University Park

Bring Warmth and Beauty to Your Home with These Fireplace Design Tips / November 30, 2022 by Margaret Chambers

When we renovated this Spanish Colonial house in Kessler Park, we left the existing fireplace. It is surrounded with Rookwood tiles.

If you don’t have a fireplace, you may have wondered about what it takes to have one built. There are a lot of options out there: how do you decide which one is best for your Dallas home? On the other hand, maybe you have a fireplace already and want to give the mantel a major facelift for the holidays. Whether you already have a fireplace or are building a house for the first time, these tips should help you get started in your design process.

If you’re planning on adding a fireplace to your next home, you should start by selecting the basic type that you want:

Wood-Burning Fireplaces:

For many people, nothing beats the nostalgia, warmth, crackling sounds and aroma of a natural wood fire. Traditional wood-burning fireplaces come in handy during a power outage because they require no gas or electricity. However, they are an inefficient heating source compared to newer alternatives.

Gas Fireplaces:

Gas fireplaces do not require a chimney and can be controlled with the push of a button. They are also more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional wood-burning fireplaces. The main requirements for a gas fireplace are a gas supply line and a venting mechanism, such as a chimney or metal tubing.

Gas logs are actually made of ceramic and placed above the gas burner to imitate the look of a real wood fireplace. Personally, I don’t mind gas logs. They’ve gotten more realistic and are convenient and easy to clean.

This dramatic fireplace is one of the architectural highlights of this home, which was designed by Bernbaum Magadini Architects, one of Dallas’s finest contemporary architecture firms.

Fireplace Style and Design:

It’s really important for a fireplace to be in the same style of the architecture of the house and proportional to the rest of the room it’s in. In my opinion, fireplaces should have a good size opening, preferably forty by forty inches. I also like to do a nice background, like a herringbone pattern, in the interior brick. If the mantel is wood, there needs to be one foot of noncombustible material around it. This material could potentially be cast stone, limestone, or brick. In my designs, I like for the firebox to go to the floor, which has a more classical look.

Keep in mind that the mantel should have enough depth for decorations: eight to ten inches deep, or deeper for a large fireplace. It’s also a good idea to have a plug above the center of the fireplace mantel for Christmas lights.

Sometimes all a fireplace mantel needs is a large piece of artwork over it, like this Audubon painting above the fireplace in the foyer of SMU’s Kappa Alpha Theta house. Fusch Architects designed this project.

Decorating Your Fireplace Mantel:

Since the fireplace is usually the focal point for a room, make sure it’s something that you want to look at. I recommend hanging a large piece of art or a mirror in the center that serves as an anchor for the decorative accessories in front of it. To create interest and lead a person’s eye all across the mantel, vary the height of the objects and include contrasting colors.

In this Hill Country farmhouse, we decorated the stone fireplace with a metal compass sculpture, rocking horse, candlesticks, and grass bouquet.

Note that if the mantel is crammed with too many accessories and picture frames, nothing stands out. On the other hand, mantels with just a couple of small items look underwhelming. Take a look at pictures of professionally decorated fireplaces to get a good idea for how many items to use and how big they should be. I usually use three to five items, such as a tea caddy in the center and candlesticks or vases on either side.

Although fireplaces may not get used often here in Dallas, now is the time of year when people are grateful to have them. Fireplaces are also a popular amenity that can raise the value of your home. If you’d love to include a fireplace in your dream home but find all the different options dizzying, consider connecting with an interior designer.

An interior designer like myself can help lay out the options for you and add the finishing touches to your mantel after the house is built. You can reach us by calling our Dallas office at 214-651-7665 or sending an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

How to Tastefully Update a Period Home / November 9, 2022 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.

We used matching fabrics for the chairs and umbrellas to give this poolside outdoor living area a consistent look.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to watch pool trends come and go and help choose pool shapes, finishes, and pool furniture for my Dallas clients. Here are some of the things I’ve learned about pools during my career as an interior designer.

1. Determine How You’ll Use Your Pool

First, if you’re thinking of building a pool, you need to list the different ways you plan on enjoying it. Do you want your pool to be for family recreation, personal fitness, entertaining, or a combination of all of these?

Families with children might want their pool to have a continuous underwater shelf or a pool bench. A lap pool needs to be rectangular and very large. If you are primarily using your pool as a party setting, you should ask yourself: will you want a fire pit or fireplace nearby? What about an outdoor kitchen, bar, or cabana?

2. Take a Look at Your Site

It’s important to ask a pool design expert to do a site analysis based on your property. This can help prevent your project from running into snags later. Big leafy trees and pools are a bad combination: you’ll constantly be cleaning out leaves. Pecan trees are prone to a disease call pecan scab in which the leaves develop black spots. When the leaves come in contact with other surfaces, like your pool deck, they leave behind a black film that is very difficult to get rid of.

3. Choose Your Pool Type and Shape

Vinyl and fiberglass pools are not commonly built in Texas because of soil conditions, so if you live in Texas, concrete is likely your best choice. The shape of the pool should also complement the architecture of your house. For example, for a modern house, I would design a sleek and simple pool. Be careful about “trendy” pool designs. A pool that is trendy now can date the house later.

4. Select Water and Deck Color

As far as color goes, I think that a pretty blue or aqua is the best pool color. Light-colored decks reflect light, while dark pool decks absorb heat. One of the concerns with light-colored decks is that they stain easily, but a good sealer can prevent this. Choose a durable tile that is easy to clean for the inside edge of your pool.

5. Plan for Pool Extras

This pool on a University Park home that we designed features an integrated hot tub with matching tile.

A spa or hot tub can be either integrated into a pool or built separately. I think it’s better to integrate the two as long as the spa will blend with the pool’s design. When it comes to water features, I personally love deck jets that arc and crisscross each other.

6. Add Outdoor Furniture

Pool furniture needs to have complementary colors to the home’s exterior. Although I often mix and match different kinds of furniture in my interior design, with outdoor furniture I almost always use all matching sets, with the same metal finishes and same fabric on the large cushions and umbrella. I introduce variety with contrasting decorative pillows or accent tables (like faux bois accent tables or garden stools), but that’s about it.

7. Do Your Research

It’s easy to get excited looking at brochures of beautiful pools, but think carefully before you take the plunge. Although a pool can help sell your house, homes with poorly made pools are harder to sell than homes without them. Look for pool companies in your area that have been in the business for a minimum of fifteen to twenty years and have a good reputation.

If adding a pool to your home is just one part of your home building or home renovation project, you can also bring in an interior designer for their input. An interior designer usually has a lot to say about pools: after all, they want to make sure that your pool not only looks beautiful, but is the perfect match for your house. To schedule a free consultation with us, send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com or call our Dallas office at 214-651-7665.

Why Homeowners and Designers Alike Are Embracing English Style This Year / June 10, 2022 by Margaret Chambers

English style can work with both warm or cool colors. Pink adds a whimsical touch to this English cottage we designed.

English style has been making a comeback lately. If I had to make a guess as to why, I think it’s because English furniture is a little bit simpler than French or Italian style furniture. It mixes really well with a modern home.

If you’re drawn to English style but are worried that incorporating it will date your interior design, you’ll be glad to know that an English-inspired home can still look very current. In this article, I’ll give an overview of the key characteristics of English style and how I’ve been using English furniture and accessories successfully in my own design projects.

Traditional English homes, whether they are cottages or manors, tend to be comfortable, warm, and inviting. The color schemes are classic and understated rather than bold and vibrant. For example, these colors can include rust red, robin’s egg blue, pale green, pink, or gray. The flooring in an English home is usually wood with rugs over it, especially oriental or sisal rugs. The window treatments could be drapes, curtains, or shades, but never blinds.

Even a relatively modern or transitional English style home should be layered with antiques or traditional art to give the home a sense of history. That said, most designers are not using as many antiques as we did ten or twenty years ago. Back then, I would occasionally do entire rooms in English style, but nowadays, I use English antiques as more of an accent, scattering them throughout the home.

Another way to help an English-inspired room feel more current is to choose contemporary colors and simple draperies. For example, in one project with English antiques I used an aqua paint color to make the room feel fresh.

Aqua paint helps this English antique-filled dining room seem light and airy as opposed to dark and dated.

If you don’t already own English antique furniture, you’ll definitely want to brush up on the different periods of furniture making, such as the Tudor, Georgian, or Edwardian periods. Thomas Chippendale is the most famous English furniture maker: anything that was originally made in his workshop belongs in a museum today.

English furniture is usually made with very dark wood, such as mahogany, and has less carving than French or Italian pieces. Another interesting thing to know is that the English liked as many reflective surfaces in their homes as possible to brighten things up. As a result, they used shiny finishes on both their wood furniture and their hardware, with the hardware often finished in shiny brass.

English antiques are often made of dark woods with shiny finishes, like these in a University Park home we designed.

An easy way to capture the ‘English look’ is to learn about iconic furniture designs from England and incorporate them into your rooms. Some of these “staple” pieces include the Windsor chair, the Queen Anne chair, and the Chesterfield sofa. Four-poster beds with heavy drapes were traditionally used in English homes to insulate against the night chill.

I would also encourage anyone serious about English antiques to see collections in person if they can. Here in Dallas, the DMA has a whole wing of fine pieces of American furniture. American furniture is worth looking at as well: American and English antique furniture are so similar to each other that it can take an expert to distinguish the two. Another large collection of American furniture is in the Winterthur Museum in Delaware.

As far as accessories go, the English liked to use chinoiserie. Europeans in general have long been fascinated with Asian porcelains. Other accessories commonly seen in the traditional English home include needlepoint pillows, antique clocks, and oil paintings of family portraits, dogs, or horses.

Traditional paintings featuring dogs and horses, especially in hunting scenes, are classic English style.

Even if full-blown English interiors are considered outdated by some today, I still love to work with English furnishings and antiques. Balancing them with a modern or contemporary interior is a fun and rewarding challenge.

An interior designer like myself, especially one well-versed in European antiques, can be a valuable partner in both sourcing the antiques and figuring out the best way to use them in your home. To schedule a free consultation with us, send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com or call our Dallas office at 214-651-7665.

Take Your Interiors to the Next Level with Decorative Mirrors / May 11, 2022 by Margaret Chambers

Antique mirrors are best for traditional homes, like this English cottage we designed in University Park.

Mirrors are one of those interior design tools that no home can really do without. Even in rooms where you wouldn’t normally need a mirror, they still offer many benefits, such as reflecting more light into the space or making a room feel more expansive. If you’d like to add more mirrors to your home but aren’t sure what kind to buy or where to hang them, read on for some of my personal tips.

Choosing Mirror Size

This mirror in a Dallas home goes all the way up to the ceiling. It makes the small powder room feel twice as large.

As far as size goes, you should usually go for the largest mirror you can afford. Because mirrors tend to recede into the background, you can get away with a large mirror even in a space where a large painting of the same size wouldn’t work. Don’t forget that mirrored walls are an option too — they really open up a small space, like a bathroom.

Selecting Mirror Shapes

In a room with a lot of straight lines, a round mirror will add some much-needed variety.

Mirrors come in a lot of shapes besides rectangular, so consider your options carefully before buying. It’s possible that a round, oval, bull’s-eye, square, or sunburst mirror would be the perfect shape for your wall. At my firm, we sometimes use beveled mirrors with small medallions in the corners.

Finding the Right Mirror Style and Frame

Carved frames like this one can be ‘too much’ for contemporary homes but are perfect for Old World style homes.

The style of your home or room should complement the mirrors you choose. Traditional mirrors, which often have sculpted frames with intricate details, are best for traditional houses, for example. If you have a brand-new mirror that you want to include in a traditional room, you can always have it antiqued. Mirror frames in contemporary or modern homes tend to be more simple and subtle.

Placing Your Mirrors

We placed a painting and a mirror across from each other in this entry so that the painting would reflect in the mirror.

When it comes to finding the right spot for your mirror, you have two options. You should either try to reflect natural light or reflect something decorative in your room. For windowless rooms, you can also put your mirror next to a lamp or sconce to double the amount of light: this is a great technique for lighting up dark corners.

If you’re going to reflect something besides light or scenery, it’s important that your mirror shows something attractive. For example, try to reflect a painting, a piece of pretty furniture, or a beautiful door in your mirror.

Hanging Your Mirror

If you're hanging a mirror above a chest, it should generally be closer to the chest rather than centered on the wall.

How high you hang your mirror depends on what kind of room it’s in. For example, a hallway mirror should be at eye level so that you can check your reflection before you leave the house. If you’re hanging your mirror above a piece of furniture, the mirror should be closer to the furniture than it is to the ceiling. This brings the mirror and furniture together as a vignette. A nice way to fill a large wall is to hang one mirror in the center of a group of small individual paintings or prints.

Mirrors need to be hung with at least two wall hooks or picture hangers. The problem with hanging a mirror on a single hook is that it will end up resting against the wall at an angle, which distorts the reflection. Always have your very heavy mirrors hung by professionals.

Once you’ve learned about the different kinds of mirrors available and how to utilize them effectively, adding that extra touch of luxe to your home will be that much easier. If you could use some help with sourcing antique mirrors or custom mirrors for your Dallas home, give us a call at 214-651-7665 or send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com. I work with a wide variety of interior design styles, so I have a lot of experience with using both traditional and contemporary mirrors.

5 Alternatives to a Plain White Ceiling / February 28, 2022 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.

How to Set a Gorgeous Table for the Holidays / November 8, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

The table setting for this University Park dining room is garden-themed. The china has hand-painted botanical and butterfly motifs.

Although certain images and colors come to mind for holiday table settings, there is plenty of room for you to get creative too. In this article, I’ll go over best practices for table settings, so you can dress a great table any time of the year.

General Tips for Table Settings:

Step 1: Laying a Foundation

If you’re at a loss on where to begin, try picking a visual element that you enjoy—such as a color, type of flower, or a pattern—and basing the rest of your design around it. Another good starting point is choosing your tablecloth (which forms the foundation of your design) first. That said, many homeowners today prefer to use placemats and chargers instead of a tablecloth.

This green-and-white ikat tablecloth is custom-made from Vervain Fabrics.

You can also consider if you want to use a table pad under your tablecloth. Table pads protect your table from heat and spills. Your runner should have a color that matches at least one other element in the room, such as the upholstery on the dining chairs or the paint color on the walls.

Step 2: Place Settings

How you set the table depends on whether your event is a casual or formal one. For a formal dinner, there are certain guidelines to keep in mind in regards to silverware and stemware placement. Don’t be afraid to adjust the arrangement a bit if it makes more sense for your table. For example, although bread plates usually go on the upper left, they may look better on the lower left for your table setting.

If you’re buying a new set of dishes, go with a neutral color and an understated pattern. That way, your plates will mix and match with a variety of different tablescapes in the future. Old and new china patterns can coordinate as long as they share the same color scheme.

There are many ways to fold a napkin, the easiest of which is to pass the napkin through a pretty napkin ring. If your napkins have detailing on the ends, make sure that the details will still be visible after folding. Monogrammed napkins are particularly popular right now.

Step 3: Choosing a Centerpiece and Accessories

Most people use a large flower arrangement as their table centerpiece, but it’s not the only option. For contemporary dining rooms, a clay or metal abstract sculpture can be a good alternative.

This ginger jar contains paper lanterns, bittersweet, and willow branches, which add a burst of orange to the table.

A single centerpiece won’t be enough to balance a large table. You’ll want to even things out by scattering small vases or baskets across the table with a variety of greens. Regardless of what you use to decorate the table, nothing should be so tall that it blocks conversation between seated guests.

Decorating with fresh fruits is another way to add something organic to the table. Lemons, limes, oranges, pomegranates, and red currants all make beautiful table decorations.

Design Advice for Holiday Table Settings

By using natural materials, earth tones, and reds, we were able to give this table setting a cheerful autumnal feel.

Your holiday colors don’t have to be red, green, blue, or white—in fact, those colors may clash with the rest of the décor in your dining room. If you’d like to branch out, try jewel tones like raspberry, teal, or deep purple. You can also give your holiday table setting a more upscale touch by including metallic accents. As an example, you can pick a tablecloth or runner with a subtle gold pattern and use bright gold chargers on top.

Adding a woodsy element, like branches or pinecones, is one way to give a Christmas table setting a more rustic feel. Candles are a common table accessory any time of the year, but during the holidays, they’re a must. Stay away from scented candles, however: they can interfere with the aromas of the meal you serve.

Table settings are often one of the last home decorating projects that people do during the holidays. However, there is no need for yours to be a last-minute scramble. By picking your theme and ordering flowers in advance, you can make setting the table a more enjoyable and stress-free process this year.

Need some extra help getting ready for the holidays? Some of my clients ask me to come back and decorate their homes for Christmas, so my firm has a lot of experience with holiday decorating. Schedule a free consultation with us by calling our Dallas office at 214-232-9501 or emailing us at info@chambersinteriors.com.

Add Serious Style to Your Bookshelves With These Five Steps / July 23, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

It’s important to leave some negative space on each shelf so that the items have “breathing room.”

Although shelves are rarely the focal point in interior design, it can’t be denied that cluttered, carelessly decorated shelves will distract from an otherwise immaculate space. If you’re redecorating your Dallas home and could use some help making your shelves look both clean and stylish, try following these five steps.

1: Edit Your Collections

We used a grasscloth wallpaper in the back of this bookcase for added depth, texture, and color.

To start with, remove all of the items on your shelves and go through them. Edit out anything that you either don’t love anymore or that clashes with the rest of your decorating scheme. This is also a great time to look at your bare shelves and decide if those could use an update, too. I like to add fabric or wallpaper to the backs of bookshelves to give them more depth and flair.

For a professionally designed look, keep in mind that interior designers usually decorate shelves with fewer items than the average homeowner. Cutting down on clutter gives each object more impact.

If you’re starting with a clean slate and could use some shopping tips, look for trays, small bronzes, boxes, antique tea caddies, vases, picture frames, and small art prints in addition to your books. Leaning a framed art print or photo against the back draws the viewer’s eye deeper into the shelf.

Organic accessories, such as petrified wood, geodes, coral, shells, and rattan baskets help give your shelves a variety of textures. Small potted plants (whether faux or live) add some refreshing greenery to your shelves too.

2: Pick Your Main Colors

Bookshelves should have a unified color scheme whenever possible. I recommend picking two complementary colors, adding in one type of metal, and using any number of neutral colors in-between.

3: Place Your Largest Items First

After you’ve narrowed down your selections, place your largest items on the shelves first. These can include stacks of coffee table books, baskets, vases, sculptures and trays. Some of these pieces may be large enough that you can put them on a shelf standalone.

The shelves in this Preston Hollow library are stained black, creating a dramatic backdrop for the clients’ books and objet d’art. — The shelves in this Preston Hollow library are stained black, creating a dramatic backdrop for the clients’ books and *objet d’art*.

4: Organize Your Books

Next, gather together all the books you’re using. If you have lots of books, you can group them by color.

Experiment with arranging books vertically, leaning them, or stacking them horizontally. A horizontal stack should have at least three books. If any of your books have unattractive spines or do not match your color scheme, turn them around so that the pages are facing out instead.

The blue-and-white china and the books on these shelves are all color-coordinated with the rest of the room.

Some formulas for combining books and accessories include:

· Putting books, a bookend, and a decorative bowl or basket together on a shelf

· Setting a ball-shaped accessory against leaning books and adding a vase

· Holding a set of books upright with a horizontal book stack that has a decorative object on top

5: Add the Finishing Touches

Once you’ve found a place for your large and medium items, use your small items to fill in any awkward gaps. That said, don’t fill out every shelf completely. A little negative space helps give your collections some “breathing room.”

As you arrange your shelves, make sure to vary the heights, pairing tall and short items together. Don’t be afraid to show your personality: shelves are the perfect place for travel mementos, family photos, and collectibles.

Before you finish decorating, take a step back to see how all the shelves in a room work together. It’s important to have some repeating colors or objects evenly distributed throughout the shelves, but it can be tricky to achieve the right balance. For example, if you have two gold objects on two adjoining shelves, you may want to move one of them to a further away shelf to balance things out.

A mixture of potted plants, porcelain jars, books, and picture frames fill these shelves we designed for a Plano home.

One way to balance a tall shelving unit is to fill the four corner shelves with similar objects. These corners create a visual “frame” that bring everything together in the center shelves. To style a long shelf, create distinct vignettes that gently touch each other around the edges.

None of these design rules are set in stone, so don’t be afraid to experiment until your shelves feel right to you. And most of all, don’t forget to have some fun too. Shelves are a great opportunity to express a story about yourself. The end result shouldn’t look too staged, but rather, tell the world about who you are.

Having trouble editing down your collections? Getting a professional second opinion from an interior designer is invaluable. To contact us, send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com or call our Dallas office at 214-651-7665.

The Best Questions to Ask When You Interview an Interior Designer / June 28, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

On the left, you can see a painting that our client inherited, which gave us inspiration for the home’s color scheme.

While there are many talented interior designers in Dallas, not all of them will necessarily be the right fit for your project. That’s why asking the right questions when you interview them is important. Here are some questions I would personally ask if I were hiring a designer for my home.

1. What are their credentials?

This home recently won 1st Place for Best Entire Residence Over 5,000 Square Feet in the Dallas Design Ovation Awards.

I’d want to know that my interior designer had a degree from a reputable university, was a registered interior designer, a member of ASID, and had at least ten years of experience. It’s also helpful to see if they’ve been published in magazines and won interior design awards. When you talk to their references, ask: “Would you hire this interior designer again?”

2. Is this person a good fit for my project?

I would interview three to five designers to find the right fit. You can get a sense of the designer’s style and taste by asking them about their favorite colors, their favorite house they’ve designed, and their favorite places to travel. In most cases, you want a designer who can work with any style. However, if you’re passionate about a specific style, it’s not a bad idea to find a designer who specializes in it. During the interview, ask the designer if they’ve done projects similar to yours in the past. If they say yes, have them show you before and after photos.

Any good designer should ask questions to get to know you and how you live in your home when you meet them. It’s also a good idea to find out if the designer is willing to work with your favorite pieces.

We hung the client’s chandelier and antique mirror over this tub. The mirror helps to reflect light into the space.

It’s going to be important that you like your interior designer; you’ll be spending a lot of time with them. That said, I would not work with a friend or family member. It’s better to keep this as a business relationship (although you may very well become friends with your designer afterwards).

3. How do they charge?

No two designers will charge in the exact same way. Some of the different payment methods you see in the interior design industry include: charging by the hour, charging a mark-up on products, charging a flat flee, charging a percentage of the total project cost, or a combination of any of these. Designers who offer a flat-rate option usually have stipulations, such as a limit to the number of adjustments you request.

My love for European antiques can be seen in several of our projects, such as this French Chateau in University Park.

Another thing to consider is that not all interior designers offer the same services. Some designers focus specifically on design consultation for existing homes. My firm is a full-service design firm, which means that my team and I have the experience to manage an entire home project, from planning and construction to design and installation. Full-service design firms can also do remodeling jobs.

4. What is the designer’s process like?

Ask them: how will you present your selections to me? If I were hiring a designer, I’d like for them to give me two color scheme options for each room.

Another good interview question is to ask the designer about a mistake they made in the past. How did they resolve it? Did they learn from the experience? This gives you important insight into how the designer will handle bumps in the road. To prevent potential problems, my firm double-checks items before we order to make sure everything will fit. You can’t be too detailed in this business: it’s important to document everything you do and require signatures for all deliveries.

You also want to find out who else works with the designer. Do their assistant designers have degrees as well? Who will be your primary point of contact? Personally, I wouldn’t work with a designer “so big” they’re farming out the design work to junior designers.

My design firm has experience with both newly built homes and remodels, like this award-winning bathroom remodel.

Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions at your interview. Your goal is to find a designer you enjoy working with and who is invested in helping you discover your own personal style, rather than just recreating their own style in your home! If you ask several of the questions discussed here at each of your interviews, you’ll find the perfect match for your project in no time.

At my design firm, we offer a free consultation to get to know you and your project before we start working together. We have a lot of experience working with a variety of styles, from traditional to transitional and contemporary. If you’re currently looking for a Dallas-based interior design firm, give us a call at 214-651-7665. You can also reach us by email at info@chambersinteriors.com.

Decorating With Bold Colors: Tips for the Color-Shy / June 22, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

Artwork, like this floral painting over the sofa in SMU’s new Kappa Alpha Theta house in Dallas, is a great opportunity to add a burst of color to your room.

Although bold colors have been trending the last few years, many homeowners wonder, ‘how much is too much?’ In my own design work in Dallas, I’ve been including more color in projects lately. I thought that readers would appreciate some tips on how to work with bold colors in a balanced way.

Starting Small

If you’re new to using bold paint or wallpaper colors, try them in a smaller space like a powder room first. For powder rooms, however, I suggest staying away from bright green. Green casts an unflattering hue on you or your guest in the mirror.

We used a metallic butterfly wallpaper to give this powder room a “jewel box” feel.

Brightly colored accessories such as throw pillows, stools, artwork, ottomans, and blankets can be easily swapped out if you get tired of them. If you’d like to add some boldly colored furniture, consider having the furniture you own repainted rather than buying new furniture. Other easy ways to introduce color into the room include buying fresh flowers, getting new lampshades, or putting books with colorful covers on your shelf.

Picking the Dominant Color

The size of your room determines how much color you can comfortably accommodate. In a large room, it would be overwhelming to use a bold paint color on all four walls. In small and medium rooms, however, you can get away with a bold base color.

Some colors can function as neutrals even if they aren’t traditionally thought of as such. For example, navy blue and moss green are soothing to the eye and often used as base colors. The location and architecture of your home can also affect what colors look best in it. Rust red and navy typically look best in traditional homes. Blue-and-white rooms are often associated with coastal style (although you don’t necessarily have to live on the coast to use these colors).

This bedroom is an example of how you can use different shades of the same bold color—like light blue, cobalt, and navy—to create a balanced color scheme.

Picking Your Secondary Colors

Before you commit to a bold color, pick out your secondary colors to go with it. One good formula is to have sixty percent of your room be in a neutral color, thirty percent in a stronger color, and save the last ten percent for your boldest colored accessories.

Usually the brighter a bold color is, the more challenging it is to work with. Bold colors that are toned down just a notch are a safer bet. For example, consider using burnt orange instead of pumpkin orange, soft yellow instead of highlighter yellow, and brick red instead of fire engine red.

The shades of orange we used in this north Dallas guest bedroom are just bright enough to give the room personality without making it too energizing.

The blue and white tiger wallpaper in this Preston Hollow powder room shows how bright colors can give small rooms more impact.

Blue-and-white is a classic color combination that never goes out of style. You can get away with very vibrant shades of blue by pairing them with white. After all, it’s a color combination that our eyes are used to seeing—think of white clouds in a blue sky. If you want your room to be really energizing, decorating with one bold color and lots of black and white will give you the high contrast look you need. Placing bright artwork and accessories against a mostly white backdrop is another appealing combination.

For balance and depth, use different, less-intense tones of your boldest color throughout the room. When it comes to patterns, choose either a bold color in a subtle pattern or a busy pattern in a muted color. Chaotic patterns in bright colors are the most difficult to work with.

Coordinate the Rest of Your Home

While not every room in your home needs to have the same color scheme, it’s important that the colors flow naturally. So, if you have one room with a bright pink and teal color scheme, don’t decorate the next one with navy and red. One way to ensure the colors in your rooms flow together is to invert your color combination for adjoining rooms. For example, if your sitting room has green walls and white accents, the next room over could be mostly white with bright green accents.

Vivid colors can be beautiful in both contemporary and classical homes. We decorated this traditional cottage in University Park with bright pink colors.

Although every year sees new colors come into fashion, try not to focus exclusively on what’s trending. A room with a well-balanced, aesthetically pleasing color scheme will always look great no matter the year.

By following some of the tips outlined above, you’ll hopefully have the knowledge you need to start incorporating bold colors in your home. However, if you’re still not confident that you can integrate your favorite eye-popping fabrics, wallpapers, and paint colors, consider giving us a call. As you can see from the photos of recent projects featured here, we have a lot of experience working with color. Call our Dallas office at 214-232-9501 or send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com to schedule a free consultation.

Design a Balcony, Patio, or Porch that You’ll Love to Use / April 7, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

We decorated this front porch on a Dallas home with faux bois benches by Currey & Company.

Balconies, porches, and patios are enviable design features for a home. But designing an outdoor space comes with its own challenges. You'll need to ask yourself: do you want to design around a view? Create privacy? How will you provide shelter from the elements?

Balconies, especially, are often small. Some people just put out lawn chairs and aren’t sure what else to include. If your Dallas home has an outdoor space that’s a little underutilized, here are some ideas on how to get the most out of it.

General Outdoor Space Guidelines:

A good first step to designing an outdoor space is to research outdoor-friendly furniture materials. Wrought iron, teak, and resin wicker are all common in outdoor decorating. You should also look for cushions that dry quickly and can stand up to the sun's rays.

A lantern chandelier helps to illuminate this outdoor area we designed for a University Park chateau.

Lighting is very important for these spaces, especially if you like to enjoy your balcony, patio or porch as the sun is setting or in the evenings. Look into pendants, sconces, string lights, or lanterns, and remember that bulbs with a warm color are preferable here to bright white.

An easy way to add color to outdoor spaces is to decorate with vases, potted plants, and pillows. Don’t forget to dress up the floor too. A patterned area rug adds comfort underfoot, but graphic floor tiles can introduce a lot of flair too. If privacy is a concern, you may need to add a screen lattice with climbing plants, a tall potted plant, or a shrub.

Tips for Balconies:

Space is premium on balconies, so think about how you’ll be using yours and plan accordingly. If you like to eat dinner out on the balcony, then obviously you’ll need a table; if you’re only going to be reading or enjoying an occasional cocktail, you can get away with just a comfortable chair and a small ottoman or drink table.

Take the opportunity to install built-in seating if your balcony is still under construction. This way, you won’t have to worry about furniture being knocked over by the wind.

Tips for Porches and Patios:

The brown-and-white-striped cushions seen here complement the earth tones in the stone exterior of the house.

As with balconies, consider how you’ve used your porch or patio so far. This is especially important for front porches. Is yours a living space? Or is it a transitional space into your foyer? Either way, it’s important that your outdoor furnishings blend with your interiors and also complement the paint colors on the outside of your home.

An outdoor area, such as this one we designed in Kessler Park, should have a variety of seating options that are all equally comfortable.

Most people who have porches feel like they don’t use them enough. Make sure to buy seating that is comfortable for you and your guests, or else you’ll rarely use it. Porch swings with cozy pillows, deep-seated Adirondack chairs, and rocking chairs give you a variety of options that are both relaxing and durable. Your largest piece of furniture should face outwards, while the rest of your seating in a conversation group should face towards it.

The red painted door brightens this shaded porch and makes it feel more inviting.

A small front porch is still an important opportunity to make a good first impression. If your porch is shadowy, brighten things up by painting the door a lighter color than the rest of the home, then add a new door-knocker. The door should ideally be the focal point of the porch or patio, so flank it with symmetrical plants or furniture on either side. If your door is on the right or left rather than in the center, lead a visitor’s eye to your door with a lineup of potted plants.

A ceiling fan will help the residents of this Dallas home enjoy their outdoor seating area even during hot summers.

Swapping accessories out with the seasons adds a lot of charm to your porch or patio. Include throw blankets on the outdoor furniture so you can enjoy the cooler months outside, too. A ceiling fan is also a smart investment for making your porch comfortable in hot summers.

If you have trouble getting your outdoor space to harmonize with the rest of your home, consider hiring a designer. Despite being called ‘interior designers,’ many of us consult with our clients about their outdoor areas too. A professional will know the best way to take advantage of your space and create a porch, patio or balcony you'll enjoy in all seasons. You can reach out to us by calling our Dallas office at 214-232-9501 or sending an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

Essential Items for Designing the Perfect Foyer or Entryway / January 29, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

Lots of natural light will help a foyer feel open and airy. This north Dallas project was recently published in Luxe.

Foyers and entryways are an important area of the home that sadly often goes overlooked. They’re not just the first impression a guest has of your home; they are also a landing strip where you transition from public to private life.

The following designer tips can be applied to entryways of all shapes and sizes, in all styles of home architecture. Before you begin, take a look at your available space and identify the main goals you want to achieve with your foyer. You might not have room to incorporate all of the suggestions below, so pick the items that make the most sense for you and your family.

Furniture

Putting a console table, bench, and decorative mirror together will form a classic entryway vignette.

Most professionally-designed foyers will have at least one of the following: a console table, a chest, or a bench. Benches are helpful to have because they offer a place for people to put on or take off shoes.

Choosing a chest over a console table can be wise if you don’t have a lot of closet space and need extra storage for your seasonal clothes. To dress up the space, hang a statement mirror or painting over your table, chest, or bench.

Rugs

This Oak Cliff house we designed features both an entry staircase with a patterned runner and a bench for seating.

In some homes, the entryway is small and enclosed on most sides. In an open concept home, however, the space is less defined. Dallas homeowners with an open concept house should make sure to delineate where their foyer begins and ends using a rug as well as a few pieces of furniture, such as a bookcase, console table, or bench. You can also use a partition or decorative screen to visually divide the entryway from the rest of the first floor.

Since this is a high-traffic area, your entry rug should have good traction and be durable. Wool is easier to clean than other materials, making it a popular choice for entryways. Jute is another good option because it doesn’t show wear and tear as visibly as alternatives. Those of you with an entry staircase should also think about getting a beautiful runner to make it safer to walk on.

Storage

An antique tea caddy can be a charming addition to your console table. Click here to learn more about tea caddies.

If you don’t have a separate mudroom, and your foyer tends to get cluttered, identify what kinds of clutter accumulate there. Do you have a shoes-off policy for your home? If so, store shoes in a chest or basket under the console. Do you drop off your mail, sunglasses, and keys as soon as you get home? Place a pretty decorative box on your console table to collect these loose items.

To keep umbrellas off the floor, I recommend finding an umbrella stand made of porcelain, brass, or Lucite. As an aside, all of your storage solutions should either complement the overall space or be in neutral colors so that they fade into the background.

This foyer has two decorative light sources: a star-shaped light fixture overhead and a lamp with a faux bois stand.

Lighting

One common problem with entryways is that they can be narrow and poorly lit. You have a few options for making sure yours is bright and welcoming.

In a foyer with very little natural light, a statement chandelier is the obvious choice. A less obvious option you might not have considered would be to decorate your console table or chest with a lamp. To reflect the natural light coming in through your windows or door, include a wall mirror in your foyer. Another advantage to putting a mirror in your entryway is that you can do a hair check one last time as you head out the door.

Accents

Seen here is a coffee table from the foyer we designed in SMU’s new Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house.

Since your foyer is like a sneak peek of the rest of your home, don’t be afraid to show your personality. This area can be a great place for a few personal photos and mementos. For your table or chest, decorate it as you would a coffee table: fresh flowers, a bowl of seashells, antiques, candles, or books could help complete the look.

Designing a better foyer won’t just impress your guests. It’ll bring you cheer when you come home after a long day to find a beautiful and well-organized space awaiting you. By taking a moment to strategize and identify key items missing from your current setup, you too can have a foyer that is as stylish as it is functional.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for an interior design team that will learn about your vision and source the items for you, you’ve come to the right place. To schedule a free consultation, call 214-232-9501 to reach our Dallas office or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Styling a Bed 101: How to Make Every Bed in Your Home More Inviting / January 7, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

Seen above is the master bedroom from a chateau we designed in University Park, Dallas.

Although there are dozens of ways to style a bed, some methods are more tried-and-true than others. If you’re looking for a way to refresh your bedding without committing a style faux-paus, you’ll want to take a look at these guidelines. In this article, I’ll cover classic formulas for making a bed as well as the most popular colors, patterns, and materials for bedding.

Foolproof Formulas for Making a Bed

The four standard size pillows in the back and smaller decorative pillow up front are just the right proportion for this queen bed.

The number and size of the pillows you should use depends on the size of your bed.

For a queen bed, you’ll need: two queen-size pillows, two sham pillows, and an accent pillow between 22 and 26 inches. For a king bed, you’ll want to use the following pillow formula: two king-size pillows, three king-sized sham pillows, and an accent pillow between 24 and 26 inches.

The stylistically safest way to arrange these is to put the pillow shams in back, your sleeping pillows in the middle, and then your accent pillows in front. Here are some alternative formulas for beds that are also very balanced:

Four sleeping pillows in back, one lumbar pillow in front
·Two sleeping pillows in back, one lumbar, and one accent pillow in front
Four sleeping pillows and two to three differently shaped and sized accent pillows in front

If you have a pretty headboard, you may want to go with fewer pillows to show it off. For lumbar pillows, consider placing a round decorative pillow in front; it’ll contrast nicely with the rectangular shape behind it.

We made sure to use lumbar pillows here so that the hand-blocked pattern on the upholstered headboard would be visible.

Duvet and Sheet Tips

Top sheets should be put in finished side down so that the sleeper can enjoy the soft texture. This way, the finished side will also be visible when you fold the banding back.

When you fold your duvet, I recommend folding it in half, and then pulling it back towards you into thirds, past the rows of pillows. Pulling it back gives the pillows more “breathing room” and creates more depth. Regardless of bed size, any blanket or quilt you put on the bed needs to be long enough that both ends could drape off the sides.

Here, the grey quilted coverlet is folded back to expose white sheets, giving more depth to the bed in this Dallas bedroom.

Choose Bedding Materials Wisely

Since the bed is the main attraction in any bedroom, it makes sense to prioritize it in your budget. Look for the highest quality bedding you can afford. That said, there is no need to break the bank on your next mattress; a good mattress topper can make even the most uncomfortable mattresses feel great. Make sure to get a mattress cover too. It helps you get the most longevity out of your mattress.

Many people change their bedding with the seasons. Percale sheets are nice and cool in the summer, flannels will keep you warm in the winter, and linen is a good in-between material for both spring and fall. Its hollow fibers trap the optimal amount of body heat to keep you warm at night while also being soft and supple.

Color and Pattern Combinations You Can’t Go Wrong With

All-white bedding is popular because it promotes a feeling of relaxation. Even when your duvet and pillows are colorful, it’s strongly recommended to choose white sheets and sleeping pillows. The white pillows and folded-down top sheet (if visible) will help break up the areas of color and give the eye a place to rest. Blue is probably the next most popular color scheme for bedding. While white is elegant and refined, blue has more of a casual and coastal feel.

White and blue is a classic color combination. It can instantly give bedding a refreshing and uplifting feel.

Love patterns? Make sure to break up the patterns in your bedding with some solid colors too so that the bedding is not too “busy.” To unite different patterns, make sure both patterns share at least one color. If you’re using a subtle tone-on-tone look for your colors and patterns, you’ll need to go in the opposite direction and introduce contrast with a variety of textures.

The busy patterns on the curtains and decorative pillow in this bedroom are balanced out by the neutral bedding.

A beautifully made bed makes a world of difference for the bedroom. Regardless of whether you want an upscale or a casual look, combining the right patterns, fabrics and colors will help you create a look that makes you (or your guest) want to dive right in.

In this master bedroom, you can see an example of a heavily-patterned, tone-on-tone bedding set.

Could the bedding sets in your home use a refresh this year? Consider bringing in an interior designer to give your bedrooms that extra ‘wow’ factor. To schedule a free consultation with Chambers Interiors, call our Dallas office at 214-651-7665 or send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

Quick and Easy Ways to Decorate Your Coffee Table / December 16, 2020 by Margaret Chambers

The flowers on this coffee table are baby blue, matching perfectly with the blue and white china in the room.

You should never underestimate the impact that a coffee table has on the rest of the room. Coffee tables are important because they’re usually the centerpieces of the living room or the den, so they have an effect on a visitor’s first impression. Fortunately, they’re also pretty easy to style once you know the tried-and-true methods for decorating them.

An antique dog statue adds interest and character to this contemporary Dallas living room.

How you decorate your coffee table depends largely on what shape it is. The six basic coffee table shapes are: round, oval, square, rectangular, hexagonal/octagonal, and “amorphous.” Rectangular coffee tables tend to be easier to decorate because they have more surface area than a similarly sized round or oval table. If you have a round table, try arranging items in a triangular shape, and make sure to include at least one round object on the table.

The classic go-to accessories for a coffee table are stacks of books, something tall (such as a plant or a candle), a storage tray or dish, and one unusual accessory. Don’t push any of the objects out to the corners of the table; it looks better if everything is loosely centered.

Books:

Coffee table books look best when stacked in groups of two to four each. Photography, art, fashion, or interior design books are all great choices. Whenever possible, try to select books with covers that complement the color scheme of the rest of the room.

We filled the decorative bowl on this coffee table with Shiva Lingams, which are egg-shaped river stones polished by hand and originally from India.

Plants:

A coffee table without a single plant (whether faux or live) can feel a little staged. Plants add an organic touch and some texture to the tablespace. As with everything else, the plant needs to be the correct proportion for the table. For example, you wouldn’t want an oversized plant that overwhelms the table, but a tiny potted succulent in the middle of a large table wouldn’t work either. Plants should not be so large that they get in the way of conversation or watching television. For special occasions, you may enjoy swapping out your potted plants with some fresh flowers.

The flowers spilling out of a shallow bowl over this glass-top coffee table add color to the otherwise neutral space.

Trays and Bowls:

Trays can help organize functional items, such as coasters. Make sure to pick one that doesn’t occupy more than half of the tabletop space, and don’t place it right in the center either. Clear trays and flower vases fade into the background, making your table look a little more spacious. Although many homeowners use their coffee table tray to store remotes, I recommend storing those out-of-sight in drawers or a decorative box instead.

Decorative Objects:

Coffee tables are also a great place to show your personality, since they’re an appropriate spot for unusual collectibles and antiques. Examples can include pretty jewel boxes, antique tea caddies, glass orbs, or small sculptures. To vary the heights of your objects, place decorative objects or plants on top of your stacked books.

Although not every coffee table has to have each of these elements (books, trays, plants, and small accessories), these are usually what you’ll see on a professionally styled coffee table. If your table is smaller, you may want to restrict yourself to just three objects of interest.

The best coffee tables are artfully designed, but functional too: leaving plenty of space for homeowners to set down a magazine or a drink with a coaster. By following these tips, you can design a coffee table that’s not only useable, but also adds some serious style to your Dallas home.

Seen here is a round coffee table from the foyer in SMU’s Kappa Alpha Theta house, which we designed in 2016.

If you need help finding charming accessories for the coffee tables in your home, you may want to consult a professional interior designer. At Chambers Interiors, we know the best places to find antique tea caddies, statues, porcelain plates, and other great accessories for coffee tables. Call our Dallas office at 214-651-7665 or send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com for more information.

How to Decorate These Common Types of Dallas Home Architecture / November 12, 2020 by Margaret Chambers

We decorated this modern Dallas house using a midcentury style, with burnt oranges, earth tones, and simple shapes.

When I’m working with clients who have recently purchased a home, they often ask me: “What’s the right style for this house’s architecture?” This is an especially common concern among people moving into a historic house. No matter how beautiful your furnishings and art collection are, your home won’t come together if your decorating clashes with the ‘bones’ of the house.

For example, an industrial loft with exposed brick will look strange decorated with all European antiques. A colonial home should use a traditional style as opposed to something trendy, like Scandinavian minimalism. In this guide, I’ll discuss the most appropriate interior design styles for four types of home architecture I see often in Dallas: Modern, English, French, and Italian.

Modern Homes

Modern homes can be seen in Highland Park, University Park, and Lower Greenville. This style of house, which is inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School architecture, typically has a flat (or sometimes gabled) roof.

Here you can see an exterior photo of the Dallas modern home featured above.

In a modern home, function comes before form: there is very little ornamentation and few decorative objects, save for some modern art to add sophistication. If you live in a modern home, you’ll need to decorate in either a modern, contemporary, or transitional style. All three of these styles tend to have a neutral color scheme, such as white, gray, tan or cream, with some brown or black accents.

If you do want to include a few antiques, I recommend multicultural works of art. Midcentury modern artists drew inspiration from other cultures (think of Pablo Picasso and his “African Period” of art). This is perhaps why Indian, East Asian, or African art will look natural in a modern setting while European antiques do not.

English, French, or Italian Homes

When you own a home with an English, French, or Italian architectural style, the safest course is to make your interior design consistent with the architecture. Depending on what type of home you have, however, you do have some leeway to incorporate pieces that are in a different style.

The dining room in this University Park English cottage has Chippendale chairs with elaborately carved chair backs.

For example, if I were designing an English home, I would make sure that at least eighty-five percent of the furnishings, fabrics, and accessories were English in style. Chippendale furniture is a very popular choice for today’s English homes. For that other fifteen percent of the house, I might include some French pieces, such as French porcelains. American antique furniture (or reproductions) are another option because American furniture was closely based on English furniture.

The same goes for French and Italian homes. A French home should be mostly French, but can have some English pieces. If you’re looking to add variety to your Italian home, I would go with French pieces, which will blend better with the rest of the home than English pieces would.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there’s quite a bit of difference between French Classical or French Country, or between Georgian and English Cottage. If your home can be described as English Cottage or French Country, you’ll want to fill it with items that are more casual and pared down.

The traditional living room in this French chateau we designed combines elegant furnishings with a soft color palette.

For all three of these styles, you can also feel free to include a few modern pieces of artwork. In Paris, it’s a popular trend to decorate old Parisian apartments with all modern artwork and furnishings. Personally, though, I believe that modern furniture should not be used in a classical French, English, or Italian home. It might look trendy today, but it won’t stand the test of time the same way that a more traditional look would.

As an interior designer, when I work with clients who own a beautiful modern, English, French, or Italian home, I want the final result to remain mostly faithful to the architectural style. That said, when most people move into a new home, they don’t start from scratch: everyone has at least a few items they’re bringing with them. Thankfully, there are ways to incorporate heirloom furniture or prized artwork that doesn’t match the exact style of the home. The key is to identify which of your items might potentially clash with the architecture and which could blend right in.

If you recently moved into a new home and aren’t sure how to bring the best out of the architecture, consult an interior designer. Here at Chambers Interiors, we are experienced in designing and decorating homes with a wide variety of architectural styles. Call our Dallas office at 214-651-7665 or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com to learn more.

Window Treatments: What to Know Before You Start Shopping / September 29, 2020 by Margaret Chambers

These curtains with a modern trellis pattern pair beautifully with the shutters in this Dallas home.

When it comes to home decorating, choosing window treatments can be one of the most daunting parts of the process. Even when you know exactly what you want, finding drapery in the right size and color for your Dallas home can be tricky. On the other hand, you might feel like there are just too many options to choose from. If you could use ideas on where to begin, read on for some interior designer tips.

The first step to choosing window treatments is to decide whether you want 'hard' or 'soft' window treatments. Hard treatments include blinds, shades, and shutters, while soft treatments include drapes and curtains.

Drapes and Curtains

Striped curtains with bright colors were used for the formal living room in SMU's new Kappa Alpha Theta house.

The words ‘curtains' and 'drapes' are used synonymously by many people but actually have different definitions. Curtains are unlined and can run to any length. Because they’re unlined, they are more lightweight than drapes and come in a wider variety of colors and patterns. Drapes, which are more formal, are lined to block out light, often run from the top of the window to the floor, and are usually made of heavier fabrics such as velvet, damask, or silk.

Once you’ve decided on the kind of soft window treatment you’d like, you'll need to decide on color, fabric, length, and hardware. If you are buying your own fabric, see if the store will let you take home a swatch. By bringing back a swatch, you can test how the texture of the fabric will look in the light of your space. Remember that patterns will look very different in person than they will in a sample image. Stripes, for example, will not look as straight in the folds of a curtain, and small-scale patterns will lose their detail from a distance.

Fabrics

We chose sheer curtains for this living room in Kessler Park. They allow plenty of natural light to filter through.

Heavier fabrics are considered to be formal, while lighter fabrics feel much more casual. Choose heavier fabrics for a luxurious look, as they are well suited for full-length drapes with pinched pleats. If you don't need much privacy in a room, you can let in more light with sheer curtains. Regardless of what material you use, choose colors that harmonize with the rest of the room. You never want your window treatments to distract from a beautiful view (or the room itself)!

Length

Length is important to consider as well. Some homeowners like to emphasize the height of their rooms by running drapes from ceiling to floor. A crisper look is created by letting curtains hang just above the floor. You can also have 'cafe-style' curtains that only cover the lower half of the window: the kitchen is a great place for curtains like these.

Buying store-bought drapes will be less expensive than buying your own fabric, but these drapes don't always come in a wide range of styles and colors. If you buy curtains or drapes from the store, keep looking until you find something you love. You can bring the whole look together with carefully chosen hardware, finials, and ties.

Trends

Trends in curtains and drapes today include patterns, grommets, and vertical and horizontal banding. Since patterns have enjoyed a recent upswing in popularity, you can expect to see a variety of geometric, floral, trellis and stripe patterns when you shop. Valances are not as common as they used to be, but can still be useful for softening the look of an otherwise undecorated window, hiding hardware, or adding color to a set of blinds. The latest trend in hardware is to use small finials and thin rods made of metal for a more understated look. Pinch pleats have always been a classic choice, but looser pleats and inverted box pleats are popular for contemporary homes.

Valances are common in traditional design, making them a good choice for these drapes in a University Park chateau.

Even after exploring all of your options at the fabric store, you may find it difficult to get the exact color and sizes you need. In this case, an interior designer can help you order the perfect custom window treatments.

Shades, Blinds, and Shutters

Whether you should choose hard, or soft window treatments depends on your needs for each room. Consider the following: do you need to protect your colorful furnishings from the sun? Will glare make it difficult to watch TV? Will insulating your windows with shades help keep down the cost of heating your home? If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes,’ you may want to install hard treatments. Many homeowners choose shades, blinds, or shutters when they want to control the light in their room without introducing a lot of texture and color.

Shades

Shades offer privacy, light control, and a clean-cut look. They can be made of either synthetic or organic materials, and come in a wide range of styles. Roller shades are a good choice for contemporary homes because of their minimalistic look; meanwhile, woven and wood shades fit with casual chic and rustic rooms. Honeycomb and cellular shades are also great insulation for your windows.

Cloth shades such as Roman or balloon shades feature the patterns and soft look you normally get with drapery. The difference is that unlike drapes, cloth shades have an easy up-and-close function. Choosing cloth shades over drapes can also save space in tight areas, such as between corner windows. One brand of grasscloth shades, Conrad Shades, is only available through interior designers. These shades are custom-woven to fit the size of your window.

Some people combine Roman shades with curtains. To make this look work, you’ll need to make sure there will be space left between the two of them. You can either install the shades inside the window frame or situate the rod so that there is enough depth between the curtains and shades.

Blinds

Unlike shades, blinds can be tilted with louvers to let in light at an angle. Blinds are usually made of either aluminum, wood, or faux-wood. Wood blinds are a classic choice that suits many different decorating styles. They are also offered in a variety of finishes, such as bamboo and pine. Faux wood blinds will not warp over time, so they are a smart choice for people living in high humidity climates.

When you buy blinds, you have multiple options for the slat sizes. For reference, the most commonly chosen slat size for blinds is two inches. A good rule of thumb is that the slat size should match the size of your window: large slats for large windows, and small slats for small windows. Two-inch slats are what you’d usually choose for medium-size windows.

Shutters

Shutters are made of either wood or vinyl and are more of an expensive, long-term option. Unlike blinds and shades, they do not lift to reveal the view, but can be opened out at the hinges from within the window frame. Shutters add sophistication and architectural detail to your windows. In the end, they can even increase the value of your home. Regular shutters and blinds have one inch of space between louvers. Plantation shutters have two to three inches of space, which lets you see more of the view.

Not sure what kind of blinds, shades, or shutters would work best for your Dallas home? Since window treatments can be a big commitment, some people prefer to seek a professional opinion. At Chambers Interiors, we help our clients find the best treatments for their windows. To set up your free consultation, call us at 214-232-9501, or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com.

Step-by-Step Guides for Designing Masculine or Feminine Spaces / August 5, 2020 by Margaret Chambers

Pictured is a masculine library with a blue and gray color scheme.

Shown here is a feminine formal living room with a pink color scheme.

Have you ever noticed how some rooms feel more feminine, while others feel masculine? Flipping through an interior design magazine, you can probably point to which rooms fall on either side of the spectrum (along with a few rooms that are a little bit of both). But perhaps you’ve never stopped to think about exactly why those rooms feel “gendered.”

For interior designers, it’s an important skill to know how to convey masculinity or femininity in a room. After all, we design for men, women, and families; we need to know how to make anyone feel at home in the spaces we design. Here are my personal designer tips for decorating the perfect masculine or feminine space.

How to Style Masculine Rooms

When you think of “masculine spaces,” the stereotypical man-cave probably comes to mind: dark walls, sports memorabilia, movie posters, a big TV, and a couch that’s seen better days. But there’s no reason that men should get the short end of the stick in home design.

Maybe you’re a bachelor wanting to give a facelift to your pad. Maybe you’re a wife who’s making sure that your husband feels included in the design process. Or maybe you’re someone who’s always been attracted to moody, gentlemanly spaces and would love to have a whole home that recreates that aesthetic. If any of the above applies to you, this design guide should come in handy.

*The wood paneling in this study is stained black. The dark color gives the space masculine sophistication, while the furniture (which is more on the feminine side) brings balance to the space.*

Step 1: Choose Your Color Palette and Patterns

Most masculine rooms you see in professionally designed interiors will feature one of the following color schemes: black-and-white, warm neutrals, or dark, rich colors. While deep reds, blues, greens, browns, and grays are great choices, avoid painting the walls black, which puts the ‘cave’ in ‘man-cave!’

Pastels, pinks, purples, and oranges are usually associated with femininity, so these should be avoided as paint colors. Deep purple and rust-orange can sometimes be included as accent colors in a masculine room. For your accent metals, try “cool” metals such as silver, pewter, gunmetal, and chrome.

There are few patterns that you couldn’t work into a masculine space, but in general, geometric patterns will be more at home here. Masculine furniture tends to have strong, clean lines rather than curves and ornate details; the same logic applies to patterns, as well. Animal print is another option if you prefer something more organic.

Step 2: Select Furniture

*This den we designed for a home in Kessler Park is subtly masculine with its tonal gray fabrics and angular furniture.*

Something I notice when I study masculine rooms is that everything is a little more massive in scale. The patterns are bigger and the furniture is beefier. Although a masculine room can be either traditional or contemporary, either way, you should select furniture with boxy silhouettes and little ornamentation. Some historical styles of furniture that lend themselves easily to this look include Art Deco, neoclassical, Biedermeier, and midcentury modern.

No masculine space is truly complete without at least one leather piece of furniture. Thankfully, leather can be purchased in multiple colors (including brown, black, or white), making it easy to incorporate into any color scheme. The overall layout of your furniture should be orderly, preferably symmetrical.

Step 3: Add Texture

*The wooden desk, hammered metal chair backs, and leather seats in this study help to give the room its masculine feel.*

Designing a masculine room is a great opportunity to play with contrasting textures. Rough textures such as unfinished wood, brick, concrete, and stone bring masculinity to mind, but so do smooth textures such as metal, leather, and lacquer.

To prevent the room from feeling cold and uncomfortable, add fabrics such as mohair, wool, tweed and cashmere. All of these materials are traditionally associated with menswear.

Step 4: Pick the Right Accessories

A masculine room doesn’t necessarily need to be minimalist. To add character to the room, don’t forget to incorporate accessories such as vintage books, pottery, or small male busts of famous leaders. Another example of an accessory I might include in a masculine room would be a large bowl of alabaster balls.

Add art or photography prints to the walls for a touch of sophistication. Art can also be your method of introducing bright accent colors to a masculine room, if you want them, since your wall colors will probably need to be more subdued.

Before you design a masculine room for the first time, you might feel like your options are limited. But there are many different ways to convey masculinity, just as there are many different ways to be a man. The ideal masculine space conveys strength, sophistication, and warmth—qualities that anyone with great taste can appreciate.

*Black-and-white architectural prints, such as these seen here, are traditionally considered masculine rather than feminine.*

Four Steps for Creating a Glamorous Feminine Space

In the early 2010s, solemn, masculine spaces were considered to be the cutting-edge of interior design. Rooms with floral patterns and lightweight furniture—feminine rooms—were not taken quite as seriously in the art and design world. After 2015, however, designers such as myself began to notice that feminine design was making a comeback, this time with a modern edge.

Step 1: Pick Your Paint Color and Main Patterns

*We painted this formal living room ceiling aqua with a high-gloss paint finish. The rest of the room is filled with softly feminine colors.*

While dark walls are a popular choice for masculine rooms, in a feminine room, you’ll usually want to go for “light and bright.” Appropriate neutrals include beige, dove grey, cream and white. Pastels such as pink, peach, soft yellow, mint green, lavender, or aqua are also options for those who prefer color. To give the room some extra shine, consider using a high-gloss paint finish for your walls and ceiling.

If your heart is set on a dark wall color, rose red is probably the most feminine choice. Dusty pinks are an alternative to pastel pink: they can give your room a mature, classy feel that isn’t too juvenile.

As far as patterns go, florals and damasks are classically feminine. To avoid your room ending up with a grandmotherly vibe, pair these patterns with unusual color combinations. Geometric patterns are not off the table here: some geometrics, such as stripes or trellis patterns, can also be right at home in a feminine room.

Step 2: Choose a Style of Furniture

*This English cottage style home is in University Park, Dallas. The curved lines and glossy finish of the sideboard seen here, along with the pink wallpaper, are classically feminine.*

Western ideas about what constitutes feminine design are heavily influenced by European trends in art. For example, Louis XV and Louis XVI furniture have the curved profiles and carved details that we associate with femininity today.

However, you don’t have to be an antique collector to design the perfect feminine space. Midcentury modern, beach-themed, and eclectic interiors can also evoke feminine delicacy and sophistication. There is no “right” style when it comes to decorating for a feminine room: what’s important is that you find the style that makes you feel the most at ease and comfortable.

While most of the furniture in your feminine room should have curved silhouettes, break things up with at least a couple of pieces with straight lines. Sleek and sinuous objects, like tall, slender lamps can also pair nicely with your other furnishings.

Step 3: Mix in Different Textures

As with any room, your feminine room should have a variety of textures. Soft fabrics, such as velvet, silk, satin, and chenille will give your room a luxurious feel, but make sure to contrast them with other textures. For a feminine room, I recommend smooth textures such as metals, glass, and lacquer.

*The formal living room of the English cottage we designed features both soft textures (the velvet sofa) and smooth textures (the mirror and glass top coffee table).*

Step 4: Find the Perfect Accessories

In a masculine room, you need to be sparing with the details. Not so with a feminine room: the accessories are really key here. For a glamorous look, add crystal, Lucite, mirrors, porcelain or marble. Fresh flowers and decorative throw pillows will also add an instant touch of femininity to any room.

Our clients in this Preston Hollow home asked us to use six curtain panels that originally belonged to the client’s mother. The unusual color combination (apple green, purple, and black) defined the color scheme for the rest of this guest bedroom. T… — Our clients in this Preston Hollow home asked us to use six curtain panels that originally belonged to the client’s mother. The unusual color combination (apple green, purple, and black) defined the color scheme for the rest of this guest bedroom. The still life painting has a dark background to match the black in the curtains.

The kinds of art you’ll usually see in a feminine space include still lifes, portraits, and colorful abstract paintings. In most cases, you’ll want your accent metals to be warm rather than cool—yellow gold, rose gold, or brass, for example. Yellow gold is considered feminine because it is such a popular metal for jewelry.

For your chandelier (because you’ll definitely want a chandelier in a feminine space), scrolled or crystal chandeliers would be suitable choices in a traditional setting. For contemporary, look for something simpler, such as a drum-shade chandelier. Pinch pleated drapes or sheer curtains are both good options for window treatments, depending on how much light you want to let into the room.

Ideally, most of the rooms in your home should be a balance of both masculine and feminine design traits. There are certain situations, however, where a strongly feminine room is desirable. A young girl’s bedroom; an adult woman’s dressing room; or an entertaining space for the lady of the house and her friends, for example. Anyone who is drawn to environments that are calm, comforting, and elegant can benefit from studying up on the elements of feminine design.

Interested in bringing in an experienced design team to help you create a gentlemanly study, an ultra-feminine bedroom, or a formal living room with the best of both worlds? Call us at 214-232-9501, or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com to schedule a free consultation!

The Best Ways to Display Your Art Collection / July 1, 2020 by Margaret Chambers

The abstract painting with pops of color pictured here is a perfect match for this neutral seating area with green and blue pillows.

Have you ever purchased a piece of artwork, and then weren't sure how you should display it when you got home? Art is subjective, and there are no hard rules for displaying it either. That said, here are some suggestions on how to make your art look its best in your Dallas home.

Most artwork should be hung at eye level with the center-point around sixty inches above the floor. On the other hand, if you're hanging art in your dining room, you may want to display it a touch above the eye level of seated diners. In rooms with tall ceilings, some artwork can fill the empty space far above eye level, even above doorways.

Tall, narrow framed wallpaper panels are just the right shape to fill this wall at the end of an upstairs hallway.

While a large painting or photo can bring drama to a room, don't discount the appeal of smaller artwork. A series of small prints has its own charm, inviting the viewer to step closer. Small, standalone works of art can also be a delightful surprise when displayed in unexpected places, such as bathroom vanities, kitchen shelves, and windowsills.

When you hang multiple pieces of art together, try to keep each of them at least two inches apart. If you want to display a collection over a piece of furniture (like a sofa), there’s no need to space them across the entire width of the furniture. Instead, center the whole collection in a tight grouping.

In this Preston Hollow home, we displayed these whimsical animal prints closely together to leave plenty of negative space on the rest of the walls.

Homeowners with multiple collections may feel like they don’t have enough space to display them all. In this case, put some of your collections in storage and cycle them out with the change in seasons.

You can help blend your artwork into the room by picking up accent colors in the painting and pairing them with accessories of a similar color. Or, you can have your artwork command attention: a colorful piece in a neutral-toned room will always make a statement. Especially tall artwork should be hung about fifteen inches off the floor.

For the formal living room in the SMU Theta sorority house, we placed an abstract floral painting over the sofa. The bright colors and large size of the piece make it a stunning focal point.

Traditional frames are best for classical subjects like landscapes and portraits. Modern art and photography, on the other hand, usually call for frames with clean lines. Large photos often look their best when mounted in plexiglass or acrylic. Small dimensional pieces will also look great in plexiglass display boxes, which give them a “gallery” feel.

Bamboo frames, such as the ones we used in the vignette above this bed, are a good choice for natural imagery.

Of course, not all art pieces in a collection have to be perfectly matching. Hanging together differently sized pieces that share a common element, such as a style or color, can also create interest. A gallery wall in a hallway is a great way to show off a variety of art.

Do you have a themed collection that’s still growing? If so, you can leave wall space by putting up the pieces you have so far in the center of the wall, and filling the surrounding space as your collection expands. Try to plan out ahead of time how you’d like the final arrangement to look, so that you won’t need to rearrange pieces and patch over holes later.

Decorative plate collections can look fantastic displayed together on a wall.

Another thing to keep in mind is that artwork and photos on paper will fade in direct sunlight. If you still want to display this kind of artwork in rooms with lots of natural light, having them protected by UV plexiglass or UV glass is an option. Always use acid-free mats for your artwork. Rag matting, which is made from cotton, is 100% acid free and the go-to mat for museums. Your older art pieces may be in an acidic mat, so it’s worthwhile to have those placed in acid-free mats over time.

When you live with art, you want to show it off to its best potential. Hopefully some of these guidelines can help you find a perfect place for all your prized collections.

An interior designer can also help you find accessories to go with even your boldest pieces. To schedule a free consultation, call us at 214-232-9501 or send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com. We would love to help you get the most out of your art collection!

Plan Your Home Lighting Like a Professional / February 5, 2020 by Margaret Chambers

Featured here are a pair of Murano glass lamps from a dining room we designed in Kessler Park, Dallas.

In previous articles, we’ve talked about how important balance is to interior design. Lighting is no exception. Even the most beautifully designed rooms will look unbalanced if they’re poorly lit. To help your decorations look their best, you'll need to light each room with care.

If you’re furnishing your home from scratch or working on a major remodel, walk through the house and ask yourself along the way: ‘what are the primary functions of this room?’ Odds are that you’ll want task lighting for your study, but mood lighting for your bedroom. Make sure to plan ahead your desired color temperature for the lighting in each room, too. Lower temperatures are warm and yellow, while higher temperatures are closer to blue daylight.

As a general rule, task lighting should be three times brighter than the rest of your lighting. Recessed lights
and pendant lights are reliable solutions for this. Another place where you may want to install task lighting is above the countertops in your kitchen (in this case, under-cabinet lighting strips can be very useful).

In this photo, you can see both the study hall and the dining area for SMU’s Kappa Alpha Theta house. We lit the seating areas for the study hall with brass chandeliers. To the right, the dining room is illuminated with a series of recessed lights.

On the other hand, mood lighting is typically created using a balance of many softer light sources in the same room. Including dimmers in your plans will give you more flexibility to control the brightness levels. A popular new trend is to install one light switch that controls all the lights in a particular area or room. These “smart lighting systems” are preferable because having one switch on the wall looks cleaner than having three or four together.

Make sure that each light fixture is performing a specific task, whether it's highlighting an area, creating
depth, or illuminating a cupboard. There's a saying that "if you light everything, you light nothing." Although it’s tempting to plot lights throughout the room, you do need shadows to create variation and atmosphere.

Pendant lights help to illuminate the sink area in this eclectic master bathroom we designed in a downtown Dallas high-rise.

Lighting can also establish focal points in a room. Use recessed lighting to draw the eye to a central seating area or a piece of art over the fireplace. If you have a gallery of artwork in your hallway, make sure each piece is equally lit. Just make sure not to project light directly onto a mirror, as this will create glare. Instead, highlight the mirror frame with a series of wall-mounted lights on opposite sides.

The overall shape of your room should have an influence on the kind of lighting you choose. Lighting can even compensate for a room’s less desirable features. For example, low-hung pendant lights make ceilings feel taller, while up-lighting will make the whole room feel larger and more impressive.

A chandelier is always an eye-catching lighting solution. For a traditional look, place a chandelier over the dining room table to draw attention. However, in a contemporary home you may want to use a pendant light (or group of pendant lights) instead.

The owners of this Plano residence asked us to update their home with a transitional style. You can see how we complemented traditional and modern pieces together in this dining room. The chandelier, with its fine details, has a more traditional loo… — The owners of this Plano residence asked us to update their home with a transitional style. You can see how we complemented traditional and modern pieces together in this dining room. The chandelier, with its fine details, has a more traditional look.

If you read our last article about harmony in design, you can guess that it's important for lighting fixtures to harmonize. Use multiple kinds of light fixtures in each room for variety and interest, but make sure the fixtures also match your decorating scheme. For example, Japanese paper shades typically look best in either modern rooms or Asian-influenced ones, while an antique crystal chandelier could look out of place in the same room. An antler chandelier is a classic choice for a rustic country home.

That said, maybe you have a room that has a little too much harmony, and could use contrast to break things up. In this case, consider making a statement with your lighting. A black iron chandelier would add a lot of impact to a room with a light and bright color scheme.

Whenever possible, get a designer to help you with lighting needs. Much has changed in lighting just in the past few years, and a professional can help you navigate the latest technologies. You'll be glad you went through the extra effort to give your rooms a beautiful glow—after all, a room that is well-lit, is well used. To schedule a free consultation with us, call our office at 214-232-9501 or send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

Solutions to Common Decorating Mistakes / January 9, 2020 by Margaret Chambers

When you work as an interior designer, you encounter many misconceptions about home decorating. These misconceptions can lead homeowners to make unnecessary mistakes and fail to capture the true potential of their home. Thankfully, many of these problems also have quick and inexpensive solutions.

Klismos chairs, a modern chandelier, and an abstract painting give character to this breakfast nook in a 1960s Dallas ranch home. A breakfast table such as this one needs ‘breathing room,’ and should not be placed too close to walls or corners.

One of the most common decorating mistakes is pushing furniture up against the walls. People do this to make more space in the center of the room, but ironically it actually makes things feel more cramped! The solution is to bring your furniture closer together to create intimate seating areas. This also allows there to be some “breathing room” between the walls and furniture.

We used a console table to act as a buffer between the two sofas in this Kessler Park Spanish Colonial home.

As you plan your seating areas, consider how foot traffic will flow in and out of the room. You don’t want the room to be awkward to navigate. As a rule of thumb, you should make sure the back of your sofa is not facing the entrance into the room. Entering a room where the main seating area is facing away can feel subtly unwelcoming to visitors. If turning the sofa around isn’t an option, place an attractive console table at the sofa’s back with books or other accessories.

This may sound surprising coming from a designer, but comfort is just as important as style. It’s a mistake to settle for an uncomfortable chair just because you love its look. Comfort is especially crucial for dining chairs: whether you’re sitting down to a family dinner or entertaining guests, you want everyone to be able to relax.

A large room needs a large rug. The unfortunate reality is that a small rug that “floats” in the center of the floor never works! For small rooms, we like to use a rug that leaves only ten to twelve inches of floor space between the rug and the wall. Using a large rug will make a small room feel more expansive.

If you haven’t bought a rug yet, you can use painter’s tape to plan out the area you want the rug to cover. Want to get the most out of the rug you already have? Hide the edges of it under furniture legs. This tricks the eye into thinking the rug stretches farther than it actually does.

Chambers Interiors designed this study hall and dining area for SMU’s Kappa Alpha Theta house. The two separate seating areas here each have their own large area rug. Using two rugs helps to visually break up the space.

You may see an abundance of decorative pillows when you browse design magazines. I’m here to tell you that it’s actually better if you don’t put throw pillows everywhere. Not only will too many pillows look fussy, but you’ll also get tired of moving them to make room every time you sit on the couch. It’s also unnecessary to have all the pillows on a bed or sofa perfectly match.

A pair of decorative pillows add color and pattern to the sofa in this family room. Because there are only two pillows, there is plenty of space left to sit.

Another common mistake is displaying every accessory you own. Generally, the less clutter the better. Reducing clutter on counters or walls gives the eye places to rest, too. Give yourself permission to let go of any decorating items you don’t want to keep anymore, even gifts from loved ones. If you have lots of photos to display, create a gallery wall for them instead of clustering them on mantles and shelves.

Our clients for this home wanted a refreshing and high-gloss look. Lacquered furniture and glass light fixtures, such as the ones seen in this foyer, helped to cinch the look.

That said, it’s also possible to make a room feel too staged. A room without any family photos or other personal items runs the risk of feeling like a furniture store. Another common decorating mistake is ignoring your foyer. The foyer is an opportunity to make a great first impression for visitors, so don’t leave it bare.

Be careful of design fads. Don’t chase any trends that will be expensive to redo or replace later, because there’s always a possibility you’ll get tired of a certain look. Instead, pick trendy accessories that will be easy to replace if they look dated in a few years. Or better yet, pursue classic looks that have already stood the test of time.

This list covers some of the most common decorating mistakes we see. If something doesn’t feel right with a room you’ve decorated, I hope you can now identify and solve the issue.

Have a home decorating problem that isn’t discussed here? We’d love to help you find the solution. Reach out to us by calling 214-232-9501 or sending an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

Bring Warmth and Beauty to Your Home with These Fireplace Design Tips / November 30, 2022 by Margaret Chambers

Wood-Burning Fireplaces:

Gas Fireplaces:

Fireplace Style and Design:

Decorating Your Fireplace Mantel:

RELATED ARTICLES:

How to Tastefully Update a Period Home / November 9, 2022 by Margaret Chambers

1. Choose Fresh Colors

2. Highlight Traditional Architectural Features

3. Play to Your Period House’s Strengths

4. Find the Right Balance of Traditional and Contemporary

Get Ready for Pool Season With These 7 Pool Design Tips / June 24, 2022 by Margaret Chambers

1. Determine How You’ll Use Your Pool

2. Take a Look at Your Site

3. Choose Your Pool Type and Shape

4. Select Water and Deck Color

5. Plan for Pool Extras

6. Add Outdoor Furniture

7. Do Your Research

RELATED ARTICLES:

Why Homeowners and Designers Alike Are Embracing English Style This Year / June 10, 2022 by Margaret Chambers

RELATED ARTICLES:

Take Your Interiors to the Next Level with Decorative Mirrors / May 11, 2022 by Margaret Chambers

Choosing Mirror Size

Selecting Mirror Shapes

Finding the Right Mirror Style and Frame

Placing Your Mirrors

Hanging Your Mirror

RELATED ARTICLES:

5 Alternatives to a Plain White Ceiling / February 28, 2022 by Margaret Chambers

1. Accent Ceilings

2. Wallpaper

3. Plasterwork

4. Beams

5. Coffered ceilings

RELATED ARTICLES:

How to Set a Gorgeous Table for the Holidays / November 8, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

General Tips for Table Settings:

Step 1: Laying a Foundation

Step 2: Place Settings

Step 3: Choosing a Centerpiece and Accessories

Design Advice for Holiday Table Settings

RELATED ARTICLES:

Add Serious Style to Your Bookshelves With These Five Steps / July 23, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

1: Edit Your Collections

2: Pick Your Main Colors

3: Place Your Largest Items First

4: Organize Your Books

5: Add the Finishing Touches

RELATED ARTICLES:

The Best Questions to Ask When You Interview an Interior Designer / June 28, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

1. What are their credentials?

2. Is this person a good fit for my project?

3. How do they charge?

4. What is the designer’s process like?

RELATED ARTICLES:

Decorating With Bold Colors: Tips for the Color-Shy / June 22, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

Starting Small

Picking the Dominant Color

Picking Your Secondary Colors

Coordinate the Rest of Your Home

RELATED ARTICLES:

Design a Balcony, Patio, or Porch that You’ll Love to Use / April 7, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

General Outdoor Space Guidelines:

Tips for Balconies:

Tips for Porches and Patios:

RELATED ARTICLES:

Essential Items for Designing the Perfect Foyer or Entryway / January 29, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

Furniture

Rugs

Storage

Lighting

Accents

Styling a Bed 101: How to Make Every Bed in Your Home More Inviting / January 7, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

Foolproof Formulas for Making a Bed

Duvet and Sheet Tips

Choose Bedding Materials Wisely

Color and Pattern Combinations You Can’t Go Wrong With

RELATED ARTICLES:

Quick and Easy Ways to Decorate Your Coffee Table / December 16, 2020 by Margaret Chambers