Social media fueled magazine for Washington D.C. Suburbs

A two-story family room is nothing to fear. All the open space can be daunting, but with a little work, you can turn that space into an inviting, comfortable room for your family.

Start by coloring your walls. When you use color, you create a more inviting and interesting atmosphere. Add your personal furniture and décor and you have the perfect expression of your style.

Next, budget for window treatments--you will not regret it. Window treatments do not just complete the look of your room; they act as a buffer to all the noise that comes along with your open floor plan. The treatment should encompass the full two stories and will really give balance to the room.

Q: I have a bedroom window problem. I need the bedroom to be really dark. No light! But I have 8 windows. I hate to over do any cloth coverings and don't know if shutters could work. What should I do? How much should I expect to pay for each option?
A: Hi Sally,  Wooden Shutters on their own will not give you the blackout effect that you need in the bedroom.

There are a few options in the blind family – Duette and Silhouette (Hunter Douglas products) both may have a blackout option.

If you like the idea of fabric, simple panels can be lined with blackout lining and drawn each evening for coverage.

You could also have roman shades made that have a blackout lining as well.

The main thing you should remember is that if you need true black out coverage, you cannot inside mount the roman shades or the blinds. They would have to be outside mounted and cover the trim of the window. Otherwise you will have an “outline” of sun greeting you each morning.

The cost for any of these options will be $300 to $800 per window.

Suzan and Jennifer

As summer is approaching, I find myself just itching to spend time outside. I love the summer evenings relaxing outside, and having the right outdoor furnishings is essential to enjoying it. We spend so much time making sure our indoor furniture is comfortable and attractive, it's time we bring the indoors outdoors. Technology in fabrics has made a huge move toward comfort. You can now use comfortable fabric and cushions that can be left out in the weather. Sunbrella fabrics will not fade or deteriorate in the weather, and you have tons of choices for fabrics as well: stripes, prints, jacquards, in any color you can think of. You can find cushions that are made to wick away water or let water go in one side and out the other-- my patio cushions have this feature. I can sit on the seats after a rain storm and not get wet-- it's amazing! And no matter your budget, you can find what you're looking for. If your looking for ways to save, check out Target or Lowe's. Or you can go for more luxury with Front Gate. And it's always a good idea to check moving sales or Craig's List; often times people don't want to move their outdoor furnishings.

Q: Can I put a black leather couch with a pair of brown leather seats: They are the same type of leather (smooth, tight seamed).
A: Suzan and I have conferred and this is what we advise. When using leather it is always best to pair it with the same color leather, or to pair leather with upholstery. For example you could pair brown leather chairs with an upholstered couch. But if you already have the black couch and a pair of brown leather chairs you can make it work by adding accents to pull it all together, maybe pillows on the couch that contain both black and brown. Then you could add other elements to the room that have a black and brown theme to make it a cohesive whole and the result would be cool.

1- DUST BOWL : colors this year will take on a dusty hue, color with a smoky look.

2- LOOK UP : decorate the ceiling – also known as “vertical scaping.” Designers and consumers are starting to incorporate ceilings into the design plans.

3- EVERTHING'S COMING UP ROSES: look around you’ll see them everywhere.

4- HOT NEW COLOR PAIR : camel & maroon

5-  ORGANIC: leaf motifs and other nature elements in fabric and wallpaper

6- WARM METAL: bronze and patina metals

7- LOVE THE OUTDOORS: implement more comfortable furnishings for the outdoors, including new lighting solutions

8- FEMININE FLAIR : look for the herringbone, tweed, and other men’s suiting fabrics in lots of design elements

9- AUTHENTIC MEETS MODERN: distressed pieces paired with modern accents will create a current look

10- UNDERSTATED LUXURY: a bedroom spa retreat to get away from it all

I just painted my bedroom a deep tone of purple. Purple curtains too (velvet).I paid so much money already on painting and windows, how do I add a little depth to my very flat walls??? Any ideas?

Where can I buy the nice deep couches that are so hot now? I do not want to spend 5k on a sofa at Restoration. What is a good place to go for ultra plush deep sofas? Help?
You will definitely pay a premium for Restoration Hardware – but there are other options. We find you can get the best pricing for good quality furniture at GreenFront. But you need to know what you are looking for when you walk through the door, it can be very overwhelming. But it sounds like you have a specific couch style in mind. We would recommend starting there and if the price is still to high check out Belfort Furniture, prices will be lower but the quality less. Havertys tends to have current styles but the quality will be less than Belfort. Hope that helps!

Is white leather sectional out or in? I keep telling my wife that we should get a low to the ground, white, leather sectional in our living room. She says that we are going to look like out of the Scarface movie. Please help me settle our argument

Is it wise to put black and beige wall paper with velvet swirls on your dining room walls in Ashburn? WIll buyers get it, and if they don't will it be a pain to get rid of?
Wallpaper is definitely making a come back and there are lots of cool textures and gorgeous patterns out there. The paper you’ve found sounds great! We would recommend going for it. You might have to change it out one day so when you get a quote for the application also find out how much it would cost to remove it. It is always fun to make a decorating statement in the dining room. Make sure that your furniture and accessories match the mood of the wall coverings. With all the pattern in the wallpaper make sure that your window treatments are understated – maybe a silk dupioni. We do custom window treatments and room refinements, so give us a holler if you need any help. Have fun!

Curtains, my bedroom needs to darker. But I want it like the W Hotels. I sleep the best when I am out of town. How can I achieve that darkness in my home?
The trick is lined and interlined drapery panels that close properly. Most drapery panels that you can buy “off the rack” like at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware are often only lined; they will not give you the black out effect you are hoping for. Interlining is the key element your draperies will need to give you the darkness you are searching for. Interlining is another layer of fabric that has a flannel or felt-like characteristic. It is placed between the outer fabric and the lining. It gives window treatments a luxurious look and provides insulation from light, heat and cold. When you mount the treatments you want to be sure you mount them atleast 4” outside the casing of the window. This will insure that you do not have light “leaking” out the sides of the panels. Hope this helps!