neutral

Turn Your Home Into a Personal Getaway With Travel-Inspired Décor / October 19, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

A soothing color palette helps to soften the rough, organic textures we used in this Cape Cod style bedroom in Dallas.

With travel restrictions in place due to COVID-19, many Dallas homeowners are wanting to surround themselves with memories of their time abroad. This may be why travel-inspired interior design is one of 2021’s trending looks.

Interior designers like myself often have our own favorite travel destinations and multicultural design influences. Over the course of my design career, I’ve been to Europe twelve times. I’ve also found inspiration in my travels to China, Mexico, and Canada. My business partner, Lea Barfield, and I own an antique buying trip business called Tour Décor, which helps our clients source European pieces for their residences.

When I take on a new design job, I enjoy finding ways to incorporate any antiques or multicultural art that my clients have collected over the years. Below, you’ll find some design tips and tricks for highlighting travel mementos in a sophisticated way.

Getting Started

Pictured is a collection of African milk bowls that we selected for our clients, displayed together on a kitchen wall.

One way to begin is by picking out a single piece you acquired abroad and using it as a touchpoint for the rest of the room. Putting together a collection of art from a place you’ve visited, or a gallery wall of travel photos, is another great way to memorialize.

If you’re an experienced traveler with many favorite destinations, you may have trouble narrowing down which styles to incorporate into your home. When in doubt, stick with what will complement your home’s architecture. In a midcentury modern home, you can easily blend in African, Indian, or East Asian accessories. However, if you own a home with Italian, French, or English architectural elements, you should probably stick with European furnishings and art.

If your room is coastal-themed, you can include touches of nautical whimsy, like this mirror with a rope frame.

Sourcing New Pieces

A travel-inspired home will naturally evolve over time as you bring home more treasures over the years. Make sure to leave some open space on your wall or floor for new pieces you acquire in the future.

If your favorite places in the world have lots of historic buildings, your travel-inspired room should have a sense of history, too. You can browse local antique shops in Dallas for fine, old antiques. The internet (especially social media like Instagram) can also be a great way to discover and commission artisans around the world.

Using world maps (whether printed and framed or used as a pattern in an unexpected place) is another way to communicate a feeling of wanderlust to guests. On the same note, globes are a great accessory for masculine studies and libraries.

Layering Your Space

Although a gallery wall makes a great focal point, don’t stop there. It’s important to make sure your room looks like a living space and not a museum. The solution is to spread your pieces throughout the space instead of isolating them to one part of the room.

This formal living room is Asian and Indian influenced, with its foo dog statue, incense burner, and Indian patterns.

For some clients, it’s not about a specific object they acquired, but a feeling they want to recreate. Reference your travel photos to help you get closer to the ambiance you want and identify the colors you associate with that place.

If you’re not sure what will be complementary with your travel-inspired elements, go with safe bets. Place your colorful textiles against a neutral backdrop of tan, cream, or grey. It’s also helpful to remember that natural materials like wood furniture can fit into almost any design setting. For a truly immersive feeling, try using scented candles, incense, or houseplants associated with the region you’re inspired by in the room.

Don’t forget to do some research too, especially if it’s been a while since you visited the country in question. Doing research on the history and significance of certain design traditions is not only interesting and educational, but will also help you learn how to incorporate these inspirations in a tasteful and respectful way.

Earth tones and African art make for a perfect combination in this Kessler Park guest bedroom.

There’s no better time than now to learn how to capitalize on the photos and art you’ve collected from your travels and weave a design narrative around them. That said, some people, especially those who are moving into a new home, may find the prospect overwhelming. If this sounds like you, you can reach out to us by sending an email to info@chambersinteriors.com or calling our Dallas office at 214-232-9501. When it comes to editing down your collections, having a professional second opinion is invaluable.

Accessories made of rope, like this mirror frame in a Cape Cod style bathroom, are a great choice for coastal style.

Coastal interior design style has many admirers for a reason. It’s unfussy, relaxed and casually elegant all at once, and its combination of neutrals and cheerful colors appeals to a wide variety of tastes.

Not everyone who wants the look lives by the coast. Some people have fond memories of vacationing at the beach and want to bring that nostalgia into their current home. Coastal is also a popular theme for individual rooms, such as guest bedrooms, children’s rooms, and powder rooms. You may find the following design pointers useful if you’re designing a themed room, own a beach or lake house, or simply want to bring this carefree look into your Dallas home.

Feel free to mix different shades of blue in your coastal room. This room features navy, indigo and cobalt blue patterns.

Narrowing Down the Coastal Look You Want

Before you start shopping, take a moment to decide on what kind of coastal interiors you want for yourself. Do you like lots of patinas and distressed finishes, or a sleeker contemporary look? You should also be aware that there are different regional styles to draw inspiration from. “California coastal” is more modern with understated colors and subtle tone-on-tone patterns. Floridian beach house style has brighter colors (such as turquoise) and more nautical accessories.

The Best Colors for Coastal Homes

The classic colors for coastal style are white, blue, and sea green. The blues can be in almost any shade, from robin’s egg blue, to turquoise and navy. Your neutral colors can be sandy beiges, creams, and storm grays. Although coastal style is almost always light and bright, navy would also be a perfectly appropriate choice for a moody accent wall.

This Cape Cod bedroom in a Dallas home we designed uses rough textures but soft bedding to keep things comfortable.

That said, you are not strictly limited to blues and greens for color. Some warmer colors that can be incorporated into a beach home are muted oranges, bright reds, and terracotta, which brings the Mediterranean to mind.

Incorporating Natural Materials

The next step to designing a coastal home is choosing natural materials. You’re drawing inspiration from a natural environment—the beach—so your design won’t hit the mark unless you can bring nature into the indoors.

Rough textures are a must, and there are many easy ways to incorporate them. For furniture, go for painted finishes, wicker, or rattan; for rugs, choose sisal or jute; and then add woven baskets and linen bedding. Driftwood is currently very popular because it reinforces the nautical theme without being too cutesy. It can be used in many different ways: for example, as a base for a glass-topped coffee table or as bookshelves and organizational boxes.

To contrast the rougher textures of the wood, rope, or rattan you may be using, include smooth textures: metals, glass (especially sea glass), and ceramics. Gold hardware pairs nicely with white, blue, and gray, which are all great cabinetry colors in a coastal kitchen.

The hardwood floor and soothing neutrals in this dining room give it a coastal feel even without nautical accessories.

There is a reason you don’t see carpet in beach houses. Sand is hard to clean out of it, and carpet will also get musty in humid environments. For these reasons, hardwood or natural stone floors, with rugs to soften footfalls, is the preferred choice for flooring.

Adding a Touch of Nautical Whimsy

The most common pitfall with coastal design is overdoing the theme. In decades past, homeowners loved to go all-out with oars on the wall, sailboats, seashells, and crab print everywhere. This kind of look is now considered kitschy and dated.

Some of the nautical accents in this bedroom include the seashell on the bedside table and the coral drawer pulls.

A contemporary beach house should be subtle with the theme. A few nautical accents is more than enough. One way to make a room feel more nautical without being too overt is to add striped patterns. For your seating areas, mix and match decorative pillows with different patterns to create a relaxed and carefree look.

Anyone with a beach or lake house will want to see as much of the view as possible. Even if you’re not actually living on the water, treat the windows in your coastal style home the same way: by letting in lots of natural light. If you need blinds for privacy, go for wooden ones.

While there are a lot of things to consider when you’re aiming for a coastal look, getting them right is a worthwhile goal. A well-designed beach house can make you feel like you’re on vacation every day. And in today’s world, building your own personal oasis is more important than ever.

If you want to make sure your coastal room or residence is on-theme but still classically elegant, feel free to reach out to our design team. For more information, call our Dallas office at 214-232-9501 or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com

RELATED ARTICLES:

Styling a Bed 101: How to Make Every Bed in Your Home More Inviting / January 7, 2021 by Margaret Chambers

Seen above is the master bedroom from a chateau we designed in University Park, Dallas.

Although there are dozens of ways to style a bed, some methods are more tried-and-true than others. If you’re looking for a way to refresh your bedding without committing a style faux-paus, you’ll want to take a look at these guidelines. In this article, I’ll cover classic formulas for making a bed as well as the most popular colors, patterns, and materials for bedding.

Foolproof Formulas for Making a Bed

The four standard size pillows in the back and smaller decorative pillow up front are just the right proportion for this queen bed.

The number and size of the pillows you should use depends on the size of your bed.

For a queen bed, you’ll need: two queen-size pillows, two sham pillows, and an accent pillow between 22 and 26 inches. For a king bed, you’ll want to use the following pillow formula: two king-size pillows, three king-sized sham pillows, and an accent pillow between 24 and 26 inches.

The stylistically safest way to arrange these is to put the pillow shams in back, your sleeping pillows in the middle, and then your accent pillows in front. Here are some alternative formulas for beds that are also very balanced:

Four sleeping pillows in back, one lumbar pillow in front
·Two sleeping pillows in back, one lumbar, and one accent pillow in front
Four sleeping pillows and two to three differently shaped and sized accent pillows in front

If you have a pretty headboard, you may want to go with fewer pillows to show it off. For lumbar pillows, consider placing a round decorative pillow in front; it’ll contrast nicely with the rectangular shape behind it.

We made sure to use lumbar pillows here so that the hand-blocked pattern on the upholstered headboard would be visible.

Duvet and Sheet Tips

Top sheets should be put in finished side down so that the sleeper can enjoy the soft texture. This way, the finished side will also be visible when you fold the banding back.

When you fold your duvet, I recommend folding it in half, and then pulling it back towards you into thirds, past the rows of pillows. Pulling it back gives the pillows more “breathing room” and creates more depth. Regardless of bed size, any blanket or quilt you put on the bed needs to be long enough that both ends could drape off the sides.

Here, the grey quilted coverlet is folded back to expose white sheets, giving more depth to the bed in this Dallas bedroom.

Choose Bedding Materials Wisely

Since the bed is the main attraction in any bedroom, it makes sense to prioritize it in your budget. Look for the highest quality bedding you can afford. That said, there is no need to break the bank on your next mattress; a good mattress topper can make even the most uncomfortable mattresses feel great. Make sure to get a mattress cover too. It helps you get the most longevity out of your mattress.

Many people change their bedding with the seasons. Percale sheets are nice and cool in the summer, flannels will keep you warm in the winter, and linen is a good in-between material for both spring and fall. Its hollow fibers trap the optimal amount of body heat to keep you warm at night while also being soft and supple.

Color and Pattern Combinations You Can’t Go Wrong With

All-white bedding is popular because it promotes a feeling of relaxation. Even when your duvet and pillows are colorful, it’s strongly recommended to choose white sheets and sleeping pillows. The white pillows and folded-down top sheet (if visible) will help break up the areas of color and give the eye a place to rest. Blue is probably the next most popular color scheme for bedding. While white is elegant and refined, blue has more of a casual and coastal feel.

White and blue is a classic color combination. It can instantly give bedding a refreshing and uplifting feel.

Love patterns? Make sure to break up the patterns in your bedding with some solid colors too so that the bedding is not too “busy.” To unite different patterns, make sure both patterns share at least one color. If you’re using a subtle tone-on-tone look for your colors and patterns, you’ll need to go in the opposite direction and introduce contrast with a variety of textures.

The busy patterns on the curtains and decorative pillow in this bedroom are balanced out by the neutral bedding.

A beautifully made bed makes a world of difference for the bedroom. Regardless of whether you want an upscale or a casual look, combining the right patterns, fabrics and colors will help you create a look that makes you (or your guest) want to dive right in.

In this master bedroom, you can see an example of a heavily-patterned, tone-on-tone bedding set.

Could the bedding sets in your home use a refresh this year? Consider bringing in an interior designer to give your bedrooms that extra ‘wow’ factor. To schedule a free consultation with Chambers Interiors, call our Dallas office at 214-651-7665 or send an email to info@chambersinteriors.com.

An Interior Designer’s Guide to Preparing Your Home to Sell / July 11, 2019 by Margaret Chambers

Are you preparing to sell your Dallas home? If so, you’ve probably already begun your own to-do list. While some strategies for showing a home are common knowledge (“clean up,” “make repairs,” “spray air freshener”) there are other ideas you might not have considered. In this guide, we’ll cover all of the essentials involved in selling a home. We’ll also include some tips from our interior design team that your real estate agent may not think to suggest!

*We redecorated this 1927 Spanish colonial house in Kessler Park, Dallas. Lee Roth was the landscape architect. New landscaping gives this home plenty of “curb appeal.”*

First Impressions

Real estate agents stress the importance of “curb appeal” for a good reason. If your home doesn’t make a great first impression, your prospective buyers may never even step out of the car to see it. This is the time to make your yard and front door as presentable as possible. Trimming the bushes, mowing the lawn, and weeding are must-dos. You may also want to plant some new flowers and add fresh mulch.

A quick and easy way to boost your home’s curb appeal is to put a new coat of paint on the front door. Select a color that stands out from the rest of the home, but isn’t too strong, either. If you have lots of decorative items on your porch, you may want to declutter by removing any items beside a welcome mat and a potted plant or two. Make sure that your house numbers are clear and easy to see from the street. If your window trim is fading, repaint that too. You can also pressure wash the siding of your home and the sidewalk.

When you’re wrapping up, step back and take a look at your own home from the street. If you were a buyer, would you want to tour the home?

Tackle Your Repair List

Once you’ve decided that you’re going to sell your home, make a list of all the repair projects you’ve been putting off, and their potential costs. Focus on projects that are either inexpensive, or that you can do yourself. It’s better to take care of all these fixes before the home inspector arrives.

As for more expensive repairs, some are more necessary than others. A leaky roof will definitely turn away buyers. However, while you may be tempted to renovate your outdated kitchen, proceed carefully. A full kitchen renovation can cost as much as $65,000, and it’s estimated that sellers only make back about 60% of their investment when they sell a home with a renovated kitchen. It may be more worthwhile to simply make small repairs to the kitchen and do a deep cleaning.

Your to-do list should include patching holes in walls, fixing doors and drawers that don’t close properly, replacing kitchen cabinet hardware, replacing light bulbs, and fixing leaky faucets. If your flooring is worn out, replacing your carpets and refinishing wood floors can have a higher cost upfront, but is almost always worth the investment. Replace ceilings that are water-stained, even if the plumbing issue was fixed long ago.

Create a Blank Slate

We repainted the walls in the Kessler Park home with mostly neutral colors. In the dining room, beige is a calming backdrop for the gold-framed antique prints. Before, the ceiling was also a dark terracotta color. Covering it with a light wallpaper … — We repainted the walls in the Kessler Park home with mostly neutral colors. In the dining room, beige is a calming backdrop for the gold-framed antique prints. Before, the ceiling was also a dark terracotta color. Covering it with a light wallpaper helped the room feel more expansive.

You have probably heard that it’s important to depersonalize a home for sale. Potential buyers have trouble imagining their own family photos on the walls when yours are still hanging there! Don’t store personal items in the closets, however: buyers will be opening those to see how much storage space you have. Although it’s not necessary to clear them out completely, you’ll want your closets to look tidy. The more organized your closet is, the more space you’ll appear to have.

Instead of putting photos in the closet, rent a storage space for oversize furniture, collectibles, family heirlooms, and photos. Homes that are clean and open will fetch higher prices than excessively cluttered homes, so a storage unit is a smart investment. If you do want to hang something on the wall, scenic pictures and mirrors are just fine. It would also be wise to remove religious items or political statements from your home for now, as these can distract buyers. Once you’ve moved into your new home, you can proudly display them once again.

If you have the time, it’s also worthwhile to organize your pantry and refrigerator. Some buyers will open everything they can to peek inside. You can declutter your pantry pretty easily by moving anything you aren’t planning on using the next few weeks into storage.

We updated this Plano home with transitional style in mind. Before, the walls were painted red. The metallic gray wallpaper we put up is a good example of what’s considered current in wallpaper today.

As gorgeous as your dark red bedroom may be, the paint color may be divisive for your buyers. Large, brightly colored furnishings (like upholstered couches) can be off-putting to some as well. You don’t want to provoke too much conversation about your unique taste in interior design. So, if your Dallas home is filled with bold colors, we strongly suggest repainting the walls with a neutral color. Good choices include white, cream, khaki, or gray, depending on what you have in the room. It’s also a good idea to remove any old wallpaper, which may make your home feel more dated than it actually is. You can read more about which wallpaper patterns are trendy, and which are considered out-of-date, in our blog about wallpaper.

The more light you can let into the room, the better. Turn on all the lights and open the draperies. Speaking of draperies, it’s better to just remove heavy draperies before a showing.

*These curtains are sheer, allowing lots of natural light into the room.*

Clean Like You’ve Never Cleaned Before

Be prepared to do a deep cleaning of your home (or hire assistance to do so). After you’ve taken the time to make the counters shine and clear away dust bunnies, you may find rooms getting dirty again with surprising speed. As potential buyers tour your home, your floors and carpets will be tracked with dirt. You won’t need to do another deep-cleaning for a while, but start vacuuming more frequently than you used to. If you have children, ask them to put away their toys each night.

If you have built-in bookshelves, don’t fill them entirely with books. Instead, leave a small selection of your most attractive books and accessories to showcase them. This photo is from the Theta house library we designed at SMU in Dallas.

A bad odor is an immediate turnoff for buyers. Pet owners will need to take steps to eliminate pet odors. While you’re in the thick of showing, you might also want to avoid cooking meals that leave a smell lingering the next day. On the other hand, don’t be afraid to fill the home with a more inviting scent. Fresh flowers, scented candles, and freshly baked cookies are all safe bets.

Begin the Purge-and-Pack Process

Decluttering goes hand in hand with cleaning. Since you’ll be packing up all of your belongings soon, you should take this opportunity to purge items that you don’t want to take to your next home.

On the other side of the coin, you should ask yourself: “Is there anything in my home I could never part with?” Whether it’s a family heirloom, a custom light fixture, or a favorite piece of artwork, you should consider moving it to storage before buyers can see it. It will hurt negotiations if your buyer covets a beautiful painting by your late grandfather, and is told that she can’t have it. Everyone is happier when your buyers never know what they’re missing!

Clearing knickknacks off of counters and shelves will immediately help your home look neater. After decluttering this house, you’ll have more motivation to keep your next house organized, too. This will save you a lot of time if you need to move and sell your next home suddenly.

For now, you can organize items that you use every day, such as your toiletries, in small boxes and put them out of sight. If you have a storage unit, you should go ahead and move out both your books and your bookcases. Homes will also show better with no rugs rather than with outdated rugs.

Most homes for sale will benefit from having some furniture moved to storage. Focus on moving out any pieces that block pathways, whether they are large sofas or extra dining chairs. Reducing the amount of furniture will help to make each room feel larger.

When it’s time to sell, even looking at your own to-do list can feel intimidating. Just remember that every repair you make, and every item you purge, will increase the value of your home and make your next move easier. If you’ve accomplished all of your to-do’s and are ready to take your home sale to the next level, consider hiring an interior designer to stage your home. A clean home will sell better than a cluttered one, and a professionally staged home will sell even better.

Margaret Chambers and her team lead one of Dallas' top award-winning residential interior design firms.