Some Fresh Ideas

Sometimes the decorating bug bites and we want to make quick, easy changes that can shake things up a bit in our homes. As a bonus, these 5 ideas that do not involve picking up a paint brush or any other form of manual labor. We all like that.
1. Bring in fresh flowers. This is so simple yet it can have a powerful punch. Many retail locations now offer pretty bouquets at a very reasonable cost. Your home will feel fresh and welcoming to your guests and your family.
2. Create some spaciousness in your small spaces by replacing bulky wood tables with open, glass-top styles. They are available as dining tables and coffee tables.
3. Get a new lamp. Newer styles range from some that have attractive sculptures as their base to those that have clear vases that you can fill with different elements to create just the right mood for your rooms.
4. Show your flair just a little! Use that color or fabric you have been wanting to display in a small way such as a throw pillow or a small chair. You will get the punch of pattern and color that will work fine with your existing décor.
5. Add a little fun to any conversation area with the addition of a super fluffy shag rug in either a bold color or a soft creamy color. It adds the unexpected touch.

Is It Real Or Faux?

Faux is a fancy French word for "false".It refers to a manufacturing process that creates items to closely resemble the genuine article. Faux has been a buzz word in interior décor for a long time. It offers clients a variety of price points for their home’s interior design, it preserves our natural resources,and it opens up a world of design possibilities. Besides, who wants to tell their friends about the fabulous “false” interior décor items in their home?
Everyone is familiar with faux wood blinds. They provide great coverage on the window and the slats are pretty impressive for a fake. The same faux wood can be used in shutters. Also,there are some really good faux fabrics out there that are durable, eco-friendly and a good value. Faux silk has the same luster and slub as real silk. Faux suedes and leathers offer an excellent combination of color, value pricing and are easy to care for.
One of my favorite faux products is the perfect answer to one of my least favorite design issues – the windowless room. I always feel like the walls are closing in and that the room lacks the brightness afforded by light pouring in a window. The solution is another faux. It is a wall mural that can be a fake window with a scene of beaches and forests out the window. It is applied to the wall like wallpaper. There are images of French doors open to the outside view of a beach with the ocean beckoning beyond. The effect on the room is dramatic. It visually pushes the walls out and opens up the room to the horizons of the mural. You just have to see the effect this has on a room for yourself. Rooms increase in size without any remodeling! I have one client who took this design style one step further. We put an octagon window mural in their windowless guest bathroom. My client then went out and got some window moldings to frame in the window mural. What a great idea. Not only did the window mural open up the room but then when it was framed in, it gained dimension. I guess you could say it was a blend of faux and real.

Its all in the Details

I had the pleasure of visiting Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC last week. The beauty and design of the place was amazing. Nothing was left to chance. Everything was finished to the last detail. Lots and lots of detail. Each of the beams in the ceilings was decoratively finished with a pattern painted on or papered on. The raised panel doors also had a fluted edge in each of the panels of the door. The door latches had large adorned brass platings. Arched doors that had arched wood moldings also had a patterned decorative arched wood piece next to the moldings.
It may sound like more than you want for your home but the concept to remember is that it is the details that make the decor unique and beautiful.
What a great place. Plan to visit there!

Color Focus- For Today and 2012

The gurus of the home fashion world are now enlightening us with their fresh color combinations for the coming year. The hues that they forecast will be showing up in home stores all across the country. This year the movement in color is based on all things of nature that inhabit the Earth. We realize the need to sustain Mother Earth for generations to come. These new color schemes draw deeply on the many hues we see right outside our windows.
Neutrals will become warmer- just as if the sun were shining on this color palette. They will reflect the golden tint of a sunny day and will include everything from the color of a wheat field blowing in the breeze to a piece of driftwood found on the beach.
The shades of red and orange are going to show marvelous variations. Think of a ripe red apple. If you look closely at it, you will see more than one color in the peel. Expect to see these natural color variations for this category.
Blues for 2012 reflects the color of water as the world works to preserve this valuable natural resource. Stand on the shoreline and observe the variation of the colors in the water. This group contains the colors of ocean currents and rushing waves. Look also for faded blue to make a statement in fabrics and décor. Take a trip to an aquarium and become inspired for colors.
Lastly, greens are and will always be the color of nature. The movement for sustainability of the earth –“going green”- takes its name from this color. The beautiful greens in the unspoiled places on earth- deep in the forest and in the undersea world- will dominate this coming year. Green is one of my favorite colors as every color of flower has a green stem and leaves.
This is the year for you to take your cue from nature and look outside your window for inspiration. Mother Nature still reigns as the best color consultant around.