The theater was as much eye-candy as the production.  I loved the interior architecture and details and wanted to show you, too.

Ceiling detail of quatrefoils.

The entrance...lovely.

Details on the lower level.

Looking up (and trying not to fall) as we walked in to find our seats.

Our seats were close to the stage. Looking straight up.

To the left of the stage, wow!

As easy as it is to put 5 million little holes in the wall, it is easy to hang a group perfectly (it may take a second at first, but preparation is everything).  Simply make a paper pattern by outlining each frame on a large piece of newspaper.  From there, gently tape them onto the wall to form a lovely grouping.  Now you have a template.

If you have different sizes, an effective way to make them look nice (and not so crazy) is to line them up along some edges.  For example, notice in the group below how the tops, bottoms or sides of 2 or more of the frames line up to form a line or “row.”  This helps your eye to grace over the art itself and not get stuck on the pattern the frames make.

A great grouping...how to hang them all perfectly the first time? Read on.

Your hardware:

Wires can be weaker on the back of a piece, yet they offer your art freedom to move (not always a good thing).  They make straightening and centering a piece much easier once it is up.  Wire hangers also tilt your piece off the wall…sometimes too much, which can not look so good.  This is especially true if you approach the piece from the side as you enter the room.

Me giving a final straightening to an oil. For this frame, a wire hanger on the back was the best choice.

Instead of the wire on the back, try D-rings on each side of the piece individually screwed into the frame.  Having the piece attached to the wall in 2 places keeps it close to the wall, straight and if one side were to “give way,” hopefully, the other side would hold to keep your piece from crashing to the floor.  Like a little insurance policy.

For very heavy pieces, get an engineer! and/or a friend.  Get help with lifting them on and off a wall.  Always go into the studs with wood screws or nails.  When in doubt, use a larger anchor.

Some hanging of art is a feat of engineering. You have to plan on pieces getting knocked into or touched and adjust your plan accordingly.

A good distance to light a piece from is 8 feet away…provided it is in the space that a viewer will not cast a shadow while admiring it.

...and now that I have given you the basic rules of hanging artwork, I am going to shake things up a bit with this lovely room. The height of this artwork breaks all the rules yet is fun.

Happy picture hanging!

READ MORE ON HANGING ARTWORK AND MIRRORS, click here

Make it fab!

-Jill

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Thanks to homedesignfind.com, blog.mlive.com and apartmenttherapy.com

Keep the pieces "grounded" to what is around them. The cabinet "grounds" the piece it is supporting and the pieces on the wall "hold" each other with the "center" of the grouping being about 57" off the floor.

The most basic rule for hanging a piece is to hang the “center” of the piece about 57″ off the floor (not the trim top but the floor). This lets the piece be a part of the group that it is “topping off.”  If over a sofa, the piece  needs to look like it is “with” the sofa and belongs there.

I had this piece hung immediately over the sofa. In this way, it was low enough to be at a good viewing level, was "anchored" to the sofa and high enough not to cover the beautiful frame.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule:

If you or someone living in the space are quite tall, be sure to accommodate.  For example, a tall man should be able to see his entire face in a larger mirror so you may need to raise the piece accordingly.

Odd-shaped or over-sized pieces can be tricky.  To determine the height to hang such a piece, you may need to use an artistic eye.

Be sure and watch how a piece is leveled, too.  While hanging a large mirror in New York recently, we actually had to hang it crooked.  Why?  The ceiling and trim were crooked.  That is what your eye will compare it to so you must bow down to the architecture.  We generally use a level and laser when hanging, but sometimes, even the best technology can not accommodate for what the human eye accepts.

An example that sometimes you just need to use an "artful eye" to hang larger pieces is above. I love these pieces and wanted them to hang with the heads of the dancers at eye-level so your first feeling of walking into the space was of movement and dance.

I will address how to hang pieces in my next blog.  Good luck and remember, keep your pieces low and “grounded” with is going on around them…even if that is just the floor.

When you think height, think Heinz – Heinz 57, Baby!  NOW you’ll remember…57″.

57" is the magic height.

Make it fab!

-Jill

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Thanks to 3.bp.blogspot

Jill Tran is a Kansas City Interior Designer and creates beautiful, custom interiors for Kansas City Interior Design clients and clients around the countr

I was ahhh struck…both at it’s size and its simplicity.  I wanted to stand there forever.  This exhibit brings a peacefulness, a calm inside you.  While simplistic in it’s concept, it is joyful.  It carries the Wabi-Sabi rule to a tee, which is something I find fantastic.  It is texture, scale and pattern woven through the feeling of endless beauty.  If you missed Without Place-Without Time-Without Body by Wolfgang Laib in the amazing Bloch Building at the Nelson while it was on exhibition, please study these photos a bit more…it filled the room.  wow.

You can barely see the yellow pollen mounds amongst the rice on the very top photo here.  There are five of them on the left side, about 1/4 of the way down and roughly 5 columns in.

Make it fab!

-Jill

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Photos:  Jill Tran Interior Design and Co.

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Jill Tran is a Kansas City Interior Designer and creates beautiful, custom interiors for Kansas City Interior Design clients and clients around the country.

Make it fab!

-Jill

Click here to view Jill’s newest tips, advice and inspiration

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Jill Tran is a Kansas City Interior Designer and creates beautiful and custom interiors for Kansas City Interior Design clients and around the country.

She wanted it to be feminine, but not too much.  She loved soft colors…blues especially.  This sitting room was off the Master, of which I had painted a beautiful blue, so I wanted this sitting room to have a different ratio of colors.  There was to be a space for her, one for him and comfort was of utmost importance.

Master sitting room "BEFORE"

Master sitting room "AFTER"

I was first inspired by the piece I found for the space that you can see to the right…a Chinese Chippendale frame surrounding a pair of blue birds.  It looked like a soft summer day to me, so I decided to create the “rest of the afternoon” in the space it would crown.

For him, a very comfortable chair with a good depth and handsome style.  For her, a soft loveseat to sit, curl up in or just relax.  To stretch their legs in front of the sunny window or to relax before bed, an ottoman and a half.  It will not only make sitting more enjoyable, it can hold a tray of tea or catch a book set down mid-chapter.  The old, flat carpet was replaced with a rich Oak floor under the client’s rug.  Once a mismatched space, it now is the perfect spot to share morning coffee.

Make it fab!

-Jill

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Being a creative individual myself, I know that there are days when great ideas just pour out of me and others when I struggle just to get one drop of a marginal idea out.  I really appreciate Mike’s views, ideas, research and work.  Without creativity and such support for creativity, the world would be stuck and there would cease to be inspiration for others to be creative (and accepted).

I look back to high school when I sometimes felt like the “weird girl.”  I made most of my own clothes constantly and liked to push the limit with them.  I remember making backdrops for the big stage for our shows and even making all of the costumes for an entire group of girls for us to perform in.  They were all pure white fabric I used my spray gun to paint each one individually.  Man, I wish I could have time like that again!

I don’t think everyone thought they were great, but I know most of the girls and the audience liked them…and I want to thank those girls, and that audience.  I would like to thank all of the people in the world that see something new and different and don’t make a face.  Without such supportive individuals in this world (that may not even fancy themselves as creative) no new ideas could fly.  I guess it takes a flock to give an idea wings.

I dedicate this blog to Mike, all of the creative people in the world no matter what media they work in and to the audiences that make them great.  THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Make your world fab, trust yourself, the creativity in you and your instincts,

Jill

VIEW THE 3 MINUTE VIDEO ON BRAINZOOMING.COM by clicking here

Super-creative expert, Mike Brown and me

Make it fab!

-Jill

Click here to view Jill’s newest tips, advice and inspiration

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BEFORE: From gold to a...

AFTER: ...soft, jeweled turquoise.

Hi Leslie,
What?! Beige—in Kansas City?  We may be famous for fountains, but there’s nothing watered down about our color palette…intense KC Royals blue, hot red KC Chiefs, and lush green Corporate Woods. (Even Andre’s chocolate brown can be intense!) But I understand your frustration.

Wall color is a difficult part of a design.  It is easy to fall in love with all the pretty color squares at the paint store only to have them scream “juvenile!” once they expand to fill your walls. Poorly chosen paint can give you that sick feeling in your stomach when you first step back to admire the room and realize you made a big fat faux pas.

Just differentiating paint colors is a job in itself. When swatches are side-by-side on a paper strip, your eye naturally compares one color to the next, which can be misleading. Just as you don’t want to stand by the best-looking person in the room (unless he or she is your date,) you need to separate your final color selections from each other to see the value and shade each truly offers.

BEFORE: From a light gold to a...

AFTER: ...striking, bold red.

Remember also that when the breakfast bowls are put away and the evening cocktails come out, there is a rebirth for all wall colors.  Each phase of daylight (and moonlight!) will completely change how a color dresses your walls. Shadows, light sources and reflections conspire to create a very different wall color at dusk—one you might relate to as you would an ogre or as a handsome man in a three-piece suit.  (No offense to Shrek, but I say pick the latter and head down to the Capital Grille!)

But all beige?  Please don’t.  You must be subscribing to the “neutral” myth, one I’m convinced was created by fearful real estate agents who needed something to tell tacky home sellers.  I once created a red and green interior for a home in Brookside that turned out stunning! (No, it didn’t look like Mrs. Claus lived there.) When it came time to sell, the Realtor® was scared of the color. I insisted the house was to remain as painted and suggested he increase the asking price. After he politely said I was a nut job, he raised the price to prove his point.  The client had four offers in three days—all for full price.

BEFORE: From an olive green to an...

AFTER: ...unexpected and striking black.

Often color is compromised when building a custom home and the colors are chosen before anyone has a visual reference.  With an exhaustive amount of decisions to make during construction, many people feel overwhelmed and they settle on beiges or off-whites and hope for the best.  A better idea is to complete the design plan once the blueprints are drawn. In doing so, superior colors and materials for the walls and other surfaces can be properly chosen the first time.  Too often, people lose sight of the final product in such a detailed process.  But if they are spending a fortune to create their dream home…is plain vanilla the best answer?   “Neutrals” can be very unflattering to skin tones as well.  I can’t remember the last time I told my girlfriend, Jean, “the dress I am wearing to the party is Johnson County Beige” or “your engagement ring is lovely—it’s so neutral!”

BEFORE: From a worn red to a...

AFTER: ...fresh, peaceful space to study.

But by now you may be asking yourself what the alternative may be. I submit this idea: think about the colors you are drawn to over and over again in all aspects of your life.  Have faith and trust your instincts. Don’t be seduced by the painful logic, “If you don’t like the color, then just paint it again!”  Now really, my friends, who wants to paint twice?  To get it right the first time, separate and hang your color options on the wall.  I recommend using larger swatches (obtained through a reputable dealer or by calling the paint manufacturer.)  Study them day and night; move them around; take them all down and view each one at a time.  And one more trick: make your final color decision AFTER the rest of the room is designed. You can tweak wall colors very easily, but that beautiful heirloom chaise you plan to recover –in a smashing flame stitch, of course—only works with so many hues.  Just remember:  fabrics and furniture first, lighting and accessories second, carpet and paint last.  Don’t chicken out on me, Leslie.

Make it fab!

-Jill

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xoxoxo
-Jill

Click here to view Jill’s newest tips, advice and inspiration

Got a comment?  Reaction?  Question?  Interior Design question…WWJD? (What Would Jill Do) Tell me what’s on your mind.  I love hearing from you!

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-Jill

Click here to view Jill’s newest tips, advice and inspiration

Got a comment?  Reaction?  Question?  Interior Design question…WWJD? (What Would Jill Do) Tell me what’s on your mind.  I love hearing from you!

Photos:  Jill Tran Interior Design and Co.

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