Every house I've been in has some kind of open shelving. Built ins, dining room hutches,  or free standing book shelves. The reason every house has them is because they are convenient, beautiful, and are a great focal point for the room that brings your eyes to the height of ceiling.

Believe it or not, most of the bookshelves I encounter are in major need of some HELP! 

There are 3 kinds of book shelvers ... The 'book shelves are for books' person, who has every square centimeter or the shelving stuffed with books. It looks something like this..

Photo from http://www.friscoquiltguild.org

The 'over decorator', who is pretty sure they need to put lots and lots of things on their bookshelf so that it looks full. and eclectic. and cluttered. See below for more detail.

Photo by Brittney Kassel of Kassel Home

And the 'practical shelvers', whom take it upon themselves to keep practical items on their shelving, books, eyeglasses, diapers.. computers, cell phone chargers, dog treats... I could go on and on. You can probably imagine what this looks like.. 

The truth is, your shelving units should be a true balance of books, shelving and 'less is more'. Bookshelves will look great when there is a true color scheme throughout. Yes to books, yes to accessories. Maybe no to practical items... sorry practical shelvers! If for spacial reasons you need to store practical things on your shelving, baskets are a great option.

Here are some shelves I have done for clients. This built in office shelving was my favorite! We painted the room Peppercorn by Sherwin Williams, we did new lighting from Restoration Hardware, and redid the bookshelves. The books are from flea markets! They are gorgeous antique books and we wanted a warm color scheme to go well with the walls. The hurricanes are a steal from Ashley Furniture, tray is from Target, picture frame, book ends, and moss balls were current items.

Photo by Brittney Kassel of Kassel Home

Photo by Brittney Kassel of Kassel Home

Photo by Brittney Kassel of Kassel Home

These shelves are a great balance of decorated but still clean. There is a clear color scheme and aesthetically pleasing spacial planning. 

Here is another shelf I did for a client. This built in was overstuffed with books and TONS of accessories. The plan for this house was to declutter. We took well over half of the items off of this book shelf and bought NOTHING new to add. Using items a client has can be great but also challenging. It works because it usually keeps with the flow of the home, but can also be hard because you have to work with what you have and sometimes you don't have what you need. This shelving unit is amazing and it would be hard for it not to look beautiful! 

Photo by Brittney Kassel of Kassel Home

Here are some great items to have when you get ready to redo your shelves are :

1) Books, lots of books.. but pretty books. You will usually need more than you think.

2) Book ends

3) Picture frames. Not too many, but enough. sets are great too.

4) Initial blocks - in our family we use 'K'

5) Candle sticks or holders with or without candles, guess what - you're not going to light them.

6) Accessories! These can be seasonal or items you'd use all year, just be sure you follow a scheme.


If you have any questions or would like help with you shelving contact me today and we will get you on the calendar! Email me at brittneykassel@gmail.com .

XO and Happy Halloween!

Brittney 

White - Washed Cottage Design

Interestingly enough this project blog seems to go hand in hand with the content of the previous blog!  How fun. :)

I am in the process of being a consultant for a living room re - design. One of the hardest decisions for the client and myself has been over a piece of beautiful furniture she has, that she wanted to use but just didn't work in the room I designed for her. We did so much of the room before redoing the piece, seeing if we could bring it into the design and make it work. We came to the conclusion that if it were going to stay in the room, the color was going to have to be changed. She loved the original design I did for her and I knew that to get the look she really wanted, we needed to stick to it. Thank goodness she is thrilled with the final decision ( or I might be fired ;) ) 

Here is the BEFORE

Clearly a beautiful piece, but didn't fit into the white - washed cottage we are trying to create. Now you see what it 'hurt' a little to paint it.

Here is the AFTER

 I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. I havent't been redoing as much furniture lately. I have really been focusing on the design side of things. So this was a really fun project for me to get my hands dirty on! It turned out exactly as we both hoped and is not really a center point for the whole room! 

What I did was 2 coats of Benjamin Moore Dove Wing, and then did some gentle distressing. I didn't was it to look torn and worn, just old. My client wanted to see this piece done before the completion of ordering. Now that the piece is done and is everything she hoped for, we will begin ordering the wall art and accessories for this beautiful console. Can't wait to show you guys the finished room! 

Happy Monday, 

Brittney

To Paint, or Not to Paint?

Have you ever had a piece of furniture that you just COULDN'T decide what to do with? There's sort of a stigma that if a piece of wooden furniture is in good condition that you will 'ruin' it by painting it.

When I paint, for a client or myself, I am usually painting pieces that are worn wood, or already have a layer of paint over them. Some I could strip down and re-stain, but oftentimes we choose paint because it's a) cheaper b) easier c) currently trending.

But when you have a beautiful piece of furniture is it a sin to paint it? The answer is - no. The truth is painted furniture has been trending for years, and it will likely be in style for a long time. Look at some of your popular big brands like PotteryBarn, Ballard Designs, Crate and Barrel and West Elm. They have loads of painted furniture. The only real dilemma is 'what's going to look better in my room?'. As long as you pick a neutral tone (white, tans, grays, black) it is going to stand the test of time. Not to mention, in 10 years if the trend sways from white to black, you can paint it again! Just be sure you pick a lasting color, no pink, lime green, blue... well, you get the picture people. If you're going for a 'cottage' style color you can do greens, blues, etc., but you'll want to do a more mild hue.

Here's a few ways you can be sure you pick a great color for your room. These tests work for painting anything!

1. The Sheet Test

Not sure if you like a black or white console in your room? No problem! Run upstairs to your linen closet, grab a couple big sheets. No, the color of the sheet will not patch your paint color exactly, but it will give you an idea of what will look best in your room. Lay your sheet over the piece of furniture. Leave it there for a few hours while you work around the house and glance in when you walk by the room. Does the white look to light? Does the black make a statement in the room?

2. Fake yourself out

So you like white, but need to see it another way. Grab a white piece of furniture from another room in your house. A bench, a coffee table, doesn't matter what it is. Put it in your spot and make sure you still like the color. 

3. Paint the Back

Okay so you chose white. Or maybe you didn't, maybe you chose white and tan and you can't decide what color will look best. One of the best wants to see what it will look like is test it on the back of the furniture. Go through the whole process. Try one coat, and then two, try a white wash, or maybe sanding on the edges. Figure out what you really like on the piece before you put it in a noticeable spot! 

4. Don't think about it too much

After all, it's just a piece of furniture. In hindsight you'll either paint it or you won't. You might paint it again, or wish you'd never painted it. But you might love it and feel accomplished about overcoming your fear and taking the jump! In comparison to life, it's not that big of a deal. So I say.. 

PAINT IT! 

Oh! As promised... we have an announcement to make! The winner of our virtual design drawing is...

MEAGAN KIERSEY!

Congratulations! I will be contacting you soon to arrange your consultation. :)

GiVeAwAy !

Oh my goodness! 

Since launching the new website yesterday we have had close to 1000 page visitors! Like, I'm pretty sure we'll hit 1000 by the end of the day - close. 

I am shocked and so very thankful that so many people are interested in seeing what we are up to! 

In response to all of positive energy I am going to do a GiVeAwAy!! 

This is a big deal. I am giving away 1 FULL Virtual Style design! You can find the details under 'Styling and Design Services'. It will be good for 1 full room. The best part about this giveaway is you don't have to be local to win! This is the first time I've offered a full package giveaway and it could be a while before it happens again, so don't miss it! 

For any friends who like our Facebook Page, and SHARE a link to the giveaway post from our Facebook page, your name will be entered. The drawing will happen Friday, October 9th at 4:30pm so get entered soon! 

In the spirit of virtual design boards, I'm sharing this one I did for a nursery recently ( no, not for my house ) ! The soft colors of this nursery with small pops of pink will make a perfect, calming place for Momma and baby girl to bond. I am so excited to be a part of creating such an beautiful, intimate place in a home! 

Also, who noticed the girl's name in the merchandise picture is 'Ripley'? Cute? I think it is. 

If you are looking to do a nursery in the next, eh, 9 months, let me know and I would be happy to help you, or let you know where I got any of the items in this design board! 

We will announce our winner via Facebook and also in our next blog post..

GOOD LUCK! 

Welcome.

Welcome to Kassel Home Blog!! 

Some unexpected issues with our prior website turned out to be a great thing, because it brought us here. 

Are you ready to see all of my projects for clients, and on our own home?! 

I will be posting several of my design and styling projects on here, as well as other useful home information/ DIY ideas etc. 

Be sure to 'follow' this blog by email. Keep up with my projects on Pinterest and Instagram, and share on whatever social media outlets you prefer! Oh, and I promise you won't get e-mails every day (I'll be lucky if I get a new post up once a week). 

So grab a cup of coffee, relax, and come back often.