Comments on: Hannah’s Design Dilemma

By: Hannah

Hannah — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:44:58 +0000

Thanks for all of the comments re: the beams, everyone! We’ve decided to wrap them in Douglas fir so that we can leave them natural in contrast to the white ceiling. Can’t wait ’til it’s done so I can send pics!

By: Blayne

Blayne — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:03:21 +0000

I wanted to chime in on the beams! My friends flipped a house recently and put in a similar compressed wood beam. They just sealed it with some kind of clear lacquer and it looks fab! Maybe paint the ceiling and then see if you like them as-is? I think the color and texture would add to the natural feel.

Great mood board!

By: Jena

Jena — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:53:53 +0000

Thanks for all of your advice Sherry, this is great help!

By: YoungHouseLove

YoungHouseLove — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:31:02 +0000

Hey Jena,

First of all those Dolce Lounge chairs will match anything! We have two of our own and they’re the perfect neutral- we just picked the patterned chairs in the mood board for a bit more visual interest (and we loved how they looked paired with the rug!). As for our PB Basic sofa, nope, we don’t like it. It’s only about a year old and it looks a bit haggard and wrinkled and although the slipcovers are easy to clean (they don’t have any stains) they’re a bit lose and saggy in spots which doesn’t lend to a clean look at all. Quite the opposite actually. We also have a Rowe sofa which we got for $400 less and we love it a million times more (you can check it out in our living room “house tour” pics). We adore it! We’ve heard that Rowe may be going out of business which is why we have started recommending Room & Board since they have similar quality and prices and a lot of our friends and family have been very happy with them. So I would suggest googling “Rowe retailer” and your city to see if you can hunt down a Rowe dealer and if they truly are stopping production on their fabulous sofas I would head over to Room & Board asap. Hope it helps!

xoxo,
Sherry

By: Jena

Jena — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:19:50 +0000

I love this mood board! I have a few questions regarding the sofa. You mentioned if only you knew about the Room and Board version when you purchased your Pottery Barn Sofa. Have you had some regrets about purchasing a Pottery Barn sofa? I’m in the process of buying a new sofa and I want to make absolutely sure I make the right decision. Does the Room and Board version linked above match the PB version in quality and style? Also, would the Target Dolce Loungechairs in natural match the sofa listed above? Any advice you could send my way would be great!

By: Jennie Gift

Jennie Gift — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:21:56 +0000

Hi Hannah, I thought it was Peter Lik but wasn’t sure. He is amazing! Thanks for sharing.

By: Diana

Diana — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:37:07 +0000

Thanks Sherry, that does help! I appreciate your thoughts. I like both your ideas; I’m thinking I’ll either leave my piano bare with some nice art above it or if not that, then your other suggestion of an asymmetrical arrangement with vases is nice too. Thanks again!

By: YoungHouseLove

YoungHouseLove — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:18:41 +0000

Hey Diana,

I would be tempted to leave the piano completely undecorated if art was going to be hung above it or do something very simple like add two metal obelisks or something very visually light so the piano doesn’t feel overly accessorized. Two tall glass vases in varying sizes might be nice on one side, for example (we like something asymmetrical so it doesn’t look too balanced and predictable). Hope it helps!

xoxo,
Sherry

By: Diana

Diana — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 04:17:34 +0000

Sooo pretty. I agree, I think this mood board is my favorite of all. But anything you guys do is amazing. : ) Quick question since a piano is mentioned…What would your advice or tips be on “decorating” an upright piano? Example: Say I were going for a modern/contemporary style and there is a piano in a room, would you leave the piano bare on top and simply hang art above or would you put vases, frames, flowers, etc. on top of it and would you do a symmetrical or asymmetrical arrangement on top? What are your thoughts and what would your decorating eye say?

By: Hannah

Hannah — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:22:51 +0000

The art is by a phenomenal Australian photographer named Peter Lik.

Off to email the builder about the beams — I’d *like* to leave them natural, but they’re currently compressed wood and need to be wrapped with wood before they’re painted anyhow! If I can catch him and get him to put douglas fir around the beams before he does something else, maybe we’ll be able to leave them natural (a light wood stain would be my ideal if possible).

To answer someone’s earlier question, it’s a 60-year-old rancher that’s being gutted. The fireplace is original, but most of the rest of the house needed serious work to make it quake-safe!