Jay Nuhring House Styling : 2013

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".

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Uptown Staging at 34th & Fremont

Refinished hardwood floors. Fresh gray wall color. New ceiling mounted light fixture. All new furniture and accessories. Styled and redesigned to sell by ReSee Design. Photography by SpaceCrafting.com. Property represented by Christine Hazel - Coldwell Banker Burnet.

Living Room - View 2

Dining Room - Added glass inserts on the upper cabinet doors (originally wood panels). New ceiling light fixture - Crate & Barrel. Modern artwork. Antique teak table with Bertoia wire frame chairs. Simple. Minimal. Modern. Clean and Curated.

Dining Room - View 2

Kitchen - Originally had three different wall colors and outdated vinyl flooring. Leveled the playing field by painting the walls the same color as the cabinets. Added modern sheet vinyl Marmoleum flooring - gray. New appliances. New sink. Done.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

1925 Residence - Hopkins, Minnesota - ReStyle & ReDesign

Living Room - ReStyle and ReDesign. This beautiful home was built in 1925. Unexpected grandeur and elegance through out. Original architectural details include wood beams, wood headers, wrought iron railings and door hardware, painted frescos, and a walk-in Arts & Crafts style fireplace with original chain fire screen. Photography - SpaceCrafting.com

Living Room - View 2

Original fresco-style painting and wrought iron railings.

Lower Level Hearth Room

Hearth Room Detail - Fireplace with hanging chair fire screen.

Hearth Room - View 3

Kitchen - View 1

South Lake Harriet Re-Style & Re-Design

Re-Style and Re-Design of a home near Lake Harriet - Minneapolis. Photography by Mike McCaw - SpaceCrafting.com.

Dining Room

Dining - View 2

Breakfast room off of kitchen.

Second level hallway outside bathroom.

Master Bedroom - Second Level.

Shopping - Vintage Wicker Table With Wood Top

Great vintage side table with braided trim and woven rattan wrapped legs. Architectural Antiques - ArchAntiques.com. Perfect accent for porch, cottage, bedside table in a farmhouse, or study. Solid wood top. Sturdy. $235.

Vintage Side Table - View 2

Another Re-See Moment - Finding Order & Composition Amongst Chaos

Watch Repair Shop - Naples, Florida. Needed a new battery and watch band. Saw this small shop off of Route 41 (Timiami Trail). The guy behind the counter was nothing short of a medieval magician. I love how the parts and pieces in these images create balance and beauty in the midst of chaos and disarray.

Watch Repair Shop - View 2

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Reframe Your Artwork From So-So To Sophisticated

Found these Norwegian landscape etchings in a consignment shop - $25 each. Framed. Framing label on the back read Dayton's Custom Framing - Minneapolis. Gold framing a tad predictable.

When taking the frames apart I discovered the original (narrower) frame was left on the etching and used as a fillet for the larger, wider gold frame that had been added later - shown on the etching in the foreground above.

New matting and a new frame change the impression of these landscapes. They look more interesting and make a bigger impression. The dark frames make the darker parts of the etchings stand out more. I love the old world - European style of the picture frames.

Norwegian Landscape Etchings - View 2

Vintage Rug Gets A New Life As An Ottoman

Found this circa 1940's rug in an antique store in St. Paul, Minnesota. Love the colors and pattern. The stripes have an Adirondack and Native American look yet updated and modern as well. The flat weave makes it perfect repurposed as an upholstered ottoman.

1940's rug upholstered as an ottoman. Lake cabin library in northern Minnesota.

Lake cabin library in northern Minnesota. View 2

Monday, December 9, 2013

Mt Curve Home Gets A New York Penthouse Style Make Over

Mt Curve, Kenwood Park Living Room - BEFORE

Mt Curve - Kenwood Park Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room AFTER. First things first - piano moves across the room and strikes a pose. Seating area inches closer to fireplace (fireplace - right of picture - out of camera range). Dining room carpet switches dance partners with the living room carpet - a simple flip flop. Artwork gets a museum style assessment and proper placement. Accessories and occasional pieces accent the modern artwork. The new space has life, energy, and style. Nothing was purchased for this transformation - everything came from the homeowner's collection - simple rearranged, re-imagined, redesigned. Photography by Mike McCaw - SpaceCrafting.com

Living Room View 2

Living Room View 3

Living Room View 4

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Naples Florida Living Room Gets An Easy Elegant Update

Naples, Florida Condo Living Room - BEFORE. Room appears out of balance. All of the furniture has migrated along one long wall that connects the dining and living room. Too much importance and attention given to the TV and adjacent wall. Space seems flat, mono-chromatic, dull, lifeless.

Living Room - AFTER. A couple simple changes wake up this room. The furniture shifts counter-clockwise, taking pressure off of the primary wall. Accent chairs and occasional pieces round-out the conversation area by facing the sectional rather than stand next to. Artwork was re-hung creating a better use of the wall space and de-emphasizing the TV. Finally, color was added with accent pillows and coffee table accessories. A lighter, brighter wall color and different carpet was recommended to this homeowner.

Living Room BEFORE. View 2

Living Room - AFTER. TV is better integrated into the collection of furnishings - taking it down a few notches - making it appear less important and less bossy. Room feels comfortable, inviting, interesting and beautiful.

Living Room AFTER. View 3. Bureau (next image below) is going against the wall behind the white leather Eames chairs and to the right of the large "Faces" painting. This piece will serve as a wine and cocktail bar/buffet.

Found this vintage bureau at a local Naples consignment shop - www.theposhplum.com. Chrome hardware, faux black alligator drawer fronts and walnut veneer. This piece will be placed to the left of the patio doors behind the white leather Eames lounge chairs. A table lamp on top and possibly a mirror above the bureau will complete the composition.

Living & Dining Rooms Get An Elegant Update

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room - AFTER. Furniture does a Dosey-Doe and moves to the right. One chair "sits" this dance out. The petite writing desk, once under the bay window, cozies up behind the golden yellow love seat and holds a lovely porcelain lamp. Book shelves are organized, coffee table (antique parquet flooring from a French chateau) is accessorized and the room feels balanced and inviting.

Dining Room - BEFORE. Too many "legs" in this picture. In addition the walls are striated - emphasizing the vertical lines in the furniture. The room feels like an entomologist's box of specimens. Result is the room appears too busy - anxious - unsettled. Not the best conditions for consuming dinner.

Dining Room - AFTER. Accessories are edited. Table gets an extension and additional chairs are invited around. Softer off-white line chandelier shades replace the square-edged muted mica shades - creating a lighter, brighter, more updated look. An orchid in an antique green flower pot finishes the table top. The homeowner's collection of antique clocks sit handsomely on display in the corner.

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.