Name: Touran latham
City: Richmond
State: VA
Country: USA
Comment:
My question is about lighting art works. I have a collection of paintings and works on paper. Some are on one large wall lined gallery-like on one line, Others by themselves on separate walls. My existing lighting is combination of track lighting for the large wall and eye-lid can lighting for the larger paintings hanging by themselves. Smaller ones are without any. What is the best solution to give them al proper lighting and making the total collection look unified?

I would be concerned about light damage as well. I was just looking at your beautiful teal room posted June 30th with the Miro and Lichtenstein paintings and I would be extremely concerned for the paintings the way they were exposed to light. I would hesitate to hang paintings on outside walls of the house as well because temperature changes do effect paintings. Were there precautions taken here to protect them? How?

Vicente Responds:

Touran, we have all art work framed with a UV protective coating – ask your framer for glass options that contains UV protection.  Concerning lighting, I often use  Techligthing for their great variation of wire lighting that could be used to unify everything while still allowing you to adjust, if you move your artwork around. (I always move mine to keep it fresh and keep your eye engaged).

Name: Meera
City: Boulder
State: CO
Country: USA

Comment:

Hi Vicente,

I came across the NY Times article on the makeover of a room based on India. The article said that you designed the room based on “The sense of India should be something you don’t see but maybe perceive.” I was wondering if you could explain what it meant to you. I am an Indian and love design. So I am curious as to what India means to you as a designer. Is it color, patterns, people, the food, art, architecture, the religion etc.

How would you have designed it if you were designing it for an Indian living in Manhattan?

Thanks,
Meera

Vicente Responds:
Meera, I would say it’s a mixture of all of the above. But you certainly can’t shove every item into one little room, so I went for the emotion, which to me is a sense of richness, an all-engulfing sense of a lushness of color and a extravagant sense of expression. This I achieved by using fuschia and pinks with touches of apple green which sort of embraces the room.

From: Augusto Andres
Subject: Design advice for a dining room

Dear Mr. Wolf,

I have enjoyed your work and draw a lot of design inspiration from your books, blog, as well as features about you in magazines and on TV. I’m writing for some design advice. I recently moved into a suburban tract home and I’m trying to infuse the interior with some contemporary design elements on a budget. I like the way my living room turned out (the photo display was inspired by a bedroom of yours featured on HGTV!) but I’m stuck with what direction to go with the dining room.

I’ve attached a floor plan of the space. My layout is actually opposite of the diagram (living room is on the left, dining on the right). The dining room is 11 x 10 with 9′ ceilings. I heard a designer once say that tension between disparate elements is one aspect that makes a space interesting, so the I used a drum shade and pedestal table to play off the square windows and shape of the room. The circular theme is echoed in the artwork (a graphic print of circles, a photograph of a bowl of cherries). I wanted to create a sense of separation from the living room, so I painted the walls a warm gray rather than painting the whole living-dining space the same color. Further evidence of my feeble design attempts are in the corners– I placed a basket in one and stacked wine boxes and bottles in the other (a nod to nearby Napa Valley). I’m at a loss as to what to do with the main wall of the room. I’ve been going back and forth between either a sideboard or art work but haven’t been able to figure out an appropriate size or scale given the awkward placement of 3 small windows along that wall.

I’d like the room to be vibrant yet inviting, the kind of place where family and friends can linger over a long meal. At the same time, I’d like it to be visually impactful since it is directly across from the living room. I’m not wedded to anything but I do have to keep the table and chairs–there’s no budget for a new set. So I know you’ve got a busy schedule but if you have any suggestions, I’d greatly appreciate hearing your ideas.

Sincerely,

Gus Andres

Vicente Responds:

I know it’s not inexpensive – and I know I do it all the time – but have you thought of a large-scale mirror leaning against that wall? It would certainly reflect the living room and increase the space. Maybe do it the width of the windows and to the top of the window boxes. It would change the space completely as it would reflect the larger window on either side of the fireplace, cover the three small windows and add drama to the space. Aside from the mirror, keep it clean – I would remove the wine cases in the corner, it makes it look like a storage area.

Name: melissa lee
City: lamy
State: new mexico
Country: usa

Comment:

Vicente,

I have since found a few spots to look for furniture in Santa Fe and am pleased with my finds… Thank you for the advice on how to decorate living in a town with few options…

My next questions is this: I found these wonderful fold up chairs that sit low to the ground and have either jute or rope on the bottoms and back woven…I really do not know furniture designers, but I have a great eye for finding treasures.

The name of the designer is: Hans Wegner.

The price of each chair is $995.00 retail at a consignment store… They are in good condition. Can you tell me if this designer is well known and what gives it such a high price in a consignment gallery???

Thank you so much for your time..

Always,
Melissa Lee

Vicente Responds:

Melissa, Hans Wegner is one of the mid-century masters. His most famous chair is the Papa Bear and they are certainly classics. If the condition is good and you like the chairs (and you can afford it), it will always hold its value. In fact, I have a Papa Bear in my bedroom and every time I look at it, I appreciate it a little more.

Name: Derek T
City: Toronto
State: Ont
Country: Canada
Comment:

Have you ever used convex mirrors in a design? I am thinking of putting one over my bed, no, above the headboard. What do you think?

Thanks

Derek

Vicente Responds:

If you look at Vermeer’s paintings you’ll see that he uses convex mirrors a lot. They have a wonderful way of distorting a room. Just be sure that the scale is right. You don’t want a small mirror above a king sized bed. If you have a small one, look for two or three more so you can create a composition.

Name: Sonya
City: Los Angeles
State: CA
Country: USA
Comment:

This comment was left by one of your blog readers, and I think it would make a very interesting blog topic.
as posted on:
#15 by becky on April 23, 2010 – 3:04 am
“I agree, great topic and discussion, Vicente.
Whether you select commission based, flat fee based or hourly, I am interested from Vicente, and all the designers reading this as to how much time on average it takes you to complete a room design from concept through installation? I am aware of the endless variables involved, but am curious how long it takes other designers to work on or complete an entire room like a living room or a bathroom?”

I too, have always been curious how my timing compares to other designers.

Love your blog, and your work,
Best regards.

Vicente Responds:

Hi Sonya (and Becky) – yes, that is a good question and I too would be interested in the answer from other designers. For me, to do a job from time of approval of design, it takes between sixteen and twenty weeks if there’s no major construction. The design process takes about a month to a month and a half. Sometimes less.

Please let us know how long it takes you!

Name: Matthew Andras
City: Braselton
State: Georgia
Country: USA
Comment:

I have loved and followed your work for many years now and have heard your talks several times. But one thing I was wondering if you could comment on; as a designer, do you design for what the client needs, or do you design for what the client thinks they need- Are you designing for what their actual lifestyle is and requires, or for what they aspire to?
Thanks, and I appreciate the time you take to communicate on your site.
-Matt

Vicente Responds:

Matt, I think that meeting with the clients and seeing how they live gives me a good insight into what their lifestyle is and what their needs are. I think one has to listen, but use your instinct to seperate the dream from the reality, which is something that comes with time. I find with my clients that their lifestyle is not about pretence and that most of them are really real and down to earth. But, that said, when a client says “I need a dining room to seat 26 for that once-a year family dinner”, I must understand that I have to provide a place where that amount can sit, but I’m not designing the dining room for that permanently. It’s about using ones common sense and expertise.

Name: Elizabeth S
City: Alexandria
State: VA
Country: USA

Comment:

Dear Mr. Wolf,
Been an admirer of yours for some years tho could never afford you. I spent an amazing night at the Lorien Hotel that you designed but we had a humerous/ could have been terrible incident with the industrial shower door on rollers – my living room is a combination of thai recovered teak bookcase and dining table, modern angular camel leather sofas , and marble topped mahogony antique drumtable, a number of things from my travels to china, indonesia, but all in a pretty ho hum colonial townhouse. it still doesn’t hang together and i would love some guidance. i’ve avoided putting too much in the room so it still looks like i really don’t live there. how can i keep the cool uncluttered look but make it feel lived in and warm? With thanks,
-Elizabeth

Vicente Responds:
One has to pay the price of publicity! Yes, it exposes you, but it makes people think you are unreachable and unaffordable. It’s a double-edged sword. Somehow appearing in magazines can intimidate people and make them feel like you’re out of their reach. The reality is that we do all sizes and budgets and we work from smaller to very large budgets. So what you say of being unaffordable really is not necessarily true.

About the shower door…I’d love to know more of what happened!

Regarding your living room, without having all the specifics, making it an elegant comfortable and inviting room is about balance, proportion and blending all these elements in a very cohesive way. It’s not simple and requires a strong design capability to balance all those elements together. Why don’t you get a professional in to help you find the right balance? If you dare, you may even call my office for a consultation!

Name: Mallery Roberts Morgan
State: CA
Country: USA
Comment:

Dear Vicente,
What in your opinion is the all time best fabric for upholstery for sofas for families with kids and pets? I’m asking a few designer friends and trying to get a consensus.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Many thanks.
M. Morgan

Vicente Responds:

There’s some great industrial fibers being produced right now that have the look of luxury but the functionality of iron. I have a client that has large quantities of dogs that seem to always be lifting their legs on the wrong place. So we found fabrics that are dog-urine resistant yet still has a great look – good enough to have appeared in a magazine! Same goes for when you’re designing for high-traffic areas like restaurants and hotel lobbies. You just have to research what’s out there or have a designer do that for you. One of the finishes we’ve found is coated with Crypton (yes, you may think ‘Superman’) which really prevents damage. Check out www.cryptonfabric.com

From: Quynh Tran
Subject: Bay Window

Hi Vicente -

I just bought a house.  There is a bay window that doesn’t necessarily present the greatest view (as you will see in the picture).  I don’t know what window treatment would work best in this situation.  I love windows and the natural light that comes in so I was originally thinking of putting up sheer curtains because I would still get some of the light in, and I love that look – clean, wispy, ethereal.  What to do?  I would love your help.

Your work continues to inspire me and I only hope that I can capture some of it my new home.

Many thanks for your time,

Quynh (pronounced like Quinn)

Vicente Responds:

Quynh, most of the windows I do in my projects have roman shades, usually out of a very sheer type of fabric. It keeps the bay window open and it diffuses the view. But I find that bay windows are great as areas in which to do seating – built in or a sofa – there are all these seating options that become very cozy when placed in a sunny spot. The blinds should go to the top of the bay window and I would put them inside the bay window, not outside.