Nora's Interior Design in Goochland Virginia

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The challenge for this space was to turn it from an unstylish cluttered office to a space that would work as both a functional office with 2 desks and a comfortable guest room for 2! All within its 150 square feet!  Impossible? Not with the right plan. 

First things first.  It had to start with the right floor plan.   PHASE 1 

Proposed Floor Plan to Scale

A trundle daybed, a built-in desk, wall sconces and corner wall-shelves that took the place of night stands made it all possible!  

Presentation of proposed functional items.

Computer rendering displaying trundle open.

Computer rendering of proposed floor plan.

The new floor plan would still allow enough space for when the trundle bed is in use.  With the right measurements, everything was done to scale.  All this was done before anything was purchased and brought to the room.

With the large desk removed from this corner, we were able to build a floating rounded desk-top which made it easy to move around in, take less space and allow for easier traffic.

The wall-mounted sconces plug into regular wall outlets so there was no need for an electrician.  That and the corner shelves allowed us to go without night stands.

Above you see work in progress. At this point we have a functional office but still lacking style.  It was time for the fun part. Color, window treatments and accessories! PHASE 2   – Yay!   

I was inspired by the nature of the room, its use and the client’s personal style on how to go about finding the right fabrics and colors. Once I found the fabrics with the right patterns and color for the space,  I used the fabrics to come up with the colors for the walls (including the ceiling!)   

Presentation of proposed decorative items.

Every little detail had a purpose and a reason to make everything work right in the design and give proper function.  See the 3-tier side table?  When placed next to the trundle bed with the trundle open, it will  give the person on the trundle a spot (bottom shelf) to place their belongings without having to reach up.   

This mirror and shelf with hooks give guests a perfect area for grooming and place belongings.

The results? A stunningly beautiful space where the homeowner feels relaxed working in and guests can feel welcome and well-cared for.  See for yourself: 

This nook was painted with Benjamin Moore color #703 Catalina Blue in Matte. The bungee chair, although comfortable, was not very attractive so we had a slipcover custom-made just for it.	We used a combination of custom-made items with "off the shelf" items. The roman shades, pillows and shams were custom-made. The wall color here is Benjamin Moore #1522 Inner Balance in matte. We used the same color for the ceiling.
Photos taken without flash.
	As I was putting the Scentsy warmer in place, my installer could not help but to wonder and coment about the sweet smell coming from the Sugar Cookie scented wax cube still solid!

This new space not only looked good, it smelled Scentsational! ; )

Here’s a tip on how to use window coverings to help reduce the heat and cut down on that electric bill!

Applications: Conventional drapes or curtains reduce heat from a room by 10%. Restrict the air flow at the top or bottom by enclosing the drapery bars or by ensuring the drapes go all the way to the floor and you will significantly increase the efficiency of your drapes. Or even better, add a cornice board or a board mounted valence!

Fabric & Linings: Medium colored drapes with a white plastic backing or lining are best for keeping out the heat in summer. The white backing reflects sunlight back outside before it gets turned into heat, while the medium color allows enough natural light into the room to make the room usable without a light, without the room getting hot from the sun light.

A double layer of drapes is more efficient than a single layer as more separate air spaces are created and convection is reduced.

The benefits are as practical in the winter when the same applications help keep the heat in!

Sun from the West in.

My windows face West and I love my view but I appreciate my roller shades when the glare and heat overwhelm this space!

Sun from the West out!

 The roller shades keep the glare and heat out without sacrificing the light.

Be Green, Be Safe, Stay Cool!

It sure does! Here’s a current project where I’m bringing color and pattern with fabrics, wall art and other accessories.

The blue Blynken warmer (pg. 11 of the Srping/Summer catalog) from the new Whimsy Collection fits in perfectly as it mimics the scroll pattern from the wall grille I found in the Touch of Class catalog.

DSW-BLNK

This room will be smelling and looking scentsational! 
 

If there’s something I love after bringing the perfect color palettes, decorative patterns and irresistible fabrics, is setting up the right mood lighting and aroma for a space. This perfect “all-senses-catering-scenario” is abruptly interrupted when candles are blown and the smoke smell  invades the air.

This is why, in conjunction with Nora’s Interior Design; I am thrilled to have become an Independent Scentsy Consultant! I can now help my clients create the perfect mood-setting with great aroma and lights in a safe, decorative and clean way. Let’s face it, that soot stain on the ceiling or other near-by objects is not pretty to look at either! I ruined one of my own lamp shades.

Scentsy Wax Warmers

Curious about how it works? Contact me.

So remember, if you: Love Candles, Hate Smoke – Go Scentsy!

Here’s how the perfect blend of colors, introduction of pattern and texture with some organization turned this family dining area from a bland space to a spicy fiesta hot “casa”!

Click on images to view larger.

Amazing what new wall-covering can do to a space! 

This well-traveled history lover and book writer was challenged by the wall-covering of his late 1970′s home he had just moved into.  The white lattice and blue background wallpaper was over powering the entire kitchen, dining area and family room.  

Dining Area Before

I proposed to strip off the wallpaper and replace it with new paper for the dining area and kitchen, but use paint for the family room.  During my planning and research I came across the perfect wallpaper, a sage green fleur-de-lis pattern paper from Thibaut’s Historic Homes Collection with a story of its own. (How appropriate! – I thought!) It is a pattern reproduced from one of the many pre-Civil War era papers uncovered by the owners of the Maplewood Farmhouse in Harrisonburg Virginia.  Perfect for his English Country decor!   

Harrisonburg Pattern from Thibaut

To help give my client  a realistic visual of the dining area with the new paper, I created this computer image to the left.  You can see how it compares to the real life picture to the right.  

Left: Wallpaper Visual. Right: Photo using flash.

Dining Area After (no flash used)

Dining Area After

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

There’s not much natural light coming in the space so I wanted to keep the walls with a cool hue. After finding the wallpaper then it was time to find the right paint color. Sherwin William’s Soften Green #6177 was the right shade.  Even the ceilings took a new coat with a “lighter version” of the same color – Sherwin William’s Liveable Green #6176. Both in a matte finish. 

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Living Room After (no flash)

We hired Nora after buying 10+ samples of paint. We knew we weren’t headed in the right direction with color and needed professional assistance. I found Nora by searching on the internet. Her price was very reasonable and we were so greatful she would take on such a small job (selecting paint color for our 2 story family room). She came up with the most beautiful and unique color combinations. Honestly, we are thrilled with the colors and now LOVE the look of our family room – we would have liked it with the colors we would have chosen, but now it feels like a new room and our things look so much better in it! Working with Nora was a very positive experience and we hope to work with her again.
— Shannon Edwards, Goochland, VA

Before	After
Before

Nora completed a very professional decorating project at my home. With paint and wallpaper throughout the house it could have been a nightmare but it was pleasant and timely. Nora worked well with my desires and brought new and appealing design ideas creating something that I am very proud of.
— Bonnie Creasy, Maidens, VA

Before

After

I chose Nora’s original design for our bedroom. Her eye for color and blending colors is unreal! – Beth Beazley, Manakin-Sabot, VA

Custom-made Bedding

Ever wonder what your space would look like with color?

As a young girl I ALWAYS liked to color and preferred to have crayons and a coloring book over a doll! Now I get to color digitally and staying inside the lines is even easier. I use Benjamin Moore’s Color Viewer with photos of my client’s homes to apply the wall colors I’ve chosen with the design plan.

I then demonstrate to them what their space would look like with the colors proposed. It takes some tweaking around to get the colors as close as possible to the actual paint chips… and a lot of cropping on the images, but I manage to get them as realistic as possible. It also makes a great communication tool with the painters.

Here are some examples:

Above left: no color
Below left: computer image of proposed color
Right: After color was applied
More Before & After photos on this project.

Above left: no color
Below left: computer image of proposed color
Right: After color was applied

Above left: no color
Below left: computer image of proposed color
Right: After color was applied