Finding your inspiration, step by step

You can easily create a stylish room that reflects your taste on a very small budget.  They key is to make sure your inspiration is coming from something you really love so that you love everything you create to match it.  Here are a few steps to decorating a room from your inspiration piece:

First, Find an item that really speaks to you.  It can be as simple as this Anthropologie mug.  You don't even have to purchase the item, as long as you can get a picture of it.

Second, visit a paint store and pick free paint chips that match the colors on your inspiration piece.  If you are using the mug, you will want yellow, green, white, and blue, all in the tones found on the mug.  It's important that you look for colors in the right tone.  If your inspiration piece has a mustard yellow, then choose a mustard yellow, not a bright yellow.

Third, take note of the patterns in your inspiration piece.  It is a busy pattern? Is it a floral? Is it stripes? Is there lots of dead space?  Are there multiples?  Try to incorporate those patterns into your design.  You see on the mug pictured that there are multiple circle designs along the base of the mug.  One way to reflect this pattern in a room would be to have a collection of matching plates arranged on the wall.

Fourth, start incorporating the colors into your space.  Paint your walls.  Paint any furniture that doesn't fit with your inspiration.  Cover any upholstery with a fabric that matches.  Use whatever you can that you already have in the colors and patterns that you find in your inspiration piece.

Fifth, shop for items that you don't have, but always keep your inspiration item in mind.  I have actually printed out pictures of inspiration items and kept them in my wallet while shopping.  Even if you have to purchase low-end or cheap items for your room, you will find they they look nicer when they fit into your overall design.  I've found some great items at garage sales and thrift stores when I know what I'm looking for.  It keeps me from buying something just because I like it or its a good price.  If it doesn't match your inspiration piece, then you don't want it in the room.

Make it yours

Recently we were invited over to a friend's house for dinner.  As we sat around the table after the meal, I complimented the progress they had made on the house since I saw it right after closing.  My friend responded with a comment like, "Oh, thanks.  I know it isn't very up-to-date or trendy, but I love the colors we chose.  It fits us."  I loved her response.  Isn't that what it's all about anyway?  When you are decorating a commercial site, it is important to have something up-to-date with the crowd that you want to draw.  But when you are decorating a home, you want to have something that fits the crowd that lives there.

Honestly, who cares about what is in House Beautiful?  Those pictures are of something that works for a specific person.  If you are a family that loves hunting and the outdoors, it is absolutely beautiful to have a moose poking his head out of your wall somewhere.  If you are a family who loves to read, a stack of books for a nightstand might just be the thing.  If you are a family with active little ones, then maybe a built in climbing wall in the hallway would look fabulous.

Good design is about making a space beautiful for the people who use it.  So, don't get too stuck on pinterest or magazines. Spend more time putting together ideas based on what you and your people love to do.  Do you homeschool at the dining room table every day?  Why not paint one of the dining walls with chalkboard!  Do you spend most of the day tearing apart the living room with your toddlers?  Why not construct a beautiful play-tent for the corner!  Do you love the beach and wouldn't mind too much if you were daily sweeping up sand?  You might just need to start looking for a jute rug.  There are so many different ways to make a space lovely.  Most of those choices are based on who will be there and how you want them to feel there.  Study your people.  Make something that they will love.

Inspiration from Textiles

Sorry for the long absence, but what kind of blog would this be without a few of those apologies, right?  I have no excuses.  I've just been busy doing all the things that I like more than being on the computer.  But on to the subject at hand....inspiration from textiles!  Yes!  This is something that interior designers do all the time.  It's a little secret trick that really isn't that much of a secret.  When you're looking to pick the colors and designs for a room, try visiting the fabric store first.  Pick out a fabric that you love - you have to love the combination of colors, and the ratio of colors.  Do you want something that is mostly pink, or something that just has a splash of pink?  Go ahead and get a swatch of the fabric.  Even if you never use it in the space, it will be your go-to color palette.  You can use any colors on the fabric and know they will work well together.  You can carry the fabric in your purse and pull it out when shopping for accessories.  If you pick a fabric that has a light background, go with an airy color on the walls.  It will give the same vibe as the fabric.  Making sense?  It really simplifies alot of the decision making process and helps to focus your design plan.

Wall Decor

Pottery Barn has always been a great inspiration for unique wall decor.  They use everything from baseball bats to seashells.  Good art can get really expensive, so when you are decorating your walls, think outside the picture from on what you can use.  Do you have any funny pieces of driftwood that you could hang? What about hooks with lanterns on them?  Do you have any cool wooden crates that you could attach to the wall for hanging shelves?  Think about things that will add depth and texture to your walls.

photo credit

Working with the architecture

Something that a lot of homeowners don't think about when they are choosing what to put in their house is how to work with the architecture that is already in place.  Of course, if you are changing the architecture, then you have much more freedom.  But look at the photo above - the light fixture over the table is echoing the arch of the window, but contrasting it in color.  It actually draws your attention to the beautiful arched window instead of away from it.  If you want the eye drawn to something, try using a sharp contrast like this.  And if you want to compliment a shape, duplicate it.

Mixing Formal with Unfinished

Unfinished wood is getting very popular, and I'm a big fan.  I love the texture that unfinished wood adds to a space.  You can also use a clear stain to bring finish the wood, but keep the unfinished feel.  I love how it is juxtaposed in the picture above with Chippendale chairs, a formal gold mirror and chandelier, and a bright buffet.  There are several different styles combined in this room, but it works.  It works because the color hues are all the same and the textures are minimal.  When you are decorating with a monochromatic color scheme, or all the same style of furniture, you need lots of texture to add interest.  But when you are decorating with lots of different styles, it's best to let texturing become an accent.

Chandeliers in the Laundry Room

I can't think of a better place for a chandelier than over my washing machine.  Well, actually, I can think of about a dozen great places for chandeliers.  But who wouldn't love to have a laundry room this beautiful?  The ironing would get done so much sooner, right?  I really think that the details are what it's all about when it comes to decorating your home, and the laundry room is kind of a detail room that unfortunately some of us spend way too much time in.  So, here is a pretty picture to inspire you to slick up the laundry room.  You'll never regret it.

Just something pretty

This outdoor space is gorgeous.  The palette is soft, with an accent of bright turquoise.  The seats all look comfortable.  And who can resist striped chairs?  I love them!  I also love the lanterns that they used on the ceiling.  Lanterns are a great object to decorate with since they bring a rough, outdoorsy feel to the space without being a moose head.  I'm on the look out for some other great uses for lanterns, so I'll be sure to update you with what I find.

Magazine Solution

Another brilliant idea from Martha! If you have to store your magazines out in the open, try getting some plastic holders and covering them with wallpaper! This pattern is from Cath Kidston, one of my favorite British designers. You could easily use other materials like fabric (with a spray adhesive), oilcloth, or paint!

House of Fifty

I am sort of a big fan of the new online magazine House of Fifty. It was started by Janelle over at Isabella and Max Rooms (who I am also a big fan of) and recently Kim Myles (winner of season 2 Design Star) joined the contributors! Beautiful rooms, fashion tips, and recipes. I couldn't be happier.

Vertical Balancing

I think most people understand the concept of balancing a room - you don't put all the heavy, dark furniture on one side, you don't want white walls and ceiling with dark floors and furniture, you don't paint an accent wall dark without balancing the color with accessories in the rest of the room. One thing that I often see overlooked is the idea of balancing a room vertically. You can tell when a room isn't balanced vertically because everything will feel very low to the ground, and the room will feel very short. You want to make sure that whatever colors you choose go all the way up to the ceiling, and I am not just talking about the wall color. Here are a few ideas for making sure that your room is balanced vertically.

Simple curtains are an effective, affordable way to draw the eye to the height of the room. Hang them as high as you can, while still having them sweep the floor or the window sill. If your walls are light, but your furniture is dark, consider using a curtain that will contrast with the wall color and bring some of that darkness up. The curtains don't need to be the same color as the furniture, but they should echo it. The same goes for if you have a dark wall color, it is helpful to break it up with a lighter curtain for contrast and vertical line.

Curtains are not the only way to bring vertical lines to your room. You can also balance with pictures or shelves on your wall. If you have a bold rug, you will need to echo some of the boldness in the wall art.

Furniture is an obvious way to bring vertical lines. You don't want all your furniture to be three and a half feet tall. This is why china cabinets always look amazing in dining rooms. It brings the eye up. For your bedroom, look for pieces that have some height, since bedroom furniture tends to be very low.

Lamps are one of my favorite ways to add height. But again, consider your color scheme. Do you need a lamp that is eye catching because all your other eye catching elements are on the floor? Or if you have chosen a bold wall color, you might need a generic lamp to balance out generic furniture.

I find it helpful when decorating, to do a quick sketch of each wall and shade the items that are bolder. You will immediately see where your holes are and if you need to fill in with a light or dark tone.

Serena and Lily Paint Colors

If you are looking for the perfect color to paint a room, check out Serena and Lily's options. They are not the cheapest, but they will give you some great ideas! You can find them all here.

Teva Living

I'm really not a green person, but I am loving the Teva Living line. Especially the table pictured above which is on sale right now! You have to go check out their other items here.

Tips on Planning Your Space

Professional Interior Designers always draft a scaled sketch of every room before beginning any work it. This is necessary first to make sure that the client approves the layout, but also to make sure that you purchase the right size pieces for each space. You don't have to be a professional to benefit from this important step when decorating your own home. I'm not even much of an artist, and I have drafted many rooms by hand. Here are a few steps to help you on your way to having a functional and perfectly decorated home:

1. Measure your rooms.

2. Do a quick sketch of the entire house/apartment on graph paper, with one square equaling a square foot. (Designers always round down on half feet)

3. Measure your furniture and make square cutouts of each, using graph paper with one square inch equaling a square foot.

Once you have completed this step you can play around with your different pieces in each room until you find the most functional layout for your family. The great thing about this is that you can see if your room is balanced or not before you call the neighbors over to help you move the bookshelves. A few things to keep in mind when deciding on a layout:

1. Balance the furniture. Don't put all the heavy pieces on the same side of the room.

2. Leave at least 36 inches of walking space around the furniture.

3. Balance the surfaces. Try not to put two hard surfaces (bookshelves, desks, tables, etc.) next to each other unless they are vastly different heights. And try not to put soft surfaces (couches, chairs, beds) next to each other without breaking them up with an end table. Exceptions to this rule would be dining rooms or offices, which require many hard surfaces.

I hope that helps you get started! You will also need to pay attention to vertical balancing, but I will get to that later. :)

Here's a little personal tip: when I am making the layout of my own home, I have a list of what I am going to keep in each room. In the study, I keep books, office supplies, art supplies, sewing machine. In the baby's room, toys, crib, changing table, baby clothes, rocking chair, humidifier. This helps me figure out what furniture needs I have for each room, and it helps to organize some of those loose items that don't have an obvious space. When you know the function of each space, you can really work on incorporating it into the overall aesthetic of the room.

Updating with Paint

Someday I will write a book on 1000 things you can do with paint. This is a great project that Naphtali from http://amoredivita.blogspot.com/ did in her new house. I love that she took something very dated and made it cute without a minute of renovating.

Before:

After:

Stencil on the Ceiling

Now if this doesn't make you feel like a stiff neck would be totally worth it, I don't know what will. It's brilliant, and I'm making plans in incorporate it into my dining room. I do like the metalic paint in this picture, but I think a black or a brown would be pretty sharp too.

My Hallway

Here is a little project that I'm excited to share with you all! It has been in my head since we looked at the house, so I'm happy to get it out of my head and into reality.

Here is the hallway when we first bought the house:

And here it is a few weeks later.

And now today. (Yes, we always have at least one toy in the hall, I need to get some more pictures up, and we still need to put in new trim. I'm seriously going to cry on the day I get baseboards. So if you see me wondering around Moscow with joyful tears streaming down my face, you will know I have baseboards!)

Let's get a closer look at the door.

I took three of the colors that I have used in other rooms of the house. The branches are the color in the Living Room (Sherwin Williams: Believable Buff), the leaves are the color of the kitchen (Sherwin Williams: Tollefson Green), and the flowers are the color of my guest bathroom (Benjamin Moore: Burnt Peanut). The design is inspired by several textiles that I have on throw pillows throughout the house. I really wanted something simple and colorful that pulled together some of the elements that I've used in the house.

The Psychology of White

Color psychology has always been a little funny to me. I don't think you can absolutely say that the color red makes everyone feel a certain way, or that the color yellow is an abrasive color to every eye. But one idea that always seems to hold true is that the color white feels clean. I know many people feel that white is too stark or cold, which even the biggest white lovers out there would agree with. It is stark and cold, and that's why it feels sharp and clean. I have rarely found a room that couldn't be improved by at least a little white (or off-white/cream). It always adds a sharp line and finishes the whole aesthetic of the room. It allows the eye to take a break from pattern and color, and it is obviously a great compliment to every color. Even very warm palettes can benefit from a creamy white whether it is on the trim, the walls, the textiles, or the furniture. So next time you are wondering how to make a room feel cleaner and sharper, consider adding a bit of white. I, for one, think that every good housekeeper needs to have at least one gallon of white paint on hand.

Painting a Piano

Would you ever paint a piano? I'm afraid to say that most of the things I own have been painted. (including about half my wardrobe since we bought the house!) It's so easy just to buy a nice piece of furniture from any furniture store, but salvaging old pieces that have great detail can really look amazing when sanded and spruced up with a coat of paint. Take this old piano, for example.

Before...

After...I love the fine detailed distressing even on the final result. It really helps to keep the piano within its era.

And this is a personal favorite of mine, but as you probably know I have a soft spot in my heart for turquoise furniture.

Floral Mural

Crazy or cool? Martha Stewart recommends this hand painted mural to brighten up a boring entry way. Would you do this in your house? Too fruffy?