DAM Interiors

It is always the last 10 percent that separates installed from designed

Steaming dressing and banding are the steps installers want to skip and most designers do not know the intricacies of but they are what bring window treatments to life

You can have the right fabric the right hardware and a clean install but if the panels are not properly steamed and trained they will never hang the way they should

Those soft consistent folds that tailored look that just falls right does not happen on its own It takes time and intention

Function and design go hand in hand and these finishing steps are just as important as everything that came before

One of my favorite upholstery projects started with a Goodwill find.

The frame had beautiful lines but needed quite a bit of work. I stripped it down to the frame, reinforced the joints, refinished the wood using Jolie Paint in Rouge with a wax top coat, and rebuilt the upholstery from the ground up.

The back of the chair features velvet printed from one of my mother in law’s colored pencil art pieces that I had reproduced through Spoonflower. I paired it with a coordinating green for the cushion and finished everything with a double welt cord trim.

Once it was complete, I gave the chair to her so it could live in the home that inspired the artwork in the first place.

I love when a piece of furniture can tell a story.

He may not always be the easiest supervisor to please, but after several projects together I have learned that if Berlioz approves something, it is usually the right decision.

Here is the kitchen after everything came back together.

This project was really my solution to avoiding a full scale kitchen remodel while still making the space work better for everyday life. Instead of tearing everything out, I tried to use the best of what we already had.

The existing counters were actually better quality and thicker than what I could afford to replace them with today, and the cabinets themselves were in good shape. With a little cleaning and a magic eraser they looked almost brand new.

The biggest improvements came from solving the functional problems. We added outlets where we needed them, replaced the sink with a custom piece from Havens Luxury Metals, and upgraded the range to a Viking.

Now I can have conversations in the kitchen with ease thanks to the remote blower vent hood.

The deep green tile became the backbone of the whole kitchen and finally gave the room the character it was missing before.

I cannot wait to show you the pantry and mudroom. That space ended up making a huge difference in how functional the kitchen is day to day.

And of course, the finished kitchen had to pass the most important inspection.

Berlioz takes his role as Lord Chamberlain very seriously. Every renovation, paint color, and fixture must pass inspection before he gives approval.

The kitchen renovation began here.

At first glance the kitchen looked perfectly fine. Clean cabinets, granite counters, and a layout that seemed workable. But listing photos rarely tell the full story.

Once we started actually living and cooking in the space, the shortcomings became clear. The kitchen had a serious lack of outlets and the under cabinet lighting was a crude retrofit I installed in a pinch just to make the room usable.

The kitchen itself was what I like to call a Home Depot Black Friday special. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but once you have cooked with Viking you quickly become an appliance snob.

The original solid surface sink was also a nightmare. Even washing clean hands could leave discoloration that required Soft Scrub to make it feel remotely clean. Eventually we were able to order a custom sink from Havens Luxury Metals that fit our existing opening perfectly.

We upgraded the range to a Viking and my favorite update might just be the remote blower vent hood, which was the most complicated project I have taken on yet.

We still have a few tweaks left. The refrigerator now feels a little woefully out of place, but budgets are something we are all ruled by. Kitchens, like most rooms in a home, tend to evolve over time.

Tomorrow I will share how the kitchen finally came back together.

The blue room transformation.

This room was originally a neutral sitting room with great bones but very little presence. I wanted to create something moodier and more dramatic, so the entire room was wrapped in deep blue — walls, trim, doors, and ceiling — to create a cocoon effect and give the antiques and artwork a stronger backdrop.

This room is also a good reminder that spaces don’t have to come together all at once. I started with furniture and decor I already had on hand and let the room evolve over time.

The pink sofa and chairs are a good example. I stalked them on Facebook Marketplace for almost a year before finally getting them at the price I wanted.

It was also nearly four years before I added the French doors, and even now the room continues to change.

My philosophy has always been to live with a space and understand how I actually use it before making major decisions. The best rooms usually reveal themselves slowly.

Swipe to see how it came together.

The dining room was the first room I tackled in the house, and like many projects it evolved over time.

Choosing the color took some thought, but in the end Mallard Green won out thanks to the pair of ducks that frequently visit our backyard. The walls went green and the ceiling blue, which completely transformed the room and gave it the richness I was hoping for.

This room was also done on a budget, and the window treatments went through several iterations. At first I simply hung two pieces of fabric with clip rings on the curtain rod the previous owners had left behind. Later I found a beautiful pair of white linen pleated drapes, and eventually I was able to order the family of cranes fabric from The Shade Store.

Working through those changes also helped me realize the room didn’t actually need double-layer drapery. By using a linen sheer roller shade instead of sheer panels, the drapery could sit much closer to the wall. That extra four inches made a surprising difference.

Budgets will always be an obstacle, and sometimes the best approach is to embrace what you already have and adapt it to your needs.

Even the chandelier got a second life. It came with the house, and with a little blue and green spray paint it became a custom piece that feels perfectly at home in the space.

Designing a nursery is a little different than designing most other rooms in the house. It needs to feel calm and comfortable, but also a little magical.

The starting point for the room was the Hundred Acre Wood wallpaper. I loved that it felt whimsical but still subtle enough that the room could grow with him.

The blue chandelier was a Christmas gift from my grandmother a few years ago and it felt like the perfect piece for the room. I like that it brings a little bit of family history into the space.

The goal wasn’t to create something that only works for a baby, but a room that will mature right alongside Rand.

Welcome to his nursery

When you get the pattern placement for the custom buttons correct the first try!