Feb 6, 2015

Successful decorating.

 
Love to decorate but need Ideas?  We're bombarded by tips and images digitally and in print every day so the choice of what to do for yourself can become confusing. Not to mention that purchasing straight from catalogs and style sites can often overwhelm your budget. How to start?  Check out your closet.  What you wear is a great guide to developing your personal style. If you love classic and traditional clothing, selecting things in that style will make you happy in your interior.  If you love Bohemian or casual, your decor should go in that direction. Decor is all about making your home pleasing; a place to feel surrounded by comfort and beauty.

One. Find a color or two that  you love. Use it on your largest pieces of seating, or as an accent and sprinkle it around the room in pillows and accessories.  Incorporate patterns in those colors.  I am the pillow-a- holic. There, I've said it. I love to fill my bed and sofa with pillows in every size, pattern, and texture. I love the way it changes my rooms when swap them from room to room for interest. It's even more fun to try to find pillows in patterns that all work together and are very pleasing to the eye.



Two. Surround yourself with collectible items that have meaning and express your personality. Don't just go shopping and pick up things because they're available in the big box stores.  There can be things collected on travels, finds from rummage sales, things handed down to you, and even "found" items from nature. I do believe that 'less is more' so that each piece stands out. You definitely get more design impact when you group similar collectibles together. 




Three. Decide what mood you want your rooms to convey. Deep colors create warmth and richness. Bright colors create excitement. If you want serenity, use cool blues and greens. Since there are so many undertones in beige and white, you could go that direction and keep everything neutral and still add Color in many ways.



Four. Be eclectic.  combine styles that are pleasing for you to look at. Even if they're from different time periods, you can combine pieces and work them in to your space so they look balanced and perfect. Here, the lift is mid century modern, the bed is classic brass - updated with whites for the space – and the nightstand a cherished early American hand me down.



Five. Use art to express yourself. A simple way is to hang photos of family and friends. You can photocopy and make changes that work for the style of your room.  Go ahead and increase their size, make them sepia or black & white for a uniform but cherished display, or go bold and use everything in color.  Whether you use the same frame or all different ones depends upon your style choice from above.  With so many discount frame shops, and even IKEA, you can create a beautiful gallery wall at a low cost.