Sometimes you just want to change the look of your home without an all day trip to the mall or home improvement store. You’re looking for a new feel to your space without spending all weekend or even all day. So in recognition of Memorial Day weekend and the kickoff to summer, let’s talk about some quick and simple ways to spruce up your home without breaking the bank while still having time to fire up the grill.
If you have neutral color palette to your room, it will be even easier to make some changes. However, even if you do not have neutral walls and furniture, you can still apply these ideas.



Throw Pillows: Possibly THE easiest way to dress up a couch, bed, or chair is to add a throw pillow (or better yet several!) I like to change with the seasons, so think along those lines for color inspiration. Bright or pastel colors for spring and summer, earthtones for fall and deep warm tones for winter. Also don’t forget to mix and match patterns with solids. Don’t buy all of the same pattern or texture, mix it up with a large pattern paired with a small check or solid. I like to use pillows in the same color family or sometimes, contrasting colors, such as aqua blue and light orange, for instance. Either way you go, throw some pillows down and see what you think. The next best part about pillows: if you’re not happy with the ones you bought, just exchange them for the right ones.

Plants: Plants can easily change the tone of a room from stuffy and sterile to warm and inviting. Don’t over do it, we don’t want to look like Little Shop of Horrors, but just enough to compliment your space. Don’t forget a beautiful container to coordinate with your room. Here is another chance to bring in color and even texture to an otherwise neutral room.

Window Treatments: For a bit more time, you can change the curtains in your room. Maybe you want to evoke the feel of your favorite hotel room in the Caribbean and just use sheers in your bedroom. Maybe you’re looking to make your dining room more formal and therefore choose a sophisticated pattern. Maybe you don’t want curtains at all and opt for a beautiful roman shade or sliding panels. As you can see, the options are endless, but don’t underestimate the power of window treatments to transform a room. For another change, replace the drapery hardware; the options are endless here too!

Area Rugs: If you have a bare floor, area rugs are a super easy way to ground your space.

If you have rugs down already, think about changing them out periodically. You’ll not only end up with a different look, but also reduce the wear and tear on your floor decor.

Lamp Shades: Purchase new ones with exciting colors and patterns or if you’re feeling really “Martha Stewarty,” recover or repaint your existing ones. Just be cautious not to get a really thick fabric or your light will be dimmed.

One quick idea: Add a beautiful throw blanket to the corner of a sofa or chair. It instantly adds color and texture and works great to soften hard edges. It also encourages cuddling :)

*Oh, and don't forget the outside. Many of these same techniques will give new life to a dull patio or porch.

Obviously, these are just a few ways to make simple changes, but all very effective. So look around and see what you can tweak this weekend. If you’re like me, you have a closet full of items just waiting to be used! Happy Memorial Day!

Till next time….

Plant-tastic!

I have always felt that every room in your home should have something living, and/or organic in it. Fido and Fluffy aside, I’m mostly speaking of plants. Plants can instantly liven up a bland room with color and style. An empty corner that once faded away is brought back with a potted plant. A drab entryway shines with a new arrangement, and a single rose is sometimes enough to draw out a smile.


From buzzle.com:
Two basic types of pot plants:
First...flowering plants that may either flower all at one time or keep flowering over various periods of time. Some of the favorites are geraniums, azaleas, begonias, hydrangeas, lilies, roses, gardenias, chrysanthemums, African violets, tulips, poinsettias, daffodils and hyacinths.

Second... foliage or green plants, mostly tropical verities professionally conditioned to grow in almost any climate. Some of the more popular are philodendrons, ferns, jade plants, Chinese evergreens, dracaena, caladiums, coleus, bromeliads and cacti and other succulent plants.


Now, don’t panic! You might be saying, “Sure John, I love plants too, but I somehow tend to kill them all when they enter my house!” Don’t fret! I, for one, am not a plant expert either. I can water and fertilize but I don’t dwell on learning all of the Latin names (or everyday names for that matter) and what upkeep is best, etc. I even have *gasp* silk arrangements!! I know, I’m banned from interior design for good now, but I’m here to tell you, those silk plants make me just as happy as the real ones.

"DON’T eat your fruits and vegetables"

Here are some things to consider when adding plant life to your rooms:

Scale: Just as you wouldn’t want a tiny table with a huge sofa, you don’t want a mini plant all alone in a large space. Picture the plant in the spot and if it’s too big or small, choose another.

Color: Some people are scared of wall color, the same might be afraid to add color via plants. I for one, think plants are the perfect addition of color (just the way that your pillows and accessories add a punch of color). So find a vibrant flower and incorporate it in to your space.

Go Green: If choosing color isn’t your specialty, you can never go wrong with a simple green plant. The varieties are endless, and again, when scaled correctly, they almost always work. Potted palms also usually work in any situation.

Formal or Casual: Your sofa has a distinctive style, and so can your plants. Make sure that you consider the style of your room before bringing in the plants. Don’t go too formal or casual with the arrangement if it doesn’t fit the room.

DON’T eat your fruits and vegetables: Decorate with them! Some of my most favorite arrangements have been done with simple fruit or vegetables arranged in a glass vase or platter. Again, they’re all natural, bring in life, and are beautiful when coordinated with your room.

Pots and Containers: Dont' forget style when it comes to what holds your plants. The container choices are endless and can work with any decor. Think of the pot or container as another accessory in your room and make it beautiful.

"Don’t go too formal or casual with the arrangement if it doesn’t fit the room"

No need to water:

Ok, so if you’re dead set on not having any responsibilities with your plants. Here are some non-living choices for you…

Silk arrangements or flowers: I always look for the flower that most closely resembles the real one. I also like to mix and match real and silk. Most people can’t tell and it saves some money. I also place the faux flora farther away so that it’s not entirely obvious that it’s not real. (I do this with orchids as I cannot for the life of me, keep them alive!)

Branches: From curvy willow to colored twigs. Lots of homeowners are adding some form of branches or dried plants to their interiors. Dried branches can be very sculptural and original. Moreover, they don’t require watering and can pep up a boring space in an instant.

Organic objects: There are lots of products on the market that are made from natural materials that were once alive. Look to these to bring some life in.

"Dried branches can be very sculptural and original"

One last note: look to magazine for inspiration on plants and flowers in rooms. Magazines will stage a room to make it more pleasing to the eye; take cues from them and add similar plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables, or organic items to your home. You’ll be amazed at what you can do without a lot of money!



And if all else fails, just hang a picture of a flower!  ;)

Till next time….

My New Favorite Thing: Ceramic Accent Table/Garden Stool

I'm starting a new feature where I simply list some of my favorite finds as I'm out and about, so I wanted to start with something that is so simple yet functional and sophisticated:

the ceramic accent table/garden stool. 

Many of you might have seen these already as they are beginning to pop up in Target and other department stores. I first found them when I was researching tables for my HGTV redesign in LA.

I LOVE them!

They come in many colors and styles, but most of them that you will find are around the same height which is around 18-20 inches. They are perfect beside or between a chair(s) as a place to lay a book or remote,

look beautiful when grouped in pairs in your bathroom, sunroom, living room, etc., and here's the best part: you can even use them on your patio or porch (which was their intended design purpose).

Here some of my favorites:

This is from the Jeff Lewis Collection (yep the guy from Bravo's "Flipping Out") and is on clearance at QVC.com for only $49!

                                           From West Elm

I apologize for the quality of this image, but this is an actual Chinese antique garden stool on Neiman Marcus' site that is 120-150 years old and is selling for $760! Whew!

Ok, now below is one that I found while designing a room and it was from Burlington Coat Factory for only $48! Hard to tell the difference!!

Here is the stool in the house. The owner decided to add

some decorative twigs to the inserts in the top.

                                $29 from Seventhavenue.com

                        Beautiful chrome version for a modern edge:

$261 at lightingdesignexperts.com

So you get the idea. Pick up one of these versatile stools/accent tables

and I promise you that you will find a dozen places where you can use it!

Until next time...

WALLPAPER WOES

Wallpaper: the word alone can strike fear into the hearts of do-it-yourselfers. The thought of choosing the pattern, applying it to the wall, and after all of that work, what if you’re not happy with it? The fear of it all overtakes us, so we just decide to paint (yawn). I am here to ease any wallpaper woes that you might have and take the fear out of adding wallpaper to your decorating. I have always been a fan of wallpaper, even when it wasn’t the “cool” thing to do. I just love how the application of it can instantly change the feel of a room. Wallpaper can take a room from ho-hum to fabulous in minutes (or days depending on your speed of hanging it)

Wallpaper: the word alone can strike fear into the hearts of do-it-yourselfers.

Here are some of my ideas to ease into the world of wallpaper:

• FOCAL WALL: I know many of you are familiar with the concept of painting a wall in your room as the focal wall. The rest of the space might be a nondescript neutral, but you allow yourself to walk on the wildside, well tiptoe there anyway, with an experiment of vivid color on one wall. Let’s apply that same idea to a wallpaper focal wall. Choose a paper that you love, maybe that super bold pattern that you are too squeamish to apply to the entire room, and simply apply it to the wall behind your bed, sofa, dining room sideboard, anywhere! Choose the wall, choose a coordinating paper, and go for it!

 

 Wallpaper can take a room from ho-hum to fabulous in minutes

• PAINTABLE PAPER: Texture is a component that all rooms need in some form or fashion, so what about textured walls? There are lots of paintable textured (or sometimes called "embossed") wallpapers on the market that you can paint to any color, shade or patina, over and over again-just like your typical walls. The papers also come in tons of patterns to match any décor.  (ANAGLYPTA AND LINCRUSTA are two classic textured papers that you might have heard of). A nice feature of textured wallpaper is that it hides imperfections in your wall if the wall is a little old or bumpy. I have used textured paper in older homes over rough plaster and also over paneling. So don’t tear out your old paneled walls, just apply paper and go!  Another favorite of mine is to choose a pattern reminiscent of a tin ceiling and add it to your ceiling and then paint with a metallic paint for a very realistic look.  Textured and paintable wallpapers are a great way to ease into wallpaper, but still have control over the paper if it becomes “too much.”

So don’t tear out your old paneled walls, just apply paper and go!

 

• WALLPAPER OBJECTS: To really walk slowly into wallpaper, think about objects and accessories onto which you can apply the patterned paper. Some things to paper include: lampshades, serving trays, pencil holders, simple decorative boxes and more! This list can go on and on…

Other fun applications:
*Buy standard canvas frames and apply a great wallpaper to the frames and hang on the wall as Instant Artwork!

*Insert a wallpaper clipping into a glass picture frame and hang

*Cut a piece of wallpaper the exact size of the top of a chest or table and lay glass over the top for an instant update to a tired table

*Wallpaper your light and outlet switch plates

Make sure that you correctly prepare the walls by cleaning, filling holes, painting bare walls, etc.

On the application side of things: If you are totally afraid of hanging the paper yourself, hire someone. However, once you get started, it is relatively easy to do. Don’t choose a intricate pattern that you have to match closely for your first time hanging-this can be difficult to master. Also, make sure that you correctly prepare the walls by cleaning, filling holes, painting bare walls, etc.

So get thee to a wallpaper store and apply!