walldecorandhomeaccents Archive Page
Friday, October 31, 2008
Furniture store chain Design Within Reach is selling a white powdercoat chair with a pink seat, a round chair upholstered in pink wook,  with  a pink leather office chair, and a round pink stool on a white base also for Susan G. Komen and a slingback pink leather chair.  Company C is selling a Sachi Pink accent rug.  Pier 1 is selling pink candles.  All of this is done in support of Breast Cancer month in an effort to raise money for Susan G. Komen for a Cure.

Perhaps the reason is the gloomy financial outlook of the economy.  Perhaps consumers want to mix of the fall palette a bit.  Perhaps customers are choosing pink to support the cause.  Whatever the reason, furniture and accents are adding a shot of color to the season.  to new releases. 
Pink, to be exact, is the color of the season. Consumers aren't just snatching up items to support breast cancer, but they are investing in pink furnishings and accessories for the long-run. 

Pink is being combines with colors like chocolate brown or black lacquer.  Once a color relegated solely to little girls rooms, the color is finding its way into living rooms, kitchens and even furniture upholstery.  If you would like to add a bit of the color pink into your home, check out a few of the items made especially to support breast cancer, and balance those items out with a couple of canvas paintings that feature the color pink.  You may even want to consider painting your walls in pink, or at least adding a pink design on brown to brown walls to frame your wall art pieces.


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Friday, October 17, 2008

A recent decorating question asked for ideas that on finding a piece of art that went with jewel toned design.  The person wanted to know how to find a piece of art that had purple, reds, teal green, and gold in it, but was not a painting of flowers or something of that sort.  This was a tall order, and also a mistake that many home decorators make. 

Finding art that matches an already richly decorated home is a difficult task.  It assumes that an artist somewhere anticipated that you would paint your walls blue and purchase a cream colored furniture suite.  Well, actually, this might be predictable, but there are thousands of color combination yet to be explored.  Besides artist just don't work that way.  They choose colors according to inspiration not colors of the season.  It is my opinion that you should choose your artwork before you begin decorating.  Use it as your inspiration piece pulling colors from it to use in your home. 

In the end, I was able to locate a piece of wall art that went well with neutral colors and was not a typical painting.  The Nola Metal Wall Art Sculpture is a lovely earthy abstract piece with hings of teal, green, red, and gold in the textural metal design.  It is 24" by 20" and can be hung horizontally or vertically and will work in neutral environments as well.  If you were to choose an item such as this and use it for an inspiration piece, the result would a natural or an exotic environment.


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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Q.  Decorators on TV shows often decorate an entire wall with mirrors, or with squares of fabric and it looks great, but I don't want to bother with making fabric covered squares and I don't really like mirrors.  Is there another way I can get this effect? 

A.  What you are describing is a feature wall that has a decorative accent repeated over and over again in a grid-like fashion.  The fabric option can be quite inexpensive though labor intensive, and for people who don't like mirrors, the other option can be overwhelming.  Fortunately, you can create such a wall be repeating just about any square decorative option in a grid like fashion.  The hardest part is setting up the hanging hardware in a perfect grid.  You will need a level, a yard stick, a pencil, and tons of patience to set it up. 

Some of the items you can hang in such a grid are square artist canvases painted in different shades of the same color, or all the same color.  They can have a pattern stenciled on them, or they can be plain.  Another option is square metal wall art plaques.  They come in many sizes and with varied designs.  On such piece is this Novara Metal Wall Plaque.  I consists of four triangular pieces set on a medallion center held together by a square metal frame.  It is quite attractive within itself, but when paired with four or eight duplicate plaques, will make a striking feature wall. 


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Monday, October 13, 2008
Question:  I live in a small vintage apartment with bright yellow walls in the kitchen and dining room.  The cabinets are painted white and the floor has black and white tiles.  There is white trim on the walls that make up panels.  How can I work with it. 

Answer:  What you need to do is tone down some of the yellow walls and help it make some sense. I suggest you hang a series of wall art pieces, one in each panel to add a focal point that will pull the eye away from the bright yellow paint and toward the new element.  You can use a collection of ceramic plates.  White architectural wall plaques, or a series of wall vases filled with green ivy. 

This Padova Metal Wall Planter would be a great decorative item to use in such a situation.  By hanging one of these inexpensive metal wall planters in each panel, you  push the yellow color to the background and make these richly finished metal planters the focus of the room.  Fill them with green plants and you instantly give you small apartment kitchen and dining room an outdoorsy feel that will make you feel a lot less cramped.  


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Saturday, October 11, 2008
Q.  I am looking for artwork to hang on my kitchen walls that does not scream "kitchen".  I hate prints of food and I don't really like the look of plates hanging on the wall.  Do you have any other ideas for kitchen artwork that can stand up to the moisture in the kitchen.

A.  As you stated, you must choose art work that can stand up to the moisture level of a typical kitchen.  This usually excludes canvas and even framed artwork as steam and grease can permeate canvas and print artwork.  So besides plates and inexpensive prints which you can throw away, you can hang architectural art pieces.  These are made from resin and are flat on one side allowing you to hang them on the wall.  When hung they look like they were carved into the wall like a relief artwork. 

This Parisian Urn is a perfect example of a piece of artwork that can stand up to the hazards of the kitchen and still look attractive for many years.  It has delicate carvings and intricate details.  It has a stylized floral design and is a will work in any classic or contemporary designed home.  It is substantially sized at almost 3 feet long by one foot wide and it wills serve as a great focal point in above your kitchen table.  You can purchase other architectural pieces of artwork to compliment it. 



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Thursday, October 9, 2008
Q.  I live in a loft apartment with red brick walls and tall ceilings.  I have black leather furniture and glass tables.  I have no idea what kind of art to buy that will stand out against the brick walls. 

A.  The job is easier than you think.  You just need to find wall art that you like that contrasts with the red brick wall.  You can hang large over sized black and white prints with bold black frames.  You can hang every day items that double as art pieces such as an old bicycle or window shutters. 

You can also purchase large metal contemporary art pieces that create a huge impact statement.  Such an item would stand out against the brick walls without overwhelming the room.   The Meridia Three Dimensional Contemporary Metal Wall Art Sculpture for example, would look great in such a situation.  It is 27" high by 50" wide and 4" deep and will look great on the wall above your sofa.  You can also hang it  vertically on a narrow wall to emphasize the height of your apartment.  This wall art sculpture is made of chrome and steel and looks great in any modern or contemporary environment.


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Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Q.  I want to fix up my place to impress my girlfriend.  I have an old leather sofa, a trunk coffee table, dark cherry TV cabinet, with white walls. It is all old antiques given to me by my grandparents. My floors are wood.  Also, my kitchen is all white except for the floors.  What can I do to make it more attractive.

A.  You need to add some color to your home.  Find a piece of wall art that you find interesting, and use it as a color inspiration.  Let's take this Marsala Metal Wall Decor piece for example, It has all of the basic qualities of the items in your home and will look great with your furnishings.  Yet, it has subtle hints of colors that you can borrow to decorate your home. 

You can ground your sofa, chair, and coffee table arrangement with a soft green and/or blue rug.  Purchase candles to put on top of your tables in the green, amber, and golden colors from the painting.  Add a light cozy blanket to the sofa, and put matching curtains or window toppers on your window.

You can carry these colors to your kitchen by hanging coordinating plates on the wall, and placing a few pieces of pottery around the room.


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Sunday, October 5, 2008
Q.  I want to update my living room.  I have always used Medieval Design, but now want to move closet to something more classic.  I still want to keep some design elements that reflect my personal tastes.  Can you give me some ideas?

A.  My guess is that you probably have a few pieces of decor and art, and possibly even furnishings that are decidedly Gothic.  My recommendation is that you go throough these items discarding anything that is old looking, damaged, or poorly made and keep those items that are in the best condition.  Display Three to five of these items in your room. 

As for furniture, I recommend brown leather that will give you the rich dark feeling that you like while not being too harsh. 

Before you choose your accessories and furniture, however, you will want to update your paint colors, painting the walls a classic off white color, with white trim.  That will give the room a classic base on which you can add your personal statement pieces. 

Speaking of personal statement pieces there are many pieces of art decor you can purchase that have medieval qualities and also classic sensibilities.  This Mantua Metal Wall Art set in an intriguing mix of traditional and contemporary wall art design and is also decidedly masculine.  It has rich brown tones that compliment wood furnishings and can fit into any earthy decor scheme.  Each of the two panels are 28" by 10" and mimic doors.  You can display them together as a major focal point or apart as accent pieces. 


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Friday, October 3, 2008
Q.  I would like to have an extravagant headboard on my bed, but the bedroom is very small.  Is there anything I can do to get the look of a nice headboard?

A.  The solution to your problem is to find a headboard alternative that will not take up any additional floor space.  You can have a piece of plywood cut to the width of your bed.  You can then upholster this headboard and hang it on the wall a few inches above where the mattress meets the wall.  

Another option is to hang attractive artwork that has an architectural element to it.  Wall art plaques, and decorative panels would work well.  This Kisaku Metal Wall Plaque is a great example of the type of wall art you can use. 

This wall art piece is 19" square and blends with just about any decorating style.  It is made up of a series of smaller tiles and exhibits numerous textures in a subtle and attractive wall art piece.  Sold at such a bargain price, you can hang one of these over each side of the bed or you can buy six and make a grid above the bed that will mimic a substantial headboard.


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Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Q.  The apartment I am renting has brown wood paneling.  I hate it.  How can I decorate around it to make it look better?

A.  You have a big job on your hands!  My advice to you is to create distractions, especially if you can't at least paint the paneling white.  By the way, ask if you can. 

If you cannot paint the paneling white or another light color, Then you should purchase a bolt of light colored fabric and make floor to ceiling curtains to hang all the way around the room.  Purchase wire curtain hardware similar to what Ikea sells as you can cover a large distance with it. Be extra careful with candles and don't put lamps to close to your fabric. 

If you can paint the paneling, then you will only need to distract from the panel pattern on the wall.  In this case, hang bold pieces of wall art that will cause you to focus on them and not the wall.  This Essen Metal Wall Art for instance, will certainly take the focus off an ugly wall and refocus your gaze onto the artwork.  This is a truly mesmerizing piece of artwork in a pinwheel design with a mirror in the center.  This wall art piece is hypnotically striking and will fit into any contemporary or eclectic styled home.


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