Front Porch Styling

If you’re lucky enough to have a good sized front porch, you may be thinking about sprucing it up so that you can enjoy it during the spring and summer months ahead. Below are my tips for creating a cozy and stylish porch perfect for sunny spring days and warm summer nights.

Light Fixtures

People are often intimidated by projects involving electrical wiring, however changing light fixtures is relatively easy and can have a big impact. If your house has old or outdated lighting, think about swapping in something new to give it a fresh look.

Gaudencia Outdoor Wall Lantern, Wayfair

Seating

Rock, recline, swivel or swing — seating is essential for a porch. Pick whichever seating style suits your needs, then relax and watch the lazy summer days go by.

Pillows

Style your seating with pillows in your favorite colors, or with pillows that are specific to the season.

Fall Porch Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

Plants

Porches are a great middle ground between the full indoors and full outdoors, and plants help bridge that gap, “bringing the outdoors in,” as they say. As I mentioned in my previous post, plants also help finish a space and give it a cozy feel.

Traditional Porch Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

Doormats & Rugs

Doormats are a great way to welcome guests while at the same time injecting your unique personality. Rugs will help define the seating area–adding pattern, texture and visual interest, while also breaking up the hardscape of your porch floor.

Modern Farmhouse Porch Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

Wreaths

Wreaths aren’t just for holidays anymore…they come in all sorts of styles now, and are a great way to add pops of color to your porch.

Summer Porch Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

Door Color

Painting a front door an accent color is a quick, easy and inexpensive way to enhance both curb and porch appeal.

Tropical Porch Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

Address Numbers

If your address is on your porch (vs. on the roofline or near the garage doors, etc), consider swapping in a more stylish option for a more contemporary feel.

Modern Porch Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

Spring is here and summer is around the corner – make sure your porch is ready for outdoor living. With these easy updates, you can make your porch the perfect spot to enjoy the warmer months ahead.

Styling with Plants

One of the easiest ways to spruce up a space is to add greenery – real or faux. If you’re into caring for live plants, that’s great, but the artificial ones have come a long way in terms of looking and feeling realistic also, so if you don’t have a green thumb, don’t worry – you can still enjoy the look of greenery in your space.

I add them to almost every design for several reasons — plants help a space feel more fresh, more stylish, more finished, and most importantly, more cozy and “lived in.”

If you’re wondering where to add them, consider any dead space that you have in the room, such as in corners or next to sideboards or TV stands.

Contemporary Dining Room, Black Cat Interiors

Plants also add a nice pop of green to shelves:

Bookshelf Styling, Black Cat Interiors

And work great as centerpieces on table top spaces:

Coffee Table Styling, Black Cat Interiors

If your style leans boho or organic, use lots of plants:

Boho Living Room Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

However, if you tend more toward modern or mid-century, then keep the plants simple:

Mid-Century Modern Bedroom Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

If you love a coastal look, then incorporate tropical plants into your space:

If you’re familiar with my work, you may have figured out that my favorite plant is the fiddle leaf fig tree.

Artificial Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree, Black Cat Interiors

Wildly popular and versatile, this beautiful plant seamlessly integrates into almost any style or space–note that in the above designs, I used it in boho, contemporary and mid-century designs.

As mentioned, indoor plants are a quick and easy way to enhance the overall appearance of a space and one of my favorite finishing touches. Studies also show that plants can enhance moods, increase creativity, reduce stress, and–if using live plants–can eliminate air pollutants. So when putting together your spaces, don’t forget the plants.

Working with Existing Pieces

Many clients ask me at the beginning of a project whether I can work with their existing pieces and/or design choices — art, furniture, flooring, tile, etc. As I’ve said in a few of my other posts, the answer is, it depends…

Existing elements can always be worked into a design but the end result may not always be what was desired. For example, many clients have dark leather furniture for practical reasons, i.e. durability and ease of maintenance mainly — but want a light and airy coastal design like this:

Barclay Butera Upholstery Upholstered Ottoman, Wayfair

So, can we incorporate dark leather furniture and still get this look? Not quite. Yes we can do an overall coastal look — but no, the design won’t be quite as light and airy as the picture above, because the light and airy feel is accomplished (in part) from the main pieces…which are white.

All hope isn’t lost however, and I’m always happy to try to incorporate existing pieces since it saves time and budget. So, a couple of options here:

Option 1: we incorporate the existing black leather seating but keep everything else light and airy to balance it; we’ll get a hybrid look that isn’t quite as breezy, but still has a coastal feel:

Modern Coastal Living Room Moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

Option 2: we modify the existing seating; adding a custom-made slipcover will accomplish both goals of keeping the existing furniture while still achieving a light and airy feel.

Sometimes however, the best way to proceed is to replace the item. One of my recent projects was converting a nursery into a little boy’s room. There was a bed similar to the one below in the room that the client was hoping to use:

I love the bed itself, however its curved lines and nailhead trim have a feminine feel that didn’t fit with the aesthetic the client was wanting for her son’s room. She also wanted additional storage since there wasn’t a real closet in the room, so a new bed solved for both issues:

Shelter Side Storage Bed, West Elm

West Elm’s Shelter storage bed had cleaner lines that fit the design aesthetic, and provided the additional storage that the room needed.

Space Themed Boy’s Bedroom Design by Black Cat Interiors

In some cases however, the existing furniture works great. As shown in the photo below, the client already owned a bed, nightstands, floating shelves and a floor lamp (also not visible here, a large wall mirror and recliner):

Since the existing items fit the overall aesthetic the client was wanting, I incorporated all items, just adding a few touches to make the room feel more finished:

Transitional Bedroom Design by Black Cat Interiors

Circling back to Option 2 above, for those not afraid of DIY and some elbow grease, keeping existing elements and modifying them can save a lot of money. The moodboard below includes several relatively easy updates for a small kitchenette in the basement of a vacation rental. Painting cabinets and swapping out hardware are well-known updates, but did you know that appliances can be painted? Or that epoxy kits can refinish countertops to look like marble?

Coastal Kitchenette Design by Black Cat Interiors

If you’re unsure about whether to work with an existing item when redesigning a space, start by asking yourself,

1. does the item fit the design aesthetic that you’re wanting? if not, ask yourself…
2. are you OK with the compromise, noting that it is perfectly fine to mix styles as long as you like the end result. If you don’t want to compromise on the overall “look” however, consider…
3. modifying the existing item(s), i.e. painting/staining, slipcover/re-upholstering, etc. so that it better fits the design.

Still stuck? Contact me, I’d be happy to help!

Outdoor Living

With summer approaching – like me – you might be thinking about your patio and outdoor living. If you have a big open space, furnishing your patio can be intimidating — a lot of my clients say they “don’t know where to start.” Similar to my recent post about designing basements, I approach designing patios by determining function first, then creating zones. Start by asking yourself, ‘How am I going to use the space?’

Projects can vary of course in size and scale, from tiny porches or patios with seating just for 2, to expansive patios with multiple levels and areas, etc, but in general when I ask clients how they’re going to use the space, the majority of them tell me, 1) sitting/lounging, and 2) dining. So let’s start there – in the moodboard below, I’ve included 2 zones, a lounge area, and a dining area.

Contemporary Patio Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

When choosing furniture, think about things such as, how many people you’d like to seat, flexibility (i.e. modular furniture that can be moved around/repositioned), longevity, and the texture that you prefer. I personally tend towards wicker (or wicker-look), and sectionals to maximize seating…

Beachcroft 3-Piece Outdoor Seating Set, Wayfair

…but the wood look and/or teak is definitely growing on me. I like the clean lines and warm texture that it adds to a space.

Lubek Sectional, Article

I don’t personally love the look of metal or composite furniture, however if durability, longevity and low maintenance are at the top of your priority list, you can’t beat them.

Patio Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

Once you’ve identified your functions or zones, think about what other needs you might have, such as shade or protection from the elements. Cantilever umbrellas are great if you only need shade part of the time.

Coastal Patio Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

Or, for a more full-time solution, consider adding a pergola.

Contemporary Patio 3D Rendering, Black Cat Interiors

If you need privacy from neighbors, consider adding a screen.

Modern Patio 3D Rendering, Black Cat Interiors

After you’ve identified the main functions, think about finishing touches such as rugs, pillows, side tables and planters.

Modern Patio Moodboard, Black Cat Interiors

Lastly, don’t forget the lighting. From hard-wired fixtures, to solar options, exterior lighting is a great way to add ambiance to your outdoor space.

Exterior Lighting Consult, Black Cat Interiors

Use these tips to get the most out of spring and summer by getting your patio ready for outdoor living. Need more guidance? Contact me – I’d be happy to help!

Go Green

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, let’s take a look at greens. I don’t typically gravitate towards green as an accent or main color but when I’m asked to use it, I find that I like it quite a bit.

In this modern glam condo, I love the deep dark greens paired with light soft neutrals, and gold accents.

Modern Glam Living Room 3D Rendering by Black Cat Interiors

Modern Glam Kitchen Moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

Soft sages and rich olives work well across a broad range of styles, from Transitional…

Transitional Foyer Moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

…to Modern/Contemporary.

Modern/Contemporary Living Room Moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

Greens are associated with nature, so ideal for outdoor spaces.

Contemporary Patio Moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

Greens also pair well with other accent colors, such as blush…

Green and Blush Home Office 3D Rendering by Black Cat Interiors

Green and Blush Bedroom 3D Rendering by Black Cat Interiors

…and blue.

Coastal Living Room Moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

I love greens on cabinetry, such as in kitchens…

Transitional Kitchen 3D Rendering by Black Cat Interiors

And bathrooms…

Contemporary Bathroom 3D Rendering by Black Cat Interiors

But green doesn’t have to just be an accent color. If – unlike me – you do gravitate towards greens, embrace it! Put it on your walls…

Greens Interior Paint Palette by Black Cat Interiors. All Room Images, Wayfair.com. Stack of Bamboos in Thailand Image by Remy Musser.

Or even on your house…

Exterior Paint Consultation Before and After by Black Cat Interiors
https://www.shopblackcatinteriors.com/product-page/exterior-paint-consultation

Green is often described as refreshing and tranquil and thought to represent tranquility, good luck, and health. If you’re ready to make a change to your home’s interior or exterior, consider going green.

Color Pairing

One of the questions I receive most often from clients is, “Do these colors work together?“ The answer is both simple and complex. Simple, because almost any colors can work together, IF (the complex part) done correctly.

So how do you put colors together correctly? There are lots and lots of ways, but here are a few of my simple tips:

• Create a neutral backdrop (beiges, ivories, whites, blacks, browns, grays, metals, wood tones) with your main pieces (sofa, rug, chairs, walls), then add one accent color of your choice via accessories (pillows, art, blankets, decor, etc.). Since your backdrop is neutral (i.e. not considered “colors”), any accent color will work great. In the living room moodboard below, the majority of the items are neutral, and I used navy as the pop of color.

Coastal Living Room Moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

In the bedroom moodboard below, I created a neutral backdrop with the main items, and added a pop of sunny yellow.

Transitional Bedroom Moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

• Another fail safe method is to pair analogous colors–that is, colors that are next to each other on the color wheel such as blue and green. Colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel will almost always create a harmonious palette.

Coastal Living Room Moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

Back Patio Deck Interior Design 3D Rendering by Black Cat Interiors

• If you’re more bold and want to pair colors that aren’t as commonly found together but aren’t sure how to do it, start with one main item that already has the colors–such as a rug, or wall art–then pull those colors into the space via accessories. In the moodboard below, the art above the bed establishes the seafoam green and orange color palette, then I repeated those colors throughout the space.

Seafoam Green and Orange Bedroom Moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

• Rely on Mother Nature. In the moodboard below, I paired pink with green, a combo we’re used to seeing in nature via flowers, fruit, birds, etc.

Blush and Green Bedroom 3D Rendering by Black Cat Interiors

So, the short answer is, “Yes. The colors do work together.” Or, I should say, they can work together, IF paired correctly. Still not sure? Contact me – I’m happy to help!

Farmhouse Style

Farmhouse living room prepackaged moodboard by Black Cat Interiors

Farmhouse style became extremely popular years ago due to a certain show where the hosts “fixed up” old homes (I won’t name names 😀), and the style still going strong today! If you’re in love with this style like so many others, here are some tips to help achieve the look:

• Use natural wood textures to add warmth and character; the more imperfect and/or reclaimed the wood finish, the more rustic your farmhouse space will be.
• Choose a neutral color palette. Earthy neutrals like browns and ivories work well with wood textures, and while farmhouse designs don’t have to be neutral, they are generally associated with colors and textures that you would find in nature (or on a farm).
• Add greenery such as trees, table top plants, dried leaf arrangements, etc.
• Layer rich and natural materials and textiles such as linen, cotton, or wool.
• Choose art that’s inspired by nature.
• Use traditional patterns such as plaid or grainsack inspired stripes.
• Add a splash of galvanized metal–a material reminiscent of what you would find on a farm.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be on your way to the rustic charm of Farmhouse style, creating a look in your home that’s both cozy and stylish.