db living A magazine by Anna and Franny  

THE SPRING ISSUE

Editor’s Note

…………….12

Our Favorites

………………15

 

Why is it called db living?  

db living is a name we created together. We wanted a casual and creative name that included a personal significance. db stands for Dorsey Blanchard, our last names. The addition of living to the title

what’s inside...…

With  spring  approaching  people  are  ready  to  throw  out  the  old  and  bring  in  the  new!  The  season  of  spring  is  a  popular  time  for  people  to  re  do  their  homes  and  recreate  their  style.         We  were  inspired  to  create  our  own  interior  decorating  magazine  for  our  senior  X-­‐Term  project  by  both  of  our  loves  for  designing  and  organization!    Our  goal  was  to  develop  a  good  sense  for  the  decorating  business,  while  creating  an  online  magazine  to  show  what  we  learned  during  our  time  and  any  helpful  tips  we  learned  throughout  the  week.  The  week  of  X-­‐Term  gave  us  the  opportunity  to  further  explore  our  passion  for  decorating  as  we  met  with  Richmond  local  designers  and  found  out  what  they  love  best  about  the  industry  and  what  advice  they  had  to  share  with  us.       Whether  you  are  redecorating  your  entire  home,  or  just  figuring  out  what  color  sheets  to  put  in  your  new  guest  room,  you  can  find  all  the  tips  and  tricks  for  a  stress  free  makeover  for  your  home  in  this  spring  issue.    You  will  find  featured  in  this  article,  local  Richmond  designer  interviews  as  well  as  fool  proof  decorating  tips  to  make  this  spring  makeover  a  success!      We  are  so  excited  to  create  our  first  issue  of  dbliving  and  hope  you  find  some  helpful  inspiration  within  this  article!    

Xoxo- Franny & Anna

Xoxo- Franny & Anna

Friday

X-Term sets aside time for

students to work on their

projects during school hours.

We are also given an entire

week (plus a day) of time for

the sole purpose of working on

your project. From Friday

March 1st to Friday March 8th,

we spent the whole day

interviewing designers,

exploring design resources and

shops and researching for this

magazine. In this quest, we

decided to make an Instagram

account to give people a look

inside our world as Design

explorers. Here is a glimpse of

our shared photos, one picture

for each day of the week we

worked. For more photos and

to see how we spent our week

check out

Instagram.com/dbliving.

Monday

We started our week by gathering our thoughts and going over our goals for the

week with our sponsor, Barrie Edlich. While at Janie

Molster’s office and showroom we were thrown into the tedious work that is masked by the excitement of

designing… we organized the hundreds of fabric

samples at the office. As you can see it was a lot harder than we expected! After a

lunch break we met with the delightful Ryland Woodard

at her office off River . It was a great first day in the

designer world!

After the weekend we started the full X-term week with our

own creative project. We were given an assignment by

Mrs. Edlich to design our own living room finding

inspiration and sources around Richmond. We

started by going to Virginia paints. It was nearly

impossible to find the right shade of paint we each

wanted! We then visited the West End Antiques Mall and

got lost in the tiny rooms filled with furniture, trinkets, and accessories. We went to a couple fabric stores and finished the day finding

guiding light from current home décor magazines at

Barnes and Noble. We then returned to the office to

interview Janie Molste. After we went on site to clients

houses.

A l o o k a t

O u r W e e k Tuesday Thursday Friday

It’s Tuesday and we are off on an adventure! We spent

the day traveling to the Washington Design Center, a

huge showroom for major fabric, wallpaper and

furniture companies. We were guided by Richmond designer, Jenny Andrews.

During the two hour dirve up and then back we chatted

with her and learned about her life as a designer. We had

tons of fun exploring the showrooms and getting samples for our design

project.

After an unexpected snowday, we started Thursday off by

exploring the beautiful home of Sarah Hurst. She gave us

her inside tips of finding great deals for your home. She

showed us how to transform a drab piece of furniture into a

useful steal. We visited a couple other antique shops

with her including Alexander’s Antiques Auction. There we learned the crazy world of

auctioning. The woman there said the auction lasts from 6pm to 4am and every single item in the huge warehouse sells! Mrs. Hurst also gaves us great tips

on creating DB Living from her experience working at major

design magazines.

From here on out we spent our time putting together all of our experiences into DB

Living. We’ve looked at other online magazines for

inspiration. The art of making a mag is tedious

and frustrating at times but all together a great visual

representation of our week.

Anna’s Wish List

3. Layla

1. Nordstrom

4. Sephora 6. Nordstrom 2. West Elm 5. South Moon Under

1 2

3

4

5 6

Franny’s Wishlist

1 2

3

4

6 1. Wallpaper Osborne & Little 2. Jewelry Tree

Athropologie 3. Dress Kate Spade Saturday 4. Coffee Table oomph 5. Painting Wolf Kahn 6. Note Cards Furbish 5

           

     

1. How long have you been interested in the decorating/ designing world? I came from a family where my father was an

architect/designer and my mom was an artist. I have always been exposed to design so when I went to college I knew I wanted to be a designer. I majored in design and art history. 2. How would you describe your design style?

New England/Swedish with a neutral/ pale palette and current twist

3. What design trend are you tired of, or would like to see more of? I never tire of a neutral palette. It is soothing and serene in this busy world.

4. If you had money to decorate any room in your house, which would you choose?

I don’t consider one room more important than another. A house has to work as a whole. I am always fine tuning rooms.

5. What is the paint color you love?

Farrow & Ball; off-white is my favorite at the moment

6. Who are your designer inspirations?   Two designers whose work I respect, both of whom I

worked with, are John Saladino in New York and Hugh Jacobson in Washington DC.

Designer Scoop An inside look into a decorator’s design

secrets

Check out one of Pier’s

favorite designers!

Pier Haffenreffer

7. What is your favorite piece for a room or in your own home?

I like to bring in a good quality antique in each room with a fresh, current piece. 8. If you had $100 to spruce up a room, what would you buy?

Pillows can make a big difference in a room. They can change the mood.

9. Where do you look for inspiration? Pinterest and travel. 10. What is your favorite living space to design and what elements do you use to make the room stand out?

I like to design the house as a whole. I don’t focus on one room, they all have to flow together/ I think you have to get the architectural elements of a house right first and then start decorating. Good hardware is important too.

11. If you weren't a decorator, what would your dream job be?   I would love to be a writer or an archaeologist.  

 

Abchome.com has a great

selection of fun pillows that will

brighten any room in need of a

facelift!

“I don’t focus on one room, they all have to flow together”

Peculiar Paint Colors!  

Soft Chinchilla

Marshmallow Bunny

Woodstock Tan  

Mayonnaise

Grandma’s Refrigerator

 

Janie Molster We sat down and interviewed Richmond designer Janie Molster owner of Janie Molster Designs. Check out her newly redesigned website: Janiemolster.com

1. How did you come into the design field? I backed into by accident. I studied literature in college and always thought I would teach English. When I was in my late twenties and had just had a child, my friend asked me to help her pick out paint colors. Then another friend asked. Then a friend of a friend called me and insisted on paying me. I was telling my friend about that and for my birthday they took me to lunch and gave my business cards. So that’s really how it started. 2. How would you describe your design style? Eclectic, in Richmond I would say I’m a little more contemporary and modern. In a bigger platform I would probably be a mixture of historical and contemporary. 3. Who are your designer inspirations? I have a favorite, Bobby McGalpine, who is really an architect but he does design as well. Also Darryl Carter. 4. Where do you look for inspiration? Whether they admit it or not all designers at each other for inspiration. Everything I’ve done has been done before, I Just trying to put a fresh face on it. I also think travel is fun for inspiration. I race to my front door to get those new shelter magazines and my family knows not to talk to me if I have got a decorating magazine. (Her favorites include: Elle Décor, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Veranda) 5. What is your favorite paint color? Hot Spring Stones by Benjamin Moore

6. What is your favorite room to design? This is probably unusual but the thing I have done so much in my life are boy’s rooms. Living rooms too--bedrooms tend to be soft furnishings but in living rooms you have the option of mixing chairs with pretty legs and antiques, and lamps and tables. You have the most flexibility in living rooms and family rooms. 7. If you had $100 to spruce up a room what would you buy? A huge bouquet of pink roses 8. What is the biggest mistake people make when decorating? People choose lamps that are too short so that the light hits too low. The second thing is people try to cut down on the yardage of curtains because they are so expensive to make. If you don’t have enough fabric for them to close, even if you don’t close them, you can tell. The proportions are off. Just buy less expensive fabric. 9. What are the trends you are seeing this season? Yellow was a huge color in fall. We are seeing a bunch of purple and lavender. Mixing periods and styles is something people are now doing automatically. 10. What are trends you are tired of seeing? Red dining rooms, dark jewel tone living rooms. Navy sofas with big oriental rugs. Overdone curtains. 11. What would you be doing if you were not a decorating? teaching English

Ryland Woodard

1. How long have you been interested in the decorating/ design world? I always loved moving my bed around and setting up my doll house rooms. I have had my business for the past 7 years and got my experience from working with other designers as well as classes. 2. What design trend are you tired of, or would like to see more of? I try to stay away from the typical Richmond décor; coral, monkeys, Kelly green… Once you see something in Target, you know that those styles are over 3. What is the paint color you love? November Rain by Benjamin Moore 4. Who are your designer inspirations? Suellen and Jeffery Bill Hooer 5. If you had $100 to spruce up a room, what would you buy? Art! 6. Where do you look for inspiration? Elle Décor/ any fashion magazine. I also enjoy flipping through Harper’s design. You can find a lot of inspiration in big cities and foreign towns; they always have new looks. 7. What is your favorite living space to design? The living room

November Rain

“I’m only as good as my client is”

A Fool Proof Makeover!

1. organize your work 2. do not rush 3. do one room at a time- and finish it! 4. room should resemble you not what you saw in the latest article in ElleDecor 5. know your budget 6. check local stores and markets for deals and sales 7. do not feel like you have to get rid of your old things… put a new face on them 8. have fun!

“Your House is your second skin, and the environment you create is an extension of yourself – your ultimate self portrait.”

Tips from Ryland Woodard

  Franny and I had the opportunity to go to the Design Center in Washington DC with Richmond

designer, Jenny Andrews. We were very excited to check out all of the new patterns, furniture, and designs

that are expected to be popular this spring.

We both had very little clue what to expect at the Design Center. Jenny told us that there was a lot to

look at within the 7 floors, so we would just take it floor by floor and stop at anything we thought look

interesting. The problem was, once we got there we wanted to stop at every showroom! Our first stop was on

floor 5, Ruth&Ollie fabric. We gazed at the thousands of fabric samples in front of us in awe. They had

every color and texture you could imagine. With a pencil and paper to mark down our favorites, we divided

and conquered. Each of us wrote down a few numbers of the fabric we liked, but it was hard to narrow it

down. I applaud all of the designers that can go into these overwhelming show rooms and easily decide what

wall paper would go best with the room they are redecorating.

     

Featuring Jenny Andrews

 

  We continued to peek our heads into

various rooms and gaze at the gorgeous

furniture and various other pieces. My

personal favorite room was American Eye.

This specific show room had various

furniture pieces, lighting, and accessories for

the home. Walking amongst the furniture

was like a maze as we squeezed in between

the strategically placed pieces in the room.

They had a great selection of unique pieces

that were characterized as “American Casual”. All of the items were the perfect balance of style and function.

Something I personally always look for in furniture!

The trip was a great way to dip our toes into the process of shopping for a client. While shopping for

anything, whether for a room or clothes for myself, I like to be able to try whatever I am buying out. I want to

know exactly how the fabric feels or what color the wooden legs look under the light. While designing a room,

it is important to get a feel for how each piece will fit in the room and fit your family. Unfortunately, the design

center was a lot less busy as it has been in the past due to the increase of Internet sales. I encourage you all to

go out and support the local showrooms and shops and I know you will not regret it.

Jenny Andrews of Andrews Design has been adding color

and style to the Richmond area for the past 22 years. Her

design firm specializes in resort and residential design,

construction and interiors. She has helped many families

update their living spaces as she also manages to juggle her

3 younger boys, husband, and dog! Thank you Mrs.

Andrews for adding so much to our X-Term experience!

http://www.andrewsdesigns.com/

Bargain Beauties our exploration of finding stylish

furniture all for a killer deal

Sarah Hurst’s beautiful brick home nestled on the outskirts of the CCV golf course is just as stunning on the inside as it is on the outside. It does not come as a surprise that Sarah spent years working as a home décor magazine editor, writer, and set stylist for years in New York. She even brought out her old articles and gave us tips and tricks to wowing your readers and setting a scene. Her Richmond upbringing, London living, and life with four boys are all evident in home. But the most amazing part of her gorgeous home, is the story that comes with each item. Each piece of furniture is a work of art with a quirky tale as to how she found it or what she did to make it special to her life. We walked through each room in the house and compared the room now to

obnoxiously colorful rooms from the past owners plastered with loud patterns and inescapable green carpet. Each room was transformed into light, neat, and trendy rooms based off of natural colors and textures. The detail that we decided to focus on was Sarah’s talent of finding quality pieces for amazing deals. In every room there seemed to be a piece of furniture that looked great and was inexpensive. A chair found at a estate sale, lamp found at Ikea, or a bench found on eBay. What we discovered is that most often Sarah finds a promising piece of furniture and has painted of reupholstered, an example is her amazing headboard found on eBay for a couple hundred dollars. She had it painted white and it became the most unique piece in her bedroom.

Sarah swears by searching for a good deal by spending time browsing mid century searches on craigslist or eBay, thinking creatively, and always stopping for estate sales! She also taught us the tricks on how to get someone to lower his or her price. Other creative things we learned from Sarah were to mix textures, don’t hesitate to say no to your decorator, create a neutral backdrop to allow you to add colorful art, rugs, and pillows, and to brighten dark rooms with wallpaper. It would be impossible to write everything we learned and discussed in a paper, but I can tell you that we were truly enriched by spending the day learning bargaining and design tips for Sarah.

 An often under appreciated design trick is the power of the lamp. Lamps are not only a source of light and warmth but are an outlet for structural creativity and uniqueness in design. Here are our favorite amazing table lamps…

Hand-­‐Painted  danagibson.com

Recycled  Glass  shopcandelabra.com

Earthy  vivre.com

Simple  crateandbarrel.com

All  White  laylagrayce.com

Funky  straydogdesigns.com

 

Emerald The color of the year

     

We would like to thank everyone who helped us with our project especially….

Barrie Edlich

Jenny Andrews

Constance Costas

Pier Haffenreffer

Sarah Hurst

Janie Molster

Ryland Woodard

Mrs. Lehman and Mrs. Jenkins