Despite the uncertainties and difficulties of this year, we’ve made it to the holiday season, and Thanksgiving preparations are underway! Whether you’re celebrating indoors with family or hosting an outdoor celebration in your backyard, here are tips to ensure you have a safe, beautiful, and elegant Thanksgiving Feast.

Tip 1:  Preparing your home

If you’re inviting friends and family to your home for Thanksgiving, cleanliness will be on everyone’s mind. It’s important to ensure that your home is spic-and-span, so that everyone feels comfortable. Be sure to use disinfectant on commonly touched surfaces, and have disinfectant gel on hand for when the guests arrive. Stock your bathrooms and sinks with enough hand soap, and consider investing in individual hand towels for your guests to use.

In addition to your usual cleaning routine, this is the time to go the extra mile for your guests. Cleaning the outside of your home and making sure the inside walls are spotless instantly elevates a space. If your house is older and is in need of a new paint job, now is the time to do it, especially before it gets too cold. Contact us for outside painting or to power wash the outside walls. Likewise, if you want to repaint your interior, get it done sooner rather than later. Check out our tips for choosing the best paint color.

Tip 2:  Lighting is everything

Having beautiful lighting to set the mood is an easy way to spruce up your celebrations. If you’re celebrating outside, look into battery operated decorative lanterns or fairy lights. Additionally, investing in fire pits and heaters is a wonderful way to add warmth and a cozy Fall atmosphere. They also ensure your guests won’t get too cold during dinner. If you’re celebrating indoors, be sure to clean all the light fixtures of any dust or grime. Consider getting light dimmers installed so that you can dim the lights as the evening goes on to set the mood. Lastly, if you have an indoor fireplace, give it a clean and prepare to light up on Thanksgiving day!

Tip 3:  Preparing the menu

When planning the Thanksgiving menu, it’s important to consult with your guests ahead of time and make certain decisions before any cooking begins. Be sure to make note of any dietary requirements or allergies that your guests may have. You also want to find out whether your guests will be bringing any food with them, and if so, what kind of prep they’ll need before serving. Look on Pintrest or browse the internet for any new trendy recipes you want to try. We recommend sticking to a fairly traditional menu, with one or two new recipes as your wow factor!

Many people will make the mistake of planning what they want to make without planning a cooking schedule for the day. Ideally, you want everything to come together at the same time, right before serving. Figure out what you can make in advance, what can be reheated, and what needs to be made on the day. If you have others helping you out, assign different roles and dishes to be prepared. And don’t forget to defrost the turkey!

Tip 4:  The devil is in the details

When it comes to hosting a dinner, no detail is too small.

• This is the perfect time to pull out the china! Make sure to wash them to remove any dust.
• Polish your silverware using hot water and a dish towel.
• Glasses can be polished by filling a cup with boiling hot water; hold the glass upside down above the water to steam it; once it’s steamed, go in with a clean dish towel or napkin to remove any fingerprints and watermarks; hold the glass up to the light to see the glass is perfectly polished; hold wine glasses by their stems or use gloves to avoid getting any additional fingerprints on the glass.
• Get the tablecloths and napkins in the washing machine and give yourself enough time to iron out any wrinkles. This is also a great opportunity to learn some napkin folding techniques to truly impress your guests!
• Add Fall decor! Always add a beautiful fall-flower arrangement to have on the table before the food is served. You can also consider adding a fall-inspired wreath on the door. Light some warm-scented candles to further create a cozy autumn atmosphere.
• Have your music playing for when the guests arrive. There is nothing more awkward than walking into a dinner-party that’s silent. Place your speakers in a discreet but accessible place, and put on your favorite tunes. Alternatively, there are plenty of premade dinner-party playlists you can find online. Soft jazz or piano music adds elegance and atmosphere without becoming distracting.

Tip 5:  Remember what Thanksgiving is about!

Hosting a dinner party, let alone Thanksgiving, is no small task–especially with Covid-19. Things are bound to go wrong and you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed at some point. That’s okay! Just remember that Thanksgiving is about being grateful. Nothing is as important as being with the people you love during this difficult time. And as long as you’re together, everyone will have plenty to be thankful for.

If you’re new to the interior design world, Transitional Design may not be a term you’re familiar with. However, understanding what it is and how it can work for you opens up a new world of inspiration and ideas to elevate your home. Keep reading to find out the most important aspects to understand Transitional Design!

What Is Transitional Design?

If you’re someone who loves classic design but is after a contemporary aesthetic, you’ll be happy to know that you don’t have to choose one or the other! Transitional Design is when you mix traditional and modern elements together to form a new and unique style. Your home becomes a transition between the past and present. In short, transitional design is mastering the art of mixing and matching. This is growing in popularity and understandably so.

Contrary to how it sounds, when executed correctly, transitional design doesn’t result in a disordered, cluttered, or random design. In fact, it gives a lot more freedom to the designer. There’s no single era or style to be restricted by. It gives a lot of room for experimentation, allowing you to mix and match until the balance is found. It also guarantees that your design will be unique to you and catered to what you think is beautiful.

So how do you achieve transitional design?

Tips For Mastering Transitional Design

The beautiful thing about transitional design is that there are no set rules. It’s all about finding balance. Of course this is much easier said than done, and when starting a design you may find yourself quickly overwhelmed. Instead of being restricted to one era and not having enough choices, you may feel like you now have too many choices. So here are a few key tips that will ensure your transitional design adventure is smooth and the finished style is beautiful!

Find common denominators

As with any design style, you want to find a few themes to make sure everything works together.

Consider choosing a few eras that you want to pull from. This makes it easier to find pieces that work well together.

Another easy way to find those common denominators is through your color palette. Many resources will claim that transitional design should be done with a neutral palette. While transitional design does work beautifully in a neutral color scheme, color is not something you should necessarily shy away from. Instead, choose 4-5 tones of the same shade and try to stick with these. Using color as a uniting factor in your transitional design allows you to bring diverse styles together while still matching with each other.

Use Accessories & Art to bring a transitional flair

Accent pieces and artwork is a fantastic way to bring your transitional design to life. Perhaps you decide to feature a beautiful antique side table: placing a contemporary piece of art on top will instantly bring a modern edge to the furniture. Contrarily, maybe you’ve opted for a modern sofa. Juxtaposing this with a few carefully selected chintz pillows will result in a homey, timeless look. Each piece in your transitional design should be carefully chosen to work in balance with the rest of the room. The art and accessories are your chance to let your personality through and run with the whimsical. Not to mention that a nuanced mix will invoke conversations from intrigued guests and leave lasting impressions!

Get Inspired

As with most interior design concepts, the easiest way to understand a certain style is to look at a variety of pictures and take notice of what you like and dislike. Learn from others. Every designer will have a different interpretation of what transitional design means. Study a variety of designs to begin defining it for yourself. There are plenty of free resources online to gather inspiration from. Even just typing “Transitional Design” into Pinterest will get your creative flow going. Remember that you can set the rules here, and as with all things interior design, the most important aspect to pay attention to is whether or not you like it. This is your home after all!

Kelley Astore Interiors & Transitional Design

It’s no secret that we love transitional design at Kelley Astore Interiors. And we’re here to help you if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Making sure that all of the parts of the project are coordinated from start to finish at the right times is a difficult, time-consuming, but highly essential part of our role as interior designers. Head to our services page to book a free consultation today!

Upholstery is one of the most important aspects of any living room, sitting area, or bedroom. Feeling comfortable in your home is central to effective design. A welcoming sofa, ottoman, headboard, or bench will elevate a room instantly and turn a house into a home.

There is a lot to consider when choosing the fabric of your upholstery. The fabric should be aesthetically pleasing, have the right feel and texture, and provide appropriate function. These are our top 5 tips for choosing the best upholstery fabric.

Consider the item’s size and function

What the item is, how big it is, how often it will be used, and who it will be used by will affect which fabric is best. Are you looking to upholster a large sofa as the centerpiece of your living room? Living room upholstery will be used more often than a beautiful custom-made bench for the hallway. Different fabrics will wear quicker than others. Therefore, consider how often the sofa will be used. It’s critical to reflect on the function of the finished piece. A highly durable fabric is ideal for commonly used items. Try looking at tightly woven fabrics, microfiber blends, or smooth cotton.

Similarly, if it’s a piece that children will often use or where food will be eaten, you’ll want to consider a fabric that is easy to clean or hides stains well. If it’s a large piece or set, like a set of sofas, arm chairs and ottomans, consider your budget and the extensive amount of fabric needed to cover such items.

Know the style of the room

Knowing the current or expected style of the room, helps inform which fabric to choose. Decide whether the item/s will be a statement piece. If so, be sure to explore fun patterns and bold colors! You might want a neutral piece as a base for statement items (such as throw-pillows). If this your goal, explore various fabric textures for more neutral items. Check out velvet, chenille, suede, corduroy, or silk fabrics for a textured look. Additionally, monochromatic or subtle patterns can provide texture without busyness, such as a sophisticated chevron pattern or subtle ogee fabric. If you want a plain fabric, you can also consider tufting the fabric or piece for additional texture!

Understand fabric

For most people, fabric is just fabric. But for a designer, there is a lot to consider with fabric types. The most important thing to remember is that any fabric used for upholstery should be fire-resistant. This is a basic safety precaution. Most upholstery fabric stores will only sell fabrics that have already been treated with a fire-retardent, but always double check.

The next thing to consider is thread count. In general, a higher thread count provide a degree of durability and a feeling of luxury. Higher thread count can withstand greater wear and tear and often be softer to the touch. Additionally, whether you opt for a natural fabric, synthetic, or a blend will affect its durability and price. Synthetic fabrics tend to be less expensive. More luxurious fabrics might require a professional cleaning at some point. For example, real suede doesn’t react well to moisture, and getting a wet stain out of a sofa may not be an easy venture. Additionally, a beautiful velvet, made using natural fibers, could collect dust and pet-hair easily. This makes is a lot less suitable for anyone with allergies.

Darker fabrics can also fade or distort when exposed to direct sunlight. Therefore, the location of the piece along with fade-resistant fabrics are another important things to keep in mind. When visiting a fabric store, don’t be afraid to ask these questions. You want your upholstery to last, and if you’re spending a lot of money, no question isn’t worth asking!

Play with testers

If you’ve followed Kelley Astore for a while, you’ll know that we are BIG fans of testers. There is nothing like holding the fabric up to the other colors and textures in the room to inform your decisions. The best stores will always allow you to purchase or take home some fabric squares to test. Spend time with the samples. Notice how the fabric feels against your skin. Examine under natural and artificial light to understand how it will look throughout the day. Compare it to other swatches. Hold it up to the walls, the floors, and other items in the room to see how your upholstery will actually look.

This is the best way to choose upholstery fabric. Nothing will inform your decision better than experiencing the fabric before it becomes a more permanent part of the room.

Work with an expert

These tips are sure to help you make an informed decision about your upholstery. However, upholstering is no easy task. It can quickly turn into an overwhelming project, if you don’t have the experience. A professional designer knows the sources, prices, and quality of the materials and products that you will need to incorporate into your design. They will guide you and make sure your needs and budget are thoughtfully addressed. Ultimately, working with a professional will save you huge amounts of time and money.

At Kelley Astore Interiors, we have worked with the best upholsterers in the DMV area for many years. This long standing relationship allows us to produce pieces with amazing quality while adhering to deadlines and budget requirements. Head to our services page to see what we can do for you!