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.

Hot Finds from Urban Outfitters

I am always hunting + seeking unique finds to add a fun, designer flair to my home. And one good source that I love browsing on is Urban Outfitters Apartment section, and I love how their price point is quite friendly. I am looking to incorporate the Chevron print some how into my basement/art studio, and Urban Outfitters has a great selection of home decor with the zigzag pattern.

Chevron Dress Form
Chevron Area Rug
Chevron Duvet Cover
Chevron Side Chair

Here are a few other eye candy finds that I am thinking about for our basement. I am gravitating towards the vintage Leather Butterfly chair + the Globe Pouf, too, for our Living Room area. And the etched letters (DWC) for my Art Studio for some industrial, ecclectic wall decor.

Leather Butterfly Chair
Globetrotter Pouf
Folding Library Bookshelf
Industrial Stencil Letter

If you're looking to add some more depth + visual interest to your interior space, do browse on Urban Outfitters Apartment section to mix it up. It's definitely not just an apparel store. Happy hunting and feel free to share your great finds.

DWC Project: Stephanie + Justin Wedding Invite

It's Wedding Wednesday! It's been a long time since I have blogged, and I do miss it, only if I had a few more extra hours in the day. Anyway, I have something lovely to share today as I blog from my family vacation in Leland, Michigan. :)

So this is one of the many things that I have been up to in the world of Design With Chon. My newest wedding client, Stephanie + Justin, came to me to help them visually define their special day which is only a few months away – 11.11.11. Stephanie already had her colors defined, selected her key vendors such as church, wedding dress, venue, cake bakery and florist, but she was unsure what statement or visual theme that she wanted her guests to take away from her wedding day. In addition, she wanted the invitation + event collateral (escort cards, program, table #s) to be visually branded into one umbrella idea. And that's where my design eye came into play.

After I had my first meeting with Stephanie, I essentially knew what she was going for, and instantly, the ideas were brewing in my head. I always get excited for new creative projects like these. Immediately, I jotted some notes into my notebook. I love to think about the bigger picture and think + design all the way down to the little details such as the escort card on the table.

Before I even began designing the invitation set, I started with a moodboard as usual to make sure the client is on board with the design direction. This wedding is in November, she had fall-like colors, but she didn't want an Autumn, leaf theme. She wanted to embrace certain rustic elements, but rather communicate elegance, sophistication and have it be warm + inviting for her guests. And my design solution to her visual concerns was "An Enchanted November" wedding theme.

An Enchanted November

Main Colors: Mocha + Golds
Accent Colors for Contrast/Pop: Cranberry Red + Orange Marigolds
Texture + Interest: Rustic sophistication, embracing nature elements, but richen them with warm, bold hues in florals + textural linens, allow for drama by creating height and dimension with flowing, suspended forms like red Amaranthus floral and structural branches like Manzanita or Curly Willow for the centerpieces. And to top all these visual layers off, add some glitz with jeweled, crystal chains for embellishment.
Invitation: Incorporate nature elements, wedding color palette, wedding date - 11.11.11, the Letter "H" and the glitz will come through with the pearlescent paper stock.

For the invitation + wedding day event collateral, the key defining element that will be branded across all wedding components is the "H" monogram which stands for the groom's last name. To make it as unique as possible for Stephanie + Justin, I deconstructed the letter "H" by replacing the connecting bar with a graphic branch. I created depth and interest by playing with rich, deep gradients composed of the mocha + cranberry hues. The 11.11.11 date is written in a classy, but in a not-so-stuffy script typeface below the monogram in the invitation set.

[Monogram + Invitations Set ©2011 Design With Chon]

The main invite is a one-folded card with a loose, self mailer RSVP card. For the typography, I wanted it to be soft + bold, and have it flow + move by using different opacity levels. Also, I broke it up by having the information across two pages.

The full invitation set is going to be printed in 4-color process on a warm, champagne, pearlescent paper stock. The tonal ranges of the deep red + chocolate gradient will be contrasted and perfectly balanced by open areas of the iridescent, glitz-like paper. Not reflected in the image above, but see where the white areas are, imagine it in the pearlescent paper in its place. And it's all going to be housed in an opaque, chocolate, square flap envelope. For the envelope, we are either going with white foil stamping for the return address, or a custom, rectangular label that will wrap around the left edge of the envelope (not seen above).

Stay tuned for the final printed product in roughly two weeks! It's going to look even more spectacular.

CSW Magazine "Designer's Challenge": Behind The Scenes

Thank goodness for Fridays, and it's a beautiful day to be out! Normally on Friday, I share my topic for bridging the design gap between business, events + interiors, but today I am going to show you a behind the scenes look into the Chicago Style Wedding Magazine "Designer's Challenge" photo shoot that happened back in March of this year. I had to keep all the images + videos hush hush until CSW Magazine launched and published it, and that's what happened this past Wednesday.

Technically, you could say this post covers business, events + interiors, because aspects of my logo + branding background was integrated into the thought process of the invitation and the matching event collateral pieces. As you can see, the iconic monogram was splashed all over the "Art Deco Meets Old Hollywood" themed wedding event that was concepted by the fabulous Master Bridal Consultant, Frank Andonoplas of Frank Event Design that I had a pleasure to work with on this "Designer's Challenge". And we can't forget that the tablescape and all it's surrounding elements are harmonious with the interior environment creating a mood that is captivating, rich, warm, and definitely a dinner reception that any guest would be delighted to attend.

First, I want to highlight the creative process that went into developing the invitation set + event collateral for the "Art Deco Meets Old Hollywood" theme. Before the design came into fruition, I had several conversations with Frank, the planner/stylist, for the look of the invitation. Key words thrown out were Art Deco, Hollywood Glam, Architectural, Black, White + Gold, and of course, it had to be bold, graphic and make a visual statement like the genre that we were going after.

I began with developing an iconic, logo-like monogram that I knew I could repeat graphically + brand across all the extension wedding pieces (menu, place cards, drink coaster, cake). For the invite, I placed the monogram at the top so it would be the visual focal point, and then everything else around it would branch out and balance the visual playing field. I used 2 different fonts, but similar in character so they didn't clash. With the linear lines, I wanted to create structure, shape + movement so it forced your eye to move around the space, similar to what architecture does. In addition, I hand cut the corners to match the movement of the lines and added some glitz with hand applied black crystals.

[Invitation/Event Collateral ©2011 Design With Chon, LLC]

This is definitely not the cookie-cutter layout. Each printed piece was custom designed and tailored to have it's own feel, but still visually cohesive. Click here to see the full collection of images for the "Art Deco Meets Old Hollywood" invitation set.

Now it's time to see the actual photo shoot that the whole invite set was designed for, and here's the whole team that made it happen! Visionary credit for the whole thing of course goes out to Frank Andonoplas, Master Bridal Consultant, who is well known in the Chicago area and recognized for his social planning expertise in the world of wedding + events. Please excuse the photo quality; they were taken with my iPhone, and they don't do the end product justice in terms of color + richness.

THE TEAM
Planner/Stylist: Frank J. Andonoplas, MBC | FrankEventDesign.com
Floral: Anna Held Flower Shop | annaheldflorist.com
Cake: Bittersweet | bittersweetpastry.com
Monogram, Invitations + Event Collateral: Design With Chon | designwithchon.com
Linens: BB&J Linen | bbjlinen.com
Rentals: Tablescapes | Tablescapes.com
Lighting: Yanni Design Studio | yannidesignstudio.com
Chairs: Classic Party Rentals | ClassicPartyRentals.com

I must say, Frank did a superb execution embracing the whole Art Deco meeting the Old Hollywood Glam. You totally feel it when you see and step into the environmental space with all its details. I love the eclectic look and how he carefully mixed metal tones (silver, gold + black) and glassware (clear, black + white) together to create a totally original design. Just in my few hours with Frank on set, I learned a few things about event design, and I hope to learn many more from him in the future. Great job everyone + I hope to cross paths with all these great vendors again!

Click here to see more behind the scenes images to the CSW Magazine photo shoot.