Anne Grice's blog

Beautiful ways to save energy

There are several ways to provide insulation other than the traditional heavy lined draperies. Cellular (think honeycomb) shades provide dead air space that insulates against both heat and cold. From the front, they look like standard pleated shades. However, when viewed from the side they have a honeycomb construction which provides outstanding insulation. Some are double cell. The Hunter Douglas Duette Architella shades have a cell within a cell that can save up to 50% of the energy lost through the window. Customers may also qualify for a $1500 federal tax credit. One nice feature is that when open, they stack to a very small height (i.e. usually they only take up about an inch and a half at the top of the window) which means they work well mounted inside your window frame for a more architectural look.

  

Close up of cellular shades, on the

right is the room darkening shade

 

 

 

These opaque cellular shades allow light to

filter through.

Another example are PVC solar shades. These are a fresh alternative to more traditional roller or roman shades. This new advance in technology of PVC-coated fiberglass yarn means you can:

• Filter out heat, glare, and ultra-violet rays that harm your furnishings
• Still allow natural light into your room
• Maintain a degree of privacy
• Still see the view!

These sun shades (available from different manufacturers) all offer varying ability to see through them. This is known as the “Openness Factor”. These are a great option for motorized shades and a great solution for western exposures with a view you don’t want to give up.

Solar shades preserve your view

 

Anne Grice, ASID

Anne is the principal of Anne Grice Interiors, the Roaring Fork Valley's award winning interior design and remodeling experts since 1996.

Road trip to Redstone

I went to Redstone last week to meet a new client and help her select paints, carpet, etc. for her vacation home there. We selected a few combinations of paint and carpet. She is going to get sample sizes of the paint and see how they look on her different walls. This is so important as the samples are not always true. Keep posted for a future blog on paint colors.

Redstone is a wonderfully scenic small town on the edge of the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area. It was a beautiful drive along the Crystal River from Carbondale to Redstone. By the way, this is a great cycling route, just go very early on weekends or mornings on a weekday as there isn’t much of a shoulder. Most of the drivers are cyclist friendly but some are not. There is a nearly completed bike path about halfway to Redstone from Carbondale.

Here’s a link that shows the route:

http://www.mapquest.com/mq/1-XWZX*xk6XUdD7YNFMY8w

It’s great fun to ride for breakfast on the back deck of Café Redstone or at the Redstone Inn.

 
The historic Redstone Inn

 

 

Café  Redstone – sit out back and look over the river and watch the  hummingbirds feed.

On the way back, I stopped at the Avalanche Ranch. The 36 acre ranch has 13 cute cabins, a 3 BR house, an apartment, a fishing pond, hiking and tons of other outdoor activities, and an antique shop with lots of fun, kitschy and unusual items. This is an incredibly beautiful mountain setting. It is now owned and operated by my friends Chuck and Meredith Ogilby and their family. This is a great family run, family and pet friendly retreat in the mountains. www.avalancheranch.com

 
 Entrance off of Highway 133 to Avalanche Ranch

 

Molly Jacober, General Manager, Avalanche Ranch

 

Anne Grice, ASID

Anne is the principal of Anne Grice Interiors, the Roaring Fork Valley’s award winning interior design and remodeling experts since 1996. 

Furniture Selection: Think Scale, Height and Finish

When selecting furniture for your home, first take a look at the scale of your home. If you have high ceilings and large spaces, consider large scale furnishings.

 

Also:

• Is there a lot of detailing in your woodwork, lighting, etc? If so, look for furnishings with a similar scale of detail. Do not mix bulky with refined.
• Furnishings should be of a similar scale.
• Take a look at the chair legs. Are they thin? Then most of your furnishings should have thin details.
• Are the lines straight or curved? Keep the lines consistent.

Make sure sofa arms are at least an inch above side tables or the tables will look too high. Coffee table height should be close to the seat height of the sofa or lounge chairs. The same rule goes for an ottoman used as a coffee table. Finishes should be a similar level of sheen; if most your finishes are rough or matte with little sheen, do not mix with pieces that are highly polished.

 

The same goes for level of distressing. You can easily mix painted pieces with stained if you keep to these rules.

 

Quality pieces tend to have the best proportions and scale.

 

Quick Recap:

• Scale of furnishing should work with the scale of the space
• Keep a similar scale of wood detailing, pattern, etc.
• Sofa arms should be an inch or more above side tables
• Keep seat heights similar
• Keep finishes similar – level of sheen, distressing, etc.
• Stay with similar lines - straight, turned, curved

Notice the similarity in scale, consistent sleek lines and consistent level of finish in this living area.

  

Anne Grice, ASID

Anne is the principal of Anne Grice Interiors, the Roaring Fork Valley’s award winning interior design and remodeling experts since 1996. 

Shopping for Wall Art in Carbondale

Yesterday I went to Carbondale, a cute town here in the roaring fork valley that sits near the Crystal and Roaring Fork rivers. I was having some pieces framed at Main Street Gallery and looking for some interesting wall art for a client. This client has a lot of black and white photography we are re-framing but I want to mix it up a little with something 3 dimensional. I think I found just the thing in some fun metal pieces at European Antiques on Main Street. I am planning to put them together on a wall above a seating area.

 

 

If you want to try this, be sure to plan the height, width and distance apart. Groupings are great, but make sure the overall height of the group is similar to the other pieces in the space.

Carbondale has such a pretty Main Street, I thought I would share some photos. They have a great outdoor art program so I included a couple of pieces.

Main Street Near 4th

 European Antiques - Lots of fun gifts and small decorative items for the home

The "Big Head" public art piece   

 

 I love this "Couple" piece!

 

New trends in lighting

I love the new trends in lighting! Mixing fixtures, types and sizes is the order of the day. Keep one item consistent such as color, material, size, shape, etc. I just went into Aspen for a dinner with friends and saw some great lighting at Brexi's Brasserie. These all use the rainbow glass that I remember from the State Fair prizes. It gives some fun accents, while keeping the glass consistent ties them together.

Cool lighting at Brexi's Brasserie in Aspen

Anne Grice, ASID

Anne is the principal of Anne Grice Interiors, the Roaring Fork Valley’s award winning interior design and remodeling experts since 1996. 

 

Welcome to my new blog!

Dear Friends,

Welcome! I've been wanting to reach out to my clients, previous clients, friends, anyone interested in interior design, home furnishings, remodeling, and other topics I will include off and on may include cycling, skiing, entertaining, life in Basalt, CO, etc.

Some of the upcoming topics include:

 

• Furniture scale and how to combine pieces
• Furniture layout for great conversation areas
• How to use color in your home
• Latest trends in office design
• Great tips on how to stage your home for sale
• Lighting
• Fun new furniture pieces
• Food and drink recipes for entertaining

  

Please give me feedback! I want to know what you want to hear about.

If you want to know more about me or my design firm, Anne Grice Interiors, please visit my website at www.annegrice.com.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you!

  

Anne Grice, ASID

Anne is the principal of Anne Grice Interiors, the Roaring Fork Valley’s

award winning interior design and remodeling experts since 1996.