Debbie Wiener's Blog

Dear Designing Solutions:  I moved to a brand new home last May.  Recently I purchased living and dining room furniture from the same group.  However I did not purchase dining room chairs.  Is it possible to match chairs from another group with what I have purchased already? My furniture was discontinued and
the chairs to the group were all gone. When I purchase the chairs should the
wood colors match exactly?  I thought about purchasing two upholstered
chairs for the host and hostess with the remaining chairs all wood?  Do
you think this would work? I need help desperately!  Sharyn

Dear Sharyn:  You did the right thing by not buying the matched dining room chairs!  When all the furniture in the living and dining room comes from the same line and from the same manufacturer, there’s not much opportunity to make it uniquely yours- and that’s the goal of home design.  Whenever possible, choose a piece or two from several lines and even several styles so that, just as in nature, your room is a pleasing combination of different elements.  Instead of looking contrived and boring, as if you bought a room scene right out of a furniture store, your home will have a far more interesting look that reflects your personality and individual style.

Upholstered chairs in a fabric you love would be a great choice for your dining room table.  They will add color, comfort, pattern and softness to your room.  Try using arm chairs at the host and hostess spot with armless side chairs for the remainder of the table.  The arm chairs can then double in your living room when you entertain a crowd that’s larger than your present seating can accommodate. 

You can use upholstered chairs that are skirted, with no exposed legs, or a chair that has finished wood legs.  Instead of fretting over matching the leg finish on the chairs to the wood finish of the table, look to complement instead.  Go a bit darker on the chairs legs and they will blend in more with their surroundings.  A lighter finish on the chair legs will make them more noticeable.

And just as we suggest you mix up your furniture pieces, you can also mix up the fabric on your upholstered dining chairs.  One option is to do the host and hostess chair in a solid fabric (one that will mix well with the living room when the chairs are called into service) and the side chairs in a coordinating patterned fabric.  Another, more daring option is to use one fabric on the interior of the chair and a coordinating fabric on the back of the chair.  If your goal is to create a less formal and fun dining room, you can mix up the fabrics altogether, using a different color of the same fabric (like a heavy linen or ultra suede) on each and every chair (try alternating solid pumpkin, gold and steel gray linen on skirted chairs).  The options are endless, but whatever you choose, your dining room will indeed be uniquely yours.

With Love,

Debbie
Interior Designer to the Slobs

Taken from an article on LeatherHelp.com– thanks to @leatherhelpguy for the suggestion.

Hello this is Chris.

Found this question on twitter recently:

Noticed that the cat has been enjoying my furniture after all. Anyone have any good leather repair ideas?

Here was another recent tweet w/ a picture of a dog next to it:

@Aggerscricket we scratch the leather sofas with our claws!

The scratches look something like those in the picture to the right:

To get this scratch to disappear you probably need a leather pro.  But if your happy with something that looks better and won’t fray, try this do-it-yourself technique:

For more keep reading here.

If you’re like me, the little stars living in your home aren’t out on opening night- they’re home ruining your house! Perhaps it’s your partner or spouse (and here I really mean husband) who made a mess and forgot that you don’t have maids and servants on a twenty-four hour schedule.  Tired of watching your family ruin your furnishings?  Don’t despair- you need not resort to plastic slip covers.  Just decorate with your slob(s) in mind to save your home and your sanity:

1. Keep Wite-Out on hand at all times.  It may be obsolete for correcting typos, but it’s a miracle when it comes to camouflaging dings and scuff marks wherever you have white trim around your house- like door frames, baseboard molding or chair rails.

2. Think your family belongs in an institution?  Then cover your walls with institutional paint!  Use what the builders choose for dormitories, gymnasiums, locker rooms, hospitals and cafeterias.  These acrylic-based paints are specially formulated to give a thick, consistent coverage with greater durability than home use paints.  And because they are made for closed spaces, they have no unpleasant odor when painting indoors.

3. Laminate your most heavily used dining chairs, if most of your slob’s dinner is left on his chair. Almost any fabric can be laminated, just ask your fabric store or decorator where to send it.  New flat finish laminations provide an invisible, moisture and stain proof barrier on fabric, making it virtually indestructible and inconspicuous too.

4. Not into coasters?  Neither am I.  Protect wood finishes from wet glasses, hot cups and scratching with clear glass tops made to fit your table tops.  Sure, you’ll have to wipe them, but you’ll protect what’s underneath from everything your slobs may put on top.

With Love,

Debbie,

Interior Designer to the Slobs

Etsy is one of those hit or miss sites. However, I was pleased to find this very interesting rug the other day.

Beautiful Large 16″ Zebra Squares put together to make this truly amazing cowhide leather rug. Cushioned backing for extra support when walking. Complete with black surrounding borders.

Free Shipping in the United States.

• Size: 5′4″ ft x 8′ Feet (2 available)
• Color: Black and White
• Condition: Brand New
• Backing: Cushioned Soft
• Quality: Premium
• Style: Modern

The Before

The After

Slobproof! With Crypton was featured on the Examiner. Check out their coverage here.

So I checked out some cool handmade tile from Encore ceramics. What I really like about these tiles is their colorful, reflective color core. And they do a plain tile that mimics the limestone in the kitchen- so this will tie the two ends of the room together.

And in case you forgot where we came from……….. I started with this:

Developed this:

And then, centered the room around this:

Chose this great matching furniture:

The After.

The Before.

What do you think?

From a recent client:

After several years of failed attempts to find the right fit with an interior designer, I hit the jackpot with Debbie Wiener. I “discovered” Debbie through the Washington Post Magazine feature last year and while I worked hard to keep my expectations in check, I emerged from the two-hour consultation with a new outlook and renewed confidence to take-on long-stalled re-design projects . Debbie’s demeanor and attitude were far different — THANKFULLY — to my previous (and failed) experiences with interior designers whom I’d contacted with the same problem-set I presented to Debbie. Her professionalism is matched by her warm personality and apparent genuine desire to help people like me find their way in designing a home that balances form and function without sacrificing the homeowner’s identity. Debbie listened to me, took on board my objectives, priorities, and constraints and she responded with ideas and options. Debbie provided workable and liveable solutions and dispeled the notion that good interior design resides only in staged magazine pictures that never reflect the presence of real people living their lives. Where I had been mired in being overwhelmed by my re-design projects, Debbie counseled a measured, step-by-step approach and identified resources, contacts, and products that fit the parameters of my lifestyle (multiple pets and long hours at work), the volume of things in my house (inherited furniture and items collected from world travels), and my budget. I appreciated very much that Debbie did not push products or try to pressure me into any purchase decision. I welcomed and appreciated her honest, forthright, realistic and pragmatic approach to the consultation. Throughout the consultation Debbie was mindful of the time in that she wanted to ensure we accomplished as much as possible. She made sure that we took action on a few of the small, quick and easy suggestions she made to address design and space-utilization deficiencies I identified as problems. Without any hesitation, I recommend Debbie Wiener and look forward to continuing my working relationship with her.

We are honored to have been reviewed on the 5 Minutes for Moms website.

They are doing a book giveaway too! Make sure to enter.