Dear Joe,
My grandmother gave me an antique table that is made of dark carved wood with a marble top. It is about 24 inches wide, 18 inches deep and about 28 inches tall. I would like to use it in the livingroom, but all of my other furniture is light and contemporary. A friend suggested that I paint it white. What do you think?
-- Confused Grandson
Dear Confused,
I assume that the table still has its original finish. If you paint the table, or make any changes to the finish, you will greatly decrease its value as an antique. This is true even if the piece is done professionally. Painting antique furniture rarely helps it to "blend in" and usually creates more of an eyesore. My advice is to leave the table as is. You might consider using the piece someplace else in your home. Maybe it could work in another room or act as an interesting entry hall table. Another option would be to incorporate it into the livingroom as a featured piece. You may be able to blend it into the scheme with contemporary artwork hanging above it and an interesting arrangement of accessories on top.
Dear Joe,
I want to hang a group of 15 pictures on my livingroom wall. Any tips on how to arrange them? -- Nailed
Dear Nailed,
Hanging a large grouping of pictures is a great way to provide a focal point for the room. There are very few definite rules for doing this.
If all of the pictures are the same size and framing, such as a group of related prints, they are usually hung in a row or a grid pattern.
If, however, the pictures are all different sizes and framing, they may be hung in any configuration pleasing to the eye. The best way to plan this is to lay all of the pictures out on the floor in the same formation that you would place them on the wall. This way you can shift them around until you get the desired arrangement. There are two points to consider. The first is balance. Try to distribute any larger or darker pictures evenly throughout the space. This way they will not all wind up together or "weighing down" one section of the wall. Smaller and lighter pieces can be worked in and used to balance the heavier works.
The second point to keep in mind is to be sure that the pictures are hung at a distance from each other that keeps them in a group but allows each to be appreciated individually. This is usually done by placing them anywhere from a couple of inches to about a quarter of the frame size apart from each other. Just keep playing with the arrangement until you are satisfied. When this happens, you are ready to hang them. A word of caution: measure, re-measure, and measure again before you put in the nails!
Dear Joe,
I recently moved into a new condo. In the bedroom there is an ugly fuse box on the same wall as my bed. How can I hide this?
-- Walleyed
Dear Walleyed,
I've been seeing more and more of these ill-placed boxes in new construction. Sometimes they are located on the only small wall space in the entry! In your case there are several options for dealing with this. Since you will probably not have to get into the box very often, it could be covered with a small mirror, picture or other piece of artwork. Another way of resolving the problem would be to hide it with a folding screen. You could even create a focal point in the room by placing a plant or small furniture piece in front of the screen. I would avoid hiding it with an oversize mirror leaning against the wall. Besides being too heavy to move, the leaning mirror idea has been done to death.
Please e-mail your questions, to jos.riceinteriors@att.net . In the subject box, fill in "WCT Design."
Joseph Rice is an interior designer who offers full decorating services. With 21 years of experience, he specializes in "hard to treat" windows. You can reach him at Joseph Rice Interiors, Inc. 齅) 271-2361; jos.riceinteriors@att.net
