Thursday, May 28, 2009

This post is for all of you who have a big sectional sofa, a fireplace and an entertainment center in your family room.


BEFORE - There are times when the furniture will just not work any other way.

So . . . what do you do to make the difference?

You work with the accessories and help to create
focal points and balance.

AFTER - We did move the entertainment center about a foot to the left, see how it is not so crowded in the corner now. There is more of a balanced feel on that wall.
We centered the clock over the entertainment center and brought in a few other accessories to create a "Unit" or grouping.
It now feels more balanced and like more of a focal point. Also notice the lamp.
It really does add life to the space.


BEFORE - The picture above the fireplace is not quite large enough in scale.



AFTER- We brought in a few more pieces and propped them up together. The FAMILY sign above them all added to the grouping, and gave it more substance to balance the fireplace.



BEFORE- This corner needed a little life.



AFTER- The RED really gave it a pop!



BEFORE- We just moved the red items to a different spot.



AFTER- And replaced them with a nice iron detail.



BEFORE- Notice the rug and above the china hutch.



What did we do?
The red patterned pillows we found in the living room ---
They worked great in tying the red throughout the room.
In this shot you can also see the angle of the rug.
It just made for a little different feel.
Above the china hutch we put some greenery that we found in the basement, and we added a little lamp.
Wow! Doesn't that bring some life to that space.
See what a difference
Little changes can make!




Check out Hooked on Friday's and Beautiful Life



Monday, May 25, 2009

This Living Room is such a great example of pieces of furniture looking good together but not MATCHING exactly!

Notice the black painted coffee table and the two end tables, one is short with a wood stain --- the other tall.

Look at the toss pillows, they all have different fabrics and patterns --- BUT the COLORS go together.


The chairs are slipcovered in white, but have a quilt and pillows using the same colors ---
that is the unifying element.


The mirror and the dresser do not have the same finish, but they look good together.


See the plaid, checks, stripes, and floral ---
Be Brave!
Try a few things together that you normally would not consider.

It can be so fun!





Thursday, May 21, 2009


What makes this little girl room so inviting?

In this first photo you immediately feel the softening of the space because of fabric:
Pillows -- Curtains -- Blankets



On the dresser we placed a lamp and turned it on.

We created a "unit" or grouping with
the little shelf, the wall hangings and the items placed on the dresser.



Notice the little detail of the flying butterflies over the crib.
We also took the matching quilt and just tacked it on the wall, it helps to soften the space.


We added a little pot of flowers on the shelf ---
Notice the odd number of items and that they are at different heights.



Pillows and blankets always make the bedroom feel inviting.



These little pink glass knobs are a fun detail.



The little pot of grass with the flower adds a Natural Element.



See the two pieces of art over the chair --- when you hang them vertically, they create a unit with the chair

So there you have it --- a very inviting little bedroom!



Go on over to Julia's Hooked on Fridays and Melissa's Beautiful Life

Blog parties you will see all kinds of fun stuff!



Monday, May 18, 2009

Fun Curtain Idea

I have a friend with three little boys and a new little girl.
She was so excited to decorate a little girl room.
She found one Pottery Barn curtain panel at a yard sale and
wanted to figure out how to add it to the room.
If you click on the picture to enlarge it you will be able
to see the detail a bit better.


She had already hung the pink satin panels and the sheer white ones.
We just decided to put the Pottery Barn panel with the flowers
right in the middle of the pink ones.
It fits perfectly --- and looks great with the light coming through the white
and the flowers really stand out .


It really adds to the "girlie" factor.


In my next post I will show you the rest of the room!


Thursday, May 14, 2009

So often when we hang pictures on the wall they get hung
right in the middle.

I am wanting to share a few other ways to consider.

In this photo there are two pieces hung vertically, and quite close together, but it works well and helps to create a "unit" with the table and accessories.



Another idea is to hang similar frames in a group so that they have a bigger impact.
See how the amount of space between the frames is about the same all over.



Same idea with the frames on this wall.
bhg



Here is a BEFORE of a dining room. The black and white pictures on the wall are hung quite far apart as if trying to fill more of the space. But it doesn't quite feel right.

The gold colored art on the left rarely gets any attention because it is just a space that they pass by.



In this AFTER shot we just exchanged places with the pictures.
Hanging the black and whites vertically on a wall that has less space.
They fit the scale of that wall better.

The larger gold art fills the bigger wall much better and can now be viewed from the family room. The colors tie in very nicely with the dining and family rooms.



Notice in this BEFORE the wall going up the stairs.
The pictures are spaced quite far apart, as if trying to fill the space.



In the AFTER we just added one more piece and moved them closer together. See how the space between each picture is about the same.

It feels so much better.

Now go and look around your home and see if you can arrange your pictures to be alittle more interesting, and balanced.


I'm participating in Hooked on Friday's and
Melissa's Beautiful Life go and see what's going on over there.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Sometimes, especially in the Spring you just need to give your space a fresh feel.

This living room had many of the right elements, we just
changed things up a bit ---
took out a few items and added a few more.


BEFORE
The space was pretty full, with some larger square end tables, a coffee table as well as a number of dried arrangements.
Visually there was a lot going on.


AFTER

We moved the couch in front of the window and replaced the square wooden end table with a smaller round, that we found in the sun room.

We covered it with a table cloth that just happened to match and used the lace overlay. It worked nicely having a round table to break up all of the heavier square ones that were previously in the space.


BEFORE


AFTER
We just exchanged the artwork with the large mirror.
I really like how as you walk in the front door you can now see your reflection in the mirror.
It livens up the space, as well as reflecting the light from the lamps.


We took out the coffee table, and added a few fresh accessories to the table.




BEFORE

The lace tableclothes are on all of the tables, we removed them and placed the lace on the back of the couches, it just created a little different feel.




AFTER
We took out most of the dried flowers and added a couple of solid colored toss pillows.


Notice in the first photo we have a few touches of red --- a pillow and a book on the table, it really does liven up the room.




Sometimes you just need to FRESHEN up your space.

After all, it is spring--- Go and try it at your house!

Friday, May 8, 2009

I took a little field trip to a shop that I love --- Gatehouse No. 1

I was looking at what they used to accessorize a table top.
It is so fun to see how they follow the same principles in almost every photo.

See what you think.




Lamp, Natural Element, Frame


Lamp, Natural Element, Candles


Lamp, Natural Element . . . See the sets of three,
and the different heights.



Do you notice behind every lamp there is almost always a
Mirror or a Piece of Art ---
that creates a "unit" or a grouping.



Lamp, Natural Element, Bowl with green balls




Isn't that fun!


Now look around your own space ---

could you find a Lamp, Natural Element and
some other doodad!

I am hooked on Table Decor today . . .

Take minute and see what others are hooked on over at

Hooked on Houses.


Monday, May 4, 2009

In my last post I showed these photos and asked ---
"What makes these entry ways welcoming?"

Yes, lamps really do add life to a space and say
"Come on in."

Also see how we created a "Unit" a grouping of items:
the dresser,
the lamp,
books
the flowers
and a piece of art.




All of these entries have a lamp and a
natural element.

I love mirrors in an entry, they work great when you have a very small space and cannot put a table --- just hang a mirror and it feels welcoming.


Notice the lamp and the flowers.

If you have space it is nice to add a few more accessories and a chair with a pillow.

Also do you see how they are grouped --- a piece of art, a lamp, some flowers, books, a frame, a couple of glass vases.



If you have a little less space, use a small table with a lamp and a natural element.

See how the artwork is grouped with the table ---
It works. . . and it says . . .

"Welcome to my House"



A home redo challenge go and enter at Shortmama.