Design Day with Tobi Fairley: A Recap

Happy Friday!

There is so much going on...where do I start?

First, what a fantastic day I had yesterday at the IFDA's Luncheon with Tobi Fairley!

She is such an inspiration and I learned so much about how she started in design and how her career has taken off over the years.  AND, she couldn't have been friendlier! 

I was able to chat with Tobi for a few minutes and her charm was contagious. She not only has her design degree but an MBA as well. 

I can see why she has become a very successful designer and it makes me all the more excited to keep doing this "design thing" that I love so much.

Here are pics below of the luncheon.

Also, I'm out on vaca for a week. I won't have a daily post, but there will be a few, so definitely check back during the week. Thursday's blog post will feature the Washington Post article.

Have a fabulous week!

XOXO
Jennifer

Tobi and I . She graciously answered all my questions 

Luncheon setup

My favorite cohort--my mom!

Luncheon with Tobi Fairley

Good morning! I am excited as today I am traveling to Richmond to attend the IFDA's

 "Day of Design" featuring Tobi Fairley.  Day of Design will feature a champagne lunch on the beautiful grounds of Pinifer Park.

Fairley, whom many of you have already heard of, is a superstar in the design world and I'm excited to hear her thoughts on the design industry this afternoon at the Richmond Symphony Designer Show House. 

I'll report back on what I learned Friday. 

Until then, please check out some gorgeous photos of Fairley's work.

XOXO
Jennifer

A Beauty

Hope your week is going well. 

So, I've been pinning away on my Pinterest page  and came across A REAL BEAUTY of a room!

Oh, this room "spoke to me" (silly, I know), but I absolutely love it.

I researched to find out who designed it and didn't find out, so if anyone knows, please comment!  

Check out the awesome gray barn doors ! The chandelier helps anchor the room. The tall windows mimic the door's height and give the room an airy, open feeling. And, obviously you can see in the background how cool the kitchen is. 

LOVE!

What do you think?

XOXO
Jennifer

Sneak Peek: Sunroom Design for Washington Post

Hi Everyone!

Earlier this summer The Washington Post called and invited me to design a room as part of its weekly House Calls section, featured on Thursdays.

 For this, the paper pairs up a local family in need of some design help with a local designer. 

I was assigned a beautiful, large sun room. My design is coming out Thursday, October 4 both in print and online. 

So, here's a little sneak peek at the sunroom I was given to help design and a few items I chose for the homeowners to consider.  (Say goodbye to the red walls...)

On the 4th, you'll see my design illustrated in color :)

XOXO
Jennifer

BEFORE:

And, a few ideas for this room (I don't want to give anything away-LOL). Hang tight till the 4th!

Rules Of Thumb For Decorating

Happy Monday everyone!

Hope you had a great weekend! I got some shopping done for clients so I'm a happy woman! 

We also entertained good friends at our home and took our kids to a big Pumpkin/Fall Festival.

As for decorating and today's post, here are several "Rules of Thumb" when it comes to decorating measurements. This is most definitely my "most wordy" post so bear with me.

 I get asked  the below questions a lot. BUT, I will say this.. I am the first to say that decorating is NOT A SCIENCE. What works in one home, may not work in another. I am very visual and can tell if I like something or not without looking at as specific measurement.

So, when in doubt, here are the Rules of Thumb vis a vis ME. I hope this helps!

XOXO
Jennifer

**Hanging a Chandelier- I typically hang a chandelier so that the BOTTOM of it is 30-36" off the top of the table

**Selecting a Rug Size- In my opinion, there is a lot of wiggle room on this one. I say that because there are different ways of placing a rug.  1. You can place a rug so that the FRONT legs of your furniture are on it and the back are not; 2. You can place a rug so that ALL legs of furniture are on it. 

3. You can place a rug in front of furniture with no legs on it

For #2 This obviously can affect whether you use  an 8x10 or 9x12 rug. One rule of thumb here I will mention is that if you are "floating" your furniture, that particular furniture I typically like the back legs on the rug (again my opinion)

**Hanging Art-- Ok, well, this one I am definitely not scientific on. LOL  It is suggested that people hang art 50-57" on center. I believe that most art galleries hang pictures at 57" on center (the average human eye level)

**Standard table height--Standard table height is 30".. Always keep this in mind when shopping for your chairs..you have to allow for the correct seat height (especially for taller people) so that they can fit their legs under the table. ALSO, when shopping for a table, make sure you account for a lower "lip" --aka if there is a  lip or piece of wood that is below the table, which would decrease the amount of leg space you have.

Standard Measurements to Know For Your Home

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I just came across this cool graphic from Pinterest... since this is what I do for a living, thought I'd tease up tomorrow's post!

I'll answer these questions and more tomorrow! :)

XOXO
Jennifer

Project Complete: Black & White Bedroom Makeover

Forgive me on these... I used a different camera so the photographic quality is not as great as it should be. 

I'm re-taking these shots, but wanted to share them with you!

This was a bedroom that went from boring beige to bold black and white for a super cool gal!

Check out the drapes! Windows by Melissa made these.. She does a fantastic job!

The mirror was from HomeDepot and is a DIY project. 

It was gold and we spray painted it silver and voila--doesn't it look great for $30 total!

What do you think?

XOXO
Jennifer

BEFORE

AFTER

Fiddle Fig

Hi Everyone!

I first just wanted to thank all of you for your kind comments over at CocoCozy and here at JWS Interiors on my family room design. I received several emails as well. It means a lot to know all of you are reading my blog, etc!

Now, on to important matters...like trees. :)   I like to include nature in my designs.

I really like fiddle figs.

Here are a couple examples of using fiddle figs in a room

You will see in the coming weeks a sunroom design I did featuring a fiddle fig.

XOXO
Jennifer

via Abode Love

via CasaSugar

Project Complete! Family Room Makeover

As some of you may have seen yesterday, I was thrilled that CocoCozy featured my family room makeover. 

This was a 4 month long project for a family of four and their pet dog. 

The room went from a very yellow and outdated room to a fresh and modern design.

We got rid of the yellow walls and painted fireplace

Painted the walls a light gray and the fireplace semi-gloss white

I found the gorgeous custom colored media console to anchor the room and be a unique piece. I love the creamy white chests flanking the fireplace

We warmed up the space with natural Earth tones in the mirror & frames. I wanted to add a pop of color, so orange was it!  

What do you think?

XOXO
Jennifer

BEFORE

AFTER

JWS INTERIORS FEATURED TODAY ON COCOCOZY!

Thanks to Coco of CocoCozy today for featuring my family room redo !

Check out her post here of the before and after.

I'll be sharing many more project photos with you tomorrow!

XOXO
Jennifer

Finished Family Room Project!

All Dressed Up

Give me an event (and this dress!) and I'll go! 

This beautiful Oscar de la Renta Spring 2013 gown is gorgeous! 

Simple, chic, and even has pockets!

And... it is in good old black and white.

So..to my point.. here are some beautiful, timeless interiors to match 

XOXO
Jennifer

via

via

Equestrian Chic

Happy Monday everyone! 

Hope you had a great weekend.  My 4 year old daughter rode a pony this weekend and loved it!  I thought (of course as all moms do of their own children) that she looked adorable with the black helmet on. 

Here's a pic I took:)

So it got me thinking about being equestrian.  In the western part of my county, horseback riding is the norm; most kids ride a horse like they ride a bike. 

So, here are some beautiful images I thought I'd share.

XOXO
Jennifer

via Lady Linda Black

Dining Room by Thom Filicia

via Splendid Objects

Beach Cottages

Friday! So glad it's here!

How's your week been?

Thought you might enjoy these lovely pictures for the day. I'll be honest..I'm spent for the week. Came across these pics which made me want to go on vacation !!

Have a great weekend!

XOXO
Jennifer

via HouseBeautiful

via Velvet Moss

via the DevineHome

Sarah Richardson

Most of us have seen her on HGTV...

I love Sarah Richardson's designs and here are some of her rooms that dazzle!

XOXO

Jennifer

O-R-A-N-G-E

Orange. I am loving bright orange for fashion right now. 

I mentioned several weeks ago I bought a new pair of bright orange..maybe you'l call it persimmon.. pants!

Here's a pic.. 

Now, check out these bright orange interiors.  

Can you guess which is my ultimate fav?

XOXO
Jennifer

My little ladies and I