Gunkelmans Interior Design Blog

My love for smart-looking surroundings was born in the homes of my childhood. I still remember with perfect clarity the “great” room in my grandparents’ home – mocha walls and carpeting broken up by a French limestone fireplace, chocolate and bright white chintz sofas and dashes of citron accessories. So to my parents’ home with its forest green walls and trim, “mousey-colored” beige carpeting and geometric-patterned grey linen draperies with squiggles of bright yellow, dark green and red!

There came a day, however, when my Mother decided to re-decorate. At first, I was disappointed and a bit skeptical. The dramatic backgrounds were replaced by a sea of…BEIGE. Beige walls, beige trim, beige linen draperies. Even the wonderful dark green boucle textured sofa became a work of beige figured texture.

Then, one day, my Mother’s favorite painter appeared with huge boxes filled with… WALLPAPER. The foyer was transformed with a celadon and gold –leafed large scale damask patterned paper. The real piece de resistance came when one wall of the dining room featured a wandering Oriental-styled branch with coral-colored blossoms against a horizontal beige and white strie.

I am reminded of one of my favorite classic wallpapers of today from Clarence House …

 
Flowering Quince

All this personal history serves to prove a point. THE TRENDS OF TODAY OFTEN HAVE ROOTS IN THE PAST BUT ARE TWEAKED WITH REFRESHING AND CREATIVE TOUCHES.

Take a peek at these examples!

I giggled out loud when I saw this paper in my favorite on-line magazine, LONNY! It takes the “head in the sand” adage to the max and also highlights a wonderful one wall application marrying two spaces. See all the different colorways at www.wallpapercollective.com

When visiting my daughter in London a couple summers ago, I had the opportunity of staying at the Haymarket Hotel … one of the boutique hotels owned by Kit and Tim Kemp ( Firmdale Hotels). Besides the absolute luxuries of meticulously done bed linens and wonderful soaps and such, I reveled in the inventive mix of furnishings, fabrics and wallpapers. Many of their hotels highlight the best of Osborne & Little goods, and Kit Kemp has a gift for blending to create a warm, quirky feel. www.firmdale.com

I leave my favorite for last..Lori Weitzner. Her designs are a treasure trove of creativity. Look at these papers and start to imagine the endless possibilities. Too many times, I think we pause before using wallpaper..thinking of it as something so permanent. I say..think of it as art and use of print and texture and take the plunge!

Magnetism..a natural linen with magnetic backing.

Newsworthy..a web of real newspaper print.

Nimbus..my very favorite. I can’t wait to design a table using this natural bark!

Photo Credits: Clarence House, LONNY Magazine, Haymarket Hotel, Lori Weitzner

Submitted by: Mary Hickey

How fitting that statement is all these centuries later, as it was written by Heraclitus who lived 535 BC – 475 BC.   Yes, we've changed of sorts as a company, in the sense our name is no longer GunkelmanFlesher Interior Design and we're back to being Gunkelmans Interior Design.

But we're still the same too.

 
With our staff of very talented, award winning designers we still give impeccable service, creative design, competitive pricing and listen to your design wants and needs.  We work hard and yet we have fun too!

We see all the latest trends and products and understand it can be overwhelming and difficult to filter out the good from the bad.   We can help you decide what works best for you.  

 
From choosing a paint color to deciding what furnishings you need in a room all the way to helping you work with an architect and/or builder in designing your new home.   Whether you're a first time home buyer or planning your retirement home, we have designers from across the generations who are able to help you with any level of project you have.  Give us a call, we'd be happy to talk to you about your project!   612.333.0526

As a designer just coming on board GunkelmanFlesher, I knew I fit right in when I walked into a creamy white office with a white logo along with a number of amazing white filled photos of interiors designed like no other.

A white back drop, whether it's a bright white or a warm white always creates a safe haven for just about any room or space.   Utilizing neutral tones (whites) creates a bold or subtle contrast with the floor and furnishings within a space.   Textures pop and become more interesting as they stand on their own.  The introduction of a particular color in a white environment contrasts and become focal points in their location.

This bathroom looks great now and will ten years from now!   One of the best whites out there and one of my favorites is Benjamin Moore's "White Dove" as it has no grey, pink or green undertones.   It seems to work well with everything!   It's warm, bright yet subtle at the same time.   Below is a cool light fixture in white that I saw on 1stDibs.com

  
This is such an eclectic room that has a lot of personality and timelessness in a neutral color palette.  It's brilliant! (above)   The next two photos from Mrs. Howard.com are great examples of white done right.   I like how all the whites come together to create texture. 

Below from Southern Living magazine and Architectural Digest with beautiful white examples.

Below from Traditional Home

 
On my first day at work the design staff and I visited the beautiful showroom of Foret Home.   Here are some examples of Amy Marver's products and antiques revealing the patina of neutral whites. 

Creamy whites blended with grey whites and blue whites above and below.

Or this beautiful white room by John Saladino below.

  Submitted by Jodi Mellin