By Kimberly GriggQ: How can I paint or design a wall in my home with customized, formal style? A: A frieze or border makes a fantastic wall design to display distinctive elegance. For one of my interior design clients, I created the look and feel of panels on a sitting room wall. We decided upon a French theme to be reminiscent of a Parisian parlor. The concept involved designing and hand-painting faux panels to appear as an integral part of the room’s architecture. Rather than renovating the room with carved-wood or plaster panels, I drew a sketch of the panel design I had in mind. From there, I worked with a local artist to paint my panel design onto the walls, creating classical impact and grandeur.The best way to achieve formality in this type of design is painting the wall a light shade and using a subtlety darker hue for the painted panels or other wall accents. Adding a fresco like this to your home may sound simple, but I suggest retaining a professional if you want refined and polished results. Q: Do you have ideas for decorating a small, awkward hall space between my dining room and kitchen? A: Two factors play roles in decorating hallways that are small in scale or have limited wall space for placing furniture- simplicity and balance. Always leave a small transition area between rooms uncluttered. Minimalism can be vibrant and sophisticated with the use of one staple piece of furniture to create a focal point. For some hallways, I like to avoid the expectation of a hall table. My design staff and I often choose unanticipated furnishings for hallways based upon the space. A single chair set on an angle can provide a sense of foundation as well as comfort for the hall. Perhaps most important, a hall chair distinguishes the two rooms flanking the hallway. White or neutral fabric for a hall chair lends to fashionable, understated style. In contrast, you may want to select a bold or bright accent color to add a touch of liveliness for a chair cushion and wall art. Q: Do you have suggestions for how to change my family room from plain and bland to colorful? A: A strong use of color along with functional seating arrangements help create cozy spaces that invite you to sit and stay a while. When it comes to color, be careful not to take yourself and your interior rooms too seriously. My own formal living room is arguably the most dramatic room in my home. A bold color theme of blue, green, burnt orange, and coral; three sweeping archways painted a lovey smokey-blue; and creamy white columns with capitals atop and bases below all converge in unpretentious and casual stylishness. With a goal of keeping the room’s color spontaneous and comfortable, I had two wingback chairs upholstered in a zigzag-pattern fabric comprising the space’s overall color palette. Balance of color was accomplished by centering two tufted, solid-blue sofas in the room, each facing the other. Two identical blue Murano chandeliers brightly oversee the space and enliven the room. As a designer, a lesson I have learned is that color is the most compelling and personal component of design. Big doses of color within a cohesive, well-planned framework can make a house a home. Q. How should I bring earth tones and animal prints into my home without it being too overwhelming?A. One of the best ways to create a welcoming space is by using earth tones, like a rich brown, tan or beige, deep orange, and warm green. These colors help yield a down-to-earth impression of the outdoors. The semiannual Pantone Fashion Color Report for fall has predicted popular hues will be displayed in earthy, neutral tones. One of the report’s colors, Dried Herb, is a light olive-green shade that has been transformed into a color we now perceive as sophisticated. It makes for a wonderful wall paint color to ground a room. Pair this warm green wall color with the deep accent shade of chocolate or eggplant in the form of an animal-print chair fabric to create a mesmerizing design duo.Readers’ Design Resource: Visit Kimberly’s new Knotting Hill Interiors showroom at 7751 N. Kings Highway, 500 feet behind her original location. The second showroom will open in August and feature design items, a wallpaper center, and large selections of fabric, carpet and flooring. To learn more, visit www.knottinghillinteriors.com. Have Design Questions? If you would like to submit your own design questions for next month’s column, please email Kimberly Grigg at kimberly@knottinghillinteriors.com. Please note, a selection of submissions will be chosen for inclusion.
Kimberly Grigg is CEO and principle designer of Knotting Hill Interiors. The company specializes in designing beautiful homes with intricate detail, elegance and comfort. The professional design team works diligently to ensure that each client's personality and lifestyle is reflected in every detail of the home. Knotting Hill Interiors' services include luxury interior design; home remodeling and renovation; green interior design; children's rooms and nurseries; construction services including all specification, paint and color selections, furniture layout, electrical plan and project management; commercial application for hospitality, restaurants and offices; and much more.
