BEFORE & AFTER

BEFORE & AFTER

DOWNS INTERIORS: ELLIS COURT PROJECT

DOWNS INTERIORS: ELLIS COURT PROJECT

ELLIS COURT PROJECT

Creating a Home Office space

Finding the perfect desk is not an easy task. I believe this is where you need to start the vision before anything else. I have been in the market for the "perfect" desk for almost a year. I needed something chic, with the right width, height and depth. Sounds easy? It wasn't. Finally, today, I found it! This desk has all the right dimensions and has the look & style I was going after. It brings a little glamour to my office while also giving an antique aged look as well.

Since I am an Interior Decorator, I am all about design first. I create mood boards for my clients, so I need a desk that was wide and deep enough for me to work on. It serves both function and aesthetic purposes. Best of both worlds :)

This is just the beginning to designing my own home office. I will be posting photos with my other findings so stay tuned......

Our Master Bedroom Retreat

Contemporary Bedroom by Marlboro Interior Designer DOWNS INTERIORS

Beautiful Master Suite that is coming to its completition. Just requires new window treatments and bedding and it will be a complete tranquil space. Let me know your thoughts?

Solution to decorating with neutrals....

When decorating with neutrals, it gives the space a calming vibe, however, if you have everything from window treatments, sofas, rugs, lamps and artwork all with the same color story, it can leave the space feeling blah. I don't have a problem with a neutral palette. I actually like it myself. I do however, make sure I add pops of color whether it's a throw, pillows, flowers or small ottomans. By doing that, you're bringing an interest to the room. It allows the eye to wonder and not just skim over the space. See the photos below to see what I mean.....

8 Cabinetry Details to Create Custom Kitchen Style

8 Cabinetry Details to Create Custom Kitchen Style

Houzz- Kitchen, Bathroom and More »

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Spring is right around the corner!

As Spring arrives on the scene, use these ideas to update your home with a fresh new style.

As the days begin to get longer and the sun starts to peep through the gray skies here in New Jersey, I am getting excited about the arrival of Spring. People start to work in their yards, tulips and daffodils begin to spring up. As the Spring season arrives, I find that people get excited about their homes again and want to fling open the curtains, lift the blinds and let a little sunshine into that winterized space. You can add pops of seasonal color to your living room with simple throw pillows. Changing the covers on your pillow from season to season makes you feel like you have a brand new space every few months.

 

If you are a bit bolder you can go for some new chairs in vibrant patterns or colors to add a bit of punch to the room.

If you want to bring the spring into the bedroom, you can always opt for some new sheets or bed linens to add some fun and personality to the space.

 

Home Office

Modern Home Office design by New York Interior Designer DOWNS INTERIORS

DOWNS INTERIORS: BEST OF HOUZZ

DOWNS INTERIORS of MARLBORO Receives
Houzz’s 2013 ‘Best Of Houzz’ Award

Annual Survey and Analysis of 11 Million Monthly Users
Reveals Top-Rated U.S. Professionals

MARLBORO, NJ -- January 20, 2013 – DOWNS INTERIORS of Marlboro, NJ has been awarded “Best Of Houzz” 2013 by Houzz, the leading online platform for residential remodeling and design. DOWNS INTERIORS was chosen by more than 11 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.

The Houzz “Best Of Houzz” award for 2013 is given in two categories: Customer Satisfaction and Design. Customer Satisfaction award winners are based on homeowner members who rated their experience working with remodeling professionals in 12 categories ranging from architects, and interior designers to contractors and other residential remodeling professionals. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the community of 11 million monthly users, also known as “Houzzers,” who saved more than 124 million professional images of home interiors and exteriors to their personal ideabooks via the Houzz site, iPad/iPhone app and Android app.

Transforming your vision of your dream home into a vision of reality

“Houzz provides homeowners with an in-depth, 360-degree view of building, remodeling and design professionals through images of their work, reviews and an opportunity to interact with them directly in the Houzz community,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of community. “We’re delighted to recognize Lisa Downs among our “Best Of” professionals for exceptional customer service as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”

With Houzz, homeowners can identify not only the top-rated professionals like Lisa Downs, but also those whose work matches their own aspirations for their home. Homeowners can also evaluate professionals by contacting them directly on the Houzz platform, asking questions about their work and evaluating their responses to questions from others in the Houzz community.


Lisa Downs of Downs Interiors
I create beautiful spaces for your home that you will have for years to come

About Houzz
Houzz www.houzz.com is a leading online platform for home remodeling, providing inspiration, information, ‘advice and support for homeowners and home improvement professionals through its website and mobile applications. Houzz features the largest residential design database in the world, articles written by design experts, product recommendations, a vibrant community powered by social tools, and information on more than 1.5 million remodeling and design professionals worldwide who can help turn ideas into reality. @houzz_inc

It's all in the frosting

No home décor is complete without the right accessories to enhance the beauty of your home. Accessorizing your home with handpicked items not only adds a personal touch to it, but also turns a house into a home. Personal items that you have collected over the years can just do so much to amp up your living space. The first important step it to find, collect and categorize your décor items. Once that is done, accessorize using items from all categories in every room of your house. Try and create a symmetrical balance when arranging. You can also place items according to color, shape, or design in a room to give it a theme. Make sure you don’t digress from your theme or else a rustic object will look out of place in a modern setting. Sticking to your theme will create a cohesive, more unified look. To create a unique look, mix and match textures, shapes and colors. You can also create a visual interest by placing objects of varying height in a group.Try to create a focus point in every room, decorate that area well, and then work your way around. This will help in a clean clutter free accessorizing style. Here are simple ways of accessorizing your home.

Ideas On Accessorizing Your Home

Accessorizing With Lights
Lighting is essential in adding depth, character and style to your home décor. Lights and lamps of any size and shape can be used for accessorizing your rooms. Lighting is also used for display purposes where the light may only serve as an ornament. Counter lighting is great idea for soft diffused lights in bookshelves and showcases. You can also highlight a special art piece with down lights.Candle lights and pendant lights can help in creating a romantic mood.

Accessorizing With Mirrors
The beauty of the sunrays reflected from a smartly placed mirror can illuminate your room beautifully. Also, mirrors make the rooms feel larger. Match the theme of the room and pick up mirrors with ancient golden trims for a rustic looking room and a steel finish mirror frame for the contemporary bedroom. You can add two wall sconces on the sides. Accessorize your accessory by hanging beautiful wreaths and floral swag over the mirror.

Accessorizing With Plants
Remember to pick plants that go well with your décor. It is always safe to choose sleek and clean lined planters, as you don’t want your home to look like a jungle with bushy big plants. Fill spaces between furniture by placing planted pots. You can place a tall fern plant at the corner of your room. Small potted plants look best on a mantle, table or bookshelves. Avoid thorny plants if you have children at home. Consider size, shape, texture and color when adding a plant in your décor.

Accessorizing With Photo Frames
Create interesting patterns by grouping photo frames of similar pattern together. Another way of hanging or placing photo frames is by pictures. People like to display family photos in living room and prefer to keep the personal couple photographs in the bedroom. Pick out pictures and get them framed in a variety of different frames to suit your décor and style of the room. A photo wall can be created by randomly placing big and small photo frames to create a large square or rectangle on the wall.

Accessorizing With Flowers
Experiment with unique color themes for different rooms. Choose peaceful white for your living room and passionate red for your bedroom, yellow and orange can liven up your kitchen and dining room. You can choose to use only one flower type or get a bouquet of mixed flowers in a single color. Take inspiration from the paintings, fabrics, and colors in your home to create symphony in the arrangement. Creating seasonal themes is also popular where you can try flowers of the season to make dramatic statements.



Accessorizing With Fabrics
With the huge range of fabrics and textiles that can be used to accessorize your home, it is easy to go overboard. Remember to match the color and style of the fabrics to the décor. Rugs should be chosen to add comfort and softness. Pillows and cushions can add rich luxury to your bare furniture. Color co-ordinate the fabrics like rugs, towels, napkins, place mats and tablecloths of every room separately to create symmetry. Use light curtains with contemporary style settings, but choose heavy embroidered drapes to suit the ancient décor of your room.

These easy tips can give your home a bold new look. Alternate the placement of the accessories regularly to create interesting décor. This will also help to create a new look every time. The important aspect to remember is to avoid clutter and not to stray from your décor style

Eye Catching Living Space

You don't need a lot of color or pieces to make your living room dramatic. By using a bold print on a chair gives a modern twist, however, if you throw feminine pillows on the chair that have a ruffle-effect, it softens up the piece. You now achieved a balance between masculine and feminine. Space planning is also important. Here, the two chairs are placed in front of the fireplace but facing away which keeps the pieces intimate for you and your guests.

Grand foyer, small space

Source: mixandchic.com via Lisa on Pinterest

No matter what size foyer you have in your home, there is always a way to make it appear grander than the space may provide. Foyer size does not dictate the feeling of the space, as much as foyer decor. If you are attempting to make a grand entryway in your small foyer, take a look at the tips below. They are practical and inexpensive.

Lighten Up the Walls

One of the first things that you will need to do in your small foyer is to paint it. Forget the dark, dramatic colors of cavernous foyers and focus on a lighter, brighter, neutral color instead. A cheery, buttercup yellow or a creamy tan are great choices for making your small foyer appear larger. This is especially important if your foyer has no natural lighting.
Color

After the walls have been lightened, it is time to add some accent colors back into the foyer's decor. The rest of the home's decor and style will help to dictate the accent colors that you use. Modern homes would benefit from cooler accent colors in the foyer, or with a bold color that is incorporated into the rest of the home's design. It is a good idea not to use the primary bold color as the main color in the foyer, because it will most likely be too overwhelming. However, when used as an accent color, it can help to tie the foyer into the rest of the home. The same is true for more traditional decors. Pulling an accent color that is present in other areas of the home into the foyer's decor, is a great way to create a common theme throughout the house.

Accent Pieces

Flowers, candles and a foyer table can make a huge difference in the way a home's entrance is perceived. Whether it is simple or elaborate, the effect can still be grand depending on how the accent pieces are presented. Create a display that reflects the look you are after. A large, floral display may look ideal in a large foyer, but for a smaller foyer, that same display will need to be cut back to scale. Try not to add too many accent pieces to the small foyer, as they will make the space appear much smaller than it actually is. The last thing that you want to do in a small foyer is to create a feeling of clutter. To that end, opt for pieces of furniture and accessories are open and airy. For example, wrought iron grilles or open grid style contemporary metal sculptures add flair without feeling overbearing. This will still provide an elegant look, but will not overpower the small foyer space.

Making a grand entryway from a small foyer can be done with some quick and easy alterations. When you transform a small space into a grand area, you transform the way people think of your home upon entering.