Painting patterns on ceilings is a great way to add a focal point to spaces lacking in architectural detail.

From a teal and black striped ceiling to accent walls clad with gray-toned wood floors, this jewel-toned living area by Reiner White Design Studio masterfully mixes high and low with do-it-yourself and luxury elements.

Designers Jennifer Reiner and Robert White of Reiner White Design Studio are known for their tailored transitional spaces. To demonstrate how good design is possible at all price points, they implemented their signature aesthetic to a spacious living room by blending custom and classic pieces with upgraded retail purchases.

To utilize the only area for two functions, the designers divided it into sections: one for casual conversation and cocktails, the other for reading or gathering around the table for a formal meal.

It all began with a geode! When the two designers started brainstorming, they chose to use the color palette glass shower door toronto . feel and sheen of a geode as their inspiration. From it, they would use a mixture of teal, white and black to their color scheme, in addition to glistening squares and coarse textures.

The seating area is made up of classic Danish modern furniture, such as a button-tufted sofa with its original upholstery. Instructed to design the historic distance around the existing brass chandeliers, the duo chose to center a coffee table under one chandelier plus a couch table under the other, making two distinct zones.

A couple of the principal design components of the room -- teal and texture -- come together in the entryway artwork. Best called sculpture, this creation titled "Vortex" by artist Clint Bearden is made from disparate pieces of wood formed by a mesh backing and an adhesive mix, which provides the substances a three-dimensional effect. While nearly all the design is slick and polished, the pastoral surface of the wood introduces a tough feel like the exterior of the geode used as the room's inspiration.

Since the room lacked an architectural focal point around which to organize a dialogue area, Jennifer and Robert chose to make the look and feel of a fireplace with a habit overscaled shadowbox and gold-painted stacks of firewood. For a shot of glamour that is extra, the designers spray-painted metallic gold is logged by each. In addition to helping anchor the space, the shadowbox helps combine various framed photographs and throw resin taxidermy.

In the get-go, Jennifer and Robert were told they'd need to work their design around the existing brass ribbons first to the historical Georgian house. To update the basic fixtures, the designers draped crystal beads from the arms and changed flame bulbs to globe style bulbs.

Among those splurges from the area is a Danish modern coffee table out of Bjork Studio featuring a rosewood base along with a painted glass top. The table sculptural attributes and perfectly fitting proportions created it right for the space; it also helps to reflect the abundant light flowing in through the windows.

The room's entrance is an superb example of a thriving low and high mixture. While the classic furniture (provided by antiques expert and interior designer Amy Wikman), customized art and antique sconces are high-end and one-of-a-kind, the gray-toned cladding of the walls consists of $1.49-per-square-foot wood flooring purchased from a discount retailer. Due to this appearance and texture of its surroundings, the cost-saving wall program instantly takes on its high-end individuality.

One of the most surprising price savers in the room is the window dressing. White linen panels picked up from a major big box retailer were sewn side by side for a more custom fit. To add a punch of metallic, industrial string was spray-painted gold then connected to the wall for use as tiebacks.

Since artwork can easily consume a budget, particularly in a huge space with lots of wall to fill, Jennifer and Robert decided to balance the luxury gallery allure of the wooden sculpture with some thing cheap and light-hearted. This reproduction of the Mona Lisa was hanging in the artists' studio as soon as an artist friend gave her a modern makeover with dramatic makeup and a golden chain featuring a peace sign. Flea market art and children's art projects are equally popular with designers to include one-of-a-kind pieces for budget-conscious customers.

Just a few feet away from the Mona Lisa art sits a custom dining table from Grey Furniture featuring a powder-coated steel base. Called a "gear table" because of its mechanical-inspired lines, the bit was chosen for its graphic form and hefty scale. Powder coat can add new life to an old piece of furniture a paint finish expert in a powder-coating studio may create the new finish for a portion of the cost of buying a brand new piece. A superb designer suggestion for modernizing old pieces with paint would be to stick with white and black, two colors that always result in a clean, timeless appearance.

In keeping with the jewel tone inspiration of this space, the designers incorporated elements of gold with nail heads, which accent a teal velvet sofa and vintage brass floor lamp. Both designers advocate using floor lamps in place of end tables when space won't allow.

To fill out the living room with interesting textures, the designers topped piles of books across the equipment table using a mixture of metallic and coral dimpled glass. The bright white of these accessories carries on from the coral to the center of this room in the form of ceramic greyhounds, which double as visual dividers between the scanning area and the conversation area.

One of those ways interior designers add sophistication and timelessness to rooms is by accessorizing with novels. Since coffee table books could be expensive, an excellent way to use novels as decoration without breaking the bank is to pair high-end books with classic books located at flea markets. To optimize an older book's allure, remove its publication jacket to expose the canvas fabric or paper surface.

To add a glamorous touch to the firewood stacked below the overscaled shadowbox, the designers spray-painted each log gold, leading to a perfect mixture of rough and elegant.

To accentuate the soaring height of their living room ceiling, the designers commissioned custom Roman shades containing stripes made from teal Ultrasuede sewn directly down the centres. The stripe component conveys downward from the Roman shade to the wingback chairs in the form of folded throw blankets created from the exact same Ultrasuede, which puddle on the ground.

Bold stripes painted with a flat finish latex retain the striped effect flowing out of the wingback chair, up into the window and then on the ceiling. Painting patterns on ceilings is a great way to add a focal point to spaces lacking in architectural detail. While stripes can be created with the appropriate positioning of painter's tape, geometric patterns demand a reasonable amount of ability and are probably best left to professionals.

The use of black and white is used floor to ceiling in the kind of a cowhide rug, a black powder-coated table base, black walls and white linen draperies and molding.

A group of milk glass vessels decorates the glass top of the coffee table. To start a milk glass collection affordably, search flea markets and estate sales to get one-offs instead of full sets. Single pieces are usually much less desirable to collectors, that prefer numbered ensembles, therefore they're often overlooked and available at a fraction of the price. And randomly accumulated milk glass pieces will cause a beautiful mixture of shapes, sizes and heights.

To create the generously sized living room feel more intimate, Jennifer and Robert painted the walls then added some drama with reflective and mirrored accents, including a grouping of framed mirrors by the seating area.

To vary the metallics from the glamourous living space, the designers opted for oil-rubbed bronze nail heads on the wingback chairs and brass nail heads onto the teal couch. Nail-head detail is a great method to add custom flair to ready-made furniture. To use them, use a rubber mallet and a steady hand. When contemplating budget and quantity, remember that nail heads are usually sold in boxes of 500 or 1,000.

For a touch of old time parlor design, a midcentury modern couch with initial teal upholstery is dressed with Victorian style pillows. While the cushions at each end of the couch feature a classic Victorian scroll pattern, the rectangular pillow in the middle has been awarded Victorian flair with a few fringe trim. Embellishing cheap retail shop pillows isn't difficult: select up tape trimming or tassels in the fabric shop, use them along the edges of the pillow with iron-on adhesive tape, fabric glue or a hot glue gun.