Decorating with Folk Art

By creatingyourspace | Published: May 11, 2012

Decorating with folk art can be a charming way to add or incorporate vintage finds and family heirlooms into your décor. Antique shows, flea markets and maybe even your own attic are great sources for folk art furniture, art and objects. Folk art has a simple charm that works well with farmhouse style decors as well as shabby chic and traditional style rooms.

Painted folk furniture, like this multi-drawer chest, adds not only charm but color to a room. This blue chest of drawers and the nautical themed painting would look pretty in a foyer or a bedroom. They could also liven up a corner of the living room. Pretty carved wood decorations and architectural salvage make for folk art style wall ornaments as well as objects for a table top.

The simple, handcrafted style of folk art furniture and art goes well with farmhouse style wide plank floors and handmade rag rugs or needlepoint rugs. The warmth of warm pine floors suits the simple style of colorful folk art furniture and decorations.

Grouping various folk art objects and art by theme or color is a nice way to create a display on a table top or shelf. Shaker boxes make for charming storage and come in beautiful colors. Amish made crafts are another source for contemporary folk art. Craft shows and fairs that showcase the word of local artists are wonderful way to buy folk art and support local craftspeople. Whether you buy new crafts and folk art or display a family heirloom, folk art adds charm to any room.

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Make Your House a Home

By creatingyourspace | Published: May 4, 2012

The American dream has shifted and changed over the years, but at the heart of it still remains the family home. With changing real estate markets, buying and owning this slice of the American dream also fluctuates for many people. Making a house into a family home is done with love and memories, not necessarily the latest must-have home product.

The family home should be a place for family gatherings and celebrations as well as every day events that bring a family together like dinner at the table or movie night. We’ve talked before about creating family traditions to create quality time as a family. These family traditions don’t require a huge or ostentatious home. No matter if your home is 800sq. ft. or 8000 sq. ft. it can be warm and inviting for you and your family.

So much of decorating today is about creating a warm environment that reflects your family’s personality. Decorating with heirlooms and personal treasures found on travels or at the local flea market are great ways to bring your family’s personality into the home. Using a rug from your parents or grandmother’s china everyday is a nice way to bring the older generation’s presence into the home. Generations of family photos can instantly surround you with loved ones.

Make your house a family home by surrounding yourself with things you love, happy memories of the past and traditions to create memories for your children.

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Home Recycling and Decorating

By creatingyourspace | Published: April 30, 2012

Beyond bottles, cans and plastic there are more ways to recycle in your home. Recycling and decorating can work together to create interesting interiors. Upcycling, taking the ordinary and elevating it to extraordinary, is one way to reuse and repurpose things. There are also products for the home that are made from recycled materials. Recycling is good for keeping things out of the landfill and creating a beautiful home.

Products made from recycled materials can range from carpets to counter tops and everything in between. There is carpeting on the market that is made from recycled carpets. Recycled plastic bottles can be turned into area rugs that are perfect for outdoor or indoor living. Crushed glass bottles can be used in counter top material for a colorful kitchen counter.

Beyond products made from recycled common materials, you can recycle your existing décor and furniture. Upcycling can be done with free finds, flea or thrift store treasures, or pieces you have in your attic or garage. Paint and new fabric can transform something you might put out at the curb into a star piece in your room.

Recycling can also mean moving furniture around the home. Putting a dresser in the living room or entry hall will make it feel new. Shifting chairs or lighting from room to room can make these pieces feel new. Sometimes something that was in the wrong spot can bring down a room, but finding the perfect place for it will make it and the room shine.

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Pamper Yourself at Home

By creatingyourspace | Published: April 27, 2012

If you can’t make it to the spa because of your schedule or budget, you can bring the spa home to you. There are little touches to turn your own bathroom into a spa-like oasis.

Small tricks and touches can turn your bathroom into a spa for the day even if you aren’t ready to do a major bathroom overall. Spa floors, like this river rock tile, set the tone for the room. If you aren’t thinking about redoing your bathroom floors you can get the look and feel of river rocks underfoot with a river rock mat. These are typically used for the front door mat but rock mats can work in the bathroom too.

Setting up a pedicure station can be done in the bathroom or at your favorite chair. A large bowl filled with soapy warm water, a few drops of essential oil or rose petals can make you feel like you’re at a luxury spa. You can create the same soak for your hands. Just protect the floor underneath if you are in the living room or bedroom.

Soothing masks and steamed towels can give you a mini-facial right in your own bathroom. Look online for great homemade recipes for masks and additional tips on recreating the spa in your own home. Now you just need to find the half hour in your schedule to relax and pamper yourself.

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Seating Beyond a Sofa

By creatingyourspace | Published: February 15, 2012

A living room without a sofa is like a dining room without a table. The sofa is the anchor of a living room seating area. This doesn’t mean it should be the only seating option in the room. It’s true that sectional sofa can provide seating for a crowd, but to create a balanced seating area you’ll want to have a few options.

In this modern living room, the sofa and coffee table are anchored by a light colored area rug on the dark wood floor. The rug helps map out the seating area. Because this is a large open living room, there is room for additional seating. A matching sofa could be placed perpendicular to the existing sofa. Another choice would be to replace this sofa, which feels a little small in scale for the space, with an L-shaped sectional.

Beyond the sofa, chairs, stools and poufs can be used in the living room for additional seating. Flanking the sofa with a pair of chairs would help fill out this living room’s seating options. A pair of chairs, or two accent chairs, could be placed on one side with a pair of stools or poufs on the other for symmetry. The pair of chairs could also be placed facing the sofa. When floating chairs in a room, be sure to look for chairs that have interesting backs. The same can be said for sofas that are placed away from the wall in a living room. Make sure your furniture looks great from all sides.

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Design Element: Focal Wall

By creatingyourspace | Published: January 2, 2012

The focal wall is a design term you’ve probably heard when watching design television or reading design blogs. The term is pretty self-explanatory: creating a wall that becomes a focal point in the room. Creating a focal wall can be achieved with a number of materials like paint, wallpaper, art, and even stone. The focal wall becomes an anchor in the room, allowing your eye a place to rest as it looks around the room.

This dining room with its large stone wall is a great example of a focal wall. The stone wall becomes not only the focal point in the dining room, but almost feels like art. The stones become sculpture. There is no need for artwork or other embellishments on the wall. Simple wall sconces illuminate the stones in the evening.

Keeping the color palette and designs simple allow the stone wall to be the focal point. Transitional style furniture that is the best of contemporary and traditional design works to give the dining room a contemporary style. The light colored table top and light stone floors keep the space from feeling too heavy or dark. The black and brown leather chairs pull in colors from the stones.

Using stone throughout the room, on the floor, table top and wall, gives the design a cohesive look and keep the focus on the stone wall. In this room, the focal wall sets the tone for the rest of the materials used in the space. Creating a focal wall such as this one adds drama and interest to the room.

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Creating a Cozy Living Room

By creatingyourspace | Published: December 10, 2011

Cozy in real estate terminology often means small, but cozy sounds nicer,doesn’t it? When we talk about cozy in decorating and interior design it doesn’t mean small. Cozy rooms are warm and inviting. Cozy living rooms invite you to relax with family and friends, or curl up with a good book or movie.

Creating a cozy living room can be accomplished in a few easy steps. Let’s look at this living room for inspiration. First thing we notice is the deep, comfortable leather seating. Leather is a wonderful luxurious material for seating that gets better with age. It is kid and pet friendly, and can withstand the rigors of college football Saturdays and the big game Sundays.

Adding a plaid blanket to the sofa breaks up all the brown leather in the room. The plaid is a more masculine pattern and goes well with the leather, also a masculine material. Throw blankets are easy ways to bring cozy comfort to a room.

Arranging the furniture close together is a cozy way to invite conversation and playing games around the coffee table. Providing a few reading lamps invites you to curl up in the deep club chair with a book or cup of tea. The matching ottoman calls for you to put up your feet. The ottoman is a versatile piece of furniture that can also be used as a table.

Wood floors in a warm tone would complement the leather and dark, Mission style furniture in this cozy living room. Carpet would be an even cozier option; berber style carpet would be a great choice for this living room too.

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Shadow Play

By creatingyourspace | Published: November 15, 2011

Do you want to step through this room to the window, or would you rather stand back and enjoy the shadows of the room itself?

Both choices have their appeal. This room is not afraid of its shadows, and the design takes full advantage of them. Color is minimized and lines draw the eye.

There are two important secrets to why this room works so well with only natural light. One is the large window covering most of one wall. This gives plenty of opportunity for light to reach into the room as well as providing a view better than any art that could cover a wall.

The flooring provides the second reason. You know this wood is dark as dark – possibly even an ebony, yet the window’s reflection on the glossy surface brings the light well into the room.

Without the flooring, you would lose the silhouette effect of the furniture, and the unusual lines of pieces such as the curved chair by the zebra-patterned rug would be lost in the darkness. Look at how the chair and sofa show reflections against the floor. These help define the space as shadows help define light.

Color has a minimal effect in this room. We are unable to distinguish color without light, and there is not much light here. The only visible element of color appears on the sofa’s arm where a couple of orange stripes could be a throw or some sort of pattern. This room doesn’t need color. There’s enough interest in the light, shadow and lines.

Are your shadows interesting? Do they add personality and a special flavor to your home? Think about it.

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Throw a Party in your Kitchen

By creatingyourspace | Published: October 6, 2011

Is your kitchen one of your favorite rooms? If so, it’s no surprise that people tend to congregate in your kitchen when you have a party. How about changing the rules for once and having a party in your kitchen?

To make this plan a success, plan everything ahead of time so you don’t have to work on anything but spending time with your guests. Choose finger foods that require no last-minute prep and avoid the oven and stove top. Instead, have cool foods you can pull out of the refrigerator already plated, or smaller appetizers that will fit in your toaster oven.

Decorating is easy in a kitchen. Use napkins, placemats and small tablecloths to add color and personality, and serve the food on your countertops. Choose colors and textures that complement the look of your kitchen. With neutral cabinets and countertops like the kitchen in this photo, bright colors and accessories will add splash. Choose earth tones if your kitchen is darker and more neutral. Place fresh flowers or pots of herbs around the counters to add charm.

If you have a snack bar or an eat-in kitchen, set those up for people to take a break. If not, how about adding a small area rug in one corner and bringing in a few chairs from your dining room? Remember you don’t have to use any of your cabinets or large appliances, so you can place a seating area in front of almost anything in your kitchen.

Like the people in this kitchen, having fun is not about going fancy. Even a few snacks and laughter can make a get-together special.

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Formal Dining or Home Office? How About Both?

By creatingyourspace | Published: October 4, 2011

Homes need to be more flexible as our lives and needs change. One space that has become more important with every passing year is a home office. With many people telecommuting or working for themselves, having space at home to handle needs that used to be limited to an off-site office has become common.

As you’re determining where you can fit a home office, take a look at your formal dining room. If you have an alternate eating area such as an in-kitchen table, how often do you really use that room? With a few additions, you can set up a working home office that is easy to disassemble when you want to entertain.

To start, you may just need a laptop and wireless Internet access. If your filing needs are limited, look for a rolling file cart at a nearby office store. They’re inexpensive and often have an additional shelf for holding papers.

Every discount store has containers designed to hold office supplies and additional papers. If you need more space, see if you can repurpose a drawer or cabinet in your buffet to handle office supplies.

Most dining room lighting is not designed for work. Consider picking up a floor lamp to provide additional work light as needed. As you use the space more, you will know what you need to make it work for you.

At some point you may realize that it’s time for a real office chair with wheels. If this happens, be sure to protect your dining room flooring. Wood floors and an area rug such as the one in the photo won’t do well with the wear of those wheels. An inexpensive thin rug or floor protector will solve this concern.

When you’re ready to use your dining room for its original purpose, simply gather your office together and temporarily move it to another room. If you remember to keep things simple, in about a half hour you can have a regular dining room again.

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