Lighten Up

Usually when I meet customers moving to Florida, they are seeking a lighter brighter look. After all, we are in the sunshine state, so it goes without saying that things should stay fairly sunny and light no matter what your style of home décor. I have observed in my twenty years of experience that when you move to Florida and try to re-create your northern home it does not work overtime. As homeowners begin to live in the bright sunshine and visit other bright homes, inevitably within two years they begin changing things or completely getting rid of things and starting over. If a new homeowner has spent a lot of money recreating their northern home in Florida it might take several years or a small flood in the kitchen before the home becomes light and bright. However, make no mistake everyone seeks to One shot of the Dining Room! Last week we learned how to brighten and update a kitchen. This week we will learn ways to lighten a dining room somewhere just outside the heart of The Villages.

  •  Kitchen flood
Sometimes the timing of the change in your space happens whether you like it or not. This homeowner had a flood in the kitchen. This small flood led to all new flooring in the main body of the home and some updates that would lighten the space. The homeowner wanted to keep things that she loved and refresh the things that she had grown tired of seeing.

  •  Flooring
The flooring was a very pretty but dark laminate from years ago. It was a good laminate that looked real but because it was dark and the flooring had to be replaced, the homeowner decided to have engineered hardwood installed the second time around. The floor is a beautiful light tan wood that adds warmth and depth to the space. The engineered hardwood is glued down to the slab so walking on it feels solid. In any concrete slab home if you want engineered hardwood, it should be glued to the slab. Also, engineered hardwood is the only product that can be married to tile without a threshold. With a skilled installer the thresholds can be smooth, which reduces tripping hazards.

  •  Wainscot and crown
The homeowner loved the table and chairs and did not want to get rid of them, but she felt the room could be lighter. Since buying new chairs was not an option, I suggested that we wrap the room in white wainscotting. The white wainscot would lighten the space and the contrast with the deep teal chairs looked really good. This homeowner chose a traditional wainscot, and we painted the wainscot white from the top of the chair rail to the bottom of the baseboard and everything in between. If you do like the idea of wainscot to lighten a space but you don’t like traditional style, you can create any look you want with the wainscot because it is customizable. Look on the computer to find inspiration pictures to share with your finish carpenter. The crown molding is seven inches, and it makes the space look elevated and finished.

  •  Side panels
The dining room already had side panels, but they were on the darker side. We kept the pole because it is beautiful, and drapery rods are pricey. We changed the side panels to a white panel with a blue trellis pattern. The print is classic, and the light color pulled in all the blue tones that we were adding to the space. The panels are custom made but we used one width, and we did not have to spend money on hardware so that kept the cost down. Please note that the rod is hung just below the crown molding to keep the panels nice and high. We always want to draw the eye upward and make the window look bigger. Also, we did install side panels even though the homeowner has shutters. This is a great look to soften a space, add color and it does not interfere with the operation of the shutter.

  •  Dining chairs
The dining chairs are Parsons chairs that have a skirt. The color of the chairs is a perfect deep teal, and the homeowner really did not want to have to face finding the perfect fabric again and recovering the chairs. We were able to have the skirts removed and the chairs looked lighter and fresh.

  •  Artwork
There is only one wall to hang artwork in this dining room. The old picture was a very large oil painting of a Tuscan scene with a dark chunky frame. The picture was lovely for many years, but it was time to change. We added two large pictures of coral in layers of blue. The art acted as a visual bridge to bring everything together.

  •  Table arrangement
The table arrangement is Winward orchids that we sent to the shop and had refreshed.

  •  Peacock feathers
The corner arrangement is peacock feathers from the homeowner’s former peacock farm. They make a beautiful arrangement, and they always look different depending on the light.

  •  Leak Detector Sensors
If you have been the victim of a leak or you worry about leaks, consider purchasing leak detectors for underneath each sink.
There are various price ranges for any budget and many of them will communicate with your phone in the event of a leak.
Also, I would consider purchasing a drip tray in which the water would collect before it can run down the back of a cabinet and find its way around your house.
You can find all of these items online and there will be something for every budget.

Call Ruth your full service decorator at: 352-804-2056
or Contact Us

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