My Home Redux

Hot Color: Orange

 I wrote a while back that orange was the hot new color. At the time, it was more of a prediction. But when I see the same comment twice in one day, I take notice. Orange has officially arrived as the latest hot color. Move over chocolate and turquoise!

You can see bright orange in accents (pillows, glassware, trays, entertaining, small kitchen appliances, lamps and more) as well as drapes, paint color, ceilings, flooring. It doesn't have to be bright orange, but it can range from soft peaches to deep iron rust shades.  You'll recognize that the color I highlighted a few weeks ago, falls into this color palette.

Need some inspiration to see how orange can work for you, check out this photo gallery.

Decorating Ideas from a Home Stager

Whether you are trying to sell your house in this challenging real estate market, or just looking for ideas to improve the decor, organization, or flow of rooms in your home, check out these before and after pictures from a home stager.  Usually used for helping to sell homes that have lingered on the market, home stagers come in and improve the appearance of a house. Their ideas can also be helpful in decorating and making your home look better. Check out these before and after home decorating ideas.

My Favorite Neutral Paint Color

One of the most frequent questions I receive is what color to use as a neutral between several rooms or as an alternative to boring off white. Here's my favorite:  a medium tone taupe. Not too pink, not too yellow, not too gray - the perfect balance. It can stand next to any color and looks wonderful with white trim.  Similar to the photo included.

Check out the following Benjamin Moore colors.
Powell Bluff
Lenox Tan
Cotwald
Terra Bella (shown)

Also get color samples at My Perfect Color.

Lovely Shadow Box Art for Your Walls

Here's a video of how to take fabric swatches and shadow boxes and make lovely wall art. You can also easily change them for the seasons or holidays.  Go here (you may need to scroll down to the appropriate video on the right hand side.)

Paint for an Open Floor Plan

This dilemma is not an uncommon one. Just how do you coordinate and pull together rooms in an open floor plan?

Good morning,

 

Help, please.

I have a VERY limited budget and want to paint my living room, dining room and kitchen..You can see all three rooms from the front door...our home was built in the 80's. I love it..but have no sense of how to update these rooms for color. There is no foyer...you walk right into the living room, then you can see the dining area from the front door and then the kitchen.

My living room has a great couch..but it is yellow...with flowers..I really do not want to cover it. But the bland cream walls have to go.

Where do I start??

Thanks and have a great day,

Carole B.

See my suggestions in the comments.

Three Considerations when Selecting a Floor Lamp

 In today's home building, canned lights and ceiling lights rule. It almost makes you wonder if floor lamps are obsolete. Not true. The beauty and ambiance created by a floor lamp cannot be duplicated by overhead lighting.

Here are three considerations when selecting a lamp.

1) Purpose. If the lamp is to darken up a dark corner of a room or provide soft general lighting in one area, consider the ever popular torchiere which directs light up to the ceiling. If you want more task lighting for reading, look at swing arm lamps.  I have also now seen torchiere lamps that also provide side lamps to provide some task lighting as well.

2) Style. Do you want traditional, victorian, or modern. All are available and any is correct based on the style of the decor of your room.

3) Height. If you want lighting that's more general, the lamp can be higher. More specific and direct, the light source should be nearer the ground. In fact, a table lamp may be a better choice if you want the light near head or eye level.

Go on any of the online lamp super stores, and you'll see hundreds of options in many styles and shapes. The one above is from Lamps Plus.

Tips for Custom Framing

Earlier this year, I had some custom frames made for prints I had bought years ago. Now granted, I had had plenty of time to think about what I wanted, but the framer was quite impressed with my quick decisions and ability to pull the art together nicely with the frame.

Here's a few tips I used in doing this:

1) Understand the look you want. In the basement, I wanted movie posters that looked like posters not ornate framed art. So simple black frames were the ticket. However, in the powder room where I have a somewhat monochromatic scheme, I wanted the frames to resemble the antiqued bronzed look of the mirror (picture above). I'm happy to report they match beautifully.

2) Pick mats that complement and accent colors in your artwork. In this example, I pick up two colors in the art - a dark gold and a chocolate brown.

3) If appropriate use a textured mat to enhance the art. In the example shown, the top mat has a texture very similar to the custom rolldown shade I have in that powder room.  Between the frame matching the mirror and the mat matching the shade, it ties the room together beautifully.

4) For a more elegant framing job, a mat adds a very nice touch. And two mats are even better as it provides greater depth and contrast. I don't think that more than two mats are necessary.

5) If your poster/art is richly saturated with color, one of your mats can be white. This will help to make the colors pop out and to separate it from the other mat and the frame.

6) Look at the frame, mats, artwork, and the room as a whole. You want all of them to work together and not fight or clash.

Finally, take these tips and be decisive if you go to create your own custom frame or to order one.

Great New Color - Benjamin Moore Audubon Russet

Just like the post below, the walls are the same color. It's a great warm, vibrant color that's somehow not overpowering.  It's called Audubon Russet from Benjamin Moore.  Check out and get a sample at My Perfect Color.

10 Bargain Window Treatment Ideas

Here are 10 ways to dress up inexpensive drapes for a luxury, custom look.  I especially like the scarf over the panels and the ribbons glued on as embellishments. Also, I have been stumped as to what to do for my son's sports-themed bedroom, complete with Chicago Bears bedspreads. When I saw the stencilled panel idea, I thought I could do that on a straight valance with the Bears front and center.

Here's an 11th idea from me.  If you find sheets, table cloth, or fabric that you'd like a window panels, simply cut it to length and attach to a pole using clip on drapery hangars (clip on one end, circular hangar on the other.) Fast and easy!

See all 10 ideas at Better Homes & Gardens, here.

Look up ... There's a Whole Ceiling there

Ceilings have traditionally been white. A color creatively called "Ceiling White" just to avoid any confusion of what color a ceiling should be.

But no more.

Just like you decorate your floors with rugs, accent wood, or tile mosaics, ceilings are now causing the eye to look up.

Here are just several ideas to take your ceiling from unnoticed to unmistakable:

Paint your ceiling an accent color, either the entire ceiling or accents/borders.  Don't be afraid to go bold if you're only doing limited sections.

Lattice adds texture and a 3D effect on your ceilings as the photo above shows.

Wallpaper gives interest if you use a textured or geometric patterned paper. This may not be the place for heavy florals though. I've seen many wallpapered ceilings but nothing in a heavy design.

Sponge white clouds on a blue sky to bring the outdoors in and give your room new space.

Use a metallic or pearl paint to your ceiling.

Tongue and groove bead board gives a traditional yet cottage feel to any room. Paint it white or another color. Blue is often quite tranquil.

Murals provide a great reason to look up.

Marbelize with faux painting and veining for a palatial feel to a bathroom or dining room.

Shir fabric from the walls to gathered in the center under the chandelier or center light fixture for a soft romantic feel. (This would also be a great way to camouflage cracking plaster in an older home.)

So don't forget your ceiling when you're decorating and designing a room in your home.