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A Few Simple, Inexpensive Design Tips To Update Your Kitchen Now!

Sunday, July 17th, 2011

Nancy Boszhardt

Looking to update your kitchen quickly and inexpensively? Here are a few quick design ideas that you can do now without draining your bank account!

1. Inspired lighting. Hang a chandelier or funky lighting fixture you love over your kitchen table.

2. Paint. Paint is your best friend when you want to update your kitchen inexpensively. Painting over your old, worn cabinets gives the whole kitchen an instant facelift.

When selecting a kitchen wall color, take all artwork off of the walls and accessories off the counters. Focus first on choosing the best color that works with your countertops, cabinets and flooring.

Lynn Mizono

3. Crown Molding. Use crown molding at the top of cabinets. It will give your kitchen the look of having custom made cabinets.

4. Accesorize! Pretty new personality hardware jewelry to dress up the cabinets (think earrings):

adorable owl cabinet hardware. where/when will i use these?

anthropologie pininterest

5. Use pretty, colorful fabric wherever you can. Target, Wal-Mart, Pier 1, Christmas Tree Store, Crate & Barrel, Home Goods, etc. all have beautiful selections of table linens. Tablecloths, placemats, napkins, chair pads and runners. Bring in a new colorful rug! Even a couple new kitchen towels will perk up the room.

6. Fresh Flowers! A beautiful vase of flowers will take away all the bad vibes in the room.

7. Add more personality. To add personality to an empty corner, start with a wooden chair. Make it interesting with art arranged above as part of a grouping. Use an accent pillow on the seat that coordinates with your table linens. Better yet, hang a few of your favorite aprons on.

Any other quick, inexpensive ideas you would like to share? Comments?

pinterest (love this)

If you need help updating your kitchen quickly and inexpensively, contact me today.

Coordinating the Bed and Bath

Friday, February 11th, 2011

Does your bedroom and bath visually flow together ?

Hattie Wolfe and Abby Rizor

Would you like to coordinate the two rooms together? Design an ensuite?

via Apartment Therapy

“Ensuite refers to a bedroom constructed with its own toilet and bathroom (i.e. it does not share these facilities with any room). All Ensuite means is that all bedrooms have their own toilet and bathroom,” states Neptune Shelter Limited (the name ensuite came from France-those fancy naming people! hee hee).

When decorating a master bathroom, the first thing I do is look at the master bedroom. For most people, the master bathroom needs to be a reflection of the master bedroom. Homeowner’s like it to effortlessly flow from one to the other, and they need to complement one another. So if the bedroom is already established, then I look at the bathroom and think of how going to make this look like a huge master suite.

Amanda Nisbet

I think that if the bathroom and bedroom are to work successfully together, their schemes need to relate, while at the same time maintaining their own individual character. An effective way of achieving this is by reversing the bedroom scheme in the bathroom – that is, taking the bedroom accent color and using this as the main color for the bathroom, and adopting the main bedroom color as an accent color in the bathroom.

As an example, in the picture below, I used a similar light blue violet color in the bathroom. I then used a deep, darker blue for the walls in the bedroom to continue the color scheme.

Here are just a few suggestions to keep in mind when choosing colors and fixtures for the bath:

Keep the expensive items – ceramic tile, countertops, bathroom fixtures – in neutral colors. Remember, neutral is not just white, gray, or ivory – but can be almost any color as long as it is muted. You will not be replacing these items very soon and you may want to change the color scheme. With neutral colors you can easily give the room a whole new look while not having to spend a fortune.

Elle Decor

Apply your dramatic color to the walls, towels, window treatments, rugs or accessories. These things are easily replaced.

Southern Living

Just be sure to use consistant elements in both rooms that coordinate in your paint choice, fabrics, flooring and decorative accessories. Stick to one mood, such as formal or informal.

Do you even want to coordinate your rooms together? Or do you like the idea of two separate rooms to design and decorate any way you wish?

Comments?

If you would like help combining your bed and bath, contact me today!

Creating A Cohesive Look

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

House Beautiful

What do you think a ‘cohesive’ room means? The dictionary defines cohesion as: ‘the state of cohering or sticking together’.

Bryan Road

To me, in design terms, a cohesive room is one that works with pairs and creates symmetry. For example, look at the room below. There are matching pairs of tables, lamps and benches.

House Beautiful

A cohesive room has a balanced look.

Oxford American Dictionary defines symmetrical as ‘able to be divided into parts that are the same in size and shape and similar in position on either side of a dividing line or around a center’. Symmetry is a ‘pleasing proportion between parts of a whole’.

The one room I always try for symmetry is in the bedroom. Since the bed is the focal point, I work with pairs on each side of the bed. I like the look of two matching bedside tables or at least similar sizes in height and width. I know, I know… it is supposed to be boring and traditional, but that is the look I find most people are pleased with- including me! Matching lamps come next and again, similar can work but I would fight for matching pairs in lamps. See how in the picture below everything is a mirror image on each side of the bed.

HGTV

And look how beautifully nature works with symmetry:

Beautiful and perfect.

flickr

Would you consider this room below symmetrical or asymmetrical (not symmetrical)?

I do not find this room balanced because of the artwork on the sides. The different size prints throw the balance off, plus the table and lamp. Asymmetrical for sure.

Do you think of using symmetry when you are designing a room? Do you think it is important for a room to have a cohesive look? Which look do you prefer? Symmetrical or asymmetrical? Other comments?

If you need help getting the look you want, contact me today for an in home or online consultation.

Easy Decorating With My Favorite Books

Friday, September 10th, 2010

I have always loved and treasured my books. Love to read them, collect them, share them. From my first reading obsession of reading every Archie comic book I could get my hands on, to my exciting Nancy Drew series, to my love today of romance, horror and mystery.

abcddesign Pottery Barn

Because I love my books and I have such a large collection of them, I like to use books in my decorating quite a bit. A few books stacked up by two or three, with or without an accessory sitting on top, add a bit of charm to any room. I think it really personalizes your home and helps define your style and interests. I only use hardbacks, paperbacks tend to look ‘cheap.’

Country Living

Stack three books on a side table to use as a raised display area. Set a lamp, sculpture, or vase on top of the books to add some depth and interest to a simple table or shelf. This is also a great way to raise another accessory that may be too short as well as create some interest in a display. If you have a colorful book jacket, you can place it on a small easel to display as a work of art.

bookshelf Better Homes and Gardens

I have always left the covers on the books, but I read a couple weeks ago that most people remove their hard back covers. Do you? I always thought the cover was colorful and interesting, but after I had removed a few of the covers, I noticed the hard books themselves are in beautiful colors. I found a pretty light blue book, a nice red and a lot of Stephen King black. Another good tip- if the spine of the books is ruined, just turn the book around and see the ‘neutral’ pages of the book.

Kelly Bernier Designs

Isn’t that a smart idea?

Katie Ridder

Create an instant reading nook area by a window, fireplace, or even on a blank wall by flanking the space with floor to ceiling bookshelves. Set a desk, loveseat, or comfortable chair in the nook, or use the nook area for built-ins.

Elle Decor

You can even find whole books on the subject of decorating with books:

Amazon

Organizing books by jacket color works great for bookshelves and libraries – it makes the book display look much more coherent and organized. To add some interest to your bookshelves, mix the books with great decorative items – picture frames, pottery and natural objects. To mix things up a bit more try displaying some books horizontally and some vertically for added interest.

House Beautiful

“I must have books everywhere. They’re the soul of a room – they reveal the taste, the interests and the secrets of whoever lives there.” Diane von Furstenberg, fashion designer. I could not have said it better myself!

If you need help making your space comfortable and updated, contact me today!

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Tags: artwork, Better Homes and Gardens, book jackets, books as accessories, books on decorating, collection of books, color, Country Living, decorating, Decorating ideas, decorating with books, Diane von Furstenberg, easy decorating, Elle Decor, fashion designer, favorite books, hardback books, House Beautiful, Katie Ridder, living room, personalized decorating, reading nook area, recycle, reuse, stacked books