Monday, November 28, 2011

New Lights Over the Holiday Weekend

So this past holiday weekend while others were fighting the Black Friday shoppers we were at home hanging lights.... no not holiday lights but new lighting for our foyer.

Our existing foyer lighting was too small for the 12' high ceilings and for a while now I had been looking for something to replace it with and just had not found the perfect piece. Since our foyer is next to the dining room it had to be a light fixture that complemented the dining room chandelier.





Once James took down the old fixture he had to re-work the wiring for the new fixtures. Instead of just adding one fixture we had decided to add three. That's right three; all of which would work on one switch.







Once the wiring was complete we proceeded to hang the new fixtures.








And voila we have light!!!!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Turkey Day Table Ideas

 Turkey Day Table Settings Ideas
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. You get to eat and eat to your hearts delight.This year you want the family to feel comfy and homey during this special moment, right, this is the time to incorporate decorative and seasonal elements.

Less Is More
The addition of a green linen or simple ribbon and pinecone to a folded napkin can elevate an elegant table setting. Added contrast to white china or yellow pale dinner set with a bright color purple napkin. You can certainly set your tone or theme only by changing colors.



Candle Light Set the Mood
Candle creates homemade warmth and illumination. Candles are practical, beautiful, and if you want to blend in the spiritual side, they are welcome in every religion, thus everyone will feel welcome to your table. If space is limited or you have small children in the home, try sconces that hang on the wall. This will keep your shelf and table space open for other items and keep little fingers from getting in the candles.

Fruit and Flower Power
Flower empowers the color of the centerpiece besides adding fragrance that calming and soothing the surrounding table layout. Decorate your centerpiece with a large array of flowers along with fresh fruits and vegetables. If you don't have the time to work with floral sticks and wires, you can position grapes, apples and pears around the centerpiece. You can still get a similar beautiful effect.


 

We hope you all have a great start to the holiday season.

 

By the way....

Keep in mind, Morrone Interiors can help you with your holiday shopping!  In case you didn’t know, we offer gift certificates for our consulting services.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Fauxed Doors

A little over a year and a half ago I met an amazing Faux Artist (Max Monarch of Meridian Studios) that can take a dull boring door and turn it into a work of art. Since meeting her I have had her "faux" multiple clients doors and finally this week she fauxed my front door. Talk about excited; I went from a plain white door to a tiger eye wood door in just the matter of hours; well hours over a three day process :-).

Unfortunately I was so excited about my door that I forgot to take before pictures so instead I am showing you a clients door that she fauxed for me. Talk about amazing!!!!


This is the door that we found at the store.

Once the door get installed she adds a coat of primer to it.

The next day she works her magic and it looks like a real wood door.


Finally she seals the door with a coat of poly to protect it.


What's amazing about this process is you have a beautiful door that has the elegance of wood with out the cost or the upkeep. Her cost for fauxing a door is only $350.00!!!! She truly is amazing!!!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Transform a Room Through Magic Of Wainscoting


Looking for a way to enhance a room in your home? Wainscoting is the way to go! Originally used to protect the lower walls of a room, wainscot is now used for decorative purposes as well.  It can be installed piece by piece or in wall length pieces. You can choose the exact style and height that complements the room being remodeled, however the end result will always come out elegant and classy.


Wainscoting can add dramatic character to a room. There are a few wainscot tips when it comes to installing wainscoting  In existing homes, you will need to check how the wainscoting panel will fit around electrical outlets and door and window trim.

A helpful tip when choosing which style of wainscoting is to use paneled wainscot in rooms and entryways where you can stand back and appreciate it. Beadboard works better in close quarters, such as hallways, mudrooms, and utility areas.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Top 5 Accessories That Everyone Needs In Their Home!

1. Rich Pillows
Oftentimes when you purchase a new sofa or chairs it comes with a couple of matching pillows. Unfortunately, the sofas and chairs end up out living the pillows, and the pillows end up looking worn and flat.
This room features great pillows which add the perfect splash of color!
This room uses a great blend of pillows with fun textures and colors.
2. Plants
Plants are another great way to incorporate more color and texture into a room. Some studies have even shown that plants help with stress and  improve mood. When you’re choosing your plants, try to find ones that complement your decor. Palms, ferns, and vines work well with traditional homes. Bold and more vibrant colored plants look great with more modern decor. Succulents fit in well with a more rustic or nature inspired designs.
This room features several eye catching plants which add great interest, and a nice pop of color to the room.
Another room which uses plants to enhance the space.

3. Picture Frames
Frames are a great way to make a room personal. Weather it’s filled with family pictures or shots of places or things that remind you of great memories and moments, frames are always a great way to bring some personality and charm to a room. Just make sure to keep your frames updated and to keep a good balance with how many you choose to use. It also helps to group them instead of just scattering them all across the room. Also remember to keep the frames current and updated to match your current design style. I really enjoy shopping at Aaron Brother Frame Company for affordable and unique frames.
This is a room that I did that shows a good example of how to match the frames with the style of the room.
Adding some fun color and texture with frames.

4. A great rug
Rugs help ground a space while adding great texture and warmth. They are available in endless patterns, colors and styles. Even if you already have carpet, I still suggest adding a rug to the space. Nothing beats a rug when you are trying to add more color and texture to a room.
This rug really adds some nice detail into the room especially since the furniture uses only solid fabrics.
This fun rug really tops off the room!


5. Books
It’s a good rule of theme to have at least 3 books on your coffee table, and to have them coordinate with the colors of your room. So if your room is mainly brown with some accent colors such as red, then buy at least one brown book and one red book. Books are so versatile and easy to accessorize with. You can use books to accessorize nightstands, entry consoles, sofa tables, and much more. They also create great dimension by lifting up your decor and creating different layers and levels of decor.
You can even stack a couple books on an ottoman.
This room uses books in several places. It gives the decor more interest by adding great dimension.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

What is Ikat?

For sev­eral years now, ikat has been pop­u­lar in the design world, appear­ing in rooms both tra­di­tional and mod­ern. A dash of ikat – at the win­dows, in pil­lows or uphol­stery – lends an exoti­cism that few other fab­rics can con­vey. Whether in more typ­i­cal eth­nic col­ors or in the vibrant shades mod­ern tex­tile design­ers have brought to the fore, ikat shows no sign of wan­ing in pop­u­lar­ity – a relief to those of us who love its sense of mys­tery. What other fab­ric so eas­ily rep­re­sents a well-traveled life?
[ee-kaht], in case you were won­der­ing about the pro­nun­ci­a­tion, is a method of print­ing woven fab­ric by tie-dyeing the warp yarns (warp ikat), the weft yarns (weft ikat), or both (dou­ble ikat) before weav­ing. The name also includes the fab­ric made by this method.  Ikat pat­terns appear in cul­tures as diverse as Japan, Indone­sia, Malaysia, Guatemala, Turkey, and India.
I love ikat for the home, par­tic­u­larly for the sense of punc­tu­a­tion it can bring to a vari­ety of room styles. It’s ver­sa­tile enough to play well with other pat­terns or stand alone as a state­ment against neu­trals and solids.