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Houzz Tour: Design Secrets from a Dallas Model Home
Designer Cristi Holcombe Shows How to Mix Colors, Find Bargains, Create Great Tablescapes and More
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Today we'll be taking a tour of a vibrant model home in Dallas. We are talking ikat, Greek key, faux painting, gorgeous fabrics, custom bedding and window treatments, carefully curated accessories, a beautiful open layout and a resultant, "Yes please, I would like to move in tomorrow. And can I keep all of the furnishings?"
While this model home's style is very refined, it has a very comfortable, lived-in look, and I mean that as a compliment! Interior designer Cristi Holcombe is here to spill a few secrets about where to splurge and where to save, how to approach a tablescape, where to pick up some great bargains and more.
While this model home's style is very refined, it has a very comfortable, lived-in look, and I mean that as a compliment! Interior designer Cristi Holcombe is here to spill a few secrets about where to splurge and where to save, how to approach a tablescape, where to pick up some great bargains and more.
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by Cristi Holcombe
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| The palette for this home was inspired by a picture of a master bedroom Cristi spied on design blog. She began with a neutral base and added warm goldenrod, pale blues, and rich gray, then used the palette throughout the home. |
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| Working on a model home is a bit different, as the builder has already picked many of the finishes and the designer works around it. Unless you are buying a brand new home before it's finished, chances are you'll be working around someone else's finishes as well. Cristi's palette works with existing finishes like this stone fireplace surround. |
by Cristi Holcombe
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Cristi is a master at mixing prints, and designing bedscapes, custom pillows and custom window treatments is where she usually splurges. Her advice for mixing prints? "Working from a tri-colored color scheme makes it easy. Use one main neutral, one main accent color and a second accent color." She also advises using one large print and several smaller prints. "If you have too many large prints, your eye will be bouncing around too much to all of these different graphics."
by Cristi Holcombe
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After noticing a lot of upholstery nails in another of her designs, I asked Cristi about attention to detail. "I love any type of small detail that really adds character to a design," she says. "Some of my other favorite design details include adding banding to window treatments and pillows and using anything woven."
by Cristi Holcombe
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Cristi often adds natural elements into homes via accessories like this piece of driftwood.
by Cristi Holcombe
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"My favorite source for inspiration is walking around a fabric showroom or retail store. I could do that for hours and come up with complete designs based on fabric." Cristi pays very careful attention to bedding, and usually has it custom designed.
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| Cristi went for a dark color in this dining room because the room is so filled with natural light. "People think dark colors will make rooms look closed in, but that's just a myth," she says. |
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Here's a closer look at the dining room mirror. We've had a lot of questions about where to find this mirror on Houzz. You can find it at Restoration Hardware.
by Cristi Holcombe
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There's a story about hostesses and pineapples in the South. The hostess would leave a pineapple out on the mantle at the beginning of the party, and when she was ready for her guests to vamoose, she discreetly removed it. When the guests noticed that it was missing, they went home! Cristi found this one at Homegoods.
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This is a beautiful example of how to leave your dining room set up in between dinner parties.
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by Cristi Holcombe
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| "This type of loft space is often overlooked and treated like an extra hallway," Cristi says. "What I created here was a multifunctional area where a mother and little one can do crafts together and where a teenage girl can do her homework."
A faux painter created the dots on these walls. |
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| Take note of the symmetry in this guest room. Cristi throws it off a little bit by the way the nightstands are arranged, which is more realistic. |
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| While she splurges on custom window treatments, bedding and pillows, Cristi also knows how to stretch a dollar. She regularly picks up pieces from Homegoods, West Elm and Target. "I saw these film reels at Pier One and I just knew they would be perfect," she says.
The same faux painter who did the dots in the loft and the diamonds in the office painted this striped accent wall. |
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I asked Cristi about the pros and cons of working on model homes versus working on residential projects with clients who live there. "In a model home, the builder wants it to all flow, and to make it magnificent. They also want it done as quickly as possible... With residential clients, they may be more concerned with small details, but we have ample time to iron them all out."
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There is a lot of geometric play happening in this room. The shelves came first, then the valances, and last the rug, which was a happy accident. The rug she originally bought for this room did not fit, so a switcheroo with the kitchen rug brought hexagons into the mix.
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A faux painter picked up the diamond motif from the valances, blew it up, and added it to the office walls.
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| The one place Cristi diverted from the color palette was in the teenage girl's room, where she added some pink and fashion-related accessorires. |
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| These fashion prints were found at Z Gallerie and are on hard board. The Andy Warhol shoes print came from art.com, and the frame is from IKEA. |
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Cristi needed some last minute shams, so she used an inexpensive decorator's trick. She ran to Target, bought two pillowcases, and "propped and pinned them to give them the look of shams."
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| There's a science to the way Cristi arranges a dining tablescape. "I always start with a placemat and add a charger, a dinner plate, and a salad plate. I'll vary the topper—sometimes it's a napkin with a ring, sometimes it's a glass, other times a figurine." |
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Cristi's easy tip for creating a great tablescape? "The easiest way is to group things in threes," she advises, "I also create visual triangles and balance."
Thanks so much to Cristi for sharing this fresh home and her design tips with us today! See more of her model home tricks in action in a different residence and palette.
Thanks so much to Cristi for sharing this fresh home and her design tips with us today! See more of her model home tricks in action in a different residence and palette.
Ideabook updated on Dec. 22, 2010.
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It gives the misconception that people can do things on a budget. My guess is it could have been 20k, depending on where the items were purchased.
-The manufacturer of the chairs is Rowe Furniture. I selected one of their standard fabrics for the chairs.
-The mirrored table in the girl's room is from a "to-the-trade" company but I've occasionally seen pieces like this at Homegoods and TJMaxx.
-The budget for model homes ranges from anywhere from $18per sq. ft. to $27per sq. ft. This model was in the middle to upper range and was about 3000 sq. ft. I definitely don't want to give the impression that this home was done on a tight budget but it is definitely not considered high-end by any means.
-Dining room paint color - I'll be back with an update on the paint color tomorrow. I don't have my notes with me and can't remember the name of the one that I actually chose. I waivered back and forth on that selection.
Thanks! Cristi
Tdjacbo, it all depends on what your definition of "budget" for furnishing and decorating an entire house is. What I take away from Cristi's work is that she can mix high-end custom pieces with pieces found at Pier 1, Homegoods, West Elm and the like.