The first room we tackled was a multipurpose room. It’s a room where the family gathers to play games, read books, craft, do homework, lounge, or do just about anything! The space was already painted in a bold shade of yellow: Firefly by Benjamin Moore. We had a vision to create floor to ceiling bookshelves with plenty of room for games, books and crafts. Then we decided to add a daybed and a desk to the shelves, creating an all in one, multipurpose unit! The asymmetric shelves have a fun, relaxed vibe. The daybed has three drawers below for additional storage. The custom cushion and over-sized pillows are perfect for cuddling up with a good book. We used some of our favorite fabrics in this room from Kelly Wearstler and Jacques Bouvet et Cie. A large table sits in the middle of the room, perfect for crafting, doing homework or playing games. Five Tolix chairs nestle around the table. The metal chairs are super durable but comfortable at the same time!

The dining room did not need as much work. The space already had a bold, damask wallcovering and grey trim. The trim is painted in Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore. We wanted to have touches of modern while keeping the space classic and timeless. Therefore, we added a zinc table from Bobo Intriguing Objects. It gives the room a cool vibe. We also got a new hutch from Four Hands that has a classic, vintage look. It is painted in a Swedish grey with driftwood accents. The slip-covered chairs and bench from Lee Industries add a relaxed yet timeless quality to the room.

Thanks for stopping by!

All photos were taken by our friend, Julie Linnekin.

There is something about moving a few things around after the cold winter that makes you feel alive again! Sometimes adding a new lamp or rearranging your furniture makes such a difference! How about adding a new piece from KMI? Today, we are showing you one of our favorite pieces: this vintage, soft grey cabinet! We found this piece in a local antique shop and had it refinished! This cabinet is the perfect size (39″W x 15″D x 64″ H), it’s small enough to fit in a tight space but still makes a big statement! We have been asking $850 for this one of a kind cabinet but today we are introducing it’s new price: $650! Take this piece home today and add some life to your space!

{ one of a kind! }

{ the little details }

{ unique corners }

Another fun change we’ve made for spring is adding a new rug to the front of our showroom! The pattern and colors are fabulous! The ikat pattern is infused with silk and wool. The rug has a muted background of grey, taupe, and charcoal. What makes it really pop is the punch of lavender! Lavender is a great color for spring! This rug makes such a statement! When the lavender silk catches the light, it shimmers. The rug measures out at 10’6″  x 8’2″. If you’re interested, feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call!

{ the showroom }

{ details }

{ lavender silk }

Happy Spring, everyone! Have a great weekend!

All images belong to Kate Marker Interiors.

Brightly colored furniture is great because you can find them in all styles. From traditional to modern, from blue to yellow, you’ll be able to find the perfect piece for you. You can find smaller pieces, like accent tables, or bigger pieces like dressers or desks.

Do you have a piece of furniture at home that you love but it’s starting to look dated? If that’s the case, let us know! We can help you pick out the perfect color choice to refinish it in! This is a more affordable way to get the piece of colored furniture of your dreams.

If you’re interested in any of these pieces stop by the showroom!

Recently, we came across a chair at one of our favorite antique shops. It needed a little love!  So we picked it up and brought it back to the studio to get reupholstered and refinished. This chair, as you can see in the “before” picture, was super outdated! From the split-pea green, floral fabric to the beat up cherry finish, it needed some major updating. We chose to add one of our favorite fabrics: a sophisticated, grey mohair. It all comes together with the lovely driftwood finish. The fabric and finish we chose really transformed the chair into a beautiful and timeless piece!  This piece can make any home feel classic and elegant!

We’re selling this vintage gem for $995! If you would like to own this piece for your very own or any other vintage finds, please contact us!

]]> http://katemarkerinteriors.com/chair-revival/feed/ 0 http://katemarkerinteriors.com/think-green/ http://katemarkerinteriors.com/think-green/#comments Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:05:31 +0000 Maggie http://katemarkerinteriors.com/?p=915 Every year since 2000 Pantone picks one color to be the color of the year. The past years have brought us colors like turquoise, tangerine, and this years color, which is emerald. Whenever Pantone chooses their color of the year, there’s always an outburst of this color everywhere! It shows up in fashion, home decor, fabrics; anything and everything. We think this year’s choice is great! It’s such a bold color, but incredibly classic and elegant all at the same time.  And with St. Patrick’s day just a couple days away, we thought this was the perfect time to talk about emerald. Just like all paint colors have numbers, Pantone’s colors do, too. The number associate with the color, emerald’s is 17-5641, refers to where the color sits in their color library.

Some great ways to infuse emerald into your space is through accessories. Adding a vase or throw pillow in this color are simple ways. That way, if you get tired of the color, you can easily replace them! An emerald rug or drapery panels would really make a statement in any space.

Emerald is best mixed with a neutral color palate, like in the images we show below. All the spaces look great because there’s a nice balance between the green and the neutral color chosen. Emerald always looks good with gold accents. Mixing in some navy or pale blue can look lovely, as well.

We hope you’re on board with this color because don’t expect this color to go away anytime soon!

{ Everything Emerald }

 Is it too early to make predictions for next year’s color?

All images from pintrest.com, anthropology

And when spring rolls around, that usually means spring cleaning for a lot of people. Now’s a great time to get organized. Not only are a lot of people already planning on cleaning to begin with, lots of stores have all the storage boxes and baskets on sale. Baskets are a great way to hide that necessary clutter in any room whether it be the kitchen, bathroom, or kid’s room. They come in all sorts of sizes making it easy to find the perfect one.

{ Store in Style }

Adding a new pop of color to your space is easy with some new accent pillows. Adding a bright color will definitely make it feel like spring in there! Adding a yellow, bright blue or green can really liven up the space.  But, those bright colors can come from anywhere. A small way to decorate for spring is to add some bright accessories or a piece of art.

{ Bright Pillows }

As much as we hate to admit it, rugs can gather dust and dander, despite our best efforts to stop that. A new area rug can make a huge impact on your space.  A bold color will balance out neutral sofas and chairs. We have lots of great options in our show room, so stop by!

{ Bold Area Rugs }

Our final decorating suggestion is to decorate with flowers. Nothing says spring to me like a bouquet of fresh flowers. With so many types of flowers out there, everyone has a favorite and they’ll be easier to find now that it’s spring. Another great idea is decorating with fresh fruit or vegetables. They’re practical since you can use them and they look great in your kitchen or dining room as a center piece. Flowers and fruit are a natural way to bring some fragrance into a space without having to use those overpowering sprays.

{ Fresh Flowers and Fruit }

Here’s to hoping winter is over and the weather warms up. Happy spring!

All images from houzz.com, pintrest.com

No one ever said you have to just hang one mirror in a space though! Multiple mirrors can add a really great effect and become art in its own sense. Using two to three mirrors is pretty common but don’t let that stop you from creating a huge mirror focal point out of lots of smaller mirrors. We suggest no smaller than 8″ x 8″ squares. Round mirrors are a great choice in bathrooms where you have a bit smaller of a space to work with, but that doesn’t mean your limited to only that option. Mirrors come in a huge range of different sizes now so you’re guaranteed to find the size just right for you.

We’ve thrown together some of our favorite mirrors to help you draw inspiration for the next room you hope to re-do!

One great way to put the finishing touches on that cocktail table is to find a great tray. Or some great coffee table books. Or both! Some cute little decorative boxes or a precious little keepsake would be great too. A couple of your favorite magazines placed at exactly the right angle can pull it all together.

Now how about those bookcases? They’re not just for books anymore! Adding a few frames or candles are a great way to add a finishing touch. Or a unique bookend, perhaps. One of our favorite trends is splashing some color to the back of that book case. It can be done in a few ways; paint and wallpaper are the most common. Depending on how you like your books, there are a lot of ways to put them on a shelf. By alphabetically, by series, height, color even. They’re all acceptable, whatever works for you!

Now as for those other places that just need a little something extra, how about some fresh flowers or a small plant? Not only do the look pretty, they bring some life into your home. Lamps are great decorating pieces. That goes for artwork and mirrors, too!  The last thing were going to leave you with is this: more is not always better. Find the right balance of empty space and your items to give it a complete look.

{ Cocktail Tables with Trays }

{ Cake Stands Repurposed }

{ The Right Amount of Coffee Table Books }

{ Uncluttered Book Case }

{ Painted Book Case }

{ Wallpapered Book Case }

{ Decorate with Plants! }

{ Or Maybe a Trendy Bag? }

But, how much of that great dark wall color should you use? It depends! If you have a really large space, you can probably get away with using more. And if you have a smaller space, perhaps you might only need to add the dark color as an accent wall, like some of the photos below have.

If you do decide to cover all your walls (and maybe your ceiling, too!) please remember to add some contrast! An easy way to add contrast to your deep colored wall would be to add a light colored trim. We love Benjamin Moore’s White Dove for just that purpose. Or add a warm colored window treatment.

Having a lot of natural light in a space will help to balance out the deep color you choose. But if you don’t have a lot of natural light, if could be beneficial to choose a high-gloss finish for your paint. High-gloss paint has a shine to it, which will reflect whatever light you have in your space, natural or artificial. Adding a mirror is also a great way to get more light bouncing around your room.

As far as choosing what deep color you want, there are many to choose from. The safest colors to pick are: black, greys, navy blues and chocolate browns. However choosing a deep red or green can be an iffy choice, especially in a small space. They can make the room feel smaller and more confining since they’ll draw more attention to the walls as opposed to the other colors listed.

Some of our favorite dark paint colors by Benjamin Moore are: Hale Navy, Nightfall, Graphite, and Kendall Charcoal. But don’t let our favorites coerce you to not pick your own favorite.Maybe yours is in one of these great photos!

{ Contrasting Colors }

{ Popping Artwork }

{ Bright Ceiling and Trim }

{ Dark Blue }

{ Dark Ceiling }

{ Bright Trim }

{Dark Accent Wall }

{ Dark Bathroom }

 { Dark Accent in Bedroom }

How will you use a deep color in your home? Let us know!

One of our favorite additions to the space is the new stair runner! It’s a wool runner is accompanied by a leather border held down by nail heads.  The nail heads really add a great finishing touch. Who said that they’re just for furniture?

For the powder room door, we replaced the old one with a  new shaker style door on a sliding track. It really gives the hallway some more character.

In addition to the stairs and entry hall, are finishing up the living room in this house as well! We put down a gorgeous grey oushak rug that really pulls the whole room together. It has such a vintage feel but the color is updated and modern. In front of the fireplace are two chairs that we had re-upholstered with a striking grey and white ikat textile. Opposite the fireplace are well done, custom built-ins that we accessorized with precious little finds!

{ BEFORE & AFTERS }

{ Powder Room Wall }

{ Powder Room Wall  with Classic Wainscoting }

{ Stairway }

{ Stairway }

{ Nail Head Detailing }

{ Living Room }

{ Living Room }

{ The Built-in Wall }

{  Custom Built-Ins }

{ Ikat Chairs }

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