The Safari Table

I don't normally do "crafty". Its just not my thing. There are plenty of times I wish I was more crafty and I often kick myself for never having learned to sew (I know its never too late!). For this years DIFFA (Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS) Dining By Design event I had a change of heart. I was having an urge to do something the opposite of pretty, floral or delicate. I didn't necessarily want bold/graphic either..in other words I was looking to be a bit unexpected and crafty coming from me felt unexpected.

Mind you, I didn't go crazy with the crafting, and serious crafters may think this is a joke, but here is how I constructed our "Safari Table":


I bought a pop up canopy tent from Dick's Sporting Goods for $99 and a bolt of tulle from Hobby Lobby (the "mosquito" netting). After cutting the tulle it was hot glued around the inside of the tent.
We found the pendants in the West Bottoms at the First Friday sales. The chargers and napkin rings were reused from our DIFFA table of two years ago!

No flowers here: just a cool mix of interesting tropical like plants.

I knew I wanted eggs on the table...why eggs? I don't know, they seemed weird and interesting as well as an inexpensive prop. I dyed them with a variety of agents such as Irish Breakfast tea bags (I think I used around 15 in the pot!), grape juice and black food dye. I let them soak for several hours. The small ones in the bowl above are actually quail eggs and are naturally like that!

The other elements at the table were accessories from the store: the shiny silver antler candlesticks were perfect for the theme and added a new element to the rustic setting. The rug is a dyed patchwork Tarkan that we got in shop just in the nick of time! The egg bowls are paper mache.

The final element to the crafting portion of the table was the tablecloths. At the last minute I decided that burlap tablecloths were the missing link to completing my design. After the helpful folks at JoAnn's fabrics helped me to determine the amount of yardage I needed, I was left to my own devices on how to turn the material into two round tablecloths. Thank goodness for google! I cut two even pieces of fabric and put them together to make a large square. Since I do not own a sewing machine I had to do it by hand and so why not make a cool cross stitch detail that highlights the seam versus me trying to hide a poorly done one.

While I doubted the outcome several times along the way, I admittedly was quite pleased with the way it turned out! The table may look a bit understated, but I was running around like a mad woman all week fine tuning the details; the complexity seemed to lie in the simplicity of it all.

A Study on Color

An article I wrote for the KC Star on the daunting subject of Color!

Color has been the subject of numerous books, articles, seminars and TV shows. It is the thing most people I help with interior design fret about, and understandably so. There are so many opinions, options, ideas and theories on the subject.

Color can elicit strong emotions and feelings. Most cultures place significance or associations on certain colors. Color psychology is even its own discipline and is defined as "the effect of the electro-magnetic radiation of light on human mood and behavior." The definition goes on further to say that there is a difference between color psychology and color symbolism (the conscious associations we are conditioned to make with color).

Scientifically, color is an energy, and its physical effect has been proven in studies. Because of the electro-magnetic radiation given off by color wavelengths, blind people can amazingly identify color with their fingertips. Another study done in the 1970s found that independently there are no objectively wrong colors; rather it is the combination of colors that triggers a response.

I mention this only to showcase how complex choosing a color scheme is for interiors, marketing and advertising, or fashion. Every designer has his or her own method for tackling color. I love the legendary British designer David Hicks’ cutthroat approach:

"Too much time is wasted, too many thoughts expounded, too much nonsense talked, too many rules adhered to and endless energy put into deciding what colour will go with what other colour."

Admittedly, sometimes I agree. But on the other hand, when I choose a color scheme for a client, I put a lot of thought and time into the final decisions.

Here is where I would like to note that designers do not carry a magic wand, so that when they walk into a space, a color immediately presents itself as the solution. Quite the contrary is true for a well-thought-out and livable color scheme.

The major factors I take into consideration when creating a color scheme are these:

1) The profile of those using the space, how it will be used and the desired mood to be created.

2) The type of sunlight the space gets and opportunities for artificial lighting.

3) The other non-changing elements in the room: flooring, cabinetry, trim work, etc.

Then I ask: How do I want the space to feel, and what colors will look great on those living there? I perform a dance with the colors and textures, a back and forth of testing different combinations until I have narrowed down my selection.

Lastly I ask: How can I get away with creating a scheme that is beautiful and timeless yet not boring and predictable? Creating tension between different elements in the room will keep things from becoming obsolete. When I put time and thought into my selections, my ideas evolve, guaranteeing that they do not become stale.

If you have ever struggled with color, you are not alone. Even professionals with a well-trained eye can end up making adjustments along the way. Try not to get caught up in trends. Your home and the colors you use in it should make you happy and be a reflection of your personal style

This presentation board illustrates a color & design scheme for 1 room. The color scheme alone took nearly 6 hours to conceptualize.