DIY Archives - St. Thomas Interior Designer

A Perfect Table Setting for a Christmas in the Islands

PMMAdmin3 December 16, 2019 Color, DIY, Kitchens, Niceties 0

Are you dreaming of a white sand Christmas? Beautiful, fluffy sand replaces traditional cold, wet snow when you celebrate Christmas in the Islands. Warming up in the sun omits the need for hot coco around the fire, and other traditions which keep you toasty during the holidays. Even without the feeling of winter, you can still feel the ‘Christmas Spirit’ when hosting get togethers this season.

After celebrating nearly two decades of traditions in the sunny Caribbean, Tiffany Cassidy of Lagnappe Custom Interiors shares her favorite finds for a beautiful Christmas table setting.

Our family LOVES Christmas in the islands! All the colorful decorations, all the cookies, all the carols and classic Americana movies… ALL of the things that go into the holiday to give that special spirit.

Every family’s celebration is personal and meaningful for them. I love visiting friends and hearing some of the stories they have to tell about the grandmother who made the best gingerbread every year. I love sharing special memories. At our house, the process of getting out the Christmas decorations from storage is an annual walk down memory lane. So many touch stone from years gone by. It’s been a couple years since I really set the table for the big day. We’ve been very casual about it for the past couple years, so it had me thinking about doing a really beautiful table this year.

I’ve put together a Pinterest board of Christmas table setting ideas to get my thoughts together and have had fun looking online for some unique items. I love all things tropical and beach of course, but when it comes to Christmas, I’m all Americana.

The Perfect Dining Table Arrangement for a Christmas in the Islands

This tasteful table setting is simple and lovely. The greenery and pomegranates are easily found in local stores this time of year.

Tall and Colorful Candles

I adore a candle-lit dinners, especially in the holidays. For my table, I would be tempted to add some tall and colorful candles like these.

Golden Drink-ware

Mix your colorful candles in with these eye-catching golden mercury glass votives for a pretty glow on Christmas Eve:

Personalize a Christmas in the Islands, with custom Party Favors

I love the idea of a personalized little party favor at each place too. Cookies with the guest’s names on them are great; they’re easy and inexpensive. You can show off your baking skills, or simply decorate ones from your local bakery. These letter ornaments are a fun option, as your guests can keep a decoration for their tree for years to come.

This cute little ornament can be personalized and would make a great place card on your holiday dinner table.

Tis’ the Season Tableware for your Island Christmas

If you’re considering in investing in holiday flatware to go with china dinnerware, here are a couple classics.

Celebrate Christmas in the Islands with Golden Flatware

Golden flatware in a modern shape is more versatile than you may think. This set will be perfectly at home for New Year’s celebrations, anniversaries, engagement parties, and many other celebrations in years to come. It doesn’t feel over done because the shape is so simple and sleek. Mix this with any white China you already have and maybe some pretty holiday dessert plates and you’re all ready!

This dinnerware set might be the best value way I’ve seen to add a little sparkle to your table … and from Neiman Marcus of all places!

Christmas-Themed Dish-ware

When it comes to classic Americana, the Spode Christmas tree can’t be left out. This is the pattern I remember from holidays; it always make me think of my Aunt with a smile! Start with the salad plates and a serving bowl to add just a little bit to your holiday table setting. Small holiday themed accents won’t overcrowd your cupboards and are budget-friendly.

Between pretty dishes and flatware, candle light, greens for the table, and cute little party favors for your guests, your table setting will be remembered well by all. That thoughtful party favor will come out of a box in years to come. It may also start a conversation about what a lovely night everyone had together down in the tropics in Christmas of 2019.

Lagnappe Custom Interiors is a full-service interior design firm, specializing in bringing the small niceties to a home or commercial space that make it memorable, functional and yours. Based out of St. Thomas, Lagnappe [LAN-YAP] is led by Tiffany Cassidy who enjoys working with property owners to create a home that reflects their style and needs. Tiffany marries her artistic and scientific sides together to bring the residents of the Virgin Islands and continental U.S. an interior decorating service that manages the complex and turns it into beauty. Her goal is to not only make a home prettier, but in doing so, make your life better. Visit www.Lagnappe.com for more information.

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A Tropical Mood Board that will inspire your next Interior Design Project

PMMAdmin3 December 2, 2019 Color, DIY, Furnishings, Tips & Tricks 0

Creating a Tropical mood board while designing vacation homes remotely, helps to visualize the final design.

You love the purples and pinks of a Caribbean sunset. Seashells would look beautiful carved into a custom piece of furniture in your living room. Colors, textures, patterns, fabrics. What style furniture will suit, and how will it look inside a room? The options for expression and creativity in interior design are endless

Making Mood Board Decisions

With so many choices and decisions to make when designing and styling a home, it’s easy to become overwhelmed, and there comes a need to channel your wishes in one direction. Starting with pictures and a theme for inspiration, and then having a visual layout of all the components of a room in one place is the best approach.

We create mood boards for all of our projects. It’s a great visual way to pull thoughts and inspiration together at the beginning of a project. To be honest, most of our mood boards aren’t actually boards but ‘baskets’.

Tropical fabric swatches to use when creating mood boards with polka dot patterns, leaves and blue rug

Digital mood boards are a tool we use for our clients all the time. It makes working together with people off island easy, efficient, and fun. A lot of mood boards intend to inspire and let the imagination run wild to get a clear visual of what you hope to achieve in the decor and design of their home. However, there comes a point in every project where we need to pull together some actual real world items, that will not only suit the clients’ space, but also their budget.

Often times there will be multiple options for each room so when you come in for our presentation, they have something to react to. This changes the conversation from what we like in broad, general strokes to specifically what we do or don’t like about this item. A mood board helps the you get a sense of how all of the items will work together in a room.

Filling in Details of a Tropical Mood Board

Once we have this design direction laid out in full color, it’s pretty easy for me to fill in the details in a way that will make sense with the design and I know my clients will love. After all, a few happy surprises make the reveal day even more fun.

One of the simplest online tools is Pinterest. It’s free, easy to set up, and very user-friendly. It’s become such a popular tool not only for designers, artists, and people selling, but it’s where many people get ideas for their own projects.

We often ask our clients to put together a Pinterest board with inspiration images of things they love, even if they don’t seem to go together. The visuals make it possible to see some connections and bring some of their loves to the project.

There are tons of Apps that aim to make the process easy, but I’m pretty old school and just use Power Point to create my tropical mood boards. The main focus here is to create a collage of the items you wish to mix in the room and get a sense of whether or not they will feel balanced. When they are all together on a page, you’ll know if one item feels out of place

How to create a Tropical Mood Board

Start with your floor plan of your space
It’s all pretty meaningless if it doesn’t fit in the room. Your floor plan is your guide for what you need and what size and shape it should be.
Choose an inspiration item for your tropical mood board
Is there a rug or a piece of art you’ve fallen in love with? This is a great starting point for color scheme and the over all feel of the room.
Add tropical color chips to your mood board
Use your inspiration piece, whether it’s a rug, a photo, or handbag, to generate a color palette.
Collect images and specs of key pieces
If you’re working on a bedroom mood board, then choose the bed next since this is usually the largest piece in the room. Look for an item with the right styling to compliment your inspiration and evaluate available finishes.
Layer in accessories and signature items
What will define this space feel ‘oh-so you’? What things make you and your family comfortable?
Stick with what works
Once you’ve added all these items into the collage pages, you’ll clearly be able to see which ones are harmonizing and which ones are just not working with the others.

Why we use Mood Boards

Mood boards are a visual way for us to communicate. By providing your favorite colors, styles, and designs, no matter how different they may be from each other, you can come up with a plan which works as a beautiful end result. I like challenges when someone has varied interests when it comes to design. It’s my intention to work in as much of your tastes as possible into a tasteful-looking and welcoming home!

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Gallery Wall DIY 101: Make A Statement (Not A Mess)

lagnappe November 15, 2018 DIY, Furnishings, Tips & Tricks 0

Clients often want help choosing artwork for their homes. From large pieces to family heirlooms, designing the walls of a home can be daunting. Gallery walls have become more and more popular in the last few years, and can be more affordable than trying to purchase very large pieces or more expensive works. Here are five tips for creating a top-notch gallery wall in your own home!

Art on your Gallery Wall

The word “gallery” implies a collection, so pull together your favorite pieces and see how they work together. You can easily go with framed artwork and photographs and easily create an interesting gallery. But what about clocks? A favorite mirror? Different pieces make a gallery wall unique. Choose items that mean something to you and the personal touch will make sure your gallery wall doesn’t become too clinical (or over-the-top!).

Color for your Gallery Wall

In general, choosing a central theme can help create a cohesive gallery look. If your favorite painting is full of warm reds and oranges, using those hues to tie in other pieces will allow the gallery to make sense. Another way to use color to tie everything together would be to use the same color of framing for each piece. Then you’d have a little more wiggle room with the colors of the actual photo or art piece.

Placement for your Gallery Wall

There are a number of ways to frame up (no pun intended) your gallery wall. Here are three different ideas:

Start with the largest piece first. Place it in the center of the space and then situate the different pieces of the collection around it.
Place the bottom row 6 inches above the sofa or table. Allow the gallery to grow up from there.
Make a level line from the top. By placing the tops of the frames in one line, it creates a “cascade” effect with the rest of the gallery.

Whichever way you determine is best for your space, it’s always good to draw it out on paper or test it first. Place the items on the floor in different arrangements to see which feels right. Once you have a gallery you like, trace the different pieces onto paper and tape them up on the wall to better determine height, spacing and to make any other edits before you begin nailing into the wall.

Balancing a Gallery Wall

Make sure your gallery is balanced. That doesn’t mean you must have an even number of items (even though you could). If you’re going for a simple, clean look, use a consistent frame and make each piece the same size. Hang the pieces the same distance from one another, for example a square created from nine photos, or two rows of 4 pieces of framed art. If you have an eclectic collection, three-dimensional pieces like clocks and plates can break up odd numbers of rectangular framed art or canvas.

Focal Points for your Gallery Wall

In addition to breaking up the sharp-edged squares and rectangles with three-dimensional pieces, add interest with other unique items. Incorporate a light fixture into your gallery to really draw the eye up. Or choose a wall-mounted planter to bring some natural greenery into a space. A shadow box can display a smaller collection and add dimension to the wall.

Want help creating a gallery as unique as you are? Give us a call today and we can help you design your perfect space.

About Lagnappe Custom Interiors

Lagnappe Custom Interiors is a full-service interior design firm specializing in bringing the small niceties to a home or commercial space that make it memorable, functional and yours. Based out of St. Thomas, Lagnappe [LAN-YAP] is led by Tiffany Cassidy who enjoys working with clients to create a home that reflects their style and needs. Tiffany marries her artistic and scientific sides together to bring the residents of the Virgin Islands and continental U.S. an interior decorating service that manages the complex and turns it into beauty. Her goal is to not only make a home prettier, but in doing so, make your life better. Visit www.Lagnappe.com for more information.

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