Get the Look: The Art of DIY Decorating

by Melissa Labberton on Jan 5, 2012

Use this '50s custom-built house as your DIY inspiration. • Photos by Chad Bremerman

Take a classic ’50s custom-built house, add a terrific floor plan with 3,300 square feet of living space, stir in creative owners unafraid of taking design risks, and you have the perfect recipe for do-it-yourself decorating at its best.

We asked three local interior designers how any homeowner can get the look of the local midcentury gem featured on these pages.

DIY experts, the owners of this home bought it five years ago with a “What can we make of it” approach. They painted all of the rooms themselves. Their décor — a mix of antiques, estate sale finds, flea market discoveries, family hand-me-downs and furniture store splurges — combines for sophisticated results. Some pieces of furniture were diamonds in the rough, such as an old chair with great structure and lousy upholstery. A simple recover in designer fabric nets a fabulous new chair at a fraction of the cost.

How can you use these tips in your own house? Using this home as inspiration, Yakima magazine asked our panel of experts for some DIY advice. Here’s what they had to say.

Marissa Tegen, design specialist for Standard Paint, said that paint — of course — can make all the difference.

“Look through magazines to find paint colors that jump out at you,” she said. Emotions can play an important role in picking paint, and Tegen advises choosing a color that makes you happy or at ease. Don’t jump on the exciting or edgy bandwagon too quickly; some colors that seem fun but out of your comfort zone may end up irritating you later. If you see a color you like at a business or at a friend’s house, don’t hesitate to ask what it is. Our feature home uses “Marie Yellow” in its living room. A friend of the owners suggested the paint formula, insisting that “everyone looked better” in a room painted this color.

Tegen added that gray is becoming the new neutral beige, and darker or even metallic paint is becoming popular for ceilings as well as high gloss for moldings.

Nancy Melcher calls herself a “re-designer.” She said she often finds herself inadvertently teaching clients about DIY decorating while helping them with their interior décor. She encourages DIY decorators to ask themselves: “What’s my goal? What mood do I want to create? How do I want my home to reflect my interests?” Simplifying and editing objects and furniture in a room can be a first step.

A master at finding great furniture bargains, Melcher said, “If you’re willing to hunt, you can find a good piece of furniture in the most unusual places. I once bought a great book shelf, used for display in a clothing store, because I talked the owner into it!”

She feels “collections” reflect the homeowner’s interests, but should be meaningful and small. Family photos can personalize any décor, but using the same color frame and grouping black and white or color photos together creates more impact. “Not so long ago I helped redesign a hallway with a wall of photos. Unfortunately the frames were all different colors, so I spray-painted all of them black and arranged them on a caramel colored wall … they literally popped,” she said.

Judy Lyon, design partner for The Village Shoppe, gives this advice to DIY decorators: “We often find that the addition of one very special item of furniture can be the ‘spark’ that brings a room to life,” she said. “Although it may be a splurge, a well-chosen piece will help define a design style, and always reflects the homeowner’s unique taste and personality.”

If you’re bent on DIY decorating, arm yourself with plenty of home and garden magazines for ideas on what you want to achieve, be brutal about what stays and what goes, pick colors that make you happy, don’t be afraid to mix and match, think about original artwork (Yakima has so many wonderful local artists) and, most importantly, have fun. Often the easiest and least expensive solution turns into the best DIY design choice.

Turn Restless into Resplendent

by Carol Barany on Jan 5, 2012

January and February are months of restlessness for Yakima’s Zone 5 gardeners. While the winter wonder of bark and berries, conifers and cones and frosted foliage is appreciated, I find myself yearning for something fresh and alive. Even the dried arrangements that were stunning centerpieces in my home in November have lately lost their luster. The good news is that gardeners in cold climates like ours can gain an early glimpse of spring thanks to the age-old process of “forcing.”

Forcing tricks barren branches into thinking it’s spring, so they’ll unravel silk blossoms and verdant green leaves when taken indoors. Spring-blooming trees and shrubs form their flower buds during fall, and after at least eight weeks of temperatures below 40 degrees, their branches are capable of blooming if you can provide them with the perfect environment. Here are some simple steps to follow:

Using sharp pruners, make an angled cut on pencil-thin branches with enlarged flower buds (which tend to be rounder and larger than leaf buds.) Do this on a sunny afternoon or when temperatures are above freezing. Bring the cut branches indoors and strip the buds, twigs and leaves from lower sections of the stem that would eventually be underwater when placed in a vase. Make a slit or two in the bottom of the stem in a star or cross pattern before putting stems into a bucket of water (or, if possible, submerge the entire stem in the bathtub overnight). This begins to break the branch and bud’s dormancy. Then move the branches to a cool area (60 degrees) in indirect light. Warmer temperatures and brighter light can cause buds to develop too rapidly and prevent them from opening properly.

Change the water every two to three days to keep it fresh. The low humidity in Yakima homes may cause the buds to fall off, so try to keep the branches misted (and, if you can manage it, wrapped in wet newspaper). Depending on the type of branch and when you cut, you should see buds swell and begin to open within one to six weeks.

At this point, move the stems to a brighter location and use them in arrangements. Cool temperatures around 65 degrees will prolong the blooming period.

A word of caution before you dash out the door, pruners in hand: There have been memorable years when I was a bit overzealous in my harvest of dormant branches. While they were thrilling in my indoor arrangements, when May arrived the donor plant looked like the victim of a very bad haircut that took a whole season to grow out. Be prudent when pruning, always maintaining an attractive shape for your blooming shrubs.

Remember too that when it comes to fruit trees, the blooms you remove in February were destined to be the summer or autumn harvest. Avoid those awkward conversations like I’ve had with my husband, when he wonders why there are so few apricots and plums. Where did they all go?

For cutting as early as mid-January, try forsythia, witch hazel, poplar and willow. These take 2-3 weeks to force and are easy. In February, add maple, alder, apple, crab apple, quince, cherry, apricot and pear to that list. In March, try hawthorn, honeysuckle, mock orange, lilac, spirea, magnolia and dogwood. These March varieties are a bit more difficult and may need a month or more to bloom, so be patient while you await your reward: the almost magical emergence of fresh flowers and foliage in the harsh days of midwinter.

Style Freak: The Pampered Visitor

by Pam Edwards on Jan 5, 2012

Styling by Pam Edwards • Photography by Jennifer Dagdagan

Although not everyone needs to be fussed over, there are those of us who admittedly need special attention. When Stephen and I travel, it can be stressful — and we have horror stories to prove it. Thank goodness for the GPS my in-laws gave us, because we now can blame something else for our stupidity. We are very map-challenged and get all turned around and flustered. Since I’m the better driver and he’s an ace navigator, I do a bit of driving while he strains his eyes finding the spot on the map, reads signs and verbally maneuvers me through the streets.

Thankfully, we’ve had the mostly good fortune to be treated well: the decent bed, the home-cooked meal and the gentle guidance from our pals about where to go and what to do when they are otherwise occupied. It is a magical thing when one feels so pampered that when you return home you are truly feeling rested. God bless the host who understands that simple luxuries, good planning and tasty snacks go a long way toward making the traveler feel comfortable and welcome. Here are my own tips and tricks for how to pamper your next houseguest.

After helping guests unpack and whetting their appetites with some tasty snacks from local specialty shops, it’s time for a visit to catch up. I also keep sparkling water and fresh fruit on hand for refreshments while we chat.

Sweet yet spicy pecans set out in an attractive silver bowl are a terrific snack that can lift the weary traveler’s spirits. I would make these myself but the chef who creates this delicacy told me the recipe — and after the thorough explanation I simply asked, “How much?”

I like to splurge on great sheets. They don’t always match the pillowcases, but the high thread count makes up for all that. Memory foam on top of the mattress is just about the greatest invention I’ve ever experienced, and it feels luxurious! We have a good mattress, but once we added the foam it guaranteed a few more stars to our visitors’ ratings.

Because I love saturated, drenched colors, I keep a pretty lively palette in the house and the guest bedroom, but the key is to keep it gender-neutral. It doesn’t say male or female, it just reads as artistic. (At least we hope so.) One friend has a little cry whenever she has to return home because the peaked ceiling of our guest room brings on sweet nostalgic memories of her childhood bedroom. This guest appreciates the smallest gesture so much we finally just named the room after her.

Comfy seating is something I actually obsess about. It might be an age thing, but once one gets a taste of a decent place to plant yourself and put your feet up, it’s hard to go back to anything less cushy. This snug armchair and stool actually don’t match, but both are so well made and substantial that they suit everyone just fine.

We enjoy our friends with children but eventually it’s time for adult talk. We’ve found that kids really appreciate movies on hand and Netflix. I keep headphones handy because our house is on the small side, and the deafening noise of buildings blowing up or screaming horror films can really rattle my nerves. There is a basket of card games, concession-type snacks and assorted sodas. I love spoiling the kids almost more than the adults because the hugs of appreciation are worth their weight in gold. Basically it’s my goal to make sure everyone is comfortable — even the visiting pet.

Netflix, candy and the remote wait for visitors' children.

Breakfast comes in many forms at our house, but one of the easiest is the “hearty breakfast.” I get almost everything out and put it on the table before the guests come downstairs. Coffee, juice, different types of bread and jams or jellies from our garden and a bowl of scrambled eggs from our chickens. A decent brand of oatmeal with all the fixings sets everyone up for a great day. In better weather we all migrate outside, mugs of steaming coffee in our hands and the warmest feelings of being with our best friends.

It's breakfast time!

Most of our friends are big readers, and we spend a lot of time discussing books and even reading aloud with one pair of friends. We have quite a collection of books and recently discovered we had room for even more in the second bathroom cupboard. I try to keep a few current magazines around, but the book reviews in the New York Times are a must.

We aren’t always perfect with our hosting and have made a few mistakes along the way. I am notorious for forgetting that one of the daughters-in-law hates onions and garlic. The chickens have been chased by every dog that ever visited, accompanied by my shrill screams.

But as they say, practice makes perfect, and I think we have it just about nailed. Safe — and pampered — travels to you!

A French Cottage Christmas

by Melissa Labberton on Nov 9, 2011

Milford’s family and dining rooms are decked out for the holidays with her “rustic romantic” style. Photos by Andy Sawyer and Chad Bremerman

When Jane Milford first stepped through the door of a charming 1914 French cottage located on a quiet midtown Yakima street, she knew instantly that “God had answered every prayer I’d had for such a house.”

Milford, who owned a home décor store called Found Collections in Seattle, moved to Yakima four years ago. She now creates the displays in Yakima’s Garden Dance/raindance. When Milford moved here, she wanted to find an older home so that she could decorate it with the antiques, vintage furniture and curiosities she had collected over the years.

The Thrill of a Winter Bouquet

by Carol Barany on Nov 9, 2011

An arrangement of laurel, hydrangea, ivy, artemisia, burning bush, the dried seed heads of poppy and iris fill a blue and white container in Barany’s living room. Photos by Chad Bremerman

Two years ago, my husband and I hosted friends from Connecticut during a very cold and rainy week in late October. Roseanne, an avid gardener, suggested that we fill the house with arrangements for a special dinner party that we were planning. I lamented that I had absolutely nothing to contribute, because crisp nights had brought the last late bloomers to their knees.

A moment later, confident and with clippers in hand, Roseanne headed out to the garden. “Who says there’s nothing to put in a vase today?” she challenged. As I followed her through my own garden — one I thought I knew intimately — Rosanne directed me to “cut a little of this and a few pieces of that.”

What she created from twigs, conifers, broad leaf evergreens, berries, pods and even a few vegetables was extraordinary.

Retro Richland

by Robin Salts Beckett on Nov 9, 2011

The Emerald of Siam offers "no cover" evening music; Stevie and Marylou Show perform. Photos by Michelle Ellis

Richland is surprising.
One of the three communities in the nearby Tri-Cities, Richland has its own small-town, “retro” vibe, with a good bit of architecture recalling the ‘50s and ‘60s. And since it’s just over an hour away, Richland makes for a quick — and fun — getaway.