April Stay Home - Free Designer for a Day (Vol. 3)

It’s almost the weekend and the end of Week 5 in quarantine. Is it week 5? Or week 6? or 4? Or…who knows. Let’s just keep on keeping on. Am I right?

Today we’re tackling another window treatment dilemma and a paint color question. These were all submitted as part of our Free Designer for a Day in April. We have been getting all sorts of questions through Instagram, Facebook and a good, old-fashioned email (hello@grayoakstudio.com). It’s still April (I think), so you still have time to submit your question!

Question - I need some help with a specific issue I’m having related to window treatments in my dining room. There are three windows in the room and each one is slightly different in terms of the amount of space I have on each side of the window casings. I’d love to do panels throughout, but I’m not sure it would work on the two side windows, given I’m right up against a wall. (Pictures attached) I’m also not sure if it’s okay to mix Roman shades (side windows) with panels (front window!?) If I AM able to do panels - how would you do it (e.g. thinner panels, only one on each side window, etc.) Would love any advice!! 

We worked on a window treatment problem in our first edition of this post series and talked a bunch about why window treatments can be so darn tricky. This is another example of just that - one room, 3 very different windows, what to do?

Here is the lay of the land. The two double hung windows flanking the fireplace are on a wall that is perpendicular to the floor to ceiling window.

All three windows have different amount of surrounding wall space. And one is a different size.

Window 1

window 2

window 3

Our follower would love to install (drapery) panels on all 3 windows…but we’re gonna suggest (and she already knows this in her heart) that it’s not the best plan. Two reasons. First, one of the pillars of installing drapes is that you go high and wide with the rod to make sure all of the window itself shows when the drapes are fully opened. There’s no way to make that happen on Window 1, even if she uses a super thin panel. Second, this is an amazing historical home with gorgeous (original?) molding. We want to showcase the trim, not hide it.

So, what is the solution? She hinted at it in her question - go with 2 different types of treatments. Drapes for the tall window and roman shades (or nothing) on the windows flanking the fireplace. Mixing window treatments in a room is totally acceptable as long as everything ties together. Here’s a beautiful example.

image source

In our Prospect Project, we used drapes on the windows facing the street and none on the windows facing the side yard.

It looks like the dining room in this house is also at the front of the house and there is likely another (possibly similar size) room on the opposite side of a center entrance. We wonder what the window treatment is on the floor-to-ceiling window in that room (…if there is one)? It’s not a hard rule, but it’s nice to match the look of window treatments on street facing windows. The symmetric and uniform look is beautiful and classic. Good curb appeal.

Here is a photo from the other street facing room in our Prospect Project. Again, drapes on the front windows and no drapes on the side windows.

For the tall window, she should hang the drapery rod just below the crown molding and wide enough so that when the drapes are fully opened all of the window shows and (ideally) some/all of the molding. We’re total suckers for drapes in a dining room, and this homeowner clearly wants them, so this is a wonderful spot for them. Quick Note: we get nervous with drapes around radiators…don’t want to encourage any fires. So be cautious and keep the fabric away from the metal!

For the windows flanking the fireplace, she has some considerations. From a functional perspective, it depends how much privacy she wants. If privacy isn’t an issue, no window treatments are needed. From an aesthetic perspective, she might want to add a different color, add visual interest with a pattern or add a soft texture to contrast the architectural details. All are great reasons to bring a window treatment into a room and fabric roman shades will handle the task beautifully. The key will be to unite the treatments on all windows with the same fabric or complimentary fabrics (one fabric for the drapes and one fabric for the roman shades…not 3 different fabrics…don’t get too, too crazy).

One more thing to address: We love plantation shutters in historic homes. Actually, we love plantation shutters in all homes. So, of course, we considered making this recommendation here. But, we don’t know the specific location of these windows or how many windows are in the entire house. Plantation shutters are more of an architectural addition to a home, so it’s important to be thoughtful as to which windows get them and which don’t. Sort of like you wouldn’t put baseboard in just two rooms. Typically all the windows get them or just street facing windows. There is a big picture plan when it comes to shutters.

Question - What are your go to paint colors?

Our “go to” paint colors are…all over the road. The colors we specify vary by the size and shape of the room, the natural light and, most importantly, the feel we want to create. We love using whites and pale grays and beiges.

From hutchins Project (nimbus by Benjamin Moore on the walls)

But, we also love a deep saturated greens and blues and grays.

from Mayberry Project (Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore on the walls)

And our most recent nursery need a “Hint of Pink” by Benjamin Moore.

Wall colors are deeply tied to the overall style of a room - there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. We did, however, recently write a round-up of favorite whites. Check it out here.

Have a wonderful weekend.

- Leah

April Stay Home - Free Designer for a Day (Vol. 2)

We’re back answering another follower question!

But first, we want to share that the follower with the curtain question from last week (click here to read Vol. 1) reached out to say she is in “love, love, love” with our recommendation. How awesome is that?!? It was an incredibly sweet email that brought us some true sunshine.

We have received tons more questions following last week’s blog post. And we promise we’re gonna get to them all. Maybe you want to subscribe to our blog…so you don’t miss out? The little “Subscribe to the Gray Oak Studio Blog” in the column on the right will do the trick. Wink, wink, smile.

For today, we’re answering just one question because it’s a very, very, very long answer. Enjoy.

Question: I have this terribly ugly and random room in the front of my house (don’t judge). It’s small (15x13) and has a staircase on one side and a gigantic piano on the other!! We have plans of getting rid of the piano (it’s kind of broken). Soooo...what do I do with this room? I’m assuming this would have been the dining room back in the day but we don’t need a dining room...so what do we “need?” I have been thinking about this for years...without any inspiration! 🤪 I’m willing to can everything and start fresh but don’t know how to begin! 

We love this question because it’s incredibly relatable. In New England, we have many Cape Cod and Colonial style homes with a small room at the front of the house for a formal dining room. Many home owners either don’t want a formal dining room or the home has been renovated in such a way that a different space is the dedicated dining area. So, what happens to that “bonus” space…that’s not incredibly big.

First, let’s look at some photos of the space.

Let’s talk through the positives of this room (always a great starting point). Whenever we approach a full room transformation, we want to call out all the positives to make sure we keep them in mind as we design. The windows look big and new and there’s great natural light. There are no weird/funky soffits or peculiar angles to hide or work around. It’s essentially a box, which is a wonderful (straightforward) room to decorate.

The next stop on our process is finding a purpose for the room - how will this family use the room? We asked some follow-up questions and decided that this will be an adult space…of some kind…where kids are welcome (aka nothing too precious). The “adult hangout” is the #1 answer of all our clients when we dig for the best use of their extra room. We are currently working on two of these type rooms! One is a Poker Room (!) and one is a Meditation Library (we chose this name…our clients graciously went with it). Other common ideas for an adult hangout space are a study, a faux sunroom (like a sunroom…not an actual sunroom), and a morning coffee and newspaper room (casual living room with no TV).

Next, let’s talk about any trade work we’ll want to recommend. First, this room needs some overhead light. It’s looking like there are zero ceiling lights. We recommend 4 recessed lights and an optional center light fixture. The highly technical mockup below shows the general idea (the lights are all too close together…but you get the general idea). The importance of a properly lit a room cannot be under estimated! It makes the room feel much bigger.

Next, we need a fresh coat of paint on these walls. The homeowner told us that the color palette in the rest of the house is gray, beige and navy (love it). So we recommend a super light greige for this room to really amplify the lovely natural light. Something like one of these guys - all by Benjamin Moore.

classic gray

calm

Balboa Mist

Now it gets fun. We’re gonna to show you three ways to furnish this room!

Option 1 - Faux Sunroom

We just love these cozy, coastal vibes. This feels like the perfect spot for tea and a magazine…as if anyone has time for that while they’re parenting/homeschooling/cleaning/working/worrying/eating too much ice cream. But, you can imagine how lovely it would be to sip Chai and read Architectural Digest (or US Weekly) here.

All of the prices in this entire post below are the “full price”, but almost all the items are currently ON SALE. Be sure to click through to the website to see ongoing discounted prices and promotion codes.

Sofa - $900

Armchair - Price varies by fabric selection

Coffee Table - $450

Side Table - $200

Rug - Price varies by size

Light Fixture - $99

Floor Lamp - $130

Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig - Price varies by size

Basket with Handles - Price varies by size

Navy Pillow Cover - $30

Candle in Brass Bowl - $40

Small faux potted plant - $20

Option 2 - Elevated Living Room

Next! A slightly elevated, but still casual and kid-friendly…when they’re invited…living room. This would be a morning coffee room or an afternoon book room or a glass of wine in a room with no TV.

Sofa - $1,550

Slipcovered Swivel Chair - $400

Wool Tufted Rug - Price varies by size

Coffee Table - $900

Side Table - $150

Floor Lamp - $90

Brass Mirror - $160

Blue and White Geometric Pillow - $30

Blue Lumbar Pillow - Price varies by size

Brass Textured Tray - $100

White ceramic candle - $13

Option 3 - Moody Study

And, last, but certainly not least, a moodier more masculine study. For this one, we recommend a darker wall color. Go all in on a dark palette!

Chelsea gray by Benjamin Moore

hale navy by bejnamin Moore

And then layer mid-dark tone everything - fabrics, leathers, wood.

Leather Club Chair - $900

Gray Sofa - Prices varies by fabric selection

Rug - Price varies by size

Coffee Table (it has a hidden drawer!!!) - $800

Black Side Table - $110

Floor Lamp - $300

Gray Cement Plant Stand - $140

Faux Eucalyptus - $45

Black Tray - $30

Brass Candle Bowl - $40

We’ll be back later this week with more follower questions and more Gray Oak answers.

- Leah

*this post contains affiliate links*

April Stay Home - Free Designer for a Day! (Vol. 1)

We are SO excited for today’s post!!!

If you’re new around here, let me first explain: For the month of April, we are answering ALL your design questions and even giving specific advice on your home (layout suggestions, wall color recommendations, furniture links…the whole kit and caboodle). It’s basically our “Designer for a Day” package. For free.

We’ve received so many questions and even more submissions for room makeovers (with photos and all)! And we’re still accepting more, so please email us at hello@grayoakstudio.com with whatever design dilemma you’ve been pondering. We’ll help. Promise.

Question: Where do you get all your vintage books?

You know how much we love using vintage books. This is part of our secret sauce. It feels a little like revealing the key ingredient in grandma’s recipe. But, we also want to share the joy of owning vintage books and support a local business, so here goes nothing: Used Book Superstore. There is one location in Middleton (our primary spot…they know us by name) and one location in Burlington. And once a week (Thursdays in Middleton) the entire vintage book section is 99 cents per book when you buy 10 or more. They are currently closed, of course, but you can support them by buying a gift certificate now and using it later when they reopen.

Vintage books are a critical part of our designs for several reasons. First, they’re beautiful. The texture and muted (from age) colors are amazing. Second, they bring history into a home. Even if your style is some version of modern, laying in found/vintage pieces adds character and interest. Third, they bring personality. We find hilarious titles or relevant titles (something about Boston) that speak to our clients.

Extra tip: We also get a lot of coffee table books at the Used Book Superstore. You can find some amazing, large scale books for a fraction of the price you would pay for a new version.

From our Enos Project

Question: Where are the frames from the gallery wall in your Lovell Project?

We got this question a lot this week after posting a photo one of our favorite vignettes of all time (below) on Instagram and Facebook.

From our Lovell Project

These frames are a mashup. We use wood gallery frames from Pottery Barn in the rustic color and replace the ivory mat that it comes with for a true white mat from Michaels. The black frame with the oversized mat is also from Pottery Barn.

And, while we’re on the subject of frames, the frames we used in our Dover Project are our favorite when using non-custom frames for larger scale art. They come as large as 32” x 26” without mat and 18” x 24” with mat.

From our Dover Project

Question: I have been trying to choose fabric for roman shades over my cafe shutters. I’m trying to stay away from too much red, and not formal. Can you suggest a fabric? If you have other ideas, I’d be happy to have them.

Window treatment questions are probably the type of questions we get the most - from our Designer for a Day clients (and our friends and family). And, for good reason. Window Treatments are complicated. There are a lot of options: shutters, shades or curtains. And within each category there are a million iterations. What size should the plantation shutter louver be? What type of fabric and liner for the curtains? Fabric roman shades or bamboo roller shades? Then there are options on how to install them. How high should the curtain rod go? Should the roman shades be inside mount or outside mount? There are a ton of style choices and a lot of technical choices too.

As interior designers, we are constantly taking professional education courses to understand more about this niche of our industry (and the latest technology) and we have also built relationships with window treatment experts. Both experts in all the options and experts in installing them. All of this is to say, we get it - this is an overwhelming part of home design. So, take your time to learn about your options and choose something that not only looks beautiful but will also hold up to the functional needs of your room and your family.

Now, back to the question. Let’s check out some photos that were sent along. On the left are the windows at issue and on the right are some fabric choices under consideration.

For starters, we love the plantation shutters! And we really love them in this application - on the lower half of the window only. Plantation shutters are an investment, but, if you can swing it, they’re well worth it. They provide amazing privacy, they let in all the light on the top half of the window, they’re very easy to open and close, they have a timeless style that works with any and every home, and they add an architectural element. So much to love.

In terms of layering on an additional treatment, we love the idea of drapes. Drapes (aka curtains) can stay fully pulled to the side and let in all the light during the day, but roman shades would eat into that natural light source. Even when a roman shade is fully pushed up, it still covers a portion of the window. In addition, drapes are great in older homes with lower ceilings because they create a vertical line, draw the eye up and make a room feel higher. Below is an example of drapes layered with shutters from our Lovell Project.

from our lovell project

For the drapes themselves, we would go very simple and classic -ivory linen with a light filtering/privacy backing. This room has a lot of pattern and mid-to-dark tones. Adding a light, flat color will be a nice break for the eye and also add the more casual feel she wants. The windows are too close to give them their own rod, so we recommend one long rod that spans both windows with drapes on the far sides. Check out our incredibly rough sketch below.

This will impact 2 (possibly 3) pieces of wall art. She will need to remove the art by the light switch and we would also recommend removing the decorative mirror between the windows for a clear space when the drapes are drawn. Finally, the larger piece on the perpendicular wall may need to be moved if it’s close to the corner and is touched by the drapes when they’re open. There can be an instinct to fill each open bit of wall with art, especially if you have a large, special collection. But, leaving blank space is important. Beautiful, happy design is all about balance - fill some wall space, leave some free to breath.

For hardware, she should look at the existing metal finishes in her home (brushed nickel, brass, etc.). And, when in doubt, go with oil-rubbed bronze because it’s a chameleon and can read both timeless and modern depending on the room it’s in.

Here are the links to everything we’re talking about:

Drapes - Mid-range and Budget-friendly

Drapery Rods and Brackets - Mid-range and Budget-friendly

Drapery Rings - Mid-range and Budget-friendly

We are big proponents of drapery rings because they make such a difference in the usability of the drapes. You can pull them open and shut easily. Make sure your drapery rings match the same finish as your rod and brackets, and also check the size of the rings to make sure they will fit around the diameter of the pole.

Question: Black or satin nickel for interior door hardware?

We love both! We also love brass. And chrome. And all the million shades of bronze. There is a home and place for all metal finishes. Your metal finish choice should be considered in the context of all other hardware in your home and the style of the home itself. And, even then, mixing metal finishes adds an eclectic, curated feel to your home - so you don’t have to stick to one thing. If you’ve chosen oil rubbed bronze for your light fixtures, you can still choose satin nickel for your door knobs. We generally recommend mixing (at most) three metals. And mixing two tends to be the easiest to juggle.

Can you mix metals for the knobs themselves? By and large, you should stick to one knob finish and style. But maybe just the bedroom doors have something different going on. Or your powder room is something quirky and fun. But, if you’re having trouble choosing just one knob, then don’t stress yourself out by choosing multiple - stick with one and carry it through the whole house.

The biggest consideration for function of a metal finish is shiny versus matte. For example, the difference between polished nickel and satin nickel. We love both, but shiny anything will be covered in fingerprints minutes after you clean it. If this is something that will bother you, choose a matte finish.

Let us know if you have follow-up question here (or on any of today’s questions)! We’re happy to dive deeper.

This is all for today. We’re hoping to share one (if not more than one) a week with all sorts of fun questions and design dilemmas we’ve received!

- Leah