L OCAL LIVING
District
from the chat ‘Slob Proof!’ designing: Tips on durability and style
Silver Spring interior designer
Deborah Wiener, author of “Slob Proof! Real-Life Home Decorating Solutions,” was the guest last week on our Home Front online chat. Below is an edited excerpt. Submit questions to the live Q&A, which takes place every Thursday at 11 a.m., at
www.washingtonpost.com/ home.
I am looking for a place to buy curtains other than run-of-the-mill panels. Any suggestions?
I just purchased silk drapery panels from Restoration Hardware for one of my clients. I am so impressed with their quality. They’re beautifully lined, so they hang nicely. Best of all, they will send you small fabric samples so you can see before you buy.
I live in a narrow rowhouse in Baltimore — it’s 14 feet wide. Any ideas as to how to choose furniture to keep it as light and airy as possible? (It does have high ceilings.)
I would look for seating on legs to keep it light and airy-feeling, and lots of tall wall shelving to help de-clutter and store your belongings. With such
RESTORATION HARDWARE
Silk drapes from Restoration Hardware.
tall ceilings, you can use pendant lighting that hangs from the ceiling instead of table lamps, which will free up table space. If you use coffee tables, try to use glass tops so that you can see the floor underneath, again giving the appearance of more space.
I’m pregnant, and my husband and I have decided to paint our little boy’s room green. Any recommendations on a Benjamin Moore color would be greatly appreciated. I would prefer a light green that can easily coordinate with other colors, like blue. My favorite light greens from
Benjamin Moore are Pale Sea Mist (2147-50), Fernwood Green (2145-40) and Hancock Green (HC-117).
I want to get a leather sectional because my child has allergies. What do you suggest that would be durable and somewhat fashionable? I don’t want it to look like a Barcalounger. I use only one leather source, American Leather, out of Dallas. No, they do not pay me for this kind of an endorsement at all! What I love about their stuff is that they offer a fabulous “protected” leather that’s impervious to staining or scratching. You could run it through your dishwasher and it would come out looking brand-new! How’s that for kid-proof leather?
What types of paint (flat, satin, semigloss, etc.) do you recommend for various areas of the house (living room, dining room, bedrooms, baths) to withstand wear, fingerprints, etc.?
I used to use wall paints with a slight sheen, like eggshell, but I have changed with the new technology in paint. I really
prefer flat wall paint because it hides surface imperfections, and I prefer satin or eggshell trim — it’s just more subtle. Today’s paint is all scrubbable, and many lines make paints just for wet areas such as bathrooms, so the finish is less important now than the formulation.
I live in a center-entry colonial home built in 1915 and have just found out it would take a great deal of resources to make the brick dining room fireplace operable. Any suggestions, other than a candle holder, to make the space attractive? Growing up, we had a
decorative fireplace in the living room that had a beautiful leafy fern in it during warm months and a stack of white birch logs in colder months. Always looked good to me. Another option is to use a fireplace panel, usually painted with a scroll or flower motif, to cover the opening.
I have allergies to dust mites. I rent, so I can’t pull up the bedroom carpet. Could I put a washable indoor-outdoor carpet over it to keep the dust down?
That won’t cure your dust mite allergies, but here are two possibilities.
1. Buy a true hepa filter
vacuum cleaner. The more often you vacuum, the better you’ll breathe.
2. Buy a true hepa filter room air cleaner. My youngest son suffers from indoor allergies as you do, and these two tools have really helped him.
We are finishing our basement and can’t decide between rubber flooring vs. vinyl. Will pet urine or other accidents soak into rubber, and will it stand up to the pet’s claws? It costs about $2,000 more than vinyl, enough to make me want to be really, really sure it’s the best solution for the space. Ask your contractor for a sample and do a home test. You really can’t trust what anyone says until you test it for yourself. Put it under the dishwasher or someplace where it can be subjected to daily moisture and messes. Take a steel dog comb and give it your best shot to check for scratching. I also like DuraCeramic from Congoleum for pet-friendly, kid-friendly spaces.
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THE WASHINGTON POST • THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010
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