Design Crew

Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers! Hop to it. I know you have just the right solution. Today's design dilemma comes from Paula.

Desperately seeking kim & jo's interior ideas for a super/super long (24 feet long) by a super narrow (6 feet wide) living/dining/kitchen empty blank space that all connected open. I mean, I haven't any clue how to explain this cold empty apartment and I am lost without a clue where to begin. Paula is looking to create a warm, calm, inviting home with the rather awkward space she has to work with as seen below.

I would like to share my thoughts and I hope many of you will too! First though - why oh why do people think dividing up a floor in an open concept space like this with 2 different materials is a good idea?! This space would be easier to work with and flow better if all the floor was hardwood. Paula I don't know if you own or rent but either way, if you can swing getting that doing-nothing-for-the-space tile pulled up and replaced with the same hardwood that would be an awesome start. So I would basically pick a lovely calm, neutral colour and slap that all over all the walls. I usually say grey but you can really go with anything you like. Then pick 1 or 2 accent colours. I would then delineate your dining and living room zones using area rugs (neutral with a bit of your accent colour). I would get a round dining table and some not too weighty chairs like Eames or Philippe Starck's Victoria Ghost chairs. I would try and find a very slim loveseat/sofa just under 6' long and cram it in that nook under the 2 windows along the back wall. Or check if Ikea or small-space furniture companies makes a sectional that isn't too bulky that might fit with the lounge part along the back wall. Then you can have a couple of occasional chairs in the more open area facing the loveseat with maybe a tiny table between them and they won't be so crammed in. I would mount the TV on the wall behind that door in the photo above so it's out of the way. That's it - just keep a flow of colours throughout the entire space and keep every piece of furniture light, airy and ideally armless because I guarantee you'll bring home furniture and wonder why it looked like a good size in the store but so big in your space. 

Design Crew

Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers! Hop to it. I know you have just the right solution. This week's email is from Sharon.

I'm stuck. I need help with my kitchen. I just don't know what to do with my stove area. I bought the house with this kitchen as it is. There was an crappy stove in the old alcove where the original old fashioned wood or gas stove would have been with just a small cupboard and an open space. I put in a new oven and I have the cooktop to go in once I figure out what I'm doing.

That's a storage cupboard to the right of the stove area and I can't use it with this set up but I don't have anywhere else I can put my dishwasher. I need to put some sort of counter top or storage in there to hide the saucepans.  And while I'm at it what do I do with that big open space in the middle of the room. I'm thinking of painting the cupboards as well. 

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Design Crew is back

It's been awhile but the emails haven't stopped coming. It's time to round up the crew. The Design Crew. Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers! Hop to it. I know you have just the right solution. This week's email is from Natalie.

Here are 3 (not very good) photos of my kitchen, which is basically black and white. Dark grey floor tiles, white cupboards, white walls & ceiling, laminate dark wood-effect work tops, dark charcoal splash back.

We used to have Moroccan red walls but found it too dark, although we liked the contrast with the white cupboards. We are in the UK  so I thought a bright colour would have been good, then we painted it white. The rest of my house has white walls but we want a colour in the kitchen that contrasts with the white cupboards, without being too dark. The walls are mostly only visible above the cupboards so there aren’t any large flat areas. I’m having a dilemma choosing between ivory/buttermilk and a classic green-grey/mud colour. I prefer the latter but am worried it might be dull and depressing in the winter, hence this request for help!

Reader's dilemma - the disappointing hallway

Noelle doesn't like her hallway and wants our help.

"Here are a few photo's of the room ... The problem I have with it is that it's narrow, high and white. All of it. I've been thinking of putting wallpaper (that is not my bedroom btw) on the walls and painting the door a different color. Problem is, I can't seem to make up my mind. It's a 1920's house and the outside of the door can only be painted in 3 colors. I wanted to paint the staircase and all the railings white since I can't remove all of the old paint and glue. I do want some color in there and I'm tired of the white. I've picked this wallpaper because it adds color without being to dark or bright. Thanks in advance and I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say."

So what do you think? Any great ideas? I know you want to jump in and help.

Reader's dilemma - wonky exterior

Ian lives in Salt Lake City, UT and found a home he wants to buy. The property is fantastic, but there's a wonky front facade he's not sure how to deal with. 

This is an old photo from the tax assessor's website. This is how it looks now:

Here are 2 reasons why Ian hasn't written this house off:

Here are Ian's thoughts: This house is in a convenient location and is a large home on a large lot for a modest home with this proximity to the city.  I'd love it to be able to work out, but I'd need a plan to fix its curb appeal. This "front of the house" looks like a "back of a house."  What do I do with all that space above the garage? What about those oggly-eyed octagonal windows?  I'd need to increase the size of the window on the right, don't you think. I'm thinking you and your readers may have some suggestions on shapes of windows, too. I'd, of course, like to keep the cost and changes to a minimum. You'll notice there's an entry to the basement there, on the front of the house, in addition to a number of other problems. One idea that I had was to double the width of the entry stairs, and replace the single door with either double doors or a single door with windows on either side (the latter option probably being more suited for a house this size).  I'd also eventually want to diminish the amount of stucco with some stone and/or brick work.  But some structural issues need to be addressed first. 

Here is my 2 cents, and please feel free to leave your own suggestions, especially since none of the homes I've lived in ever allowed me to do any real landscaping or worry about the facade. 

I would start by painting it all grey. Everything looks better grey. Then get rid of those octagonal windows. They're making me crazy. YUCK! I'd cover up the garage one, then do some sort wood slat facade on the right side of the garage and up and over the top to the far left, to make it look like the garage is offset for a reason, and not just that the architect had really bad taste. (I can't find a good photo of what I'm talking about but this one has the slats on the stairs). That way you kill 2 birds with one stone - you have something other than stucco going on so you don't have the cost of doing brickwork somewhere (the house is too small and has too much going on in front to bother with that), and it will eliminate all of that empty space on the garage section. What a stupid idea to have the basement entrance right next to the front door! I've never seen that before (where it looks planned). I'd just get a nicer door that's mostly glass. As for the window above the basement door, I'd remove it. It's jammed up at the roof line. BAD! I would keep the single door but get one that's more modern maybe with some glass and have glass one one side or both sides, and extend the front steps across the width of that whole space. And something fun could be done with the window to the far right - maybe build a "box" that juts out from the facade and have the window in that - a modern bay window. If too costly, then a funky shaped window - maybe really long and narrow. In the end, if the interior works for you, I'd get the house. The backyard is fantastic. The front really isn't that bad - especially now that there are plants/trees helping to hide the wonky.