Interior Design Sense

If you’d like to send us photos to include in next week’s “pets on furniture” post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. (Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture…and your pet happens to be sitting on it). And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it’s dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com and PLEASE don’t send me closeups of your pet!!!)

“This is a picture of our Bichon Frisé, Elvis.  We rescued Elvis a few months ago and since he’s been with us, it appears he’s been trying to make up for the lost time!  He’s a feisty little boy and loves to jump onto our bed and attack our pillows as soon as we turn away.  Of course, when we’re looking, he likes to sit pretty and pretend he’s a gentleman, as if saying “Pillows, what pillows?”.  This photo was taken by our very talented wedding photographers Davina + Daniel on a casual Sunday afternoon.“
- Nataly

“this is gizmo.. do pillows count as furniture?? “
- J. Formoso

“This is our little princess, Gwen. She’s a one year old Boston Terrier and lives up to the breed’s reputation. She’s a big cuddler and when either myself or my husband are not around, she settles for our couch pillows. Such a cutie!“
- Melissa

“It’s hard to narrow down my choices as my two boxers LOVE the furniture and they always sleep in crazy positions, but this is by far my favorite. Taken the first week we had Millie home. At 9 weeks old, she couldn’t even barely get up on the sofa and I guess trying so hard wore her out. She slept like that for a good 30mins and boxers are notorious for their snoring.“
“Here are 2 more to check out.One is a better shot of the room, but it looks almost as if they are trying to blend in. Hehe. Maybe if I don’t see them they won’t have to go in their crates when I leave. “
- Katherine

“Oscar, one of your many kitties, peeking over a 10th century Cambodian statue of the Hindu god Shiva“
- Caroline

“Well, we’ve added to our family- meet Pickle! But Pickle here was mighty jealous when she found out Pepper & Skitchman had BOTH been featured on Pets On Furniture, so she decided to do some posing of her own & wanted me to share with you. Here she is on our newly painted guest-bed.”
- Tess

“Here’s a couple submissions of my beagle mix Charley on my Luna high-back chair“
- Megan

“Here is Mickey and Pumpkin getting ready for bed…“
- Danielle

“If somebody thinks that cats and dogs don’t live in harmony, it’s time to stop watching Looney Tunes cartoon. My black cat Otylia and Frota the airedale terrier dog spend all day together. Sometimes Frota thinks that she is like a cat and climbs high on my flat furniture. Now, they are sitting on yellow commode in front of a tree, which I made from a stripped birch-tree. That decorative tree  I tried to transform my wall, where I will soon hang pictures. Best wishes from Poland!“
- Maggie

“Here in France we have Pets on furniture too…His  name is Frikadel from the blog: Frikadel and Co The table was handmade just for us with real wood (oak) and old metal to fit our floor it look like a vintage one but it isn’t.”
- Isabelle

“Attached is a few pictures of my awesome havanese named Hudson. He is laying on my sofa in a living room which is his favorite spot!“
- Jessica

If you’d like to send us photos to include in next week’s “pets on furniture” post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. (Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture…and your pet happens to be sitting on it). And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it’s dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com and PLEASE don’t send me closeups of your pet!!!)

“Stretch and Raymond (aka Buddy) here, with some pics from our cool San Francisco loft …“

“Raymond is more into modernism…“

“…  while Stretch likes it a bit more eclectic:“

“When we are not lounging in our cool pad, we are busy campaigning against cancer.“
- Julia

“This is Luigi, my little Pom. He definitely is spoiled, as you can see!“
- Andrea

“I’m attaching the picture of our turkish dog Yakamoz (his name means in Turkish “reflection of the moon on the sea”) on our antique armchair…“
- Marie-France

“This is my first time submitting to Pets on Furniture, and granted, the chickens arent usually allowed in the house, but it is 40 deg C in Perth today and they are only five weeks old.  I put them in the lounge room in a crate and my almost four year old son decided they might like to watch tv.  What the…!! I know you dont like close ups but I did include one as they are so little they were a bit hard to see on the chair, which by the way was a junk shop find we had covered in a fantstic Osborne and Little fabric.  It perfectly matches the arches in our Moorish styed house.  The brown chicken is an Isa Brown named Dodo, she is very sweet, the grey-ish one is a Lavender Arucana named Zia (the eggs that she will eventually lay will be blue) and the black one is a Silkie named Lice (yes, like head lice but that is what said almost four year old insists egg yolks are called).“
- Bridie

“This was taken on the first snowfall of the year.  Henry LOVES snow and if he’s not playing in it, he’s watching it fall.  Even though he knows he’s not allowed on the furniture he couldn’t resist the view out the window from our chair.“
- Danielle

“This here is my cat, Hollis. He loves a good Nelson bench.“
- Sue

“We rescued our 2-year-old Lab, Dublin, about 4 months ago and it didn’t take long for her to settle in and make herself at home on our comfy couches. The dog hair started to get outta control so we put down some soft fleece for her to lay on. She’s so comfy that at times when she actually lays down on the floor it seems odd!“
- Karen and Jake

“This is Bean, our 2 year old Boston Terrier, on her very own recliner. The chair was a gift from her dog-grandparents. She was a little nervous about it at first, but soon made it a nice napping place.“
- Jen & Ron

“Here’s a picture of Max (L) & Maggie (R) sitting on our wicker furniture.“
- Scott

“I think what he was trying to say is “Are you serious?” When I kindly asked Fletcher to remove his doggie self from the chair I just finished re-doing, either that or “Get lost lady” I’m not sure…“
- Tobi

“Spot the cat.“
- Catherine

“i’d like to bring to your attention my pets on furniture – or rather, my pets on Doofs!! Mika is the Shih-Tzu and Disco is the tabby.  unfortunately, Disco passed away recently from a third-storey fatal fall. we were devastated   however, we hope his legacy can live on through these images.“
- Johnny

Thinking about the future makes you wonder about what we have not seen at this point in our lives. Take for example futuristic home furnishings like the Fusion Table by Sony. Here a computer has been grafted into a coffee table creating a high-tech piece of furniture that is eye-catching and dual purpose. Fusion is set to retail for around $3,000. It will be interesting to see how well it is received. Via – Bornrich.

Post from Futuristic Home Furnishings by Sony

The Folding Dining Table from Italian company Porada is a really interesting piece of furniture. This piece of furniture can be used as a mirror and ganged on the wall when folded, and it can also be used as a neat folding table especially when your dining space is limited. Don’t know how many of you would have the time to fold and unfold this “mirror table” but I thought that is a really cool idea. – Via – Bornrich

This Furniture Friday is dedicated to a very controversial piece of furniture…the skirted table!  It has even inspired a blog/radio show.  I like mine stream-lined with a graphic punch or done-up with dress-maker detailing! 

{Julie Neill}

{Above two photos, Palmer Weiss}

{photo from here}

{Beach Dwelling via Patricia Gray}

Pam Pierce via Cote de Texas

Ballard Party Table

Linen Table Skirts from Wisteria

I think the above three tables are the best options from the big stores.  There are also a few great tutorials on how to make your own out there in blog land… try here, here, or here.  If anyone decides to brave trying to make one yourself, please email me photos!

Last month we presented the SWING CHAIR by Angelo Tomaiuolo, and today here is the Wave Coffee Table ..the perfect piece of furniture to match that chair, a cool and delicate small table thought for modern house living areas. Designed by the same designer Wave is a sensorial coffee table, inspired by the fine lightness of textile works and made for modern house living areas. Its aluminium sheet base, realizable by plasma cutting technology and lacquered in different colours, is suggested by the grace of lace texture works. The counter top is made of clear or translucent tempered glass.

This sleek piece of furniture is the MC1 Recliner designed by Olaf Kitzig. It is built for indoor or outdoor use being constructed of acrylic. The shape itself combines elements of a lounge chair and recliner into a single design. Find the product: here.

Post from Sleek MC1 Recliner by Olaf Kitzig

If you’d like to send us photos to include in next week’s “pets on furniture” post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. (Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture…and your pet happens to be sitting on it). And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it’s REALLY dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com and PLEASE don’t send me closeups of your pet!!!)

***Note: I am out on holidays next weekend for 10 days so there will be no pet posts for the next 2 Mondays, but please keep sending in entries for the Monday after I get back!

“This is ‘Otto’, my french bulldog seating in a Eames Lounge Chair.“
- Juan

“Here are two photos of our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Finnegan, on a French arm chair in our dining room. (I thought it was appropriate to have our pup– whose breed is infamous for its French nobility origins– on a French chair).“
- Jessica

“Big guy on a bench in Santa Fe.“
- Shannon

“Love your ‘Pet’s on Furniture’ special and thought I would contribute two pictures of our cat Heidi doing her favorite thing – napping.=^..^=“
- Doreen

“My name is Ana Hester and I am enclosing a picture of the cat Daragh, surveying the landscape from her perch upon the antique bookcase.“
- Ana

“This is our Cheach, a dilute tortie. It’s rather ridiculous how comfortable she can make herself.“
- Ian

“I wanted to submit pictures of my family’s two dogs. The first is our Chaweenie (dachshund-chihuahua) Peanut. He is tiny but he finds a way to take up the entire couch and use all of the pillows! The next is our Vizsla,Ginger, looking out the window from “her” chair at the kitchen table.“
- Lauren

“My cat Josie…. clearly, she is the queen of the house.“
- Matt

“here are two shots of my boxer, Stella on our furniture…it is a hard life for stella“
- Stephanie

“While this isn’t a fabulous picture of either Gordo or the couch (which my very dear friend and design guru calls the “world’s most expensive dog bed”), I like the shot because the Gord has gone totally cammo in the granny blanket and throw. She’s like: What dog, where? There’s no dog here. Nothing to look at Pets on Furniture Monday Web Site, you, move along. Go look somewhere else for some Puppy on a Pappasan, there’s no one here…“
- Priscilla

If you’d like to send us photos to include in next week’s “pets on furniture” post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. (Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture…and your pet happens to be sitting on it). And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it’s REALLY dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com and PLEASE don’t send me closeups of your pet!!!)

***Note: I am out on holidays next weekend for 10 days so there will be no pet posts for the next 2 Mondays, but please keep sending in entries for the Monday after I get back!

“Meet Zidane. He’s a 4 year old Boston Terrier and the love of our lives. Sure he snores and farts. But we adore him anyway. Technically Zidane isn’t even supposed to be sitting on our white sofa. But I guess he thought if he sat super still no one would notice he was there. Even though Zidane is the star of this picture, the real talent is davina + daniel, two of the best people and photographers i know.“
- Kate

“Thanks for the invitation. Here is my version.“
- Mona

“attached is a picture of my dog Caramel. she loooves the couch.”
- Mariel

“Beans can often be found on my Plycraft lounge. He really loves modern furniture. And blankets. Mostly he loves blankets.“
- Jaime, Dog Milk

“This is a picture of my ever-growing Isabel. She can’t seem to lay on anything without being upside down. Perhaps the world looks better that way to a cat…“
- Amanda

“My dog Mazie was so excited to be a part of pets on furniture in January that I wanted to send along a picture of my orange cat Gig’em so that he could get in on the fun! Here he is peeking out from his favorite spot behind my Marimekko shams on my ikea Malm bed.”
- Christie

“This is Kitty and his young brother Oliver hanging out in a Bertoia chair. Photo snapped from cellphone, so I apologize if not the best quality.”
- Tiffany
“This is our Spinone Italiano, Al Fresco. Call him Al. In fact, you can call him just about anything you want, but he will pointedly ignore you when he’s on his favorite crewel wingback chair. He ’sneaks’ – as only a 65 lb dog can – up on it, does his customary turn around, and settles in firmly. All because he thinks I am not home to chase him off. Winter finds his sleep a bit deeper, so we can pretty much go nose-to-nose with him and he barely makes eye contact.“
- Margaret

“Here is Captain Jack Sparrow, know to his friends as Jack, and his motley crew of cats, Al, Socks and What’s It, after a hard day of plundering, they take a well earned nap…….on yet another forbidden conquest.“
- Jan

“If you met puggles Seymour + Mona, you would at times confuse them for little people. (Or at least they would like for you to think so.) We mostly think they are little dweebs with big hearts. If they are not in bed cuddled up napping, they are on their favorite chair, sunbathing or sitting at the table waiting for first course. Sometimes Mona gets a little confused, jumps on the table and lays in the middle, like she is the main course. Seymour loves to watch people cook or sit in front of the oven cooking mom’s cookies. He won’t budget if highly anticipates a fresh batch. Good luck trying to break that concentration.“
- Nicole

“I wanted to share a quick snap of my little girl, Maxine, after a brisk walk in Central Park.”
- Jill

I’m so thrilled to post the second installment of “Readers’ Design Dilemmas- Solved!”

Elaine Griffin continues to answer our readers’ most pressing design questions from our Design Rules book giveaway.

Enjoy all her fantastic advice!

Wondering how to know where to hang mirrors in living spaces?

- Beth

What are your thoughts on hanging a mirror over a mantle, where is it too high for someone to actually see any reflection in it? Should it be treated as art and just admired for its innate beauty, or is the whole point of a mirror to see a reflection?

-Sarah

Mirrors are in the Top 5 – no, make that the Hall of Fame! – of decorators’ sleight-of-hand tricks.  They reflect the light (so locating one strategically near/opposite/catty-corner to a window[s] is always a do) and seem to visually increase the room size, too.  And they’re also just plain cute, to boot.  What’s not to like!!!

Think of framed mirrors by size and also shape.  The statement-sized mirror (2 – 3 feet wide and up) is perfect above a significantly-sized item (sofa, dining room sideboard, etc.) or prime piece of interior real estate (above a mantle (no matter how high – you don’t need to actually see the reflection), at the end of a hall, in the foyer).

Round mirrors and sunburst mirrors can have either convex or flat surfaces; larger ones are great alone, and smaller ones in multiples of three or more (odd numbers always look best in multiples, dahling – an old merchandiser’s trick!).

Mirrors should be proportionately sized to the piece of furniture that sits below them – filling at least two-thirds of the space, as a rule (unless you’re combining a smaller mirror with other framed art, in which case it becomes just another piece of art in the vignette).

Horizontally-oriented mirrors rarely look great above mantles, BTW, because those spaces typically are vertically-shaped rectangles (although circles work well there, too).

Pier mirrors were traditionally stationed between windows in Georgian homes to increase the light.  Another decorator trick, which works with any style interior, is to mirror the upper three sides of the recess of deeply-recessed windows – it triples your light.

I’m wild about the modern, oversized floor mirrors that Room & Board and Crate & Barrel have perfected!  They’re great across from dining tables, in particular, and also across from windows.

What are the rules for mixing patterns?  I always have trouble with this!

-Julie

Julie, if you think of mixing patterns in a room the same way you’d mix them in an outfit, it all becomes easier!  The loudest pattern dominates (let’s say a big floral print, for example – and we’ll put it on the curtains).  Adding a stripe is next somewhere (sofa? rug? chair?), but you should add only one – if you put it on the sofa, have a tone-on-tone texture (that means a solid color but with a texture woven into the fabric, or a two-tone motif  woven into the fabric, like a damask) on a couple of armchairs adjacent to the sofa.  You can add a fabric with a subtle motif as a contrast somewhere (like on little chairs or dining chairs) in there too – a check would be darlin’ (as we say in Dixie!), or something similar and subtle.

The rule for mixing patterns:  one stripe, one floral, one plaid, one check in one room . . . but only ONE of these can dominate.  After that, you can have ONE that’s second-in-command (visually speaking! LOL) after the Power Pattern.  Everything else is discreetly complimentary to the first two.