Christmas in Glengary
A tribute to John Morris by Brenda Miller, Designer of Interior Spaces It’s the time of the year when the sights and sounds of the season surround us. The chill in the air, the sound of holiday music, and the glistening of colorful lights. This is the time of the year that brings me back to childhood memories of love and joy. As a designer, this time of the year brings me a busy schedule – it’s time to decorate for clients. For me it’s more than transforming homes and businesses into the “Magic of the Season,” it’s creating friendships, lasting memories and making people smile. The holiday season allows my creative juices to flow. Over the years I have staged and decorated many homes. In life we all have favorites; I want to share one of my favorite homes with you. It may be because of the beautiful winding staircase, the tastefully decorated rooms with high ceilings, the abundance of Christmas décor or the opportunity to decorate FIVE mantles. In truth, it is none of those reasons – it’s my favorite home to decorate because of the homeowners. Their love of the holiday season is evident by the stack of the over 40 tubs of decorations ready for me to display throughout their home, and the excitement expressed when I enter the home each day to decorate. This majestic home of Greek revival style is located just outside of the Stonewall Industrial Park standing on several acres – the home of John and Cheryl Morris. For many years, I have known and become dear friends with John and Cheryl along with their dog Daisy and the two cats, Sweet Pea and Darlin’. Their home, known as Glengary, is rich with history. Originally built in 1831, Cheryl’s father, Douglas O. Grimm, acquired the home March 1956. During the Civil War, the basement was used as a hospital. In the 1900s, her father added the two story “L” frame. Later in the 1970-1990s, the garage, storage room and sun porch were built. The home is over 5,000 square feet and is three stories if you include the attic. As you drive up the driveway toward the home, you cannot miss the beautiful columns out front. Her father had the columns added with an element of surprise. Each column houses a telephone pole which adds to the stability of each one. (Her father had good friends in the telephone company.) There are many wonderful memories in the home and I and the pleasure of talking to Cheryl about the history and traditions still celebrated today. Her father loved cedar trees. For...
Outdoor Spaces, Outdoor Fun, Enjoy The Sun
by Brenda Miller, Designer of Interior Spaces, The Miller House Even though landscape and patio space is often overlooked, outdoor renovations and redesigns make for perfect outdoor spaces for family and fun. An outdoor space is a great way to give your “blah” house a much-needed boost while creating a place to enjoy the sunshine. Define what you really want from your outdoor room. It sounds obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to begin designing a space just for one purpose. Some people love being out in the elements, while others are sensitive to wind and sun; some love entertaining, while others want to enjoy a space as a spa-like retreat. These questions may help you to get a better sense of what you really hope to get out of your outdoor room: Do you prefer to spend time in your yard with family and friends or alone? How do you want to use your outdoor space — to cook, dine, lounge and play? Or do a combination of those? Do you mind carrying food, utensils, etc. from the house to the yard, or would you rather have easier access? Do you like the feeling of sitting out in the elements, or do you prefer a more sheltered space? How important is privacy to you? What times of day do you like to use your yard? Set your budget ahead of time, and work carefully with your designer to make sure you stick to it. You may want to do some research ahead of time on materials and landscaping techniques that are appropriate for your location and style. OUTDOOR KITCHEN Have you ever found yourself running back and forth between cooking indoors and cooking outdoors on a warm afternoon? The best way to prevent this from happening is to properly design your outdoor kitchen so that it can function like your indoor kitchen. Now, this doesn’t mean you need a large outdoor kitchen. In fact, a small one might be just what you need. Benefits of an outdoor kitchen It’s a great entertaining source both for social and family gatherings. Cooking outdoors in the summer can keep your air conditioning bill down. Cooking emits heat which warms the home. It keeps both the mess and clean-up outdoors. All your cooking is done in the same space. Elaborate outdoor kitchens can also add to the real estate value of your house and may help you if you plan to move away after a few years. According to the Property and Environment Research Center, in the Northeast, 43 percent of homeowners report having an outdoor room. Though all these numbers do not...
Fabulous Tablescapes for the Holiday Season
by Brenda Miller Interior Designer, The Miller House photos by Lauri Bridgeforth This time of year brings plenty of reasons to celebrate. From Thanksgiving through the New Year, entertaining at home is in full swing. It’s fun to decorate for the holidays, especially when you’re creating a gorgeous tablescape. “Tablescape” is a relatively new term in interior decorating, and it’s just what it sounds like: a landscape for your table. I suggest taking advantage of wonderful items you have on hand, and then get creative and experiment with them. Hopefully my ideas will help you to think out of the box. Linens Pretty linens are a good starting place — their colors give you a framework. One of the most common ways to display napkins is a simple rectangular fold, set directly on the plate under the knife and fork. However, there are multiple ways to get creative with napkin folds. My secret to enhance any place setting is by using a unique napkin fold. If that sounds too stressful, try this: Take a square cloth napkin open it flat on a table. Take two fingers and grab it in the center and flip it over just as if you are holding an ice cream cone. Stuff into a glass goblet, tall drinking glass, or wineglass and let the napkin fall into place. Rearrange as need until you are pleased with your final product. Using two napkins together adds to the “wow” factor you want to create. A great idea for a New Year’s celebration is an interactive runner of butcher paper in white. It is a great way to involve the younger guests in the creative process. Supply pretty markers in gold, red, and silver metallic and let the youngsters write about or draw their own holiday inspirations and resolutions. For the older guests of the party, a unique presentation for each place setting is placing a round shaped clock (no more than 3” thick) on a gold charger. Place a large clear dinner plate over each clock- your theme is set! Enhance the place setting by incorporating gold and white napkins, confetti and party favors in the same color combination. Tableware Mix and match, layer plates and keep in mind the colors of the holiday. Mixing and matching different dinnerware is fine; just make sure the overall look is cohesive. Don’t over-layer or complicate the table with competing colors and patterns. For example, mix in solid white or red dinnerware with a set of patterned red & white dishes to make them stretch: use the patterned salad plates on solid white plates, and basic white salad plates...
Fall into Season
by Brenda M. Miller Designer of Interior Spaces, The Miller House photos by Lauri Bridgeforth Now that summer is drawing to a close, it’s time to shift your design focus toward the images of autumn. Changing seasons outside are the perfect reason to change your decor inside. Decorating your home is easy when you use ideas from nature incorporating these into wreaths, table settings and more. Let’s “fall” into the season by transforming your home into a festive and fun place for family and friends. Bring out the throws and pillows If you folded up your throw blankets and fall pillows for storage when hot weather arrived, it’s time to bring them out! Gathering around the television for a football game, reading the newspaper on a lazy weekend, or even in the morning when you’ve got a cup of tea in hand, it’s twice as nice when you can watch leaves float down from the tree tops as you cuddle up with your favorite blanket or pillow. Fall pillows in a beautiful array of yellows, reds, oranges and browns will instantly change the feel and look of any room. Decorate the kitchen accordingly During the summer it’s a nice to place green, large-leafed plants around the home and outdoors. In the fall, making the transition to an earthier plant or vegetable display is something to consider. As “corny” as it may sound, placing a variety or gourds, nuts and pumpkins around your home sets a definite autumnal tone. Placing corn kernels in glass hurricanes with a candle is easy and inexpensive. Highlight the wood in your home If you have a wooden kitchen or dining room table try losing the tablecloth and simply going with fall-colored placemats. Polishing hardwood floors, wooden cabinets and wooden tables really brings a crisp, woodland feel, especially if the wood is of a dark tone. Accents of fall Adding autumnal accents throughout your home can be as easy as grabbing items from outdoors. Here are some fun & easy projects and techniques to help: Leaf pressings – To preserve the beauty of colorful fall foliage, press leaves between books. When fully dry, display leaves between two pieces of same-sized glass. Secure the pieces of glass together by wrapping the edges with colored, linen book cloth tape. Pumpkins with function – Little ornamental gourds can be a big help in keeping a festive tablecloth in place, especially when it’s used for an outdoor gathering. Add grommets to a tablecloth (use a grommet kit, available at crafts stores). Then attach string to the pumpkins and loop through the grommets for functional seasonal flair. A simple display...
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