Transformative Homes with Mitchell Thompson Interiors

Illuminating Spaces: The Art of Lighting and Accessories in Home Design

• Roy & Diane Mitchell • Episode 9

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What Are Some Overlooked Details That Make A Home Truly Special?

What truly distinguishes a magazine-worthy interior from a merely furnished room? According to design veterans Roy and Diane Mitchell, the secret lies in those easily overlooked details that breathe life and personality into your living spaces.

Lighting emerges as perhaps the most neglected yet transformative element in home design. As Roy aptly notes, "You have these big light bombs that are just glowing on this beautiful sofa and washing it out." The solution isn't simply more lighting—it's thoughtfully layered illumination at varying heights. Low ambient lighting, toe-kick lighting beneath cabinetry, decorative lamps, wall sconces, and well-positioned chandeliers work in concert to enhance fabrics, make colors pop, and create the inviting atmosphere that distinguishes truly exceptional interiors.

Artwork and accessories receive equal attention from these seasoned designers, who consider them essential for conveying personality and establishing mood. "These elements are really the personality of the homeowner and the personality of the space," Diane emphasizes. Roy offers a compelling analogy: "It's kind of like you think about a lady getting dressed and you put on a beautiful dress but you have no accessories to put around it...the dress doesn't pop." 

Most touching is their approach to incorporating sentimental items. Rather than discarding cherished pieces that don't immediately match a new design direction, they suggest creative solutions—refinishing an heirloom buffet, reframing meaningful artwork, or finding strategic spots for treasured smaller items on coffee tables, mantles, or bookshelves. "That is the story of the family," Diane explains, "It adds heart to the house." 

Ready to discover how your home can better reflect your unique personality and lifestyle? Schedule your complimentary 30-minute discovery call at MitchellThompsonInteriors.com and begin transforming your space with these design masters who understand that true luxury lies in the details.

To learn more about Mitchell Thompson Interiors visit:
http://www.MitchellThompsonInteriors.com
Mitchell Thompson Interiors

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Transformative Homes with Mitchell Thompson Interiors. Join hosts Roy and Diane Mitchell, the creative force behind Mitchell Thompson Interiors, who together bring over 50 years of expertise of residential interior design across the US. Are you navigating a major life transition, upsizing or downsizing your home, purchasing a vacation home or redefining your space? You've found the team to guide you so your home truly reflects your unique dreams. Stay tuned and learn how to schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery call. Let's delve into today's topic.

Speaker 2:

It's not always the biggest pieces that leave a lasting impression. Roy and Diane explain the small, thoughtful design details that elevate a home. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host slash producer, back in the studio with Roy and Diane Mitchell, owners of Mitchell Thompson Interiors. Roy and Diane how's it going today?

Speaker 3:

Wonderful. How are you doing today?

Speaker 2:

I am also doing wonderful, and it's great to see you both again. So tell us what are some overlooked details that make a home truly special?

Speaker 3:

I'm going to say lighting. What do you think?

Speaker 4:

Oh, I agree, Lighting does not get nearly enough attention.

Speaker 3:

No, no, you do all this beautiful drapery and put some beautiful fabrics in, but then you have the elephant in the room which is on the ceiling. You have these big light bombs that are just glowing on this beautiful sofa and washing it out. Um, you should have, you know, some beautiful low lit lighting and then lighting down below like toe kick lighting beautiful lamps and lighting chandeliers on the walls yes and lots of combinations of different levels of light throughout the room definitely.

Speaker 3:

It just brings the best out in the fabrics and the colors make the colors pop. Same way with the artwork art lamps. So when your eye is drawn around the room it's just soft, it's not hard. It's kind of like going to an art studio and they have beautiful lighting on the pieces of art and you're able to look at the pieces of art and the colors and say, wow, you know. And then if you pick that same piece of art and you put it in your house and you didn't have the right lighting, you're not going to get the same effect. That would be a good analogy.

Speaker 4:

Yes, yes, so we put a lot of time into considering lighting in a project.

Speaker 2:

So, Roy and Diane, what other elements do you go off of?

Speaker 3:

You go ahead Sorry.

Speaker 4:

We're going to say the same thing yeah, artwork. Artwork is, again, a key element in giving personality, setting a mood, a mood, setting a color palette, and it really needs to speak to the individuals who live there. And so there are a lot of times that you know the majority of a budget will be looking at, you know, furnishings and area rugs and tables and all of that. But Roy and I really encourage the discussion about existing artwork that they have, because some clients have collected some gorgeous pieces and where we're going to use them. And then, if there's maybe some reframing that we need to do to pull it up into a more current look, we can, you know, repurpose some artwork that maybe doesn't fit the new scheme, and then there's the option to purchase new.

Speaker 4:

So all of those things come into account when we talk about how the artwork is going to work in the room. And then, in combination with the lighting, the artwork needs to be lit properly, whether that's a gimbal light in the ceiling that's already there and is positioned well enough, or we hang an actual art light over the piece of art to highlight the work. This can be, and you know what, let's fold in the idea of accessories too, because your candlesticks and your photo frames you know, family pictures, objects of art, whether it's maybe some beautiful art glass all needs to be planned for, planned for, and again we like to take a certain amount of the budget and allocate it to bringing the art and accessories up to the level of the new room.

Speaker 4:

Because, as we're saying, you know when we're transforming your life, when we're transforming the way that you live. These elements are really the personality of the homeowner and the personality of the space. People will say that lamps are the jewelry, chandeliers are the jewelry, the accessories and the art matter and are very, very important in conveying the overall mood and feeling to support this family.

Speaker 3:

It's kind of like you think about a lady getting dressed and you put on a beautiful dress but you have no accessories to put around it. You just kind of like go out and the dress doesn't pop, Especially if you put on a necklace and you want that necklace to really pop with your dress. It's basically the same thing you treat your room as you do yourself as far as dressing. I would say People will go through a magazine and they find a look and they purchase the chairs, they purchase the sofa and the draperies and then they look back and look at the room.

Speaker 4:

Well, this is missing.

Speaker 3:

Something's missing here, and those are the things that are missing the accessories, because that magazine spread has stylized all of the furnishings, the walls.

Speaker 4:

They've stylized it and they've staged it. And so you have to stylize your rooms too.

Speaker 2:

Understood. Well, let's go ahead and get into another important detail to focus in when it comes to a home how do you incorporate a client's sentimental items into a design plan while still having that home look stylish?

Speaker 3:

Well, that's a great question. It could be maybe a buffet, maybe the buffet is lighter, a lighter finish, and we are going for something either mahogany, or we're going for cherry, or we're doing lacquer. So if you want high fashion, we would find a refinisher to do what we needed to do as far as darkening it or lacquering it and make it kind of flow into the design scheme. Same way as we were talking about accessories using someone's beautiful piece of art but it needs to be reframed Could be a 200-year-old piece or 100-year, whatever it is and reframing it.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, and I think with accessories too. There are generally spaces within a room whether it's a coffee table, a side table, a mantle bookshelves where we can include smaller pieces maybe an old jewelry box, maybe an old compass, maybe somebody's timepiece and we can deliberately position those items into the big scheme of the decor in the room. And we love to do that because that is the story of the family.

Speaker 3:

It adds heart to the house or the room I should say.

Speaker 2:

Well, the heart is always the most important part, right?

Speaker 3:

That's correct.

Speaker 2:

I got it Well. Roy and Diane, thank you so much for joining me again on this episode. We'll catch you in the next one. Have a fantastic rest of your day you too bye, sophia bye

Speaker 1:

thanks for tuning in. That's a wrap on this episode of Transformative Homes. Are you ready to begin the journey toward elevating your home and lifestyle? Visit MitchellThompsonInteriorscom and schedule your complimentary 30-minute discovery. Call Roy and Diane will explore making your vision your reality. Join us for the next episode as we continue discussing elevated lifestyles through the lens of interior design. One unique and exquisite home at a time.