If you have an active household like I do, consider slip covering dated or worn furniture. I know you are probably familiar with the looser, “pre-made” versions available at big box stores and they do serve a purpose. But I am referring to custom made slipcovers made of lush velvets, silk blends, woven wools or blended linen weaves that have been typically reserved for formal rooms. Use these gorgeous fabrics as slipcovers and you will have a high-end look with the added ability to dry-clean yearly not to mention the bonus of having reserve cushion covers on hand should you need them quickly.

Custom slipcovers are measured in the home, cut and pinned on the piece of furniture and then installed with zippers for an extra tight fit. Slipcovers from French Country take about 2-3 weeks from the time the fabric arrives to installation. The price will depend upon the grade of material you choose. Make two different slipcovers and you can switch out a room from summer to winter. Add 30″ down filled custom pillows and you can take a 1970’s sofa and turn it into today’s showpiece. Have the bottom cushions rewrapped if looking flat.  Tear off an outdated skirt and add turned legs for a cleaner look. Add some decadent corded fringe at the bottom and you will have a classic jewel.

These days, I probably design as many library rooms and home offices as I do kitchens. There has been a return to or perhaps a craving for the academic feel and touch of books. I personally find libraries, both private and public, to be pure sensory power on so many levels. The feel and smell of books is hypnotic, the stories that surround you are pure potential and the knowledge they hold are solid leverage. Whether you have a collection of antique books or today’s best sellers, why not exhibit them as their true art?  Why not display them as valuables within the home?

Today’s library rooms typically fall into two categories: a library, which is also the media room, or a library which dually serves as an office. Rarely do I see all three at once. I mention this in following the last blog about not combining the home office with the kitchen. So, too, does the logic follow that a library which is to serve as the home office should not be the family’s media center. Let the electronic buzz of one not be confused with the soothing, studied solitude of the other. At a minimum, design it such that the media center can be hidden behind doors so that the quiet hush of a university library can imbue the space.

 Finally, don’t think for a minute that these libraries need be dark and masculine. Most of my clients are women and they have me design spaces that are powerful displays of intellect but also the physical landscapes of their quiet, reflective natures.

I have had the benefit of watching so many families, usually younger ones, tear down walls or build-on in order to have a “great room.” Often,  this not only encompasses the kitchen and eat-in area, but a play zone for children combined with a mult-media family room.  While I enjoy the “open plan” so that more family functions are within eye and ear shot, the one thing I cannot endorse is the office center in the kitchen.  Many kitchen designers love to put the “work station” in the kitchen area so that busy mothers can gather school papers and oversee the family calendar. But many of these mothers also work outside the home. Even if they don’t, why would one want to have spaghetti on the permission slip or review the plumber’s bill while preparing lasagna?

These great rooms have become all noise and no refuge. The 24/7 electronic communication center is already enough to sap the joy out of cooking. The task of paying bills and filing away medical records should not be intermingled with kitchen tasks. Do yourself the greatest of favors and allow yourself the pleasure of repurposing another area of the unused house to gift yourself an office. Claim a bedroom or hall nook and give yourself a quiet place with a desk, comfortable chair and storage to do your own homework with attention to detail.

Cooking should be enjoyable and an invitation to the senses: smell, touch, color and taste. Opening up that space to include conversational areas and gathering spots is a welcomed progression in design but throwing in an office is one spice too many.