Accessories

House Plants For Any Home

September 20, 2019

Silk plants have come a long way, and even the brownest thumb can “grow” them, but they pale in comparison to live, lush indoor house plants. There are so many reasons growing real indoor plants enhance interior living spaces. They add vibrant energy, are oxygenators and air purifiers, and many require only minimal care.

Plus, I’ll tell you a little secret: when you grow indoor house plants, you start to become attached. They wind up feeling like the world’s lowest maintenance pets.

10 House Plants That Enhance Interior Living Spaces (no green thumb required!)

Plants add style and visual interest in corners, underneath windows, ascending a stairway or while as center pieces on dining, coffee and end tables. The following 10 plants are easy to maintain, and many will allow you to take cuttings so you can add to your own collection or give them away as gifts to family and friends.

Snake Plant. The erect, variegated green and yellow leaves in this plant look fabulous in modern home designs where lines and angles are the norm. They aren’t too picky about light, but do love water so keep their soil moist.
Succulents. The only warning I have regarding these plants is, “Watch out! They are addictive.” Succulent nurseries have a myriad of choices, all with their own unique shapes, colors and personalities. Once you start a succulent garden (in a tea cup, a planter, a pot, an antique serving bowl, almost anything…) you’ll be a fan.
Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree. These get fairly good size, up to 8 feet or more, and are fast growers. You can prune them to keep them in check. They make great corner fillers. They like their soil to dry out between waterings – so once every couple weeks is often enough.
Cacti. Like succulents, cacti require very little water but there are so many different sizes and shapes to choose from. Obviously, location matters – especially if you have pets or small children.
Rubber Tree. Large, oblong leaves with a thick rubber-like texture characterize the popular rubber tree, which likes bright but indirect sunlight. It also likes dry soil between waterings.
Aloe Vera. Every home should have an Aloe Vera plant. If not for its cool aesthetic, the Aloe Vera will be valued for it’s medicinal properties. Cut a leaf and use the clear, oozing Aloe Vera gel to soothe sunburns, skin abrasions and other dermal upsets.
Fiji Palm. The miniature version of the Fiji Palm will add a youthful and fun energy to any room. The broad palm leaves will also serve as a medium for your beach getaway fantasies. They do fine with moderate sunlight or downright shady locations and don’t need to be watered often.
Shamrock Plant. This is such a sweet, gentle and cheerful little plant. Like it’s name suggests, it is comprised of shamrock-shaped leaves and kids will delight in trying to find the very rare and illusive four-leaf clover. It can handle shade, only needs water once a week and its low-profile makes it ideal for window sills and table tops.
Calathea. Here’s another plant with bold and beautiful leaves. The Calathea’s leaves have striking green and white markings on the front with a rich eggplant purple underside. It likes moist soil and prefers hidden corners or areas without much direct light.
English Ivy. Like the ever-popular Pothos plant, English Ivy is a robust and hardy cascading plant that can take a beating and always comes back. It’s also one of the best air purifiers, and is excellent at removing mold spores from the environment!

Using Textiles To Dress Up Your Interior Design

September 5, 2019

If you’re exploring the idea of redecorating or remodeling your home, odds are you’ve seen the word textile crop up a time or ten in your reading and website explorations. Unless you live in a concrete home, with concrete finishes, and you live your life as a committed nudist – textiles are woven (pun intended) into virtually every aspect of your life.

Simply put, a textile is anything made from fibers, yarn, or fabric. Your rugs and carpets are textiles, your drapes and valances are textiles. The covers on your accent pillows are textiles, as are your sheets, towels, throws, blankets and duvet covers. Without textiles, the world would be a stark, cold and visually boring place.

Here are some of the most common ways you can use textiles to create more attractive, interesting and comfortable living spaces:

Just Add Color

Unlike coats of paint or more permanent infrastructure selections (like cabinet colors and countertops), most textiles are able to move with you when you go. Or, they can be easily traded, sold, or donated to make way for a whole new look. As such, textiles are a smart way to add color to your home, especially bolder colors, or louder prints, which may be your cup of tea now – but that are more transient in trend nature.

Explore the World of Patterns

Patterns are so fun to work with, but they can also be challenging. How much is too much, and how do you transition different patterns so they don’t become too busy? Working with textiles is a smart way to introduce patterns that you like, or that are trending, without worrying about a permanent effect.

Plus, since textiles are portable, you can play around and see what goes best where. I invite you to read, How Many Patterns Can Fit Into One Space, to learn more about decorating with patterned textiles. When in doubt, work with textiles that have variations in pattern within the same color or similar tones and then branch out from there.

Interior Design Hint: When you’re ready to repaint a room, or are looking to freshen up a room’s color palette, start paying attention to colorful patterns that draw your eye. Look at how the colors work together, and then use those colors to inspire your own interior design color choices.

Enjoy a Textured Design

Have you ever entered a home that seems “picture perfect” and yet, somehow, it still falls a little flat? Odds are, the homeowner or their designer didn’t include enough variations in texture. The world of textiles is your texture oyster, so have fun.

Take stock of each room in your house and notice if it needs a little texture and, if so, what kind? Does it need some softening? Look for textiles in soft fabrics – think curvy, billowy and fluffy. Or, perhaps you need something with depth, in which case a rich, shag area rug may be the ticket, or some throw pillows with large, 3-D adornments. If you need to rough it up a bit, look for blankets or window coverings with a chunkier, loose and/or raw-type weave. Check out, Texture and Interior Design, for more about the importance of using texture in your home.

Dress it Up or Down

What do you think of when you hear the words silk or velvet? What about muslin or plain cotton? The first two have associations with luxury, while the latter two are considered more natural and earthy. Just as their names are associated with a particular energy, the textiles you select can dress a room up or down.

Choose fabrics that make sense with the energy or feeling you want to create in a room. A luxury fabric like silk or velvet are ideal for a formal living room, dining room or the boudoir. Your muslin or plain cotton fabrics will work well in a casual family room or your shabby-chic décor.

Use Textiles as a Focal Point

Your textiles can also be used as works of art, serving as a focal point in the room. Investors pay tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars for antique oriental rugs or Navajo blankets. A textile with a stunning design can become an impressive wall hanging, for example. You can cover an entryway bench with an eye-catching table runner or highlight it by featuring an assemblage of throw pillows.

The Art Of Flower Display

August 31, 2019

With the return of spring comes the return of flowers – and flowering branches – which can make a tremendous addition to your interior design. While vases are lovely, sometimes it’s fun to think outside the vase, finding unique containers in which to show off your garden’s bounty.

10 New Ways to Display Your Flower Arrangements

While you’re in the process of spring cleaning and organizing, start thinking in terms of reduce-reuse-recycle to find eclectic ways to use a variety of containers and vessels.

Teacups in saucers. In addition to being a sweet way to show off individual blooms or small clusters, this is also a good method for getting that collection of antique teacups and saucers out on display. They look sweet on shelves or small end tables or you can line them up as a centerpiece for the dining room table.
Children’s rain boots. Kids grow in and out of their galoshes so quickly, but you can put them to use year after year as a watertight floral vase. It’s a fun way to add color and interest and a little something different to the mix. They’ll work indoors but will also serve as a clever springtime addition to porches or hanging from the front window ledges.
Recycled bottles. Use colorful or beautifully shaped bottles solo or in groups. Rinsed out bottles make a lovely home for a tall, stalk-like blooms. You may want to anchor them on the bottom with tacky putty in case they’re top-heavy to protect glass from toppling over and breaking in a strong breeze.
Watering cans. Have a watering can that has rusted through? Turn it into a flower container with a florist’s frog in the middle to retain moisture and hold flowers in place.
Colorful pots. Rather than planting a pot, insert a frog and use the pot as a display for groups of stalk-like flowers or tall cut grasses.
Conch shells. Are you a fan of beach house décor? Put those conch shells to use by flipping them open-side-up and sticking a bloom or two inside. With a little arranging, you can come up with some gorgeous looks, including cascading blooms or sweet succulent gardens. These are a fun surprise on book shelves or window sills.
Jars, jars and jars. Even if you are a serial-recycler, it can be tough to throw away all those jars left over from foodstuffs. Once the labels are soaked off, however, those empty jars make a perfect vessel for displaying flower arrangements or a single, stunning blossom. You can also use them to starting new plants from houseplant cuttings – kids will enjoy watching the roots begin to sprout and grow. You can tie a ribbon or colored raffia around the necks for color and a little traditional flair.
Printed tin boxes. Prop open the lid of an old tin box and you have the perfect container for flowers. Tin boxes come in all shapes and sizes and are a fun theme as you coordinate the right tins for the right locations and rooms.
Pitchers. I have found stunning pitchers for a song at local thrift stores and flea markets. You can store them easily in a box in between times and use different sizes, shapes, patterns and colors to suit your seasonal needs or the whimsy of your moods.
Coffee Cans. A coffee can will serve as the foundation for a myriad of external decorating motifs. From asparagus spears, upright and tied with a bow, to twigs of various shapes and sizes, seashells, glass beads and more. Get creative and enjoy transforming old coffee cans into shabby-chic delights.

Fifty Shades of White

August 25, 2019

Are you tempted to decorate a room using only shades of white? It’s a brave endeavor, but when done well all white rooms are absolutely stunning. They make you stop in your tracks and take a big, deep, pleasurable breath. The effect should be completely relaxing and provide an inviting space for you and your guests to sit down and enjoy rare moments of uncluttered mental and physical space.

Tips for Decorating an All White Room

First, let’s eliminate some of the negative connotations that go along with all white interiors. The most common, of course, is that they are difficult to keep clean. Keeping an all white room clean is a challenge, that’s true. They are not recommended if the room will be in the constant flight pattern of children or pets. That being said, being smart about your fabric and furnishings choices will go a long way towards helping you design an all white space that can, indeed, be kept white.

Secondly, all white rooms have a reputation for being sterile. Au contraire! This has much more to do with design and materials choices than it does about the fact that white spaces are boring. White is an accumulation of all the colors in the spectrum, so choosing varying shades, paying attention to lighting and using the right accents, your white room will be visually interesting.

Now that we’ve dispelled your doubts, let’s move on to the tips and tricks that will make your white room a showpiece in your home.

Choose the right white(s). Just as there are varying shades of blue or red, there are a variety of whites. Some are cooler and cast blue or grey tones. Others are warmer and will look more creamy. Selecting the right whites for your tastes is the first step. Typically, cooler whites are used in modern designs and warmer, creamier whites are used in traditional and transitional spaces.

A modern space will lean toward cool whites as well as linear accents and smooth surfaces with an occasional textural pop. You may opt for accents like metallics, glass or mirrored furniture that add visual interest and dimension but don’t veer from the modern aesthetic.
A traditional space will have more creamy whites and play up textures using lace, wool and distressed wood furnishings. Shiny accents and smooth surfaces are usually kept to a minimum. Vintage and antique furnishings will also enhance this aesthetic.

You must have texture. Those cold and clinical rooms we talked about above? Those are almost always the byproduct of a designer who didn’t pay attention to the textural elements. If color isn’t going to be the way you draw the eye, then texture is a must. There should be elements of soft and hard, low-profile fibers and more wooly or nubbly ones. Use a variety of finishes from high-gloss to matte sheens. Together, your varying textures will create a more interesting environment. Try to mix elements as well – wood, metal, glass, stone, natural fibers, etc.

Use stunning accents. As an interior decorator, I can never advocate “standard” accessories. I feel every piece should have a specific purpose. That being said, an all white room needs to have exceptionally purposeful accents and accessories since every angle, and every wall hanging, will draw the eye.

Making A Statement With Oversized Art

August 18, 2019

Are you done with organizing all your smaller prints and family photos on gallery walls and shelves? Perhaps it’s time to think bigger – like, a LOT bigger – and go oversized. Contrary to what you might think – it can be easier to deal with oversized art because unlike its smaller, normal-sized counterparts, there are only so many places you can install it.

Decorating With Oversized Art

The fun thing about oversized paintings, photos and murals is that they are unable to be ignored. They say, “Look at me and pay homage…” the way an average still-life or a lovely, autographed photo might not.

That being said, large paintings and art pieces become a part of your interior design rather than being an accent, and for that reason – it can take a little bit of planning, rearranging or even redecorating in order to make the statement you want to make with oversized pieces.

Clear a wall and make space. It goes without saying that an impressive work of art will requires an equally impressive display space. And, in the name of balance, it will also need an appropriate amount of white space (or whatever color wall you have) around it. Thus, you’re usually looking at the sacrifice of an entire wall, the whole section of wall on a stair landing, a half-wall dividing two open spaces, or an something like that.
Use a simple frame. In most cases, a large canvas will not require much in the way of framework. Depending on the size of the wall in question, you may not need a frame at all. Like I mentioned above, the wall space around the work of art can serve as a frame on its own. Otherwise, it may only require the simplest of frames so nothing detracts from the focus of the artwork.
Echo the art in your interior design. Of course, one of the most striking ways to make a large piece of art a part of your living space, and vice versa, is to echo elements of the work in other design accents and features. This can be done via color, shapes, pattern or theme. It can also include the echoing of texture.
Enhance your minimalist motif. Are you a modern minimalist? If so, it can be difficult to strike the balance between a room that is stylishly minimal and one that just looks empty and boring. Counterintuitively, more can be less when it comes to oversized artworks. A large canvas or a detailed wall mural will fill up the space, making your solo chair and end table, or a couple of comfortable poufs, look completely natural and not at all overshadowed by the otherwise empty floor space.
Do consider proportions. While the above is true in minimal designs, more typical home designs will need to take proportion into consideration. Large art can dwarf standard size furnishings so be aware. You may need to purchase new furniture, or do a little furniture arranging, so the furnishings “fit” the artwork.
Think about using panels. If you live in a small space, are intimidated by the scope and breadth of a single-large panel, or have windows that ruin your grand oversized art plan – not to worry. Take a different approach and look for a large piece that is intentionally divided into panels. The panels can have just a few inches or a couple of feet in between them. They can be offset at angles, which can trick the eye in a room with low ceilings – making it appear taller than it is. Or, you can place it along the wall without a care for the windows that interrupt it.
Take a softer approach. Similarly, if you like the idea of a single, large canvas but don’t want it to take over the whole room – look for abstracts or landscapes in soft, pale tones. The piece will still make a statement without overwhelming your current design.