I love these summer-y table setting ideas! The mixes of color and texture would make for a beautiful, light, natural setting. Now I just need to find a garden to host a party!
Image via Style Me Pretty
Image via Pinterest
Image via Everly True
For more summer inspiration, visit us on Pinterest and Facebook! We never run out of wonderful things to share!
Image via Pinterest
Outdoor dining season is upon us! When the sun is shining and the grass is green, there’s nothing better than fleeing the house for the afternoon/evening and relaxing on the deck, patio, or by the pool. Now, while we may not all have enchanting outdoor spaces like the ones in these pictures, I know that we all have a “happy place”- a place that beckons to us, a place that we share with friends, a place that is all our own, a place that just the thought of makes the winter months a little bit more bearable. For me, I love being outside in the summer just about anywhere! But I wouldn’t pass up a dinner party or two at any of these places either!
Image via Pinterest
Image via The Berry
Image via Pinterest
Image via Recycled Consign and Design
Image via Tracy Design Studio
For more summer time beauty, follow us on Pinterest! Happy almost summer everyone!
Here we are on week 2 of Ask the Designer! Thanks so much to everyone who submitted questions to us, sorry we couldn’t answer all of them! If your question wasn’t answered this week, please feel free to resubmit it in our next round of questions, or any other questions that might come up in the mean time. If you missed last week’s post, you can read it here. This week, the answers are straight from Lynne Bier, our Principal/Lead Designer, and the owner of Home on the Range (basically, as expert as expert gets). So, without further ado, here’s the Q&A!
Question 1:
Julie asks: I was wondering how to update a room with wood paneling on the walls when you are on a budget and can’t afford to tear it down?
Answer: My first question would be in which part of the country you are located?
Unless the wood is a very unique or expensive wood, like cherry or walnut, I think that painting the wood can update the look for only the cost of paint and the labor to paint the room. Depending on where you are located, and what the rest of your home looks like, you can either stay with a simple cream color, or you can select from an array of colors that coordinate with your décor. I generally recommend neutral creams or taupes because you don’t get tired of them, and they provide a beautiful backdrop for art, interesting and lively pillow colors and colorful rugs.
Here are some pictures of different rooms painted in neutrals and a few in other colors that are timeless.
Image via Houzz
The contrast between the light paneling and the dark furniture and accents adds great interest to cream paint.
Image via Houzz
Keeping some natural wood accents with the painted walls helps maintain a rustic feel in a room.
Image via Houzz
Painting paneling in a taupe color is great when you want something a little bit warmer than white.
Image via Houzz
Green painted walls bring the outdoors in
Image via Houzz
Question 2:
Susan asks: I have a 1980s home with knotty pine walls and ceiling. What are your thoughts on painting the walls? I have done a test section, and all of the knots are concealed. I know people are either “pro” paint or “never” paint.
Answer: Without having seen your home, I would probably recommend keeping the pine ceiling and just painting the walls but here are some guidelines; If you have a low ceiling, or beams in the ceiling or other interesting architectural details, you can probably get away with painting the ceiling as well as the walls. If you have a high vaulted pine ceiling then I would recommend keeping the ceiling unpainted to “cozy” up the room.
The current trends are towards lighter rooms with painted wood. Even in this rustic mountain environment, we have done a number of Old Homestead style homes where we whitewashed the wood in several of the rooms.
Image via Home on the Range
I actually like the look of a whitewashed pine wall. If you let the knots show through, you can still tell it is wood yet it lightens and updates the pine. You are right that there are a lot of purists out there who say not to paint wood but I think that applies more to woods like cherry or walnut. I personally think it is fine to paint pine!
Image via Houzz
Image via Houzz
Image via Home on the Range
Image via Houzz
Question 3:
Sonja asks: Is it ok to have your dining room in an area that has your master bedroom directly off of it?
Answer: There are really no right or wrong answers in layouts anymore, and rooms tend to flow from one to the other much more than they ever did in the past. Are you building a new house, remodeling an existing house, or thinking of buying a house with the bedroom in that location? The things I would keep in mind when making your decision on the bedroom location are:
Is the dining room a formal dining room that you only use for occasional dinners, or is it an open floor plan where the dining room is part of the kitchen flow?
Would anyone be using the dining room for breakfast while you might want to be sleeping in?
Would the door go directly off of the dining room in a visible location or would it be recessed?
How close would the bedroom door be to the dining table and chairs?
Would you have to navigate around the dining table to get back and forth to the entry or kitchen?
The location of the bedroom off of the dining room wouldn’t be a negative in and of itself as long as you don’t feel that your “flow” is awkward or constricted.
Well, that’s it for now! Thanks again for all of the submissions, and if we didn’t get to your question this week please send it to us again next time. This is a monthly thing, and we’ll be accepting questions again on Facebook starting three weeks from now, so make sure and keep your eyes open for it!
Greenery can be a tricky thing. Especially indoor greenery. You know what I’m talking about- the fine line that exists between an elegant plant display and a dozen 70s era macrame pot holders dangling from your ceiling. The difference between a natural feel, and a WalMart-garden-section-in-your-house feel. Fine line. But, it can be done, and done beautifully. Indoor plants are a perfect way to bring nature into your home, and have a stunning impact in the spring and summer, when adding a few touches here and there can seamlessly transition the beauty outside to the beauty inside your home. Also, aside from the visual appeal that indoor plants can provide, they also provide a number of other benefits- improved air quality, fresh and lovely smells, and, if you choose your plants right, you can even eat them.
Here are some of our favorite ways of displaying indoor plants. If you have existing plants in your house, no problem! These ideas will help you renovate your indoor garden into something that looks like it is part of your decor. If you don’t have existing plants, go get some! Now is the time, low prices at home improvement stores and local nurseries mean you can create a brilliant display that will last through the year. If you’re not a gardener… don’t become one. Go for the high quality faux plants that you don’t have to worry about remembering to water- you can still use all of these ideas to create the same effect.
I love the use of big olive pots and ceramics in this picture. I also love the variety of colors and textures in the plants themselves! Using similar planters with different heights of plants is a great way to create interest without creating a mishmash. Olive pots are beautiful, and can fit into many styles of decor- from rustic, to shabby chic, to traditional.
Image via Houzz
I am head over heels about the use of potted pines in this living room. I mean, gosh, who doesn’t want a forest in their home? While potted trees are common indoor plants, potted pines (what are these, ponderosa?) are not common. These trees provide a wonderful sense of scale, along with a unique visual interest that you don’t see often in decorating.
Image via Houzz
These wood crates are perfect for holding small plants, and also perfect accessories for a rustic home. Again, experiment with different heights in a group of three crates- plants like rosemary, lemongrass, or basil will also make your house smell delicious!
Image via Garden View Cottage
Speaking of herbs- how cute are these little tea tins that have been repurposed into herb planters?? Adorable! Grow little plants, snip off what you need while cooking, and let them continue to flourish! Don’t forget to keep these on a window sill where they can get plenty of light.
Image via fffound
Ok, so this one’s pretty eclectic… it may not be for everyone, but I still think it’s a cute idea! Stick a potted plant or two into open drawers on a decorative piece for another fun way to incorporate plants into your decor.
Image via Houzz
The combination of the old wooden crate and the funky glass jar in this picture are perfect! I love the look this creates, it’s creative and rustic and fun all at once.
Image via the Cottage Market
Finally, here’s a great idea for all of you non-gardeners. A long, low box of faux blooms is an ideal fix to the “what to put under the tv” conundrum. It looks so fresh and pretty too!
Image via DIY Home Decor
To get started with your own interior garden, stop in to the Home on the Range showroom today! We have crates and pots and baskets and boxes galore- everything you need to incorporate creative plants into your home. For more ideas on how to bring nature into your home, visit us on Pinterest!
Last week, I shared all of my favorite rustic screened porches with you. Why? Because as you should well know by now, we love rustic best of all, and I thought those beautiful porches deserved their own post! Today, I’m going to show you the rest of my “favorite screened porch collection”. You will see that no matter what your style, no matter where you live, a screened in porch will fit seamlessly into your life. Who doesn’t love the idea of sleeping outside (but inside at the same time)? Or eating dinner al fresco- without the mosquitoes? Or, best of all, curling up on the sofa with a book while the rain falls around you? These are all joys that a screened porch can bring. Let’s take a look.
I love the photo wall, and the way that the potted plants bring the outdoors in to this screened porch. The floor to ceiling draperies also add a classy touch!
Image via City Data
The different styles that come together in this screened porch are incredible- are we at the beach? In the South? The Southwest? Who knows! That’s what I love about it!
Image via House of Turquoise
This porch adds touches of rustic and traditional by mixing chinked logs with wicker chairs and floral prints. I also love the versatility of this space- it can be a living room, reading room, or bedroom!
Image via Houzz
The large scale of this rustic-contemporary screened porch just makes me want to have a party here!
Image via Houzz
The brown hues mixed with bold pops of red create such a warm atmosphere in this room. I would love nothing more than to read a book here during a rainstorm!
Image via Nautical by Nature
This is another great mix of styles. Rustic log beams mix with seaside hues and textures that gives the feeling of an old Northeast fishing cabin.
Image via Jonson Berman
What can I say about this porch? It wouldn’t work in the mountains certainly, but it is just beautiful! Maybe I should move to the South. Sweet tea anyone?
Image via Pinterest
Screened in bedrooms are some of the most exciting screened in rooms there are. Who wouldn’t love to wake up to this?
Image via Houzz
For more screened porch ideas, follow us on Pinterest! To contact us for help designing your own screened in paradise, visit our website today!
As summertime is approaching (actually, not in Steamboat, it’s snowing here today…), we start dreaming of ways to live outside in the coming months. We long for bonfires, fireworks, iced tea and the sound of crickets in the air. Well, I do at least. Screened in porches are a long celebrated vision of summer, and today I want to share some of my favorite “rustic” screened porches with you. This is a collection of lake-side fun and rugged beauty. Next week, I’ll share the rest of the screened in porches that I love from all around the country and every different style, but today is devoted to hanging out in the mountains.
Screened in Dining:
Image via Design Associates
Image via Home on the Range
Screened in Living:
Image via Houzz
Image via RMT Architects
Image via Home on the Range
Image via Houzz
Screened in Sleeping:
Image via BeDe Design
For more screened porches, visit us on Pinterest! For ideas on designing your own screened in porch, visit us at the Home on the Range showroom today, or click here to stop by our website!
We are so excited to have started our Ask the Designer series this week! Thanks so much to everyone who submitted questions to us, sorry we couldn’t answer all of them! If your question wasn’t answered this week, please feel free to resubmit it in our next round of questions, or any other questions that might come up in the mean time. This week, we decided to answer the first three questions that we received, and the answers are straight from Lynne Bier, our Principal/Lead Designer, and the owner of Home on the Range (basically, as expert as expert gets). So, without further ado, here’s the Q&A!
Question 1:
Tracy asks: Our house is so in need of a total redo. No idea where to start so we do nothing. Considering starting small – one bathroom. The bathroom has a blue formica countertop and beige 6X6 ceramic tile. This has to be a low budget re-do, so don’t want to touch the counter and the floor. Paralyzed by having to choose a modern color. Suggestions?
Answer: Tracy, you’re lucky that blue is back in style as a design color of choice! Here in the mountains, we do need to be aware of how our blue comes across though… if you don’t warm it up with some other colors, you can wind up with an “igloo” impact. There are a few different things that you can do to add color without spending tons of money. Our favorite color palette right now is Pantone’s “Rugged Individuals” palette. Any of these colors would be great additions to the blue that you already have going on, and would help to warm it up. Choosing a neutral color for the walls is a great place to start… painting may be time consuming but it’s a cheap fix! Next, consider combining some of the other colors in the shower curtain, rug and towels.
The Rugged Individuals Palette
Don’t go with all the same color. For a subtle look, try different shades of the same color. For a bolder look, choose two or three colors and mix and match them in your accessories.
Another way to change the entire look and feel of a bathroom without a massive overhaul is with your mirror. Adding interest to the mirror will make such a difference in updating your bathroom. Depending on your budget, you can either choose a new decorative mirror (our personal favorite option) or you can add a frame to your existing mirror to give it a new look.
Image via Sabby in Suburbia
Image via Home on the Range
My final advice in updating your bathroom is this: light fixtures. While it may be something that you don’t consciously notice when you walk into a bathroom, light fixtures are often the element that dates a room more than anything else. Without seeing pictures of your bathroom, I can’t give you any specific advice on your current fixtures, but just know that it is a big thing to be aware of! Good luck on your bathroom redo adventures!
Question 2:
Edith asks: How to update for a bigger TV without throwing out the magnificent mahogany hardwood TV cabinet ?
Answer: If the tv doesn’t fit in the cabinet any longer, it’s going to have to go! The good thing is, it doesn’t have to go to the dumpster. If you love the mahogany cabinet and just can’t bear to replace it, consider using it somewhere else in your home. Maybe it could find a new life as a linen cabinet? Maybe as an additional storage cabinet in a guest room? If you can find a way to save this piece and give it a useful job somewhere else, you will feel much better about updating your tv area. Now back to what to do with the new tv. Many people are dealing with this same issue right now- tvs just keep getting bigger and flatter, and it’s getting more and more difficult to find ways to contain them. One new method that I personally love for hiding your flat screen tv in plain site is this- frame it.
Image via Pinterest
Hanging a tv on the wall and putting a frame around it won’t hide it completely from view like your old cabinet may have, but it will make it look like something that is supposed to be there. You will still want to place a new furniture piece underneath it to hold the cable box and dvd player (as well as make the space look complete), but if you don’t want to spend too much money, consider swapping the old tv cabinet with another furniture piece in your home. They can switch places, and without spending much money, you can create a whole new look in your home.
Question 3:
Mary asks: With all the unfinished and rough surfaced woods (walls, cabinets, counters, furniture, decorative items) what do you suggest for dusting/cleaning?
Answer: Vacuums are your best friend! Use a soft brush attachment to get down deep into all those little spaces… it will just suck the dust right out of them! You can experiment with different attachments, but the soft brush is definitely my favorite. Using anything else (paper towels, swiffer dusters, rags, microfiber, etc) will always leave behind little fibers that are hard to get rid of later. My favorite vacuum to use is the handheld Dyson (they didn’t even pay me to say that!) because it’s so portable, and you can use it to get to anything, high or low. But, really, any vacuum with attachments will work.
Well, that’s it for now! Thanks again for all of the submissions, and if we didn’t get to your question this week please send it to us again next time. We’re going to make this a monthly thing, and we’ll be accepting questions again on Facebook starting three weeks from now, so make sure and keep your eyes open for it!
We just can’t get enough of spring right now. It might be the fact that the snow keeps melting, the grass is starting to poke through, the trees are budding, and the temperature keeps rising… might be. In any case, today we have some great examples of rustic springtime design. What I love most about these spaces is that they combine reclaimed materials and textures with pops of bold springtime colors. This trend is a beautiful way to not only usher in a warmer, sunnier season, but to also keep the sunshine and warmth in your home year round.
Spring greens bring the outdoors in, which is one of our favorite benefits of rustic design:
Image via Home on the Range
Image via Texas Live Network
Image via Houzz
Bold pops of color on walls and soft goods like pillows and bedding are another great way to bring the spring feeling into your space:
Image via Uncovet
Image via Home on the Range
Mixing different complimentary colors is a bold way to add rustic flair to your home, while giving it an eclectic feel at the same time. From subtle to striking, adding a mix of colors will undoubtedly create a statement to your space:
Image via Houzz
Image via Home on the Range
Yes, it’s that time again. The time when the sun comes out, the weather warms up, and you inevitably begin to get that itch to change something- that “out with the old, in with the new” mentality. You may know it better as Spring Cleaning Time. It can be refreshing, satisfying, and also frustrating if you don’t know where to start. I happen to be in the Spring Cleaning Mode right now myself, so I wanted to share a few tips on how you can get the most impact while using the least amount of time and money. These little ideas are great ways to spruce up your space that will make it feel new to you, and also help you to usher in the Spring in your home.
First things first, we’re going to start with organizing. Cleaning out your closets and donating any unused items is a great place to begin, but what about all that clutter that built up since last year that’s right in the line of sight? Don’t cram it into the closet to donate next year. Instead, organize it, and incorporate it into your space.
For hiding clutter:
Baskets and trunks are a fantastic way to hide things in plain sight, especially things that you are going to use often. They’re great for pillows, blankets, board games, yarn, uneaten fruit cakes, you name it. You can place them on shelves, next to the sofa, by the door, or even use a trunk to create a coffee table with storage space. Try using a set of three differently sized baskets stacked on top of each other- bam, you now have a fashionable vignette as well as a place to keep your winter boots.
Image via Houzz
Image via A Place for Everything
For organizing the clutter you can’t hide:
Instead of hiding your pretty things away, you can also display them proudly.
Try using an old ladder to hold extra blankets- it looks really good. Or, use stacked wooden crates to store DVDs to add a more rustic look while achieving storage goals.
Image via Funky Junk Interiors
Image via Little Lucy Lu
Image via Houzz
Another great way to make a big impression with only a little bit of effort is on your bookshelves. Bookshelves tend to become catchalls in the home, and even if you don’t have a ton of stuff stacked on your bookshelf, chances are you don’t actually have your bookshelf styled. Use your books as design pieces- stack some standing up, some laying down. Then, add some of those clutter pieces back in! This is a great place to use them. Picture frames, small statues, trinkets, candles, whatever you have, just get creative with it! It will instantly add class to your space, creating a more put together look.
Image via Rooms Renew
Image via Houzz
Once you get the “cleaning” part out of the way and are ready to buy yourself some new things:
Remember what time of year it is- let’s celebrate the fact that winter’s over and decorate for spring! Any range of colors from pastel to bold are welcome this time of year. For a subtle, put together look, try using different shades of the same or similar colors. For a more eclectic look, choose a couple of different colors to sprinkle throughout your space.
Image via Zsa Zsa Bellagio
Here are a few different things you can use to create a whole new look for your space without having to completely remodel:
Candles-
Pastel candles are beautiful, and they smell great! Golds, light blues, warm oranges, or spring greens are perfect for this time of year.
Image via My Sweet Greens
Bowl fillers-
I don’t know what else to call them, but hopefully you know what I’m talking about. Things that we use to fill centerpieces, glass jars, or hurricanes. This time of year, try to stick with light colors. Seasonal greenery or flowers are great options, so are river stones, light feathers, sea glass, or grasses. Mix and match and see what becomes your favorite!
Image via Heather Bullard
Image via Shanty to Chic
There are so many ideas when it comes to Spring Cleaning, these are only a few to get you started. Home on the Range has all sorts of things to help you towards your goal, including baskets, ladders, trunks, storage, shelves, candles, bookends, picture frames, and “bowl fillers”. Stop in today to see what we can do to get your spring dreams rolling!
Google Sketchup is one of our favorite new things. Have you ever heard of it? It’s a 3-d modeling program that allows you to build literally anything you want. Anything.
We started building with it in October, and have used it to create everything from small scale pieces of furniture and custom light fixtures, to entire homes that haven’t been built yet.
We created this pendant light to put over a bar in one of our projects
We built this cabinet as one option for a powder room (that you’ll see below)
This is the kitchen/dining area for a project we’re doing that is just past the framing stage
We love Sketchup not only because it helps us to come up with ideas and address any potential unforeseen problems before they arise in real life, but also because it is an invaluable tool in bringing our ideas to life and allowing to help our clients visualize what we are talking about. We find that while some people are visual and can picture a whole in their mind after only seeing the parts, many people are not that way. People have a hard time seeing a fabric, a picture of a chair, a rug and some hardware, and taking those pieces to create a vision of an entire room in their mind. Without that visual, it is difficult to make decisions on what you want for your home. That is where Sketchup comes in.
This is the future dining area of a home that we are working on remodeling.
We build the floorplan, raise the walls, put in windows, doors, ceilings and floors, apply finishes, then add furniture, rugs and accessories. We can do a single room or an entire house, and since everything is built at its actual size in Sketchup, you can look at your nonexistent space from every angle, and even walk around the room as if you were there.
We begin with the floorplan, and often add dimensions to the image so we can see how much space we have
This is the second stage of a room where we add windows, floor and ceiling
Next we begin to try out different options to see what works, in this case we are trying to decide on a fireplace layout
We add finishes- notice the wood floor, ceiling beams and window trim
Finally we end up with an image to show the client. This is our favorite layout so far.
We can easily change colors, switch between furniture options, or swap finishes. We can then position the room in Google Earth to get an idea of how much light the room will get and when based on any day of the year. Pretty neat, huh?
Here is one option for a powder room. We built the vanity and fixtures to exact measurements, and added the mirror and wallpaper from vendor websites.
This is the second option for the powder room. Isn’t it so cool to be able to see the same room with different options? No more using your imagination!
The finishing touch that we add to our Sketchup images is with a rendering program. With the program, we apply light values to all of the materials in the model and render it and Voila! You have a photo-realistic image of a room that has not been built yet.
This is the 2d view pre-render
This is the rendered image of the Spa Bath. Amazing!
I hope you enjoyed learning about Sketchup today as much as I enjoyed telling you about it! If you are having trouble visualizing what your new home could look like (or more importantly if you need help to even create a vision of what your new home could look like) call Home on the Range today. Google Sketchup is only one of the many tools that we use to help you create your dream home using a process that is hands on, exciting, and ultimately satisfying. Let us know how we can help today!
