Cindi L. Stephenson

Secrets of a Cozy Home

March 15, 2011 by Cindi L. Stephenson Leave a Comment

Most of us have walked into a home that was so cozy, comfortable and inviting that we instantly felt at home. However, many of us struggle to recreate the same feeling in our own home. There are many things universally thought of as cozy additions to a home such as a crackling fire, homemade bread and mugs of hot chocolate. I have outlined a few less obvious ways to make your home more inviting to not only your guests, but also your family.

Nobody loves a home that seems too sterile. Your home doesn’t need to be perfect. Perfect homes aren’t relaxing and they often make people feel uncomfortable. Remember, your guests are there to see you and just want a relaxing visit with you. Your home should look lived in. Leave your book on the ottoman, open sheet music on the piano, a bowl of candy or nuts casually displayed, and of course display personal photographs.

Your home should smell inviting. Stick to as many all-natural products as you can. For example, instead of plug-in chemical air fresheners use potpourri, spiced cider or citrus slices simmering on the stove, or lightly scented burning candles to make your home smell cozy. In winter, spicy and earthy smells such as pine boughs or pine cones dipped in cinnamon are preferable. Use fresh flowers, real greenery and house plants instead of artificial. Be careful to use unscented candles on the dinner table as strong scents will interfere with the taste of food. Be aware of cooking odors; have the pot stickers tomorrow if guests are coming tonight. Don’t forget the nice smelling soaps in the bathroom.

Nothing is more inviting than the soft glow of warm light. Many of our homes have plenty of light in the form of ceiling can lights. In rooms other than the kitchen, leave those harsh overhead lights off and use floor lamps, table lamps and burning candles for lighting. Also, using lamps will draw your eye down and help make a room with a tall ceiling feel cozier. Additionally, hang a chandelier in the center of the room just above head height to make a living room with a tall ceiling feel warmer. A small table lamp on the bathroom counter or étagère will make it more inviting.

Use soft, natural fabrics when possible with seating that has plenty of cushiony comfort. Bring in a variety of textures such as rough textured wood, smooth stone, distressed iron, shells in a bowl, natural branches in an arrangement, etc. Juxtapose those textures with a plush rug, velvet pillows, cashmere throws, all which invite you to touch. Be sure to leave a throw draped over the ottoman, back of the sofa, foot of the bed.

Repaint an uninviting room with warmer paint colors or add an accent wall. White walls are very off-putting. Yellow based neutrals, bronze, mocha, etc. will instantly make your room more inviting.

Use window treatments to soften your home. Use curtains or valences to hide the edges of window casings and soften the walls. If you have high ceilings it is especially important to make sure you have plenty of drapes to soften an expansive wall with a large window.

Always have soft music on if you are expecting guests. Few things are more awkward than a deathly silent home. Leave the television off, it offers distracting noise instead of a relaxing backdrop for conversation. If the windows will be open, turn on the water fountain or hang a wind chime away from the house for a soft distant jingle.

Finally, take a minute to look around your space. A décor that is too sparse is hard to make cozy. However, the opposite is also true. Having too much in a space will cause visual clutter. It is much more pleasing to the eye to have an uncluttered space with a few vignettes than a smattering everywhere of random things. Use fewer, more important pieces.

Most important of all, remember your guests will notice your fresh flowers, personal photographs and the nice smelling soaps in the powder room more than they will notice a perfectly clean home. Your home will be more inviting if it feels authentic and is a reflection of you and your personal style. And as always, a relaxed host and/or hostess is most important of all.

About the Author: Cindi L Stephenson is a Senior Interior Designer at J. Hettinger Interiors in Danville. You can see Cindi’s portfolio at www.jhettinger.com P 925.963.2147

Design Don’ts: Mistakes to Avoid When Working on Your Interior

September 3, 2010 by Cindi L. Stephenson

With the advent of Home and Garden television, we have all seen shows on how to design the interior of our homes. In addition, there is an abundance of articles online and in magazines with names like “Design Tips,” “Design Trends,” and “Design 101.” It is, however, a little more difficult to learn what pitfalls to avoid before you even begin your design project. Below is a list of the top design pitfalls; a list of what NOT to do:

Don’t settle for blah if you love bold. Select colors that fit your personality and coordinate with things you love. Often, people “chicken out” and select too many neutrals because they are afraid they will get tired of the color. You are much more likely to get tired of blah neutrals than a color you love.

Don’t make your favorite color the main color. If you love aubergine, don’t paint the walls aubergine and purchase aubergine furniture. Instead, choose a more subtle color for the background and let your favorite color “pop” as a contrast.

Don’t paint first. Select your fabrics, upholstery, and area rugs first. There are thousands of paint colors to choose from and you can always have one custom mixed to go with your color scheme.

Don’t select the colors of paint, fabric, flooring, etc., in a store or design studio. Ask for samples and swatches of the items to take home and view in your home. You need to see how they look at different times of the day and in different lighting conditions. Many CFL light bulbs make colors look more green, while incandescent lighting tends to bring out the yellows.

Don’t push all the furniture up against the wall. You may think that a room will look larger if the middle of the floor is open, without furniture. But the opposite is true. Move the furniture into groupings in the center. Arrange a sofa with a table behind it. Move chairs out of the corners and you’ll have a more open, airy look in your room.

Don’t choose furniture that doesn’t fit. You wouldn’t wear clothes that are baggy or way too tight, so why would you try to make furniture that isn’t the right size work. Measure your space before you shop for furniture. You or your designer can draw the room to scale and include furniture that is the correct size and scale. Alternatively, you can tape the outline of furniture you are considering to see how it feels. Also, consider the ceiling height. If you have a ten foot ceiling you may not want a low back sofa. It will look silly in the room.

Don’t float a rug in the middle of the room. The elements in a room should not only be visually connected but also physically. The rug should be tucked under the front legs of sofas and chairs. This makes the room visually more attractive and also prevents a tripping hazard.

Don’t display every personal treasure. Select fewer, more important pieces. Although the temptation is to display all of the items you picked up on your many trips abroad, keep some of them in storage and swap them out from time to time. With less clutter each one will stand out more.

Don’t use too many patterns and prints. While you can use many patterns and prints in one room, it is important to balance large and or bold prints with solids, stripes, and smaller patterns.

Don’t invest heavily in trends. It’s okay to put one trendy piece in a room to give it a fresh, updated feel but too many trendy pieces will be expensive and painful considering the trends change all too often.

Don’t decorate with family heirlooms whether you like them or not. Your home should reflect who you are, not who your wealthy grandparents were. You may be able to work in a piece here or there but don’t feel obligated to keep a piece just because your parents or grandparents spent a lot of money on it when they purchased it.

Don’t forget the details. People often ask me why their room doesn’t look like the one in the picture. It is always the details that make the difference. Find interesting lamps, arrange books neatly, add decorative pillows to your furniture, and include candles and fresh flowers.

Don’t let someone make choices for you. Your home is your personal space and should be a reflection of your personal style. It is always good to get ideas, choices, and suggestions from friends, family and a professional interior designer but in the end, it is your home and you should feel comfortable there.

If you avoid these common mistakes you will have a home that you can be proud of and is a reflection of you and the way you live.

About the Author: Cindi L Stephenson is a Senior Interior Designer at J. Hettinger Interiors in Danville. Her education includes a B.A. in City Planning, an M.B.A. in Marketing and a B.A. in Interior Design. Throughout years of International travel and post graduate study, Cindi has developed an understanding of traditions, culture, and design. “When you experience different cultures and different points of view, it opens up your perspective. Design should have a link with authenticity. I often add new materials and textures to create a fresh approach to the classics.” You can see Cindi’s portfolio at www.jhettinger.com. P 925.963.2147

When His Taste Doesn’t Agree With Hers

March 4, 2010 by Cindi L. Stephenson

ALIVE | Taste — A combination of European Traditional with Contemporary Accents. The color palate allows them to flow nicely together.

We all want to make our partner happy. We try to compromise on those big decisions such as which car to buy and how to design the interior of our shared abode. But what happens when he wakes up one day and is surrounded with floral bedding, his beloved recliner is missing, and he actually doesn’t like anything about the interior of his own home. Or, she wakes up one day and realizes her dream home looks more like a bachelor pad full of black leather and enough electronics to be a sports bar. The problem begins when one loves European Traditional and the other Contemporary, one a Rustic Lodge feel and the other a Sleek Modern style. These days, the formula can become even more complex when there are multiple generations living in the same home with input into the design process. Fortunately, now more than ever, an eclectic look that has been carefully orchestrated can be not only beautiful and interesting, but uniquely yours.
The key is to keep in mind the goal: A harmonious environment where you both feel at home. A place you can both call a reflection of yourselves. But how do you go about creating a balance between what seems to be opposite ideals. Perhaps the answer is hiring a skilled Interior Designer who can listen carefully to what each of you really want and coming up with neutral ideas that work for both partners.

An experienced interior designer can help resolve complex differences in tastes and style or simple functionality differences such as Susan and Todd’s. Susan wants a cocktail table in the family room because, “that’s what adults have in their family room”, whereas Todd wants a large uninterrupted space of soft carpet in front of the sofa “where the kids and I can wrestle on Saturday morning.” The simple solution of a cocktail ottoman with a tray for drinks and casters on the feet which can easily be rolled away on Saturday mornings may be obvious to a designer but not to Susan and Todd. Of course, many differences are much more complex such as ornate Rococo style versus American Contemporary. Or the very common, “Honey you have good taste, just buy what you want.” which we all know means “Don’t even think about putting pink in the master bedroom.” However, the solution to all of these situations may be the same. A skilled designer can work with both styles to create a refined, creative design that both partners can enjoy. With both experience and education to draw upon, a good Interior Designer can look at each partner’s likes and dislikes to find shared visual elements.

When combining different tastes and styles keep the following in mind:

Beautiful design is something everyone appreciates. Give the designer creative room to work both styles into the overall look. The end result will be carefully balanced colors, textures and styles versus a randomly chaotic mixture of his taste oddly mixed with hers.
Selecting classic styles versus trendy furnishings makes for a more successful look. Especially when accessorizing, contemporary can add a freshness and uniqueness to a classic design.
By repeating shapes, defining a common palette of colors, finding continuity in materials, or articulating a cultural theme, the designer can take elements from each person’s taste, belongings, and background and weave them together in a way that visually enables “mine” to become “ours.”
Mixing a splash of bright or bold colors with the muted or darker colors can be pleasing to both tastes. Adding a touch of exotic print on a bench or pillow to an otherwise conservative design instantly upgrades the look.
Allowing each partner carte blanche to really express him or her self in a “getaway” space such as an office, study, library or sitting room can satisfy the need to make the home his/her own. Especially today, with the main areas of the home melding into one open space, partners can really enjoy their own, out of the way, personal space.
When there are three people involved, as opposed to two, there’s always a majority point of view, and the designer can play a mediating role.

When selecting your Interior Designer, it is a good idea to pay attention to his or her interpersonal skills as well as their portfolio. Your goal is not just a beautiful home, but a happy home, and what happens en route counts. You don’t want to end up with the showplace you dreamed of but a resentful partner. The combination of both styles will be interesting and complex while feeling unified and well balanced. With a little guidance from a professional interior designer, you can both have the home of your dreams.

About the Author: Cindi L. Stephenson is a Senior Interior Designer at J. Hettinger Interiors in Danville. Her education includes a B.A. in City Planning, an M.B.A. in Marketing, and a B.A. in Interior Design. Throughout years of International travel and post graduate study, Cindi has developed an understanding of traditions, culture, and design. “When you experience different cultures and different points of view, it opens up your perspective. Design should have a link with authenticity. I often add new materials and textures to create a fresh approach to the classics.” You can see Cindi’s portfolio at www.jhettinger.com. P 925.820.9336