A Fresh Look on Moulding + Trim

As I am nearing the end in selecting finishing details for my basement, I wanted to try some new design techniques such as painting moulding + trim in a different color. This is nothing new, and it's been around for some time now, but how do we keep it fresh + interesting for today's modern homes. Most new homes that are built by the abundance have white painted trim + moulding, because it brightens up the interior space, and everyone seems to like and accept that bright white shade.

Don't get me wrong, I love the white graphic statement along the edges in my home. Currently, my whole house has the white trim + moulding, however for our basement, I wanted to switch it up. I chose to have it painted a light grey so it blends with the textural, grey wallpaper that I have chosen for the main living + office space. I wanted to keep the eye moving from floor to ceiling without any "white" outlines on the wall. You can see the newly painted trim in the image directly below. The shot features my Art Studio pocket poor with frosted glass, closet door, trim, and they are all painted in the same light grey shade. Wallpaper is not yet in place. It's going up in the next few days. :)

My Basement

Here are a few other great examples of painted moulding where the trim, wall and doors all blend together. They both convey a very clean, minimal look without visual interruption from one plane to the other.

Now if you're looking to make a visual statement through paint, pick a color of paint that contrasts your wall color.  Your trim + moulding color can be subtle or as intense as the vibrant wallpaper pattern seen below in blue. I do love the graphic black painted trim with the pure white walls.

Painting is very easy on the renovating budget especially if you want to switch up the look of your interior space without investing in whole new furniture and cabinets. If you don't want to paint trim, how about your doors. See black door example; it's a great, bold touch. A simple coat of paint does the job and can certainly freshen up any space.

DWC Work: Basement Renovations Cont.

It's "Interiorizing Thursday" + there has been progress on my end in determining the functionality and storage in our basement renovations. Between office supplies, miscellaneous media unit components, personal things and areas to hide potential future kid stuff, I want to maximize the space as much as possible while still maintaining a clean, modern aesthetic and easily liveable for all our demands. All I know is that I have to make some MAJOR decisions by the end of this week so we can submit our permit, get it approved and begin framing + start the build out!

Since my last post, I am pretty sure that I am moving forward with the navy blue sectional sofa below vs. the grey sofa. I think it's going to look great with the charcoal grey wallpaper that I have chosen. So far I have been lucky with some good finds. I bought (1) leather club chair on sale, and it looks exactly like the one pictured below. Grey patterned area rug + silver metal side accent table is done, too.

Now what shall I do for our main Entertainment Media Wall??
I have 3 visual options below for closed + open storage around the large flat panel tv (specifically requested by my husband). Behind each open shelving area, it's going to be painted a navy blue hue for contrast, and it will help showcase my fun accessories + art. Most of the basement will be covered in the charcoal grey wallpaper with navy blue accents and white shelving/storage units.

There is one layout that I really love – Option 2, because it allows for extra "pouf" seating storage below for when we have larger gatherings. Which one would you like to see applied to this space? Comments are always welcomed.

[Entertainment/Media Wall - Option 1]

[Entertainment Wall - Option 2]

[Entertainment Wall - Option 3]

For most of the basement furnishings, I am using a combination of prefabricated units to help offset costs; however, I am investing in one beautiful custom built piece, a wooden L-section desktop seen below. Hopefully, it will be in a solid Walnut finish to warm up the cool environment. At the moment, it does look like the desk unit is floating, because we are viewing it through a wall in my floorplan drawing. I can't wait to order + see these glass dew drop pendants in person and in the actual office space, too.

[Office + Living Entertainment Area]

NEXT STEPS:

1. Finalize measurements, floor plan  + structural concerns
2. Visually figure out the storage layout in my Art Studio
3. And can't forget, time to purchase key items. Shopping time! :)

Also, stay tuned for real pics of the actual renovations. In my next post for the basement, I hope to have some to share to see the hard labor that goes into it.

DWC Project: Basement Renovations!

One of my biggest projects this year is finishing the basement to our townhome. We waited over 2 years to do this since we bought the home and got married back in 2009. And now it's crunch time, because June is fast approaching, and we need to get it done this 2011 summer! My husband has been anticipating this process forever, and I have been putting it on the back burner of my to do list. But today, I finally get to share it with you all. These ideas have been brewing in my head for over a year now, and it's at a point where I am quite happy with it while maintaining my eclectic aesthetic and combining old + new elements to make it timeless. I don't like to follow defined trends since they pass on, but I do embrace elements and integrate it into the bigger picture.

For our basement, there are 4 main functional zones that we needed: (1) a living + lounge area to watch tv for 6-8 individuals, (2) office for 3 computer stations + filing storage, (3) my very own art studio for client projects + crafts, and (4) a utility/storage room. I think the layout is decently spacious while accommodating a lot of activity in each area.

The largest room is the open floorplan of the Living/Office space. Technically, my husband would like to claim this whole domain as his, but I wasn't going to let that happen. However, I did design the basement to be very masculine in tone and in the style of furniture.

In selecting the colors + textures of the room, I was inspired by one of his many suits that he wears. His favorite combination is grey, blue and white, and you can see where those exact hues are incorporated into the moodboard. To add levels of interest and elevate the "chic" factor, I mixed up the materials with highly polished silver metals, grasscloth wallpaper, and a mix of textiles. If you notice, one of the throw pillow patterns is the Chevron zig-zag design that reflects the branding pattern that I use in my business. Also, my brand colors include navy blue and grey, too. This Living/Office space is definitely the perfect balance for my husband and I.
 

 Living/Office Space: Option 1 - Grey Sofa

 

 Living/Office Space: Option 2 - Blue Sofa

For furniture, we needed tons of seating for a somewhat confined space. And what's the best sofa to do this — an L-section arrangement. On the opposite side of the sofa, I am including a pair of manly, over-sized, leather club chairs, and a grey poof ottoman that offers another seating choice. The mounted flat panel tv will face the sofa along with two built-in bookshelves. The shelves are white with navy blue painted interior backdrops, and they will flank both sides of the tv. On the shelves, I will showcase art, books and basket units to help with storage, too. Directly behind the sofa is the office area with a built-in L-desk unit in a walnut stained finish. If you look at the floorplan, there is another built-in unit with 2 filing cabinet units below and more shelves for storage directly above. Throughout the space, there will be recessed lighting to light up the room and three contemporary clear glass pendant lights suspended over the office built-in desk.

As you can see above, there are two moodboards — two different sofa colors for the Living/Office space. Either shade can work for this space, and I do love them both. Should I go bold with the Navy Blue sofa or be more subtle with the Grey?? I have already made my decision, but do you think you know which color that I am moving forward with? What would "Chon" do for the "Hip, Moody Blue + Grey" basement? :)

 Art Studio Room

{Interior Moodboards designed by Chon}

And last but not least is my personal Art Studio room in which I am sooo desperately in need of right now. Currently, my dining room is filled with projects for a client wedding. Thank goodness we don't eat in there too often or my husband would have a tiff about it. For this room, I wanted to keep it generally neutral with white and beige tones, but then offset with a pop of color and fun. I loved this area rug from FLOR, because it reminded me of the Missoni brand, and its use of textiles in fashion. Besides having a lot of energy and movement, I liked its playfulness for my art room. To contrast the edginess of the rug and bright red side chair, I wanted a rustic, craft feel since it is a work studio. For the floors, I am going with a white-washed distressed wood finish in a laminate material which will be good for the basement in case there is ever water damage, and it will be highly resilient for my laborious projects. For the main light fixture, it's an over-sized barn-like pendant lamp that suspends over the main work table with two cast-iron stools underneath. I can't wait to work in this space!

Any questions about my designs or where I source my finds, just ask. I love questions. Don't forget to suggest which sofa color that you prefer, and what you think I will end up choosing. Happy Thursday everyone!

VOTE for Chon – Less than 33 hours to go!

This will hopefully be my last posting in persuading for those who haven't voted to PLEASE vote! Time is running out. You don't think your single vote can help, but it will. And if you can get a best friend or two to vote that will only add more to the cause. Click here to vote now in the CB2 "The Selby Contest". Contest ends tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 15th at 11:59PM CST.

Currently, I am in the TOP 50 vote go-getters, but those numbers are seriously shifting, and I could easily be shoved out of the Top 50 position. I don't know what else to say to get you to vote, but let these pictures of my home speak for themselves.

Master Bedroom

Living Room

Dining Room

All I know is that I love design, color, and creating spaces that make people feel good in their environments. By voting, you are supporting my aspirations to develop my business and affirmation that I can make it in this economy! And don't forget to share the voting love. Click to Vote via Facebook username, or thru email registration. (Check your junk mail folder if registering by email.)

Lastly, I want thank everyone who has voted for me thus far, and who have teamed up with me in spreading my message. I couldn't have gotten this far without you all. Much love – Chon

DWC Work: "The Posh-Woodland Forest" Baby Room

Welcome back to the work week everyone! I hope everyone's weekend was a good one. Mine was a bittersweet ending with good friends. Labor day was definitely laborious for me, but it was all worth it. Here's the back story. I have been working on a friend's surprise baby room for probably 2-3 months now. The parents-to-be had no clue what the final product would look like other than it was going to be for a future baby boy. I had free reign to practically to do anything I wanted which was so awesome. Of course, I kept the client in mind and asked specific questions to make sure I was headed in the right direction.

Some keywords from the "Mom-to-be: sophisticated, hip, functional, artistic, a sofa bed for the grandparents/guests, animals, but NO Chicago Bears! From the "Dad-to-be": Chicago Bears, please! I had to keep a lot in mind as I designed it and satisfy both party demands. In addition, the space wasn't exactly the largest room so I had to be very precise in furniture size in order to get everything in there without over crowding the space. And here's the end result– "The Posh-Woodland Forest" Baby Room Moodboard.

My inspiration for the room was a set of black & white art flash cards from Wee Gallery. I bought 3 sets and selected 4 main animals to be used as art for the room – a Zebra, Monkey, Lion and a Bear. I scanned the animals, added artistic elements & color and customized original art for their space. For the color palette, I picked up the Chicago Bears colors, navy blue & orange, but I also added a warm grey and a sage-like green to neutralize and balance the bold blue & orange hues. To bring about more woodland, nature-like elements, I found a great faux bois area rug. (Faux Bois means artistic imitation of wood grains.) Also, the next best find was an art mobile by Jan R. Carson. A soothing visual of leaf-like branches float above the baby crib as though an outside breeze causes them to shift. It's the coolest thing ever in person!

For room functionality, I was able to find an eco-friendly 6-unit book case (soon to come in the final room) with white and orange storage baskets for toys, blankets and any other miscellanous objects that you want to hide. Three white floating shelves to showcase books and fun objects. And most importantly, a green sofa bed that folds out to a queen-sized bed from CB2.

With the help of my loving husband, we were able to pull everything together in 2-3 hours. The parents waited somewhat patiently in the living room as they heard tons of banging and crashing noises. :) It was so worth the wait they said after we revealed the final look of their baby room to them. Just see the facial expressions on their faces! Moments like these are one of reasons I do what I do.

As a gift to the mom-to-be, I got her a super chic diaper bag that doesn't even look like a diaper bag! I wanted to keep it for myself. And of course, it matches the color palette of the baby room.

{Moodboard & Baby Room designed by Chon}

Well I think the baby room worked out wonderfully. Both parties were quite happy, and they both got what they wanted, and then some. Dad got some Chicago Bears elements in there from the colors to the custom canvas art that I was able to compose and stylize with the Bears logo. Mom got her hip baby room that can grow with the baby 'til he is at least 6 years of age. Furniture and colors are pretty neutral, yet fun and sophisticated. Lots of space is still left in the room with tons of storage. Now all they need is a baby boy to warm up the space even more. Congrats to Shirley & Sameer!

There will be more glamour shots of this featured baby room in the coming weeks. Some details are still missing that I still need to add & stylize, and need better daylight to really capture the essence of this room. So stay tuned for more pics! If anyone out there is interested to see my interior decor services + capabilities for Design With Chon, click here.

Also, there is still time to vote and help me out with the CB2 interior design contest. Everyone single vote helps, and it does help bring awareness & support of my business! It takes seconds. Click on Vote for Chon.

DWC Work: Interior Decor Moodboards

So here's what I have been up to lately the past couple of months – decorating! It's one of my newest services to the Design With Chon company. Ever since I decorated my own home, I have received several compliments and requests by individuals for me to guide the look and feel of their homes. And today, I am sharing with you guys some of the moodboards that I have put together for my various clients, and I am still currently working on evolving their spaces. Real images of the actual places will be posted later in the year.

Although my background is in graphic design/advertising, there are design qualities that can be bridged between graphic design and interior decor – color, texture and balance. Those three key words that I just described truly reflect my design aesthetic. Whether it's the color of Pantone inks printed onto 100 lb. cover weight Strathmore paper for graphic design, or Benjamin Moore paints onto a wall contrasted by a bold, patterned fabric wing chair, both creative fields require an eye for color, texture, and making sure all the elements work & balance each other in totality.

Chic Condo in the City

Asian-inspired Master Bedroom

The Ecclectic Urban Home

{Interior Decor Moodboards designed by Chon}

I do love the very clean-edged, minimal & modern style similar to Jeff Lewis from Flipping Out on Bravo TV (A great show by the way. You all have to watch it!), but at the end of the day when I am done designing, I want the furniture, color, art and sentimental items to reflect the personality of the homeowner. Who doesn't love coming to a home that feels like it's totally theirs and not a page in a furniture catalog? I know I don't and if you don't either, get in touch with me anytime. We can take the existing furniture in your home in combination with some new key pieces, fresh paint, fun accessories and transform your place into something totally new. You will look forward to coming home even more and just sitting in your very own space. :)

If you like what you see and think I have talent, please support me by voting on my place that I have entered into the "The Selby in your Place" CB2 contest. Click on this link: Vote for Chon. It's real easy, and it takes only seconds!

DWC Work: Pure Dental Spa is Open!

I am slowly getting back on track still, and my posts are backed up with follow-up projects that I need to share with you all. So wedding, photography and inspirational posts are going to be on hold for a bit as I share some good stuff. This particular post is an expansion from an older post on an identity & brand system that I created for Pure Dental Spa. (To read older post, click here.) I love graphic design, but I also love decorating interiors from the finishes to the furniture to the colors on the wall, and of course, the accessories, too! I had a good time working with my client, Dr. Rajul Patel, DDS, in developing the look of her new dental office.

I tried to document the dramatic progression of her office. You can see the raw concrete stage, the framing, 1st coats of paint, and the end product totally furnished with equipment, seating, art and plants. What a project and what an accomplishment. The Pure Dental Spa office is officially open, and there are great new incentives for new clients. One in particular is a $199 Zoom teeth whitening in office (a $600 retail value), and 25% off all procedures. Remember, these are limited time offers. See contact info below if you are interested.

Map of Location

location: 108 East Lake Street, Suite 1, Bloomingdale, IL 60108

ph: 630 307 3133 | email: info@puredentalspa.com
website: www.puredentalspa.com (Under construction, but it is live.)

My Front Entry Windows – Problem Solved!

My husband and I are loving the season of longer daylight hours, but there is one thing that irritates us with the return of nice sunshine. Around 5:00pm everyday, we get this bright, glaring light that shines through our front entry windows, and it reflects off our shiny wood floors, and it goes right into the side of our eyes as we sit on the couch to watch tv. It's not exactly a fun moment. It only lasts for a half hour as the sun begins to set for the day. This event happened last year, too, but we figured we would resolve it this year since we were so busy last year with moving in, buying furniture and having a wedding.

I didn't want to put window fabric up, it didn't fit our style. I would've loved actual frosted glass vs. the existing window, but these were already installed. We weren't trying to buy a whole new window. And I didn't want to deal with chemicals to frost it myself. So the next best solution was adhesive window film!


Emma Jeffs Adhesive Window Film has several designs, and we chose the most contemporary one, the Orba design, featured here. It's very easy to install. You just need a spray bottle, a blade and burnishing tool. The windows look brand new and the design is fun! It still allows daylight in, but not as intense as before. And it does add extra privacy compared to before. However, I was use to looking at people walk up through our window, but no longer.

I bought the decorative window film on 2Jane, a site full of modern home good products. They are having a 20% promotional sale with the code: 2NEW. The promotion was suppose to expire March 16th, but it currently still works since I just used it to buy my window film. Try it for yourself and save some money if you are shopping on their site.

My Dining Room – Frame Collage

This frame collage project has actually been on our walls since December 2009. That's how slow I have been to get to this post. Oops. I have been distracted by wedding posts and everyday work. :)

To see the before living room space, click here. This eclectic mix of frames is a work in progress. It's going to be a huge display of family and cherished moments. This is just the beginning; things will be added as time goes on.

My dining room is my favorite room in the house even though it's the space that we least spend time in. Too funny, I think. I love the dark walls with the contrast of clean, white. I love arrangements that aren't uniform, cookie-cutter, but unique to me. That's why it's my fave space; it reflects my personality.

Try it in your home – modern & vintage frames, fat & skinny and different tones collaged together in a nice composition. There is an art to this, and it can be technically difficult. Read this older post – How to Hang Art. In short, you want to imagine an invisible line going through the center (left to right) of this particular composition and balance the frames above & below the imaginary line. If you need pointers, I am only an email away.

My Living Room – Floating Shelves

Once again, I have been doing some new additions to my home, and thought I would update you all on my latest projects. It's been awhile since I have had posts on interior decor.

One of the biggest changes that has occurred is in my living room. Since I have added these free floating shelves from IKEA, the space physically feels transformed which is sort of weird since that is the only change. Every time I sit on my couch and look up, the environment just feels different, but a good different. I have been wanting to add book shelves to my living space for awhile now. I wanted to take advantage of our high walls and create drama with staggered shelving in two different sizes. Originally, I was planning to use all the same widths for the shelves, perfectly stacked up to the ceiling. But when I saw the the 74" extra long shelf, I wanted to deconstruct the uniformity, and we had tons of space to do so.

Living Room – Before:

Living Room – After:

I am still working on the arrangement of my artsy books, vases and random art on my shelving space. It's a work in progress as I collect things over time that I cherish and choose for display. One thing my husband harasses me about is a cool clock. And that's my next post – vintage, retro clocks that have character.

The IKEA floating shelves range from $19.99 to $29.99. Really affordable compared to floating shelves from Room & Board or West Elm. I did my research before I bought these ones. Also, if you plan on installing these yourself and plan on putting tons of weight on them such as books like mine, your best friend will be "butterfly wall anchors". It's a must! Or your shelves will come crashing down at any moment. ;)

TJ Maxx Home Goods - the Best Finds Ever!

I was walking through TJ Maxx Home Goods last week just to quickly buy a lamp for my master bedroom nightstand, and I happened to spot a chair that was practically identical to a chair at Crate and Barrel that I had on my wishlist to buy for my master bedroom.

Directly below is the Ankara Chair from Crate and Barrel and following that is the chair that I found at TJ Maxx Home Goods. They are a pretty close match other than the upholstered fabric on the seat cushion, the base that holds the cushion up is a different material, and the back legs lean out slightly. But other than that, at first glance, you would think it's the exact same chair other than the price difference! The Ankara Chair from Crate and Barrel is decently priced at $699 and the TJ Maxx look-alike was a steal for $299. ;)

Since I was so excited to discover my Ankara look-alike chair, I went hunting for more good finds. And that's when I came across this classic, off-white leather wing chair in a black wood framed structure on sale for $199 from $250.00 which is still low in cost. A chair like this would normally retail between $700.00 - 1000.00 at regular marked-up home stores. I knew it was a steal so I had to get it; plus I did needed it for my main living room, and my husband always wanted a leather chair. It satisfied both of our needs.

Of course, I didn't stop there. Ha. :) I continued on and right next to the off-white leather chair was this 2-drawer solid wood filing cabinet also on sale for $150.00 from $199. We needed one for the newly renovated home office. Notice the bright orange table lamp, well that's also from TJ Maxx Home Goods. They have a very good collection of designer lamps.

So my advice for everyone is to walk into your local TJ Maxx Home Goods store every so often, because you will never know what you will find. Sometimes you don't need to buy those high-priced pieces from the marked-up home retail stores. You will probably find something equally the same, or even better for half the costs. I am living proof of it! You just need to be patient and take the time to do so. Good luck with your finds, and send me pics if you have discovered something that you love!

The Guest Bedroom with a Splash

A splash of bright red-orange! You can't miss it. I found these bright red-orange drapes from Ikea, and that's what inspired this room. I made sure to balance everything else in the room to not visually fight with the bold curtains. Neutral color and textures were added to the environment to increase the level of sophistication of the room.

Previous owners – guest bedroom:

Our home today! – guest bedroom:

And of course, I included a very unique side table/nightstand that matched the drapes exactly; thanks to CB2. The mix-n-match pillows and the duvet are from West Elm. They always have great textile patterns.