Lighting the dining room can be a tricky task.  Often people put up a chandelier and assume their lighting work is done.  While a chandelier is a beautiful feature of most dining rooms, more is necessary to create the ambiance that one would want at the dinner table.   Follow these tips to create the perfect lighting combination for your dining room.

1.Hang the chandelier so that the bottom hits approximately 30 inches above your table.  Too low and it will interrupt conversation among your guests.  Too high and no one will appreciate it.  Install a dimmer if possible.  The light from a chandelier can mimic candlelight when dimmed.

2. Install sconces.  The light is subtle yet will keep the entire room well lit.  You want to avoid a table that is lit when the rest of the room is dark.  Sconces will stop this look from happening.

Photo: House Beautiful

3. Candlestick lamps on a sideboard also help light flow throughout the room while keeping the space from appearing too bright.  Hurricanes with tall candlesticks also can create this look.

4. Hang mirrors strategically in the room to keep the low light bouncing around the space.

5. Lastly, Never underestimate the effect of candles on the table.

Photo: House Beautiful

During Christmastime, the mantel can serve as the centerpiece for your living room.  It frames the hearth and is an ideal place to display your holiday decor.  Follow these tips to create a magical Christmas vignette on your fireplace mantel.

1. Clear off your usual decor.  This time of year is special and it’s nice to bring in a completely different look.
2. Start by adding greenery.  There are many beautiful and fragrant evergreens that make excellent mantelpieces.  Try juniper, holly, Frasier fir, or magnolia.
3. Choose a color scheme.  Incorporate red with berries.  Try gold and silver with lights and glitter.  Ornaments in rich jewel tones are a contemporary look.  Add neutrals and a rustic look with pine cones and nuts.
4. Create height by using miniature Christmas trees and wreaths.
5. Add twinkle with votive candles and interesting arrays of Christmas lights.

Below are some beautiful examples of Holiday mantels.  Let these pictures inspire your own creativity in creating a marvelous Christmas mantel.

Photos: Southern Living

Do you have a favorite Christmas ornament? Is it that one that has been on your tree for years or could it be that fabulous ornament that is still on your wish list?  What about a favorite Christmas tabletop?  Maybe it is the extravagant holiday dinner table that you have been drooling over in this month’s home decor magazine or perhaps it is the pretty Christmas brunch setting that you created last year.

Post a picture of your personal favorite Christmas ornament or tabletop with the uploader below. After submitting your picture, please describe your photo and why it is your favorite in the comments section below and you will be entered to win the beautiful handmade crystal ornaments pictured above!  Ciao Interiors will pick one winner at random from those that post their Christmas favorites by Tuesday, December 22nd. We look forward to seeing your favorite Christmas decorations!

[Edit 12.23.09: The giveaway has ended, but we would still love to see pictures of your ornaments and tabletops!]

With 2010 fast approaching, home decor magazines are hard at work predicting the big colors for next year.  The colors this year are youthful, playful, and optimistic.  People are yearning for happier times, and this bright colors reflect that attitude.

Highly saturated bright blues are perfectly refreshing in the living room.  Pair it with browns and blacks for a striking contrast between the bold hue and something more subdued.

Purple is a fabulous color in the bedroom.  It is a unique color that makes a bedroom instantly stylish.  If you are feeling daring, try it in the living room.  The floor to ceiling purple drapes are sophisticated.

A light aqua is like a breath of fresh air.  It is reminiscent of days at the beach and summer mornings.  Pair it with white and darker shades of aqua for a monochromatic look and toss in pops of orange, or yellow.

Yellow is an optimistic, happy color that instantly makes us cheerful. Use this bright shade as an accent in your main living areas, as the feature color in your kitchen or powder room, but keep it out of the bedroom.

Neutrals are taking a turn towards grayed browns.  These are warm shades with a contemporary edge.

Incorporate these colors into your home for a bright and cheerful start to 2010!

It’s that time of year when many of us are starting to fill our house with decorations, many of which include greenery.  Winter air can be extremely dry and unfriendly to cut greenery, so there are tips and tricks that you can follow to extend the life of your holiday decor and create a magical winter home.

Photo: Martha Stewart Living

1.  Seal the cut greenery with anti-desiccant spray.  This seals the pores and helps it retain moisture so that it lasts longer.

2.  Keep greenery away from heat and direct light.  These will dry out your decor and decrease its indoor life span. 

3. Spray your greenery with water daily.  This helps to moisturze the greenery as well as keep the wintery scent going.  On that note, mix many different types of greenery for a wonderful Christmas smell.  Try juniper, pine, cedar, and other evergreens.

Photo: Martha Stewart Living

Last week we had a design appointment with a new client that was both different and exciting.  The client, in her blog, does a much better job of painting the picture of the meeting than I could do.

Let us just say that it is times like this that really confirm that we, as interior designers, are not just feeding a luxury but feeding the souls of our clients and helping them create better environments for both them and their families.

http://www.butternutwoolens.com/butternut-woolens-knit-blog/2009/12/1/ciao-interiors.html

Ava Living’s Holiday Entertainment Week celebrates home decoration for the holidays.  Two of Ciao Interior’s table top arrangements have been chosen to be featured no this week’s Ava’s Choice.   For 7 days, you’ll be able to enjoy our table top decor every time you visit Avaliving.com.

Ava Living is an interior design website that allows designers and interior design fans to network, see other designer’s projects, and showcase their own.  It has users in 130 countries and is growing daily.  Be sure to check it out not only to see Ciao Interiors, but to enjoy all the interior design it has to offer!

The first impression that your home makes upon guests is in the entryway, so it’s important to make a statement.    The following tips will help you turn your foyer into a room which gets attention rather than just gets passed through.

1. Paint your entryway a bold color.  Grab your guests attention the minute they walk in.

Photo: House Beautiful

2. Create an artwork arrangement.  You can incorporate pieces that may not have been worked into your main rooms.  Use unexpected pieces.

Photo: House Beautiful

3. Instead of a runner which can get dirty easily, try a painted floor.  The  paint will age gracefully with wear.

Photo: House Beautiful

4. Add a mirror.  The mirror will reflect light and make the area seem bigger.  This is a great tip for small entryways.

Photo: Real Simple

5. If there is space, create a small sitting nook with a comfy chair and small table.  This makes the area seem more like a room rather than just a holding area.

Photo: House Beautiful

These tips will help you transform your entryway into a place where you and your guests will want to linger.  Your home will make a fabulous first impression upon everyone who enters.

Oh the holidays are here, time to spruce up the home with those decorations that have been stored away all year. Below are pictures of three different table top settings from our showroom that we created for the holiday season.

Decorating for the holidays doesn’t have to break the bank.  We used a little bit of old with a little bit of new by purchasing simple red and gold Christmas bulbs to add a little sparkle above the table.  A centerpiece revamped with Poinsettias ties in our “rustic theme”.

If you’re low on cash this season, think of creative ways to spice up household items.  Get the family involved and go outside!  Pine cones and tree trimmings scream Christmas and cost you nothing.  Purchase ribbon to tie around chairs, glassware, or plants.  Ornaments are a good way to fill already existing vases and centerpieces, or hang at different heights from the ceiling to create your own chandelier!

Don’t know where to start?  Choose a theme of color (doesn’t have to be red or green) and use with accents of silver, gold, white, or black.  Use the chosen color throughout with ornaments, bows, or even food to unify the theme.  Here we wanted a clean and fresh look.   Shades of green look crisp when combined with silver and white dinnerware.

A carved wooden swan from an antique store, simple red dishes, green moss nests, basic plaid placemats and red napkins holding flatware make for a simple and inexpensive holiday table.

Share your holiday arrangements with us by commenting below!

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Continuing on our kitchen theme from last week, today we’re going to look at helpful ways to increase organization in the kitchen.  With all the spices, pots, pans, and other cooking supplies that take up space in our kitchens, it’s no wonder that we often have trouble finding adequate storage and organization in our kitchens.  Below are some great ideas for sneaking a little bit of sanity into our homes.

If you find yourself entertaining guests often, open shelves can be a great idea.  It allows guests to find meal preparation and serving pieces without constantly asking you.  This makes life easier for both!

Small filing drawers are the perfect place to keep recipe cards in order and within reach.

Don’t underestimate the power of store bought drawer organizers.  This drawer uses organizers to store spices at an angle, making sure they stay in place with easily read labels.

Built-in cubbies are a practical and attractive way to store wine.  The perfect bottle will be right there when you need it.

With a little ingenuity, there are endless ways to incorporate storage that is both extremely functional as well as design savvy.

Photos: Traditional Home