Distinctly Montana Magazine

W E L C O M E T O S P R I N G . 1. HOW CAN YOU UPDATE A SPACE WITH ITEMS YOU ALREADY OWN? HUNTER DOMINICK: A space can be easily updated with some vision. Move everything out of your space and start with a clean slate. JENNIFER KUEHN: Bring someone else in—a friend or arrange for an hour of design time. If you’ve always hung an artwork in the dining room, you think of it as the dining room piece. But someone else might see its dimensions are appropriate for another wall. ROSINA KASTELITZ: For re-arranging, we do something called “playhouse house phase.” We take everything down and put it all in one room; we call that the “store”. After we re- arrange the furniture, we begin going back to the “store” for accessories. 2. WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECES OF FURNITURE TO INVEST IN? Visit our complete tile and stone showroom. 129 West Alder | Downtown Missoula | Montana T R A P P I N G S S T U D I O 406-721-4462 | www.trappingsstudio.com KUEHN: I tell young couples to invest in a mattress and box spring and also a sofa sleeper. These are not things that you want to replace often. DONNA SHANAHAN: Now we are using re-cycled materials for constructing wonderful quality wood pieces such as tables, bedroom furniture, and accent pieces. These can and should become our children and grandchildren’s—lasting for generations. The older the re-cycled wood, the more natural the inherent beauty. KATHY KOELZER: Pieces that you absolutely love and that will travel through life with you. Maybe they make a state- ment because the old wood has aged with use and is now a beautiful patina. If choosing a new piece, classic pieces stand the test of time. Probably the most used pieces will be upholstered pieces (sofa and chair), which you should spend as much on as you can so that they stand up to many years of use. If you can keep the fabric or leather neutral, you will be able to change the look fairly easily by reaccessorizing. 3. HOW DO YOU MAKE A SPACE WITH LOW CEILINGS LOOK ROOMIER? TIFFANY DAVIDSON-BLADES: The easiest trick is (to incorporate) anything vertical—striped wall-covering, for instance. Tak- ing drapes all the way up to the ceiling helps elongate the wall. If you have a grouping of pictures, arranging them in a vertical line will help. Keep the ceiling white. KASTELITZ: Eliminate anything that has a horizontal orienta- tion—wainscoting, chair rails, that kind of thing. 4. WHAT ARE SOME GOOD RULES FOR LIGHTING? KASTELITZ: In kitchens and offices, you need a lot of light. We recommend dimmer lights. We use indirect light as often as we can. DAVIDSON-BLADES: Don’t forget about floor outlets. Say you have a sofa in the middle of the room with a sofa table behind it; floor outlets are really important then. Keep chandeliers low enough that they’re still connected to the rest of the décor, about 30 inches above the top of the table. 60 DISTINCTLY MONTANA • SPRING 2011

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