Interior or exterior, it has become my biggest challenger.  Clients need help picking it out; or they have old, nasty stuff that needs to be worked around or replaced.

And I’ve started to wonder….why do people keep putting it on?

I guess it’s one way to add texture or depth to a home.

A way to show individual style and creativity.

Either way, I thought I would address it today and give you my two-bits about stone on homes.

My very best advice would be to avoid it, if at all possible. I know that’s a pretty strong stance to take, but here is my reasoning.

1) It will be the thing that dates your home the fastest, just like a fancy backsplash in your kitchen.

2) Is there any stone you like from 10 years ago or beyond?  I haven’t seen any.  Think about the next homeowners, if you are ever going to sell.  9 times out of 10, they are going to hate it, call up a designer, and wonder how they can work around it or replace it.

3) It’s so permanent and expensive.  Maybe consider different kinds of styles of siding that can be repainted.  Paint isn’t so permanent, and your mortgage will be smaller.

We have been dealing with stone in our remodel.  Built in the 90s, {but styled like the early 80s}, there is some natural, orange-y stone that is the heat barrier for our wood burning stove.  We didn’t love it, but decided painting it would look bad and that it wasn’t worth the cost to replace. When we made the decision to keep it, it dictated our color scheme for everything else.

I took a picture of it this morning.  To minimize its looks, I placed a large picture over the stone.  Our new carpet had to have a warm undertone, because it ran up against it.

The fireplace is seen from our kitchen, so guess what?  Our backsplash and countertops also had to have orange undertones.  I think we pulled it off, and I love our house, but I wouldn’t have felt bad if that stone had been something else.

Yes, if kept, stone becomes the dictator of all colors.

What color scheme is going to have to be in this home because of the stone on the fireplace?

{image via Houzz}

Orange, reds, and gray-greens. This looks like slate.  Slate is especially demanding! I would avoid it if possible.

Exteriors also run into trouble with stone.  While it doesn’t happen all of the time, people don’t coordinate their shingle tones with their stone tones.  It might be the builder that threw it on and didn’t think about it, or a homeowner that didn’t know any better, but either way, it happens a lot!  Here are a few case studies for you:

This home looks very nice, but there is a bit of a problem.  The shingles are totally gray (cool), and the stone is warm with a strong orange undertone.  The shingles need some warm tones, or the stone needs to be more gray.  This home would have been much more timeless if the stone were just siding, either horizontal or shakes, and painted a darker gray or something.  {Making the front door pop with a fun color would give it some more curb appeal too, but that’s a discussion for another time}.

{image via Pinterest from Stanton Homes}

This home, again, has no coordination between the shingles and the stone.  The stone feels far too orange, while the lightest shade of siding feels pink.  It may not have felt that way to the owners.  They probably thought it was just “brown” and would work.  But the strong orange makes the pink come out of it.  And of course, there needs to be more gray in the stone to pick up the shingle tone, or more oranges in the shingle to work with the stone.

{image via Pinterest from Tranton Homes Blog}

This home combines brick and stone.  The brick is pink, all the way.  The rock is orange.  The shingles look purple (although they are probably a gray).  This exterior, while so pretty, has a color problem that is almost impossible to solve.  If you painted or lime-washed the brick (which can look amazing), it would make the cool roof and the warm rock even more apparent. I doubt you would want to re-shingle if the roof is in good shape, and painting rock usually doesn’t look good.  I think you’re stuck with this color combo.

{image via Pinterest , original source unknown}

I have one more for you.

This home is another gorgeous one with color problems. The roof is black (with some variation at least), the siding is gray, and the rock is orange.  The rock needed to be much more gray, but I still think if it had been done with beautiful siding that could be painted over and over again with the rest of the house, it would have been more timeless.

(image via Pinterest from Ashcrest Homes}

Do I hate all stone?  No.  I think very rustic timber-framed homes need it, and natural stone is best.

{image via Stillwater Architecture}

“I love stone, though,” you say.

Ok, then let’s set some ground rules for you.

First of all, pick out the exterior stone of your home and shingle together! Establish if you want a warm tone to your home (oranges, reds, tans) or a cool tone (blues, grays, greens).  Make sure your shingles and your rock the same. Looking online to pick your colors won’t work, either.  You can’t tell color accurately through a computer screen.  Even the small samples found on boards aren’t enough for you.  If you choose on those alone, you’ll end up being surprised. When asked to pick out shingles and stone for some offices last summer, it literally took driving around, taking pictures, and knocking on people’s doors.  I asked them what brands for rock and shingles that they used, and went from there.

As for interior fireplaces…this is harder.  Obviously you need a heat barrier for your stove, so what do you do?  Unless you have a rustic/country home, I would suggest getting away from stone.  Please.

I see a lot of modern homes with stone, but even then, I think this fireplace is so much better!

{image via Pinterest, original source unknown}

These fireplaces are also done right:

{via Pinterest, original source unknown}

{image via Pinterest and Desire to Inspire}

Here is an article with a bunch of beautiful fireplaces, all done by the Howards.  They are all tasteful. The heat barriers are usually brick or tile.

What do you think?  Do you agree or disagree?  I would love to hear your opinion!

Happy Monday,

]]> http://tawnaallred.com/0520/how-to-pick-stone-for-your-house/feed/ 0 http://tawnaallred.com/0520/how-to-pick-stone-for-your-house/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RveDcor/~3/Qoa6dGGnFH8/ http://tawnaallred.com/0517/a-childs-musical-wall-art/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 16:41:08 +0000 Tawna http://tawnaallred.com/?p=5444 Dinosaurs and one-eyed bees.  Fanciful robots and horses with fifteen legs.  These are the joys found in a child’s art.

I wasn’t expecting to find such joy in a few simple strokes quickly plastered onto a very insignificant piece of type paper.

But there it was.

A first attempt at a masterpiece.  A stab at how musical notes roll up and down.  A little song, written by my son, capturing a moment in his mind.

I quickly grabbed an old painting that was never meant to be, and put down a yellowed layer of paint onto the canvas. It wanted it to feel like an old paper, so I let the texture of the old painting come through.

And I captured his moment for me.

I’m not sure where it will hang yet.  It doesn’t matter.  It is so special, it will find its own place.

Unlike other paintings I show on this blog, it is NOT for sale.

However, if your child has a drawing you want captured onto canvas, you can send me a message on my contact page and we’ll work out the details.  I know it’s short notice, but if you want one of these special paintings given to Dad, Grandpa, or Brother for Father’s Day, orders have to be in by Monday, the 20th!!

Have a beautiful weekend!

I made the chicken really flavorful by saving some sausage grease from breakfast and using it with some canola oil and a little butter.  (This is why I run, you see.  Then I can cook however I want).  You can do a lower fat version if you would like!

Adapted from Taste of Homes “Easy Cordon Bleu”

]]> http://tawnaallred.com/0515/stuffed-chicken-cordon-bleu/feed/ 0 http://tawnaallred.com/0515/stuffed-chicken-cordon-bleu/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RveDcor/~3/7ROY34YSESo/ http://tawnaallred.com/0513/the-brief/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 15:11:10 +0000 Tawna http://tawnaallred.com/?p=5435 A brief is not briefs.  This blog post isn’t about underwear.  If it was, it might be really confusing.

No, this post is about something else.

A brief.

You know, those statements secret agents get for their special missions?

I get put on special missions. Each one is very unique. It has become a funny yet very real part of my life.

I didn’t realize when I chose to start my interior design business that I would have to be an investigator/sleuth.

Along with a project manager.

An accountant.

A marriage councilor {wives, your husband cares what you do to the house even though he says he doesn’t.  I promise.}

An architect.

An artist….but I was one before, so that one was easy.

A psychologist.

A professional shopper.

And a house whisperer.

But back to my special missions.

If you book me for a two-hour consultation, I have a sheet of paper where I take notes.  These notes have a list of things that are all important.  At the very top, it says “brief”.

This is where I write down the specific direction I have from you about your home….what you desire it to become.

The paper used to say “mandate”.  But I felt that sounded a little harsh.  Then I happened upon Sarah Davison’s beautiful website, which lists the “briefs” she received from her clients.  Here are a few examples:

“The brief was to design an urban loft with elegant, super-comfortable furniture and a functional kitchen with a glamorous, cocktail-bar feel.”

“The brief was to design a sophisticated, luxurious and comfortable home that would create a calm backdrop for our clients’ extensive collection of art, and the stunning harbor views.”

“We were asked to inject color, personality, and fun into the childrens’ bedrooms and pool area in this elegant and restrained new house.”

I loved this idea of a “brief”! Yes, just like a special agent.  If I could break down all of the things you want for your home into a resolute statement, then things would progress easily from there.  So I switched my notes to say “brief” instead of “mandate”.

Now I want to hear from you!

Have you ever broken down the desires for your home into one concise statement?  If so, leave a comment below.  I can’t wait to hear them!

This is agent Allred, checking out for the day.  An old house is needing some updated paint colors……

As always, enjoy!

Ever since my trip to Lori and Kelli’s Design Camp in Atlanta, I’ve been really working over an idea shared with us by Barry Dixon .  Barry inspired us all (read more about what he said here).  His attitude of graciousness and giving felt like rain in a drought. When there is so much greed and fight for self gain, his words were always about collaboration.  That we should leave everyone we meet with the feeling that their lives were bettered for having met us.

But he didn’t stop there.

You see, we don’t just have one client when we take a job.  We have two.

We have the house itself.

Every house has a spirit of its own, and to tap into that is something GREAT designers do.  They move beyond making it pretty.  They even move beyond the needs and functions a home needs to answer.  They listen to what the house wants to say.

Are you ready to take me to an insane asylum yet?

Well, it’s been something I’ve been mulling over for months now.  How could I design on that level?  I know time, effort, and experience will take me there. But I really had a break-through moment a few days ago.

It had to do with memories.

And wild blue flax.

You see, my mom asked me to help her design her family room.  That’s what she wants for Mother’s Day.  I happily obliged.  I love to design any room, after all.  And the family room where I grew up?  It’s where the wood stove sat, where we stayed up late at night talking with my Dad about boys, where we took our naps wrapped in warm blankets.  This is where we lived.  When I think of it, I feel comfort.

In this room there are two cabinets.  They were taken from the original homestead cabins of my great-grandparents, and my mom re-purposed them.  In one sits a small television.  It’s hidden most of the time, and it’s in an unusual spot.  Instead of being at eye-level, it’s in the lower level of this cabinet.  This requires the watcher to lay or sit down to view it.  It’s not an option to move the television or the cabinet, and so my creative juices HAD to get to work to find a solution.

This is the cabinet…..

I finally determined that a simple “bed” would be really fun.  It wouldn’t be your typical bed. It wouldn’t have any legs…the body itself would rest on the floor.  It would have a comfortable mattress, lots of soft pillows, and of course, blankets to wrap up in.  It would have the same country spirit of this bed in a room designed by Sarah Davison:

I started drawing the bed.  As I was sketching, little memories started floating through my mind (the header of this bed is now changing, but more on that later!).

I started remembering roads.

The smell of hay season, when all the alfalfa has been freshly cut.

Walking up “the dirt road” to the forest gate and feeling like I was the only one on earth.

Running from a thunderstorm in my new, red jelly shoes (remember those?) and thinking I was going to get struck by lightning.

And of the wild flax that grew along the sides of the road as we walked.  We (my sisters and I) would pick it for my mom. She always said her favorite flower (or weed?) was blue flax. I don’t know if they really were her favorite, but she would put them in glass jars and display them anyway.

That made me happy, and I would skip off to the next adventure thinking I had done her a tremendous favor.

Then it struck me….whether this bed stayed or not (it’s kind of a wild idea and it might be a little out of my mom’s comfort zone), I wanted to weave that memory into this design.

Then the “ah-ha” moment struck.

I was whispering with my old home.  This design was going to another place and time, and it would be special.

I’m currently trying to work on an image that can be carved into the wood on the “bed” header. I don’t want it to be too sweet….I want it to be very natural.  Because I felt this breakthrough was, well, almost sacred, I’ve started sketching in a very special book given to my by a friend.  It’s a leather bound book she brought back from Italy, with hand-dipped,marbelized edges.  It will be the book that holds my sketches….sketches of the things that influence my design.  It now has its first drawing. It is a drawing of some wild blue flax.

Here’s to you Mom.

Wherever this inspiration ends up, I think it will make the old farmhouse happy.

xo,

It confuses my cooking too. I start mixing soups and salads a lot.  I have cravings for fresh vegetables, but then it will be so cold, I’ll feel like soup again.  On a salad-craving day, I decided to make this Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Quinoa Salad, via Closet Cooking.  I also made homemade balsamic vinaigrette, because I didn’t have any on hand.  I didn’t realize how easy it is to make salad dressing! It’s something I will be doing a lot more.

As with all salads, feel free to substitute items or add more veggies.  I threw in cucumbers and loved them!  This salad is great hot or cold, so I hope you enjoy.

I don’t know why we have so little of it here in the West, but we do.  Now, hold on before you get offended!

We have the best people here.  Kind.  Hard-working.

But we lack hospitality.

Well, I should say ME, at least.

That art of making your home so welcoming people want to linger.  A place where a clean down comforter is ready anytime you want to drop in.  Where fresh towels are waiting for you in a bath, and little things, unique to you, are laid out carefully for your arrival.

My house doesn’t even have a couch, let alone an extra bed for someone to stay.

I think there will come a time and place where we can have those things…..and after reading the book, “The Welcoming House”, I’m enamored even more by the idea.

I was very graciously sent this book, and it has been such a treat.

How did they know I’m an interior design book addict?

In any case, I was delighted.

And it didn’t disappoint.  It is big and heavy.  It is filled to the brim with ideas for making a house a place of refuge and has gorgeous images.  I have spent the last few nights leisurely working my way through it. Here’s a little example of a living room I loved.  It’s so soft and peaceful.  The furniture seems relaxed…the set up isn’t stiff.  Each piece invites you to sit and linger.

And I’m a sap for window seats.  I would have them in every house if I could.  They invite a quiet moment where nature can be enjoyed or a book read with the sun streaming through and warming your face.

Room by room, you are taken on a journey of beauty.  Not only do you get inspired by the images, it is explains why and how the looks were created.

An entry that is calm but intriguing….

a garden room that connects you to the outdoors…..

and vignettes in every photo that I will be studying for days to come.  They are so….perfect.  Not perfect like you can’t touch them.  Perfect in proportion with an element of relaxation.  That’s my ideal perfect.

My favorite part of the book was also its homage to Wyoming.

That’s not something you see everyday folks.  {I say that sometimes.  I am from Wyoming, after all}.

One of the paintings in a hallway was of Wyoming cottonwood trees.  I like cottonwood trees.  They can cause quite the asthma symptoms for people that have to deal with them in the summer.  Little fuzzies float everywhere.  It makes you feel like you’re in some kind of wonderland, though, with all of those white little puffs dancing around you.

Then there was an amazing home featured in Jackson, which is practically my backyard.

It had the usual Jackson, rustic elements, but it wasn’t over the top Western.  There was still a calm, restrained feeling to it that I love.

Can you believe that view of the Tetons?  Amazing!

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into this book.  If you are looking to incorporate a welcoming, more hospitality feeling to your home, I would highly recommend this book!  Plus it will be a beautiful addition to your library.  Find it here or on Amazon!

Happy Monday!

Maybe that’s why I’ve been struggling with our kid’s bathroom so much.

Welcome to my little brainstorm battle that has been going on for far to long.  I just need to make some decisions already!  I’m hoping writing this post will help….and it actually has!

Let’s start with what we’ve got.

1) Stenciled accent wall in a trellis pattern (yes, I painted it.  Yes, it took forever. But it was cheap)!  The turquoise color is “Faded Seafoam” by Ralph Lauren.

2) Some new but unpainted trim.  You know, I always thought it was a shame the toilet didn’t face the window.  It has a great view.  But then you would be sitting and couldn’t see anyway.  Never mind…..let’s move on.

3) A new bathroom vanity.  I love it.  The door panels are simple Shaker, and they are painted in a cream color (nothing is true white in my house.  Creams, especially yellow ones, are so comforting).  It’s a little distressed to feel more worn in and to naturally hide the dings the kids will put in it anyway.

My favorite feature of this vanity is the built-in “step stool”.  The two bottom drawers below the sink base have lids on them.  The kids can pull out the drawer, and step on it to brush their teeth!  The fasteners on the drawer can hold up to 90 lbs.  When the kids are too tall for standing on the drawer, we can remove the lid and it will be a regular drawer.  This genius idea was thought of by my builder husband and his business partner; not me.  I love that I don’t have to kick a little stool everywhere.

However, if we don’t finish this bathroom a little faster, we may never use this feature!

4) We bought a large mirror from Home Depot.  It was only around $60.  I debated forever about whether we should do two mirrors or one.  With two mirrors, I can do better lighting.  That way I could put sconce in between the mirrors.

One large mirror leaves me stuck with the overhead vanity light (just wiring right now).  I have a hard time liking any of those bar fixtures, especially large ones like we’ll have to get.  However, the wall-to-wall mirror won.  I loved how large it made the bathroom feel.

The mirror is precariously leaning on our unfinished top.  So far, it’s holding up.

5)Countertops:

After looking at bone yard after bone yard, I decided we’ll have black granite.  The off-white ones were always off in a weird way….usually they were too pink.  I took a picture of the clean side of the vanity.  If you move over an inch, you’ll see a little top drawer with toothpaste smeared all over in it.  I don’t know why it’s so tempting to smear toothpaste, but I sure wipe off a lot of it in this bathroom!

My sinks and faucets are picked out.

The sinks are simple undermounts so I can wipe down the counter and clean easily.  The faucets are one handled (easy to use for kids) and made by Delta.  I love them!

6) Shower:

We kept the shower that was original to the house.  It’s in really good shape.  It’s not the perfect color, but it will work for now.

The new shower head was a gracious gift given at Design Camp from Hansgrohe. BTW, if you are a design professional, that is a must-do camp!

Of course, it leaves a thing or two to be desired.

I’m going to need a cute cornice or valance with a custom made shower curtain. I need to hide that ugly shower curtain rod.  Something like this:

{image via homedit.com}

Which leads me to my “inspiration” piece.

This is a quirky painting my daughter created.  The color scheme has turned into red, turquoise, black, and cream.

The painting is only 12×12, but I think it will be fun to frame it in a large, bohemian type frame….done in black to go with the countertops.

Now, what’s next?

To do list:

Custom Shower Curtain

Custom Cornice or Valance

       If you aren’t familiar with these terms, a cornice is a hard “header” at the top of windows, or in this case, showers.  A valance (rhymes with balance) is a soft header.  I found this awesome D.I.Y. tutorial by D.I.Y. Show Off on making your own cornice.  I think I’ll have to try it!

Custom Roman Shade

And here are some preliminary fabrics I’ve looked at.  I think they hit the mark of fun, without being over-the-top or cheesy.  I’m still stewing over which one should go where…I can’t use all of them.  All fabrics shown are from www.beautifulfabrics.com.

We still need to install the countertops, finish the plumbing, and find a light fixture, but those things are pretty much decided.  The fabrics are the creative part that needs the ultimate decision.  Which ones would you pick?

Happy Weekend!

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen photos of our weather.  While many enjoy blossoms and warming this time of year, we get to enjoy…. more snowstorms.  I’ve been having my own fits with Cabin Fever.

That being said, a good bowl of warm soup is still very welcome.  Here’s the recipe for some homemade chicken noodles soup, just like your Grandma used to make.  The egg noodles make it very hearty.  Enjoy!