BECKI OWENS

Q + A

Q+A: How to Choose and Hang Sconces

Lately I’ve been on the hunt for amazing sconces for some projects. I’ve come across some great inspiration I want to share with you. I really believe lighting is key in simple, elegant designs. Sconces, although smaller, are just as important as larger statement lights to complete the look of a space. They really add character and polish. Today, I’m going to address a couple of questions I get asked about hanging and selecting sconces and show you some great options for your home.

Q: Are there any rules for hanging bathroom sconces?

white marble bathroom owens and davis

A: Remember the Q+A about hanging art? Well, hanging bathroom sconces have a similar rule. It’s good to hang the base of your scones just above eye level. That is about 66 inches off the ground. You don’t have to center them with the mirror, but it is good to have them at least 30 inches apart. Hanging sconces at this height will give optimal light to your face for applying make up, shaving etc. The picture above in my San Clemente Beach House project is a great example.

sconce inpsiration becki owens

Tip: Have a little fun when selecting bathroom lights. They should work with the aesthetic of the room but can add character as well. You can choose a unique shape like white and glass globe lights or the vintage looking library sconces seen above (also in the kitchen pictures below).

Q: How can I get more light in my kitchen, without having a bunch of recessed cans?

A: I love these images of sconce lighting in a kitchen design. It’s a great way to add an unexpected element to the space. When planning your kitchen remodel, consider additional lighting above the kitchen sink or a kitchen window with sconces. Imagine the welcoming light a few sconces give, left on for late arrivals.

The Reading Light

girls bedroom modern mediterranean becki owens
Generally I look for bedside table lamps as evening reading lights, but when Nicole Davis and I did this young girls room we had a little fun. This floral wall sconce was the perfect way to add a feminine touch to the room with the practical use of a reading light. I also love the bunk inspiration pictures below. The individual sconces are placed perfectly for young readers.

sconce inspiration becki owens

I hope these inspirations ( see all sources here under bathrooms, kitchens and lighting) and tips have helped you with how to choose and hang sconces. I’ve shopped for some great options for you to choose from. I hope you find some that work great for your home. Have a great day!

Xxo
Becki

Sconce Lighting Picks

sconce inspiration becki owens
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This Week’s Q+A: Marble Care and Maintenance

Last week’s Q+A was the first part of our series on marble countertops. It featured my favorite choices for marble when I design a kitchen or bath. If you read that post, or have seen any of my kitchen designs, you will see I love using marble and feel it’s a great choice for kitchen countertops. Today I want to address the biggest concern I hear about marble, how to care for and maintain it. But first, let’s finish the selection process.

Q: “What style of edge should I choose for my counters?”

how to style a ktichen owens and davis

A: I definitely have a favorite for this. I love the clean, modern look of a mitered edge. I will vary the thickness, sometimes using 2″, and sometimes using a 3″, depending on the design of the kitchen. For the kitchen above Nicole Davis and I used Colorado Gold with a 3″ mitered edge. We wanted the marble to be thick and substantial, the main focal point of this space.

modern mediterranean kitchen becki owens

In this modern mediterranean kitchen we chose Calcutta Gold with a 2″ mitered edge. We chose this thickness for a slightly lighter feel that worked well with the white washed cabinetry and the extended countertop for barstools.

marble counters maintenance becki owens
PC: Ashlee Raubach

If you are looking for a little more traditional style, the San Clemente Beach house is a great example. The Dupont square edge worked well for this beach house transitional design. This edge works well with both traditional and more modern clean lines. It was the perfect fit for this kitchen.

Q: How can I maintain my marble counters to keep them looking like new?

A: Marble is a natural beautiful stone that changes with use. There will be etching (which means the sheen is changes in that one spot) after some acid has spilled on it from lemons or vinegar, but with everyday use a beautiful patina will happen. I’ve had carrara marble in my kitchen for over 3 years and I love it. It has not stained or had any discolor at all and I cook all the time. If marble worries you, there are ways to keep it looking like new. First, start by having it sealed with Akemi Nano sealer. Then about once a year you can have it repolished or honed and sealed and it will look brand new!

Q: What are the best ways to clean marble?”

A: Marble cleans great with a marble cleaner called Alpine Marble cleaner. Another way to clean it is with a shammy. It will clean and polish your marble at the same time. Having your marble sealed will really help with this. When something acidic spills on your marble, it is best to blot it instead of rubbing it. If the stain is stubborn you can use a commercial marble cleaner to remove it.

Tip: Keep baking soda on hand. Use baking soda mixed with rubbing alcohol for grease type stains.  For water based stains, mix it with hydrogen peroxide.

The beauty of marble is that it does age well. Over time the spots and stains blend together and are not noticeable. I love the look of marble. It’s color and richness is timeless. As it ages, it adds interest to a home. I hope this information about edge choices and marble care and maintenance has been helpful. If you do decide to use marble in your home, I really hope you enjoy it. It’s beautiful. Have a wonderful day!

Xxo
Becki

New Decor For The New Year

This Week’s Q+A: Marble Countertops

When I design kitchens and bathrooms my favorite choice for countertops is marble, I feel like there is nothing prettier than a slab of marble. I sometimes get questioned as to why I pick marble,”isn’t it hard to care for and maintain?” Marble has a very scary reputation that I personally don’t agree with. The truth is, I love using marble and have never regretted putting in a kitchen. I have marble countertops in my own kitchen at home and have recently used it kitchens with a family with eight kids and a family with six kids. They both love it and embrace its beauty. Today is the first of a two part Q + A on selecting, caring for and maintaining marble countertops. I hope this is helpful as you are deciding which is the best material for your upcoming projects. Maybe you will grow to love marble as I do.

Q: “Which marbles do you like to use in a kitchen and why?”

A: This is a good question. There are a lot of marbles to choose from. For Part 1 of this Q+A, I will focus on four of my favorite choices for marble counters. These are my go to selections for most of my projects.

1. Carrara

Pull Apart Bread

Carrara marble is white with a lot of gray veining throughout. The amount of veining creates an overall more gray cast to the marble. This marble works great in a cooler toned kitchen and is the least expensive option.

2. Statuary

san clemente beach house kitchen becki owens
san clemente beach house kitchen becki owens
PC: Ashlee Raubach

This marble is more mid price range. It also has a white background, but less gray veining than Carrara. For this kitchen we were looking for a marble without any hints of gold or warmth. This was the perfect choice for the cool, netural, open floor plan of this beach house.

3. Colorado Gold

Modern Coastal Kitchen Becki Owens

modern coastal kitchen becki owens

For this project we were looking for a countertop that was simple and very white to offset the existing, busier tile flooring in the kitchen. This marble is very white and and has minimal grey veining with a little gold going through it as well. It worked well to tie this updated, more modern space together.

4. Calcutta Gold

Kitchen Styling Essentials Owens and Davis

Calcutta Gold is a beautiful mix of larger grey and touches of gold veining throughout. It’s the most expensive choice, but works well to mix and tie together different tones in a space. I love the subtle warmth of this tile in this modern mediterranean kitchen. It’s definitely a favorite of mine. I’m currently using it in another project.

marble guide becki owens

I hope these descriptions of my favorite marbles help to narrow down your decision making process. Check back for part two of this Q+A, where I will be addressing edge choices and how to care for and maintain a beautiful marble kitchen.
Have a great Monday.

Xxo
Becki

This Week’s Q+A : Picking the Right Rug

Choosing a rug for a space is often one of the first things I do when I’m creating a design.  Sometimes a rug is the inspiration for a whole room or sometimes it’s is just the update that it needs. One of the most frequent questions I get asked is, “Which rug should I choose for this space?” This week’s Q+A is all about picking the right rug for your designs and rooms.

Q: “I would love to be able to work around my existing flooring, how can I do that?”

modern coastal family room becki owens

A: This is the perfect opportunity to incorporate rugs into your home. Rugs serve as a great option and change the whole mood of a space. You can even have darker stone, or a bright color in your wood or tile and change a whole space with a new rug. The space above, I did with Nicole Davis, is a great example of a home that previously had a tuscan feel and was transformed to a fresh coastal modern look. The rug chosen here is a fresh and light geometric pattern. With this new rug as the foundation the whole space was lifted and lightened.

Q: “What it the best rug for my entry way? I get tons of traffic, but I want it to look good.”

Entryway-kilim-rug-becki-owens

A: I think making a good first impression is important, remember this post? The entry is a great place to set the whole tone for your home. Just because you have kids or a lot of people coming and going, you don’t have to compromise the look. For an entry, you usually need a 3×5 or a runner to fit the space. I love to use kilim or vintage turkish rugs for a few reasons. First, they tend to come in smaller, unique sizes that work great in an entry space. Also, they are beautiful, eye catching and the colorful patterns tend to be more forgiving with dirt in a high traffic area.

Q: What is the correct placement for a rug?

beach house master bedroom owens and davis

A: There a no hard rules for placing rugs in a space. However, there are some good guidelines depending on the size of your space and the size of the rug you choose.

Large Living Area:
If you have a rug that will fill up most of the space, it is a general rule of thumb to leave 18 inches from the boarder of the room and the rug. If you have a larger space, like a great room, that isn’t as defined, you can place the rug a couple of ways. If the rug is large enough you can place all the furniture on the rug to define the space. If it is smaller, you can place just the larger pieces of furniture, like the couch, front legs only on the rug and place the chairs all the way on the rug.

Bedroom:
It’s good to make sure the rug extends at least 12-18 inches beyond either side of the bed. It doesn’t have to be placed at the head of the bed. Place it under the middle of the bed, extending it past the front. The key is centering the rug under the width of the bed within the width of the room.

Dining Space:
Generally, the rug should extend a couple of feet beyond the dining table to allow for placement of the chairs and still have rug to extend beyond them. A two foot rule is an easy one to go by.

TIP: When I’m trying to decide on a rug for a family room or bedroom, I generally like to choose rugs for comfort. There are great options for wool rugs that are a little thicker. I also like the look of dhurrie rugs. They can be layered on a sisal rug for a more plush and designer feel in a living or family room.

I hope these tips and suggestions for picking the right rug have been helpful. See below for some rugs I’m loving right now! Have a great Monday!

Favorite Rug Resources

West Elm
One Kings Lane
Kaya Kilims
Amber Interiors
Lulu and Georgia  (They are having a HUGE Spring Sale Right now!)

Rugs I’m Loving

 

This Weeks Q+A : Hanging Art

If you are like me, when you find the perfect piece of art you can’t wait to see it up on the wall. Unfortunately, sometimes getting it there can take the fun out of it. This weeks Q + A is all about hanging art. Hanging art can be smooth process when you keep a few simple guidelines in mind.

Q: What’s a good place to start when hanging a piece of art?

owens and davis modern living room with planters and kelly wearstler

A: A simple rule of thumb is to hang art at eye level. This equates to 57-60 inches high. A common mistake is hanging art to high. When you hang the center of the art at eye level it coordinates well with the other elements in the room like lighting, furniture and rugs. Art greets you at eye level.

Q: How do I hang art correctly on the first try?

photo mock up becki owens

A: A trick I like to use is mocking up the wall with paper before I actually start hanging. I measure, place paper and even drill holes through the paper before I hang the artwork. No one likes a bunch of unnecessary holes in the wall from measuring wrong and nailing too soon. If you have a friend who can hold the artwork up and mark it will a pencil that is a great option too. Otherwise, a paper mockup works great.

Q: I have a large, bare wall I need to fill with art. What would you suggest?

master bedroom becki owens

A: Larger wall spaces can be filled well with a series of art or photos. When you are doing a grouping of photos, the spacing between the photos can be about 2 or more inches apart. The gallery wall in the master bedroom above is a good example of filling a whole wall space with art. Each photo is about 2″ apart. Now a bare wall has become a highlight in the space.

Q: How do I hang art securely?

menlo living room becki owens

A: Most art work can be hung with a nail or picture hanger. Picture hangers are conveniently made to angle the nail correctly when you hammer them in. For larger art, you can use a pair of picture hangers. If the art is heavy it’s smart to use a stud finder and nail into the stud. If the spacing of the stud doesn’t work for centering your artwork, you can use a a hollow wall anchor for support. Also, when hammering in a nail, always do it at a steep, 45 degree, angle for the most support.

TIP: Use artwork as a distraction. If there is something your not in love with, say an older bathtub, use a large statement piece of art to distract the eye and make the space more appealing. Artwork draws the eye upward and can create a new focus in a space.

I hope you have enjoyed this weeks Q+A on hanging art. Please continue to leave comments with your questions. I look forward to choosing one every week to focus on. Have a wonderful Monday!

Xxo
Becki