Design Techniques Archives - MJN and Associates Interiors

How to Cool Your Bedroom When the Temperatures Rise

May 17, 2018 by Michelle

The discomfort of a sweltering summer night can not only cause excessive sweating but sleepless nights due to the rise in body temperature. The body naturally lowers its temperature at night to redistribute energy use to heal, rejuvenate, and recharge the body. Cooling off at night becomes an essential part of getting a full seven to eight hours of sleep. A little planning goes a long way to help cool the home and keep the bedroom comfortable at night. The key to many cooling methods is to keep the air moving.

Open the Windows and Doors

Once the temperatures start to drop in the evening, you should open those windows and doors. Be sure all doors and windows are covered with screens before opening to prevent unwanted insect visitors from coming in. A gentle breeze can get the air moving so that it can evaporate the moisture on the skin and cool the body. Studies have shown that the extra ventilation from open doors and windows improves sleep quality and reduces night waking.

Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans get air circulating through the room and usually have several speed settings and offer extra lighting. While some people might balk at a ceiling fan, aesthetically they’ve come a long way since the days of faux wood and brass. Designs now range from industrial propellers to wooden palm frond blades. Additionally, ceiling fans can serve a dual purpose. Models that spin in both directions allow you to pull cool air up from the floor or press warm air from the ceiling down to the ground, which gives you an extra ventilation option in both the summer and winter.

Box Fans

Box fans should come as no surprise. However, they can be used in more than one way. Traditionally, they’re placed in the window to help bring in fresh air from the outside. However, they can be turned around, so they push warm air out of the house as well. When strategically placed, a box fan used in conjunction with open windows and doors can quickly move more air through the home, cooling it faster.

Cooling Mattress and Bedding

Since the two purposes of the bedroom are sleep and sex, the mattress should support both partners needs without causing overheating. Some mattress types like memory foam tend to trap heat against the body while others like latex and specially designed foams allow for more breathability.

Bedding can also play an important role in your comfort. Natural fabrics like cotton and linen offer good breathability, so that heat and moisture don’t get trapped against the body. They also feel soft and comfortable against the skin.

Freeze the Sheets

Even cooling bedding can get hot in extreme temperatures. For an extra cold blast when getting in bed, remove the sheets and pillowcases and seal them in a plastic bag. Place them in the freezer for an hour or two before bed. At bedtime, the cool sheets feel comfortable while allowing the dip in body temperature needed to fall asleep quickly.

Ways to Use LED Lighting for Interior Design

April 30, 2018 by Michelle

LED lighting has been popular for quite some time, but not for interior designing. Typically you would hear about LED lights for motor vehicles. The light is brighter and shines farther out which is great for nighttime driving.

But it didn’t take long for the popularity of LED lights to make its way into our homes. The technology is continually changing to improve the bulb in every way possible to give rooms a better quality of light that is durable and reliable. The result is endless opportunities to incorporate these lights into unique designs within the home.

Let’s take a look at the different ways we can use LED lights for interior designing and what their advantages are.

What Are LED Lights?

An LED is a light emitting diode. There is an electrical current that passes through a microchip. This current is what creates the light we see by illuminating the LED light source. These lights are found to be 90 percent more efficient at producing light than standard incandescent light bulbs.

Often when you stand near a light bulb, you can feel the heat coming off of it. But LED lights absorb their heat they produce into what is called a heat sink. It then dispels the heat into the environment around. The capturing of the heat is how it prevents the bulb from overheating and burning out.

Although LED lights are more money to purchase up front, the benefits greatly outweigh the price in the long run. These bulbs can use around 75 percent less energy compared to incandescent bulbs. Their lifespan is also significantly longer. So the extra dollars at the start pays off with energy savings and less frequency of buying new bulbs.

LED for Recessed Lighting

Recessed lights are those that almost fade into the structure of the house. It provides the home with a neat look that can be unique depending on the placement and light used. Quite commonly these types of lights are used as pot lights in the ceiling or to highlight a particular aspect of the house. Because these lights can be challenging to change, LED is preferred for their long lifespan.

Recessed LED lights are quite popular for working areas. They can replace already existing light fixtures with little modifications needed. They typically project light in a downwards motion which is why they are sometimes referred to as LED recessed downlights. So in offices or boardrooms, these lights work great to brighten up the room without taking space in the ceiling.

But recessed LED lights have so much more potential. In a bathroom, you can have the lights go around the mirror which gives off a halo-like hue around the mirror. Or in the kitchen, you can install them under cupboards that softly shine onto the floor to give the room a warm feeling.

Accent Features with LED Lights

Interior decorating can be a lot of fun from the color scheme down to the lighting. One way we can use LED lights in interior decorating is to feature accents within a room. LED lights can come in various shapes and sizes that make for a great tool to highlight areas of a place.

If you go to an art gallery, typically you will see lights on the ground or the ceiling that point towards the art on the wall. Most likely these are what is called LED Shoebox lighting. They help illuminate large spaces, and you can place them in areas that other lights would not work. So the opportunities are almost endless, even inside your home.

LED lights can come in a variety of colors as well. So you don’t have to stick with the traditional off-white or yellow hue of older bulbs. So whatever theme you are decorating your house in, you can choose a color for an LED light to match.

Rich Elegance: Navy and Magenta

March 6, 2017 by Michelle

When many people consider neutrals, they veer toward softer, lighter colors. Beiges, creams, and sandy tones are easy to accent, giving the room a peaceful quality with just the right touch of visual interest. Navies and “dress blues” may be overlooked because of their darker hues, but in the hands of a skilled designer, these neutrals add depth to rich jewel tones and shimmering metallics without wearying the eye.

MJN & Associates recently transformed a client’s home, pairing a calming, dark blue neutral with the client’s favorite color, magenta, to result in a warm, elegant look for her home.

Light neutrals drape the bedroom floor to ceiling, creating a peaceful atmosphere and keeping the attention on the bed. A subtle pop of magenta catches the eye, blending texture and pure color to create a graceful vivacity, which is offset by the stately navy headboard, finished with nailhead trim for a touch of metallic interest.

Our principal designer Michelle Nettles used dress blues to anchor the sitting room without the harshness that can result from darker neutrals like dark brown or black. The cabinets anchor the room, allowing for pops of color and soft gold accents without overwhelming the space. The sandy stone fireplace and navy display shelves create a dynamic focus wall without drawing the eye from the rich pops of magenta in the chair, pillows, and draperies.

Working together with decorative artist Kass Wilson, Michelle gave these architectural cabinets the “jewelry box treatment,” using a dark, neutral to give items on the shelf more visual impact. Kass softened the rich navy paint with a glaze, adding warmth and texture to the backsplash to create a look that’s as cozy and elegant as the rest of the space.

navy magenta sitting room

The subtle shimmer of gold in the magenta draperies echoes the warm softness of natural light catching the sheer cream window treatments. Translucent glass lamps in dress blues anchor the eye, reflecting the same buoyancy while tying together the colorful throw pillows with the deeper navy of the couch.

Call MJN & Associates Interiors and let us help unveil your home’s true style.

Window Treatments and Architecture

July 29, 2016 by Michelle

Custom draperies have many benefits for your home, allowing you to express your personal style with unlimited options for fabric, drape, and trim. But while custom-designed draperies allow for a rich variety of color, pattern, and texture choices, one of our favorite things about custom draperies is how they can be used to enhance the architectural features of a space.

Draperies are not just functional, nor are they simply decorative. Instead they can be an important design element in defining the space, creating structure or a focal point. For instance, in the bedroom above, the draperies ground the bay of windows, creating a more intimate visual context for the seating area.

Custom draperies can also enhance the architecture of a home by softening or highlighting features. This traditional living room has a stunning 2-story wall of windows featuring beautifully ornate detailing, giving the space a profusion of natural light and a dramatic focal point. The custom draperies we designed frame the wall of windows and add color to the otherwise monotone area while also breaking up their rectangular regularity, creating a softer, more visually interesting result and controlling the amount of light that enters, all without obscuring the ornate details.

Dramatic windows are a gorgeous addition to any home, but they do come with their own practical challenges. One of the main challenges homeowners tend to face with these multi-story windows is light (and heat) control. For this living room we created large custom draperies with sheer panels that can be closed to reduce the amount of light entering the space while still showing off the beautiful lines of the statement window.

If you’re ready to take your home design to the next level with custom draperies, our Virginia Beach interior design firm is here to help. Contact MJN & Associates Interiors today to learn more about our interior design services for homeowners throughout the Hampton Roads area.

Design and Practicality

July 21, 2016 by Michelle

When most people think of what an interior designer can do for them, their first thought is aesthetic- how the designer will make their home look better with the right color scheme or furnishing styles. However, visual improvements are just the beginning of what we can do to help you improve your home. Interior designers are trained professionals, so we have the knowledge to choose finishes and materials that are not just beautiful, but also functional for your unique needs. Designing the layout for a kitchen remodel or creating a space plan for your living room is not simply an exercise in making your home look better; it’s about making it function better as well, from making your cooking routines more efficient to directing foot traffic through your home.

There are many ways interior designers can help our clients improve their homes, but here at MJN & Associates Interiors, these are a few of our favorites.

Making real life look great

We believe anyone can love the way their home looks–yes, even you with the small children, the messy dog, and the friend who always manages to knock their drink over. It’s all about choosing materials and finishes that not only look fabulous, but will also stand the test of time. With years of interior design experience (and a constant eye for the latest home design trends and technology), we know what works over the long haul and how to help you achieve the look you want while working with, not against, the practical demands of day-to-day life.

Tidy room, tidy mind

What frustrates you the most about your home? Chances are it’s not your wall color, your rug, or your draperies! We can give your home a dozen new looks, but if the underlying functional issues are not addressed, your home is still not going to live up to its potential. That’s why we offer professional organizational services, from custom closets and cabinetry to clever storage solutions and functional furnishings. When your organization and storage needs are met, you’ll be able to enjoy your home so much more.

Forward-thinking design

Remodeling your home is a huge undertaking, so make it count! As a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), our principal designer Michelle Nettles can help you remodel your home to not only look beautiful, but also fit your needs–both now, and in the future. We can incorporate design elements into your kitchen, bath, or whole house remodel that you might think nothing of now, but could help you live more independently as you age. Subtle design choices like wider doorways or different faucet styles don’t take away from the design at all, but can make a world of difference for a senior with mobility problems or arthritis.

If you are looking for a Virginia Beach interior designer to help you bring your home design vision to life, contact MJN & Associates Interiors to set up a consultation.

Top 5 Aging in Place Features You’d Never Notice

September 18, 2015 by Michelle

Aging in place design is a school of thought within the interior design industry that aims to create housing which allows people to stay in their homes as they age. By making some relatively minor, yet surprisingly important design changes during home remodeling or construction, homeowners are able to continue using and enjoying their homes as they age, rather than being forced to move to a nursing home or assisted care facility due to the constraints of their home environment.

Certified Aging in Place Specialists like our own principal designer Michelle Nettles often encounter resistance to the idea of aging in place design. Most people fear that incorporating aging in place features will make their home look too sterile or medical, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Read on to see our picks for the top 5 aging in place features that you’d never notice as accessibility features if we didn’t tell you.

Asian Entry by Port Townsend Lighting Steve Lopes, Custom Metalwork Design & Fabrication

Lever door handles- Lever handles are easier to open than doorknobs for people with arthritis or other medical issues that affect the ability to grip and turn a knob. However, plenty of young, able-bodied people love them for the convenience they provide. Moms and dads especially know how convenient it is to be able to open a door with the simple tap of an elbow while carrying a baby or carting a load of groceries!

Contemporary Bathroom by San Jose Tile, Stone & Countertops Tileshop

Lever-handled plumbing fixtures- The same concept applies to lever-handled plumbing fixtures, which are much easier to turn on and off than standard sink, tub, or shower knobs.

Traditional Bathroom by Wayne Design-Build Firms Cullen Construction Inc.

Towel bars that double as grab bars- Grab bars are, understandably, one of the most unpopular additions to a home, because they are so obviously medical and often stand out in stark contrast to the rest of the decor. The thinking goes that it’s hard enough to need grab bars, must they look terrible as well? Fortunately, thanks to some beautiful products that have come on the market in recent years, the answer is no! You can incorporate grab bars into your bathroom that simply look like towel bars- but are sturdy enough to provide support, should you ever need it.

Traditional Bathroom by Dallas Home Builders Ellen Grasso & Sons, LLC

Ambient and task lighting- As we age, many of us experience some loss of eyesight and depth perception. One way to prevent falls in older adults is to help make their path more visible. This can be accomplished with ambient lighting, and can even be motion-activated to save energy while providing increased safety. Lights along the bottom of cabinets at the toe board or toe kick can help prevent nighttime crashes and stubbed toes- a hazard that many folks have experienced, not just seniors!

Task lighting also becomes more necessary with age, but let’s be honest- it’s always better to work with proper lighting. Helping you choose the right light fixtures to create the ideal combination of atmosphere and utility is just one of the many benefits we offer at MJN & Associates Interiors!

Traditional Bathroom by Oakland Kitchen & Bath Designers Design Set Match

Walk-in shower- Also known as a roll-in or thresholdless shower, these free-standing showers have no ledge or wall between the shower and the rest of the bathroom, allowing a person to roll into the shower space in a wheelchair. The lack of a threshold also removes a tripping hazard for those who are not too steady on their feet.

While this style of shower definitely benefits people with accessibility issues, it is also perfectly in sync with today’s spa shower trend!

If you’re ready to remodel your home in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, or elsewhere in the Hampton Roads area, give us a call today! Our full service interior design firm can help you give your home a brand new look- and add some clever and subtle features to improve accessibility.

Help, My Focal Points are Fighting!

February 27, 2015 by Michelle

Focal points are important in designing any space, from the smallest powder room to the largest living room. The focal point is the center of visual interest, the place where your eye is most drawn to in the room. Fireplaces are natural focal points, as are large windows, some built-in bookcases, or even a particularly large or loud piece of furniture. And in today’s homes, another focal point often reigns supreme- the television.

Traditional Family Room by Edina Design-Build Firms Great Neighborhood Homes

Of course, the whole point of a focal point is for it to be the focus… So what happens when you have two or more focal points dueling it out for attention? How can you create a harmonious space, much less decide where to put your sofa?

If you’re caught in the middle between fighting focal points, don’t worry. This is a common interior design conundrum, and MJN & Associates Interiors is here to help you solve it!

Minimize the number of focal points

Having more than one focal point in a room is not necessarily a problem, but you want to avoid having them on walls opposite each other. This tugs the attention back and forth in the space, not to mention making furniture placement a challenge.

Traditional Living Room by Fayetteville Home Builders Celtic Custom Homes

One way to handle this is to create focal points on adjoining walls, so that when you walk in the room, your eye can drift from say, the fireplace on the left wall over to the picture window on the adjoining right wall.

Another obvious strategy when it comes to the TV-vs-fireplace showdown is to mount the television over the fireplace. This is quite the controversy among interior designers, but it’s your house- do what works best for you. There are plenty of options these days to help you pull your choice off in style, like Hidden Television, which looks like a mirror when turned off and comes with a custom frame. You could also consider having the built-ins around your fireplace extended to surround the TV, making the whole wall a focal point in the room while minimizing the “Hey, look at this TV!” effect.

Push and pull the eye

After identifying the focal points in your space, decide which one you want to be the main focus. You can then accentuate the main focal point while de-emphasizing other focal points in the space. For instance, say you want your fireplace to be the star of the show, but you have some attention-grabbing built-in bookcases vying for attention.

Transitional Living Room by Tampa Photographers Mina Brinkey

You can draw the eye to the fireplace using contrast, texture, and or lighting. Hang a painting with bright colors over the mantel and illuminate it with specialty lighting. Choose a striking material for your fireplace surround. To de-emphasize the bookcases, paint them the same color as the rest of the walls.

If you’re stumped on an interior design problem in your home, we can help! MJN & Associates Interiors offers experienced, friendly interior design services in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and the Hampton Roads area. Give us a call today at 757-306-6000 or contact us online to set up a consultation.

Get Ready for Spring with Outdoor Furnishings

February 6, 2015 by Michelle

Spring may feel years away during these cold, gray winter days, but it will be here before you know it! If you want to enjoy your outdoor spaces to the fullest once spring rolls around, now is the time to start planning outdoor upgrades to your Virginia Beach home.

Best of both worlds

Eclectic Landscape by Carrollton Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Harold Leidner Landscape Architects

Making the most of outdoor spaces can have a huge impact in your enjoyment of your home, and the good news is that you can create relaxing, useful, and beautiful spaces no matter how much or how little you have to work with. Whether it is a cozy balcony, a sprawling porch, an elegant courtyard patio, or an expansive, party-ready deck just begging you to entertain a crowd, the right furniture and decor make all the difference.

Homeowners often get hung up on the “outdoor” part of outdoor rooms, stuck in the rut of what they think a patio or porch is supposed to look like, and failing to make it a comfortable place to sit, eat, converse, and enjoy. Outdoorrooms can be just as comfortable and elegant as any room inside your home, especially with the help and insight of an interior designer.

Outdoor furnishings make the space

Mediterranean Patio by Newport Beach Architects & Building Designers Sinclair Associates Architects

The furniture you choose for your outdoor room is the foundation of the space and one of the most important decisions, which is why it is smart to enlist the help of a professional Virginia Beach interior designer. Do the scale and style of your outdoor furnishings coordinate well with your home? Should you choose teak, aluminum, wrought iron, or maybe all-weather wicker? At MJN & Associates Interiors, we carry several high-quality outdoor furniture lines to help you express your style and fulfill the potential of your outdoor space.

Custom upholstery for outdoor furniture

Traditional Porch by Solana Beach Interior Designers & Decorators Lori Gentile Interior Design

Maybe your patio or deck is already furnished, but you want to make it more comfortable and stylish. If that’s the case, we can help with custom upholstery for your outdoor items! There are so many gorgeous options in outdoorfabrics these days, so we can help you choose the colors, patterns, and styles that create the atmosphere you want, from relaxing to festive. You’ll get so much more enjoyment out of your porch swing with a plush, attractive cushion, and custom outdoor throw pillows are a great way to liven up your pool furniture.

Upgrade Your Home with Custom Decor

January 9, 2015 by Michelle

January is a month of new beginnings and fresh starts, inspiring many homeowners to take the plunge and make those home improvements they’ve been dreaming about for years. If you want to give your home an updated look this year, enlisting the help of an interior designer will help you do so in the most effective way possible, both financially and aesthetically.

One of the most valuable interior design services we provide here at MJN & Associates Interiors is custom design. This can range from rugs, to window treatments, to furnishings and upholstery, to bedding. Investing in custom designed items for your home can help you pull a room together, accommodate a unique color scheme, or realize a specific design vision. Read on to learn how our Virginia Beach interior design services can help you achieve a comfortable, elegant home you’ll love sharing with friends and family in the year ahead and long after.

Custom draperies

The window treatments you choose can either support or subvert the entire aesthetic of your room. If the scale, style, or color are off, it can diminish the overall impression of the space. However with custom-designed draperies, we can create almost any combination of color, pattern, texture, style, trim, and scale to enhance your decor or highlight the unique architecture of your home. Even the way your draperies are hung can have a huge impact on the impression of spaciousness in the room or the size of the windows, so this is one area where leaving it to the professionals is a smart choice.

Custom rugs

If you want to pull disparate elements together or enhance the unity of your existing decor, a custom rug is an ingenious option. The rug is often one of the largest areas of color in a space, so it makes sense to get it just right, and how better to do so than with custom design? In addition to a myriad of color options, you can find the right size for your space. No more finding the perfect rug only to realize it doesn’t come in the appropriate size!

Custom upholstery

Upholstery is another area where it is wise to invest in quality and get exactly what you want. Good-quality upholstery will hold up better through the years and can give a second life to beloved family heirlooms or high quality pieces that suffer from a dated exterior.

If you want to improve your home but aren’t sure where to start, an interior design consultation can help you identify a course of action. Contact us today to discuss your Virginia Beach interior design or remodeling project!

Before and After: Reupholster Your Furniture For a New Look

August 28, 2014 by Michelle

Are you bored with your home’s style, but not quite ready for a full remodel? If so, you need to identify projects that will give you the most bang for your buck, changing the look of the space substantially without involving a full gut job or replacing all of your home decor. Without a doubt, one of the most effective ways to change up the look of a space is to reupholster one or more pieces of furniture.

Custom reupholstery is the perfect way to inject new life into an old piece. Read on to see a before and after by MJN & Associates Interiors and learn how you can use this strategy in your own home.

Before

This armchair was comfortable and still in fairly good shape, but the dated teal and blue color scheme and flame stitch pattern weren’t doing it any favors. It was time for an update to bring this chair into the current decade and help it become the strong foundational piece it was meant to be.

After

Mission accomplished! A simple, elegant greige fabric transforms the whole aesthetic of the chair, making it much more versatile and allowing it to harmonize with the space instead of stealing the spotlight. Gray is still the reigning neutral, and this warmer hue fits perfectly with the other natural materials in the space.

When reupholstering a piece of furniture, remember that it’s not just about changing the color or pattern of the piece. Take the opportunity to update the style, add details, or even improve structure or comfort. For this chair makeover, we added a waterfall skirt to give it a cleaner, more contemporary look.

If you are interested in updating your interior decor by reupholstering your furniture, it’s smart to work with an interior designer. We can guide you through the process and help you make both practical and stylistic decisions about fabric, detailing, style, and more, ensuring that your new and improved chair will look great and last for years to come.

To learn more about our Virginia Beach interior design services, including custom reupholstery, give us a call today at 770.356.5814 or use our contact form to set up a consultation.