Design Connection, Inc. Interior Design

The master bathroom is a magical place, where you can close the door and refresh. If you don’t feel the magic when you walk into your own master bathroom, it might be time for an update. Give yourself the gift of design this holiday season, and wake up to a brand new bathroom in the upcoming year. Here are some new trends and technological advances that we, as interior designers at Design Connection Inc. love.

Bathtubs: The bathtub makes a great focal point. The stand alone tub has come a long way since the claw foot tub. Today, you can select a gorgeous stand alone tub in almost any style.  If you still can’t find exactly what you want, we can always frame out the exact shape you desire, using tile or wood surround to capture the style. A great technological advance for bathtubs is the Pure Air feature. Think of a million small and gentle bubbles giving you the perfect mild massage.

If any of these tubs catch your eye, you can learn more about them by visiting Cheviot, Ariel and Jacuzzi

Vanities: The vanity should be beautiful and functional. There are many things to coordinate when designing a vanity. We always spend some time discussing with our clients, what their morning routine is. For women there are many tricks to making hair drying and makeup a breeze. For men an extra outlet for an electric shaver and toothbrush can make all the difference.

Trends in vanities: More people are asking for vanities that have more of a furniture feel. To accomplish this, you could reconfigure a great piece of furniture into a vanity. Or bring in certain details to capture the feeling of furniture into the cabinetry. By breaking up the height of the vanity top you create a vanity with more elements. These smaller elements resemble the characteristics of furniture, which combats the long typical vanity.

Design Tip: As time moves on, so do design standards. Back in the day, vanities were placed at around 30”, but today, we are designing them at 34”-36” which is a much more comfortable height. If raising your cabinets would make brushing your teeth more comfortable, you can do this by resetting your cabinet and adding a filler piece. Consider changing out your countertop, backsplash, hardware, sink and faucet, and raising your existing cabinet. This will create a dramatic new look.

These great vanities can be found by visiting Splash Kitchens and Baths and picking up a copy of Great Baths Collection

Showers: The shower experience keeps getting upgraded as new ideas in fixtures come out. Body sprays and rainheads are the most popular upgrades that people add as they renovate their bathroom. Kohler is a company leading innovation in the way we take showers.

From a design standpoint I love to bring in fun touches of design in the shower space. From boarders, to pops of color, the possibilities are endless.

Bathrooms are spaces that you can pack a lot of design into. I love working with my clients to design, space plan, renovate or update their master bathrooms. If you are ready to tackle your project, call us. We have the experience and industry connections to bring your project to reality, on time and on budget. Take a moment to view our online portfolio to see our work. If you would like a complimentary in-studio consultation, you can meet our team and learn more about the process.

We all have TV’s, and as an interior designer, I am always coming up with solutions on integrating televisions in a space. Some of my clients want to showcase them all over the home and others prefere them to be hidden until in use. Luckily there are great ways of dealing with both prefrences and today I wanted to share some solutions with you!

Have relaxed space with modern flare? The easiest way to keep a TV that you want visible at all times is a wall mounted unit. Not only does it provide you with space below but by mounting your flat screen to a panel rather than a wall gives you the ability to move the unit without having to patch your walls. This unit blends the warmth of antiques with a cool contemporary appeal. This great wall unit comes from a line which Hooker Furniture provides. Click here for more info on this unit.

Love to have your TV in the room to but want the space to be sophisticated and your flat screen hidden? Then a lift console is solution to your problem! A 3-piece console combines contemporary styling for flat panel TVs with a rich traditional dark cherry finish. Features: remote controlled lift, ample storage for audio-visual equipment and accessories, interchangeable door panels of wood, or speaker grille. You can find all the options for this unit at Sunrise Home Furnishings Click here for details.

If you are looking to add drama to your space, using a dark large unit not only adds contrast to the room but make a statement that will be worth your money. Features include one canister light with touch switch, one adjustable wood framed glass shelf, two adjustable shelves, one solid wood panel door, one adjustable shelf behind the door and adjustable levelers at the base. You can even choose an optional cloth door for added design flexibility. If you love this you can find out more at Stanley Furniture.

Furniture is an investment, and my clients trust me to guide them through the options, so that they can enjoy their furniture for many years to come. Check out our portfolio to see examples of our projects http://www.designconnectioninc.com/portfolio

I recently read an article about using stripes in interior design, and thought I would share with you how I have incorporated stripes into some of my projects. I believe that stripes offer two great design solutions. One they can seamlessly blend color combinations and two, they visuallyВ add height to a room.

Stripes are easy to work into almost any room. When I am introducing a more serious color palate, I like to use stripes to complement the look. In this bedroom, I found a great striped fabric that incorporated all the colors of the room. Scale is very important to consider, a thin stripe can handle the multi-colors more appropriately than a wide stripe. You want to use wider stripes on larger pieces of furniture, drapes and on walls.

Stripes also offer a magical solution for helping a room feel taller. By placing vertically striped window treatments in a room, they draw your eye up and make the windows seem taller. In this elegant bathroom I used the window treatment to bring in a pattern and focal point. Because there is no door between the bathroom and bedroom, I repeated the stripes on the pillows to create a cohesive flow between the two rooms.

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about creating a unique space in your home. To view these projects please visit my online portfolio. As a professional interior designer, I enjoy introducing uniqueВ design options. www.designconnectioninc.com

Connecting withВ us is easy, feel free to ask us questions 913-851-8776, comment on our Facebook read our Blog or touch base withВ Twitter!

The “to-do” lists seem to make us a little frazzled around the holidays, so much to do and seemingly so little time.В  Depending on your list, you may be done or nearly done with the decorating, baking, shopping and planning but have you had time to think about preparing for your out-of- town guests? As we put a dent into our holiday “to-do” lists, we started thinking about what we can do to make our guest rooms warm and cozy for our holiday guests within the next week or so and decided to share some of our ideas with you.

Quick Design Help for your Guest Room

Warm and Cozy is the goal and we can have you well on your way to surrounding your guests with comfortable blissВ  in 3 easy steps.

1. Some TLC and Tidying up:В  Go through the room and do a thorough cleaning, vacuum and dust. Guest rooms seem to be a catch-all for odds and ends since they are often out of sight, out of mind.В  Clean out the clutter for an instant good impression.В  If you have time, a fresh coat of paint can do wonders for sprucing up a guest room and making it feel brand new.

2. Ambiance & Aromatherapy.В  Easy and inexpensive to do, find a pretty vase or a festive mug and fill with fresh flowers for the room.В  Comfort has as much to do with sight as it does with smell. Add to the appeal of the room by burning candles for a soft glow and a welcoming scent or try a decorative diffuser for aromatherapy without the flame.В  Don’t forget the lighting of the room can add to the atmosphere. It is important to have good lamps in the room so your guests have a place to retreat and read or relax away from the family when needed. For that extra-special something that will make your guests smile with delight, leave them a small box of chocolates or some holiday candies with a note welcoming them to your home for the holidays.

Some great locally made candles in Kansas City can be found at these links:
AJ’s Country Cottage
5B & Co. Candlemakers
Creative Candles
Indigo Wild

3. Good Bedding Equals Bliss. Especially around the holidays, we all appreciate a good night’s sleep. Ensure your guests have good, soft sheets and warm blankets for their bed. A down mattress pad is an inexpensive way to give your guests a great rest and if you can, incorporate a mix of two down and two regular pillows to choose from.

Design Connection Bedroom at The Ravello

Cindy, our office manager loves to entertain and her guests are welcomed with a glass of wine and a wonderful guest room retreat using the many of tips we’ve shared with you. She says her secrets for keeping her guests happy are fresh flowers and wonderful bedding. We’re thinking we want to go visit her too!В  We hope you are able to use some of our quick holiday design tips to get your guest room ready for company. From the team at Design Connection, we wish you the best and hope you enjoy the festivities of the season with your family and friends!

We love the things in life that are easy to do, so we wanted to share some great ideas for holiday centerpieces to dress your Thanksgiving table without the stress!

Think simple.В  Whether your approach is casual or sophisticated, sometimes less is more. When you’re out getting your staples for dinner, why not pick up some small to medium sized pumpkins or gourds for your table? The fall colors look fabulous and you can group them together or spread them out along the length of the table and alternate them with some small votive candles on a beautiful table runner. Not into the less is more look? If you want to get creative, consider hollowing out a couple small pumpkins to hold candles or a combination of beautiful fall flowers and leaves. Minimal effort for maximum impact!

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Design Connection Inc. was recently honored with two ASID awards (American Society of Interior Design). We are proud that we can deliver high quality results. Below is a description of the project and how we approached the design.

The client hired us, after viewing our work and realizing his style meshed with our style of design. The client a bachelor wanted a turnkey project which the designer could act independently of the client. He lived out of town and wanted a residence in Kansas City where his children lived. We furnished everything from paint colors and wallpaper, to a complete kitchen which included dishes, pots and pans.

This residence was a condo space that had many angles interesting architectural features, but left you feeling cold. So, Warm tones and neutrals were selected to create an inviting space and to help support the custom art work in making a fresh, bold statement.В  The linen drapery panels were hung using a satin nickel drapery rod to create a masculine feel; across the room the client’s desk is topped with granite and flanked with file drawers.В  A wonderfully soft fabric was used to upholster the sectional sofa, where the client enjoys relaxing and entertaining.

The furniture floating in this area reflects the angles and the ten foot ceilings allow the space to feel ample.В  The walls and ceilings are painted the same neutral khaki and the base boards are an even darker khaki.В  When walking into this room the view is fabulous, with no furniture obstructing the line of vision.В  Our client loves to spend time enjoying television, using his computer, and just hanging out!

If you like this look, click on the links to view the websites ofВ  Stanley Furniture C.R. Laine and Z Gallerie

To see the full project visit our website portfolio

Children’s bedrooms are great fun to design. Kids want a space to express their personality. In our featured project the daughter had a beautiful collection of Barbie dolls that we showcased. And accented her walls with paisley shapes with strong bright colors. 

My advice is to pick a theme or color that will tie the whole look together. Then start with the furniture, replacing the big pieces first. Click here to get started with Young America for ideas and direction. Make sure to measure your room, you want the furniture to fit well, and not overwhelm the space.

DesignTipsKC: A room with lots of shelves and cubbies can help a child organize their belongings. A couple of shelves can be dedicated to displaying their crafts and trophies.

 We always have a lot of fun designing children’s spaces. If you want help with your space contact us! http://www.designconnectioninc.com/

Have you thought about adding some new fall colors to your home now that you are going to start spending more time indoors?  I found an intriguing I-Phone application that actually helps you select paint colors.  See attached link to Benjamin Moore for a high tech way to get paint color recommendations for your home.  As “cool” as this sounds if you feel more comfortable discussing paint with an experienced interior designer who has actually seen many paint color options applied to various settings and lighting conditions, please give me a call and “ask Arlene” about paint for your home.

www.DesignConnectionInc.com