Interior Decorating

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Decorating Ideas for That Wall Behind the Loo

Monday, June 3rd, 2013

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A frequently asked question when I am working with someone on their bathroom (powder room) design is what to put on the wall behind the toilette:

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Personally, I am not a fan of the bathroom étagère’:

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It just looks a bit dated to me. I also am not crazy about the look of a tiny, glass shelf or one small piece of artwork. Like my decorating rule throughout the rest of the home, I think bigger is better:

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Look how great this mural looks:

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I love the look of a large piece of unexpected art in the bathroom. I always advise if using smaller artwork, try to use a couple pieces to go up the wall like I did here:

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How far should you hang above the toilet? Just like the wall behind the sofa, do not hang pictures up too high as if they are floating in the air. Remember to think of it as a grouping, in this case the toilet is part of the group:

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A good rule is to follow is to keep the top of picture below the top of mirror.

One of my favorite new looks is using chunky shelves. I like the substantial weight of them, much better than the small little glass shelves. Don’t you agree?:

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I also like the idea of a towel rack if it is next to the shower:

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Your bathroom is a part of your home. This room is often overlooked in our design plans. But it should not be left out if you care enough to make the rest of your home beautiful. What do you think of this display of art?:

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I hope I have given you some inspirational ideas you can use for that wall behind the loo!

If you need help decorating your home, contact me today.

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Posted in Dear Kelly, Decorating Hints & Tips, Interior Decorating | 1 Response »
Tags: decorating ideas behind the toilet, decorating the bathroom

Perfect Peonies

Saturday, June 1st, 2013

I love flowers, especially peonies. Raspberry peonies are my favorite flowers in the whole world!:

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When my home is professionally photographed, you will see simple arrangements of peonies on my table:

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Yesterday I stopped by a little herb and plant farm for the first time in search of fresh peonies:

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But as you can see from my pictures, I was about three days early:

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But her gardens were so pretty, I do not mind having to go back:

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Such a beautiful place! They sell herb plants and cut flowers. The cut peonies are only $1.00 each- I am going back next week and getting an armload! And they even have three mascots walking around:

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On my way home, I stopped at a friend’s and her peonies were blossoming like crazy:

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She let me cut a few and I came home and played:

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A little tip I learned about irises- when the flower begins to die:

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Just snap it off to make room for the new blooms:

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I think they look best when grouped together in one color:

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Or not one color is very pretty too:

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One great decorating idea I want to give you is using a white pitcher vase for flowers. Since I purchased, it is my favorite vase to use. Right now I have the vase filled with lilacs:

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The flowers look even better in this white vase! I am so glad I bought it.These lilacs are on their way out. They lasted almost a week with changing the water and cutting the stems every other day. I can’t wait until I fill with my raspberry peonies! I will post a picture. Just remember before you bring in your peonies, dunk them in cold water and shake gently to get all of those little ants out!

Don’t you love peonies? Are they your favorites too? I hope you enjoyed. Have a wonderful weekend my friends!

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Posted in Decorating Hints & Tips, Floral Arrangements, Gardening, Interior Decorating | 5 Responses »
Tags: decorating with peonies, peonies

Big Girl’s Bedroom

Wednesday, May 29th, 2013

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I recently completed an online design plan for a mom who’s daughter will be celebrating her thirteenth birthday in June. Mom wants to surprise her with a new bedroom look while she is off visiting her Dad for the weekend. We started with the duvet cover she found at Pottery Barn:

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Isn’t it so pretty? Mom contacted me because she wondered if she should paint the walls in a white or beige because there is so much color in the bedding:

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Definitely not beige, because we are working with a white background in the duvet (clean vs. dirty). Plus, I think painting a white on the walls would make the bed stand out too much in the room. We want a wall color that will enhance the colors of the bedding:

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There are a lot of colors to choose from in the duvet! But since the room is going to be for a young girl, here are a couple suggestions I thought of right away:

Ben Moore Faded Violet CSP-455:

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Ben Moore Pinot Grigio Grape CSP-460:

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Ben Moore Santa Clara 753:

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Ben Moore In The Tropics CSP-640:

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Ben Moore Spa Day CSP-635:

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I always give suggestions of colors that might look close in color because the next step is important where the home owner has to pick up samples and see which shade is working best with the actual fabric. Mom did not want to even look at lime greens which would also work. So we narrowed it down to these few choices and now it is her turn to see which color works best. I also gave her a safe color:

Ben Moore Nimbus Gray 2131-50:

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A beautiful color but remember this is a teen’s room! I think we need some personality on the walls!

I am excited to see which color she chooses. I would love to help pick out other accessories for the room (mirror, little chandelier, artwork). Hint, hint!!

Which color do you think will look great on the walls with her bedding? I know she will be happy with any of the choices!

If you need help choosing paint colors for your home, contact me today.

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Posted in Bedrooms, ben moore, Dear Kelly, Decorating Hints & Tips, Interior Decorating, Kelly's Best Colors, Paint Color Selection Help | 3 Responses »
Tags: bedroom, ben moore, color, paint selection, painting, Pottery Barn, turquoise, update

Interior Stylist Stacy Kunstel

Sunday, May 26th, 2013

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I find it so interesting that many of these beautiful photos we see in magazines are not only designed brilliantly by an interior designer, but then are also ‘styled’ for the perfect shot for the photographer:

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Interior stylists are involved in creating imagery for interior books, magazines and catalogues. They finesse spaces for portfolios and magazine spreads.:

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Design by Louise Brooks, styled by StacyStyle, shot by John Bessler for @Traditional Home

One of my favorite eye-candy publications is New England Home. I love looking through their beautiful, glossy photos:

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One of the main reasons I love this particular magazine is because I admire the work of Stacy Kunstel, stylist extraordinaire. All of the photos in this piece are styled by Stacy. Are they not amazingly gorgeous?:

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