Dear Joe,
I live in a greystone in Sheridan Park. I have refinished red oak trim on my windows and red oak floors. The livingroom is a rich green. Would it be OK to do the crown moldings and baseboard in white? I think it would look good against the green and also maybe emphasize the windows. Any thoughts?
— Dale
Dear Dale,
The livingroom you describe sounds beautiful. I love a rich jewel tone of green as a dramatic background! The color is great at any time of day, but really seems to come alive at night. On to your question.
The basic rule of design is that all woodwork trim in a room should be the same finish. This provides a much better continuity. As a background for your furniture, accessories (and don't forget people!), the walls and trim in a room should be consistent and unobtrusive. The more ingredients that you add to this 'backdrop', the more jarring it becomes. This detracts from the rest of the scheme.
I assume you do not want to paint the window frames. My suggestion would be to have the baseboards and molding done in the same wood as the window frames. This, of course, will be more expensive but in the long run would be much better. If you cannot afford all this at one time, maybe you could have the baseboards done and put off adding the decorative molding to a later date. The extra expense is well worth it.
By matching all of the woodwork in the room, it will look far more professionally planned. This attention to detail will also pay off in the future should you decide to sell the house. Good luck!
Dear Joe,
I know that I need to do something with my condo. I moved in 10 years ago and haven't really decorated too much. There is a living/dining room, two bedrooms, kitchen and a bath. Every room needs work and I don't know where to start! Would it be best to do the livingroom first?
— Nowhere to Run
Dear Nowhere,
Many people find themselves in the same predicament. They get tired of their environment and try to fix it by tackling it one room at a time. The danger in this is that they often plan each room without considering the other rooms. One room is completed the first year, another the second year, and so on. When it's all finished, they wonder why it all just doesn't seem to blend together.
When I work with a client on a specific room, the rest of the home is taken into consideration. This includes the color, fabrics, styles of furniture, accessories—all of it. I then try to incorporate the influences of the other room into the room that I am designing. In this way, the newly decorated room blends in with the others.
A better way for you to do this would be to start making smaller changes in each of the rooms. Visualize the whole condo completed, then begin by replacing one or two items in a couple of areas. For example, you could replace the livingroom sofa and give the bedroom a new lift by painting it and adding a new bedspread. The next step might be a change in the bathroom and a new piece in the diningroom.
This way of doing it gives you the opportunity to invest wisely in each piece rather than feeling that you have to buy it all at one time. By giving each room a little change, you can also avoid that feeling that the one newly completed room looks great while the rest of the place looks old and worn.
Please email your questions to: jos.riceinteriors@att.net . In the subject box, fill in 'WCT Design.'
Joseph Rice is a full service interior designer. With 22 years of experience, he specializes is 'hard to treat' windows. You can reach him at Joseph Rice Interiors, Inc. (773) 271-2361, or you can e-mail jos.riceinteriors@att.net .
