Porch Makeover- Adding a Punch of Color , ZING!!

This porch setting was screaming for styling help for a photo shot for Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

The Before

To make a perfect picture, I had to scramble for chairs that would add some interest and punch.  Adding color was key. I found these red vintage chairs at B&G galleries, a mid-century modern gallery in Hingham, Massachusetts.

photo by John Bessler

Bringing in a huge urn with grasses broke up the space to create interest and definition. Notice the careful placement and repetition of select color. Tiny vases of yellow flowers make a statement without getting in the way of food serving.

Add people, and Voila! You have a great lifestyle moment!

Photo by John Bessler
Styling by Karin Lidbeck-Brent
Better Homes and Gardens June 2011.

BH&G Home Style - Small Color Splashes in Neutral Spaces in Your Home

I'm thrilled to see the home design story I styled and produced for Better Homes and Gardens featured on their web today.

Styling by Karin Lidbeck, Photos by John Bessler

Check out Karin Lidbeck- Brent's other styling works over at  BH&G

"A little color can go a long way. See how these homeowners stretched their color budgets by adding small splashes against neutral walls and furnishings."

Asparagus in Flower Arranging, Country Gardens Magazine

Artful Asparagus

Photo by Jim Westphalen

I decided to repost this favorite project I created for Country Gardens. It's an idea that never grows old.. SO EASY to do!

I often say, "the arrangement is equally about the container!"

Asparagus is the vegetable of the season right now and it looks beautiful combined with flowers from your spring garden.

Wrap a runner band around a coffee size can. Cut asparagus stalk to 1" to 2" taller than the can. Place the stalks side by side standing straight up inside the rubber band. Tie with a ribbon to hide the rubber band. Add flowers.

Voilà ... that was easy,... healthy fresh asparagus will last a week or longer (or when the flowers pass then you can cook the asparagus up)

A Special Treat - The Art of Kitchen Styling by Karin Lidbeck

My job as a stylist is to show off the fine lines of kitchens architecture. I like the kitchen to feel used, but not sterile. I refer to it as making organized chaos.

Removal of all the homeowners appliances and personal knick-knacks allows me to start with a clean slate. The fun part is creating the story, a sense that something is happening that draws you into the photo.

I love styling a country style kitchen that can take an abundance of propping. Styling is the same as creating a painting, you move the colors, shapes and objects around and around until you get a pleasing to the eye moment!

Creating a scene suggesting a meal in preparation can be tricky.  You want it to feel real without looking like the real mess that really occurs when cooking.

Kitchens with a lot of open shelves and glass cabinets like the two above have many challenges and always require a car load of props for organizing and creating pretty!

Photos by Michael Partenio 

Beautiful Kitchen and Kitchen Makeovers magazine

Sometimes a quiet and simple scene is best.  De-clutter, and add a few simple objects that make a statement without overpowering the space. Collections of white always works in any kitchen.

Photo by Michael Partenio 

Kitchen and Baths Idea magazine winter 2011

The homeowners collection of blue mason jars set the stage for the props I brought in. Creating the harmonious balance of well placed accessories takes time. Open shelves should be  used for a proud display of your favorite objects.  Keeping colors in the same family creates tranquility and balance

 Michael Partenio, the photographer could not resist getting this shot of the homeowner's daughter. It's a winner!.

Sometime the location of the shoot calls the shots when it comes to the props. Who could resist the idea of Cape Cod oysters? Can you feel the summer breeze blowing thru the windows?

Photos by  Michael Partenio

Renovation Style magazine 

Gee, I love my JOB!

Personality Kitchens; Styling

 

I am always so excited when I find a project where the homeowners clearly have a style of their own. This is the kitchen of a 200 year old antique home, where every room is vibrantly slathered in color.  I  scouted this house, and sold this project to Country Living magazine, which I produced in 2009.

The homeowner, who is fearless  using color,  had been desperately looking for an expressive rug for the kitchen floor. I stepped in to suggest the rug above from Dash and Albert which I brought in for the shoot. The homeowner fell for it, and it became a permanent fixture to the home.

The before picture below demonstrates the before and after effect of styling. You can see the dramatic impact made by the rug, curtains, the additional props, and a beautifully set table that enhanced the setting for the photo shoot.

I could not resist the idea of making homemade biscuits with strawberries and cream for the table.

Styled by Karin Lidbeck-Brent for Country Living magazine May 2009

Photography:  by Johnny Valiant

It is tiny things and attention to detail that make the difference on a shoot. The homeowner had made some curtains with a crocheted edge in another room.  She was totally open to my suggestion that the kitchen window could use a curtain with the special treatment.