A Few Things To Love About Summer

Here are a few of my favorite summertime decorating ideas.......

Pretend you live on the beach - even if you live in Nebraska! Go ahead and display sea shells. Make a statement with one or an impact with a collection. Place them throughout your bookshelves, on your mantel, or in a glass cylinder. Glue them to cover the frame of a mirror. Switch your artwork for something with a nautical theme. It could be a painting, a photo, or something creative like a fish net with glass buoys or a ship's wheel. Use beach towels in place of regular towels.

Decorate with flowers - everywhere! Pots of course belong outside on the deck, the patio, the front steps, the front porch. But don't stop there - bring them inside. Get rid of the brown, leggy houseplants and replace them with flowers. Use pretty pots that add splashes of color to your rooms and coordinate with the colors of the flowers. Don't have a green thumb? Then bring in cut flowers from your yard, the nursery or even the grocery store. Fill a vase with the same flowers, create a beautiful mix, or simply place a single bloom in a glass. Mix with candles for a beautiful tabletop arrangement. Or place a simple arrangement by the bed in the guestroom for an inviting welcome.

And make sure lighting plays a part. Whether it's candlelight, torchlight, string lights, candeliers..........they will all add beauty and ambiance to your home, whether indoors or out. And relax and enjoy the company of family and friends during this beautiful time of year.

Outdoor Decorating

We can finally start spending some time outside! Gardens are a wonderful backdrop to outdoor living, but I love to take things a step further and truly LIVE outside!

For me, that begins with the furniture. Some outdoor furniture, while attractive, just doesn't offer much comfort. And I want to be just as comfortable outside as in. Furniture I love usually has cushions, which not only make it comfortable, but add color and texture to the overall look. And chairs with ottomans are even better, which is something I adore inside.

Plis Outdoor Lighting shown in a Homedit blog post by Simona Ganae

I also want furniture for each of the functions of the outdoor space, which generally includes conversation and dining. Just like indoors, I don't want to be seated around my dining table when I am having drinks with your family and friends. But I do want to eat at a dining table, so two separate areas are important.

Then the touches to make everything complete. That may mean outdoor lighting like these lamps. I first saw these in a beautiful newsletter by Wendy Wrzos of the blue giraffe and knew I had to share. Isn't this a lovely picture?

Plants and flowers are the "accessories" as well as pillows and throws for chilly evenings. And don't forget a rug! Just like indoors, rugs help ground the seating area and bring in additional color and texture. Just make sure your colors don't compete too much with the natural colors surrounding you. Ahhhhh............

From Martha Stewart Living at Home Decorators Collection

Spruce Up for Spring

Although these tips are designed for people who are putting their homes on the market, for those of us who aren't moving, they can give us a much needed lift!

1)     Clearly delineate the front walkway – and make sure everyone enters through the front door. Sweep clean and repair or replace any part of the walkway that is broken or cracked.

      2)     As soon as possible add fresh mulch to flowerbeds. Pots of pansies by the front door are also very inviting. Consider putting them on the back deck as well, even if it’s a little too early to set up the outdoor furniture.

3)     Consider power washing the exterior of your house. Even in mild winters like this exteriors gather a lot of dirt.

4)     Engage the nose as soon as the front door is opened. Windows and doors have been kept closed for a while and houses may begin to smell stuffy. Drop essential oils in citrus scents on light bulbs and turn them on. Stay away from chemical scents found in air fresheners and plug-ins.

5)    Clean windows both inside and out and leave window treatments open to let in the light. If the view is bad, add sheers that will still let in the light but hide the view. If bushes have grown to cover the windows, cut them back so the windows are unobstructed.

6)     If you’ve been using your fireplace this winter, have it professionally cleaned. Also clean the surround of smoke residue. Leave a couple of white birch logs on the grate.

 

7)     Consider removing rugs to showcase beautiful floors. Keep mats outside of doors for people to wipe their feet, but remove all of those inside that have been placed to collect winter grime. Consider removing heavy wool area rugs and replacing with a lighter look such as sisal – or remove them all together.

8)     Remove heavier accent fabrics and darker colors on things such as pillows, throws,
and bedding and replace with lighter colors
and fabrics. Just don't overdo it (unless you're
staying). You don't want to distract potential
buyers with too much pattern and color so they forget to notice the house.

9)     Remove clutter that tens to gather as we live indoors through the winter. Put away books, magazines, holiday residue, and anything that may be left over from the long, cold months.

10)  Don't forget the garage and basement. We tend to store things haphazardly during winter months, so now is the time to pack and purge.

Spring Colors and Trends

I am absolutely LOVING the spring colors! They are so bright and refreshing - and look so good together, even when used in less traditional pairings. And color blocking is back in a big way, which is really a lot of fun.

Benjamin Moore is doing some fun things with combinations. Try this Peony with Ashwood Gray combination. And even though as those of you who may have taken a class with me know, blue is not a favorite, Brazilian Blue with DaVinci's Canvas is stunning. French Lilac paired with Englewood Cliffs is subtle, but lovely.

If you're looking for something a bit brighter, Pantone has selected Tangerine Tango as the 2012 Color of the Year. Used with off-white and dark brown as Lauren Guarcello of Porter Design Company did in this photo, it's stunning! If you're using a strong color like this, it's a great idea to ground it with neutrals. The color stands out without overwhelming the room.

Accessories are a great way to bring in splashes of color - and what better accessory than pillows! If you haven't seen the new, colorful look of JC Penney, you've really missed something. (Just get over your dislike of the TV ad with the woman yelling - it's really worth it.) They have a wide range of colorful pillows that will add an instant update to any color scheme. Click through the possibilities here.

Of course there are plenty of other accessories you can incorporate for an even more subtle punch of color. Lamps and lamp shades, vases, and pottery all can add color in strategic locations. And you don't have to build a color scheme around them, but simply use them for punch.  And don't forget nature! Spring flowers give us a delightful show of colors both indoors and out. Bring in tulips, daffodils, forsythia, flowering quince, or one of the many other beautiful blooms available at this time of year. And the best thing about flowers? You can add a new color every week to your home!

Got the Winter Blues?

We're getting ready to go into February, which although it's the shortest month, can feel like the longest! Here are some tips to help you through the days.......

• Make sure you have enough lamps, and the bulbs you use are the highest wattage allowed. Lamp light creates a wonderful ambience, while lighting your rooms so they feel just a bit brighter against the winter darkness. Rule of thumb - a minimum of three placed so the dark corners vanish.
• Make your bathroom into a spa. Update it with a new shower curtain, fluffy towels, candles, and a basket of spa treats. Nothing like a warm bath on a cold dark night!

Add a little pattern to your rooms for pizazz. Pattern can be a little scary, but have fun with it. Start small with pillow covers. Look at these great colors and patterns from www.westelm.com. They are sure to brighten your days and nights! And see how nicely the patterns mix together? Just keep them in scale and you'll be fine.

Make sure you surround yourself with things you love - and use them in interesting ways. Try grouping a few interesting and well-loved objects in the center of your dining table, rather than the usual centerpiece. You'll smile every time you pass by! Or make a display on your bookshelves. Sure, you can include books, but also collections of things you love and colors that help chase the blues away.

Staging Bathrooms

Pretty cut-and-dried, isn't it? It needs to be clean - really, really clean with sparkling tiles, grout, and fixtures. It needs new towels. But it's a bathroom, right?


It certainly is, but there are still a lot of touches you can add to give it some pizazz! And I'm not talking about updating although that may be important as well. But if that money isn't in the budget or it makes more sense to spend it elsewhere, there are still some of the things you can do to make a bathroom a little less humdrum.

First, paint can make a big difference. Not only will that make the bathroom feel very fresh and clean, it can create interest in a space that doesn't have much. And while you don't want to choose a color that's totally wild, because it's a small space a more dramatic color may be okay. While it's usually still a good idea to stay in the neutral family, feel free to go darker than you normally would. Just make certain there is enough light so potential buyers can see the room. And keep the rest of the lines of the room clean and spare.

A rug on the floor is very important to soften all the hard, cold lines. But because the space is usually small, you don't want a lot of small, colorful rugs that will further break up the space. Add one rug in the largest size possible for the room. And choose a color that matches the floor. This will lessen the impact on the size of the room while still adding softness.

Make the room pretty (and keep it from feeling too empty) with one or two well-placed accessories. A well-cared for plant, towels tied with ribbons, an attractive soap dish with a new bar of fancy soap, or a pretty dispenser with hand lotion are all  nice touches. If there is room around the tub, make it feel like a spa with a basket of spa treatments such as soap, a towel, and a loofah. 

There are also a few things you need to remove. First, all personal items should be either packed away or well-hidden in baskets with lids. That includes everything personal on the counter tops and in the medicine cabinet and linen closet. Even things like toothbrushes and toothpaste are unsightly and should be removed from counters. If you have a toilet seat cover, remove it. Any rugs other than the one larger one mentioned above should go.

As you stage your bathroom, think of a hotel bathroom. You want it pretty, but impersonal. Even though everyone knows you are using it if you are living in the house, potential buyers don't want to be reminded of it. Rather, they want a room that feels open, inviting, and fresh - ready for them to move right in!

Time to Un-Decorate!

Yes, I realize we still have a few days before the holidays are truly over. But I also know that around my house, taking down the decorations is a bit depressing. So I wanted to share some ideas that may make the un-decorating of your home a bit more fun!


First, as you take down your decorations, have two boxes handy: one for those things that you no longer love and the other for those things that have lived beyond their beautiful years. Label the one of the things you no longer love so next year when you get out your decorations you can take it to the donation center of your choice. (Most won't accept holiday decorations now.) Throw the other one away.


Now, do the same for the things you are returning to your decor. Do you still love them? If not, now is the time to include them in a third box - one you can take immediately to a donation center. I can assure you everything will find a good home with someone else who will love them as you no longer do. And now you are ready to surround yourself with only those things you love!

Make your fireplace mantel a beautiful focal point. A fireplace is definitely a winter hot-spot (pun intended), so keep it beautiful even after the decorations are gone. Using natural elements will  help you keep the holiday feel through the winter. Evergreens, wood, pine cones, berries are all beautiful touches that will take your mantel through until spring. Adding a bit of wool fabric in a plaid to the room (perhaps a throw or pillow) will enhance the warm, rustic look of the mantel, bringing even more coziness in.

Want something with a bit more glamour? Then try whites and metallics that mimic the frostiness of winter. This cool decorating scheme will go with most styles, giving you the freedom to stay with a neutral palette or add touches of hot colors for added spice. Try bright red, hot pink, or chartreuse. To stay with the cooler theme, soft blues and grays are a great touch. If the room feels a bit cold, use soft fabrics for warmth. A chenille throw, velvet pillows, or a knitted afghan are wonderful touches.

And if you don't have a mantel? Create one! That's easy to do with a mantel from a salvage store. (You might try ReStore, the resale outlet for Habitat for Humanity.) If it's not in great shape, a coat of paint will cover a myriad of flaws. Keep the color neutral and you can use it in any room! Decorate it just as you would a 'real' mantel and you've got an interesting focal point sure to warm any space.

Yes, un-decorating is really no fun - unless you make fun changes to bring your warmth, personality, and energy back into the space!