Shaping the Shell Chapter III-Review of House Beautiful's 750 Designer Secrets

Shaping the Shell is all about what to do with your walls, windows, ceilings, and floors. A lot of the ideas in this chapter require other design professionals. Specifically, the design ideas are more complex, for example, requiring walls of windows to be installed, adding tray ceilings, widening doorways between rooms, etc. Most of the ideas in this chapter are about restructuring the room. And, whereas these design ideas are just as helpful as the design ideas in the other chapters, they require more professional help, more preparation and more dollars. Everything in its place. So, let's start with idea #189,

Idea #189, "For rooms with views avoid curtains with patterns." Isn't this decorating 101? It's an essential tip that should never be ignored. It's wonderful to play up the view outside your home, whether it be cityscape, suburban-ia, rural farmland, beachfront, or, how about the desert sands? There's nothing like the beauty of nature, don't cover it with windowwear that smothers. Accentuate sparingly, or not at all.

Idea #211, "Line the curtains in different rooms with the same fabric so the house has a uniform look when viewed from the yard." This design idea gives uniformity to your home, enhancing its curb appeal. It lends a polished look as opposed to having different curtain designs in every window. Different curtain designs in every room can look tacky from outside and take away from your home's well-cared for appeal.

Idea #215, "Add an element of surprise to streamlined draperies by lining them with ruby red wool garbardine." Flashes of colors against a monochrome background is so trendy today. Who doesn't enjoy a pleasant surprise every now and then? And...in decor, it's a welcome addition to give spunk to a room. Other ways to add an element of surprise to a room are;

• Face a needlework pillow on the opposite side with a bright dupioni silk. Dupioni silk comes in many, very vivid colors. It can also be purchased with two colors, one being the primary color in the warp, and then, the secondary color in the weft. You'll see the primary color dominantly with only a highlight of the secondary color. This special weaving of the fabric produces a two color effect that is really beautiful and very dramatic. This type of dupioni silk on a curtain works well as a facing also.
• "Treat a ceiling as a fifth wall by painting it with an allee of cream and beige trees." Imagine how pretty and unexpected this would be to have the ceiling thickly bordered at its edge in a pattern of forested trees, or, in an English cottage floral design, trailing down the wall a bit! Too, the whole ceiling could be covered in design, trailing down the wall all around. Treating the ceiling as a fifth (design) wall adds a wonderful designer's touch to a room.

Next Week, Lighting
Last Week, Decorating with Color and Pattern