Current Projects

Current Projects: Reimagining A Whole House – Part 1

A young Cary family was looking to freshen up their entire house.  Judy and I surveyed the whole space and compiled a list of changes at the beginning of last year.  Over time the clients & I have made the changes and the whole house looks & feels very different. We began with changing paint colors throughout the house. Next:  The formal living room made the top of the list as it is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. 

Before, the clients never spent time in the living room. Too many pieces & a confining space plan made the smallish room uninviting and artificial flowers looked stagnant.  

 

Living Room Before

 We said farewell to the Golden Girls vibe and hello to a space where they could entertain, read a book, or play the piano. Original & interesting encaustic paintings hang in the space and the pretty curvalinear lines of the piano now invite a player to sit down to a sonata. 

Living Room After

 

Interior Design Raleigh

Design Lines Raleigh

 

Living Room, Design Lines, Ltd.

 

Living Room Piano

Check back later in the week to see other parts of the house, reimagined. What room would you makeover if you had the chance?

-Brittany

Current Projects, Designer Inspiration/Trends, For the Kids

A Furniture Makeover for your Monday

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about these fabulous knobs from Anthropologie?  We had a local artist, the talented Jamie Goffman, paint our client’s existing furniture-from an ordinary stained maple bed and nightstands to a fun red bed with cream nightstands- to make quite the cute transformation. This makeover has inspired me to consider painting other pieces of furniture.  

 

 red bed before & after copy 

white nightstand 

more red bed

Stay tuned to see more of this whole room transformation!

-Brittany

Designer Profiles

Designer Profiles: An Interview with Hilaire Pickett

 

Hilaire Pickett Design Lines

 

What is your background and degree in from school? Which school?

I graduated with a degree in Corporate Communications from Elon University right outside of Burlington, North Carolina.

 How do you take your field and incorporate into Design Lines everyday work environment?

 I facilitate the business to business partnerships, networking, internal strategic planning, manage our social media channels, media relations, our special events, community outreach and support the designers whenever needed.

What is your work philosophy?

 Whatever it takes, I am there to get the project done and done right.

What is the one design element that you have learned is a must from being around the other designers?

 Small details add up and do make a difference in the design of a room.

 What are your three must haves?

A boat so I can wake-board, my iphone and a good purse

What’s on your DVR or what is the one show you can’t miss?

 I am not really a big fan of TV but right now I enjoy watching Cake Boss on TLC or the Bachelorette on ABC.

Out of all your travels what is your favorite place and why?

It’s a tie. I love love London and Italy. I studied and lived in London for a month and Italy for about 4 months while in college.

What color scheme would you do right now for your master bedroom based on color schemes you have seen around the office?

 A work up Molly did of a yellow, black & white bedroom.

If you could say that you have a design style, what would it be?

 Comfortability all the way. I am attracted to the the farmhouse, rustic look.

 What is your favorite paint color?

 Benjamin Moore “Grassy Meadows-571”

What is the most enjoyable experience(s) you have had while working with Design Lines, maybe an installation, maybe a rep meeting?

In 2008 when I was working part-time, Design Lines had a huge three day install up at Lake Gaston. I remember Brittany and I stuffing the company van will all the window treatments, bedding, pillows and accessories. Little did we know that when we arrived at the house, we were greeted with a Nor’eastern wind storm. Needless to say we had a very memorable experience and enjoyed every minute of the installation.

Another memory was being present at the 30th anniversary party for the firm. This was a very special night and I couldn’t be more proud of team’s accomplishments. That night was a culmination of 30 years of hard work, sweat, laughter and many memories. It was wonderful to see clients, family, friends and partners who have helped make Design Lines a success. I cannot wait to see where the next 30 years will take us!

What is your favorite blog to follow?

 Gosh, this is such a hard question. I enjoy reading so many design blogs.

If you could go anywhere in the world and showcase your talent, where would it be?

London

Community Involvement, Design Lines Communications, Design Lines Special Events

Current Project: Design Lines Gives Back to Creedmoor Elementary School

DLL & Creedmoor Elementary School

Chris Elliott, Principal of Creedmoor Elementary School (CES) approached several interior design firms in the Raleigh and the Durham area about helping create a more stimulating environment for the children at CES. When we heard what Chris was trying to accomplish, we jumped at the opportunity to help the school and also at the chance to give back to the town of Creedmoor. The team at Design Lines firmly believes everyone deserves good design and for these kids, this was no exception.

Brittany and I drove out to Granville County on Friday and met with Chris and a few administrative staff to select some paint colors. The walls, doors and trim throughout the school are in a dire need of a new coat of paint.

We believe children learn better when the are around stimulating colors, and so does Chris.

 Design Lines School Inspiration from April 2008 Dwell Magazine

Brittany first was inspired by this Lincoln Log picture in the April 2008 Dwell Magazine. She took the inspiration a step further with these CB2 his & her bathroom signs.

 Design Lines School Inspiration 2 from CB2

As we toured the school with Chris, we instantly understood the vision for creating a place where children feel proud of where they go to school. Brittany even had a neat idea for Chris’s office-create a Lego wall.  

legoWall

 

Design Lines & Creedmoor Elementary School 2

 As the school project progresses I will be sure to update you on the transformations and even get a couple of the kids reactions when they arrive at school on August 16th.

Thanks Chris for letting  us be a part of the team, we cannot wait to hear all the buzz it creates around town.  

 

Designer Inspiration/Trends

Designer Inspiration: Orange County’s Fairmount

FairmountSideElevation

I attended a friend’s wedding reception a few weekends ago and fell in love with Orange County’s Fairmount- the place of the party. Upon parking on the property, I couldn’t stop drooling over the gorgeous views in every direction.  I had the pleasure of meeting the home’s owner, owner of Durham’s Somerhill Gallery  & visionary  Joe Rowand .  Joe told me the brief history of the home.  His inspirations include the work of William Wilson Wurster’s Gregory Farmhouse & the clean, yet warm austerity of Hugh Newell Jacobson.

Everything was my favorite, though I can’t decide if my favorite thing about the home was the gorgeous pool & adjoining cabana, the outdoor shower just outside the Master Bath, or the interior floorplan-so liveable & clean feeling. The warm oushak rugs brought life to the cool Vermont slate flooring and natural light poured into the house through the perfectly placed windows- the walls seemed to disappear. I also spotted plenty of contemporary classic pieces of furniture, including  an outdoor favorite- the sling chaise by Richard Schultz-gorgeous! Enjoy these images, and for a link to the floorplan, click here:

Fairmount

fairmountshower2

Fairmount Gallery Hall

Fairmount Dining Room

 

 

Fairmountwindowseat

Images & Credits go to: http://somerhill.com/em/about.html.  If you’re dreaming of the space too, you may be happy to know it’s for sale here:

-Brittany

Design Lines Communications

Get Hooked: July Forecast

eat-drink-summer-floral-tags

Summertime is here and we have plenty of blog posts for you to enjoy.  Grab some refreshing lemonade and take a break from those rays, as I share with  you what’s in store this month.

Ready for some more NBC 17- My Carolina Today tapings? We are! We will have two days planned of behind-the-scenes shooting to share with you. Stay tuned for more details too on when those segments will actually air. By the way, we are always looking for new segment ideas, so if you have any please let us know. Do you want more of a DIY spin or do you want us to stay with more of an interior design expert feel?

Brittany and I are working on a couple guest blogger series that are sure to bring you knowledge on that summer furniture of yours and also discover local artisans who are brilliant in their own way.

Hilaire will be the last highlighted staff member for the designer profiles this month. While she may not have an interior design degree, she has a relentless passion for the interior design industry as the Director of Communications.

Also, there will be three BIG press announcements, that I cannot wait to share!! Until then my lips are sealed. I promise they are worth the wait.

And finally, we have several before and after projects to share with you. Ashley, just finished up an amazing  living room and dining room transformation. We will also share a kitchen, a nursery,  several living spaces and our most talked about project, North Carolina State University Chancellor’s House on Centennial Campus in Raleigh. 

It is a busy month and we want you to join us so come along for the ride!

image from Papercrave blog.

Holidays, Paint

Father’s Day Series: Colors Men Love

In preparation for this series, this edition inspired by House Beautiful’s feature,  I polled a few of my male friends; “what are your favorite colors? What interior colors do you feel most comfortable in?” I asked.

My Daddy’s favorite has always been a deep green- hunter green. However, Neutral colors were the resounding answer, browns, & warm greys especially.  Think the colors you may find in an old map or portrait- like Picasso’s Portrait of Dora Maar

pablo-picasso-portrait-of-dora-maar

 CML-White & Black

We have found that men feel comfortable in interiors with schemes featuring the following hues:

Charcoal mixed with Classic Black (even better with stripes)

Design Lines, Ltd. Colors Men Love

Design Lines, Ltd. Colors Men Love 3

Camel

CML-Camel

 

 

Cowboy Boot Brown

Design Lines Game Room

Burnt Orange- this also translates into Copper tones & marries well with medium to dark green tones

CML-Orange & Green

CML-Green & Orange 

 

Slate Blue

 

CML-Slate Blue

 

 

The other colors men love could happen to do with their local sports team loyalties, as we’ve seen our fair share of requests for NC State/Carolina Hurricanes Red (shown in the “man cave” below)  

 Design Lines, Ltd. Men Media Room

or Carolina Blue

Design Lines Raleigh interior design Boys Bedroom 

What colors do the men in your life, love?

-Brittany

Current Projects, For the Kids

Green means go: Check out these knobs!

checkered knob anthropolgie

Later this week we’ll see the efforts of a big before and after on some furniture we had painted. Our clients, wanted to convert their existing guest suite furniture into colorful kid friendly pieces appropriate for their sons “big boy” room. Using a transporation concept as our guide- we selected the finishes, a fabulously fast red for the bed and some cream for the nightstands to grow with. For the nightstands, we purchased these fun checkered knobs from anthropologie. So excited to see the finished product and an inexpensive furniture makeover!

-Brittany