Dear Jean and Richard, I have doubts about people who hire interior designers to furnish their homes. Don’t most people already know what they like? –Charlie, Marion

Jean: Hi, Charlie. I think it’s fair to say some people become so familiar with their cultural or lifestyle choices they allow those things to represent their identity. There was once a time when most adults had a preferred car company, a family church—even a heritage vocation—that they mindlessly adopted as their own, and it never occurred to them that there might be other options. Some people eventually discover that you don’t have to put ketchup on French fries just because others do.
Richard: But Jean, Charlie is talking about furnishings, not fries. A trained professional can take what you know and are comfortable with and stretch your boundaries and imagination to what you will love (and on rare occasions don’t). There is comfort in having an identity and knowing what you like, even if it is mindless.
Jean: I’m saying most people who say they know what they like actually mean they like what they know. How can you ever grow if you never try new things? You have teachers in school who expose you to new things, you go on trips and experience new things, and every once in awhile you discover something you like and say to yourself, “I didn’t know this was possible.”
Richard: That’s what one of our clients, who likes us really pushing their boundaries, said when we hung the table lamps upside down over his pool table. But they made great chandeliers.
Jean: I would like to say to Charlie that our clients are usually most excited about the things we do that they don’t expect. Our design tips only work when you have an understanding of what’s really possible, so here are some basic ways to think about what we do. Often our first challenge is to “un-clutter.” Too busy means different things to different people, but here’s a clue: don’t display every photograph you’ve ever taken. Choose a few nice ones and frame them well.
Richard: OK, along that reasoning, you might think “classic.” Buy timeless pieces that will survive fashion trends unless you have the budget to continually redecorate. Tables and lamps make better choices as antiques than upholstered items. Don’t be afraid to mix old with new.
Jean: And balance form with function. Don’t buy a sofa or chair just because it’s comfortable. On the other hand, don’t buy it just because it looks good, either. It has to offer both
Richard: The right scale is as important as the right colors—maybe more so. When you find a piece in a showroom, remember it will look very different in your home, usually larger.
Jean: We could go on and on with suggestions, but the fact is that you have to know what’s possible before you can decide on what you really like or don’t like. Everyone has visited a home or a place that provided a sense of uniqueness or excitement—don’t just automatically think it’s not your style. I’ve watched some vary sophisticated clients slowly change their personal preferences & styles through the years.
Richard: An accomplished artist once told me that a great painting is one that you can’t decide whether you like it at first. Over time, it becomes more familiar and you begin to appreciate it more and more. So I would say instead of fries, try the onion rings. Who cares about your breath.

Dear Jean and Richard,
My husband and I are redecorating our bedroom. Should we buy matching nightstands and lamps for each side of the bed? Thanks!
Jill

Jean: Dear Jill,
This is a great opportunity to define the feminine and masculine sides of the bed. I’d suggest a round or curved table (could even use a table cover) on the feminine side to denote softness, and square or rectangular on the masculine side. This will also make the room more interesting.
Richard: Traditionally, I’d have to agree with you, Jean, unless you are attempting a more contemporary feel. Then I’d suggest matching tables.
Jean: When choosing pieces, remember to consider not only form but function: do you want drawers or a bottom shelf for storage?
Richard: Also consider in your later years, having designated sides will help you remember where you’re returning to in the middle of the night.
Jean: On a brighter note, I think there are a lot of ways to approach bedside lamps. I’ve used both pairs and unmatched lamps in either table situation. As long as you get the quality of light you need, if both table and lamp are close in height on each side, you’ll have a great look.

Dear Jean and Richard, I’ll bet your houses are very festive this time of year. Can you share what you do to decorate your own homes for the holidays? --Call me “All About Christmas”

Jean: Hi All. I am the daughter of a wonderful man who invested his 45-year career at Hallmark, and growing up my world was filled with garlands and colored lights every Christmas. As a teen I made all sorts of elaborate decorations by hand, and even had a job at Macy’s wrapping Christmas presents. Now that my kids are grown and there are grandchildren to dote on, I spend very little energy decorating my own home.
Richard: I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, and the Hallmark version of Christmas was a somewhat abstract concept. There were no snowmen, or for that matter no carolers, in my neighborhood. There was however, no shortage of “special” eggnog and wassail. So for me the holidays were an excuse for parties, and having a party was the real inspiration for decorating your home.
Jean: So when’s the party? I don’t remember receiving an invitation.
Richard: There is no party, at least at my house. I felt like traveling and not decorating this year.
Jean: I suppose we both should admit that as designers who create picturesque interiors every day of the year, seasonally decorating our own homes is too much like work. My husband strung some twinkling lights around our fence, and I put up a small tree with some colorful bubble lights, but that’s about it.
Richard: I’m thinking of putting a Santa hat on my dog, whip cream on her chin and letting the neighbors decide if she’s rabid or not.
Jean: And you said there’s no party. I admit I am thrilled to enter a home where the host has taken the time to create a festive environment. In effect, she is playing the role of interior designer, and often it’s the one time of year where whimsy and bold colors add fun and excitement to a everyday environment.
Richard: I love natural. At the Black Walnut Inn this year they went “green” with only fresh garland and no exterior lights. It’s beautiful!
Jean: And to the contrary, my neighbors have those tacky vinyl blow-up displays where reindeer revolve and Santa waves hello. I have to admit there’s a part of me that finds them entertaining and delightful.
Richard: It’s the part of you that likes to look at a car wreck. I’m more of the good conversation, great food and fine wine kind of guy. More subtle and sophisticated.
Jean: So many options prove there are holiday decorations for every taste and budget. They also give permission for home-grown decorators to get a little wild and crazy, or spiff up their houses in ways that may be too outrageous other times of the year.
Richard: And this is the only time of year we’re thankful that everyone else takes on the role of decorator and gives us a break. Happy Holidays to all of our clients and readers!

Dear Jean and Richard, We have purchased a small condo to use as a part-time residence, and are having a difficult time deciding how to furnish it for maximum efficiency and still make it look great. Any suggestions? Thanks, Kim, Asheville

Richard: Hi, Kim. First, congratulations! I live in a small space, and know all about limited square feet. In fact, Jean’s closet and my entire home are about the same size. It’s disgusting.
Jean: What’s disgusting, my closet or your apartment? I have lived in condos and also know about limited space, so maybe we both can help. Making it look great should be no problem—it’s actually easier to be dramatic in a small space. And less expensive, too.
Richard: A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that because the space is small, it needs white walls. You will have greater success in choosing a dark color—or minimally taupe or camel—for the walls, and using just a few pieces of larger scaled furniture. Limiting the number of furnishings can actually make the space look bigger.
Jean: And limiting the number of pieces allows you to “compose” the room as an artist would a painting. Make every piece count. Your new space could become a real jewel box.
Richard: Where possible, select items that serve double duty and are more vertical. Sofas that become beds, kitchen islands that double as servers, cabinets that conceal household supplies—all allow you to get more use from limited floor space. Something as simple as substituting a drop-leaf dining table behind the sofa might open up the room. Put another way, you don’t need a dining room to eat.
Jean: Speaking of opening up the room, this is also a chance to put mirrors to work for you. You might arrange a group of unmatched or vintage mirrors on a wall, with one large one in the center. Or find the wall most opposite the source of natural light and mirror the entire wall in vertical sections.
Richard: If mirrors are not your thing, consider doing the entire room in one fabric, and include everything from the walls to the lampshades. There are shimmering fabrics that bounce light around like mirrors, or just choose a dramatic print. Make sure it’s not a small or busy pattern, but something like a toile with space between the repeats. Used throughout, it can visually enlarge a small space and offer a sense of drama.
Jean: At a minimum, make sure all the fabric components coordinate. In a Manhattan condo we recently installed, everything we designed was part of a whole. Linens complemented bath towels, dishes fit in one cabinet, one flat screen was mounted to the wall where a painting might normally hang. The kitchen was tiny, but every small appliance that could be mounted under the counter was placed there to keep the surfaces uncluttered.
Richard: Yes, and you thought the bedroom was the closet until I showed you the real closet.
Jean: Well, in my last condo I converted the bedroom into my closet, so you can understand why I was confused.
Richard: Where did you put the bed?
Jean: Oh, come on, Richard. What’s more important, having a silly bed or a great wardrobe? Put another way, you don’t have to have a bedroom to sleep.

Dear Jean and Richard, I know you’ve talked about wall colors before, but how do I go about mixing new colors into a room without it looking like a coloring book? Is there a safe formula, or would I be safer just staying neutral? Bonnie, Overland Park, KS

Jean: Hi Bonnie. You’re scaring me with the neutral comment because maybe you are afraid of color? What most people don’t realize is that beige or putty or whatever you’re calling neutral is still a color. Which, when done well, can be fabulous. I just don’t like safe, tacky, cheap and boring “builder’s beige” on everything.
Richard: Come on Jean, tell us what you really think! Well, it needn’t be boring… sometimes it can be smartly sophisticated. Of course we’re assuming by neutral you mean some light shade of cream or taupe, but contrary to conventional wisdom, even that’s not “safe.” Think how just a few years ago the big color for appliances was Almond. It was considered neutral, but today it often looks dated. And there’s a reason it looks dated. It’s the color of white after it has yellowed with age, or after years of collecting the tar from cigarette smoke.
Jean: Well, if the appliances are smoking, maybe it’s time to get some new ones anyway. Almond, as does cream or even beige, has its place, but usually as one color in an expanded palette. And to close the subject of playing it safe, attempting to create a room full of “neutrals” is a tricky business if your goal is to have a gorgeous room.
Richard: To the question about avoiding it looking like a coloring book, one suggestion is to limit your palette to a few compatible colors, and repeat them throughout the space in unequal amounts. Use the most intense color the least, but make sure each has a visual echo elsewhere in the room.
Jean: So what constitutes compatible colors? If you’re having trouble deciding what two or three colors work together, go check your closet. Find a favorite patterned dress or blouse that has more than one color and examine what makes it pleasing. Richard’s closet is full of clothes in different shades of black, and that’s why his room is so dark.
Richard: It’s better than almond. The real reason you don’t paint everything almond or cream is that those are both foods, and you’d be adding pounds instead of colors.
Jean: You know me so well! Besides, why choose Dull when there are so many wonderful options out there? If you want neutral, consider nature’s neutral, green. Soft shades of green make an excellent backdrop for lots of different colors. One thing to remember, though, is to make sure each color introduction is at least a different value. For example, if you had light celery green walls, make sure the blue you choose is not a pale sky, but a dark cobalt. Otherwise you risk being muddy.
Richard: On the theory of introducing a few colors in different amounts, the least used might simply be a couple of bright accents, like a red lamp base or a yellow sofa pillow. But I would repeat that color elsewhere in the room.
Jean: You just repeated yourself.
Richard: Well, I’m the bright accent of this conversation.
Jean: I’m glad there aren’t two of you.