Koikub's Profile

Tickety Tack, Ferocia! This is fiercely expired!!!

I agree with you Manders22, residential and commercial are two different breeds. But the benefits of getting into the Interior design business sooner puts you far ahead of any future classmates. Hiring on with a design firm while attending school will only help in furthering ones career. You will quickly gain vast knowledge of a client base and how to the suit their particular needs. None of which you will ever learn in a class room. Working with a company like Ethan Allen will give you real-world experience. Granted it's not the end all be all. But how many of us would not go back and change what we did right out of college? I was merely making a suggestion that could help an individual in dealing with clients and benefiting their future career. After all that is the biggest part of the job...And yes, it is not a "pretty" job. Most people have a very distorted view of what we do based on television. It's rare to get Carte Blanche. I have seen many come and go. A lot of them wasted their time and educations because they thought it would be all "pretty and glamour". If there are opportunities out there that would allow some one the insight into their future, why take the chance and see if it's something your truly are interested in pursing. As a professional in this industry, I would suggest looking at the bigger picture and align yourself in taking advantage of all the possibilities that a person has and put yourself on the fast track to what it is that you dream of. Go for your degree, build an amazing portfolio, and get real world experience.

Yes indeed! May I suggest you taking a look at the Mansion on Forsyth park in Savannah Georgia. Clicking through the photo gallery you will notice in the Casmir's lounge the companion chairs to your love seat. In the context of this room they have become not only modern but sexy art pieces. The whole hotel it self serves as a great example of mixing old and new together to create a classic modern that will always have style!

http://www.mansiononforsythpark.com/photo_gallery/photo_gallery.asp

Painting the doors black would add great interest and drama to such an ordinary hall. It will draw the eye in and create a focal point. The one thing you do not want to do here is to paint the doors and the trim the same color. You want to avoid it looking like a giant black box. Rather, just painting the doors will create a much more professional look and help to define the space of each door. I would paint the trim work the same color as the wall. This will allow all the focus to stay on the doors.

Using gloss on the walls is actually very beautiful….a lot of work but beautiful and very Euro. Granted it will show the imperfections of the walls but I see that as pure character. It allows light to reflect and gives depth to the walls. Stay far away from flat paints. They add nothing. Keep in mind that you want to create contrast in this space. So don’t paint the doors in gloss if you are using that treatment on the walls. Try using an eggshell or a slight semi-gloss.

Must of all, go with your gut instinct!

Best of luck!

Kambykitten,

If you are working with pictures that are wired on the back and if the wire is attached to a "D"shaped ring. You can do what is called "double hanging". You don't use the wire at all. This will allow the weight of the picture to rest on these rings and not a wire. Which, the picture or mirror, over time can bow or warp especially with today's framing. First, tape a level to the top of the picture. This will free up your hand and help to keep it straight. Grab the picture with both hand ( one on each side) at the same level of the "D" ring. Make sure that the "D" ring falls between your index and middle finger. Place the artwork against the wall. At this point make sure that only the "D" rings are touching the wall, not the frame of the picture. Press into the wall. Check to see when you are level. With the "D" ring touching the wall move the whole picture slightly to the left and slightly to the right. Just enough to make your mark. If you have walls with flat paint, the mark is very easy to see. If you have any other type of paint, it will create a"shiny" mark. Use theses marks for your nail. Hang the picture. Check to make sure it is level. If one side is slightly higher than the other, simply and gently pull on one side of the picture to make it perfect. Now, in the case if the picture is really wide and you can't handle it on your own. Try masking tape. On the back of the picture run the tape from hanger to hanger. Mark on the tape where the nail will come in contact. Decided where on the wall you want the picture to be then place the tape on the wall. Make sure that you use a level to get the tape straight. Then simply hammer in your nails. Ta-da! The first method may sound more involved, but really is the easiest and fastest way to hang a picture. Best of all.....No math required! Sometimes that works. But if you are dealing with walls that are not straight, moldings that were installed at 5pm on a Friday before the big holiday....well it can all go wrong. And your picture can be very lop-sided. The goal is to have it "visually" straight in the space.

You should make sure the base where the mattress sit is of solid wood first. If so, this could work. But for $1500, a good carpenter caould build you one custom for your bed and not having to deal with shinz's screaming in horror every nite, nor your calves yelping for leg warmers as you struggle over the sharp edge each morning.

Lori,

I think you can get a lot more interest and versatility out of a traditional influenced styled rug. Due to all the sleekness that you have working in the room, texture would be the key here. The more the better and the warmer your space will look. I would strongly advise you to look for a blended rug. If you get plenty of sunlight from your window, natural fibers will fade over time. Blended rugs will fade as well but are less resistant. Your choice of cream would look lovely, but the sunlight can turn them yellowish. Have you explored FLOR?This could be a great product for you in your situation. The tiles can be easily replaced if any sun damage does occur. Just a thought….
Best of luck!

http://www.moonshineshades.com/

A great artist here in Texas that does some amazing work! Give'em a looky-loo.

I love it! I love it! I love it! It's a superstar!

I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard this question. It's very common on my design team. The advice I always give them, "if it's behind glass, let it match but original works of art should always stand on it's own".

What's important here is make sure that the original piece stands out in the space and does not look as if you matched the decor to it. This would be a great injustice to the artist and certainly defeats the purpose of having an original piece of artwork.

Could you imagine waking into a room and seeing Van Gogh's starry night, only to notice that the walls are the same color of the painting. The work is de-emphasized, the focus is put on the walls and how it reflects into the painting...again defeating the purpose of the work.

By all means use color! Use lots of it!! Just don't use the same color in the painting. Always go deeper or lighter.

I would love to give you advise on bedding, window treatments and such....but you have not provided enough information. Are you modern, eclectic, transitional, or classic in your design? What are you windows styles? What type of feeling do you want to experience each time you walk into the room? Calm and peaceful? Moody and sexy? Energetic and whimsical?