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Design Tips and Trends

The Importance of Paint Color in Design and on Your Mood

At Home on the Range, we love color!

Take a look at the two rooms below to see how the paint color sets the mood, from fun and lively to calm and serene.

We definitely agree with Laura Martin Bovard, who told Decorati Access:

“More than just about any other design element, paint color can make—or break—a room. The first factor [to] take into account is how the room will be used.”

Likewise, we determine how a room will function, along with our clients’ favorite colors and how they want their space to feel. Asking to see a client’s wardrobe helps us narrow down the colors they enjoy on a daily basis.

Selecting a paint color involves more than just picking a shade on a paint chip. We choose the color based on all the finishes that will appear in the space, and try out a bit of paint on the wall to make sure it looks great at every time of day.

Home on the Range recently repainted the interior of a new house for our clients who were savvy enough to realize the original paint color was affecting how they felt in their home. Not only did the wall color make their skin look grey-green, but it also fought with other elements in the house, including the trim and flooring.  The clients thought the trim would need to be replaced but once the new paint color was on the walls, they decided they could forego the expense of replacing the trim!

Paint color influences our behavior and mood. Curious about the psychological effects of paint in various rooms of your house? Check out this fascinating article.

What are your favorite colors, and how do you use color in your life?

Photos by Tim Murphy; Interior Design by Home on the Range

Creating Warm Environments When There’s Snow Outside
Design Tips and Trends,Featured

Creating Warm Environments When There’s Snow Outside

When there’s snow outside for five months straight, it’s important to create interiors that are warm and inviting. Here are some recommendations from Lynne Bier on ways to cozy up your rooms so you can snuggle in on those blustery winter days.

When everything outside is white (sometimes with a blue sky)…. you want to warm it up inside!

When you select your interior finishes, use a lot of warm woods for beams and trim and add stone on fireplaces and even on walls to cozy up a room.

Use colors like Sherwin-Williams Croissant to keep a feeling of sunshine in the house even in the midst of a blizzard!

Sherwin-Williams Croissant

Reds and coppers used in rugs and accessories will bring the warmth of a fire into the room and help keep the chill at bay!

Soft greens for fabrics and pillows are reminiscent of pine boughs and aspen leaves and mix beautifully with the golds and coppers of the walls, rugs and accessories.

Whenever you are decorating a house, keep your environment in mind. When you are at the beach, you want to keep your colors cool so you can feel like you are getting a respite from the hot sun. Conversely, when you are in a snowy environment, you want to use warm colors to get rid of the chill as soon as you step in the door! Stay tuned for more decorating tips from the Home on the Range designers or contact us to set up a complimentary consultation.

—Lynne Bier

Images: Photos by Tim Murphy; Interior designs by Home on the Range; Architecture by Joe Patrick Robbins, AIA; Builings by Cogswell Construction

It's All in the Details,Western Style

Featured Artisan: Julie Anderson

Home on the Range designers enjoy creating personalized interiors, and working with local artisans helps us include unique custom details. Julie Anderson of Anderson Ceramic & Design Finishes here in Steamboat Springs, CO enjoys working with an array of materials and mediums in her art, which includes faux finishes, painted murals, ceramics and more. Julie also does American Clay Plaster finishes—a no-VOC, natural pigment clay wall finish made of 70 percent reclaimed material from the marble industry—and her work with Home on the Range includes the installation of two American Clay Plaster jobs.

This is a powder room Julie did for us.

Since Julie’s father is an artist as well, it’s no surprise she enjoyed a plethora of art supplies and encouragement growing up. Much of her work is inspired by nature and science, and, as she explained to us:

“My work is often crisply detailed, contrasting organic forms with geometric forms and inspired by classical design with a contemporary twist. With wall finishes, I pay a great deal of attention to making my walls appear very random, natural and visibly soft, but at the same time providing some drama to a space. I prefer muted, earthy tones, but occasionally I find that bright colors can be used wisely and playfully in certain situations.”

Her aesthetic goes well with the range of styles we achieve at Home on the Range, and of course we appreciate her attention to detail! Take a look at more of her beautiful work:

Julie paints a mural of a heron with rocks below it.

Julie trowel-compresses American Clay plaster on a powder room ceiling.

A hand-carved wheel-thrown ceramic sink by Julie Anderson

A hand-carved ceramic fern mural—with a kiln-formed glass inset by Greg Grasso—in a Steamboat wine cellar

Visit Julie’s website, julieandersonceramics.com, to learn more about her and see more of her work. If you’re interested in interior design that incorporates custom artistic works and finishes, contact us at Home on the Range.

Photos: 1 by Tim Murphy Photography; 2-5 courtesy of Julie Anderson

Changing Your Room to Suit the Season
Design Tips and Trends

Changing Your Room to Suit the Season

Homeowners often want to change their home’s décor with the change of seasons, and happily, this interior design switch doesn’t have to be too costly or involved. At Home on the Range Interiors, we suggest starting with a neutral base and creating a seasonal look through accessories like area rugs, flowers and wreaths, drapes and throws, duvets, candles and pillows.

Area rugs: 
Incorporate a deep-toned area rug for fall and winter, and then use a lighter-weight option for spring and summer.

A red area rug and throw pillows transform this otherwise neutral room into a great fall and winter space.

Flowers and wreaths:
As they often reflect bits of nature, flowers and wreaths are perfect for seasonal looks.  You can use evergreen wreaths during the holidays, and seasonal blooms the rest of the year.

Drapes and throws:
Lighter-colored curtains work well during the summertime, while heavier materials such as velvet or corduroy work well for winter drapes and throws.

A dark velvet throw draped over your arm chair offers warmth and comfort during the winter.

Duvets:
Seasonal decorating works in every room in the house, including the bedroom. Just switch duvet covers for an instant change, and add extra blankets for fall and winter.

A textural fur blanket adds to the wintry effect of this neutral bedroom.

Candles:
Add candles. A few bright candles work well during summer. Use reds and golds to make the room feel warmer during the winter.

Pillows:
Bring in different pillows in seasonal colors not only in the living room, but also the bedroom.

Café Mom also offered some wonderful “summer-to-winter” design tips, so you can read her piece for more advice. Contact Home on the Range to find out how we can help you enjoy your home design through every season.

Photos: 1 via Better Homes and Gardens; 2 via ehow.com; 3 via House Beautiful

7 Things We’re Thankful for This Thanksgiving
Events and Happenings

7 Things We’re Thankful for This Thanksgiving

This quote from Eugene Kane Jr. expresses the important things to remember in life:

“Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering.”

On this Thanksgiving we, the design team at Home on the Range, are thankful for many things:

  • The amazing community in which we live, where giving and volunteering are a way of life
  • Our loyal customers and clients who have kept us busy and thriving through these tough economic times
  • The inspiration we are able to draw from the spectacular mountain scenery we are privileged to see every day
  • The network of friends we have developed through our business relationships
  • The ability to do what we love every day of our life and make a living from it!
  • Our friends and family who support us and put up with our crazy hours
  • Our design clients who trust us to create surroundings that embody their dreams

May we never take one moment for granted
May we never take ourselves too seriously
May we always be thankful for the creative gifts that have been bestowed upon us

Happy Thanksgiving!

—From the design team at Home on the Range:
Lynne Barton Bier
Susan Howard
Sherry Brown
Kathleen Fledderjohn

Design Tips and Trends

Using Lighting in Design: New Lighting Technology

New lighting regulations set to begin in January 2012 have resulted in an emergence of lighting technology beyond incandescent bulbs. Since lighting is such an integral part of interior design, Home on the Range Interiors has kept up with these changes and innovations.

One New York Times article explains the new regulations as well as the difference in all the bulbs out there in layman’s terms, and we love that the author discusses how this technology fits into home design, pointing out the best options for each room in the house.

Selecting the correct Kelvin temperature is of especial importance since this affects the color of light emitted. So in Western style homes where designing with warm colors is king, light with a lower color temperature—around 3,000 Kelvins—will illuminate a space with a soft glow.

Incandescent bulbs are often energy inefficient, which has led to the popularity of compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. Now, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are offering even more energy savings, and new technology has led to LED options that can illuminate in every direction, The New York Times reports.  The other advantage to the LED light is that it is green and doesn’t present the same disposal issues as the fluorescent bulbs.

For an excellent explanation of new lighting technology and how it will affect your bulb shopping come January, read this New York Times piece.

If you’d like help illuminating your space to show off its interior design in the best light, contact Home on the Range in Colorado.

 Image  by dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Using Lighting in Design: The Basics
It's All in the Details

Using Lighting in Design: The Basics

When designing a space, it’s essential to determine the best lighting scheme—one that provides both beauty and function. To do this, you must understand the different types of light that will play into the overall ambiance of a room.

The American Lighting Association offers a wonderful overview of lighting types: ambient, task and accent, taking you through the definitions of each type and the best fixtures to accomplish them.

Think of ambient lighting as the main source of lighting, the foundation for illumination throughout a space. Task lighting does exactly what it sounds like—provides the light you need to do tasks like reading, cooking, working and so on. Accent lighting highlights specific accessories or walls, most often drawing attention to important artwork or architectural details.

In the Western ranch-style space on the right, we incorporated a chandelier to provide ambient light and brought in table lamps for task lighting.

Visit the American Lighting Association’s helpful guide to learn more about these lighting basics.

Image: Interior design by Home on the Range; Photo by Tim Murphy; Architecture by Joe Patrick Robbins, AIA

Why Staging is Key in Selling Your Home…
Design Tips and Trends

Why Staging is Key in Selling Your Home…

Home staging is an important real estate marketing tool. Staging your house can broaden its appeal to prospective buyers. When potential buyers walk in the door, they want to see a place that’s welcoming—a place they know they can call home.

In fact, AOL Real Estate recently shared this telling statistic:

“According to a HomeGain survey, simple staging techniques, such as cleaning and decluttering, can return up to 10 times the investment. Even more expensive jobs, like repainting rooms, can more than pay for themselves in increased sale price and reduced time on the market.”

So just think of the benefits of having a professional home stager come into your home to help you de-clutter, organize key areas and create furniture layouts that invite people in and make your rooms seem larger. Home on the Range Interiors in Steamboat Springs offers staging services, from working with your existing furnishings to bringing in furniture and accessories. Stop by Home on the Range in Logger’s Lane West of Steamboat to discuss which of our staging options would work the best for you, or contact us to schedule an appointment for one of our designers to come to your house for a consultation. You’ll be happy you did!

Watch for future posts with some key tips on staging your home.

Image: Photo by Tim Murphy; Interior design by Home on the Range; Architecture by Joe Patrick Robbins, AIA

How the Details ‘Make the Design’
Featured,It's All in the Details

How the Details ‘Make the Design’

American designer Charles Eames said something that really stands true in terms of interior design: “The details are not the details. They make the design.” While it’s very important that a room look good when taken as a whole, it’s definitely the little things that tie the space together into a complete, cohesive look.

Home on the Range did the interior design for this Western, ranch-style home, and this particular photo offers a close-up view that really highlights the details; just look at how the rough-hewn wood and accessories—right down to the hat and lantern—help transform this into a decidedly rustic space.

Charles Eames could not have been more right. From the architectural moulding to the accessories and materials, every detail in a space contributes to creating and showcasing your personal style. If you’re looking for an interior designer in Steamboat Springs, CO who can beautify your space down to the details, contact Home on the Range. We’d be happy to help.

Image: Photo by Tim Murphy; Interior design by Home on the Range; Architecture by Joe Patrick Robbins, AIA

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