Favorite Design Details

January 28, 2016

We all have them? Favorite design details that we want in our existing home or in our dream home. Those special touches and design elements that speak to us and creates the personal retreat that makes a house a home.

A few months ago I shared with you that my dream home is a Cape Code style home on the water. I’m constantly dreaming about what that home would look like on the outside and how I’d decorate it on the inside. My approach to decorating would be to include all the elements that consistently appeal to me, many of which exist in my current decor, details I’m constantly drawn to on Pinterest or rooms that spot me when I’m flipping through design magazines. My favorite design details are all elements that are classic and timeless but would still let me infuse my own personality and style into the decor.

Want to know what decor and design details I love? Here they are…

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Define Your Design Style

January 25, 2016

I taught a design workshop right before Christmas that focused on seasonal décor and fashion. During the workshop I presented decorating tips and design ideas to inspire those in attendance with their design and personal style. As I look back on the workshop I recognize that the ideas presented ran the gamment from casual and country to chic and traditional. It’s always my goal to present a range of ideas that anyone can identify with, since everyone’s style is different.

The workshop also got me thinking about people who don’t have a clear vision of what their style is and in-turn find it challenging to decorate their homes. If you fall into that category, this blog post is for you. I’m outlining the steps you can take to analyze and define your design style so decorating becomes a joy and not a job.

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Design Magazines–Not Just Pretty Pictures

January 14, 2016

I admit I have an addiction (a healthy one on my book) to magazines. My addiction is not with just any magazine but with design magazines. Despite the fact that it’s my business to look through magazines, I love holding a glossy in my hands, flipping through the pages and getting caught up in the stories the images tell.

Design magazines are meant to educate and inspire, and for someone who’s decorating their home there are lots of lessons you can learn from the pages of your favorite magazines.

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If you are trying to define your design style, magazine images can help you flush out what you like and don’t like. As you go through the pages, flag rooms that appeal to you, circle design elements that you like and identify color combinations that speak to you. Once you gathered up a handful of images, review them and look for the common threads and consistent elements within each photo. The images will point you towards your style and create a clear picture that will help yo decorate your home.
Magazine images depict the latest style, color and design trends and will keep you up-to date on what products you’ll be seeing on store shelves and give you ideas for incorporating those trends into your decor.

You can learn how to style and accessorize your home from the pages of magazines. As you look at room images, take note of how items are placed on tabletops, grouped on bookshelves or how artwork collections are hung on the wall. Most design magazines take an artistic approach with their room layouts so you’re bound to see some really creative accessorizing ideas that just might inspire you to try something new in your own home.
If you’re struggling with the layout of furniture in your home, look at magazines to gather ideas on space planning and how furniture groupings are laid out. Take note of how different furniture styles are used together and how rugs and textiles are used of the room layout.

If you’re not comfortable with pattern mixing, magazine images are a great way to hone your skill. Take not of how different pattern styles that are combined, the scale of patterns and the color combinations. The more you study room designs that include multiple patterns, the more you’ll begin to see the art of pattern mixing come to life.
Look through magazine pages for lighting ideas and take note of how different styles of lighting are used to enhance the decor of a room.

Home decor magazines are one of your best resources for picking paint colors. While you might not find the perfect paint color, you’ll be able to focus in on the family of colors you like for the different room images you see. Once you have a clear color direction, you can narrow down to more specific colors choices to look at for your home.

If you’re lucky enough to have a woodworker in the family, magazines can supply you (and them) with amazing DIY project ideas.
And finally, magazines can make shopping easier or at least make it easy for you to outline a shopping list when you’re ready to decorate your home.

The next time you pick up a design magazine, enjoy the pretty pictures but also spend a little more time studying the images and see how they inspire you.

p.s. All of the magazines shown above are my go to publications and all of these can be found at your local Barnes and Noble.

Winter Inspiration {plus links you’ll love}

January 9, 2016

house beautiful UK

Well, folks we made it thought the first full week of 2016. I must say it has been nice to ease into the new year. On my agenda this weekend is garage organizing part 1, preparing my blog post for next week and down time catching up on my magazine stack. I’ll be at the Atlanta Gift and Home Furnishings show all next week so not much is going to get done at my desk.

As you continue to ease into the new year, I hope you enjoy these links I rounded up for you.

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Home Organizing Tips That Really Work! Really!

If health and fitness is a goal this year like the rest of America, you’ll want to check out the best fitness apps for 2016.

Black and white continue to be a popular color palette and these design tips will help you create black and white rooms that work.

This information on the business of blogging is worth reading if you’re new to blogging or even if you’ve been blogging for some time.

Sit and savor this beautiful home renovation.

Washingtonian

See you back here Monday where I’ll be sharing my blog goals for 2016!

What’s Trending in 2016–10 Picks For The New Year

January 2, 2016

I spent some time on Pinterest over the holidays and while surfing, I stumbled across the board Pinterest 100 for 2016. The board highlights 100 trending lifestyle, fashion, food and style pins from the most influential Pinners on Pinterest. Today I’m sharing 10 of these trending pins to give you a glimpse at what will be red-hot in the new year.

The Pinterest 100: Style; Game-changing throwback sneaks like the Stan Smith gold toe by Adidas are all the rage.

{I love an old school sneaker especially when it’s been updated with a touch of glam. p.s. After some searching, it seems like this sneaker is sold out everywhere}

The Pinterest 100: Tech; Bridge the gap between music, design and technology with chic speakers in warm metallic hues.

{ We got the Amazon Echo as a Christmas gift and I must say it’s a pretty slick gadget}

The Pinterest 100: Fitness & health; “No excuses” workouts that you can fit into any schedule.

{I’ve already started making this a morning routine}

The Pinterest 100: Home; Add a touch of warmth and richness with gilded metallic wallpaper.

{Wallpaper continues to make a strong comeback}

The Pinterest 100: Art & design; “Who knew coloring for grown-ups would make a resurgence? I love the idea of getting creative and all of the health benefits that coloring provides. It’s so relaxing!” – Pinner Amy Anderson

{I’m got to coloring books I’m working on and not only is it really relaxing, but it’s a great source for inexpensive artwork too}

The Pinterest 100: Style; Modern “mom jeans” making a comeback. “The skinny jean has ruled denim for the last five years, but this year, all kinds of fresh shapes are gaining ground,” said Pinpolyee and Stylist Larkin Brown. “One of the most popular styles is the Mom jean, a high-rise straight leg with a relaxed fit. While you may think the last thing you need is another pair jeans, changing up your denim style can make a go-to outfit feel brand new.”

{I’m not a fan of the high waist but I’m loving the look of these more relaxed jeans}

The Pinterest 100: Fitness & health; Brain hacks to improve your mental fitness.

{What you think you achieve}

The Pinterest 100: Style; Hands free bags. Belt bag is the new fanny pack.

{A fashion trend I’m loving, especially for flea market days}

The Pinterest 100: Fitness & health; Healing your hair with DIY masks.

{Good for your hair and money saving–double win}

The Pinterest 100: Style; “The new richness with no rules… This trend is all about mixing patterns, embroideries, colors and fabrics,” said Pinner Paul Lowe. “It looks so effortless and fresh.”

{this is one trend that’s not for everyone–pattern mix responsibly my friends}

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You can check out all 100 of the 2016 trending Pins here.

Brass Scales of Justice–A Unique Decorative Accent

December 15, 2015

I’m popping in late today to share a fun little accent I added to our holiday decor.

I found this brass scales of justice at a thrift store a few weeks ago for an amazing price of $10 and have plans to sell it in my Etsy shop. I’ll make it available after the first of the year but until then I decided to use it in my Christmas decor.

I placed the scale on the buffet table in the dining room and added small packages and ornaments to the bowls.

We have several pieces of original artwork in our home and this one in the dining room is one of our prized possessions. It’s a piece by contemporary African American artist John Holyfield.

See my dying poinsettia in the background? Anyone else having a tough time keeping them alive with all this warm weather we’re having?

Come back tomorrow for the finale of the Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour. There’s still lots of decor to see from me and the other bloggers on the tour.

6 Tips for Decorating Your Christmas Tree Like a Pro (Throwback Thursday)

November 19, 2015

It’s Throwback Thursday so I’m republishing one of my most popular holiday how-to post…

How To Decorate Your Christmas Tree Like A Pro!

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When my store was open, one of the most attended workshops I did was called Decorate Your Christmas Tree Like a Pro. While everyone has their own style when it comes to decorating their tree, everyone also wants to know the tips and techniques that designers used to create those over the top trees. Well, today I’m going to let you in on our secrets….

1. DEVELOP A THEME–Every great design project starts with a theme, even decorating a Christmas tree. Having a theme will ensure all the elements work together and that the tree has major impact. Your theme can be as simple as decorating with only red ornaments or as elaborate as creating a rustic yet elegant lodge themed tree. And, even if your tree is decorated with different ornaments collected over the years, that too can serve as your theme! Whatever your theme is, it will serve as the foundation for your overall decorating plan.

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2. LIGHTS FIRST–Lighting a tree is time-consuming, but doing it right makes all the difference in how your tree will look in the end.

* Start at the top of your tree and wrap the lights from the inside trunk towards the outer tips of a branch. Once one branch is covered, create two or three big loops of lights on that same branch back towards the trunk. Move to the next branch and repeat the process. Continue working your way around the tree, covering all the branches. Don’t forget to plug your lights in periodically to make sure they all work and the all the branches are covered well.

* You can adjust the density of the lights by wrapping the lights closer together or further apart.

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3. ADD RIBBON OR FABRIC–While most people add ribbon to their trees, fabric is a great alternative. Ribbon, bows or fabric pieces will provide a backdrop for our ornaments and can be added to your tree in several different ways. One method is to drape the ribbon from top to bottom, tucking it into the tree at intervals. This will create peaks and valleys and create added dimension to your tree decor. Another great trick is to layer several different ribbons together and creating big loops with cascading tails (see top photo).

If you are using bows on your tree, make sure the size and scale of the bow is in keeping with the overall size of the tree….8 to 10 medium size bows on a 9 ft. tree is enough!

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4. ADD DIMENSIONAL PICS OR SPARYS–This one element will do more for your tree than anything else will. Take glitter pics, feather stems or floral stems and place them around your tree randomly. Not only are your creating layers with your tree, but you are adding texture and dimension. On large trees, several styles of pic and be used together while on smaller trees it is best to use a single pic style in mass.

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5. LAYER, LAYER, LAYER–Now it’s time to start adding ornaments. Don’t just place your ornaments on the surface of the tree, layer your ornaments within the tree branches. Place solid colored ornaments deep into the tree and hang the more colorful and ornate ornaments on the tips of the branches.

And remember,

Vary the shapes of sizes of your ornaments

Vary the color tones, using shiny ornaments along with matt and textured finishes

Adding solid color ornaments will help ground the tree and create an element of consistency within your theme

Cluster small ball ornaments together with a wire and hang them in groupings for added impact

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6. THE TOPPER–The top of your tree should really make a statement. Create a unique topper using pics and flower stems, several large bows put together or go add a whimsical element that supports your theme. If you have a traditional topper, use pics at the base of the topper to frame it.