How to Make a Striped Wall in Your Kitchen

When you think of your kitchen, does the word 'FUN' come to mind?  Probably not.  Well why not?  Try a wall treatment like this easy horizontal stripe and bring something special to the table!

This works especially well in small kitchens because it brings your eye in and people will notice the wall over the small size of the space.  This kitchen that I re-designed below was a tight space.

Kitchen looked like this:

Here is how we added the stripes----

ONE measure the wall length and height;

TWO choose paint colors.  For this wall I used Sherwin William "Analytical Gray", "Nebulous White", "Pool House" and "Cityscape";

THREE plan out on paper like this:

FOUR Paint the wall using the lightest color first, then using painter's masking tape, tape off the other stripes per your design (tip: on the painters tape, above each stripe, write the name of that stripe color to stay organized).

Now one side of this kitchen makes the meals and the other side enjoys them in style!

                    left side                                                                      right side                                         

Working With Your Rooms Body Type

After answering two viewer questions on WFMZ 69 News (click here to see the video) this morning, I thought I would share them with you since they are GREAT questions:

Q: My living room is long and narrow.  What would you suggest to make it feel less like a runway?  I want to create a warm welcoming space. 

A: The secret to designing a fabulous space is to understand its body type.  That’s right-body type.  Don’t you choose your clothing, hair cut, and accessories, to compliment your body type?  I mean how many different cuts of jeans alone are there for you to choose from?   Well, once you understand your rooms’ ‘body type’, you will be able to layout your furniture and style it up to look fabulous!

For a long and narrow body type, the key is to concentrate on the wall farthest away.  That is your focal point and where you place your boldest color.  This will pull that wall towards you so it doesn’t feel like a runway. 

Here is an example of how to deal with a long and narrow room:

Look at the photo and find its focal point.  You would think the focal point should be the fireplace for its architectural interest, large scale and beauty, BUT for this rooms' body type, building that wall up with decor, color, etc. will only make the room feel narrower.  Instead our focal wall to work on is actually the wall farthest away.  We want to build it up with color and texture so it feels closer to you when you walk in.  

First position your furniture into a nice conversation area.  For this space I moved the sofa off the back wall and pushed it about three feet into the space because it was too far away to enjoy a conversation.  I took that opportunity to place two tall lamps behind it on a sofa table to brighten up the back wall and give it more life, again creating that pull into the room.

Try out a few colors on your wall.  See how your lighting affects it before committing to one, just like you would try on those jean options in the dressing room. 

AFTER:

Once your paint is up on this wall layer it with interest.  Use a gallery of photos and an inviting sofa to create an amazing focal point. 

Q: My home is broken up into small rooms.  I am so afraid of using color on the walls because I don’t want them to feel even smaller.  What can I do? 

A: For a small room body type, you want to push the walls away from you.  You can’t knock them down physically so here are some tricks.  You want to wrap the entire room in the same color so it equals the walls out.  But that doesn’t mean you should keep the room feeling sleepy.  Play with texture and pattern.  I love using horizontal stripes.  

In fashion, for many of us, thick horizontal stripes are a big no-no because they make us look wider.  BUT that is exactly what you want to achieve in small spaces.  Try large horizontal stripes (remember I did not say vertical-no no) all around the room like this one: 

Use two shades of a neutral airy color, or use the same color but play with the sheen.  Add an oversized mirror to reflect light and again create the illusion of a larger space, a large piece of artwork, an open and airy furniture with glass, high legs-not heavy feeling pieces, and a lightly dressed window.  Lighting is key but this time make sure you have tall lamps so the space feels tall.  The higher the lamp base the more light shines through.  Here is my rhyme to remember this:  ‘Between the shade and the base, there is more space.’ 

Don’t clutter up small spaces because complicated walls create confusion in the head in a small space and you may end up having queezy house guests.  They will be so dizzy from looking at everything going on and having no where to go with it.  Keep this in mind in bathrooms.


As part of my news segment I also discussed a DIY project I just completed-I will blog about it later today.

Small Awkward Living Room Becomes Beautiful

I remember meeting Diane and Dan for the first time.  The moment I walked in their front door I could see the issues at hand.  I walked right into their living room, which was split into two awkward spaces.  One small area to the right of the door, and one small area to the left.  With a staircase directly in front of the door. Diane and Dan didn't know what to do with this layout.  After sitting with the couple and finding out their wish list of functions and style (they get away to top island resorts whenever they can), I set to work on a plan that would treat these spaces separately yet still be cohesive and feel larger then they are. 

BEFORE

AFTER

I let the furnishings do all the talking, using a creamy wall paint.  I didn't want to overcrowd the spaces, so I chose a few large pieces that grounded the areas (a cluttering of small pieces dwarf small spaces further).  I added pieces with glass, mirror, and silver finishes, to keep the area light and airy, yet high end.

I brought the eye up using very slight horizontal stripe wall treatment, which also helped make a distinction between this space and the one across from it.  I used floor to ceiling drapes, and hung them wider than the windows to make them feel larger.

Pops of color and lots of shine give life to small spaces.  These fun bright pillows call you into the room.

BEFORE

AFTER

I re-arranged the awkward seating layout to a more inviting and useful space.  The new leather sofa is very large and deep, yet fits right in.  The coffee and end table are quite large as well (they are beauties!-the reclaimed wood looks and feels like driftwood), but don't look like they are because of their airy thin metal bases.   Here is another good tip for making small spaces feel large-USE BIG ARTWORK.  My clients are well versed with my motto 'go big or go home'. Large pieces with a specific point of view makes an impact and read as a 'wow' factor.

BEFORE

AFTER

This new console houses all the clutter in this small space.  And the fun armless chair next to it stops your eye from drifting up those stairs.

We had so much fun working together that Diane and Dan (seated above) asked me to help them with their kitchen.  Wait until you see what we did with that small awkward space!!!