You’ve been kicking around the idea of making a change in your house.
Perhaps one of your rooms needs better function and you’re looking for help re-configuring doorways, closets or moving plumbing and electrical.
Or
You might need help sourcing new furniture because you’re in a new house and your old stuff doesn’t fit or your layout needs tweaking.
There’s a pro for every project imaginable but not every pro is right for every project.
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Nothing makes a room feel more like a cave than a single light source, especially if the room is small.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a ceiling fixture, floor lamp or table lamp, one light source will highlight shadowy areas and really make the walls feel like their closing in.
The solution doesn’t have to involve installing expensive hardwiring.
You can absolutely achieve a fantastic lighting scheme with a simple formula and a few clever tricks so you can enjoy a properly lit room.
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Accent furniture is a piece of furniture that compliments a space.
Literally it is a piece that emphasizes something like a color or style.
Accent furniture adds the punctuation to a room, providing a pause as you peruse the space.
Often, they complete a design; adding that last detail, or filling an awkward corner where nothing else works.
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Have you ever noticed art that just doesn’t look right in someone’s house?
I’ll bet you’ve looked at it and thought, “wow, that’s way too high up!”
Like there’s a ton of space between the floor or whatever is underneath it and it looks weird.
Or worse, if the piece is super tiny and it’s hung so high it’s hugging the ceiling… Ugh!
Nothing ruins an awesome piece of art like an incorrect placement.
I’m definitely not a stickler for EVERY home decorating standard and I’ll be the first to break the rules if I think something will look better another way.
However, some rules, like the right way to hang art, make a lot of sense.
Art looks best when you can appreciate it straight on.
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Do you believe that what you think can influence your life? If the only word you find to describe your living room is blah, you’re letting your thoughts affect your feelings.
A blah room is uninspiring and dull.
I’ll bet if you felt that way about the clothes you wore, you’d go shopping for some new pieces or accessories to jazz things up, right?
You wouldn’t go years feeling the blahs with your outfits without making some changes.
Why would you live with décor that made you feel that way and expect to feel differently without making changes?
Just like a new outfit, new throw pillows or an area rug won’t change the course of your life, but they can ignite a spark that inspires a revolution in the way you feel about your room.
How you think can about your home will shape your reality.
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Area rugs can be the impetus for a total room makeover. They help to define a space. They anchor your furniture in your living room. They compose the functionality of your dining table. And, they define and reinforce the aesthetics and functionality of your bed.
The thing about rugs is people often choose the wrong size for the shape and size of their room.
You wouldn’t buy shoes that were 4 sizes too small and expect them to fit comfortably, right?
The same goes for rugs.
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Choosing furnishings, paint colors or accessories for your house can be a lot of fun.
But if you have difficulty making decorating decisions this process can be torture.
Making decorating decisions is a mental game.
If you’re feeling stuck, it’s critical to get a handle on exactly why you’re procrastinating or feeling overwhelmed with making choices.
If you’re triggered by feeling something’s wrong with you because you don’t love the latest trend even though all your friends are gaga for it, this post is for you.
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I watched video after video of “here’s how to recognize Mid-Century Modern Sofas” from a handful of novice decorators. What I saw had as much to do with Mid Century Modern sofas as if Abraham Lincoln hitched a ride on a SpaceX rocket for a stroll on the moon.
Yes, quite a few of the videos showed a Mid Century looking sofa, and I’m good with that. I think a reproduction that gives you that look and aesthetic is great. But, don’t tell your audience that a fuchsia tufted Chesterfield loveseat will check the Mid Century vibe you’re wanting.
When you’re planning a makeover with a specific aesthetic, it’s important to understand why a sofa or couch fits into a particular style. It’s also important to know basic terminology for a particular style so you can adequately communicate exactly what you want to a furniture store salesperson or designer.
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We’re all looking at our small living rooms and wondering how we can improve their layouts or get more functionality out of the space.
In many small homes the living room is where we spend most of our time.
We’re working from home and putting together makeshift offices and homeschooling nooks in living rooms.
And I suspect that we’re probably sick of the way things look, décor, rugs, wall color, etc.
Maybe because they have to be more than just “living rooms” we’re interested in how to get multi-function without sacrificing style.
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Little houses usually don’t Have big rooms where you can experiment and close them off until you’re ready to reveal your creativity. That luxury of space doesn’t exist for small homes where the all rooms are literally steps away from the front door.
So, it’s totally understandable to not want to challenge tried and true small space decorating ideas in favor bold, gutsy choices. But, when you think about a bold decorating choice as a way to highlight the good or diminish the bad, then the prospect of embracing that choice isn’t as scary.
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Small living rooms can be challenging to decorate. This is especially true if you feel that your room is small and boxy.
If you’ve struggled to make your small living room feel a bit roomier, using mirrors in strategic and creative ways can help to make your space feel bigger and brighter.
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Sometimes there’s a fine line between styling a shelf and overloading it. I recall one of the pearls of wisdom Coco Channel said, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off.” This advice applies perfectly to decorating wall shelves too.
It’s especially relevant for small, floating shelves. Their openness doesn’t provide much space to hide stuff. And, when you cram too much stuff on an open shelf, you know it right away because it feels heavy and unbalanced.
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I’m going to break down the top 4 outdoor fabric types and give you the low down on the durability, clean-ability, water resistance, mildew resistance and UV protection for each.
Depending on your home turf, you’ll have all the information you need to make a solid buying decision whether you’re looking to purchase a full outdoor seating area or if you’re in the market for accents like pillows and curtains.
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The outside patio dining area isn’t all that different from the dinning area inside the house. Many of the same rules apply to placing furniture so that you get the most comfortable and functional space possible.
And, now that we’re spending a lot more time at home, it’s even more important to have a space that’s just as comfortable and inviting outside as you have inside.
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Chances are the summer of 2020 will be nothing like previous summers. A global pandemic has many of our favorite theme parks, concert tours and any large gathering activities closed cancelled and shelved. But before you go and get all bummed out, this could be the year of the epic staycation!
If you can’t or are unwilling to brave the usual summer fun times this year, why not invest in a sweet outdoor space instead?
Take a look around the yard and see where you might put down some paver stones or have a small cement pad installed. Maybe you already have a small patio space that’s been neglected or under used over the years?
If there was a year to put a little elbow grease into that outside space, this is that year!
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Ah, the small house… It’s often described as charming, cozy and quaint. But what you don’t hear it described as roomy, accommodating or versatile. That’s because unlike larger homes with space to spread out and grow, smaller homes are finite, and you have to work with what you’ve got.
There’s no “bonus” room that lacks definition, or a great room in addition to the family room and living room. Nope, the small house is purposeful. Bedroom(s), kitchen, living, and bath are all exactly what they are intended to be with little wiggle room for any other purpose.
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Small living rooms can be a P.I.T.A. Especially long narrow ones. It often feels like you’re playing Tetris; trying to maneuver a beefy couch next to a an even beefier chair. You lug and push until you’re too exhausted to care and you just leave your furniture any old way to avoid more stress. After a couple of weeks of “living with it,” you look at it and you know there’s a better way to arrange it so, on you go again, lugging and pushing, micro-positioning and tweaking angles ever-so-slightly…
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Maybe you’re fed up with the lumpy sofa and you can go through one more Netflix binge on something that feels like you’re sitting on a bag of sand and rocks.
But, if your room has a tricky layout or architectural obstacles, you may be hesitating to pull the trigger on new furniture.
Whatever the case, furniture shopping has changed for the moment and making the right decisions from home, when you can’t see or touch furniture, is more important than ever for determining a good experience from a bad one.
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What happens when you mix the relatively minimalist Scandinavian design aesthetic with the maximalist Bohemian look? Well you get Boho-navian or Sandi-hemian. Whatever you call it, it’s a pretty distinct pairing that’s as unique as you are.
You get to have all the color and whimsey of Boho with the restrain and curation of Scandinavian. And that can fit delightfully well in small homes.
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When a modern house is paired with rustic touches, there’s this phenomenon that takes the edge off the starkness of the modern style. Rustic’s texture and warmth contrasts modern’s simplicity and coolness by mixing in history with aged materials and worn in vintage charm.
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