Pantone's Color of the Year Is?

Marsala!

That's the Pantone color of the year for 2015, and the shade color experts believe will be reflected in fashion, home decor and graphic and industrial design trends next year. Pantone describes the color as "a naturally robust and earthy wine red." "Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal, while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness," "This hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, home furnishings and interiors."

Surya will showcase rugs, pillows, lighting, wall decor and accessories in Marsala and complementary hues along with hundreds of other products across the broad range of styles and price points.

American Leather has a  beautiful leather color called Haven Pomegranate that works perfectly with this rich Marsala. We think this is a perfect match!

Here at San Francisco Design, we always strive to give you the newest and best trends in the furniture and design world. We love the new Pantone color of the year and we have many styles in this color already! 

Drop in today if you haven't already!

Let's Nest!

Fall Is HERE!

It's fall, the leaves are changing to brilliant reds and golds, bringing warm sunny days and cool crisp nights.
It's time to turn our attention indoors, where we'll be nesting til Spring!
Time to assess, edit and refresh.
Start with a new area rug!

Area rugs are a great way to enhance and define your living spaces. With the cold months ahead, natural wool is not only beautiful but will insulate, keeping you warm.
It's easy to measure your space with painters tape. Most of us will want our furniture sitting on the rug, but it's not written in stone,either. 
Layering area rugs can be a fun way to add texture , but layering must be done with flat weave area rugs. There's a trick to it; start with colors that coordinate and add patterns to compliment.

Shag! 
They're back in a big way! You can choose from an inch to over 5"! Nylon is a way to add vibrant color at an affordable price, but wool, that's the luxury way to go. There are so many new colors available in wool like never before that can be dyed to match what you have,even a paint swatch!
There are beautiful blends now of wool and polyester or wool and nylon. These blends will add sheen to wool.

Hand tufted or hand knotted? 
Nothing beats the luxurious feel of a cut pile wool area rug.
Traditional, transitional or contemporary, these rugs will last forever, with very little care.
They are an investment, but will give years of use and can be handed down to your next generation.
Enjoy your hunt, and then get cozy!

Home Makeovers!

WALLPAPER MAGIC

Needing a quick and easy change? Wallpaper can transform a host of areas in
your home. Take your room from good to great!

Try one of these five clever wallpaper projects from York Wallpaper:

Prettier Private Spaces

Wallpaper can turn a tiresome nightstand or sad-looking screen into inspired eye candy. Making over a throwaway is satisfying and economical.

This zebra wallpaper creates a face-lifting piece that diverts attention from its storehouse functionality.
















The Fabulous Feature Wall

A feature wall is shorthand for sharp interiors, and it’s a popular look because it’s modern and truly transformational.

Covering large areas quickly is easy if you pick an area with no windows, doors or corners to contend with. By doing only one wall, it’s easier to update when trends and tastes change.

Stylish Storage

Break up the boredom of one-color cabinetry by making cabinets a canvas for color and design.

In this project, lining open shelf backs is a style statement while papering the backs of closed cupboards is a just-for-you surprise.

Big Impact for Small Spaces

Enliven an entry or add pizzazz to a powder room with a dashing design that transforms a tiny space -- the bolder the better.

More durable and dramatic than paint, wallpaper has a life span of 10 years.

Wallpaper as Art

Awaken walls with movable art. Just frame paper in decorative molding, artist’s boards or pre-assembled frames to create a clever, changeable style statement.

Window Treatments

What You Didn't Know About Window Treatments

The difference between drapes and curtains, although they are often used interchangeably, is the weight of the material. Curtains are typically a lighter weight window treatment and provide less privacy and insulation, but are very good for accompanying other window treatments, like shades. Height can vary. Drapery is a heavier window treatment with blackout and insulation liners and is usually floor length.

Curtains or drapes do not have to make your home look like a 15^th century castle. Nor will they make your home look like you’re the up-and-coming cat lady. I’ve had numerous design experiences where clients look like they want to run away when I suggest adding curtains or drapes to a modern space. There are numerous ways either drapes or curtains can enhance a modern look, and thousands of photos to prove it! It is true that not every space calls for them, but when it does call, here are the reasons you should listen. 

1.       Compliments High Ceilings

Drapes or curtains can beautifully accent high ceilings by blurring the lines between the ceiling and floor. They will draw the eye up without creating any of the breaks or interruptions that blinds or fitted window covers create. Fireplaces, stairwells, large art pieces, lighting and other tall focal points will be complimented without being competed with. Especially if you’re space consists of low furniture pieces and accents, floor length drapes or curtains are a simple, fluid way of bringing the eye upward from the low furniture pieces and keep the space from looking like an empty cavern.

2.       Functional and Beautiful

The wonderful thing about drapery is that it can be as functional as it is beautiful. By using a thicker fabric or a blackout lining, which is usually the better options with large, tall windows, drapes can be drawn closed to block out or minimize light. Imagine an 8 foot by 10 foot window with wooden shades: it not only looks heavy, but would be heavy to raise and lower. If roller shades or other window fittings are desired, drapes easily work with them, hiding cords and tracks and adding that soft, rich look only fabric can give. Layering sheers and solids makes it easy to control the amount of light coming in while allowing you to bring multiple textures, colors or patterns into the space. 

3.       Livens Up a Blank Wall

More and more often, we are seeing high end contemporary spaces with white or very light walls and finishes. This will actually allow the items you place in the room to stand out. Even a light colored, textured fabric will stand out against a clean white background. Drapes or curtains are also a great way to introduce a new color into a space, and they are large enough to stand alone as a design feature. Contemporary or subtle patterns, bold or soft colors, and varying and interesting textures add interest and liven up your space. 

4.       Unifies the Space

By choosing a fabric that has multiple colors that are also found in your furniture, accents and finishes, drapes or curtains can be used to unify your space, just as a rug or pillows can. It can also repeat a pattern or texture that is found elsewhere in your room. If you want to stay away from patterns, look into two toning your drapes at the 1/3 or 2/3 heights, like pictured above. This feature also makes for more interesting lines throughout the space.  To keep your space neutral and be able to switch up the accents, find a neutral that compliments your bigger furniture pieces, but doesn’t match it exactly (go a shade lighter or darker). The style of your window treatment can definitely tie together or direct the style of your entire space as well. Pay attention to the hardware and header styles as much as the fabric!

5.       Softens Edges and Adds Heights

A big concern with drapes in small spaces is that it will make the space feel crowded or dark. This may be the case with certain traditional drapery styles, but curtains and some drapes usually do the opposite. In the photo above, a light weight sheer fabric in a long simple style adds a new texture to the room that softens the otherwise hard and plain wall and blurs the transition from floor to ceiling, making the low ceiling look taller. Even though they aren’t done in a dramatic contrasting color, they make a big impact on the space without being overwhelming. You may have noticed that many of the floor length window treatments shown here and in other designer photos, the drapery rod is lifted above the window, bringing the drapes or curtains even closer to the ceiling and lifting your eye even higher. Another trick is to extend the window treatment into and around the corner of a wall or between windows. This, again, blurs the lines between one wall and the next and makes the entire space look more continuous (this should only be done with solid fabrics).

If you’re hesitant about curtains or drapes because you’re afraid choosing the wrong color, texture, style, or height, contact a designer to help determine exactly which window treatment will be right for your individual space. Standard height and width window treatments can be purchased almost anywhere, but custom curtains and drapes are easy to have made and allow you to get exactly what you want and need. Now that you are put at ease about window treatments, enjoy all the beauty and functionality your new window treatments are going to provide!

Your local design expert,

Courtney Bulloch 

Lighting-Do Not Overlook It!

One of the easiest yet most important tricks designers use to make any home look fresh, updated and custom is one that anyone can use no matter your home’s size or style, whether it’s a new build, a remodel, or just new décor.  Lighting, as in the actual light cast from fixture, not the fixture itself, is an integral part of any design and is very often overlooked by the DIYer. The layering of lighting in any space is the real key to adding depth, function and comfort. We’ve all heard about the three general layers of lighting: ambient, task, and accent. But knowing where to use what, how much of it, and how to make it as functional as it is decorative are more difficult to figure out. The following advice will give the explanations you need to layout your lighting like a pro!

Just like furniture, finishes, architectural details and other elements define a style, lighting has a huge stylistic impact on a space for several reasons. It casts out shadows, making a room look bigger, or creates shadows, which adds depth and leaves certain points or pieces highlighted. It enhances textures and creates reflections that add to the interest of a space.

Lighting creates a mood or atmosphere: a chandelier centered over a table with dim recessed lights arrayed around the rest of the ceiling can make a dining room intimate; uplights and under cabinet lights in a kitchen make it look alive and highlight the finishes, as well as make it more functional; combining recessed can lights with tall windows make for a bright, welcoming living space any time of day. The more you layer the lighting using recessed cans, ceiling mounted fixtures, track lighting, uplights, table and floor lamps, natural lighting, and dimmers, the more you will enhance and control your look.

Remember what automatically happens when someone walks into a dark room where a movie is playing and switches on the only light? Kinda made you squint just thinking about it, huh? Layering can and should be functional as well as beautiful. Dimmers are a great way to make almost any ambient light functional. They are inexpensive and not as difficult to install as you would think! (Or you could hire an electrician for around $65). During the different times of day, whoever is in the room can adjust the lights to the changing amounts of natural daylight coming in as well as to their task and preferences. You don’t have to be remodeling and tearing out the walls in order to replace the dimmer switches either. Just note that you will have to pay more attention to the bulb you put in the fixture now! Not all bulbs are dimmable. Now your annoying movie disruption will hardly be noticeable.

Now, my pet peeve: when it comes to light switches, dimmers and plugs, make sure they make sense. In one room of my house, you don’t hit the main light until you get to the furthest of three switches! Still haven’t figured out what the others are for. This is, of course, easiest to control when you are building or remodeling, but if you can, really pay attention to the order and location of the controls. Putting certain switches further into the room, or using the on/off switches on a lamp rather than connecting it to a switch are both easy ways to simplify the controls. Many designers say there is no such thing as too much lighting! As long as you can adjust it.

Your Local Interior Designer,

Courtney Bulloch 

White

WHITE-the absence of color, can be as powerful as any color !

White is in fact a trend not only in fashion, but  in home furnishings as well.

Washable fabrics such as micro fibers and Crypton fabrics along with fabric protection and warrantees have enabled us to rest easy and live with beautiful, soothing,refreshing white! 

Thinking ahead to Spring, a time of renewal, not only for our soul, but for what surrounds us in our home.


Monochromatic palettes are always in style. White can be your jumping off point for clean minimal spaces. 

Touches of color can become more exciting with a white background.

Use a white accent wall to highlight and showcase an important piece of art.

Furniture is an easy way to bring white into a room

A white sofa, chair, or area rug will make a bold statement on dark hardwood floors.

Looking forward to Spring!

Paint!

It’s finally 2014 and with the budget emptying out after a wonderful holiday season, here are some fun and easy ways a new paint job can update and refresh a space in a big way, while allowing your bank account some time to recuperate.

We’re not just talking about a fresh coat of white paint: these paint jobs can make a big statement and be pieces of artwork on their own. With free tutorials offered online and in some home improvement stores, this once overwhelming task can now become a fun and useful skill. Below are some of my favorite patterns, both subtle and bold. We can start with my number one choice of print: chevron!

CHEVRON

http://colorchats.benjaminmoore.com/2012/08/chevronherringbonezig-zag/

This pattern is one of my personal favorites because it combines strict, clean geometry with busy movement that leads your eye through a space. Depending on the colors and scale you choose, you can make it youthful and funky, modern and chic, or classy and subtle. The trick to this pattern is not only having good clean tape (which is the key to any good paint job!), but you need to have a template. Without that, it becomes tricky to keep the same angle and width and you lose your clean consistency.  It’s also best to draw any pattern on the wall before painting. Note that when you are repeating colors, it’s easiest to paint the wall in the lightest color first, then you only have to add the accent color or colors.

 

MATTE AND GLOSSY

http://theserovingeyes.blogspot.com/search/label/At%20Home

This is another amazing technique that tops my favorites list! Often times, people turn to bright contrasting colors to make things interesting. But that is only one way to add contrast: try alternating matte and glossy paints of the same color in a striped pattern, or any pattern you like! The sheens will catch light in different ways and even change with the moving daylight and other lighting. This works with both bright colors and neutrals. When it comes to the direction of your stripe, run it horizontally if you would like to elongate or unite a space and run it vertically if you would like it to look taller or draw your eye upward.

 

GEOMETRIC SHAPE

http://blog.bettinaholst.dk/

For something really unique, skip the repeating pattern and go big and artistic. Random angles and abstract shapes don’t have to look like a Picasso painting covering your wall; just a few outlines or shapes  will give the room some excitement and movement. As with all patterns and techniques, the colors you choose will determine the intensity or subtlety of it. One option is to tape off three or four sections of a wall at random angles, then make each section one shade darker than the last. These accents work especially great in dining rooms, entry ways, hallways, offices or anywhere else that has a large empty wall.

PAINT THE CEILING

http://daviddangerous.blogspot.com/2012/02/painted-ceilings.html

To finish my list of favorite big impact paint tricks on a high note, try painting your ceiling! First, you have to determine what effect you want to have on the space. For a more dramatic look, go for a darker or saturated color. Don’t be afraid of black! It looks great with white walls. For something softer that will keep the room bright and open, choose a lighter color. For a seamless, neutral scheme, paint the ceiling the same shade or just one shade lighter than your walls. For a clean, contemporary approach, keep you walls white and add a bright pop of color to just the ceiling. Painting your ceiling will add a lot of depth to a space, especially if you have crown molding or soffits. This will also draw a person’s eye upward as they enter a space. While deep or dark colors may make a small room look intimate, you may need to be careful, as the wrong color or a dark shade can make certain rooms seem even smaller and closed in. Make sure you bring in lots of light and textures to help balance this out.

Check out 100 other amazing wall paint ideas that are clean, modern and easy, as long as you have good tape!

http://www.remodelaholic.com/2013/07/25-interior-painting-ideas/

2014's Color of the Year! Radiant Orchid

Yes, Orchid, (and I mean purple) is 2014's color of the year! We love it because it's contemporary, vibrant and fresh! We have been using it in our designs for years and it's finally getting it's just reward! Just as we use the color purple to accent our wardrobes with scarves, hats, and jewelry, (not to mention, blouses, sweaters, jeans, coats and so much more!) so should we accent our homes with touches of orchid. Why not a fresh orchid? They last about 3 months with very little care, and they're  easy on the pocketbook.

Many shades of orchid work well with browns, taupes, grays, black and of course,white and creams.

After all the Christmas decorations are taken down, our rooms look a little bare and even uninspired. Time to get to work on those accents! Don't be afraid to paint a wall or find pillows, throws, and area rugs with purple. You'll elevate your mood and maybe even find that long buried creative side you thought you'd never had!

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in a statement that the color of 2014 is “an invitation to innovation” that “encourages expanded creativity and originality.” She also claims it’s a color that Michelle Obama often wears and notes designers like Max Mara, Marc Jacobs, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermengildo Zegnahave have been incorporating orchid hues into their collections in the past year, the AP reports.

Read more: Radiant Orchid Is Pantone's 2014 Color of the Year | TIME.com http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/05/this-is-the-color-of-the-year-for-2014/#ixzz2oiPvTOZeside you wished you had!
Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in a statement that the color of 2014 is “an invitation to innovation” that “encourages expanded creativity and originality.” She also claims it’s a color that Michelle Obama often wears and notes designers like Max Mara, Marc Jacobs, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermengildo Zegnahave have been incorporating orchid hues into their collections in the past year, the AP reports.

Read more: Radiant Orchid Is Pantone's 2014 Color of the Year | TIME.com http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/05/this-is-the-color-of-the-year-for-2014/#ixzz2oiPvTOZe

Here's to 2014!