Jay Nuhring House Styling

What We Do

"When Jay Nuhring re-thinks your rooms, it's not a do-over. He's not starting from scratch. He's looking at what you have, and finding a way to make it work better. He's putting your pieces together in a totally new way. A way that calms. Or invites. Or defines. Or surprises. After all, you have a story, and what you have in your home tells bits and pieces of that story. So let's put the story together in a way that reflects you best. What you're about. Where you've been. The things you love".

Thursday, September 5, 2013

To Keep Or Not Keep The Dining Table - BEFORE + AFTER

Dining Room - BEFORE. This dining room appears to have multiple personalities - non of which really get along well. A collision of different styles and periods that just do not belong together. All of these styles diminish the architectural voice - barely audible at this point. The space is being silenced by the furniture.

Dining Room - AFTER. The dining room begins to breathe by eliminating the black lacquered and blue wing-back chairs and adding a classic white modern armless chair. The traditional Chinese carpet is replaced with a simple cream colored broad loom custom cut to fit the space. Original glass and steel modern dining table is kept but accessorized with contrasting organic elements - rustic wood containers. The architecture is more vocal now - understood are the subtleties and nuances of the architectural details that before were overpowered by the ill-suited furnishings.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

ReSee Gallery Events Past - Typograffiti

ReSee Gallery Opening - Typograffii - Photography +Eric Melzer - EricMelzer.com

ReSee Gallery Opening - Typograffiti - Collective: Jay Nuhring, +Locus Architecture, +Eric Melzer, +Boris Bally, +Amy Michielle Freeman

ReSee Gallery Opening - Typograffiti

ReSee Gallery Opening - Typograffiti. Flowers by Bastian + Skoog - BastianSkoog.com

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

No More Poofy Fake Brown Leather Sofas - Please!

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room - AFTER. Most of these pieces are from IKEA. Lilacs from the back yard. Simple. Younger. More relevant for today's "first time home buyer".

Living Room - AFTER - View 2

Grandma's Room Gets A New Look

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room - AFTER. Wall color goes from basic white to Waterbury Cream - Benjamin Moore. Curtains come down - "thanks for coming". Love seat moves in front of bay window - "that's better". Accessories are highly edited. Silk flower arrangements go away - forever. Scary funerary looking side tables get put on the curb. Acrylic frame-less picture frames with images of old relatives get put into storage boxes. Room still feels like Grandma but Grandma with attitude. "Can't wait to tell the ladies at bingo about my new living room - think I'll mix myself a fancy drink tonight".

Quick & Easy Living Room Makeover

Living Room - BEFORE. This is the view from the kitchen.

Living Room - AFTER. Fireplace takes center stage. Can finally see the lovely ottoman. More inviting for guests to move from the kitchen into the living room - giving the host some space for cooking. The carpet even looks better. Simple. Easy. Didn't need to purchase a new sofa. Just needed to rethink the arrangement. Things I would have added? New accent pillows, real plants instead of silk, and accessories such as a tray on the ottoman.

Getting Ready For Dinner Guests? - Living Room Needs Help?

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room - AFTER. Moved the wing chair closer to the fireplace - classic, timeless, when in doubt put the wing next to the fireplace - always. The end table in the BEFORE looks like it wants to walk away - it's too close to the archway - doesn't have enough wall to "lean" against - it followed the wing chair to the right of the sofa. Took one of the accent chairs away - not far - it's in the same room just pulled back near a window - waiting patiently to be pulled closer when needed. Fireplace mantel was re-accessorized creating a more interesting focal point. Book case also got an update with some rearranging. Fresh flowers and plumped pillows always make a difference. Party time. Plenty of room for guests to roam.

Living Room - AFTER. View from the entry hall. More inviting. More approachable. Prettier.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Front Doors - First Impressions Really Do Make A Difference

Cedar Lake Neighborhood Home/Minneapolis - BEFORE.

AFTER - New house color makes for a better blend with the limestone facade - creates a quieter, more confident presentation - emphasizes horizontal oneness. Minimized the "accent" color orange around the front door - think lipstick - color within the lines. Replaced wrought iron architectural details with a simple painted wood column. Limestone window box gets a curated gallery look with spherical boxwood plantings. Bright yellow mums help direct guests to the front door.

AFTER - Exterior Front Entry. New full-view glass storm door takes the attention off of itself and onto the home's original interior door - the real star of the front entry experience.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Indoor Furniture Goes Outside

This is a great way to make an outdoor space into a room - inviting, warm glow of the table lamp, great for parties when you're encouraging your guests to go outside. Turned-leg dropped leaf side table, blue + white painted lamp, cheese wedge, gin & tonics - perfect summer evening!

New House Calls For Fresh New Look

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room. Rearranged. Re-Styled. Re-Envisioned using the homeowner's furniture and artwork. Nothing was purchased new. Photography by Mike McCaw - SpaceCrafting - Mike@SpaceCrafting.com.

Living Room - View 2. Photography - Mike McCaw - Spacecrafting - Mike@SpaceCrafting.com

Living Room - View 3

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Modern Mid-Century Minnesota Home - Elizabeth + Winston Close

The Grove Neighborhood - near Como Avenue - St. Paul. 1588 Fulham Street. Elizabeth (Lisl) and Winston (Win) Close's home - 1953. Photo Styled July, 2012. ReSee Design + Gallery

Living Room - Rearranged and photo styled. Piano used to be where the sofa is now with keyboard closest to the exterior fireplace wall, sofa was positioned along side the piano facing the large windows. Area rug was turned perpendicular to current placement. Space seemed a tad clumsy and crowded. Now the room can breathe - the new living room arrangement (stretched) provides a larger sitting area and celebrates the mid-century open plan. The piano is still present but not as important with it's new placement. Side note: Elizabeth grew up in a home designed by Adolf Loos in Vienna. Elizabeth and Winston Close were modern architects that practiced from the 1930's to the 1980's mostly in and around Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota. Photography by Matt at RedPinesPhotography.com. Realtor Karen Rue at KarenRue.net.

Living Room - View looking towards back yard. Photography by Matt at RedPinesPhotography.com. Realtor Karen Rue at KarenRue.net.

Kitchen View - Looking towards the back yard - dining room is directly beyond this wall between the kitchen and living room. Photography by Matt at RedPinesPhotography.com. Realtor Karen Rue at KarenRue.net

Client Testimonials

I'm so glad I met Jay. He is the best designer I've found in the Twin Cities, after working with a number of others over a period of years. He is practical, cost-conscious, pleasant to work with and most of all has a great eye, an amazing ability to visualize what is needed to pull all the elements of a room together. I value his help a great deal and would recommend him highly to anyone who wants to make their home more beautiful. JK

OMG! I bloody love it! It is...I can't believe it Jay. I cannot believe you could do that to my sitting room. It looks enchanting! Why I didn't think of that before I can't imagine. It is so pretty. It is so beautiful. You are a magician. That's exactly what you are, a magician! Thank you! Thank you! We just got home. Tom loves it. It is so beautiful. I could wax lyrical all day. I can't wait to see how you tweak the rest of the house! (this was a voice message left on my cell phone) VO

Jay has made our home sparkle...at times it seemed against some difficult odds! He has been a tremendous support, a delight to work with and we are happy to recommend him with great confidence. Here are some reasons why: Jay has an incredible eye for creating inviting spaces by tweaking/rearranging items big and small in ways that make rooms come alive. He has excellent, inexpensive sources and knows just where to look for well-priced furnishings and home decor of all kinds. He pays great attention to detail and comes up with cost-effective ways to fill in the missing pieces. Jay is wonderfully productive. He works hard and fast and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done including heavy lifting, picking up and transporting furniture, recommending and supervising excellent craftsmen and making sure that each room he styles is spotlessly clean. He is both supportive and a task master when needed - a good combination when speedy team effort is required! PL

He's a miracle worker. He brightens and beautifies everything he touches. SS

It's just like you've taught me, you can have the most beautiful things in the world, but if not put in the right place, they mean nothing. SS

What Would Jay Do...?

Ok, here it goes. These comments are completely petty. Consider them "What would Jay do" tips for your own home.

1. You know those tags attached to the ends of the cords of table and floor lamps? Cut them off - immediately.

2. If you have any un-lit candles in your home, light them now, let them burn for 30 seconds and blow them out - what's the point of having candles if you never burn them - there is no such thing as "for decoration only".

3. Display things you would actually use on the kitchen counter - ie. Cappuccino Machine, Toaster, Electric Mixer, Cook Books. Even Olive Oils and special Vinegars look amazing near the range - not to mention handy. Kitchens should look like they're being used, not just looked at.