Custom Chair is ready to ship

We are excited to hear that a chair we were having made is ready to ship!   It is made from a 

F. Schumacher fabric and will be going into a living room in Martha's Vineyard. 

Primitive Mural - Bernards Township

My partner, Bill Totten, is busy working on a primitive mural of Bernards Township for a client of ours.  He is including some great historical elements, including a home once owned by our clients family.  This is sure to be a very beautiful and personal space.

"The Schooner Elsie Martin Welch Master"

Found this beautiful painting for a client this week. :-)
Thaddeus Bannister (US 1915-83) Oil on canvas, "The Schooner Elsie Martin Welch Master"

Converting an Living Room to an OFFICE today :-)

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How to Accessorize your Rooms

We can't believe how fast time is passing and we hope you are all enjoying the holiday season! Our Fall Column was published in October and we thought we would finally share it with you. This article is about how to accessorize your rooms and it was featured in the fall issue of the Bernards Ridge Connection Magazine.  Feel free to email us your design questions and we will try to answer them all! Attached is our recent publication for your enjoyment: http://files.me.com/tottenmcguirl/jfx4o6

Warmest Regards,

William Totten & Linda McGuirl

Totten-McGuirl Interiors

Webpage: www.Totten-McGuirl.com
 908-580-9572

Decorating Express

 

Here is a picture of our  Drive by/Hand OFF at the D&D building yesterday.  We needed to find another trim fabric for a client as the one we selected was discontinued.  My partner Bill was in the building and I was in the city on other business, but I had the main fabric.  I decided to drive by the D&D and since there is NO STOPPING on 3rd Avenue (unless you are a bus) we quickly handed off  the fabrics out the window! We do what we can do!   

Picture Frames - How to Hang Them Properly

As seen in doityourself.com, here’s how to hang picture frames properly:http://www.doityourself.com/stry/hangpicturehelp

Is Wallpaper In or Out?

Wallpaper is definitely "In"! It is important to choose the right wallpaper for the rooms that you have decided to paper and do not over use it. In choosing the correct wallpaper you must consider the scale, pattern, color, texture the durability of the papers and then balance your selections with the other non-papered rooms in the house. Many people consider wallpaper to be "old fashioned". This could not be further from the truth as there are a myriad of new exciting wallpapers on the market now. Choosing a few appropriate wallpapers and coordinating it with the other textiles in your home is crucial to good design.

To begin, do not over use it in your home. Choose some rooms that would benefit from the use of wallpaper, and then consider straight paint and glazed finishes for the other areas. In the 1950's through the 1970's there was an abundance of wallpaper usage and many homes had wallpaper in virtually every room. In the 1980's through the 1990's many homeowners replaced all of there wallpapers with decorative finishes such as ragging, sponging and stippling as will as faux finishes which included faux bois (French for fake wood) and faux marble. In the past decade we have seen a trend towards too much straight paint. The key is to balance the use of wallpaper coordinating them with some straight paint as well as some decorative finishes throughout your home.

It is also important to consider is the scale of the wallpaper print in relation to the space. For instance, in a two-story area, we often choose large-scale patterns to fill the wall space. In smaller areas, such as a powder room, we might opt for small or medium scale prints. Sometimes, however, we select large-scale prints in smaller areas for a more dramatic effect. Selecting the right pattern for a space and varying the patterns throughout your paper selection is imperative. In rooms with low ceilings we tend to select papers that have upward vertical patterns, such as a stripe or a climbing vine, as these patterns add to the illusion of height. In large open areas we often use larger patterns to fill the walls. In smaller area's we usually select a small or mid-scale geometric pattern, or an overall scenic print. In addition, be sure to vary your pattern selection. For example, if you choose a stripe for one area, you might consider using a geometric pattern for another space or an alternative vertical pattern if the space requires the illusion of more height.

Be very careful to select wallpapers that have colors which coordinate well with the other rooms in your home and choose the type of paper based on the room’s usage. We often use wallpaper in an entrance hall as it adds immediate interest and sets the tone for the rest of the house. Since foyers are most often adjacent to the main rooms of the house, it is vital that you choose a color and pattern that will blend well with the colors in the other rooms. Be sure to keep in mind the other textiles and coordinate the wallpapers with the fabrics and rugs throughout your home. Try to vary the textures of the wallpapers that you select for your home and choose them according to the way in which the room will be used. For example, if you have fine smooth wallpaper in one area, you may want to select a highly textured one for another. In large high traffic areas , such as a family room, choose a more durable paper such as grass cloth wallpaper which adds great texture and warmth. For smaller high traffic areas, like a powder room, consider applying the wallpaper above a chair rail to avoid damage to the paper. Finally, when using the finer more delicate papers, apply a coat of Ronan Decorators Varnish in dead flat, which never yellows and helps to protect the paper.

The key to good design with wallpaper is to select the right scale, vary the patterns, choose co-coordinating colors, add some interesting textures, consider the usage of the space and then balance the use of wallpapers with some straight paint, and decorative finishes. You will be amazed how wallpaper can enhance your home when chosen correctly!

Thank you PM Magazine for your great Press!

Before, During & After Pictures of a Showhouse Room.

  The Library/Game Room - Princeton Designer Showhouse and Gardens XVI

We just dismantled our Library/Game Room at the Princeton Designer Showhouse and Gardens XVI and thought some of you might like to see some before, during and after pictures. Below are two photographs taken of the formal library when we arrived to look at the space in February.  The room was very dark and dreary.  The woodwork was beautiful, but it was dull and tired.  The window treatment was designed with too many straight lines for the room and the fabric selection did not compliment the wood which dominated the space.  The floor was covered with a wall to wall carpet and it was dry rotted. We had our work cut out for us!

First we evaluated the architecture and decided to create a Library/Game Room. After designing the room layout, we went to the Decorating and Design Building (D&D) in NYC and selected our fabrics.  We needed color, interest and reflection in the room and we looked for fabrics that would bring the room to life. We were very excited when we found a Ikat patterned cotton velvet by F. Schumacher and Co. http://www.fschumacher.com/ in the bright and warm colors of red, brown, orange and cream.  This was the fabric that we based the rest of our selections on.  It was warm to go with the existing chestnut bookcases, but bright and bold and a great scale for our space.  It was also very luxurious and a classic design that would fit right into this Georgian Style home. We decided to create soft roman window shades with side tails from the fabric and trim the bottom of the window treatments with a fun wooden bobbin trim from Samual and Sons http://www.samuelandsons.com/ for added interest. 


We found a coordinating great brown fabric from Duralee http://www.duralee.com/ that replicated burlap, but it was softer to the hand as it was made from recycled fabrics.  We decided this fabric would be perfect to cover a game table and we found a wide trim from F. Schumacher and Co. in red and gold that we positioned near the bottom of the skirt.  In the meantime, we contacted our furniture maker and he graciously volunteered his services and created the game table for us. We also called our local glass shop they offered to donate the glass top.  We are feeling the love.

For the chairs in our room we needed something zippy. We were excited to discover a new fabric by Brunschwig and Fils www.brunschwig.com called Zig Zag that was a red and orange chenille and full of energy.  It was also reversible so it gave us some options in how we could use it.  Initially we intended to show the side that showed more red, but as the room evolved we flipped it to the orange side and the balance was just perfect.  Our upholster worked hard on creating these chairs and they were a show stopper. 

We had decided to remove one section of bookshelves and create a bulletin board area where we would show off game scores and ribbons.  We found a great oversized  red and gold trim, but finding a simple red fabric that worked with the other reds was one of the hardest tasks in this room.  Finally, after several shopping trips, we found a cotton fabric from Pindler and Pindler www.pindler.com that fit right in. It was the least expensive fabric in our space, yet the most difficult to select due to the fact that colors look very different in the rooms they are in.  Be sure when you are designing a room to look at each of the fabrics in your space both night and day! Fabrics have a way of changing with the light and the space they are in.

For the ceiling we chose a reflective gold wallpaper that simulated Chinese Tea paper.  Our first selection was back-ordered for 12 weeks and we only had 8 weeks to design our spaces, so we found an alternative from Cowtan and Tout www.cowtan.com and we liked it better then our first selection. We love when "upsets" work out for the best!  For added reflection, we applied acrylic strips of mirror to the back of the bookcase.  Since we could not install mirror perminently, this was a safe alternative to the glass mirror and it was a very easy installation.  It does attract dust and dirt and is hard to clean, so we woudn't recommend it for a home, but it was perfect for our temporary showhouse room.

Lighting was our next critical design task.  We replaced an old flush mounted fixture that was very small with a beautiful brass lantern with a leaf motif from Vaughn Lighting.  www.vaughandesigns.com  We then found a great pair of floor lamps from Vaughn as well in the shape of twigs that coordinated perfectly.  Vaughn was kind enough to loan us their lighting and it was very well received by the visitors of the showhouse. We also included an old pair of Brass Repousse Sconces over the fireplace.  To balance the formal elements in the room, we selected a chuncky hand-spun jute carpet.  Once we pulled up the old carpet and discovered the beautiful wide plank wood flooring,  we decided to use the jute as an area rug.    

We cleaned the bookcases with Min Wax and faux painted (Faux Bois) the switch plates to make them look like the wood. We washed the windows and cleaned the floor.  Back in our Design Studio we created planters which were glazed and then decoupaged with 18th century playing cards.  We filled them with Ivy and placed them on three of the deep window sills. We then went antique shopping and found wonderful objects and old games and placed them within the shelves between the books.  We also contacted local artist and found some wonderful paintings for the room which we included on the shelves and the walls.   Finally, we set the game table up for some poker and included a bar area filled with Root Beer.  Let the games begin!

Special thanks to all of our contributors especially those who donated their goods and services including Intradex Upholstery, Debbie Fico, Scott Hain, Mauro Rigante Woodworking, R.B. Electric, Woven Floors, Dave Jergenson Paper Hanging,  Fiberseal of New Jersey, Basking Ridge Glass, Queripel Interiors, G. Evans LTD., Sign of the Tymes, Sweet Peas, Debbie Seymour and Studio 7. 

The Great Lady Decorators

I was given a beautiful book for Mothers Day from my wonderful in-laws , "The Great Lady Decorators" by Adam Lewis for Rizzoli. I can hardly wait to go through it all.  I was very pleased to see an article in House Beautiful on the Designer Tips that are included in this book. 

http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/ideas/timeless-design-rules

Take a look at the 9 Timeless Design Rules by various Top Female Designers and pick your favorite! Right now for me, Number 7 is my pick. What's yours?

1. "Every room has a mood or personality…and it is this that one desires to develop." —Eleanor Brown

2. "Make the husband happy, and the job is done." —Frances Elkins

3. "Believe in optimism and plenty of white paint." —Elsie de Wolfe

4. "If you make a compromise — selecting something cheaper than what you really like — it compromises you, because you are never really happy with the result." —Rose Cumming

5. "There is one fundamental fact about lighting: Where there is no light, there is no beauty." —Ruby Ross Wood

6. "You can never achieve anything in a house unless you have things that have been passed down and you find a place for them for yourself." —Sister Parish

7. "Crossing too many t's and dotting too many i's make a room look overdone and tiresome. One should create something that fires the imagination without overemphasis." —Nancy Lancaster

8. "Love is essential to the decoration of a house....A room must say, 'My love is here,' or 'My love has just left,' or 'I'm waiting for my love to arrive.'" —Madeleine Castaing

9. "Too often when we're buying or building a house, we do not consider each room. We are carried away by one charming feature and are blind to details that will give us trouble later on." —Dorothy Draper

Princeton Designer Showhouse & Gardens comes to an end.

The Princeton Designer Showhouse & Gardens XVI has officially come to an end. Over thirty top Interior Designers and Landscapers were featured inside and outside an elegant Stone Georgian Home which was built in 1937. The Showhouse was open for a month to the public and today the designers each began to dismantle their rooms. Totten-McGuirl Interiors was honored to have been selected to design a Library/Game Room and it is hard to believe that it is all over now.  We fell in love with our room, so today as we took it all away, it was bittersweet. I will miss seeing all the other designers and the Junior League members who run the show so well.  We have all become so close over these past few months.  However, I am certainly looking forward to a day off tomorrow, the first in a very long time! To learn more about the Showhouse and Junior League of Great Princeton visit: www.jlgp.org. 

Design Trends In Fabrics Coming To The Interiors

While we typically try not to follow “trends” in design, we do find that the colors and patterns that we gravitate to does vary over time as the textiles available to us change with the seasons. This Spring, in opposition to the economic doom-and-gloom, we are seeing an array of bright happy colors including yellow, orange, red, aqua, purple, pink and indigo. In addition, the manufactures are displaying an assortment of grays mixed in with these new colors. Some might say that "gray" has become the new neutral in both fashion and interiors.

Be on the look out for dynamic large-scale patterns this year. These patterns are being offered in a variety of sophisticated designs and color-ways. For instance, stripes have always in, but now they are featured in larger scales and are typically bolder in design. We are also seeing larger scale floral and geometric patterns. Stripes and geometric patterns have always been staples in our design process as they can be used in traditional, transitional and modern settings. As always, we suggest choosing textiles and furnishings that coordinate with your personality as well as the architecture of your home. Choose patterns and colors that you love. Also, as with fashion, choose textiles that you look good in! Although you will not be wearing them, you will hopefully be spending a lot of time around them as you live and entertain in your home