A chandelier dilemma

So I have this friend Lisa. Lisa and I have been friends for many years. Lisa is a smart, articulate, amazing women but occasionally she has design challenges that stump her; which is where I come in.
I get these occasional phone calls that kind of brighten up my day and occasionally make me feel like I'm a genius only because the solutions are so easy for me and they make my friend so so happy and relieved.
The most recent call from Lisa was pertaining to a chandelier dilemma in her foyer. "Now for this challenge I was under the gun" Lisa informed me because she only have one hour before the Restoration Hardware 1/2 off chandelier sale was over and she HAD to place her order immediately.
Oh Lisa I love you.
She sent two photos of the ones she was considering. One was pretty formal and all crystal, the other wrought iron and crystal. Much more in keeping with the style of her home in Arizona so I recommend the later of the two.
As you can see the light fixture that came with the house when she and her husband bought it was not sufficient for the foyer and did nothing to accentuate the height of the ceiling nor create any sort of dramatic entrance. The question now was, should she get the 32" diameter one or the 45" diameter one.
She was in a state of panic over trying to decide the size and still meet the ordering deadline.
Here's my trick whenever you're having trouble visualizing which would work...

Painters tape!!!  you will need a measuring tape and some painters tape, green, blue, anything will do. Simply measure out the diameter of the chandelier and make a tape line on the floor. Then do one to cross it perpendicularly. If you'd like you can keep doing this to create a starburst or just sort of tape out a circle or whatever shape your chandelier will be. 

This will be the easiest way to visualize what your piece will look like and how much space it will take up. After frantically taping her floor, Lisa decided on the 32" diameter one. and placed her order.  Stay tuned for the finished upgrade pics one her new chandelier arrives.

Thanks Lisa for the never ending inspiration.  Anyone else have questions? Happy to help.

What's old is new again - Treasure Hunting

I'm often asked, " Where do you find such amazing chairs?". Honestly, everywhere. It's been a while since I purchased a chair right off the floor for a client. I tend to always want to modify them or add something unique to them. I guess this is why I spend so much time scouring flea markets, estate sales basements, yard sales and even thrift stores. Often times furniture that is older is made much better; it's skeleton is stronger, made using methods that are often too expensive in woodworking for many manufacturers today.  My favorite place in Los Angeles to find treasure used to be the Rose Bowl Flea Market but recently it's gotten quite expensive. You really have to negotiate now. I get up at 6:00am on a sunday and drive forty five minutes with my coffee in hand, eyes barely open and slowly walk through the stalls as the vendors are still unpacking. That's the way to do it. By nine in the morning the place is already a zoo and time for me to leave. I have found the most amazing sets of mid century chairs for a steal, full sets of 10 dining room chairs for $300. Chairs which at a normal retail store would be at least $400 each. It's really worth the effort. When I go to the flea markets I go with a list of what I need per room for clients, along with measurements ( this is key). Sometimes I can find just the right thing or sometimes I have to modify it a bit. The thing is, you can't be afraid, it's just furniture. Sometimes I also just see pieces that inspire me to make something custom.
An old tattered chair can be made into the most exquisite piece with a new finish and an amazing fabric. You'll definitely want to take your time finding a really good upholsterer, one that pays attention to the details. Always take a before picture in case you want to replicate a trim detail or nail head etc. because once your upholsterer rips it apart, theres no turning back.  I'd found chairs so old they were stuffed with straw, or pure cotton. I always imagine the story behind the inner workings of an antique piece. I guess that's the romantic in me. Below are just a few samples of chairs that have a very simple shape , and were honestly pretty ugly, but have been redone to bring new beauty to my clients homes.
Happy hunting…

 

 

How to create drama in a space easily..

Contrast. I love this space I created for a client in their breakfast room. It's fresh and fun but still sophisticated. The black and white create the contrast within the space and the yellow really is just for pop. Even though this is a small room it's still dramatic. The Fornasetti plates tie the black and white together yet add a touch of whimsy to the room. It's important in design to remember that more is not always more. A simple color palette using just two or three colors is often just what is needed to make the perfect statement and create a feeling within a space.