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  • hello

  • hey everyone it's me Olga Gomes aka designchickee. I started this little

  • design channel just over a year ago and I can't believe so many of you have

  • joined me by subscribing to this channel, hitting that like button and sharing my

  • tips with your friends. And here we are at a hundred plus subscribers. A few

  • weeks ago I asked you to send me your design questions for this very video and

  • you came through. So let's get to your design dilemmas. Our first question comes

  • from Stacy through YouTube: hey designchickee, my question is how high should I

  • mount wall sconces on either side of my mirror for my bathroom vanity. There are

  • so many standard measurements, sizes and heights that interior designers refer to

  • when they're designing a space. In this case wall sconces for a bathroom vanity

  • usually lie between 65 and 70 inches measured from the finished floor. This is

  • based on a typical person's eye level and lighting up their faces is rather

  • important in a bathroom. As a designer, I don't want to say we complicate things

  • but I also take into account other factors like the size and shape of the

  • mirror and the actual size and style of wall sconce as well. For instance some

  • sconces are very long so I prefer to have this type of sconce sit somewhere

  • close to the middle of the mirror like this

  • and the mirror needs to be a certain length for this sconce too. Take into

  • consideration the placement of the shade in relation to the mirror. In this photo

  • the sconces are definitely too high. They look top-heavy and they certainly

  • wouldn't highlight the faces of the people using this bathroom. Here are a

  • few more examples of sconces that are either too high or the mirrors are too

  • short. So there you go... I hope that helps Stacy. Next up we have a question from

  • Colleen from Facebook: I live in a suburban bungalow which is now 7 years

  • old. My problem is the very "contractor like" gas fireplace surround.

  • I would love to hear any suggestions you might have to make it more unique.

  • Sometimes when you buy a home from a builder they'll include some great

  • features but they're usually pared down and pretty basic. Many times gas

  • fireplaces are left unadorned completely. This is actually a good thing because

  • you can apply your own design taste and style. I didn't get a photo of Colleen's

  • fireplace but here's an example of what it might look like. In some cases the

  • fireplace protrudes into the room. An easy way to add interest is by adding a

  • wood mantel. It can be painted or stained either would be lovely and I love having

  • furniture or built-ins on either side of the fireplace. Another great opportunity

  • for this kind of fireplace setup is to add a mantel as well as an over mantel.

  • With the addition of a wood mantel some trim above the mantel, stone around the

  • gas insert and paint, you can make that discreet fireplace into a real focal

  • point. If you have a fireplace that does not protrude into the room then adding a

  • mantel is still a great option. Here's an example of a more modern type of mantel. I

  • love the small subway tile as a fireplace surround. Overall this mantel

  • is a very strong modern style. Our next question is a color question and it

  • comes from Jane a Facebook follower: I want to change up my bedroom and would

  • like to know what are the best colors to use in a bedroom. I'm starting fresh so

  • let me have it. I love that! OK Jane, the most important thing about bedrooms is

  • that it should promote healthy deep sleep. There's been lots of research in

  • this area and most agree that colors that promote a calm environment is best

  • to reduce blood pressure and heart rate. Blue colors are the best for this. If

  • you're a follower of Feng Shui, light pastels and neutral earth tones are best

  • too. So here are some of my favorite colors for bedrooms.

  • Get ready to pause this video and take note! Okay next up is at Lizzy Bell on

  • Twitter. I'm redecorating my master bedroom and have fallen in love, that part is

  • in caps, with a fabric but I'm not sure where to use it plus my husband is wary

  • of a floral pattern. Is this even a bedroom friendly fabric? Any suggestions?

  • Here's the fabric she's loving and look it's got blue in it! Well I think this is

  • a beautiful fabric and a great starting point for redecorating your bedroom and

  • I love the idea of having a floral headboard. Yes, an upholstered floral

  • headboard is elegant and inviting. Picture this...

  • I love the geometric wallpaper in behind to balance the flowers and this night

  • stand, lamp and the artwork just add to the perfect level of sophistication for

  • this room. If hubby is still not keen on this look try this instead. I would take

  • a strong blue color from the fabric and use that as the headboard and then

  • incorporate this fabric into pillow shams for the bed. A little floral goes a

  • long way when it's paired with a bold solid color. This is definitely more of a

  • modern look. Okay we've got one more question. This one came through our

  • YouTube family! Audrey sent us a photo - she writes: we

  • just recently moved into our house and although I was initially thrilled that

  • the window treatments were left behind, this room, our living room, seems off. Some

  • guests have said the drapes are too skimpy. Others say they're too low

  • insisting that they should start at the ceiling. Just wondering if you've got any

  • suggestions for my row of French doors? Well this is a beautiful room but if you

  • said they are too low I agree! When you have an 8 foot ceiling,

  • I like drapery to start a few inches away from the ceiling. In this case your

  • ceiling looks to be higher than that so taking the drapes all the way to the

  • ceiling would leave too much of a gap between the rod and the top of the

  • French doors. So I would raise the rods about 6 or 8 inches above the door

  • trim to give the doors a little more room to breathe. You may even be able to

  • reuse these drapes by adding a full band along the bottom to make up that

  • additional length in the drapes. So there you have it! Our very first interior design Q

  • & A video. Tell us what you think of the format and if you want us to do more

  • of these videos where we take your real life design problems and turn them into

  • design possibilities. I've said this before, I never thought I'd have 10

  • subscribers let alone 100 so I just wanted to thank all of you for following

  • me and for sharing my videos and encouraging me to do more. I love design

  • and I love sharing that love with you so if you like this video please give it a

  • thumbs up or leave us a comment in the section below. You can reach us on

  • Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Thanks for subscribing and for tuning in every week!

  • See you soon.

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