walldecorandhomeaccents Archive Page
Saturday, May 31, 2008

If you have a large bedroom and don’t know what to do with the space, you should consider turning a portion of the room into a dressing area.  This will give you a designated area for getting dressed and groomed as well as add to the beauty of your large bedroom.  

To create a dressing area in your bedroom you will need a console table, a wall art mirror, a full length mirror, a standing floor screen, and perhaps a clothes valet and lingerie chest.  

Choose a section of the room that is away from the sleeping area.  If your room has an L-shape, beams, or some other type of architectural feature that divides the room, you can use this space for your dressing area.  

You can arrange your dressing room furniture in any number of ways and I suggest you play with it for a while until you are happy with the arrangement.  Typically, I like to place the standing floor screen in a corner a few feet from the wall for those times when you want to change in private.  I place the full length mirror nearby.  A really cool idea is to get a mirrored screen and create a fully mirrored dressing area.  Next, I like to place the makeup table and chair nearby at a wall without windows so that I can mount my pretty wall art mirror to put on my makeup and comb my hair.  

Speaking of pretty wall art mirrors, you should see this wonderful Oregon Rectangle Swarovski Wall Mirror that perfectly appoints the bedroom dressing area as a hers-only space.  It has contemporary styling, is in a beautiful champagne color and boasts 128 Swarovski crystals in a simple elegant design.  This mirror is 48” X 38” and will serve as a wonderful artistic element for the bedroom.



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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Powder rooms are typically very tight spaces.  This creates interesting decorating dilemmas, and also provides the convenience of being able to do makeovers quickly and easily.  The minute size of a typical powder room gives homeowners the perfect opportunity to do something unique and daring, while providing amazing results.  Here are my tips for a doing a powder room makeover.   

Do an unusual wall-finish.  Some of my favorite unique wall finishes are stucco covered walls with fleur-de-lis stamped impressions, or a faux wood grain finish.   

Add an extravagant window treatment.  Powder room windows seldom have great views, and they are not meant to.  For that reason you should install a window treatment that serves as a wonderful view.  I like to use at least two layers of window treatments such as a balloon shade and topper.   

Finally add wall accessories that are certain to catch the eye.  I like to add a wall shelf with votive candles to my powder room, an wall decorations such as  a hanging wall vase or two, since there isn’t much counter space to add flowers.  I particularly like this Taranto Wooden Wall Vase for my powder room walls.  It is 15” high and 12 inches wide and makes a great focal point whether it contains fresh flowers, silk plants, whether it sits empty.  It has a beautiful classic, traditional appearance and is gilded in gold with carved details.


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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Home office spaces can be very difficult to keep clean and tidy.  Unfortunately, this often distracts from the decorating scheme of the room, no matter how beautiful and well decorated it may be.  If you would like to keep your home office clean and well decorated at the same time, here are some tips you can use.  

Get a “file cabinet” and use it.  Paperwork is the biggest problem most people have with keeping the home office in order.  Filing cabinets however are unattractive, and frankly are awkward to use.  Instead of using a regular file cabinets, purchase a high quality trunk or chest that you can insert file cabinet frames into and use as an attractive file cabinet and also a window seat in the room.   

Use a computer Armoire:  Even though most people use laptops these days that take up very little space, other home office equipment, cords, and gadgets can get quite messy looking.  Using a computer Armoire with doors you can close will make the room  much more attractive.   

Hang supplies on the wall.  Getting rulers, pens, pencils, scissors, and other common office supplies off of  your desk is very important.  If you have a modern desk table with no drawer, then you need to hang a decorative item near your desk where you can keep these supplies handy.  This set of Trieste Large & Small Metal Wall Pockets is a great tool for placing items that you use daily.  The largest of these wall décor items  is 24 inches tall and can hold large rolled documents like architectural plans, or other drawings.  In coming mail can also be tucked out of site in this neat wall mounted vase.  The smaller one is 22 inches high and can hold writing, drawing, and other tools while keeping them out of sight. 



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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Nothing brings a kitchen to life like a window herb garden.  This is especially true if the view outside your kitchen window is less than desired.  Having a pretty herb garden to look at instead will make your kitchen more homey and relaxing.  Here are the steps for bringing life to your kitchen with a window herb garden.   

Choose your windows wisely:  Your herb garden will work best if our window gets at least six hours of light each day.  This is most likely to happen in an east-facing window.  If this is not possible, consider purchasing florescent grow lights.   

Choose your herbs.  If you have never grown anything before, you will want to start off easy.  Some herbs are easier to grow than others.  Start with basil, parsley, chives, and thyme.  All of these herbs are also great to use in your cooking.  It is easier to purchase them as plants instead of trying to grow seeds. 

Choose pots for planting your window herb garden.  If you have a deep window sill, you can use simple clay pots for your window herb garden.  If your sill space is limited, you should look for pots that will allow you to hang your plants on the cabinetry on each side of your window.  I like using hanging wall planters like this set of Messina Large & Small Bamboo Wall Vases.  They have a pretty bamboo design that will lend nicely to your window garden theme.  These wall art vases are quite large at 18” and 16” high and which leaves plenty of space insert gravel in the bottom of the planter to allow for drainage.  You can also keep them in the original container and insert that into your hanging pots.  Just be sure to make sure there is drainage, as herbs don’t like a lot of water.   

Maintain your herb garden by watering them regularly without adding too much water.  Check the plant by sticking your finger into the soil and water only when the top inch or so is dry.  Also check them for spider mites which are common in indoor plants.  You can get rid of them with insecticide spray. 



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Friday, May 23, 2008

As the city of Romeo and Juliet, Verona Italy is a place of romance.   With landmarks such as the Palazzo Barberi, the Tower Lamberti, and the Arena, Verona is known for its history.  You can bring this sense of romance and history into your own bedroom with just a few simple steps.  

Wall color:  The wall color of your Verona themed bedroom should be a classic antique white with bright white trim.  Pale yellow or mustard are also acceptable colors.  You can go the extra step and use a faux finish to age the walls and trim just a little bit.  Keep it as clean and simple as possible.  

Flooring:  For your floor treatment, I suggest dark wood floors with a light colored Italian area rug.  If your floor is carpeted, add a small area rug in an open are on the floor.

Furniture:  Hooker furniture makes a wonderful platform sleigh bed suite that is made of solid birch wood, with deep wood tones and ornate carvings.  This antique Italian bedroom suite really suits the Verona style.  Alternately, you can purchase modern Italian furniture which is more sleek in style but is still made from rich dark wood.  

Windows and Bedding:  Bedding should be simple and have a solid print that  does not dominate the room.  Window treatments should provide privacy, but be sheer enough to allow natural light into the room. 

Accessories:  Wall art for the room should be romantic in nature.  Look for items like peaceful Italian landscapes and oil portraits.  You will also want to use three dimensional iron and cast metal art pieces that add to the architecture of the room.   

One piece I like in particular is this Verona Metal Wall Vase that you can mount on the wall and add flowers to or display as is.  It stands at 25” high and 15” wide and would be great displayed in a pair above your bed, or to fill empty space on any wall.



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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

If you are looking for a unique focal point for your dining room wall, I have a wall art project that you can try.  To create this focal point, you do not need any artistic skill, but it will look like you are a highly skilled artist when the project is complete.  The goal in the project is to create a three dimensional floral bouquet painting for your wall, and have those painted flowers look as if they are coming out of a three dimensional vase that will be part of the arrangement.  

To create this project you will need stencils of your favorite flowers, a couple of wall vases, acrylic paints, stencil brushes, and regular paintbrushes.  For this project, I recommend you purchase a set of Florenze Iron Wall Vases.  This beautifully orange vase in made of metal and designed to be mounted on the wall.  It stands are 21” in height and is perfect for this project.  

The first thing you need to do is temporarily mount the vases on the wall to make sure are exactly where you want them.  Mark the top of the vase with a pencil line so that you know how wide the top of the vase is and so you have a reference for your “flowers”.

Next, choose the stencils that you want to use in your arrangement and following the instructions for using the stencil, add your flowers to the wall.  If you have never painted with stencils before, practice creating your flowers first on wood or canvas until you get the affect you want.  Then it will be time to tackle the wall.

Finally, mount the wall vases on the dining room wall and it will look as if the flowers are coming out of the vase.  If you wish, you can purchase a bouquet of real flowers to match the ones on the wall when you are entertaining, and add them to your existing bouquet. 



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Monday, May 19, 2008

Italian Napoli Style décor is sleek, modern, and elegant.  Along with the contemporary Italian design that is common in Naples, Italy, you will find traditional scrolled ironwork interspersed as well as the occasional relic type wall art.  

Here are some tips you can use for  to create a Napoli Style Dining Room in your home.

Whether you prefer wood or iron for your dining room set, the table should have a top that is primarily glass.  This will give the room a light and airy feel that does not weight it down.  Chairs and table legs can be contemporary metal, or traditional wood with curved legs.  Upholstery should be kept to a minimum.  

The wall color should be kept light and neutral as well.  An antique-white will kept the room fresh and clean looking.  You can add color to the walls with a bit of stenciling in a light floral motif that with simple Greek-type borders.

Window treatments should also be light and airy, in soft shades of gold or beige that are plain or in a simple pattern.   

If possible, flooring should be tile.  If this is not possible, any light colored neutral floor will do.  

Accessorize your walls with architectural wall art pieces, and iron wall art.  One piece I like in particular is the Napoli Wall Iron Wine Rack.  It is a functional piece of artwork made with a clean contemporary design and pretty scrollwork to bring in a hint of the traditional.  This iron wall rack holds five wine bottles and also looks wonderful on its own with no bottled displayed.  



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Saturday, May 17, 2008

If you live in an apartment, or a small home, you know there is very little space for wine storage.  If you love to keep wine in your home, ready for parties and entertaining, than this idea will help, you store your wine in a beautiful and creative way.

Choose a wall in your home that you would like to use for wine storage.  You will need less than six inches of space so don’t worry about moving any furniture, you just need an empty wall.  

Measure the length of your wall.  This will help you decide how many wine storage units you can use.  In this case, I am recommending a units that hold three bottles.  It is 10” wide, but with the wine bottles displayed on it , you really should allow 18” or more of space for each unit.  

For this project, I recommend you purchase the Torino Wall Iron Rack shown in this photo.  The dimensions are 32”H X 10” W and are beautiful whether you purchase one, or a half dozen to use for this project.  Each wine rack holds 3 bottles of wine securely and is beautiful enough to serve as a piece of unique wall art even when it is empty.  

Decide how many wine holders you need.  In an apartment, anywhere from a dozen to 18 wine bottles is plenty.  If you have a 10 foot or longer wall, you can place 6 of these iron wine racks on your wall, and display 18 bottles of wine for display and daily use.  

Using a level and chalk line, mark the line for hanging your hardware so that your wine holders are in a perfectly straight line.  You can also get creative and stagger them to add to the artistic effect.

When your wine holders are securely attached to your wall, hang your wine bottles for beautiful wine display and storage. 



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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Your dining room is a perfect place to add a touch of Italy.  This makes a Venetian theme is a wonderful choice for a formal dining room.  Here are some tips for creating a Venetian dining room.   

Begin by adding a Venetian Plaster wall finish to your walls.  This can be done quite easily with any number of products especially designed for a Venetian look.  You can find this at your local hardware store.   

Next, you will want a Venetian mural on the wall of your dining room.  If you cannot paint it or hire a muralist, consider purchasing a wall art with a scene from Venice, or perhaps a large standing screen with a painted mural.   

Furniture for your Venetian Dining Room should include an elaborate table and chair set with scrollwork and carved legs.  It should be richly upholstered in a tapestry fabric.  You should be able to easily find reproduction furniture that is specifically Venetian in style.   

Finally, you will want to add Venetian décor and accessories to your room.  Use a richly colored table runner and a series of old-world vases and bowls filled with flowers and fruit.  Also add Venetian décor to your walls such as this Venice Metal Wall Flower Vase.  At 22.5”H X 12”W this vase is will serve as a large focal piece in your dining room and will be able to hold a wonderful bouquet of white roses that you can cut from your garden. 



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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

If you have ever been to Italy or Rome, you know there is a certain charm and allure to old world hotels, and homes.  You can bring a bit of that charm home by decorating your bedroom in Old-World style.   

You would start the process of creating an old-world room by applying a faux painting technique to your bedroom walls.  A Venetian Plaster technique would be the best idea for this style.  Behr paints have products to make a Venetian Plaster effect easy, and it can be done in numerous color schemes.   

Furniture for this room should be classic and European in nature.  Consider getting a poster bed with canopy, carved elements, and leather inlays.  Use a large armoire to conceal modern electronics like your TV and radio.  Night stands should match the armoire and have plenty of hiding space for your bedside reading and other materials.  

Next, purchase bedding and window treatments for your bedroom.  They should be simple, with pretty sheer curtains and comfortable down bedding.  Accent your bed and windows with richly colored throws, pillows and window panels or toppers.   

Finally, accessorize your room with wall art and elements typical of the region that you admire.  If, for example, you spent your honeymoon in the province of Catania in Italy, you might want to purchases an item like the Catania Metal Wall Flower Vase that will evoke wonderful memories for you.   

This wall vase is 25” H X 5” D making it quite sizable.  Two of these can serve as a focal point on any wall, and a single wall vase can accent any area of your room.

 



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Sunday, May 11, 2008

We all know that decorating options are limited for apartment dwellers.  We also know that dinette areas are cramped and difficult to decorate attractively.  Still it can be done.  Here are some ideas you can use to create an Italian themed dinette in your apartment. 

Furniture:  Purchase a small round dinette set with two to four chairs (depending on how many chairs you typically need.)  The style you choose is up to you.  Traditional Italian furnishings are more ornate in nature, but modern Italian furniture is more simple and sleek.  I recommend a small table set to leave room for a matching buffet with a mirror above it. 

Add and Italian Rug:  There are many different options when looking for an Italian rug.  There are Tuscan styles, rugs with Greek influence, and simple rugs with a vineyard design.  For a small area, I prefer the latter as it will not overwhelm a small area.  

Accessories:  Purchase a beautiful Italian vase for your table and try to keep fresh flowers in it.  To further bring and Italian feel to your apartment dinette, you can add a bit of color to the wall by adding wall art in the form of vases overflowing with ivy.  This set of Bari metal wall vases are perfect for this element.  They are patterned after the decorative style in Bari, Italy, which is in southern Italy on the Adriatic Sea.  These vases are 16”, 14”, and 11” tall and would serve well to take some of the blandness out of your apartment walls. 



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Friday, May 9, 2008

I recently looked at my two children and realized they were about my height, with one child slightly taller.   I then looked around my great room and realized I was still decorating with small children in mind.   

My furniture was safe and accident proof.  Decorative accents were out of reach for children (but not mine since they are big).  It was then that I realized I no longer have to decorate for kids.  Neither my kids, nor their friends are an age where candles and flowers need to be on the mantle, and where accessories have to be limited to wall art. I wasted no time running around the room and decorating low tables by placing my flower vases on side tables and candles and trinkets on the coffee tables.   

For people whose children are still knee-high to a grasshopper, you can still decorate your home attractively.  Before my recent realization, I always adhered to my one sure-fire child safe rule, which is to put potentially dangerous items up high.  My candles have always been displayed and burned on wall sconces that are out of the reach of small children.  In fact, they installed five feet above the floor where there is no chance of a child being burned.  Fresh flowers in glass vases were always put on the mantle piece or on top of the entertainment center.  For special occasions they were placed on the kitchen table, but never within easy reach of a child.   

Keeping items high sometimes meant using ordinary home décor items as wall art.  This kept me from overcrowding the tops of my furniture items and my fireplace mantles.  I also looked for wall art items doubled as home décor items such this Florenze Iron Wall Vase.  It is flat on one side to allow it to displayed as an art piece but also usable as a place to put real or silk flowers.  This wall art vase stands at 21 inches high and makes a great focal piece for a foyer or dining area.


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Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Many designers suggest that if you have a piece of artwork or upholstered furniture that you love, that you should design the room around that piece.  While it sounds like a great idea, typical homeowners don’t know how to carry out this task.  Using this Bologna Iron Wall Art item, I will attempt to show you how to use an inspiration piece to decorate a room.   

Look at the style of the inspiration piece:  By looking at the straight lines and hard edges of this iron wall art piece, you can tell that it is decidedly modern.  This means that your furniture should be modern in style.  Avoid ornate items with intricate carvings and look for furnishing with straight lines and similar finishes.  A good table choice for example, would have straight iron legs and a simple glass or dark wood top.   

Look at the colors of the inspiration piece.  This inspiration piece has a great fall palette that you can use to decorate your home.  For a rich, relaxing look I would choose rust, beige, green and blue to decorate my home.  For a striking, sleek look, I would use black an accent walls (placing this piece against a black wall would turn it into 15 mini pieces of art instead of one large piece).  You can paint rooms in dark grey or white. This art piece would even be at home in a neutrally painted beige apartment.   

Look at the images on the inspiration piece.  If you look closely, you see a series of lines and dots in the art piece.  You can mimic this design in other elements in the room such as wall art and accessories.   A series of small round stools can be transformed into a coffee table.  A striped rug would coordinate with this painting as well.


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Monday, May 5, 2008

Many modern homes, and even some larger ones, have a great deal of hallway space and awkward areas just for the sake of aesthetics.  The areas seem to small to be usable as a living space, but also too large to leave undecorated.  Here are some ideas you can use.   

Reading nook:  You don’t need a lot of space to create comfortable reading nook.  All you need is a comfortable chair and a library cabinet or built in bookshelves.  Don’t forget to make sure the area is well lit for reading by adding a floor or table lamp or wall sconce light fixture.   

Laptop Station:  These days everyone in the family owns a laptop, so there is no need for a large desk area for personal computers.  Instead, you need someplace to put your printer, paper, and other items family members may want to use with their desktop.  You can put these items in an attractive armoire with an upholstered chair that you can pull up to it.   

Art Gallery: When there isn’t a lot of floor space for furniture, there may still be a great deal of wall space that screams for wall décor.  Do not let it intimidate you.  Add an art gallery to your home.  Purchase items that compliment each other and follow some kind of central theme or that tell a story.  I find this Gentova Iron Wall plaque to be a very interesting piece that would be a great addition to a home art gallery.  This piece is made up of eight smaller pieces on an iron background and is 36”h X 17” W and can be purchased along with coordinating pieces.


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Saturday, May 3, 2008

Country decorating can create a soothing, relaxing atmosphere.  This is why country decor would be very much at home in the master bedroom.  Your country style master bedroom does not have to be weight down in busy quilts or covered floor to ceiling in floral designs.  Country decorating today is much simpler.  

Here are some ideas for creating a country master bedroom.   

Keep the flowers to a minimum.  While floral fabric and wallpaper is thought to be a signature element for a country bedroom, you do not have to get carried away with it.  Choose one item in the room to give a floral print, whether it is the bed, a chair or an area rug.  For the rest of the fabrics in the room, add a matching floral trim while keeping the majority of the item plain.   

Use Victorian furniture.  Avoid heavy rustic oak furnishings and instead go for classic Victorian items with curved legs and rounded edges.  Medium to dark wood is preferred. 

Add soft layers.  In addition to your main fabric for the room, add soft sheer fabrics to the room in the form of a full or partial canopy and window sheers.  

Add accessories.  Pick a style for accessories and stick to it.  You can use a collection of whitewash items, a toile accessory pattern, or wrought iron accessories.  One such item that I find especially attractive is this Brescia Metal Glass Candle Lantern that stands 33” H X 17” wide.  If you use items this large, you only need a few accessories.  Place one of these on either side of the bed to for candlelit evenings.  Add light fixture with similar curved wrought iron for daytime use.  Other wrought iron wall décor can include mirror frames or iron grills.



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Thursday, May 1, 2008
A screened Porch is a Great Room to allow you to enjoy the outdoors in the evening without the hassle of being eaten alive by bugs.  It a a great place for taking a nap on a lazy afternoon.  It is a great place for late night card and board games with the family.

Furniture:  Your screened porch will need a piece of furniture for lounging.  You will also need a table and chair set.  Remember these items will need to withstand harsh weather, even with your screens intact.  They will endure more sunlight than your indoor furniture and they will also be exposed to moisture, so purchase furniture that you can use outdoors such as teak and waterproof fabrics. 

Flooring: Do not put down a faux grass rug on your screen porch floor.  There are many more attractive options.  Look for indoor-outdoor rugs that look just like regular sisal or berger rugs.  Consider installing deck flooring if your screened porch is on a slab. 

Accessories:  Accessories for your screened porch should be both rugged and beautiful.  Add wall art such as an outdoor weather clock or an iron wall plaque to your screened porch.  For table decor and useful utility add a glass lanterns such as these Zaragoza Pair of Metal Glass Candle Lanterns that you can use to beautify the room and to also burn citronella candles to keep away the few bugs that get past your screens.  This lantern set stands at 20 and 16 inches high and can be placed on your table or hung from the ceiling or wall.  The design of these lanterns are both sleek and rustic and will also look great in any room of the home.


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