Thursday tip # 9 - small rooms

Thursday tip # 9 - small rooms

Accessories Monochromatic multipurpose furniture small room Texture Thursday Tip

Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects

There are many options when one has to decorate a small room.  These ideas are built on the principle of keeping all aspects of the decor as minimal and connected as possible. Since this is the look I prefer in any room, small rooms are never a challenge and I even prefer them. 

• choose a monochromatic colour scheme (as above), or a neutral one with pops of colour
• keep accessories in one colour range (in this room it's brass)
• use multipurpose furniture ( stacking tables)
• consider adding a shelf for storage/display to move things  off the floor
• use multipurpose accessories (lamp that looks like a sculpture; interesting mirror instead of art work; beautiful boxes that can be used for storage
• use many textures instead of bold patterns (in pillows, window treatments)
• use furniture that is in proportion to the room
• keep the lines of larger pieces simple
• when choosing artwork focus on one striking piece and have anything else play a supporting role.  
• use strong verticals to move your eye up (long drapes, vertical art work, tall slim lamps)
• use your window as a backdrop for the placement of a prominent piece of furniture (bed i or chair)

Thursday Tip # 8 - make it white

Thursday Tip # 8 - make it white

Monochromatic repetition Texture Thursday Tip white

Coastal Living

There is something so soothing about a monochromatic colour scheme.  I have friends who would say boring not soothing. but to each his own.  It might seem easy to have a room is varying tones of one hue but not so.  It's even more difficult to design a white room to look interesting.  The trick is to emphasize shape and texture through repetition above all else. Don't forget that there are hundreds of whites with varying undertones and temperatures.

Why does this room work?

•  white shows up all the textures and lines in the room;
• the small mirrors arranged in a grid add a strong repetitive element and each looks like a small painting because of the reflections from outside (I'm assuming); that adds optical texture;
• the walls are horizontal boards which play against the square mirrors;
• apart from the texture of the white boards, the horizontal lines are soothing and are repeated in the cabinet below: 
• the arrangement has various shapes( cones, spheres, stars) and surfaces (reflective, matt, rough, smooth);
• shiny surfaces add an unknown quality because you never know what will be reflected;
• the whites are on the warmer side and a little "dirty" which doesn't look stark.

Here are several other white rooms.  Do you think they are successful? What do they have in common with the room above?

Elle Decor

House Beautiful

Marcelo Brito


Which do you prefer? 

Thursday Tip #7- Editing a bookcase

Thursday Tip #7- Editing a bookcase

Accessories bookcases Thursday Tip

Control your bookcase

If you're like me this is easier said than done.  I don't like a bookcase to look too edited, but grouping objects and books is a must.  I won't go so far as to suggest covering books with the same colour paper  or lining them up by colour as I've seen in some magazines.  

What works in his arrangement ?

• the bookcase has been treated as an accent wall by painting the back a beautiful blue
• sculptural objects are massed and are  the same colour - white- which shows against the blue
• there's a range of objects including books, vases, photos and found objects
• the books have been sorted by height
• books are placed both horizontally and vertically

If you wanted to further edit this arrangement you could consider:

• removing the photos; they are lost in the display
• if you are arranging books horizontally, keep to that, don't start to stack vertically on top of the horizontal ones; stacking some horizontally and some vertically on the same shelf works
• don't add a piece of sculpture on top of a books (see bowl) , this is sculptural enough to display alone and gets lost otherwise.
• if you have an arrangement of vases, bottles etc.  don't add a picture behind it- it gets lost.

 From one extreme to the next...

 Quiet and unobtrusive, this bookcase provides a lovely backdrop for the two chairs grouped in front of it.  This is a room I would like to sit in .

 

HGTV

This is a whole other way of  organizing a bookcase.  While is is ordered, it has a very vibrant almost chaotic feel to it.  It has way too much visual energy for my taste, but there's someone who loves it. 

If you want more inspiration check out The Lennox,  a great blog that I follow.

Did you find a useful tip  in this post or do you have one to add?

Happy Shelving

Thursday Tip #6- simple centerpieces

Thursday Tip #6- simple centerpieces

Centerpieces flowers Thursday Tip

Keep it simple...

Dinner parties can stress the budget.  I like to have simple arrangements for the table and that usually involves fresh flowers .  Rather than large bouquets which are tall and obstruct views, think about simple ways to use flowers or leaves in a repetition.

Hosta leaves are one of my favourites and I have lots to choose from in my garden.  I love the idea of massing different sizes and shapes of glasses/vases and submerging separate leaves in each one. 
The sunflower is a great choice for fall entertaining. If you don't have access to fresh sunflowers, there are realistic looking  artificial ones. The arrangement above works because of the meandering wave and colour variety.

Thursday Tip #5- Use geometry

Thursday Tip #5- Use geometry

Accessories Texture Thursday Tip

Houzz

Most  furniture  is predominantly rectangular.  When you're adding accents it's good to include circular shapes to play against the strong horizontal  and vertical lines. The basket, table, wooden goblet and  medallions work wonderfully with this sofa (which is not as squared off as most).  There's also lots of texture in this room. If you can't count at least five different textures in a space it is probably not that exciting!  You rarely see beige paired with yellow, but doesn't it look fabulous? In case you didn't notice.... spray paint medallions meant for ceiling applications and use them as wall decor.

Thursday Tip #4- Layering accessories

Thursday Tip #4- Layering accessories

Thursday Tip

Laura Martin Bovard

What do you have in your house that your friends don't have? What personal touches make your house into a home?  Accessories may be small but they have a big punch in decor. This is an area where you should strive for personality plus.  Choose things that mean something to you or your family, and then combine them  to make an interesting grouping. Forget about spreading things out along the top of a cabinet or mantle- group, group, group.

Why does this vignette work? 

• the  colour tones are very similar
• there's  a variety of objects, textures, shapes and sizes (love the sphere)
• the objects are layered forcing you to look through to the back (providing a visual journey)
• the art work is overlapped , but you can still see each piece
• the format of the vignette is a classic v shape with the height at the edges and the lowest point near the middle

 

Thursday Tip # 3- Destination walls

Thursday Tip # 3- Destination walls

accent wall Thursday Tip

 What do these rooms have in common?

Jona Collins

Powell/Kleinschmidt, Inc.

Fiorella Design

Elad Gonen & Zeev Beech

All  of the walls featured are small  "destination walls" which you walk toward.  The darker colour draws the eye and helps to visually draw you toward them. They also serve to showcase the furniture that is in front of them.  Do you have a destination wall in your house that would like a shot of colour to help anchor it? Look at the end of hallways or in long narrow rooms.

Thursday Tip #2

Thursday Tip #2

colour schemes Thursday Tip

Webber + Studio, Architects

Use accessories to carry colour

 The vibrant yellow green in the artwork in this hallway is repeated again in the pillow in the bedroom. A darker green appears in the art work above the bed.  When walking down the hallway your eye pops from the artwork into the adjoining room  which is seen at a distance.  This causes visual movement from one room to the next.  A small thing but very effective for connecting one room with the next. Never underestimate the power of accessories to improve every room in your house. Have you carried colour from one room to another in your home? 


Check back for my next post on Colour Continuity when creating a colour scheme.

  

Thursday Tip -Fall is in the air

Thursday Tip -Fall is in the air

Thursday Tip

Many people focus on new beginnings in January, but mine are always prompted by the arrival of September.  I put it down to my past career as a teacher when September was the month of planning and new possibilities.

I just returned from a month in Europe and my mind is agog with all the possible posts I could write and it's hard to select the best idea .  When I feel like this I have to do something to focus my thoughts. Rather than choosing one topic  I've decided to go broader.  I'm beginning a new post focus which I'm calling Thursday Tips.  Each Thursday I will feature one image and several simple ideas that could be easily translated into your home decor. 

Houzz

Orange gaining favour in 2012

The colour forecasts for 2012 are just beginning to appear and orange seems to be in favour.  Not the toned "dirty" oranges of past years, but a fresher variety that brings warmth and thoughts of  a fresh autumn day.

Layering in Decor

While this orange chair is very striking, you don't need  to make such a large purchase to get an up to date look.  The tulips in the vase above are lovely in spring, but think about   Chinese Lanterns to bring a blast of  fall orange. Twigs and branches in the arrangement add structural elements and height which helps focus your attention . Stacking two mirrors of different heights on a console table provides a backdrop for your arrangement and also provides  interesting layers.Always think layers when you are decorating.

 source

If you have a neutral chair, an orange throw draped over the back or arm would add just the right amount of colour.

 

Crate and Barrel

source

When I'm adding in colour accents in this way I usually think in threes and using varying proportions  of the colour.  Think about small, medium and larger sized accessories and you can't go wrong. Variety is another key word in decorating.  Find your varying sizes in pillows, boxes or canvas totes,  a piece of artwork or large pillar candles.  Style at Home offers 10 ideas for adding Tangerine to your decor. 

What's your favourite accent colour?