Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Colorful Appliances Make a Comeback


About a year and a half ago I wrote a post called "A Rainbow of Kitchens." It featured a whole rainbow of kitchens with cabinets in a myriad of colors. They were examples of brave soles who chose to think outside the refrigerator box so to speak of kitchen cabinet colors. But even in researching that post I didn't come across colorful appliances.

Well, things have changed in 1 1/2 years.


Don't worry - stainless steel appliances aren't going anywhere. It's still the #1 desirable appliance color when buying a home. But if stainless steel isn't your thing, and you want other options for your kitchen, guess what? Colorful appliances are making a comeback in a BIG way. And they are so COOL!

/Garden Web/


/Garden Web/

/The Big Chill/

/The Big Chill/
/My Desired Home/

/My Desired Home/

/NYC Style & a Little Cannoli/

/This Old House - Viking Color/
/Arizona Wholesale/
Are you brave enough to create a kitchen with colorful appliances? I have a good friend that was a complete trend setter and when she redid her kitchen she used an Oxblood Red Stove and everything else was stainless. Her stove was the highlight of the room. It looked amazing.

What do you think? Would you consider adding more color into your kitchen? If I didn't have a cooktop (and I actually cooked more often), I would totally get a new stove in blue!

xo, CM




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Copyright 2014, Cristina Mullins Interiors

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Frame It Out

I love looking at pictures of apartments in Paris. I don't know why, but they always have a ton of tall white walls and they mix that with antiques and modern pieces. The style is beautiful and bohemian and classic and very, very, well ... French. The intricate moldings on the walls and ceilings are really what make the rooms so special and old-world. They are almost always painted white. And it's beautiful and classic and clean.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the look of white trim - set against any paint color it immediately makes the room seem cleaner and brighter and more finished. But what would happen if instead of white trim you picked another color? I know, I know. Scandalous stuff. Hold yourself together 'cause things are going to get a bit crazy as I show you what rooms look like when you add color to the trim.

Ready? ...

First and foremost I'm going to start with black. I mean it is the antithesis of white. It's also oh-so-bold and graphic. But does it not look elegant and amazing?!



This grey trim on the watery blue walls is subtle and divine.


Slate blue trim on creamy white walls makes this beautiful bride's picture evening more sophisticated.


Love that the case moldings, baseboards and built-ins are all in the same elegant grey.
 Additional images available on my Houzz Ideabook - see below... So pretty.





If you would like to view these and other examples of painted crown moldings and trims, please visit my Moldings Ideabook on Houzz.



What look is your favorite? Or do you still prefer white on white? Let me know.

xo, CM



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Copyright 2014, Cristina Mullins Interiors

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Climbing Up the Walls

My current decorating obsession revolves around wallpaper - or wall coverings if you are fancy or Google.

(If you Google wallpaper you get wallpaper for your computer screens. I guess Google is "fancy" too. Maybe they should hang out with Iggy Azalea. Now I can't get that "Fancy" song out of my head.. I digress...)

So wallpaper. It's a big trend making its way back into home design and I love it and I want it on all of my walls in every pattern and color. There are just so many to choose from!

Wall coverings really impact the room in a BIG way, probably more so than any other decorating choice since you're talking about putting a lot of color and pattern all over the room - and spending a lot more than you would on paint. So choosing wallpaper can be tricky - and why you most certainly need someone with a trained eye, like myself, to help you pick it out. :)

OK, so how do I look for wallpaper for my clients? 
1. What is the function of the room?
2. How do you want the room to feel?
3. What color pallet do you want for the room?
4. What other elements exist in the room?
5. What is the budget for that room? 

Then I go searching through hundreds of books - and online under "wall coverings" for the color first. Next, I think about the style and size of the room and the wall space available and I weed out patterns that won't work. Once I do that, I'm typically left with a handful of patterns and I will usually give my clients a choice of my top 2-3.

To give you some examples of wallpaper, here are some rooms I absolutely love - and some I don't...



I absolutely love this! For a bedroom, this pattern is - well - dreamy. It's beautiful, not overwhelming. As if you are waking up in a small forest. So out of an elegant Disney fairytale...


I actually love this wallpaper and it's a bold choice for a small bathroom. I don't like it in this room - with that floor. I think that it competes with the river rock floor tile. Had the flooring been simpler it would've worked. But busy tile and busy walls - too much!


Also love! Because the space is so bright and open, and there is so much of the white, the very bold pattern works. And on those incredible barreled ceilings too. A-mazing!


If you have a home with a very long hallway or entryway, the most fabulous thing you can do is cover the walls. Especially if the wallpaper peeks into the other rooms in the home - and those rooms have coordinating color pallets. Gorg!

Another example of entry/hallway.



I'm not always a fan of focal walls, but I love it in this case. If you have an odd wall that sticks out, or you don't have an actual focal point in a room, you can make one by using wallpaper. So fun!



How adorable is this laundry room? It's small, but oh so cute!



I really want to like this room, I really do. The owners of this room were super brave and really went for it. To me it's a bit overwhelming. The pattern is so strong and there are hardly any breaks for your eye to rest. It's kinda hypnotic - and not in a good way. Maybe if the back wall was also a painted bookcase? 



What can I say? Like, like, like.



This is an ideal way to add texture and color - and they carried it into the kitchen area. So beachy!



Refined elegance in a kitchen? Absolutely. No veggies or chickens in site in this kitchen.



These people have a good sense of humor about their dining room. They took a space that is normally so formal and serious and had some fun. Bravo!



I love the mix of non-traditional pieces with the very traditional wall covering. (I used the "wall covering" here because I happen to know this is exquisitely expensive so wallpaper just doesn't seem to fit it.) It makes the room unexpected and interesting - in a good way.



I could go on and on, but you have an idea of what I mean about wallpaper. It's transformative of a room in a way that no other single element of decorating really is. Only paint color comes close to that amount of impact - and even then not nearly to the degree as wallpaper.

Like? Don't like? Are you brave enough to cover your walls? Tell me what you're thinking.

xo, CM



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Copyright 2014, Cristina Mullins Interiors

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Something Wicked This Way Comes... Outside

Have you already decorated for Halloween? My girls won't let me yet - they say it's too early, though I'm itching to put out our decorations - and to do my 2nd annual pumpkin painting.

So in the spirit of Halloween - and if you are still searching for some great Halloween decorating ideas - here are some of my favorites.


If I had a large holiday decorating budget, time, ability and/or a handy husband with the time to help me, and the place to store it after the holiday is over, I would SO do this!


Simple. Love it.


Piles of pumpkins!


Great use of your existing flower beds - and some bails of hay.


These are so fun - and a couple of hours of work max!


Cheese-cloth in place of that nasty, cheap webbing. Spooking - and reusable!


Adorable!


Creepy crawly...


Love the hanging hats!


Boo!


Layers of fun, decorative lights.


How cute are those pumpkin ghosts?


Have you put up your Halloween decorations yet? Please share. I would love to see them. 

xo, CM


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Copyright 2014, Cristina Mullins Interiors

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Underfoot


Carpet, hardwood, tile. You would think this would be a rather short post, but step into a flooring showroom and you are reminded that there are seemingly endless possibilities when it comes to the flooring in your home.

There are some awesome options out there that you may, or may not, know about. Here's what I'm liking of late...

Who said wood floors have to be expensive? Particle board with a high gloss finish.

Plywood floors with a satin stain.

Herringbone pattern for the wood floors. Makes a standard wood floor that much more fabulous!

Elegant and concrete? Normally not two things you would think of together. But this sealed and polished concrete looks amazing in the elegant, modern home. You can mix in any color you like for the look you want too.

Wood and marble tile. So Old English Manor.

Painted wood, for less than fabulous wood floors is a great option. And when they start to wear a bit, they look even better.

How incredible does this brick paver flooring look? Fantastic for high-traffic areas.

Wall-to-wall carpet tiles are so fun. You are limited only by your imagination.

Sisal is a amazing carpet option if you want some texture under your toes, but want easy clean-up too.

Carpeting brings a softness and elegance that no other flooring can provide.

The antelope pattern (not real antelope!) in this runner blends in perfectly with the hardwoods, and adds a layer of pattern in an otherwise boring hall/staircase.

The big star in this room? The carpet. Wow.

Carpet that mimics the pattern and color of hardwood? Kinda cool.

So, so lovely.

Glass is so unexpected to incredible effect.

Oooh. Sumptuous leather.

You know all those pennies you see lying around...This is one way of using them.

The look of wood, the durability of tile.

Laminate flooring has come a long way.

Yes it's parquet flooring and yes it's beautiful.

I could probably keep going, but you only have so much time (and interest) to spend on flooring. I know, I know. Only a design geek like me could be so excited over flooring. But as you can see, there are boundless options beyond just your standard Home Depot hardwoods, tile and carpet. (Not that I have anything against Home Depot, 'cause I don't.)

xo, CM



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Thank you for visiting My Head Space!

Copyright 2014, Cristina Mullins Interiors