This "Devil Man" has guarded my gardens for the past 12 years as it did my Mother's for almost 30 years

1.  Think Style & Maintenance before Digging or Buying Plants
Sun versus Shade; Formal versus Casual; Modern vs. Traditional; Symmetrical vs. Balanced, Summer vs. Spring, Alfresco Dining vs. View From the Window,
High Maintenance or Self-Caring, Dogs & Children vs. Delicate Plantings, Food Production vs. Views. 

These are not all mutually exclusive but just like any home remodeling project –  you need to start with your goals, lifestyle, and aesthetics.  Your answers will dramatically change what you plant and where you plant.   For example, the classic boxwood will rarely look as comfortable in a casual garden than a formal one.  And self-seeding annuals and perennials will make a cottage garden dramatically easier but will be the bane of a gardener who wants order.  Pressure-treated lumber works well in a casual garden as does irregular flagstone but concrete, painted wood and regular flagstone are more suited to a very modern garden. 

The Decking, Fence, Walls & Stone River were installed Before Plantings

2.  Think Structure before Plants
Structure refers walks, decks, patios, pergolas and other built items often referred to as “hardscape”.  It also refers to plants and the planting structure.  

Three examples:  First, think about planting on a hill.  Somewhat counter intuitively, your yard will feel more balanced if the plants get taller as they move up the hill.  Recognizing this requires you to select the plants you’re going to use before buying or planting any of them.  

Second, also counter intuitively, breaking up a small (or large) garden into separate (but visually integrated) areas will make it feel larger.  In all gardens, the area will feel larger and more balanced if you think structurally about foreground, mid-ground and background.  Start with this structure before you start planting.  For example, I installed a low (36”) fence inset from the sidewalk on my very small front yard in order to make it feel larger.  If I had decided to do this after I planted, I would need to remove and reinstall plants. 

Third, installing patios and other “hardscape” disturbs roots.  Ideally, you want to plan and build all your structures before starting you planting – or leave at least 8-10 feet so that you won’t need to disturb your roots while building. 

And of course, plants grow.  You need to think about the mature size of plants when planting shrubs and trees.  While they’re growing you can fill in with annuals or self-seeding or spreading perennials.  For example, in the border garden depicted in the images 2-4 below, I purposefully planted several rapidly spreading perennials (a mum, a euphorbia, and a Caryopteris) to help take over the large swaths of former lawn while the shrubs and other perennials could establish themselves.  I’m now starting to pull out (and either move or give away) the excess as other plants come in.  With this strategy, the area looks good and I have less weeding to do in the garden’s early years.  

Plants Grow over and around Fencing & Walkways; Notice Also Different Leaf Types

3.  Think Foliage before Flowers
Flowers on trees, shrubs and perennials last only weeks while foliage is visible and prominent all year – or for 7-9 months depending on your zone.   Between foliage color, texture and form, you can create dramatic vignettes without any flowers at all.  When you think foliage, you can also more easily create a year-round garden rather than one that looks terrific only 1- 3 months of the year.  Also consider what works in your climate and sun exposure.  There are lots of plants that wilt or mildew in Washington DC’s hot humid summers.  Similarly, there are plants that do well in Washington’s shade but will burn-up or become diseasedin the sun.  For example, Euonymous is a wonderful plant for the Shade but will become overrun by scale in the sun.  On the other hand, many plants will look scraggly or fail to bloom without enough sun.  Unless you want a lot of work, think about what works in your climate and sun exposure.  

Variations in Foliage Form and Color Can Substitute for Flowers

Notice How the Rocks and Fence Also Add to the Drama of the Vignette

Foliage Variation is Just as Important and Dramatic in the Sun

 
4.  Now Decorate Your Garden!
A decorated garden can fit within any style.  Rocks, Found-Objects, and Sculpture are wonderful foils for plants.  And they make your garden truly one-of-a-kind.  And you can re-decorate your garden just as you do your home.  Enjoy! 

Rejects From My Glass Studio Help Decorate the Garden As Faux Fungus Forms

Bath Tub Ducks Migrated to the Rocks Around the Pond

Stained Glass in the Garden

Abstract Art - Notice the Layers of Foliage Interest

Photo Taken by chris5aw — see her photo stream on Flickr 

Color, Structure, Foliage and Art is Equally Vital in the Modern Garden

Photo Taken by Aimee Quiggle, See Her Photo Stream on Flickr

Consider the following sets of pictures — Each a “Before” and ” After”.  The first 3 sets are from homes that I remodeled for clients.  These pictures represent areas that had the smallest structural changes but in each case the original white walls/white trim were repainted with more color and contrast.  In each case the home looks larger after the white walls were painted with color.

Set 1:  Living Room

"After" - Taupe Walls Provide Contrast and Perspective

"Before" - White Walls & Trim Make The Home Look Smaller

Notice how the distances between the furniture and the walls and the front room and room behind feel larger in the “After” photos.  This entire effect is created with color and contrast.  The contrast of the off-white trim and the taupe walls as well as the smaller area rug make the living room feels larger.  The Sun Room, behind, is painted a much lighter color and therefore feels farther away – making the whole home feel larger.

The artwork has changed between “Before” and “After”.  However, you can also notice how the darker walls, help intensify and therefore make more noticeable the contrast with the creamy color of the mat and also the family photos used (although rearranged) before and after.

Set 2:  Living Room

"After" - Color Enlarges This Home

"Before" - White Walls & Trim Make the Home Look Smaller

You see exactly the same effect by use of color “Before” and “After”.  The room behind looks further away and the artwork is more defined and more of a focal point because of the greater contrast and definition.  Our eye requires definition in order to perceive distance.  An all white room lacks definition and therefore is actually made to feel smaller.

Set 3:  Bedroom

"After" - Color & Details Enlarge Bedroom

"Before" - The White Walls Make the Bedroom Feel Smaller

We painted my client’s formerly white condo, several saturated and pale shades of green with a very saturated reddish brown entryway and accents.  Everyone who comes in thinks the condo looks much larger.  One even asked if she purchased the unit next door and broke through!

Our eye needs depth landmarks to perceive size.  In the “Before” image, the individual large pieces of furniture against the off-white walls makes things feel crowded and close together.  In the “After” picture, the contrast and details make the room feel larger.  In addition, the light bounces off the semi-gloss paint of the built-in bookcases sending light further into the room.  Granted, some of these effects would be true if the built-ins had been painted white but the effect is accentuated by the addition of color.

Notice, also, that the objects displayed in the open shelves also take on more definition against the deeper color.

In the “After” room, the ceiling is painted a bluish-violet.  It reads as a nice shadow effect and also enhances the green of the walls.

Set 4: Living Area
I’ve taken the next 3 images from the web.  I’ve doctored  the “After” image by adding an intense blue ceiling and an accent of deep rust.

"After" - Blue Ceiling Lends Perspective & Scale

"Before" - All White Ceiling and Walls is Devoid of Scale

In the doctored image, the room feels larger; Our eye needs boundaries to perceive scale.   When we don’t see boundaries and something beyond the boundary, we perceive areas as smaller.

In the image, below, from the same home, the white is balanced and given scale and depth by the black and white checkerboard floor in the background and the foreground straw color of the seat cushions.  Although, again, an intense blue ceiling would add additional perspective and depth to the room.  Click Here to see read more about this home.

Contrast Adds Perspective

Set 5: Colored Walls and Artwork

Colored Walls Enhance Artwork

White Goes With All Artwork - But enhances Few

The first image is accurate; I doctored the 2nd image to achieve a “white” wall.  To my eye, the artwork is enhanced by using the greyed-green on the walls  — a near complement to the predominant rusts and reddish-browns in the paintings, the mantle and sculpture.  Even the artist commented that the paintings never looked better than in this setting.  Gallery walls are white because no single color will enhance all artwork.  And white will not clash with any particular artwork.  In your home, though, you have the flexibility to select the right tone to bring out the best in your artwork and furnishings.

Now on to the last 2 myths:  All white can be unsettling and not restful if there isn’t sufficient contrast and focal points on which our eye can rest.  Imagine the room, below, without the accent of the yellow desk and the high contrast of the artwork on the back wall.  Our eye would be searching for a place to land.  As it is, the dark floor serves the same purpose as the blue ceiling in one of the photos above – the ability to perceive boundaries.  And the yellow focal point and the graphic art gives our eye the contrast and resting place that we need to feel comfortable.   See more of this office here.

White Needs Contrast to Work

It is for all these reasons that it’s not always best to paint your interior all white or beige when you’re getting ready to sell your home.  You certainly don’t want to paint the ceiling turquoise but you do want to provide sufficient contrast and interest that the buyer perceives the size and scale – or ideally perceives even greater size and scale that what you offer.

I’m not in any way suggesting that you shouldn’t use white.  But when you do, make sure you add sufficient contrast and detail to relieve boredom.

Here is some additional reading for ideas about how to select a color scheme that works.

• What Makes Color Work
• Color Concepts – Another Palette

Window films come in a huge variety of patterns and levels of translucency.  Window films are also friendly for “do-it-yourselfers”.  Here are some ideas and resources.  Whether your home is traditional or contemporary, you’ll find styles to suit.

Design by Maria Liv From the Scandinavian Design Center

The design above is by Maria Liv.  This design and others by Maria Liv are available online from the Scandinavian Design Center.

By Strossel Design

Window Film by Strossel Design

The two designs above are  by Strossel Design and others by Strossel Design are also available online from the Scandinavian Design Center as well as from Rare Device.

The above designs are available in set sizes.  If you want more flexibility to customize a design to your window or door or to design your own, check out Window Film Factory.   Below are 2 of their stock designs but they will be customized for your window size.

Stock Design From Window Film Factory

Stock Design From Window Film Factory

You can also use this company for written messages, house numbers or other alpha-numeric designs.

I used Decorative Films for the simple frosted film for the closet doors, below.  They have a wide variety of films including floral patterns, stained glass patterns, and architectural patterns all of which can be ordered in a variety of widths and cut to the foot.

Frosted Film for Closet Doors

I recommend that you use self-clinging window film without adhesive.  The directions are quite easy:
1. Cut the right size of the film and remove backpaper.
2. Spray window with water and soap solution.
Apply the film to the window and press bubbles out with a cloth or window scraper.
The film is easy to remove without leaving a trace.
I will advise that larger windows can be hard to do and you’ll need help.  It took two of us to apply the film to the doors, above.  Each panel was approximately 80 x 36.  We probably could have used a 3rd hand.  We also found it easier with these large expanses to remove the doors and lay them flat on saw horses.

I plan to use the left-over film to create a custom design on one of my own windows.  I’ll apply the film as a single piece and then cut out designs with a utility knife.  I’ll show you pictures when I’m done.

By the way, you can also pick up static cling window films at Home Depot and Lowes — you’ll just have less of a selection.

Many of us love the “charm” of an older home – one built before 1930.  For the most part what we’re responding to is the architectural detailing that comes from building without stock parts and without a production mentality.  In today’s home, such detailing is no less desirable – whether it’s funky, traditional, or rustic.

Funky:

Painted Lumber Hide Electrical Wires

In my sculpture studio, above, I used painted lumber to hide electrical wires – both to the fluorescent fixtures and to the low voltage track lighting.  This action was actually a cost savings action; it was cheaper to hide the wires behind lumber than to fish them through old plaster ceilings.  Even adding the additional decorative lumber – one of the legs of the large angle plus the 4 cross pieces – was cheaper than fishing the wires through the ceiling.  The labor of painting the lumber was my sweat equity.  2 additional cost savings actions – seen above and below – included (1) a piece of ¼” luan to hide the hole created where we took down a wall – painted bright aqua, and (2) a graphic painted on the wall and ceiling to disguise a ceiling that’s badly out of level.  The white railing is hung level (used as a flexible hanging rail for both pictures and shelving).  It’s 5” closer to the ceiling at its end than at the corner.  The bright graphic helps disguise this flaw of a hundred year old building.

Graphics Disquise Sloped Ceiling

The ceiling of Spin Pizza, below, again uses raw lumber to hide a mish-mash of ceiling elements.  The overall effect is actually calming in it’s randomness.  Read article

Ceiling Spin Pizza

Traditional:

A soffit is often used to help define areas within a room.  In the rendering, below, I plan to use a soffit to define a foyer in a home in Bethesda, MD where the front door opens directly into the living room.  The new foyer is defined on one side by a stained glass panel and on the other side by a new coat closet and an alcove with a door to a new powder room.  By painting the soffit a dark charcoal and the walls of the foyer a darker gray than the rest of the living room, the foyer feels enclosed.  You get a feeling of expansion as you walk into the living room.  A stone floor in the foyer completes the look.  The stone floor and outfitted coat closet allows the foyer to functions as a mud room entry.

Soffit used To Define Foyer

In the photo, below, a gentle pearl color on the sloped ceiling and cove lighting give a special effect.

Soft Pearl Ceiling Highlighted With Cove Lighting

And below we, again, use a darker color on the soffit of a faux tray ceiling.

Dark Soffit Helps Define Tray Ceiling

A 3-part crown molding sets off the ceiling, below, in a 1905 vernacular farmhouse.

3-Part Crown Molding

Rustic or Country:

Wood plank ceilings are a common element in rustic construction.  Below are two images from a blog posting on cottage style from completely-costal.com.  Go to the original post and notice that almost all the ceilings are decorated – usually with painted or unpainted wooden planks.

Painted Plank Ceiling

Painted Plank Ceiling

Whichever style makes sense for your home, special details on the ceiling or that frame the ceiling can lend immeasurable charm to your home.

Images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build unless noted.

]]> http://www.braitmandesign.com/home-remodeling/the-decorated-ceiling-it%e2%80%99s-all-in-the-details/feed/ 0 http://www.braitmandesign.com/art-furnshings/decorating-with-family-photos/ http://www.braitmandesign.com/art-furnshings/decorating-with-family-photos/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:37:24 +0000 Jackie Braitman http://www.braitmandesign.com/blog/?p=1437 Sometimes all you need to do is re-arrange the pictures on your wall to improve your home’s style.

Horizontal Row of Old Black & White Photos

In this home, prior to our remodel, family pictures took up almost all the wall space.  One problem with this arrangement is that usually only close family members are interested in continually looking at your family pictures.  Second, squeezing in additional photos can make the arrangement awkward.  Finally, too much of a good thing makes it hard to concentrate — there’s no focal point and so you end up seeing nothing.

Instead, we made 3 big changes after the remodel.  First, we took old black and white photos (2-4 generations old) in identical frames and lined them up as a horizontal element to contrast with the vertical plane and bulk of the new fireplace surround.  The black and white images spark conversation with guests in ways that the newer family photos packed onto the walls didn’t.  For just a small twist, we included a single recent softly colored photo.

We Used a Single Softly Colored Photo for Contract

We moved the more recent family photos to the private rooms of the house including the hallway on the bedroom level.  In the master bedroom, we again used the technique of a single horizontal plane but this time we used all more recent color photos.  In the same way we included a single color photo in the living room, we used an intense color-field within one of the picture frames to create interest.

Use an burst of color to break up the continuity

In the hallway, we included two picture ledges and packed them full of photos.  The over-packed picture ledges create an intimacy that can be lacking in wall-hung displays.  You see different things each time you look and you’re invited to rearrange the photos or to easily rotate them.

A Jam-Packed Double Photo Ledge

In the family room we used a double row of photos sometimes interspersed with some larger portraits.  In 2 spots we left the frame blank – again as a whimsical touch to attract conversation and second glances.

Leave a Blank Frame As A Point of Contrast

While these changes came as a result of a remodeling project.  A new coat of paint and some thoughtful rearranging of your own family photos might be just what it takes to rejuvenate your style.

Images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build.

BlackRock Show - October 2009

For those of you who subscribe to my blog, you’ll know I basically took the summer off.  I was concentrating on the other half of my life as an exhibiting sculptor and artist.  Here’s a link to the results of my “vacation”.  Click on the image or this link to see additional images from the solo exhibition.

The Details:

“The Body in Motion”
A Solo Exhibition of Sculpture & Wall Work
Exhibit Dates:  Sept 30 – Oct 30, 2009
Artist’s Talk:  Oct 25, 2009 – Noon to 2PM
BlackRock Center for the Arts
12901 Town Commons Drive
Germantown, MD  20874
301-528-2260

Note:  If you would like to see the individual works, there’s a link at the bottom of the show page.

Stone Mosaic Shower wall with matching Art Glass Cabinet Doors

Built in 1903, this vernacular farmhouse had small rooms, limited closets, and poor flow.  The owners wanted a luxurious master suite without increasing the footprint of the house.

We consolidated two small bedrooms into a spacious master bedroom.  A bit of additional room was taken from the overly large stairway landing to create ample closet space.  Both a sitting area and the bed enjoy a new fireplace and can view the TV.  Large windows on three sides flood the bedroom with light. 

A hall bath was gutted and rearranged to allow for a spacious shower in the master suite, his and her sink vanities, and a large art-glass fronted cabinet that screens the toilet as well as providing 6 large shelves of storage. 

Custom installed art adds to the luxury of the material.  Custom work includes a stone mosaic, stained glass cabinet doors, and 2 glass sinks.

Click on Image to View Larger.

Images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

Stained Glass Window To Block View of Close Neighbor

I’ve moved to a neighborhood built at the turn of the 20th Century — houses built from about 1880 – 1920’s and protected by an Historic Preservation District.  Many of these homes, including mine, have windows that look into a neighbor’s house.  The house I moved from (3 blocks away) and the one I moved into both have windows that are 7′ to 15′ from the neighbor’s windows.  Plus the windows are aligned so we would be part of each other’s daily lives if we didn’t block the views.  The quickest and cheapest solution is often drapery and curtains which help ensure privacy but also often block light and a sense of space.    Below are some strategies I’ve used to block a view.  I would love to hear about ways you’ve successfully blocked a view while retaining daylight and airiness. 

I’m a glass artist so I’ve very successfully used art glass windows to block the view of too close neighbors.  [See above and below].  In both cases, though, skylights, windows or doors just around the corner on an adjacent plane banish any feelings of claustrophobia that come from not being able to see out.

Art Glass Windows Block View of Too Close Neighbor

In southern California, where I lived for several years, the dense semi-tropical vegetation could successfully block a close neighbor and still allow light and privacy — houses were also often 1 story which made it easier.  But in much of the country, it’s harder to block views with vegetation without also blocking light and a sense of space.  In the dining room, we used a mix of deciduous and evergreen shrubs to block the view of the alley 7 feet away. 

Vegetation Blocks the View of the Alley

In the home, below, we created a patio bounded by a pergola with foliage inside and outside the pergola to create privacy from a busy street.  In one particular place we also hung stained glass panels.  This strategy, of course, only works if you have a lot of space to work with.  But when you do, it’s a great way to keep eyes focused away from your windows and to create a greater sense of space and separation from the world. 

Using a Garden Room to Create Privacy & Block Views

Stained Glass Garden Panel to Block a View

So tell me about your ideas.  I would love to include your ideas and images in a future article.  You can’t yet upload images but I’ll definitely get in touch with you if you tell me you have images and tell you how to get them to me.

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build