Hot Off The Press: GDS in HGTV Magazine

We're so excited to be featured in the pages of HGTV magazine's most recent issue! HGTV gives an all-access-pass look into Ramey's home in Denver. Take a peek below and we'll give you a step-by-step breakdown on how to mix patterns and paint colors like a pro! Big thanks again to HGTV for the great article.

all photos courtesy of HGTV
photography by David Tsay, styling by Matthew Gleason

Choosing classic colors for the exterior gives a newer home a lived-in feeling with a sense of history. Adding a big pop of color, like a red door, keeps things interesting.  

all paint/fabric images courtesy of Phillip Friedman/Studio D

Exterior paint picks.

Family photos always add warmth and keep any design from being too serious. Ramey's tip: When it comes to hanging frames, "you don't have to measure everything out. Just go with what looks good."

A graphic neutral, like this sturdy wool runner fabric, pairs with virtually any bold print. Case in point: Quadrille's coral and chartreuse fabric used on the console skirt.

 Is there anything more delicious than bright coral paired with rich dark chocolate and a hit of citrusy chartreuse? I think not. Ramey used the curtain fabric as a starting point for the room and went from there. Ramey's tip: when mixing prints and colors, focus on choosing colors that compliment each other, not patterns. 

Ramey designed the living room around a rug she found on a trip to LA. She mixed in a brown flora print on the club chairs, along with a hint of rust in thelamp shades. The light blue velvet sofa lightens the space.

Living room paint and fabric swatches.

Ramey's tip: garage and estate sales are full of buried treasure. Just make sure to see items beyond their current condition. Ramey scored, finding the headboards at a garage sale and her mother, an artist, painted them with a monkey scene. The dresser was another major find at a vintage shop in Florida.

Eliza, Ramey's daughter, picked the the lattice quilts herself. Ramey skirted the bed in Sister Parish's Chou Chou fabric. The mirror belonged to Ramey's grandmother and all it needed was a quick coat of high-gloss coral paint freshened it up.

Ramey's tip: flip-flop fabric to make it work for your space. "The curtain fabric stripes were supposed to hang vertically, but we rotated the fabric so it was horizontal instead," she said. "Horizontal stripes are easier to live with in a small room."

Update the traditional "red" dining room with a raspberry shade. Ramey pulled the raspberry color from the striped curtain fabric and had grasscloth wallpaper dyed to match. She picked up the chartreuse used on the dining chairs from the rug. As for the leopard print seats, she said, "I knew that fabric would wear like iron." 

The 411: Limestone For Your Kitchen

Limestone is hands-down one of our favorite kitchen design staples at GDS. It's striking, timeless, and contrary to popular belief, low maintenance. After years of working at the ultimate tile source, Ann Sacks, Ramey has a special knack for all things stone and tile. Williams-Sonoma's kitchen design website, cultivate.com, caught up with Ramey to get her top tips and need-to-know info about using limestone in your kitchen. Check it out here:

Photo by: Emily Redfield

Designed by: Griffin Design Source Denver, CO

My husband and I built our Denver home in 2006.  One of my favorite elements of our kitchen is our French limestone floors and countertops. To me, limestone is the ultimate kitchen luxury. I indulge in it because it tells a story, it lives with you and can grow old with you.  

We have 16” x 16” limestone floors and limestone slab countertops in my kitchen [photo above]. Let me first say that I am a messy cook, my husband and I entertain often, and I love margaritas. Even so, our countertops look as good today, if not better, than when it was installed almost six years ago. When friends come over they often ask, “Why doesn’t your countertop stain?”

Photo by: Emily Redfield
Designed by: Griffin Design Source Denver, CO

First, let me help dispel some of the myths regarding limestone. The main component of any stone geologically classified as limestone, marble, travertine or onyx is calcium carbonate (also referred to as calcite). The molecule of calcium carbonate is broken (destroyed actually) by contact with pH active substances; primarily acids such as lemon juice. The destruction of the calcium carbonate molecules on the surface of the stone produces the dullness that is usually (and incorrectly) referred to as a “stain.” It is a mark of corrosion, etched on the surface of the stone.

So what does all of this technical jargon actually mean? Let me give you an example.

One summer evening, I ordered sushi take out. That night, we were a little lazy about clean up, leaving a few paper bags on the floor next to our trash bin. The next morning I came down to find that somehow a stray soy sauce packet or three had leaked and the floor had a 14” white circle smack dab in the middle of one of the tiles. I scrambled to call my local stone experts, and guess what? It was easily repaired the following week. It wasn’t ruined, it wasn’t a disaster and frankly, it was a pretty easy fix.  

Photo by: Courtesy of Ann Sacks

Luckily, our limestone floor had an impregnating sealer on it. When the soy sauce leaked, it left only shallow etching. My local stone expert, Chris Dundas of Marble Tec Systems in Denver, was able to remove the mark by sanding the surface using industrial diamond abrasives. Had the soy sauce etched the stone more deeply, Chris would have then used a poultice.

True, limestone may etch, and it may erode in places where there is a lot of water. However, you will not find a more forgiving material. Limestone will continue to patina, developing a sheen like a perfectly broken-in pair of leather boots. It is a workhorse and a highly underrated one at that. In a week, the etching marks will be hardly noticeable because limestone is a living finish that is constantly changing, maturing, and in my opinion, improving. 

Another point of consideration for a stone floor is the durability and permeability of natural stone flooring. A wood floor will buckle with prolonged exposure to water. Usually the wood flooring will need to be replaced. With natural stone floors a leak would not damage the floor. And by the way, have you ever walked across a stone floor with radiant heat underneath? It’s heaven!

Here are a few of my favorites limestones:

• French Blue, available at Ann Sacks
• Antique Dalle de Bourgogne, available at Paris Ceramics 
• Pierre Noir Belgain Limestone, available at Ann Sacks 
• Suede Limestone, available at Ann Sacks