Creative Ways to Light Up Your Home

The addition and layout of proper lighting can really change the ambiance of your space. If you're wondering how to layer different types of lighting to achieve the mood you're looking for, then keep reading! 

Below are three ways to get your layers of lighting right.

1. Mix Bases & Match Shades

If you're anything like us, you're drawn to the interest that mixing and matching designs can bring to a room. A great example of this is when you switch up lamp bases. Placing a floor and table lamp in various parts of your room will serve different purposes, while simultaneously working together to create a warm lightening scheme. By simply adding the same shade to both bases, it creates a connection between the lamps even though the style of both are very different.

2. Get the Scale Right

If done right, overhead lighting can not only compliment your space but also act as a focal point. Before choosing an overhead light fixture, it's important to take into consideration its size and purpose. Is this fixture just an addition to other light sources or will it be your main supply of light? What is the room used for? These are some of the questions to contemplate before making a style decision on your overhead light. Below is an amazing example of scaling to perfection with the great pairing of the Lindsey Adelman ceiling lamp with the Stilnovo bedside ceiling lamps!

3. Lampshade Fabrics are Important

What we like to do is replace whatever shades lamps come with in favor of something more custom or fitting to the desired style. It is also important to consider how much light you want to radiate as the shade will dictate that. If you're looking for more ambiance, then fabric-covered shades will offer that. For more diffused looking light, linen is what you want. For the brightest light, stick with a sharp white shade. 

Accessorizing your space is fun and choosing the right pieces to achieve your desired statement is what we're best at! Contact us today! 

Celebrity Home Styling

Have you ever wanted to take a peek inside your favorite celebrity's house to get an idea of their taste in home styling? Well, we're here to deliver you just that! Below we'll take a look at three of our favorite celebrities on this fun home tour!

Jennifer Anniston's 1970's Retreat

Jennifer transformed the below residence by, Harold W. Levitt into an inviting retreat perfect for large gatherings. The actress' main goal was to create a quiet, Zen-like retreat that also provided a sense of drama for entertainment. The texture and richness of Brazilian cumaru was the palette used throughout. In addition, much of the wood was not cut but harvested from fallen trees - a nod to her desire for an eco-friendly environment. In Anniston's own words, "Designing a house is like doing a movie: Once you're done, you want to say, 'I hope you all enjoy it.'" It's clear she does and so do we! 

Bing Crosby's Mid-Century Home

The former home of legendary entertainer, Bing Crosby is located in Thunderbird Heights, a neighborhood in the Coachella valley. Spread over a single story, with a great room complete with a grand stone fireplace and bar, making it central to the layout. Hand-carved Moroccan doors that lead to an amazing chef's kitchen in addition to a master suite which is a massive, 1,400 square feet. Spanning more than an acre, the estate's manicured grounds are the picturesque backdrop for a large pool, spa, and fire pit. This dream home comes equipped with 6 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, and is just under 7,000 square feet!

Magic Johnson's Southern California Home

A relaxing place to call home on the coast of Southern California is what basketball legend, Magic Johnson achieved with his residence. The airy kitchen overlooks the ocean, it's steps from the sand, Meditteranean architecture, and with great, indoor-outdoor flow. To compliment the house's light walls and dark wood, sturdy pieces of ebony-colored woven leather with sandy-white cushions and blue accent pillows were added. This magnificent home also comes with a 14 seat media room, a 133-inch screen, and a state-of-the-art control system. The whole point of their house was to be fun, comfortable, and inviting! 

It's always fun to see the heart and soul celebrities put into the design of their home, but you don't have to be a celebrity to get home styling you dream about. Whether you're looking to achieve an ocean oasis, a warm, relaxing retreat, a shabby chic loft, a Mid-Century design or anything else, we can help you! 

January To-Dos

Depending on where you live, January can be a very cold and dark month, but it doesn't have to be! The start of a new year is also a great time for bold beginnings. Give your space a little mid-winter TLC with our three to-dos below.

Plan big home projects for the year ahead

If you're thinking of remodeling, painting or updating your home styling and design, it's good to get the ball rolling early. Start to think about what your personal design style is, and then contact us so that we can turn your project into a reality. 

Clear clutter

The start of a new year is a great time to clear out the clutter that has accumulated over the past 365 days. If dealing with the whole house seems like a daunting task, just focus on a few areas at a time (e.g., closet, kitchen, etc.). Let these refreshed spaces motivate you to stick to a manageable and clutter-free home.

Try something new

If your design style has changed since you first moved into your place, and you're ready to venture out, January is the perfect time to do so. You can start small with some accessories and reference back to our Home Styling How To blog post to help get you started! In many cases, just the addition of artwork into your space can change the whole look and feel. This can inspire you to continue adding pieces that make sense to the overall goal you're looking to achieve.

Make the most of January by clearing space, dreaming up plans for the year ahead, and pushing yourself out of your design comfort zone! We can help! Contact us.

Home Styling How To

Walking around your home and wondering what to do with all that open space or maybe you want a fresh new look? Home Styling is something we specialize in at Design & Manage. It doesn't matter if your style is Mid-Century, Contemporary, Industrial, Bohemium, Urban Modern or Traditional, we are here to give your space a custom design that is uniquely you!

If your space is like the image above, the first step is to allow us to source all the necessary materials, artwork, furniture and accessories to show the boldness and personality of your home style. The possibilities are endless when sourcing home furnishings! We take our time to make sure each piece tells a story and evokes a feeling when placed in your home. We venture to estate sales, vintage shops, resale shops, flea markets, antique markets and retailers that offer less mass market options.  Let us do the work so you can focus on entertaining in style!

Follow along as we take all the furnishings we sourced from above, and more, to turn our client's basic space into a custom design fit only for them! Stay tuned!

Decorating Ideas for Your New Year's Eve Party

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to start planning your next big party - of course, we're talking about New Year's Eve! This is the perfect time to let your creative juices flow! We're here to help make your celebration feel complete with a few simple design ideas sure to make your party stand out from the rest!  

Sophisticated celebratory colors like black, white, silver, and gold can be used to dress your party room. Try to keep everything in this color scheme and pick one main color and use for at least half of your decor and then the other three colors for accents. You can even add your pops of color from your food like chocolate covered strawberries or red velvet cupcakes! 

Since parties typically center around food and drinks, make sure your table is the main attraction! That's easy to do with a simple black or white tablecloth, placemats in your color palette, gold flatware, wine glasses, and crystal candle holders with silver or gold candles! Those are just a few ideas to get you started. Of course, customize the table decorations to fit your party needs and personal design style! 

Every party needs a conversation piece so why not use a bare wall in your house to make that statement! Try something fun like decorating the wall with streamers or a metallic fringed backdrop to create a memorable photo booth. Or, hang black wallpaper and let your guests write with gold pens fun notes, their resolutions or hilarious stories from this past year. You can then take the wallpaper down and have a keepsake for years to come! 

Decorating for a party should be fun! Don't get overwhelmed by all of the options. Just start with a theme or color palette and let your creativity take over! There are no rules other than making sure your decorations are a reflection of who you are, and what you want your guests to remember!

Cheers to an exciting 2017!!!