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A Home For All Seasons
(September 2002)
When it's time to reach for your favorite sweater and get reacquainted
with your fireplace, consider decorating your home for fall. Spring
and summer might be the seasons for bright florals, cotton cushions
and sissal rugs, but fall is time to enrich your rooms with warmth
and fall color. If you are just starting out furnishing your home,
select your larger pieces carefully as these items will remain the
same for many years. You can adapt the latest design trend into
your décor easily and inexpensively by adding or editing
a few accessories and accent colors.
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To decorate for fall, change out your accent pillows with ones
in rich colors and textures such as berber fleece, chenille or wool
plaids. Roll up your rag rugs and light-colored floral rugs and
replace them with dark patterned area rugs. Pack away anything pastel
in color and replace with darker accent colors. Baskets and wooden
bowls filled with fruit, pumpkins, gourds or pinecones add natural
color and interest. Collect branches with bright-colored leaves
or berries and place in a tall vase for vertical impact. Collectibles,
display cabinets and fireplace mantels should also be changed to
reflect the seasons.
By searching your closets, cupboards, and basements for long-forgotten
accessories, you can continuously create new and exciting spaces
throughout your home. As the weather changes, seasonal decorating
transforms the look and the feel of your rooms with the artful rearrangement
of items you already own. Winter, spring, summer and fall, use nature's
colorful palette as a guide for your decorating inspiration.
A Room Of Your Own
Creating a Comfortable Home Work Place
(January, 2003)
Whether you require a full or part-time home office, a hobby area
to complete your projects, or a place to manage the household paperwork,
home offices are becoming an increasingly essential room in the
house. Ever-improving technology is making it easier and more convenient
for people to work from home. Personally, I enjoy the pleasure of
rolling out of bed, pouring a cup of coffee and getting right to
work while still wearing my pajamas and slippers. But, that's my
secret!
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When planning for your home office, begin by evaluating your needs.
How much room do you need? What tasks will you be doing? How much
time will you spend in your office? What furniture and equipment
is necessary? Will you need to accommodate clients? Your answers
will determine whether you require a designated private space, such
as converting a guest room, attic or garage, or whether a section
of the family room or kitchen is sufficient to accomplish your tasks.
If space is limited, look further into transforming an empty corner,
a closet, wasted space beneath stairs, or even a hallway into a
comfortable office area.
Once you have your office space selected, the pleasure of decorating
begins. Do your surroundings influence how well you concentrate?
Are you easily distracted? What color schemes do you like? What
mood do you need to create? Choosing the right colors can calm you
or energize you, depending on the result you desire. If the remainder
of your home is conservative, now is the time to go all out and
decorate your space to achieve greatest inspiration! Select furnishings
and accessories that make you feel comfortable. Computer desks and
shelving come in a wide assortment of woods, laminates and metals.
Do you prefer high-tech stainless steel or would an antique writing
desk best suit your personality? Make sure to have adequate lighting
for all your tasks. Arrange your furnishings to maximize the room's
function and appeal. Evaluate your office equipment needs to stay
organized and keep overflow of paperwork to a minimum (there's nothing
like clutter to start the day on a negative note). Finally, adding
personal touches such as window treatments, baskets or storage bins,
family photos, art work and collectibles, a throw rug, a favorite
desk lamp, a comfortable chair, a soothing water fountain, greenery
or fresh flowers pulls it all together and creates a private place
you will enjoy working in!
Working from home provides many people with the conveniences of
being closer to family, eliminates commuting time to and from the
office, and allows for greater productivity. Whether your taste
is elegant, cozy or high-tech, your home office should be a comfortable
work space that is attractive, functional, and fulfilling.
Decorating Beyond Your Back Door
(June, 2002)
Summer has officially started, along with celebrations of graduations,
Father's Day, birthdays, and family barbecues. When your interior
space limits your entertaining during the fall and winter seasons,
now is the time to extend your boundaries beyond your back door.
Treat your patios, decks and shady backyard niches like you would
your interior rooms; however, be bold with color, add unexpected
details, and show off your personality!
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For a patio or deck, search your basement or garage for an area
rug to define your outdoor space. Along with adding a splash of
color, this is a cozy and safe area for toddlers and children to
play. Bring out your old abandoned wooden or wicker chairs and feel
free to mix and match your furnishings. Colorful cushions and pillows
will pull everything together and welcome your guests to sit and
relax in comfort. Hang a hammock or swing to lure you to a quieter
place. Group containers of flowers together for maximum impact.
Watering cans, wagons and wheelbarrows overflowing with flowers
add "fun" to any space. For larger gatherings, cover your
picnic tables with bright fabric, sheets or quilts (the "old
door on two saw horses" works great for extra seating or serving).
Next, add unexpected touches to suit all your senses. Set up a
tabletop fountain to listen to the sounds of trickling water or
hang soothing wind chimes that catch the slightest breezes. Place
tea-light candles in colored glasses or string white miniature lights
underneath your umbrella or in nearby tree branches for an elegant
nighttime display. Bring out knick-knacks which reflect your personality
such as dragonflies, frogs or bunnies which peer out of corners
or flower pots. Decorate your walls with birdhouses or a collection
of garden tools. When it comes to summer entertaining, there are
no design rules. Look closely throughout your home-you already have
what it takes to create beautiful outdoor spaces. Sit back, relax
with that pitcher of lemonade, and celebrate the long dog days of
summer!
Gathering Together
Create Unforgettable Tablescapes For Your
Family and Friends
(November, 2002)
It's hard to believe the holiday season is rapidly approaching.
Along with the crisp days of autumn, I look forward to returning
home in the evenings and immediately slipping into comfortable loungewear,
smelling the aroma of simmering stew or soup in the crock-pot, and
curling up on the sofa with my favorite throw. The icing on the
cake would be a good movie on cable television. Oh well, thank God
for board games and books!
In these troubled economic times and uncertainty of what's still
to come, spending more time at home has become a necessary yet welcomed
comfort for us. Now is the time for intimate gatherings of family
and friends, shared dinners, good music and memorable conversation.
A combination of the right accessories to create decorative tablescapes,
for a sit-down or buffet-style dinner or cocktail party, makes a
stunning presentation and an unexpected surprise for your guests.
If all of this seems like too much energy, here are some simple
tips to get you started:
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Start with a theme. What is the reason for getting together? Is
it an intimate dinner with close friends, a baby shower, a football
party, a holiday get-together? You can also create a theme just
by the food you serve - Italian, French, Mexican, or Japanese for
instance - and plan your tablescape accordingly. A checkered tablecloth,
baskets of fresh bread, and candles inserted in empty wine bottles
can set the mood with a simple meal of spaghetti and meatballs.
Use what you already have. You can achieve fresh, fun looks by
mixing and matching items already in your home. A woodland theme
could include camping lanterns for lighting, a flannel sheet for
a tablecloth, wooden duck decoys or other wildlife collections as
a centerpiece, and plaid dishcloths as napkins. A string of holiday
lights taped under a glass table or in between platters of appetizers
adds sparkle for that special occasion. Cover the lights with a
few yards of lightweight sheer or silky fabric, tie the corners
to the table legs with ribbon or bows for a dramatic no-sew tablecloth.
Randomly placing theme-appropriate confetti, fall leaves, glass
stones, nuts, pinecones, pumpkins, gourds, ornaments or fresh-cut
flowers adds that finished decorative touch.
Get creative with candles. Dinner by candlelight invokes an intimate
ambiance all in itself. Floating candles in shallow dishes or goblets
make a quick centerpiece for any table or fireplace mantel. Fill
your glassware with water, then get creative! Add wedges of lemons
or limes, colorful fall leaves, confetti, polished stones, sand
and seashells -whatever goes with your theme- and top it off with
floating candles. Avocados, apples, mini pumpkins or other produce
can be carved to hold taper or votive candles. (Make sure the item
sits firmly on the table before lighting candles.)
Accommodate all the senses. Begin the festivities as soon as your
guests walk in the front door with music. Keep the volume low for
easy conversation among guests. Dim the lights and have the candles
flickering. (Hint: This trick works great for spontaneous get-togethers
when the chore of dusting has been put off.) Scatter fragrances
throughout the home utilizing potpourri in decorative containers,
scented candles, or simmering hot apple cider. Keep the scents food-related,
such as spicy pumpkin or apple pie, as they compliment your kitchen's
aromas. Varying the patterns, colors and textures for your table
decorations and place settings allows you to pull your existing
items together for eclectic interest.
Some of my most memorable gatherings at home occurred at a moment's
notice. Whether it's a spontaneously-organized pot luck or extensively
planned celebration, the season of gathering together is underway.
Keep it simple, make it comfortable, and enjoy your time with the
ones you love.
Warm Up To Color
(March, 2002)
It's March, and Spring is just a few, short weeks away...if you
live in Florida! Though we have at least two more months before
we see the first signs of Spring, it's never too early to get into
the spirit with color.
Shortly after the holidays I started receiving phone calls from
homeowners who, going through the winter blahs, were ready for a
decorating change. When asked what their biggest decorating dilemma
was, the majority responded with eagerly wanting to make pretty
daring changes; getting away from room after room of…(gasp)
white walls. It seems white is the "official safe color"
for many American homes. Everything goes with white. There are no
decorating challenges when trying to blend white walls with a white
sofa, beige berber carpet and off-white curtains.
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Albeit, the transition to color can be difficult and intimidating
for some. However, think of how color affects us emotionally, physically
and spiritually. Color affects not only how a room looks, but also
how it feels. Color stimulates our senses, encourages us to be calm,
relaxed or excited. Color evokes moods of happiness and sadness,
feelings of hot and cold. Color can be a useful tool when you want
to alter the apparent proportions of a room, creating illusions
of making a large room seem smaller and cozier, or a small room
calm and more spacious. You can use color to focus attention on
good features and disguise or camouflage less attractive ones. Color
can transform the entire energy of a room.
For those courageous enough to take the plunge, below are some
informative guidelines to get the process started:
- Choose a favorite furniture piece, art work, or fabric which
already has a color scheme started. Leaf through the many decorating
magazines available and make note of rooms that make you feel
good, as well as look good. Look outside-you already have a wonderful
source for inspiration!
- Start with paint samples (quart size or smaller) and apply 12x12-inch
squares in various areas of the room such as dark corners and
walls which receive direct sunlight. Look at them physically at
varying times of the day and night for a full 24-hour period.
Blues can look violet in the morning light, will deepen through
the day, and warms in the evening giving off hints of mauve.
- If you just cannot commit to getting out of the neutral "safe
zone," consider this perspective: Just as the little black
dress can be accessorized for elegance with pearls or jazzed up
with eye-popping color, choosing decorative accessories in bold
accent colors will energize and personalize your overall style.
The colors you love are ultimately yours, and you should be able
to enjoy them in as many ways as your imagination allows, paying
no attention to color trends. Personalize your space and create
your own unique style. And, above all else, show your true colors!
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