Here are five ways to use a mirror in your home for great design results:

1. Use a mirror as a focal point. Whether over a buffet table (to add drama to a dining area), on top of a fireplace mantle (to add to width and height), or over a bed (to add romance and charm), a mirror can be a stunning star. After placing your mirror, dress up the focal point area. For living or dining rooms, flank the mirror with matching candle holders or floral arrangements.
2. If your wall is wide, be sure the mirror is as well. Traditional spaces do well with chunky frames in burnished gold finishes. Modern spaces should have sleek frames in smooth finishes or frames with a geometric representation.
3. Use mirrors to expand a small space. They work wonders in entryways to keep the area from seeming too narrow or short. Place a large wall mirror in an especially small guest room to open it up.
4. Use a small mirror on a table as part of a centerpiece when entertaining. Select an unusually shaped frame such as an octagon, oval, or circle. Place it in the center of the table and layer it with items of color and texture, or top it with candles and glass beads. Dim the lights and celebrate the evening with sparkling beverages and hors d’oevres.
5. Position your mirrors for good reflections. Check to make sure what you see in the mirror is a great sample of color, texture, and favorable design elements. Avoid eyesore reflections such as air conditioning vents, one blade of a celing fan, a random section of molding, or a window that throws off a glare. Aim for mirroring artwork, greenery, a nice display of accessories, or an open space that represents good design.

When your mirrors are used correctly, your room will be the fairest one of all.

Take a look at your home from the curb. Does it feel welcoming? Is it a place that beckons you inside? Do you notice anything that jumps out at you and seems out of place? What is your overall impression?

Here are a few specifics to bear in mind when attempting to puy your home’s best face forward:

Siding

Replace or fix siding that is out-of-date or in need of repair.

Roof

Make sure the roof is in good shape and attractive.

Driveway and Sidewalk

Repair cracks and clean any dingy areas.

Landscaping

Update the landscaping so your home doesn’t look old. Make sure your plants are healthy and attractive and remove all weeds.

Windows

Repair damaged windows or replace with new ones

Shutters

Keep them in good condition by repainting or replacing. Make sure that the color and style of your shutters is in harmony with the overall appearance of your house.

Porch

Keep your porch clutter-free and well-lit and it will be very welcoming.

Front Door

The front door makes a huge impact on your curb appeal. If your door does not look new or fresh, replace it. If you don’t need the screen door, remove it. Screens detract from the home by hiding your beautiful door. Screen doors are also prone to very noticeable deterioration.

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. So when planning your overall interior design, don’t forget to put some time and energy into your exterior design as well.

Design a craft corner

Bring out your child’s natural creativity

• Paint an old table and cover the sides with fabric. You can hide projects and supplies in large bins under the table.
• Turn baby wipe containers into storage boxes for small craft items. Your kids can paint and decorate the containers.
• Hang a bulletin board for displaying your children’s artwork.

Create a fort

Children love to play in private enclosed spaces

• Design a tented space with unused sheets and fabrics.
• Make a cardboard house with your kids using large boxes and lots of paint.

Section off areas of the room

Keep the kids organized while they’re having fun

• Place area rugs around the room to create separate areas for reading, crafts, games, and storage. Don’t worry about matching the rugs. Variety is more fun.
• Separate areas by hanging ribbons or fabric from the ceiling.
• If you have a hardwood floors, why not create sections by painting the floor? Use different colors for each area, or paint lines to create regions.

Remember that decorating a playroom is all about creating an environment that is fun for your children. Take pleasure in the process and treasure the time with your kids.

About three weeks before the party, I send out the invitations. I have put Valentine confetti into the invites, which surprises my guests when they open the card. I will then scatter the confetti on the table along with the other decorations.

Over the years I have purchased a variety of vases, place card holders, candle sticks, linens and glassware that compliment the table. I buy lots of fresh flowers a few days before the party and have fun setting the table, changing it around some each year.

You can get creative with clear glass vases.  Fill them with candy hearts or M & Ms and insert a small vase filled with flowers or a candle in the center.  Sometimes I will put individual vases with flowers at each person’s place setting.  This year I choose to use all red flowers down the center of the table.

Another year I took an over sized champagne glass, filled it with water and floated candles and flowers. Small vases filled with multi colored flowers adorned each place setting along with hand made place cards for each guest.

This year’s theme is all things French.  We will start with French Onion Soup Au Gratin, then mixed green salad with  French mustard vinaigrette. The main course will consist of Chicken Cordon Bleu, green beans Provencal, and basil mashed potatoes. While in France this past September, I couldn’t help but notice everyone stopping at Le Boulangerie for fresh Baguettes, so of course we will serve with sweet butter.

For dessert, I will make heart shaped chocolate tarts, heart shaped sugar cookies and a traditional Tart Tartin, which is a caramelized upside down apple tart.

Our dinner would not be complete without a variety of French wines. I will visit the local wine shop with my menu for the perfect pairings

Bon Appetite!

Looking out the window of your home in the Hamptons offers beautiful sights to behold. Well, looking at your windows should yield the same thing. How to create that sensation? Diane Bianchini, owner of Dream Windows & Interiors in Westhampton, shares her expert insights.

The Question: I’ve looked at ready made curtains for my home, and so many of them look the same. I have a few rooms that need new drapes and want to learn more about custom window treatments—what’s the difference?

Diane Bianchini says: The investment of carefully chosen window treatments can yield results for years. That’s the answer when people question the how and why of custom window treatments.

In fact, custom window treatments offer an unlimited selection of fabric choices, so you have a fabric that perfectly complements your decor. And you have a designed treatment that exactly fits your window. Much like fine art or furniture, window treatments are an investment in your home. Generally speaking, you can expect your custom window treatments to last about 10 years.

Custom window treatments are produced with higher quality fabrics and linings. In addition to the obvious practical functions, they can be used to set a mood, enhance the home’s style, or create illusions.

There is usually more attention to details, such as trim, pattern matching or specialty pleating—just a few of the extras that make it special for your room.

A window treatment specialist will evaluate the windows in your home and make recommendations as to what styles and fabrics are best to use. For instance, an upholstery-weight fabric would not be the best choice for a treatment that swags.

Certain fabrics like silk need to be both interlined and lined so they will have body and be protected from the sun’s rays.

If the drape is to function it must be installed on a quality drapery rod. This rod could be decorative, such as a pole with rings, or nondecorative, in which case it would get installed under a valance or cornice.

When working with a professional you will be offered fabrics that work in your space and fit within your budget. Once a few fabrics are selected, a memo sample will be ordered. It is important to see the fabric in the room in which it will eventually hang. The wall color, lighting and other furnishings in the room all need to be taken into consideration. Remember, you want this to be a showcase, whether it’s close up or from afar. Consideration needs to be given to the print in relation to the size of a treatment.

And today, many professionals have software that illustrates the design, and is superimposed on a photo of the window: no more guesswork, but rather an accurate rendering of how the finished product looks.

Much like a fine painting, drapes need to be installed professionally. The rods need to be hung at the proper heights if the drapery is to traverse. A valance may need to be hung at a certain height so the shade beneath is hidden when raised. Cords need to be properly fastened and checked for proper functionality.

Custom shades are now compliant with child safety standards that have arisen over the past few years due to poorly manufactured shades and blinds mass produced in China.

Your home is an investment, and custom window treatments represent an understanding of the value of that investment.

Have more questions about window treatments for your home? You can contact me at Dream Windows & Interiors at 631-325-5900, or visit our showroom at 29 Montauk Highway, Westhampton, NY 11977 and always online at www.dreamwindowsandinteriors.com.

TAGS: Ask the Expert, hamptons, Home Improvement, House and Home, interior designAs Seen in Dan’s Hamptons

All summer we have been working with unusual fabric pairings.
I love to mix and match patterns and haven’t limited that mixing and matching to just sofa and chair fabrics.

Drapery can really energize a room when patterns and designs are mixed together.

A traditional style room can attain a more contemporary look and feel by mixing up the drapery fabric. When fabrics are mixed together it not only makes the room appear more dramatic, but adds depth to the space.

One of the challenges of decorating a resort or second home is to make it work as an all year round home. It’s difficult finding that perfect balance of fabrics that work well in all seasons. The Duralee collection has inspired some dynamite rooms this summer.

As we settle into the school year we are discovering some great looks in kid decor. Your child will probably be spending less time outdoors playing and more in their room studying. Hanging drapery panels on the sides of a window is both practical and a decorative way to provide privacy. Make sure their bedroom is a place they would want to spend more time in by freshening up the room with great fabrics.

Drapery panels not only provide privacy, but help keep a room cool or warm, and complement your interior decor.

We also specialize in Hunter Douglas window coverings.

We love pillows. So every year we have a Pillow Sale, just for the fun of it. NOW until Labor Day we are offering 20% off any pillow order.

Some clients change over their entire house. It is an easy design fix.

So come visit with us on Montauk Highway in Westhampton, and take a look at our extensive library of fabrics and add-ons.

We’ll help you select the perfect pillows.

Consider your lifestyle and the style of the room you want to freshen up.

Trina Turk for Dream Windows and Interiors

You can draw your color inspirations from carpeting or area rugs, furntiture draperies, window coverings or artwork. Decorative pillows can pick up the colors in the opposite side of the room and give your decor a more cohesive look. Subconsciously, it will be pleasing to the eye.

Consider your lifestyle, and what your room is used for. In a family room where there are children and pets, select a practical, durable fabric. Mix those pillows with a sturdy tapestry pillow, washable cottons and cotton/polyester blends and silk-like polyester pillows. In a formal living room, you can use elegant silk throw pillows, more delicate decorative pillows with beading, and tassels.

-Always here to help.
DIANE

This is the time of year the Hamptons wakes up.

It is a hectic time but a wonderful time. We have had a sleepy, and snowy off-season. The sun is out now, the town sidewalks are bustling with preparation.

From experience I know that if we get started now we could get your project finished by summer time. It is also the time of year that Hunter Douglas issues a huge Summer Sale with rebates and discounts.

Their technologies,
pattern choices and easy handling make them one of the finest choices out there. Some shades can be installed by Memorial Day.

It is Spring in every sense.

-Always here to help.

I put together a color board with some complimentary Kravet fabrics, and off we went! All fabrics were backed for durability and coated with Pro Seal II for stain protection. The transformation was fabulous, and my clients were very happy with the end results.