Labels: interior decorator richmond, interior designer richmond, multi use furniture, rolling storage, storage ideas

Adding new chairs is an easy way to breathe new life into an old room. That’s why I’ve planned a casual dining chair trunk show in my shop At Market on May 2-4. The show will kick off with a wine and cheese reception on May 2nd from 5 to 8 p.m., and will continue on May 3rd from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and May 4th from 12:30 to 5 p.m.

At Market is in DeCOR, 19 South Belmont Avenue.

I’m really excited about these chairs—the quality is outstanding and the styles I selected cover a variety looks. There will be 11 chair styles to choose from with 74 fabrics and 34 different wood finishes. So you can throw spice up your look with a yellow, red or green, or you can match what you have with one of many browns, greys and blacks.

The Hampton Chair comes in so many fun colors and options—imagine the excitement you can have around the table.




This Lyon chair could work in a game room, TV room, or dining room. Plus, it comes in all kinds of mix-and-match colors and fabrics.

 




The Mazatlan is an outdoor dining chair.



Don’t forget the swivel chair! It comes in an outdoor version, too.



Samples of all the styles will be on hand so you can give them a sit test. Come shop and bring swatches and photos from your home. I’ll be there the whole time providing free design advice. Plus, if you place an order during the event you’ll receive a 20 percent discount.

Labels: chair richmond, chair trunk show richmond, furniture richmond, kathy corbet design, kathy corbet designs, kathy corbet interiors, shopping event richmond, trunk show richmond

Sure, it sounds easy, but with so many different types of light bulbs on the market today, it can get a bit confusing. How many watts do you need? What is a lumen anyway? I’ve got some simple tips on buying the right bulb.  This handy chart is from Lighting Facts.



Save this lumen-to-watt chart to your smartphone. When you’re shopping for new halogen, LED and incandescent fixtures, this will help you buy what you're used to. For example, if you liked your 100-watt Edison base bulb but can no longer buy it, this chart will explain that you can replace it with a 23-watt CFL or a 72-watt halogen. The “color” may not be the same, but we’ll save that for another blog post…


What were the designers thinking when they created the CFL light bulb?

I do like Plumen bulbs, though. These bulbs are named for the British designer who has won many awards for the cool-looking CFL. You can find Plumen bulbs at a few stores in the United States—in fact at Market in DeCOR carries them. If I find a great-looking LED, I’ll post it!









1000 Bulbs is my go-to for finding any type of light bulb. Check them out.





If you are looking for a new light fixture that uses some of the newer, low energy lamps, you will need to follow the lumen chart as well. I recently specified this Eurofase Cromo 9-light chandelier for a client. It requires nine 12-volt/20-watt G4 base halogen bulbs and provides enough light at the kitchen table for homework. According to the chart, it is two thirds of 29 watts listed giving us about two thirds of the 450 lumens per bulb. The math: .66 x 450 = 297 lumens, 297 lumens x 9 bulbs = 2673 total lumens. Going back to our chart, that is equal to three plus 60-watt incandescent bulbs or six 40-watt incandescent bulbs.

Labels: chandelier richmond, how to buy a light bulb, Kathy Corbet, kathy corbet design, kathy corbet designs, kathy corbet interiors, light bulbs richmond, lighting richmond, watt to lumen, what is a lumen

Great rooms are staples in many houses and they make wonderful family gathering places, but laying them out can be a problem. You need room to talk, work and relax in one space, and it all needs to remain organized with a cohesive look and feel. Plus, there’s usually a big ceiling that can be challenging to decorate.

 

It’s also important to create “functional spaces” within the larger room. Spaces like a reading corner, a game corner, a display area, a conversation area, etc., are useful and divide up the large space. You can use lighting to help distinguish these different spaces. Here's how I divided up one great room:


And, here's the finished product:

Here’s a close-up of the conversation area. It feels comfortable, complete and separated from other parts of the room:

Labels: family room richmond, furniture richmond va, great room richmond, Kathy Corbet, kathy corbet design, kathy corbet designs, kathy corbet interiors, living room design richmond

Have fun in the kitchen with 35 colors and 72 fabrics.

Labels: accent chairs, at market richmond, bright colors, decor richmond, dining chairs richmond, home decor richmond, interior decorators richmond

We often spend a lot of time thinking about our living, dining and other main family rooms, but what about bedroom design for kids? Choosing a space that’s organized and makes your child happy can be tough, but with two kids of my own, it’s one of my favorite challenges.

My favorite inspiration for children is Pottery Barn Kids and Teen—these kids know how to have fun with their rooms. For practical bedding, Traditions by Pamela Kline is my go-to, and for fun bedding I like Davenport Home.

Whether you child’s style is fun or sophisticated and whether they are young or a tween, I’ve got tons of ways to make their room reflect their style and remain clean. Custom window treatments with a special touch is usually my suggestion for a long-term investment, because when done correctly, it can last you from toddler to teen. Bedding, area rugs, lighting and accents can be the bargain priced “trendy” items that you can swap out as your child’s tastes change.



This boy's room valence features varsity stripes in fun colors. It's a look a boy can grow up with. 



For girls, I like a white or ivory valence with a color accent.  White goes with anything and the pop of color will adapt to the changing tastes and wall colors of growing girls.  In this pic, make sure not to miss the Paris flea market chandelier—what a fun touch for a girl!


This is another example from a girl's room. The pop of green is fun and can be incorporated into a variety of color schemes.





 This Manakin Sabot bedroom for a preteen has bright colors and a whimsical window treatment with perching birds—again that it's white with a color accent.

Labels: children's furniture richmond, childrens bedrooms richmond, Kathy Corbet, kathy corbet design, kathy corbet designs, kathy corbet interiors, kid's furniture richmond, kids bedroom design, kids rooms richmond

Labels: drapes richmond, fabric richmond, interior decorators richmond va, interior designers richmond, Kathy Corbet, kathy corbet interiors, window treatments richmond, windows richmond