Dear Jean and Richard, is there a way to re-design a room and keep most of your current furniture? I’m not sure how to update or freshen a room without starting over.—Davia, Hendersonville

Jean: Hi Davia. Of course, a lot depends on what your current interior looks like. We find that many people are just tired of their surroundings but not quite ready or able to replace everything, so your question is a common one. But the answer doesn’t have to be common.

Richard: I suggest you start with one thing you really, really don’t want to part with. Maybe it’s a family heirloom or favorite painting. From there, you can consider—piece by piece—the other items in the room and determine whether they complement that piece or detract from it. For those things that don’t seem to work, first consider what other places in your home they might fit, but if they remain awkward, maybe it’s time to find a new home for them.

Jean: Wow, Richard. That was diplomatic. “Find a new home” sounds better than “garage sale.” But you make a good point. By really asking yourself if a piece “works” with the item or items you want to keep, you’re on the way to making some big decisions. Once you mentally pare down the furnishings, you’ll know what you need to replace. Then I would go back to the favorite piece and work from there.

Richard: And follow a simple trick that retail stores do: shuffle your furnishings around and you’ll see them in a whole new light…literally! Also paint can make a huge difference. If you are working around a painting or print, you might want to choose a color that is in the image, but not the predominant one. If you’re working from a piece of furniture that is painted or has a pronounced finish, find a color that coordinates with it AND with the room next door.

Jean: Yes, but I would wait on the paint color until you’ve found the new items. There are so many ways to approach this, but it’s usually a mistake to try to match new purchases to your existing finishes or surface treatments. Some of the finest homes (or at least our favorites) have an eclectic mixture of textures and color, and if you’re trying to salvage some of your current furnishings, a deliberate mix is probably your best approach.

Richard: I would not challenge that—Jean’s the expert on “mixed up.” But I would offer that when designing a room décor, there needs to be some consistency in scale and taste. For example, if your focal point is an elaborate Victorian china hutch, you wouldn’t want to display NASCAR collectables in it.

Jean: Gee Richard, what do you have against NASCAR collectables? I agree, but sometimes you can effectively mix in an unexpected accessory or add a whimsical object to lighten up a conservative setting. The right mix can offer elegance and fun at the same time.

Richard: Sounds like a plan.

Dear Jean and Richard, Do you have any tips for staging a house before putting it on the market for sale? –Big Al, Waynesville

Richard: Hi Al, and thanks for asking, because we have some strong opinions on this subject. First, the term “staging” suggests some form of theatrics that is meant to create an ideal setting for presentation. Though it may be a valid concept to make the most of a home’s interior before it is offered for sale, the idea can also be taken too far. To us, some “professional” staging looks like the interior of a builder home model, and offers no sense of homeowner personality. Staging is OK to show order and good taste, but the results shouldn’t look like a store display.

Jean: Well, of course the purpose is to allow potential buyers to see the actual house rather than the seller’s taste, but that can usually be accomplished by getting rid of clutter. It’s usually not necessary to paint everything beige so people can imagine their own furniture in it. Simply boxing up and storing the teapot collection may be enough.

Richard: Not that we’re suggesting you have a teapot collection, Big Al. Jean is right, though. Get rid of—or at least hide—what’s not necessary to live comfortably from day to day, especially if you are marketing your home while still living in it. This “less is more” idea allows the interior to look more open, demonstrating that there is sufficient elbow room throughout the house.

Jean: Let’s go back to the paint. I will admit that you may want to tone down a bright wall color if the wall needs paint anyway. What irks me is the notion of dulling the color palette as if that will automatically make your home more appealing. Another way of looking at it may be how color could enhance the appeal of a dull home!

Richard: Here are some things to do that are just as important for preparing your home as re-painting. First—as we have already said—eliminate clutter. Second, make sure the house is always clean. Third, make the entrance sparkle (the first impression philosophy.) Fourth, if you have pets, make sure the lawn is free of evidence and any odor is minimized. Fifth—and this sounds corny, but it’s effective—display fresh flowers.

Jean: Ooo—that’s good! I like the flowers. That’s a nice idea even if you’re not selling your home!

Richard: And then there’s the ridiculous absurdities you see on T.V – baking cookies, hiring actors to play your family and lighting candles everywhere. Just kill me!

Jean: The best tip on staging your home is to just remember to subtract rather than add. Subtract the clutter, the dirt, the smells, the cat hair, and the weeds along the driveway. The place needs to look as if you are proud of it and a person with high standards lives there. If your child’s room is bright yellow, it’s more important to subtract the concert posters on the door than it is to add new paint to the walls. And you don’t need to hire a professional to do this. Trust your realtor’s opinion. Good luck!

These are the opinions of nationally recognized Greeson & Fast Design, whose studio is in Asheville’s historic River District at 352 Depot Street. Submit your questions to www.GreesonAndFast.com, or call for more information at 828-252-0400.

Dear Jean and Richard, Could you define some of the basic fabrics you use in your work? Suzanne, Fairview

Richard: Hi Suzanne. This is much more exciting to look at and feel than to describe…this one is yours, Jean.

Jean: Lucky me! Suzanne, fabrics can be broken down into a variety of categories; by the weight, weave, pattern, etc. And those differences define the varied uses for the fabric. Obviously heavier, more tightly woven fabrics are used for upholstery more than light weight cloth, but not always. An occasional or boudoir chair, for instance, could be covered in more delicate fabric, as it’s more about the look than the use.

So generally speaking, here are some of those fabrics:
Casement cloth. A broad term for an open weave cotton or synthetic fabric. It is usually fairly plain, light or neutral in color. Definitely not for upholstery.
Linen. Made from the bark of the flax plant, famous for its luster and smoothness. It absorbs dyes softly and beautifully. Though it tends to not soil easily it does wrinkle easily. Can be used for tight upholstery. Also great for summer slipcovers, due to its rapid moisture absorption.
Chintz. Cotton fabric of rich solid colors or printed florals, often large scale. Unglazed or with a protective glaze made of resin. Besides draperies, chintz is often used on bedding and boudoir slipcovers.
Moire. A watermark or wavy finish on silk, rayon, cotton or nylon that gives the look of movement with light and dim effects. A dressy look, for both draperies or lightly used upholstery.
Silk. The only natural fiber that comes in filament form, made from unraveling the cocoons of Japanese silkworms. Or a fabric woven from silk threads. It takes on brilliant, bold colors, and today is often embroidered. It is quick to be severely damaged from the sun. Beautiful for draperies, but if given a stabilized backing, it can also be used for light upholstery.
Velvet. One of our favorites for both heavy, rich draperies and substantial upholstery. A plush, dense all warp pile of cotton, nylon, polyester, and/or viscose dyed into an array of beautiful colors. Good stability and cleans up well as upholstery.
Chenille. Woven fabric working a small, hard warp with a soft, thick weft, which binds the weft thread together. Cut edges of these yarns create a plush, velvet-like surface. Too heavy for draperies, it is a wonderful, long wearing and soft upholstery fabric.
Whew!

Richard: Now wasn’t that fun!

Dear Jean and Richard, I think of myself as a creative person, and I would like to try reworking my home’s interior. But I’m not sure how to kick-start the process. Any suggestions? –Kelly, Asheville

Richard: Hi Kelly. Kick-start? Is your home on two wheels? Just kidding. You know, we usually begin each job on the basis of information we get in the client interview. And each job may start out differently. But what they always have in common is a clearly defined goal of creating the client’s dream environment.

Jean: Richard mentioned the interview—something we take very seriously. We often discover that a couple may have very different ideas of what they want to achieve and they expect us to be some kind of arbitrators. When that happens, we try to find common ground and suggest compromises. But whether there are two decision makers or one, we strive to get a sense of the lifestyle and determine what the clients want to achieve.

Richard: Then we kick-start. Jean kicks me and I start working. Actually, we both start working on a master plan. You will need to do the same thing, but I would suggest first writing down what you plan to achieve in a kind of mission statement. This will help you when you get bogged down in choosing colors, shopping for accessories, or even arranging furniture. If you know in advance what you want to accomplish, difficult decisions may be easier to make.

Jean: That’s not a bad idea. But don’t confuse the mission statement with the master plan. It’s more like a stated expectation for the results of a master plan. Let’s say the best part of your vacation was staying at a wonderful old Bed & Breakfast, and you wish your house could be that inviting and interesting. You might write something like, “My house will be a welcoming place, full of rich textures and whimsical artwork, allowing every day to be a vacation from the ordinary.”

Richard: When does she kick-start?

Jean: Hey, it was your suggestion. I’m just saying that in her mission statement she doesn’t have to write down specific colors or treatments—just spell out the overall feeling she wants to achieve. And from there, she can start thinking about what it might take to accomplish her goal.

Richard: One thing that often helps is to determine what things in the interior cannot change, and what items you now have that you want to keep. A favorite piece of artwork, for example, may become the centerpiece of a newly designed room. Or maybe you have an antique dresser handed down from your grandmother you want to incorporate. These things could well become your kick-starting place.

Jean: Maybe we should kick stop now….

Dear Jean and Richard, We recently went rug shopping and were overwhelmed. Are there really differences in quality that mirror the prices? –Oliver R., Leicester

Richard: Dear Eloise, who wouldn’t be overwhelmed!? Turkish, Oriental, Persian, Indian—handmade, machine made, and some with a combination of both. It’s a good question, but unfortunately, there’s no simple answer. As I’m sure you have concluded from shopping, there is quite a range of prices. And you probably deduced from dramatic sale prices, there’s often quite a markup as well. But there are real differences and price justifications.

Jean: Richard and I often make special buying trips just for rugs because there are so many options. Some experts in the field can look at a rug and identify the source—sometimes down to the specific village responsible for weaving it. Choices of patterns, dyes, and techniques reflect generations of handed-down experience in the craft. But exercise caution—it’s fair to say many of the traditional patterns used in Eastern rugs can be at odds with our Western sense of design.

Richard: Well, they can also complement them. But I’ll admit that the intricate patterns you see in some of the weaves compete with the streamlined simplicity of contemporary themes. To simplify basic quality levels, we might use three categories—hand woven, hand tufted, and machine made. The most expensive is the hand woven, of course. Not only are they beautiful, they age well and can last a lifetime. You can verify these by parting the pile to find the actual knots tied at the base of each tuft.

Jean: And you can also clearly see the pattern on the back.

Richard: Hand-tufted rugs are mid-range, quality products that are not painstakingly hand knotted, but constructed using an electric tufting gun to secure the tufts. Finally, machine-made rugs are the most affordable, and depending on the nature of their use, sometimes the most practical. If the use is temporary, or your budget is tight, they can still have a nice look. Maybe that’s the solution if your animals sometimes leave you “gifts” on the rugs like Jean’s…

Jean: Not stepping on camouflaged Greyhounds and cats lounging on my rugs are my main animal concerns. And we forgot to mention Dhurries, a great hand-made—yet affordable—alternative. These are flat, woven rugs usually with a geometric design, and generally in paler colors. But they’re not quite as soft for pet beds.

Richard: Speaking of flat, be sure when you are making your final decision that you view the rugs flat on the ground and from all sides. There is a darker and lighter side which can make a big difference depending on where you’re standing. Any good rug dealer will not mind you spending the time inspecting it before you purchase, and by all means ask to take it on loan since things could change drastically when you place it in your home.

Jean: And when you go shopping for a rug, be sure to take your paint and fabric samples with you. They don’t have to match perfectly, but the rug should complement them. Just like I want to complement Fancy, Sugar Bear, Lucy, Buzz and Smoky for looking so fabulous on our new hand knotted den rug!