Every Thursday morning, The Coastal Source will debut a new edition of Designing with Jessica. WJCL/Fox28 Morning Anchor, Jessica Kiss combines decorating, one of her favorite pastimes, with advice from local design professionals.
Our hope is you'll be able to put the tips and ideas to good use in your home. Here is the first piece ... enjoy!
Against the red wall of a shelving unit, Amy Zurcher props a couple of fine cooking books. Near the books sit some small, potted cacti.
"Using a larger-scaled object, such as this plate, along with these two smaller pieces make a nice grouping that's pleasing to the eye," says Zurcher, managing director of Shop Scad. Everyday at Shop Scad, Zurcher arranges the creations made by Savannah College of Art and Design students. Zurcher gets lots of practice. The store is always receiving new pieces and the tables and shelves in the store are never bare.
To help homeowners make best use of shelving and counter top space, Zurcher says limit the decorating pieces to those with meaning.
"Our kitchens are so full of hard surfaces, the stove, the refrigerator, the microwave, that we need a place to express ourselves," says Zurcher. Pottery brought back from a trip to Morocco or a hand-weaved basket bought in Jamaica are items Zurcher says make the space special to the homeowner.
"Open shelving in a kitchen is a great opportunity to express your personality and also just a nice place for the eye to rest," adds the design expert.
Zurcher recommends using pieces, like dinnerware, in nontraditional ways. A square plate can be turned on its side and propped against a wall to serve both as a backdrop and a splash of color. Use a small stand to help display a round plate and get the same effect.
To give life to a kitchen, Zurcher says try displaying small living plants. A succulent variety, like a cactus, is low maintenance. The thick, water-storing leaves of the cacti require only an occasional watering.
"Personally, I would avoid any plants, real or faux, that collect dust," adds Zurcher.
After a couple weeks, faux arrangements with multiple flower species placed high up on a shelf don't exactly scream, "I'm real. I'm a living thing. Feel refreshed when you look at me."
There are ways to pleasantly display fake plant varieties. Most craft or home stores sell a few artificial plants that look fairly real. Some in the design business refer to them as, "good fakes." A single rose with a plastic stem and real-looking petals can be made to look fresh if set in a glass vase with pebbles and water. Of course, the water will need to be changed, although not as often as a fresh-cut stem.
Zurcher says it is important to "group" items and vary the heights. Odd numbers work best, according to Zurcher.
"Three is a favorite. Five is also really good," reveals Zurcher about the pieces placed on a shelf.
An attractive grouping could be a large plate turned upright serving as a background, a small plant placed at the base of one corner of the plate, and a decorative horse statue (nose pointed inward) covering the other corner of the plate. Three pieces in one cohesive group.
Professional designers most often vary the height of the items in a grouping. Small pictures may be too tiny to stand on their own. "Here we hung the pictures," says Zurcher pointing to two small, painted canvases. "We staggered the nails to hang one painting higher than the other," continues Zurcher. "By doing so, we bring the eye 'up' and use the whole space," she explains.
There is a trick if you need to elevate an object on a high shelf, such as the area above kitchen cabinetry. Place an old book on the shelf. The item can go on top of the book and appear to be a couple of inches taller than it really is.
