It’s officially ‘cozying up by the fire’ season over here, and while I’m still waiting a few weeks to decorate our holiday mantle, I’m finding inspiration in beautiful, inviting family rooms at the moment.

Photo: Lowell Custom Homes

Family Room Refresh

The holidays are crazy, but updating your Family Room doesn’t have to be. Build on your sofa and coffee-table basics with pillows, throws and accessories that go with your favorite flow.

Put it in neutral! When you buys big ticket items - sofa, coffee table, rug - in gray, beige or cream, its easy to change all the other decorative elements when you want to bring in bright pops of color or different textures.

True Luxury

A truly comfortable family room means never having to get up for the things you need. Test your home’s luxury: pour yourself a glass of wine and sit down in every seat. Is there a convenient spot where you can set the drink down? If not, you need an end table. Can you reach a reading light? If not, you probably need some sconces or lamps. Sit in your own favorite reading chair. What happens when you phone rings? If it involves getting up, have an electrician install an outlet for you to keep your phone or tablet fully charged and ready to go.

reclaim the fireplace

Most people who are fortunate enough to have fireplace tend to build their main seating arrangement around it- sofa, coffee table, chairs. But if you don’t entertain all that often, consider a more intimate alternative: pull two armchairs or wing chairs up to the hearth instead. Place a round table between them, a great spot for a drink. The fireplace now becomes an anchor for a deeply personal spot, ideal for two (remember to light the fire).

If you buy a new sofa or loveseat, don’t keep their accompanying throw pillows. They’re too small and too neatly matched to the upholstery. This combo can rob a room of individuality. Instead, have your own, more gracious pillows made. Pro Tip: when shopping for pillow fabric, bring the cover of an old sofa pillow with you to ensure that the patterns and colors are complementary.

If you find yourself unable to make a single decorating decision, it maybe time to hire a designer for some short-term help. A good designer knows how to draw up a budget, what to invest in, went to take short cuts, how to avoid mistakes, how to work expertly with color, form and proportion and how to incorporate your taste throughout. Don’t feel like you can do it alone? Email me and we’ll get to work on creating gorgeous spaces in YOUR home!

At some point, you may want expert guidance - maybe when you put five test swatches of grey paint on the wall and you can't choose between them, or when your great room seems stuffy no matter where you put the sofa. If that time comes, there are several ways, all fairly affordable, to pick the brains of an interior designer.

You can get professional advice about paint and wallpaper, furniture arrangement, lighting, whether to buy a new sofa or reupholster the old one, or where to squeeze in a home office. Just about any specific question you can think of!

Photo: Studio McGee

FIVE WAYS TO TALK TO AN INTERIOR DESIGNER

1. Know what you like and what you dislike. Gather photos online and put them into LOVE and HATE files. They're like shorthand to a designer - an instant handle on your taste. 

2. Before you meet, ask what the designer charges, and be upfront about what you want to spend. You might say, I can afford five hours of your time at this stage, and I have questions about color and furniture. Find out what you can get done in that amount of time.

Photo: Em Habitat

3. Have three or four specific questions ready before you meet with the designer, and write them down in order of priority. That way, if you only get through half the list, it will be the important half. 

4. Assume that the first meeting will be held at your home, which the designer needs to see. You're not likely to be asked to meet her at their office.

5. If your relationship is going to last longer than a few hours, ask for a contract or letter of agreement that spells out the job and the fees. As with any contract, read before you sign. 

Photo: Patterson  Custom Homes

Design is a creative field, so no two designers will solve a problem the same way. In fact, it's amazing how much they can differ.

Ultimately, expert advice, whether you listen to it or not, tends to be a pretty good investment.

~Michelle 

New Year's wish list: adding modern rustic elements and bringing the outdoors in. Are these on anyone else's list? Hi there! I'm Michelle, and today I thought I'd keep it real and give you a peek into the 2018 trends starting with a news flash: faux rustic is no longer in. So skip the galvanized tin letters on your Living Room wall and go for something more authentic. 

Today, I'm talking about natural, raw, and rustic elements. I'm always a fan of making things feel as natural as possible, so this is a trend I can get behind! I love using stone, wood, and other rustic elements in a space. They bring so much texture and warmth. The neutral color palette these elements have makes it a perfect backdrop for decorating. 

Photo: House Beautiful

Photo: Jen Worts

Photo: Coats Home

If you're not ready to dive into this trend just yet, try a piece of rustic furniture or lighting! I LOVE seeing a vanity, coffee table or large rustic light. The possibilitie are endless!

Photo: Jen Worts

Photo: Traditional Home

Hey hey hey! It's BEFORE + AFTER time! This house has been my EVERYTHING for the past year and I'm so thrilled for it's debut. I can't say enough great things about this family. Besides being super cool and cute as ever, they were very direct and clear in their vision for their home. Make it feel calm, cozy, functional, and family friendly...and help us with this awful 90's kitchen! So before I get all crazy with excitement... are you ready for my BEST BEFORE + AFTER?! 

KITCHEN + FAMILY ROOM // BEFORE + AFTER

There are some tips that you can use now to make your home look like a model home. I am serious! It isn’t as hard as you might think.

Here's how you can take your home from drab to fab. It's so worth the time and effort to give your home new life.

1. Float your furniture. Move your furniture away from the walls. More often than not, you will make your room look more inviting and more accessible.

2. Get more lighting. One thing that sets model homes apart from everyone else’s homes is the lighting. Use dimmers, use lamps, and track lighting. Layering the different types of light in the room is key. The rule of thumb is 100 watts per 50 square feet.

3. Find your inspiration. This is how many designers start out their designs for model homes using one object. It may be a swatch of fabric or a piece of art or even a piece of pottery. Use that item to find your color and design scheme.

4. Paint. A lot of model homes really rev up their spaces with just paint. They have painted something special on the walls almost using the painted wall as art. Other times, they will paint an accent wall. Two words of caution on accent walls. First, make sure the accent wall contrasts enough with your main wall color. Second, make sure you pick the right wall to be the accent wall, don’t pick some sliver of a wall or a wall that is to the side of the room away from the focal point of the room.

5. Plants. Many model homes have plants in the home. Plants bring the outdoors in!

6. Bookshelves. Lots of model home have a library area filled with books that look fabulous. We all know that books are expensive to use only as a prop. You know what they do? They visit thrift stores and by books based upon the color of the cover. Never leave the paper sleeve on it.

7. Choose fabulous tile. Most of the model homes look like they have really upscale kitchens. If you look at the details, most of the money is spent in the backsplash tiles. They find fabulous tiles to put up and it adds a classy and upscale touch to the kitchen. 

8. Window Treatments. Drapes can be hugely expensive. They don’t have to be. In most model homes, they only add drapery panels on either side of the window. They do not cover the entire window, but simply frame it.

9. Candles. This is a standard in most model homes, especially in bathrooms. Get pillar candles and make sure to light the wick. It’s the small touches that make your home look lived in and not just trying to look like a generic home. 

Let's discuss ways to make your home fab! Drop me a line at michelle@ramakerinteriors.com and lets get started.

Space Planning is one of those tricky areas to design that some people struggle with.

Many people aren’t sure there are rules to follow in regards to placing furniture in a space and also so that it makes sense.

FIRST YOU NEED TO ESTABLISH A CENTER OF INTEREST...OR WHAT YOU HEAR A LOT AS THE FOCAL POINT.

First, you need to establish a center of interest... or what you hear a lot as the focal point. This can be the fireplace, a view out your window, a large piece of art. Whatever is the star of the show is in your room.

Your next thing to do is to figure out the flow of traffic into and through the room. Sketch up your room and make note which paths people typical take in your room. Do they cross through the room to go outside or to a bedroom? These obvious paths of travel will make it easier for you to figure out where to place furniture.

When you have figured out where you can fit your furniture in without placing an obstacle in the traffic path, your next goal will be to use scale and balance. You will balance the pieces of furniture in your room so not all the heavy pieces are on one side or grouped together. You want to balance heavy pieces with lighter pieces. You also don’t want to have a very large couch paired with a dinky side table or coffee table. Consider the sizes of the pieces and how they look next to each other.

IF YOU HAVE A LARGER ROOM WHERE IT CAN HAVE MORE THAN ONE PURPOSE, YOU SHOULD ARRANGE YOUR FURNITURE IN WAYS THAT THE AREAS OF THE ROOM ARE DEFINED.

You can have a conversation, a game, dining and reading area in separate and undisturbed areas.

Cutting out paper pieces to represent furniture and placing it on top of graph paper can be really helpful and a lot easier than lugging the actual furniture around the room till you find the best solution. Sketch the outlines of your room on the graph paper, including where the doors, windows, fireplaces, electrical outlets, etc. are. (TIP: When using graph paper, each square (1/4” square) is one foot/12 inches.) Then you make paper patterns of the furniture. Write the sizes of your furniture pieces on each piece of paper so you know what piece you are moving around.

Remember, there is a solution for every room that may not be evident right away, but if you continue to work for the solution, you’ll get it! Good Luck!

If you’re having a hard time with your space and you’re ready to take strategic action to create a one of a kind room, let’s talk! Drop me a line at michelle@ramakerinteriors.com

~Michelle

Home interior design shows are very popular today. With a whole channel devoted to the subject, you would like to think that the TV Interior Design Gods can do no wrong.

I’m really sorry to break the news to you. They aren’t always Gods to Interior Design and half the time they aren’t real designers. Shocker!

Drapery. Make sure you buy at least two times the width of the window. Two panels on a window is not going to cut it unless your window is very narrow. You want your drapery to look full, not like some sad teenage prom dress.

Walls. They have a knack for applying weird things to the walls or bad faux finishing. Oh, and be careful when you faux finish a wall. You really don’t want your family and friends making fun of you a year from now for sponge painting your wall in mauve and saying “The 80s called and want their walls back!”

Lighting. Don’t under light your space and make sure you layer the light. What I mean by that is, use different types of lighting, overhead, table lamps, floor lamps, task lighting and the so on. The rule of thumb is 100 watts per 50 square feet.

Flooring. Make sure you pick the right flooring for your space. You have to remember what the purpose of your room is first. Don’t have polished concrete floors in a kid’s room and don’t put some porous stone in your wet areas like a kitchen or bathroom.

Furniture. Building useless furniture is a common problem the TV Designers have. With their self imposed budget, they instantly think that they should make something out of MDF or plywood. You know, just like all that quality furniture you wish you could buy, but had enough sense to pass on.

Space. Oh, this is one of their sins they can’t stop. The just will not repent or give up on trying to stick too many pieces of furniture into one space. “Here is our living room and now you have two sofas, two chairs, three tables, 4 floor lamps and a partridge in a pear tree.” Yikes, people we need space. If you feel like you are in a movie theater and you’re crawling over people to move around, you got too much stuff. Edit it!

Slip covers. They love to slip cover junk. If it is a piece of junk, get rid of it. If your couch is old, not well built and you don’t really like it now, what makes the TV Designer think you will fall in love with it all over again because it looks like a elephant covered in a sheet?

The moral of my story is if you want to watch these design shows, remember these two things. TV Designers aren’t always good and do you think they would really put that decoupaged sofa in their house? 

Cheers!

~Michelle

THE KITCHEN IS THE HEART OF THE HOME AND A SPACE WHERE WE COOK AND ENJOY SNACKING WHILE CHATTING WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

The Kitchen is the most valuable room in the home. It is the space I spend the most of my time with clients discussing and designing. Ideally, your Kitchen renovation should earn a 70% return on investment when you sell your home. But, this depends on the features you choose.

HERE'S HOW I CAN HELP. LET'S CHAT ABOUT THE TOP 5 KITCHEN TRENDS FOR 2017 THAT YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY EMBRACE. 

1. MORE TECHNOLOGY

Technology is rapidly developing in the modern home and is taking center stage in your kitchen. 2017 will focus on appliances with integrated speakers with bluetooth functionality, color changing lights and pop up sockets for phone charging giving kitchens a modern twist. 

2. MONOCHROME TONES

I'm anticipating a rise in popularity of grey, black and white tones in the kitchen. Last year brought us a huge uptick in the use of grey. But, these three colors can work in varying degrees; whether its entire cabinets, surfaces, appliances or kitchen accessories - hello onyx black Kitchen Aid blender for a mere $699. 

3. QUALITY STORAGE SOLUTIONS

This is an ongoing struggle for my clients across the board. I prefer to hide all small appliances (toaster oven, coffee pots) in tall pantry cabinets with roll-out drawers. My favorite additional is deep drawers with smart dividers to keep everything organized and create that wow factor.

4. CLUTTER FREE COUNTERTOPS

My go to design trick to open up a small Kitchen and allow the cook to calmly prepare their food is adding a large, clear open surface.

5. MODERN PAINTED CABINETS

When it comes to a painted kitchen, the trend is moving away from chunky crown profiles and heavy door moldings. I'm designing a slimmer, thinner look with Shaker style doors and slab drawers. This helps the kitchen maintain classic proportions with a modern look & feel. 

Keep up to date with my inspiring ideas, latest looks and expert advice by signing up for your free workbook here.

Cheers!

Michelle

Welcome to "Behind the Scenes" where I pull back the curtain on my career, life and love of design. I've spent my entire life being impacted by interiors, from hotels, to restaurants, to traveling. I've always been inspired by the beauty around me, especially in nature. 

From a young age, I was always creative.I took an interest in residential design spending weekends at open houses with my parents. We would go from house to house taking in the interesting interiors and daydreaming about what it would be like to live there.  From then on, I believed that the power of an interior is a reflection of your soul and the souls who lived in those houses. 

THE NEXT STEPS

I decided I had to go to school for Interior Design and enjoyed it so much I graduated with honors. I loved learning and problem solving but was eager to start out on my own. Throughout the years I have had the chance to work in and with the best of the best Interior Architectural firms and builders throughout Chicago. 

WHEN YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO, THE SUCCESS COMES

I quickly began to realize that designing came easy to me because I decided to always design homes on my own terms. I began to reach clients outside of the firms and quickly realized others were obsessed with my design style as much as I was. It was then I decided to create something very unique to who I am, and Michelle Ramaker Interiors was born. 

To this day, I attribute that individuality to my success as an interior designer. Through my design work I have cultivated a unique process that changes lives and allows people to love their homes wholeheartedly. 

Let me help you design the home you have always dreamed of. 

Reach out to me and we will begin with a clear vision. 

I'd Love to hear from you

Cheers!

~Michelle

When your home is filled with clutter it can feel like an overwhelming mess. Stacks of paper and Tupperware on the Kitchen counter to kids toys about the Living Room. I get it. Tackling the mess is an ongoing struggle in my home.

Let’s discuss the struggle.

First things first, can we start with just 10 minutes? Baby steps are important here. Can you dedicate 10 minutes of your day to this task? I know you can, let’s do this together!

Take another 10 minutes tomorrow, and the next day, by the end of the week you might have a whole room organized. You’ll be well on your way to a zen lifestyle before you know it!

Let’s start in the Kitchen.

Clear off your counter. Your goal is to have as many clear flat spaces in your home as possible. Let’s remove all the paperwork, kids’ artwork, shopping bags, and laptops from the counter. Sure, you can keep your favorite appliance. Do you need the blender for your favorite after workout smoothie? Put it in the cabinet or pantry, somewhere close and easy to get. All other paperwork goes!

Honestly, I’m passionate about de-cluttering and would love to live a minimalist lifestyle.

I can’t help it! If you share my need to have an uncluttered home and don’t know where to start, reach out to me at michelle@ramakerinteriors.com and we can get this de-clutter party started. 

Hey guys! I get a lot of questions from clients about my favorite things...

So, I want to answer those questions right here and give you my GO-TO list of fabulous furniture, accessories, lighting and paint colors I cannot live without! Seriously.

1. Flickering Flameless Wax Candles - these are essential. I use them on fireplaces, in bookcases, & throughout bedrooms. In hard to reach places, I use a remote - super convenient! More importantly, I automatically set these babies to begin illumination at 5pm and turn off by 11pm, genius. 

2. Indoor/Outdoor Flat weave Area Rugs - not only are these easy to clean (you guys, throw them in your washing machine easy) but will also add a pop of color to your space without breaking the bank (on a rug!)

3. Paint Color: AC-31: Benjamin Moore's Hot Springs Stone - my FAVORITE soft neutral. It is a warm grey, that does not go purple, thank goodness. This paint is a perfect backdrop for your accessories and art.

Now, you too can find these online or at your local retailers, cheers!

Materials Marketing re-opened their gorgeous new showroom this week in Chicago's Fulton Market.  Of course, I'm always excited to see what they are working on, so I was thrilled to get a sneak peek tour of their new space!

And...Guess what? We are huge fans of their new glazed brick!

Brick has a long and storied history as both a decorative and durable surface. They have really captured functional durability and a rugged look with this bronze glaze. The modern, soothing color lifts the ever humble brick to a whole new level.

I'm looking forward to utilizing it in a sleek urban interior or on a warm inviting fireplace!

Ciao!

Michelle

A well lit room with the perfect mix of ambiance and task lighting can be gorgeous and overwhelming at the same time. But, we are here to make decorative lighting your new best friend! Oh, chandeliers. You and I must sit down and talk. Most people have a hard time sizing a fixture to fit a room perfectly. Makes complete sense!

Here are some general guidelines that should make the process of adding new and beautiful lighting to your space!

General Guidelines:

• Approximate Room Size: 10'x10' : use a 17"-20"W Chandelier

• Approximate Room Size: 12'x12' : use a 22"-27"W Chandelier

• Approximate Room Size: 14'x14': use a 24"-32"W Chandelier

There are so many great options to choose from, the task can be daunting. Well, listen here.  Follow these guidelines (not rules) and you will be "A" okay! when it comes to purchasing your new precious Dining Room chandelier. Oh, and make sure to select a fixture that is between 1/2 to 2/3 width of your table, it is always safer to go larger than smaller.

Ciao!

Michelle

September is a month of new beginnings. As fall begins to approach, there is a crispness in the air. Summer is wrapping up and it is a natural time for transition. Time to slow down and restore the body, mind and soul.  The Fall season brings with it the promise of cooler temperatures. Its rhythm reminds us that's its time to turn inside, ruminate and nourish ourselves. One way to accomplish this is to get some good old fashioned rest. Sleep is an essential component of good health and peace of mind. The quiet state gives us a chance to renew, refresh and restore ourselves.

As an Interior Designer, I love to make the bedroom a peaceful oasis for sleep and relaxation. The paint color should be soothing and envelop you. Window treatments should add softness and block light from the outside world. My favorite way to cover a window is with the Roman Shade. In a Master Bedroom, I always include a black out lining for extra coverage.

You can begin with a flat roman shade with its clean lines and modern look. Or, a relaxed roman shade offers softness to a rigid square window. The gentle curve on the bottom creates a casual, yet classy look.

If you are looking for a bit more pizazz, a hobbled roman shade is great. It has soft, horizontal folds of fabric that stay in place when your shade is in the down position, unlike the Flat Roman shade which present a flat surface when in the down position.

Get yourself back into the "Fresh Start" state of mind this Fall. Check out the types of Roman Shade window treatment coverings and add softness to your bedroom.

Ciao, everybody!

Michelle