How to Layer Frames & Objects

There is a new trend in home décor: Layering. One would think that it’s an easy style to pull off... simply take a bunch of artwork and place it haphazardly on your mantle or bookshelf. Please, no! Be smart about layering your art. Here’s how: 

 

All images via

Step one: Pick images and objects that you feel would create an interesting grouping. They should be different sizes, but share a similar colour palette.

Step two: When visiting your local framer, keep things simple. If the frames are too ornate or too thick, it will be hard to layer evenly. Use glass and not exposed canvas, as an object could easily poke into an artwork and create a long lasting indentation.

 

Step three: The more you overlap, the higher the chances of losing the images you were hoping to show off. Notice how, in the following examples, there are no more than three consecutive levels.

Step four: Be careful! Sturdy the larger frames to your wall (by adding hooks and nails) or inserting a thin ledge or groove to your shelf. You want to be sure to prevent them from toppling over!

 

Interview with Vanessa Sicotte

I met Vanessa Sicotte a few months after becoming addicted to Damask & Dentelle, one of Québec's leading design blogs, which she launched in 2009. When Vanessa entered the gallery where I work, she whipped out her iPhone and said “Let me tweet that I’m here!” It was love at first tweet.

Once in a while, I have the pleasure of meeting people like Vanessa, who are passionate, driven and extremely generous with their time and knowledge. I am pleased to say that since our first encounter, she has become host of Canal Vie’s Sauvez les Meubles, a television show which encourages viewers to reuse and recycle when renovating or decorating their home. Read my interview with the interior designer to find out her tips of the trade and which colour she predicts you won’t want to live without.

Vanessa Sicotte, creator of Damask & Dentelle and host of Sauvez les Meubles

 

What inspired you to create Damask & Dentelle?

I got inspired to create D&D back in 2008 when I was only a blogger writing about my décor boutiques “Coups de Coeur”. The company came later after I saw a need for information in the industry. Damask & Dentelle's website was launched in October 2009 and is now recognized as one of Québec’s leading design blogs and web directory with a devoted following. As the curator of the site I am also a design blogger and trend observer. I created Damask & Dentelle as a way to reach out and share finds of Québec’s design boutiques, artisans and professionals to the consumers as well as people from the design industry.

 

You recently started hosting Sauvez les meubles at Canal Vie. Tell us more about this project:

Sauvez les Meubles is a new TV show airing since September, on Québec’s Canal Vie. Its concept is adorable (hey I am a little biased)! My mandate is to decorate a room in a couple’s home using their existing vintage furniture, hand-me-downs from family members and thrift finds… all for less than $500. I try to suggest as many cool DIY ideas as I can to give people the most bang for their buck and so far we’ve had some awesome reveals.
 

 

Reduce, reuse, recycle! Check out some ideas by clicking HERE.

 

 

Many new homeowners feel overwhelmed when purchasing a house. What is the first thing they should focus on?

With square footage at its peak rate in the city, one must find creative ways to maximize storage and function without neglecting style.

 

Think vertical. A great example of that is to extend your kitchen cabinets to the ceiling to store pots and pans that you seldom use.

Mirror effect. Mirrors have a way to refract light and make a room appear larger. I use them a lot in small places as a way to give rooms sparkle and glamour.

Go ghost or go big. Visual clutter can really hinder a room’s proportions. In order to counter that effect I either make great use of translucent surfaces like Lucite and glass, or I simply use fewer but larger pieces to furnish the room. There is nothing worse than seeing a tiny living room with a slew of tiny spindly chair legs everywhere.

Make a statement. I am a firm believer that small rooms are the perfect place for statements such as bold wall coverings or moody paint colours. Since the area to cover is small, the print will not be overbearing and yet it will give the tiny mudroom or powder room a lot of flair & personality.

 

 

Are there any new trends that you are excited to tell us about?

I am very much into neon right now. Maybe I was too young to really enjoy it the first time around, but I seem to be binging on highlighter colours. Another trend in which I am heading head first, is Kelly Green (I actually would go as far as to say that it will be THE colour of the year in 2013). It is a vibrant, fresh and crisp shade of green. It can be made to nautical, preppy, eclectic or classic, and best of all… all greens go well together. No trouble here trying to match shades of green.

 

 

Check out how Vanessa suggests you decorate with green by clicking HERE.

 

 

What are some of the common mistakes made by homeowners?

Not trusting their instincts and buying everything at once, from the same place. It is better to have a void in the room than to pack it up with things that are just fillers. The perfect piece of furniture will eventually find its way and fill that void as if it belonged there. Also, I often recommend to people to be mindful of the craftsmanship and provenance of the products they buy. Cheap (and I don’t mean inexpensive here) will always be just that… cheap.

 

 

What is a typical day like?

It starts early and often ends very late. My son calls me before 6am every morning and then the hustle bustle begins. I usually get to work around 8:30 and check all of my social media accounts as I rely a lot on social media for my business. On most days I will visit a store or two and squeeze some appointments with clients in the middle. The early evenings are spent with the kids and then work starts again after they go to sleep. I started my own business for the liberty it would give me, but I have to admit, I have never worked so much in my life. Luckily, I absolutely LOVE what I do so it makes it all better.

 

 

Name your top three songs:

Tom’s Dinner

Karma Chameleon

And Anything Ben Harper

 

 

Interior Design With no Surprises

Drawings and Photo Realistic Renderings Show Exactly What Your Designer Has in Mind

A Guest Post by Keren Blankrot, Upstage Montreal

In the world of interior design a picture really is worth a thousand words. A client of mine who failed a solo attempt at redesigning her living room confided, “Keren, we made an effort to do this by ourselves, and I know what I like, but I just can’t seem to visualize it in my own space. This is not working for us and we need your help.”

 
While she put a great deal of thought into the design, and inspiration was not lacking –she has a Pinterest account with plenty of pictures defining her “For the Home” style – she needed a designer to pull it all together, and she benefited greatly from visual aids that allowed her to see the end result beforehand.

Through the wonders of technology, designers can show clients - via perspective drawings, photo realistic renderings, and mood boards - what the end result is meant to look like. These tools are something that I employ regularly. Not only do they establish clarity between the client and the designer in terms of the desired visual aesthetic and goal, they are great for working with clients remotely. For instance, the office drawings pictured below were created for a Manhattan client. All of the items were purchased online, and the installation was carried out with specific direction.

Clients put much trust in their designers and one of the reasons they hire designers is because they covet that designer’s signature aesthetic. As much as a client loves the designer’s taste, however, she is still looking to create a space that reflects her own personal vision and so being able to collaborate with a designer that can show you exactly in what direction they are headed in, with the help of technological tools, is invaluable.

Upstage Montreal works with clients looking to completely update their residential or commercial space, as well as those wishing simply to refresh it. To know more, please visit their website by clicking HERE.

Home Décor: Fall Trends

I won't deny it: I absolutely love when readers send me their requests, comments and questions. Here is the most recent query, posted on our facebook page: “PMT! Do you have any insight on what are the hot colors in home decor for the fall?”

To answer this question, I called my go-to designer, Keren Blankrot from UpStage Montreal, for her valuable input: “I’d say that for fall, the trendy colours are warm hued and rich including pumpkin, gold, cantaloupe, cinnamon, coffee and deep mauve. It’s earthy, spicy and jewel toned hues for the season." Keren adds: "A good way to integrate trends is through accessories and smaller ticket items likes throws and pillows so that you can update your look seasonally. Incorporating these colours will add warmth to her interior space as the mercury drops outside.” 

Images via

Take note of these fun suggestions, guaranteed to spice up your home décor: 1. Tonic Living Samoan Plantation Pillow / 2. Eiffel chair from Zone Maison / 3. Wire trash can from Urban Outfitters / 4. Oh-so-glam Jonathan Adler Gold Lantern vases / 5. Jonathan Adler hexagon tray... I saw these all over Germany. They are so cool! / 6. Zenith Mirror from Pure Home / 7. Hilarious flamingo table lamp from Zone Maison (who said fall needed to be serious?) 

Do you have any questions you’d like answered?

Send them to partymixtape@gmail.com or post them on our facebook page!

Interview with Jessica Di Pierro

Meet Jessica Di Pierro, an interior designer and project manager for de Man design & mobilier. The designer reveals images of her upcoming projects and shares with PartyMixTape readers her thoughts on buying her first home, working in the design industry and hanging art.

Interior designer Jessica Di Pierro

What is your passion?

Of course interior design is definitely one of my passions, but I have to say that everything having to do with beauty and aesthetics is in my range.  Not only have I studied fashion marketing, but I also took theater production where I would work on costumes, decors and lighting… that was such an incredible learning experience.  I even took makeup classes and worked on a few music videos and local movie sets.  Tinkering, painting, gardening, gift wrapping, you name it.  So if I really had to describe it, I guess you could say that my biggest passion is to work with my hands and enhance the hidden beauty in different elements.  It gives me a great sense of satisfaction.

How did you start in the interior design industry?

A few years back, I owned a furniture import and distribution company with my now husband and was really looking to get into interior design.  So I started taking night classes.  Unfortunately, the program got cancelled before I could finish. In the meantime, we sold the company, got married and became pregnant right away. I had nine months off, so I took that time to renovate our house and really enjoyed it. After giving birth, I was lucky enough to spend all my time at home with my wonderful daughter. When she started daycare, I decided I would finish what I had started. So I went back to school full time and graduated.  I worked for myself for awhile and am now happily employed at de Man design & mobilier. 

Combing her different passions; here is Di Pierro’s proposal for a local hair salon

What is the best purchase you ever made?

My best purchase is our house!  It’s not new, it’s not a palace, but it’s got great energy. It’s just the right size for our family and making it our home has been great so far.  It’s my own canvas and a constant work in progress, but as they say: “Your work is never done when you own a house.  There’s always something to do!”  

What are some of the common mistakes made by homeowners?

With all the decorating magazines and interior design shows on air these days, people have many tools to learn the basics and have also very much improved at creating balanced environments.  Still, the most common mistake, in my opinion, remains the positioning of furniture.  Some people seem to think that every piece of furniture needs to be against a wall.  Actually, bringing the furniture closer to the center of the room will make the room look bigger.  Another very common mistake is hanging art pieces too high.  Easy trick: eye level, when standing, is always a safe height.

Note the artwork by Karine Bassal on the far left!

Is design art or science?

Both, I guess!  The art part definitely comes in the conceptual phase.  That’s when the juices are flowing.  Everything after that is very technical. There is a whole set of plans that need to be made for each project and they do require a whole lot of precision.

What would be your recommendation for “what to do first” in a decorating project?

I think it’s important for the people living in a space to sit down and take some time to properly define the exact purpose of the room they wish to renovate or redecorate.  Make a list of the different functions you’ll use it for and define the different areas.  Don’t be afraid to list your priorities. That should usually define your starting point.

Which designers do you look up to?

In the fashion industry, Karl Lagerfeld has great style designing classic pieces with a modern touch.  But I also love the eclectic signature of Betsey Johnson.  She has a way of merging ideas, patterns and textures together and making them work.  I really admire that.  In interior design, I love Frank Lloyd Wright’s structured modern masterpieces.  With great architecture, airy interiors, functional furniture, they transcend the test of time.   

How amazing are these 3D renderings? This is one of the services offered by Jessica Di Pierro to help clients visualize the completion of a project. You may contact her by clicking HERE.

What songs are you listening to at the moment?

A lot of radio!

Some nights – FUN

Back in time – Pitbull

Fallout – Marianas Trench

Wide Awake – Katy Perry

Lullaby – Nickelback

Wild Ones – Flo Rida

Are there any trends you are excited about this spring?

I really love all the bright nail polish colors!!  It’s hard not to buy every single one of them.

What’s next for Jessica Di Pierro?

I’m grateful for what I’ve accomplished so far and feel very blessed for what I have.  I take life one day at a time.  So who knows what will come next!