Wednesday, March 26, 2014

More Design Tips from Her Book

Vidicom's CEO, Christy Ferer, says "Stick to neutrals. They go with anything."

This rule is responsible for decades of boring rooms. People think neutral means only beige, white or black. True, these colors blend easily with other colors and are easy to live with, but so are lots of more interesting colors. When toned down with white or black, green coordinates with almost all colors, making it nature’s neutral. Celadon, olive, khaki and steel gray are the “new” neutrals, easily pulling together complex color palettes.

Remember what the legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland said: “Shocking pink is the navy blue of India.” The point is that what is neutral for one culture or person is radical for another. Remember this too: Almost any color becomes a neutral when it stands on its own and isn’t made to coordinate with another color

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Sandblased Furniture Tips

Sanblasted Furniture 
Pieces of painted furniture
Distilled white vinegar

Your local auto body shop will put the piece in its sandblast booth and add beautiful years to your furniture. Christy Ferer says to heighten the aging process, blot vinegar on any metal features or hinges. The longer you allow the vinegar to sit (at least 24 hours), the more pocked and antique looking the metal will become.

Frame Canopy
Take the measurements of the bed to the lumberyard, where you will find a selection of polymer molding. Christy Ferer and the Vidicom team suggests asking the yard to cut your chosen molding into four pieces and miter the edges. Stay tuned for more tips from Christy Ferer's book, Decorating on a Dime.

Setting Up a Display Table


Vidicom CEO, Chrsity Ferer, says measure any existing glass top you have. Ask the glazier to duplicate the top in 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thickness. As with all glass tables, it is best to have the corners rounded off. Arrange the decorative items on the table's regular glass top. Carefully place the second piece of glass on top.

Variations:

  • Old book pages
  • music sheets
  • foreign bills
  • pennies (lay out a evenly as possible to keep glass balanced)
  • birth certificates
  • marriage certificates
  • college diplomas
Another application of this technique is to place glass over a wooden table whose top you want to protect, such as a fine dining room table. 

Monday, March 17, 2014

Black Vinyl and Plumber Tables

Vidicom CEO Christy Ferer recommends ordering vinyl through the Resource Guide. The local automotive shop should also carry black vinyl, and will upholster your kitchen banquettes and make cushions for you.

Variations
  • Junkyard car seats
  • Restaurant supply seating
For plumber tables, Christy recommends using copper pipe, tabletop of glass, granite or marble, and small felt tabs. This is how your plumber should build the table: Bottom of table (feet).

1. Put caps with street 45's (4 sets).
2. Put 4 2-inch pieces in street 45's
3. Put 4 T's on 2-inch pieces with street 45's and caps.


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Tips on Sandblasted Furniture, Frame Canopy and Mirror Frames

Sanblasted Furniture
Christy Ferer says this is an easy and inexpensive way to get any piece of painted furniture to look worn or "country." If it is scratched, dented, or imperfect already -- all the better.

Frame Canopy
A bed canopy adds architectural detail and weight to a room. It also enlarges and dramatizes the room.

Mirror Frames
Create a substantial mirror for an entranceway, dining room, or dressing area. The larger the mirror, the larger a space will look. Most dramatic are two mirrors facing each other on opposite walls, which is especially effective in a dining room.  Christy Ferer and the Vidicom team agree.

Wire Mesh Bookcase
An easy and elegant way to camouflage open shelves containing stereo or television equipment. You can also use this effect on kitchen shelves.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Furniture Tips from Christy Ferer's Book

Christy Ferer (Vidicom CEO) states that as an upholstery fabric, black vinyl is neutral and practical. It has a rich, clean feeling particularly when used against light wood. Black vinyl is good for lawn chair cushions and kitchen banquettes.

Plumber Tables:
A table base of plumbing pipes in chrome, iron, or copper creates a centerpiece for any room, particularly a kitchen table. Copper tubing can also be used to make delicate end tables; the copper can be varnished to keep its shine.

Display Table:
She suggests adding a glass top resting on any kind of base can become a showcase simply by adding flat decorative items and a piece of identical glass on top. These tables are great-looking as coffee tables, end tables, or even a dining table.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Striping Suggestions from Decorating on a Dime

Christy Ferer (Vidicom CEO) suggests penciling your stripe pattern on the space. Place the blue tape where you do not want the paint to go. Paint between the piece of tape. Wait a day before removing it. Remove tape gently so as not to chip the bordering paint.

Variations:
Dilute acrylic paint for softer, more translucent stripes. Rag or sponge on the stripes  by dipping cloth or sponge lightly into paint and dabbing on between the strips of tape. The tape can be placed in other patterns, suggests grids, triangles, or checks.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Where to Keep Hats

Hang hats in clusters, preferably over spaces defined by a piece of furniture such as a couch, a desk, or even a bed. Hats can also be hung from hooks around an entire room's ceiling molding, to give the room definition.

Vidicom CEO Christy Ferer says to really make them look integrated, frame the hats with a stencil pattern. Or, if you want instant gratification, use a rubber stamp in any pattern. Pencil a frame of designs around the hat or group of hats about 6 inches from the hat rims and stamp along that line. When the paint is dry, ease any stray pencil marks.

Variations:
  • Cowboy hats
  • Motorcycle helmets
  • Baseball caps
  • Fedoras
  • Straw hats
  • Old hats from a flea market

Monday, March 3, 2014

Advice on Molding Detail

Vidicom CEO Christy Ferer suggests choosing a trim that fits into the molding groove you have chosen to fill. Apply glue 1 foot at a time. Hold trim down for about 30 seconds. Time is of the essence because the glue works very quickly. As you glue on the trim, be careful not to allow the weight of the slack to tug down the trim you have just finished gluing. Corners can be cut at 90 degrees or 45 degree angles, or you can just turn the corners with the trim.

Here are the variations she recommends:
  • Yarn
  • Lace
  • Twine
  • Rickrack
  • Ribbon
  • Strung Beads
  • Strung Pearls