Decor – Retro versus Outdated June 18, 2012
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There can be a fine line in design and fashion between something being retro and vintage, and something being outdated. The amount of time between now and the time period of the retro piece or style have a lot to do with it. Something that is over thirty years old will begin to feel retro, while something that is ten or fifteen years old may just feel outdated.
Because of the nature of trends in design and fashion, what was once popular will often come back in style. This is the case for vintage and retro design styles inspired by mid-century style. The 50s, 60s and 70s are all big influences on the modern chic and retro styles popular in both design and fashion. Television shows set in this time period are a big part of the current craze for all things modern and retro.
Today’s retro style is more than recreating pure mid-century style. This kitchen is a great example of a vintage dining room that has mid-century style but doesn’t feel current. It feels somewhat outdated despite having many design elements popular today, like cork flooring. The color palette could be updated to reflect today’s preferences as well. retro style is about mixing up pieces rather than using full sets. Replacing the table or chairs with slightly more contemporary pieces would change the look and feel of the room. Lowering the pendant light or replacing it with a larger fixture would also help bring this room into the 21st century.
Decor – The Mediterranean Living Room June 11, 2012
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Mediterranean style is a catchall for gorgeous design elements from Italy, Spain, Greece and even Morocco and Turkey. These countries that border the Mediterranean have a shared love of a beautiful, nature inspired, laid-back lifestyle that revolves around gatherings of family and friends. Mediterranean style can include architecture from Italy, tiles from Spain, lighting from Morocco, colors from Greece and rugs from Turkey. It is an international style that works well for living room and kitchen design for today’s families.
This living room has beautiful high ceilings and arched windows that make it feel like it could be in Tuscany. Dark walnut wood floors or stone tile floors would work well with the architecture of this room. The coffered ceiling adds additional architectural details to the room. To let the architecture be the star, the room’s color palette is kept to earth tones and neutrals.
The area rug is a deep red that works well with the antique walnut table that centers the seating arrangement. The pair of sofas in neutral upholstery are good basics. The look of the sofas could be changed and updated with patterned and solid pillows along with colorful throws.
Accessories are a wonderful way to personalize a space. Choosing patterns imported from or inspired by the countries that make up Mediterranean influence would strengthen the feel of Mediterranean style in the room. Collect them on your travels to Italy and Spain. Or search your local retailers for pieces inspired by Mediterranean living. Look for textiles, pottery and metalwork to complete your Mediterranean style living room.
Deep Colors in the Dining Room June 5, 2012
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Dining rooms can handle deep colors because they are used primarily in the evening. Unlike a kitchen that’s bathed in natural light during the day, the dining room’s evening activities allow it to be illuminated by electric lighting to set the mood. Deep colors on the walls, furniture and flooring create a rich atmospheric feeling that is perfect for formal meals and entertaining.
Deep green covers the walls in this transitional dining room. Deep wood tones of the table and chairs nicely complement both the wood floors and the paint color. White accents such as the chair upholstery and trim color keep the space from feeling too dark. Large windows would allow natural light during the day. Window treatments would give the windows a more formal, polished feeling in a formal dining room.
The beautiful chandelier provides ambient and overhead lighting for evening meals. Wall sconces or a buffet with a pair of lamps could add additional light in the room. Having several sources of light will create a more rounded light in the room than a single overhead fixture or chandelier.
The deep color of the walls could be picked up in an area rug under the chair that ties together the browns of the table and flooring as well as the white on the chairs and trim. Layering and mixing the room’s colors together creates a more cohesive design. China and table linens can also be used to pull in the wall color for a polished tablescape.
Great Room Style with Great Architecture May 28, 2012
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It’s the architectural decisions that make this home special. It’s a perfect combination of an open floor plan and a well-defined living space.
The flooring changes in level and material from area to area, helping to create clear definitions without having to resort to full walls. Dropping the living room by one step sets it up as the center of the home while really showcasing the bright light stone flooring. Twenty-four inch stone tiles and no visible grout lines create a shiny modern floor that really works with the muted light Oriental rug and classic furniture.
The ceiling also varies dramatically from area to area, with wood beams and soffits helping to show separation while not limiting the open view throughout the space. Unusual touches such as the triangular skylight add a daring element.
The kitchen, set at the center back of the photo, has a three-step approach and just enough walls to allow a separation from the rest of the home. By dimming the lights the way they are in this photo, it’s easy to ignore dirty dishes and other kitchen clutter after a dinner party.
The many variations in this space would feel busy without the consistency in design and color. The columns that delineate the corners are all the rich camel-color of natural leather with an interesting set of lines that are also consistent from one to another. The same color is reflected in the wood steps and thresholds.
The décor of the room works very well, but this home would be interesting even empty. When you start with a good design, it’s easier to find furniture that takes advantage of a space rather than having to hide problems. This home works.
Decor – Adding a Natural Touch May 14, 2012
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Bonsai miniature trees bring nature inside, but they aren’t the only way to add a natural touch to a room. House plants can add color, texture and even clean the air in a room, making the home not only prettier but fresher. A weekly purchase of fresh flowers can brighten any room in the home for as little as ten dollars. These natural touches are great reminders of the changing seasons.
You can get the look of real house plants with silk plants but you won’t get the added benefit of a living breathing plant cleaning your home’s air. Some designers are against silk and fake plants. We say buy what you love. If you have a black thumb, a real ficus tree probably isn’t the best choice for your home.
Other natural touches can be added in more subtle ways. Choosing natural materials for the fabrics and flooring in your home will add natural elements. Wool carpeting, wood or bamboo floors, cork floors, cotton, silk or wool upholstery—there are many options for going natural in your decorating. Sisal and jute are woven materials commonly used in area rugs that add great texture as well as a natural feeling to a design.
Whether you choose fresh flowers, house plants or natural materials, adding a few natural elements to your home’s interiors can make it a healthier as well as prettier home for you and your family.
Color In Room Decor May 7, 2012
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Color can be used as the building blocks for a room design. Selecting colors for a room and building a design off of a color palette is one way to build a design from scratch for a room. Knowing what colors you want in the room on the walls, floors and furniture will set the foundation for the rest of the design.
There are several ways to build a room design with color. You may start with the walls with a specific color in mind. Or you might base a room design off of the upholstery of a piece of furniture or the fabric of a curtain or pillow. You might pull colors from a wallpaper for an accent wall. Choose colors that you love and you will be happy to live with them.
No matter if you start with the color of the carpet or the sofa, work with a color palette to create an overall design for the room. You can build off of a single color or a group of colors. Select a paint color for the walls that works with the furniture, flooring and curtains. Bring samples of your paint, upholstery and floor with you when shopping for accent pieces.
Looking at a color wheel can help inspire you as well. The color wheel is the building block of creating a room full of colors that harmonize and complement each other. Knowing what colors contrast other colors can help you add the right pop of color to make a room look polished.
A Basement Remodel that Works April 2, 2012
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If you are thinking about doing a basement remodel to create more living space or making a home theater, this is the post for you. Basements have a reputation for being dark, unwelcoming and have low ceilings. The old notion of a basement as a “rec room” should be tossed aside in today’s home design. While the typical basement will never be a sun-filled space, there are tricks to making a basement feel open and welcoming.
This basement remodel is a great example of what to do right when redoing a basement. Let’s look at the elements that work here and can work for most basement remodels.
The flooring is a light color, which helps open up the space. Wood floors are not a good idea for below grade space, but if you love the look of wood floors you could use laminate to get the look of wood.
Carrying the light color onto the ceiling also makes the typically low ceiling feel higher. Recessed lighting bathes the room in light and doesn’t lower the feeling of the ceiling. Recessed lighting can also create lighting zones for different activities. Darker color on the walls is balanced by the light floors and ceiling.
Natural stone creates a focal wall in the space and adds some great texture. An alcove for the television and entertainment center has a built-in feeling. The alcove also creates more space in the main seating area of the room, which is divided into zones by the furniture arrangement.
Tips to take away from this basement remodel are: use lighting to create zones; keep things light on the floor and ceiling; arrange furniture to divide the space into activity areas.
Dealing with Outdated Decor February 20, 2012
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Watching design shows and house hunting shows is a great way to learn about dealing with outdated décor. A house may be beautiful on the outside and even be mostly updated, but often there are one or two spaces in the home that need a design overhaul. Dealing with outdated décor can be intimidating and overwhelming. There are simple things that can be done to quickly deal with outdated décor.
This hall and staircase are a great example of a space that hasn’t been updated in decades. The avocado shag carpeting on the stairs, the dark wood paneling, old fashioned wallpaper and a now vintage light fixture date this space to the last century.
A few design tricks can transform this space from outdated to fresh and current. First step is removing the carpet on the stairs. If the stairs underneath are wood and in good shape you can stop there. Replacing the carpet with a runner or painting the stairs will transform them.
Removing the wood paneling would be ideal, but you never know what you’ll find behind it. Painting it a nice glossy white will open up the space and make it feel bright and fresh. The outdated wallpaper could be kept if the pattern was vintage enough to be in style again. Otherwise the paper should come down. This can be a messy task but so worth it. Paint can transform the bare wall.
After these changes the vintage light fixture might be a standout. Otherwise a simple pendant or small drum shade would be a good bet.
Interesting and Comfortable Urban Chic February 7, 2012
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This room demonstrates a classic urban chic look. Now most people think of urban chic as cold and even a bit unfriendly, but when done properly, it can be warm and inviting. The limited accessories and clean lines create a refreshing mood, and a careful choice of architectural features can create interest despite plenty of bare space.
Take a look at this room. The lines are simple and strong, without doors separating the functional spaces. The fireplace is sleek without the distraction of a mantel. Accessories consist of one sculpture and a bowl of unornamented spheres. There is only one rather large piece of art hanging in the entire room. Yet, this space has much to capture the eye.
The stone floor is unobtrusive but it fits well with the other choices. The fireplace wall showcases three types of stone: limestone on the large wall, granite inset to help the fireplace stand out, and white marble for the hearth. This wall needs no art – it is a work of art all by itself.
The large area rug doesn’t demand attention, but it provides an appealing amount of pattern in a look both tribal and contemporary. The two throw pillows on the far sofa provide the only splash of obvious luxury, yet the entire room demonstrates a willingness to spend what’s needed to make the space work.
And as you can see, modern does not mean uncomfortable. The young owner of this room certainly looks contented napping on that sleek yet still comfy couch. If you are drawn to the urban chic style, you can get the look you want while still creating a livable and enjoyable home.
Gentle, Charming Bedroom January 31, 2012
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Would you like to add charm to your bedroom? This room provides some great ideas for warming up a space. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Choose a soft color palette. The peaches and delicate creams work well with the light wood furniture and mid-tone wood flooring. The overall feel is comfortable and inviting.
Add some black. The fireplace and accessories, along with the china dog in the foreground, add just enough dark tones to keep the room from becoming bland. Minor touches of black ground a room and provide a good contrast to the lighter elements.
Include puffs and ruffles. The extra fabric and padding make the room feel more comfy and encourage stretching out on the soft-looking bed. This gentle mood has support from the plush area rug, which looks particularly inviting for bare feet.
Look at lighting. The window light is diffused, indicating a covered patio or porch that’s reducing any glare from outside. Inside, candles in and above the fireplace offer light without being too bright. The almost-white walls and ceiling also reflect and carry the light.
Keep window-coverings simple. In this case drapes that match the walls provide a functional answer to light control while staying in the background. Light-toned blinds or shades would serve a similar purpose.
Take advantage of architecture. The fireplace in the corner provides a warm focal point that really suits the style of the room. Don’t hesitate to play up advantages like that to add personality to a room.
What ideas can you capture from this room to make your bedroom more charming?