design book
elloooo again everyone! Now that the kids are back in school and you have a little time to spare for something fun, let’s chat H By Jennifer Bertrand | Photos by Bill Mathews Ever wonder what an HGTV Design Star winner would say about designing your space? Lucky you, we’ve got one! Light Up lighting transformations as we were trying to find affordable lighting while creating a new home on a very, very tight budget. I like to say that your world
about vintage lighting! Lighting does to a room what a pair of Laboutins does to an outfit. Not that I have a pair, but I did once try on a pair of Dior shoes and I will never forget the loveliness. Many of you knowmy personal mess of Chris and I losing our house in the midst of medical madness with our son, Winston. I find it hilari- ously ironic and just part of our bizarre journey, and luckily we had a fabulous support system. I am very open about the situation because I feel like it doesn’t define us. It only defines a small moment in our lives. The reason I bring this up is because this led me on a journey of vintage
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design is a luxury in life and a “first world problem.” The great thing though, is that
Step Two: Take the time to paint lights well and right. Prime metal fixtures first, then spray paint. There are now paint-and-primer-in-one paints, which you can find almost anywhere. I often joke that if clients saw my own home, I would never be hired because they would think I can only design kooky. How- ever, I’m lucky I’m a chameleon in design and can change styles. But when designing for our own home, I choose to design happy and eclectic. I look at our house through the eyes of our son, Winston. He’s 4 years old and I know he will grow up with color and humorous risk-taking design moments. Now let’s look at my lighting and it’s okay if you don’t like them! 1. Breakfast Hearth: I find this fixture very polarizing ... people either love it or hate it. But whether you like it or not, there are some teaching moments there. For example, notice the bulbs. Round white bulbs can make the most traditional of fixtures have an edge. Example two: When looking at fixtures, try to look past the color and see if you love the silhouette. I had actually seen a kitchen online that had two of these antler fixtures painted a coral red and I was hooked.
design can impact your soul by loving your environment. So let’s look at your lighting! Step One: Your home should have a lighting story that flows throughout your home. I will be the first to admit that my lights are a work in progress. I am not happy with the lighting story completely because it is still disjointed. But like some of you, I have to accept budgets and I need to work with what
I have. Creating flow as you find things through random sources means you have to make them flow through color or material. The consistent materials in my lighting story are vintage brass, Lucite and white paint. Doesn’t that sound like a fabulous 1980s “Miami Vice” condo?!
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VintageKC / Fall 2013 6
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