectural details.

Period homes (generally defined as any home built before WWI) tend to have high ceilings, beautiful detailing, and architectural features you don’t often see in new homes. For many homebuyers, the creaks, the cracks, and the repair costs of a period home are well worth it.

You might wonder how an interior designer like myself would approach a historic property. In my opinion, the architecture should tell you the design direction that you go, and the furnishings should reflect the period of the house. I personally think it’s kind of disturbing to obliterate the interior and redecorate in a minimalist style.

Of course, there’s no need to turn your house into a museum, either. Here are some tips for decorating a period home in a way that’s sympathetic to the house’s history, but still looks current:

1. Choose Fresh Colors

Start by doing research on how homes in the period were originally decorated, then pick and choose the elements that look the most timeless. As with any home, it’s better to make a period home as timeless as possible. After all, it’s expensive to do a home: if you only follow the latest trends, in ten years, those trends are gone and we’re all off to something else.

Don’t be afraid to use soft, contemporary paint colors in a Georgian, Federal, or Neoclassical house. If you use saturated wall paint colors, keep the period detailing (such as the cornicing) in more understated tones for contrast. Keep in mind that if your home is in a historic part of Dallas like Swiss Avenue, Hollywood Heights, or Munger Place, you may need to use a traditional color for the exterior.

Patterned wallpaper is a luxurious touch, but choose a print with more modern and understated colors to keep your space from looking too dated. I suggest hanging mirrors instead of art over wallpaper because their simplicity gives the eye a place to rest.

Light and pastel colors, like the pinks that we used in this Park Cities English cottage, can help a traditionally decorated room feel fresh.

2. Highlight Traditional Architectural Features

Sadly, many period homes have had their original sash windows, fireplaces, molding, ceiling medallions, and baseboards ripped out and replaced with cheaper materials. Regardless of whether or not original fireplaces are still in working order, they are part of the charm of the home and should be celebrated.

Instead of replacing sash windows, consider repairing them, waterproofing them, or even upgrading them with double glazing. The wall around a stained-glass window should ideally be painted white or another neutral color to let the colors of the glass stand out.

If the original wood flooring is heavily worn down, consult a renovation expert before tearing it out. It may be possible to patch or repair it. I would also advise against changing the detailing in the house, and instead restore it by repainting it.

You can create an interesting contrast with original molding and ornate ceilings by hanging contemporary light fixtures. If you want to keep any original light fixtures, such as sconces, you can always have them rewired.

3. Play to Your Period House’s Strengths

One of the advantages of period homes are the high ceilings. You will probably want a large lighting fixture, such as a chandelier, to take advantage of the extra ceiling height. On the other hand, one of the downsides to period homes is that they sometimes have dark, narrow hallways. Hang mirrors, which reflect more light into the space, or add sconces in your hallways. High gloss paint can also be a good choice for brightening the walls of a period home. Just remember that your walls have to be extremely smooth, like glass, or a glossy paint finish will highlight every imperfection.

This formal living room we designed for a classically French home in University Park is traditional without being fussy. To the right is a piece of contemporary artwork that matches the color scheme of the room.

4. Find the Right Balance of Traditional and Contemporary

When it comes to furnishings, I think juxtaposing modern and traditional elements is best. If you’re using traditional art, mirrors, and wallpaper patterns, mix contemporary furniture into the room. The simple lines of the furniture will stand out beautifully against the traditional backdrop. Likewise, if you use a lot of antique furniture, you may want to use updated colors for the walls as well as contemporary art, which adds an element of surprise. Make sure to reupholster antique furniture using current fabrics.

An alternative to buying a period home is to work with a classically trained architect (like Larry Boerder, Robbie Fusch, or Stephen Zepeda, to name a few), who can build you a new home in a period style. If you already own a period home and need help deciding which parts should be kept as is, restored, or torn out, it might be time to consult an interior designer. A professional designer can help make sure that your renovation doesn’t go too far, and will be connected with lots of restoration experts who can breathe new life into the home. To schedule an appointment with Chambers Interiors, send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com or call our Dallas office at 214-651-7665.

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5 Alternatives to a Plain White Ceiling /  by Margaret Chambers

A coffered ceiling in a foyer, like this one in a Dallas home we designed, makes a dramatic first impression.

Ceilings are usually the most forgotten part of a room. It’s a shame, because there are so many ways to make ceilings the finishing touch for your interior design. If you’ve made a habit of ignoring your ceilings but are ready to try something new, you’ll be glad to know that there are paint colors, wallpaper patterns, plasterwork, and faux beams that can instantly transform your ceiling from drab to dramatic.

1. Accent Ceilings

We painted the ceiling in the formal living room of SMU's Kappa Alpha Theta house a high-gloss sky blue, reminiscent of southern porch ceilings.

My favorite paint colors for ceilings lately are light blues and light aquas. Blue paint is often used for porch ceilings in the South to deter wasps from building their nests, but increasingly, homeowners are starting to use it for their ceilings indoors.

If you do decide to paint your ceiling a contrasting color, I recommend choosing high gloss enamel or lacquer for the finish. A high-gloss ceiling will reflect the surrounding colors and make the room feel more expansive. However, steer clear of glossy paint finishes if your ceiling has imperfections, as the sheen will make small bumps or cracks more noticeable.

Dark ceiling colors tend to make rooms feel smaller. Interestingly, though, a room with the same dark color on all four walls and the ceiling will not feel small as long as there’s plenty of natural light in the space. For black-painted ceilings, make sure to also use black elsewhere in the room to ensure that the whole design is balanced.

2. Wallpaper

My firm has also been doing wallpapered ceilings for the past few years. In one project, the clients’ existing dining room had a ceiling painted in a dark salmon color. To make the room feel more open, we covered that ceiling with a light, patterned wallpaper. For a contemporary home, you might consider a subtle tone-on-tone pattern or a textured wallpaper, like grass cloth.

The wallpaper we added to this ceiling is a big improvement over the salmon paint color that was there before.

3. Plasterwork

Color and pattern are not the only ways to draw the eye upward to your ceiling. You can also add a three-dimensional element with decorative plasterwork. Designers like myself have been bringing back beautiful plaster ceilings with detailed borders around the edges of the room. I’d recommend using this kind of ceiling in dining rooms, living rooms, and bedrooms. However, you do have to think carefully about light fixture placement.

4. Beams

Running beadboard in the opposite direction of your beams will make a vaulted ceiling more dynamic.

Even if your home didn’t have beams originally, you can always have faux beams added. They should only be installed in rooms with ceilings that are nine feet or higher, or else they’ll make the room feel claustrophobic. I love the look of beams in a vaulted ceiling with beadboard running in the opposite direction. We usually run the beams up and down and the beadboard crosswise.

5. Coffered ceilings

A coffered ceiling is one in which recessed panels are created by adding beams in a grid pattern. Coffered ceilings look best in rooms with nine to fourteen-foot-high ceilings. To add more contrast, you can paint in the recessed sections, wallpaper them, or have them paneled with wood while leaving the beams white. Coffered ceilings are definitely more formal, so you usually won’t see them in rustic or casual homes.

Like coffered ceilings, tray ceilings have recessed areas to give the ceiling depth. The recessed areas resemble upside-down trays. They are great for open concept homes because the recessed areas can act as a reflection for separate zones on the floor below.

In this home office we designed for a Dallas home, the patterned, wallpapered ceiling matches the curtains.

For those of you who like the idea of a painted, wallpapered, beamed, or coffered ceiling, but are having trouble deciding between them, try looking at interior design magazines or Instagram and pay attention to the ceilings you see. If you’re still drawing a blank, the next best step would be to consult with an interior designer like myself. An interior designer will know which ceilings in your home would look best if left white, which could benefit from wallpaper, and which rooms would be perfect for a showstopper like a coffered or plasterwork ceiling. To schedule a free consultation with us, email us at info@chambersinteriors.com or call us at 214-651-7665.

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Stuck on a Room Design? Follow These Four Steps to Find Inspiration /  by Margaret Chambers

The vaulted ceiling in this Dallas home game room called for extra-large light fixtures.

Do you have a room in your home that you feel “stuck” on? Maybe you have an awkwardly shaped space with unused corners. Or perhaps you made a major purchase, like a dining table, that doesn’t mesh with the surrounding décor like you hoped.

When a client calls me, it’s usually because they’re stuck and afraid to make big decisions. As an interior designer, I like to take the following steps whenever I’m confronted with a challenging room.

Step 1: Make a list of what bothers you the most

Long hallways can be challenging to decorate. We filled these walls with a series of gold-framed antique Egyptian prints.

Take a moment to ask yourself if there are things in the room that you already know aren’t working for you and your family’s lifestyle. Then, put away the majority of your accessories, leaving just your largest pieces of furniture and anything else that you’re absolutely sure you want to work with. Paring a room down to its essentials is one way to encourage you to look at the space in a new light.

If the room feels “off” but you still can’t pinpoint the problem, try taking a photo or a video of the room. There are times where seeing the space in a photo can help you identify imbalances or problem areas that you may have overlooked in real life.

Step 2: Study rooms you love for ideas

At this stage, you’ll probably need some ideas on how to work with your mostly-blank slate. Whenever I’m having trouble with a room, I start looking through magazines and home decorating books for inspiration. I also ask my client to show me their favorite rooms so that I can make sure my design aligns with their tastes.

Although the unusual color combination in these curtains created limitations to work with, we were thankfully able to build a beautiful color scheme around them.

A piece of artwork, a fabric pattern, or something from nature can sometimes give me an idea for a color scheme. In one project I designed in Preston Hollow, the client asked me to use six fabric panels she inherited from her mother. The purple, green, and black colors on the panels created limitations to work with, but they also helped define the colors for the rest of the room. For example, we added a still life and a portrait that belonged to the client’s family, both of which had a lot of black in them. This guest bedroom, with its green wall paint color, purple chair, and black-washed night stands, ended up being one of my favorite spaces in the house.

Step 3: Experiment with pieces you already own

Before you run out to a home goods store, try “shopping at home” first. Take items from other rooms and put them in the blank areas of your problem room. You might be surprised to find that a console from your entryway or a painting from the living room looks even better in a new space.

Don’t be afraid to rearrange furniture into new configurations. After moving furniture around, you should be able to figure out what you can work with, and what will need to be replaced, repainted, or reupholstered.

Step 4: Identify your unique style, and only shop for items that fit it

If you own a lot of multicultural art, you can keep things cohesive by combining pieces that share similar colors.

Sometimes when a room isn’t coming together, it’s because it is filled with heirlooms from different design eras. Now’s the time to decide on what style you want to aim for and buy items that fit consistently into it.

Generally, if you’re going to invest in a new anchor piece, it should be timeless—preferably in a neutral color. Your tastes will evolve as trends change, so you don’t want to splurge on a “trendy” piece and have to replace it again a few years later.

If you’re still having trouble getting your room to look perfect, the next step is to bring in a fresh set of eyes. Have a relative or friend stop by. They might be able to identify the missing piece in your room’s equation. Even better, call in a professional designer. As a designer, I actually enjoy working with my clients’ most challenging rooms. Designing a room is like solving a three-dimensional puzzle, and challenging circumstances often result in the most unique and memorable room in the house. You can reach out to us by calling our Dallas office at 214-232-950 or emailing us at info@chambersinteriors.com.

To fill the high ceiling in this stairway hall in a Dallas home, we used framed, eight-foot-tall wallpaper panels.

6 Reasons Why Framed Wallpaper Panels Are Hot Right Now /  by Margaret Chambers

We hung these de Gournay panels in a rising sequence. The panels add interest to the wall of this high-ceilinged room.

The words “wallpaper” and “trendy” might sound like an odd combination, but as it turns out, wallpaper has been coming back in a big way in Dallas homes over the last three or four years. One of the trendiest ways to use wallpaper is to take individual panels, frame them, and display them as art.

If you’ve never seen framed wallpaper panels in action, you might be wondering why someone would choose them over papering an entire wall or room. Here are some reasons why interior designers like myself recommend them:

  1. They are less of a commitment.

    It’s much easier to remove framed panels from a wall than it is to remove wallpaper from the wall itself.

  2. They are more affordable.

    If you have your sights set on very expensive, hand-painted wallpaper brands like Gracie or de Gournay, you can bring down the costs by only buying the panels you need. They’re also a smart way to add wallpaper to large voids, like in a high-ceilinged room or a staircase. After all, it’s easier to use several panels of matching wallpaper than it is to find several pieces of matching artwork.

  3. Using panels can help break up bold patterns.

    Sometimes a dramatic wallpaper would be too much for your room. But the same pattern divided into visual blocks could possibly fit better into your design.

  4. You can take them with you to your next home.

    Once applied directly to the wall, most brands of wallpaper can’t be reused. Framed wallpaper panels, however, can come with you when you move, making them a wise investment. They’re a great option for renters, too.

  5. Framed wallpaper panels are less hassle.

    Even if you’re planning on framing the panels yourself, this will still be an easier project than putting up wallpaper.

  6. They can add some much-needed interest to plain walls.

    For example, framed wallpaper panels are great for homes without many architectural details.

Sounds appealing, right? If you’re sold on the idea but don’t have much experience with wallpaper, here are some pointers to help you get started.

Before you even pick a pattern, measure your wall space carefully so that you can figure out how many panels you need and what their dimensions should be. Once you have your measurements, then it’s time to decide what color and pattern you want. The dominant color in your wallpaper pattern should be based on at least one other color from the surrounding room, even if it’s just a secondary color.

On the other hand, if you’ve already found the wallpaper you love but haven’t designed the rest of the room, you can use the wallpaper as inspiration for the room’s color scheme. Wallpapers with neutral colors and touchable textures (like linen or painted grass cloth) are another creative option if you don’t normally decorate with bold colors or patterns. “Busy” patterned wallpapers should be used in spaces that are otherwise clean and simple in style. That way, your panels will command attention without making the room feel overwhelming.

We used Gracie wallpaper panels in this upstairs hallway. Although they are part of a set, each panel is unique.

Your choice of frame can have a bigger impact on the wallpaper’s presentation than you might expect, so pick a complementary one. For example, one-inch gold bamboo frames are the perfect match for chinoiserie wallpaper. Your frames should always be small to make them lightweight and keep the focus on the wallpaper itself. Another thing to note is that adding glass will make your wallpaper panels much heavier and more difficult to hang, so I don’t advise it at all.

I myself have worked with framed wallpaper panels on two Dallas projects recently. For one project, we used Gracie panels in the client’s upstairs hallway. On the other project, we hung de Gournay panels in a rising sequence along the wall next to the staircase. If you’re interested in adding this surprising alternative to artwork to your walls, but could use help making measurements, picking the right pattern, and picking the right frame, give us a call. You can reach our Dallas office by calling 214-232-9501, or you can send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com. I personally believe that this is one of those occasional design trends that is classically beautiful enough to stand the test of time.

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