by Silver Sage Design Studio

Windows are our eyes to the world, a source of natural light, and the architectural accoutrements within our homes walls.  This being said window coverings these days can be like the jewelry for those windows.  Window treatments are not only beautiful, but functional as well. They filter light, offer privacy, and like any finishing touch, help pull together the look of a room. Custom window treatments offer the freedom to design around existing upholstery and can be as dramatic or simple as you like.     Well designed window coverings are specific to particular situations and play a critical role in transforming mere rooms into unified, warm and welcoming homes.You may choose to match your woodwork and cabinetry, blend with your walls or accent your furnishings. De-signers often create a first impression of cohesive beauty by using the same treatments on all windows facing the street.  Remember to look how your treatments will be perceived from the outside as well as the inside. Below we will try to simplify the options available today.    Hard coverings refer to shades and blinds that are used for privacy, light control and protection from the elements of weather, such as heat loss.  Once limited to a handful of generic options, hard coverings today can easily stand on their own as decorative elements.

ROMAN SHADES AND WOVEN WOODS: roman shades amplify simple elegance. You may have them made with fabric or natural elements as bamboo, wood reeds, bark, grasses and jute that is hand woven. The result is an artistic fusion of textures with a modern yet ancient appeal in varying color hues, textures and grains. Natural shades fit with any surrounding and work in harmony with contemporary and casual environments as well as traditional settings.

WOOD BLINDS: there are  many options nowadays, from multiple stain and paint finishes,including antiquing and distressing with a variety of slat widths. SHUTTERS: like wood blinds shutters offer a classic look in painted and wood finishes.Shutters tend to be more expensive, but they are a solid investment. Many window treatment styles come and go, but shutters are trend resistant and lend themselves to traditional, rustic or country looks and add architectural interest.

ROLLER SHADES: simple roller shade provide moderate privacy with no frills. Newer on the market are attractive natural fiber roller shades with oganic weaves and colors. These look best in casual and relaxed settings and function best in areas where privacy is not a concern and filtering light throughout the day is an asset. (Designer tip: add beads, cording or trim on the bottom of your shades to add a custom look to match your room)

Next in the layering process is soft coverings. Many of these options can be used in combination with the above or stand on their own.

DRAPERIES: there are no window treatments more classic than draperies. Draperies bring a wonderful sense of luxury, warmth and individuality to a room, making an appealing room even more irresistible. Draperies provide excellent insulation, privacy and light control, or can be used to soften the sides of the above hard treatments. Stationary panels can be used alone to add texture and color or to make windows appear larger and more dramatic. (designer tip: install drapery rod 18 inches beyond the sides of your windows to give a larger look and to frame your view)

VALANCE OR CORNICE BOARD: a valance is a soft treatment that covers only the top of the window.  Cornices are typically hard box like structures that are built and then upholstered for the top of a window, giving a tailored look.

With all the choices out there making an educated decision on the use as well as the design can be overwhelming.  Consult a local window treatment workroom to go over the options avail-able today to create both continuity and individuality in your home.

by Diva for a Day...Spa

Rodan + Fields Dermatologists, the creators of Proactiv Solution, released a breakthrough new technology in skincare – the revolutionary Anti-Age AMP MD Micro-Needle Roller. Designed to enhance the absorption of the Rodan + Fields Anti-Age Night Renewing Serum, the micro-needle roller actually stimulates collagen and elastin on its own. It is amazing.

This innovative roller tool uses surgical grade stainless steel acupuncture-type needles in the fight against aging. The tool resembles a tiny paint roller and is designed to be used on the skin in a specific pattern so as to create micro punctures in the top layer, making it more receptive to the ingredients in the accompanying Rodan + Fields serum and overnight cream. Both are applied after the skin has received some rolling action.

The AMP MD system is an anti-aging regimen for wrinkles, pores and loss of firmness.

Want to learn more? Call today.

by Lenae Haugen, Silver Sage Design Studio

Are you thinking about hiring an interior designer?

On one hand you are intrigued by the idea of professional help, but on the other hand you may be apprehensive.  There is a common fear you’re your home will not look like you. My job is to make sure you feel so good in your space that you never want to leave.  You might have a great sense of style or at least a firm idea of what kind of interiors appeal to you. You might be able to select furnishing from a furniture store, colors from Sherwin Williams and wood tones that just say “you”. So one might think that you don’t need a designer or interior decorator, right?  WRONG!

Having some style and sense of your likes and dislikes is a great starting point, but there are so many more factors to creating a well-designed room than simply filling it with your favorite things. I’ll use myself as a perfect example.  I used to love jacquard fabrics. LOVED them. Everything I chose was a jacquard. Well, sorry to say I learned the hard way early on that too much of a good thing is just too much. Other textures were needed to pull the look together.
Still, hiring a designer is a major step. So how do you know when to go it alone and when to call in a professional?

Life is busy.

Whether you work outside the home or not, life is going on all around us at a break neck speed. As someone who does this for a living, believe me, researching products and finding the perfect choices take time. Each month I spend days perusing product showrooms and workrooms to see what is new and inspiring. That’s almost one month of time in the course of a year. Staying up to date of what is available is so important to help select the best products for each client. Every home and situation is a unique circumstance to change things up a little. Creating distinctive interiors takes a commitment of time and patience.

A designer’s job is to create an environment that respects your lifestyle and design vision.

We all get ideas from friends and magazines, but the difference is how it relates to your space and your life.  A black granite countertop might look great in the magazines, but for someone who hates the look of any dust or fingerprints will be a slave to keeping it clean. A qualified designer should have the experience to let you know how a product wears.

Knowledge is power.

As a designer I have had the pleasure to work on many homes in every aspect. From entire construction projects, blueprints, furnishings, to something as simple as just window coverings, I see how things all relate to each other in each phase. Something as simple as selecting placement of lighting in a new construction project becomes something more as you move in your furniture and the chandeliers are in the wrong location.  A designer sees form and function all the way thru. Many of my recent window coverings clients thought it was a good idea to upgrade to arched windows in the building phase. This is a beautiful look, but also adds a large expense to provide privacy once moved in.  A little knowledge on the front end might have given them a clearer view of the total cost of their decisions.

A keen eye for color.

How many of you have heard stories of friends repainting rooms or entire homes because the paint was just not right? Who pays for that? The cost of a simple color consult for  as little as $200 ensures that your beige is not too pink,  your green not too minty and your gray not too blue. It also ensures that the other items in your home are enhanced to their best potential. Lime green walls might not be the best color against your maple cabinets but could be brought out in draperies, art and upholstery giving you a richer feel. Or as I have experienced, decorating a room around a faulty color just causes expense and long term problems. I have many before and after photos in my portfolio of rooms that homeowners thought they had painted their dream color and ended up with a mess. Selecting an entire plan is beneficial and ensures that you should have to paint only once.

Hiring a designer actually pushes you to complete a project.

When you invest in an idea and catch the vision it somehow gives you purpose and a solid direction where you may have had none. It’s so easy to live each day in a home that does not make you happy dreaming of someday creating a better environment. Have you designed your home a thousand times in your mind? Completing nothing? Designers know how to take an idea and map it out in steps for a final look that is chic, coordinated and complete. A second set of eyes gives you fresh perspective and the courage to take the first step in creating an environment that can make you and your family thrive.

If you are at all curious about how the interior design process works and how it can work for you, come on down to Silver Sage or look up our portfolio and articles on Facebook. Until we meet…happy decorating!

by Melea Johnson

I bought Parker waffles this morning. And in return he brought me life. An understanding of it only understood by the things of nature void of the complications of failure and fear. A lesson in the clarity of simplicity and faith. Nothing belongs to us – not the moon or the stars and the mountain top view across the water – it is a gift. We’ve always been helpless to be born and someday will be picked up by the hand that created us and placed back in the nest where we first started our flight. And so much in-between. In the air we now breathe. And the currents that take Parker to places unknown and perhaps frightening, also bring him back to a place of comfort and nourishment. Like a dancer whose movements are fluid and free and only understood by the dancer. Or a painter who blends the colors of a given day felt from the inner core of his being – our breath is a creative expression of a miracle miscomprehended in the entire Universe. Our flight is independent of total understanding and sometimes torn mid-air between what is real and what is dreamed; what is predetermined and what is choice. Searching as the ship in the distance for the lighthouse to guide and make known the safety we seek and desire. My feathered friend, who knows by natural instinct the simple freedoms of air and flight; life and nourishment and the secure choices of where to land, sits at my shoulder. And all that I would ever want comes to me breathing with my heart, nonspeaking, taking rest from a weary watch. For a moment, at least, in the midst of crumbs from fresh waffles, I am calm, holding out and breathing in – a new day, a new gift and new choices given.