Ask Devon - April Q&A

We hope you’re enjoying the Q&A series that Devon hosts each weekend on our Instagram! We absolutely love hearing from you and answering any and all questions you have for us. We’ve reached the end of another busy month, which means we’re ready to recap our favorite Q&A’s from the entire month of April. This roundup includes a ton of design advice and decor tips from Devon herself, so you won’t want to miss it!

1. How to make a generic bathroom pop when an extreme makeover isn’t in the budget?

I suggest changing the faucet, painting the cabinets, and swapping the light fixtures! Heads up - pick a faucet with the same finish as your shower trim. You can’t change the shower fixtures without ripping up the walls, unfortunately.

2. Thoughts on upholstered headboards? Do they last or just a trend/major dust traps?

You can get an upholstered headboard in any style you want: modern, traditional, transitional, contemporary. It’s not a trend, it’s a material. If you like to read in bed, take my advice and get an upholstered headboard. I wouldn’t worry about dust in a headboard any more than a sofa, chairs, or drapes.

3. Crown moulding on a vaulted ceiling? Worried the vault will be too farmhouse.

Not farmhouse. Crown is more classic than farmhouse in my opinion. You can do it, but it’s subtle since the ceilings will be so high. If you want more of an impact, maybe incorporate some beams. You can do sanded, stained beams to avoid a rugged look.

4. How to add color but still achieve a modern look in a black and white living room?

Bring in pops of color with the artwork and decor. You can also add cognac leather and wood tones to warm the space up so the colors don’t feel out of place. We haven’t photographed this project yet because we’re waiting on a few more pieces to trickle in, so I’ll share an iphone photofor now. We incorporated artwork by Matt K Nguyen and decor throughout to add punches of color while till staying modern and fresh.

5. How do you decide between a desk facing a window or backing to a window?

The desk should face the window or have it at your side. A window directly behind can cause a lot of glare on your screen.

6. Would you put a sink in the island or the perimeter below a window?

I personally love being able to watch TV while I’m washing dishes, so an island facing out is my preference. That said, if you don’t already have plumbing run to your island, you’ll need to get it there. This means you either have to rip up the floors and plumb through the subfloor (which in most condo buildings isn’t possible because of concrete subfloors) or go through the ceiling of the of the floor below. If that’s not an option, you can make the island a peninsula and run the plumbing through the cabinets or through a wing wall, or you should keep the sink at the perimeter.

7. How to make an all marble bathroom not boring?

Pull in wood tones, either in the cabinetry or decor. Swap the light fixtures for something with texture and interest to make it feel more unique!

8. Coffee table height versus couch?

Keep them as close to the same height as possible. It doesn’t have to be exact, but should be close. Standard seat height is 18” so coffee table should be close to that too, but check your own sofa because some are lower.

9. What are the downsides of using porcelain countertops?

Porcelain countertops are amazing because they’re incredibly durable, you can get dramatic looking slabs because the essentially print the design onto them, and they’re less expensive than a real stone. However, fabrication costs are higher, because they’re thinner and need more miters and cuts to make the counters a normal thickness. The only downside is they are not a “through-body” material. The “image” is only on the top, like a tile. So therefore the edges are a solid color and you will see lines at the corners of miters. Not a big deal in my opinion because the overall look is still great, but worth keeping in mind.

10. Would you say building a brand new house is cheaper than gutting/remodeling an existing home?

No. But in both cases, you have to pick finish materials, cabinets, lights, and it depends how much you want to invest in those (eg: do you want custom cabinets or are you okay with prefabricated?). The perk of new construction is you have the flexibility to design the entire house to be completely customized to you, and you don’t have to worry about fixing/maintaining an old house (like replacing the HVAC or pipes or roof).

Still have design questions? Be sure to follow along with our Instagram stories, and keep an eye out for the Q&A submission box on Fridays so you can submit your own questions!

-dgw