French Country Kitchen

We couldn't wait to share a photo of the french country kitchen in the custom home in Camas that we've been working on for over a year. This beautiful kitchen features inset cabinetry, a custom Venetian plaster hood, marble and granite countertops, chiseled limestone floors and reclaimed beams and brick. Check out more progress photos of the project here.

Alberta Kitchen Remodel: Hutch

Installation photo of this beautiful little hutch we designed for the Alberta kitchen remodel in Portland. Just awaiting some paint and classic hardware! 

Saved! Great Salvage Style

If you are looking for a sure fire way to add character and history to your space, using salvaged and re-purposed items is the way to go! Searching flea markets, vintage stores and architectural salvage locations isn't for everyone. However, if you enjoy the hunt and are willing to "think outside of the box", you can really imbue your space with seriously unique style! From re-purposed furniture, vintage signs or barn house lighting to salvaged wood planked walls/ceiling beams and reclaimed kitchen/bathroom cabinets, there are many ways to add a little or a lot of salvaged style to your rooms.

Furniture and Wall Accessories

Bringing in salvaged or re-purposed furniture can be a nice subtle way to introduce some salvage style to your space. To keep your room from looking like an antique store, keep the salvaged pieces to a minimum and mix with newer pieces. Sometimes just one great salvaged piece is enough to give the room a punch of character. Salvaged chairs look great around a reclaimed wood table, wood crates and ladders can make great book shelves, reclaimed signs can make great statement art pieces. There are many different ways to bring in salvage style.

http://www.houzz.com/photos/1331040/Ferry-Rd-eclectic-kitchen-portland-maine

http://www.houzz.com/photos/5819403/Spring-Branch-Kitchen-rustic-kitchen-other-metro

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/house-tour-5-121803#gallery/17287/22

http://www.houzz.com/photos/6388177/Contemporary-Home-North-Vancouver-contemporary-kitchen-vancouver

http://up-the-wolves.tumblr.com/post/56203215373

Salvaged Wood Walls, Beams and Cabinetry 

 

If you really want to give your space a true salvage style look, a great way to do so is to start with the bones of your room. Adding salvaged wood to the walls, ceiling or cabinetry in a room can give you a richly rustic, lived in look. Reclaimed wood is a great way to bring serious character into any room.

http://www.desiretoinspire.net/blog/2012/4/17/roger-davies-again.html

http://www.houzz.com/photos/1820424/IMKDC-Winner-rustic-kitchen-philadelphia

http://www.houzz.com/photos/8386680/Boise-Residence-contemporary-bedroom-los-angeles

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-inspiration-reclaimed-wood-wall-191907?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Category%2FChannel%3A+Main

http://www.designsponge.com/2010/12/sneak-peek-josh-vogel-of-blackcreek-mercantile.html

http://www.houzz.com/photos/2553691/2041-West-Dickens-contemporary-powder-room-chicago

http://www.houzz.com/photos/1014679/Bovina-House-rustic-living-room-new-york

http://www.houzz.com/photos/6001482/Master-Loft-Suite-rustic-bedroom-other-metro

Rummer Outdoor Patio

This modern dining table on the Rummer project was designed by us and hand-built by our very talented clients. The white chairs are the perfect pop against the wood table and create beautiful patterned shadows on the ground.

Make a Statement!

If you are not sure where to start when designing your space, one trick that designers often use is to pick one statement piece and design the room around that. Your statement could be made with artwork, furniture, a rug or even a wall treatment. Once you find your statement piece, keep the focus on that object by keeping other elements in the room toned down or neutral. Or conversely, you can echo the statement piece in other elements in the room.

Artwork with a Statement

When choosing your statement art, make it bold and use a large scale to really draw the eye to the piece.  Here are some great examples of statement art pieces in their space:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/554399/TriBeCa-loft-modern-living-room-new-york

http://www.houzz.com/photos/1994521/Pacific-Palisades-Residence-contemporary-living-room-los-angeles

http://sketch42blog.com/2013/12/design-artsy-in-paris/

 

 

http://inoutdesignblog.com/arentpyke-belle-mirvac-life-series-display-apartment/

Furniture with a Statement

Furniture is also a great focal point to base your design upon. A great and unique piece of furniture can make an eye catching statement! Take a look at these great "wow-factor" furniture pieces.

http://www.juliettesinteriors.co.uk/by-collection/modern-glamour-collection-hollywood-regency-furniture-style-mid-century/modern-glamour-black-lacquered-porters-chair.html

http://www.lonny.com/photos/Eclectic/Living+Room/oz58i4fkGGZ

https://www.flickr.com/photos/foohqwah/5368225484/

http://thediversionproject.blogspot.ca/2012/09/how-good.html

Statement Rugs

Sometimes you just need a great, bold rug to "tie your room together". Designing your room around your rug can be a great place to start and can truly inspire your entire space. Here are some great examples of statement making rugs:

http://undecorate.tumblr.com/post/31521884774/geometric-modernism-via-sfgirlbybay

http://www.houzz.com/photos/876031/House-in-Redding-Fairfield-County-CT-contemporary-dining-room

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e4/aa/1c/e4aa1cd474fcf503553db0faaf99cf19.jpg

Statement Making Walls

 Another great way to make a statement is to let your walls do the talking. Utilizing your wall space can be a highly effective way of making a statement. Whether you use paint, wallpaper or some other creative method, a great eye catching wall can be a great place to start with your design style. Take a look at these walls with a statement.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVpmB4rM3cybcziCJtA7wvSO_nVos3e-dl96vFAp1UJs6VDkEBPxxBhKnNYXmUYajQdl2HFcr-twWacsibecdrenpYT7t0gAgu4Z6kxQDs_cYiC5BhVRz-fzyHqkYXL5xbZ80d1pk-vW9/s1600/5fbfb39b00c1a774d5121a3a1ea88dcc.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3ccmidwest/5957748181/in/faves-anna_vert/

http://www.babble.com/crafts-activities/top-2013-trends-chic-statement-walls/

http://livingimpressive.com/2013/07/designer-living-rooms-exposed-brick-walls/

Keep it Simple: Minimal Children's rooms

Many trends in decorating children's rooms come and go, but here is one to keep...minimalism. With the amount of toys, books and gear that inherently come with having kids, paring down your space may not always be easy to achieve. However, creating a calm, uncluttered space for your child to play and sleep in is really worth a bit of effort.

Nurseries

For new parents, creating a minimal and simplified nursery can feel modern and serene. Keeping a simple palette, uncluttered and open space can feel downright zen. A feeling that may help in the early, sleepless nights of parenthood. Here are some examples of minimal nurseries.

http://www.theanimalprintshop.com/blog/baby-alpaca-another-nursery-project/

http://www.homeadore.com/2012/10/18/maison-bessancourt-karawitz-architecture/

http://www.enlasnubes.nl/c-2449847/lookbook/

http://www.houzz.com/photos/134111/Baby-s-Room-contemporary-kids-new-york

Kid's Rooms

As children get older, it still makes good sense to keep things simple and organized. Growing kids need a calm space for homework as well as sleep and play. Modern, minimal rooms can carry them from kindergarten to high school with ease. Here are some examples of great minimal kid's rooms.

http://denofopulence.tumblr.com/post/32260950698/denofopulence

http://www.houzz.com/photos/764190/Modern-Kids-modern-kids-other-metro

http://www.houzz.com/photos/1367653/Mid-North-Residence-industrial-kids-chicago

http://www.houzz.com/photos/9701702/Room---Board-contemporary-kids

As you can see from these examples, even though the rooms are minimal, there is still plenty of room for fun! Incorporating whimsical art work or accessories is a great way to keep your children's room lighthearted and youthful. After all, children need a space to let their imagination go wild.

Vintage Love: Incorporating Vintage Elements in a Modern Way

At Wise Design, we love vintage style. However, sometimes it can be challenging to work with some vintage elements that preexist in our homes. Sometimes unusual tile, quirky cabinetry, wood paneling or dated details can make it hard to bring your design visions to life. If you are in a position where you cannot remodel or change your vintage home (ie. renting, or on a budget) you may have to embrace the unique vintage elements of your home. Many times the real challenge is bringing these details up to date and giving them a fresh modern look. The best solution is to embrace the uniqueness of your vintage home and work with the space and not try to hide it or fight it. Here are some great examples of vintage put to great use in a modern way.

Kitchen

 

http://www.houzz.com/photos/6403138/Seaside-Beach-House-beach-style-kitchen-portland

 

http://www.houzz.com/photos/559152/My-House-spaces

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chelsea-alexs-mixed-styles-homehouse-tour-175330#gallery/39056/16

http://www.houzz.com/photos/7882922/Portland-Art-Deco-Funk-eclectic-kitchen-portland

Bathrooms

 

 

http://www.houzz.com/photos/362231/Vintage-Tile-Bathroom-traditional-bathroom-los-angeles

 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/paul-and-tyras-eclectic-charme-109962#_

http://www.houzz.com/photos/127995/City-Chic-eclectic-bathroom-san-francisco

http://www.houzz.com/photos/6693503/A-Charles-Goodman-MidCentury-Design-midcentury-bathroom-dc-metro

Living Rooms

 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/house-tour-199581#_

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/marks-original-mid-century-mod-162638#_

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/mark-macek-house-tour-169926

As you can see, the best way to embrace your vintage home is by keeping a streamlined palette and working with the preexisting details even if turquoise or pink tile wouldn't have been your first choice. Changing out hardware and fixtures in your space will also do wonders to bring it up-to-date. With a fresh modern facelift, your funky vintage space can look modern and best of all, it will be unique!