Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Pillows

A few small pillows can have a big impact on your decor

Fluff up your decorating plan with pillows.

Pillows seem like a small detail in a decorating scheme, yet they can add so much color, texture and personality to the look of your home.

With pillows, size matters! And so does shape. In addition to square or rectangular pillows, consider unusual shapes, such as round, triangular, oblong and oval. It’s almost always best to have more than one throw pillow on a sofa or bed. Two is most common, but you can also go with three or four.

Adding pillows is an easy way to add color and interest without adding stress or a large budget. For maximum impact and decorating harmony, consider these attributes when you select decorative pillows:

• Use complementary fabrics rather than the same material as your sofa.

• Use colors that are compatible with the rest of your interior elements in the room, such as rugs, carpeting, window coverings and upholstery.

• Mix patterns and solids if you’d like, but avoid more than two patterns because the look may become chaotic.

• Layer different textures with multiple pillows, including smooth silk, soft velvet, rough tapestry and even fuzzy faux fur.

• Think about embellishments on your pillows, such as embroidery, beading, tassels and fringe.

Think about comfort and your budget when you purchase pillows. Feathers and down stuffing feel soft and sensuous, but they tend to be more expensive and don’t hold a stiff shape. Synthetic fills and foam hold their shape better and are more reasonably priced.

​Selecting the perfect throw pillows for your rooms will puff up your home décor beautifully.

Wake Up Your Windows

We love working on jobs where we can use our imaginatio! This is one project that was a lot of fun and where the window treatments really added to the design of the room. For most of the windows we used Plantation Shutters with 4 1/2” louvers. But for this Family Room we decided that all we would use at the windows would be custom drapery panels. We wanted a light fabric because the patio has a large overhang and not much sun gets in. On the back windows in the Breakfast Room and Study we will be using a simple roller shade with an organic feel made by Hunter Douglas. These shades will give protection from the sun but when the sun moves to the west, up will go the shades. And everything is in a light bright fabric. We all are very happy with how everything looks. And as you can see there are many windows so our customer decided to use the PowerView Motorization Lift system. This will be very convenient once the sun is overhead and then again in the evening.

Stop by one of our Hunter Douglas Gallery’s - one in Plano and one in Southlake. Our Designers can show you all of the newest products along with the lift systems. They can show you and explain the exciting PowerView lift system and explain haw it can connect with “Alexa” and other programs. And if you love the softness of draperies, we can help you can up with a design and fabric selections that will Wake up Your Windows.

You can find Hunter Douglas products and Custom Draperies at Read Design in Plano and in Southlake. We service the following areas- Frisco, Celina, Prosper, Dallas, Highland Village, Richardson, Plano, Allen, McKinney, Southlake, Grapevine, Colleyville, Fort Worth, Trophy Club, Rockwall, Rowlett, Highland Park, Preston Hollow and everywhere in between.

Light & Bright

After

Before

New Fabrics and Hunter Douglas Provenance Woven Wood Shades

We recently were asked to help a client in Plano to help her freshen up her home. This is always a fun sort of project. Helen had many pieces that she wanted to keep but was tired of how dark the room looked. I agreed, it was dark! The first thing to go would be the window treatments. She had old Honeycomb Shades that were in bad condition. They were so old and dingy they felt like bounty paper towels. And she had a DARK cornice with a design that dropped down 6” between each window. It was so dark you could not even see the design on the fabric. She said she did want to keep was her breakfast table and chairs because they are a timeless design and the chairs are equipped with a nice cinnamon colored fabric. So this is where we started.

Helen had the walls painted a beige color from Sherwin Williams and had new carpet installed. They are currently in the process of having a built in made for the television.

We found a striped fabric from Fabricut that had a cinnamon color as well as other earthy colors, only they were bright and easy on the eyes. We restyled the cornice making a straight cornice design and reupholstered it with the stripe fabric. We then found a woven shade from Hunter Douglas Provenance Woven Woods collection that had an organic feel. We put a liner on it and used it for privacy. Next we reupholstered one of their very comfortable chairs with a solid soft green chenille fabric and add a lumbar pillow for support.

We also added a taller sofa table that hits the sofa closer to the top and selected a taller lamp and floor lamp that is more the style of the new design. Adding height to the room created a new aesthetic that flows well with the new design of the room.

What is left? We will be reupholstering the sofa and adding two throw pillows. Then we will hang a long iron arch with an earthy wreath above the fireplace and we will add just a few finishing accessories. Helen has done some “shopping" in her own home and has found a number of accessories and pictures that will work with this new design. I love this because it is a blend of the old with the new, keeping things that are important to our client. We will add follow up pictures when the room is complete.

Hunter Douglas Provenance Woven Shades

You need to stop by Read Design Plano or Read Design Southlake to see the new fabrics in the Provenance Woven Woods line up. We are so excited to see so many new fabrics and all the colors there are available. You can motorize these shades using the PowerView motorization and control them from your smart phone or tablet with the PowerView App. Today people want to open up their homes to the outside and using Provenance Woven shades is a perfect way to do that.

Our Designers can help you design a space just for you.

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Coffee Tables

Create interest and function with the perfect coffee table.

A fabulous coffee table adds personality to your rooms.

A coffee table shouldn’t be an insignificant afterthought near the end of planning your living room, den or great room. It’s a pivotal design element that can add drama to your interior design plan. 

Because a coffee table is often the anchor for a room, selecting it is key to your design plan. The table should be in scale with your furniture and the size of your room, complement your design plan and provide the functions you’re looking for: 

• A durable surface if you’re planning to serve food or drinks 

• Lightweight design if you want to move the table on occasion 

• A large size if you’d like to display a collection of favorite books or objects 

• No sharp corners if you have children or seniors visiting often

We most often think of coffee tables being constructed from wood, and a hand-crafted wood coffee table can be the perfect choice. But do consider innovative materials such as glass, stone, leather or metal. You can even use an upholstered ottoman as your coffee table. If you want your room to appear larger, think about a mirrored surface or a glass surface that doesn’t hide your beautiful rug or flooring. 

Be creative about the shape and size of your table too. Instead of a typical square or rectangular table, think round, oval, hexagonal or freeform. Add personality to your rooms with a beautiful new coffee table.

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Vases

Embellish your room design with a beautiful vase.Vases are not just empty vessels to fill with water and flowers.

Talk about a versatile design element! Vases come in just about any size, shape, color and material. A large floor vase can become the focus of an entire room, while smaller vases can be a final touch that subtly finish off a room’s beauty. 

Vases can add to the design perfection of almost any room:      

• In the foyer – to make an opening statement for your home 

• Around the tub – to make your bathroom feel like a luxury spa retreat 

• On the mantle – to add dimension and symmetry to your architecture 

• In the dining room, to anchor your table beautifully 

• In the living room or great room – to create a focal point or fill an awkward space 

• In the bedroom, to add interest to your bureau or chest of drawers

Often we think about vases solely as vessels to display fresh flowers – and it is nice to bring some of outdoor nature inside! But they are so much more. Some vases are beautiful just on their own. Or you can fill them with dried branches and leaves, bamboo, succulents, evergreens or artificial flower arrangements. 

Vases work alone or in groups of two or more, placed close together. They look great when paired with a chair, occasional table or work of art in a complementary style, shape, color or finish. And one of the best things about vases is you can easily change where they’re placed in a room and change what elements they hold to update a room for every season. 

Add a smart finishing touch to your interior design plan this season with beautiful vases.

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Gray

Add nuance to your design plan with soft shades of gray.

Neutral gray adds elegance and versatility to home decorating.

The most common neutrals used in home design are shades of white, beige, ivory and cream. Gray is a surprising and elegant choice that’s flexible and sensuous, and never drab or mousy, despite its stereotype. And gray isn’t only a neutral; darker and more intense shades of gray can be a focal point of your color scheme rather than a background shade. 

Gray is definitely not one color, and seldom is it a pure mix of black and white. Its range includes cool and warm tones because most shades of gray incorporate touches of yellow, blue, pink, green or other colors. 

Most often, gray is a peaceful, easy color that makes a room feel serene, although it can be edgy and super modern when it’s used for elements like concrete flooring and countertops. Gray plays well with lots of colors because it allows other colors to grab all the notice. Perfect to pair with gray are pink, blue, acid green, gold, black, brown and white. 

If you’d like to start small with a touch of gray, consider throw pillows, table and bed linens, lamps, artwork and wall paint. Larger design features include:   

• Kitchen cabinets or counters 

• Window coverings 

• Rugs and carpeting 

• Upholstered furniture 

• Tile and stone

Want to clear away the drab and mousy in your home decor? Plan on adding gray this year!

March Into Spring

March into Spring.......
With window covering by Hunter Douglas and Custom Draperies

We can see the start of warm weather ahead of us and it is time to freshen up your home just in time for Spring. And what better way then changing out your window coverings or adding Custom Window Treatments. I love to open the windows at the beginning of Spring and see nature at it's glory and to smell the freshness of Spring. 

A Great way to open up your home is to update your window coverings! 

Silhouette, Pirouette, and Roman Shades

When customers ask us what we would do we always suggest shades. These include Silhouettes, Pirouettes, Roman Shades, or Roller Shades all from Hunter Douglas. These are products where you can easily lift them all the way up and let the sun shine in. 

Silhouette transforms light. Like the subtle cast their name suggests, Silhouette window shadings, with the Signature S-Vane, create beautiful and ambient light ande shadow. Soft fabric vanes are suspended between two sheers, diffusing softened light deep into a room. Tilt the vanes to achieve the privacy you desire while maintaining UV protection. These shades can easily be rolled all the way into a cassette to give full view of the outside. 

Stringing design, dramatically filtered light. With Pirouette window shadings, the look and feel of a traditional fabric shade is enhanced, the gentle pull of a cord lets you change a room's lighting in a whole new way. Soft, horizontal fabric vanes close to filter natural light, or open to give you a perfect outside view. Our revolutionary invisi-Lift system allows the vanes to float gracefully, and even opened they offer UV protection and reduced glare through the sheer backing. 

Vignette and Design Studio Roman Shades offer a simple, uncluttered look. Luxurious fabrics and soft folds give the shades a clean, crisp look. The range of styles and help you create a warm, inviting, and beautiful space. Offered in Top Down/Bottom Up design, this product is versatile and functional. Create amazing light scapes with this design and control the light that enters your home. We love the way this product adds style and beauty to any room.

Sophisticated but uncomplicated is how we describe Roller Shades. For a look that is both custom and classic, our Designer Roller Shades offer a clean appearance in a beautiful range of fabrics and have a variety of design options and operating systems. 

There other Shades from Hunter Douglas that also fit this bill including Duette Honeycomb Shades, Provenance Woven Shades, and Solera Soft Shade.

Stop in to see us at Read Design in Southlake or Plano let one of our designer help you select the perfect shade for your home. And because we are a full service Interior Design Studio, we can help you with Custom Window Treatment. We can even pair them to Hunter Douglas Shades. With the thousands of fabrics available, we are sure that we can find the perfect fit for your home. Here is just a few ideas.

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Complementary Colors

Complementary colors beautifully finish almost any design plan

Use them for harmony and a sense of calm.

The old adage that opposites attract is often true; and especially in selecting the colors for decorating your home. Using opposite colors (also known as complementary colors) adds energy to a room, yet at the same time, makes us feel comfortable and complete.

Complementary colors are the shades that are opposite on a color wheel:

• Red and green

• Orange and blue

• Purple and yellow

Nature is full of complementary colors, such as dramatic red roses on stems with bright green leaves, delicate pansies with their purple and yellow color combination, and bright blue sky and sea positioned near golden sand.

For a more modern take on complementary colors, you can use shades that are not exactly across the color wheel, or you can be a bit creative with the complementary color concept. Think about innovative hues like:

• Sky blue and terra cotta

• Pink grapefruit and acid green

• Burnt orange and sage green

• Soft aqua blue and tomato red

If you feel cautious about adding complementary colors, start small with elements like a painted wall, sofa pillows, throws, flower arrangements or slip covers. Then, as you become more confident, you can ratchet up your color scheme with larger and more permanent items like upholstery fabrics and window fashions.

Balance your interior design plans beautifully by selecting complementary colors.