Diana Bier Interiors, LLC That's very interesting--here "homely" means unattractive!

Samantha Great points some of which I hadn't really thought of. I'm in the middle of trying to come up with a design plan for our awkward living /dining room (L shaped and not very big - I have a discussion posted if anyone wants a look). I've found google sketch up to be invaluable. You don't just get a birds eye view you get 3d. The only downside is you have to be pretty good computers. But it's way more accurate than most of the other free design programmes.

sguest35 flwisyd- fireplace will likely be gas and in the long range plans. Still taking one project at a time, moved here less than a year ago. Wall paper is not something I use ever. Tho have thought about stencils. :) Plantations shutters are nice. My choice was to go with wood blinds. Thx for the suggestions.

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC Wow, I had no idea! I still have my Dad's typewriter, probably from the 1940s, in the basement. I guess it's time to bring it out!

Krista Krahn A planter?!?! At the risk of sounding like a hipster, I've been refurbing manual typewriters since 1990. My school provided them as the only alternative to handwriting essays. (The school closed for lack of funding, surprise.) Typewriters are extraordinarily useful to so many people to change the speed of writing. It's great for creativity. They function perfectly well if you show the slightest bit of care.

Timothy We have take Three ANTQUE typewriters and bolted them to the wall
and spot lighted them as ART...
Not one person has not made a " Wow " comment
tim
http://www.thekingsbay.com

kellystevens I am pretty sure 34 inches is standard counter height, and 30 inches is considered table height.

Dan Hannula Any green appears to pair well with wood. In our bathroom, and in most of our lake cottage, we used Benjamin Moore's Dry Sage. We have a lot of pine, mostly on the ceilings. The sage compliments the wood and the wood warms up the sage.

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC Ditto Black eyed Susans...they will take over your garden and come back years after you try to dig them all up! I'd never plant them again.

Sarah Farrell Angela Pascoe- check your hardiness zone map. Hosta & astilbe are shade loving plants and Hosta Hans for example is only hardy in zones 3-7. So start with knowing your zone and what kind of light areas of your yard gets throughout the day, select plants from there. Some online plant retailers have the option to search by zone etc.

woodsincity Sarah, Thank you! I have just put in a dwarf Crabapple ( ours in ME have Berries less than 1/2 in.) I can see that Hakone Grass might be very nice under my new tree!

albion223 My wife and I turned a small non descript home into a farmhouse that we love...this photo was taken after a blizzard this past winter.

Roots and Rafters Thank you for this article. I entirely agree with your thesis, but I'd take it one step further and say that the notion of integrity should extend to renovations of historic buildings as well.

Nothing galls me more than to see an authentic Federal or Colonial or Regency or Medieval exterior with an interior that has been knocked all through and "modernized" so that it looks like it belongs in an envelope that is also of modern design.

There is nothing wrong with modernism, per se, if you like it -- but I do believe that there is something wrong with ripping out the heart of a building and putting an alien design concept in its place.

kellystevens I sometimes think houses are like children in that we think we get to mold them to our liking but they really come to us with their own personality or style. It's our responsibility to help them discover their true identities, not to force them to become something they are not.

tcufrog Sigrid...
I have the exact issue you described with my current house. The underlying style is what I termed rustic elegance with touches like a fireplace surround with formal lines made of rough hewn cream colored stone. In the areas of the house that ring authentic the combination of the rustic and elegant is beautiful.

Unfortunately the original and only previous owner hired a decorator that didn't get that. She's a well known decorator with a HGTV show. She's known for her use of "bling" which is popular in my metro area. The areas of the home where she tried to bling things up fight with the authentic elements. When I have the funds I eliminate the bling in favor of more authentic elements. I prefer rustic over elegant but I'm trying to respect the home's underlying style.

One ideabook that would be interesting is one about how to keep a historic home authentic without looking like a museum or time capsule.

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC The tile on the backsplash is calacatta marble, 1 x 2s, in a running bond pattern, from Waterworks. The shower tile is a subway tile, with a black glass tile liner, also from Waterworks.

Fiorano Tile Showrooms NOTE: These products are also available at Fiorano Tile Showroms. (Elmont NY, Williston Park NY, Bellmore NY)

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC By now you're probably totally confused with all these different ideas. If I were you, I'd ask a designer either at the stone yard, the tile store or the cabinet supplier to help you achieve the look you want. Usually the sales people at these venues have a good design aesthetic and know their products. It's very difficult to make a decision based on the varying opinions of strangers on the internet who haven't seen your space in person.
Good luck!

HERE Design and Architecture FWIW, I just think of white Shaker style cabinets as being about simplicity, where the slab you showed was very complex in its figuring, multicolored, contrasting, glossy and glittery. I feel like if you could remove even one of those characteristics, it would relate more comfortably to the cabinets. For example, I think Caesarstone Carbone would relate better: http://www.caesarstoneus.com/products/color/7150/

suepak It's a good thing that we placed an order yesterday and they haven't started working on it yet. It was a lot more expensive exotic stone. but definitely it wasn't what I initially set out to do. My husband insisted on clean simpler yet dark granite to create bold color contrast. Maybe I will give a call tomorrow morning am. Thanks for keeping me in track with the initial plan. It's so easy to get side tracked.

hopesilver Also, most architectural photos of rooms or homes are set in spectacular scenery, allowing the simplicity
to let the nature speak.B ut most people don't live with those types of views. And although I do happen to have a lovely view, I still prefer more than two pieces of furniture in a room.

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC The pool with that magnificent tree in the background is stunning. However, it would have been simpler and more attractive without the colored furniture.

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC lareinadis, your take is spot on!

pascalecardin "Needs more cowbell" - LOL

OnePlan Tee hee !!! Love it !!!

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC Yes, the medicine cabinets are on an outside wall. The finish trim is the wood paneling, which as you can see is covering the entire wall up to the vaulted ceiling. Hope that helps.

greengirl3 Thank you!

ruthmand Great ideas as islands do utilize that open area in the kitchen and you are so correct in pointing out that 36" between island and counters is a very bare minimum, 40" or more are optimal especially when you have to consider the opening of appliance doors, i.e. fridge, D/W, oven etc., and pulling things out. I do question the practicality of your first example as that seems like quite a long island to dance around when taking a boiling pot of pasta off the stove and to the sink for draining.

earthroamer21 I don't really understand the fascination with islands. If you're lacking prep space, then I am sure it's great. But we have an island and I find I am always circling it as I work in the kitchen. It's annoying. I'd much rather do my prep on a 3' stretch of open counterspace. I would love to remodel and remove it. That said, the islands in these photos are absolutely gorgeous. My favorite is the John Dancey.

johnandbrett I agree with ruthmand. The first example looks like an example of what not to do.

Sierra Jones Agree with other commenters. And lol @ that tiny cicle island (3rd photo). Are you serious? I would forever be bumping into the thing. It looks like an annoying person standing in your way while you're trying to cook. And what are you preping on that? It would barely hold a pot.

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC ROSSI?

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC Thanks for the clarification....I thought it could have been a wine joke (Carlo Rossi?)

fishfingers We are by the water in cape cod. We get wild winds and horizontal rain/snow. The side of the house that's exposed to the predominant wind requires regular maintenance to ensure that there's no leak. We have to restain the shingles and apply sealant on the chimney every few years. Our cape house is raised to maximize the views and we have decks on all 3 levels of the house for the enjoyment of the views. Houses near water do require a lot more maintenance...higher flood insurance premiums....but we feel its all worth it. Nothing like the shimmery blue water to calm one's nerves and melt away all the stress. Now we vacation in our own home.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. Yes something for everyone.

Just a word to the wise though..most of what is shown above is custom made. Some of the techniques used in the bandings shown above take years for a drapery professional to master... especially the white panels that are banded on 4 sides with brown. Do not be too surprised if your own effort does not hold a candle to some of these pics above. Many of the drapes shown have multiple layers of lining, all of which affect the way a panel hangs. A good custom workroom will take the time to match a suitable lining for a face fabric from a possible selection of a dozen different style linings, all with the intent of making the face fabric look better.

Fabrics for interiors are finished with sizing which repels dust and moisture. Bed sheets are not, they have no body or drape. A bed sheet is an extremely poor fabric choice for drapery of any kind, especially when there are plenty of bargains on ebay for home furnishing fabrics.

More and more we are a throw away society these days. We're sick of something in a year, we throw it away, or it rots and falls apart, we throw it away. Good custom drapery will last 25-40 years.

This is fine for some, not for others.

Julie Thome Draperies, Inc. Yes it's what makes the customer happy ultimately, but I will dare add that Houzz should also be about educating the customer too, not just showing the customer a cheap way out.

Designer interiors are what inspire people on this site, but I doubt that many viewers really understand what goes into every component in those pictures, not to mention the photography itself. There are time honored fabricating techniques employed in every item a designer specifies.

I disagree that this site is about doing things differently. Styles come and go but craftsmanship (or lack thereof) is permanent and evident.

I started out as a home sewer of clothing for fun as a child and then went on to make my own suits when I worked in banking. When I arrived in the US I started my drapery business, and with 13 years of business in drapery I am still considered an apprentice. I was always interested in drapes a long time ago, and I always knew and understood what set apart a well made drape from a bad one.

Yes we are now a throw away society. Some of the most beautiful drapes in the world from the 18th century are still hanging in the stately homes of Europe and the UK, and while we do not live that way anymore, the really sad part of modern life is that we no longer appreciate workmanship in anything like we did once upon a time. We are no longer an economy of manufacturers here, so it is true that anything hand made, or made in the US is not valued anymore. It is a skillset that is even not valued by our schools anymore either.

Well off my soapbox.! Enjoy glueing your trim on your drapes!

To each his own.

Lola Watson Interior Design Thank you for your question.

Prints are always available! I believe what you are referring to is the lack of prints shown in the mass production of sofas you see in catalogue sales and on display in major big box retail outlets. Professional Interior Designers put the needs of their specific client first, and therefore it is often very difficult to know that one has so many choices unless you ask for that kind of service.

I do not know what area you live in but your local ASID office is an excellent place to find a designer that can offer the kinds of choices YOU would like to see. Incidentally , the sofa is an English Library Style and was made by Baker, Knapp & Tubbs with a COM (Customer's Own Fabric) we sourced through Brunschwig & Fils, now owned by Kravet. There are quite a few manufacturers of this style including, but not limited to, Stickley, Century, Hancock & Moore, Pearson, Hickory Chair, Wesley-Hall, Drexel- Heritage, Lee and Sherrill.

Please don't hesitate to contact Lola Watson Interior Design for more information!

Rosanne Boszor Thank you so much!

Diana Bier Interiors, LLC Glad to oblige!