topic 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING in Home

10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Oznell — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 17:55:05 GMT

I recently discovered this "soulful home" blog, and have enjoyed her ideas. This ten tips video has very tried and true concepts, but it never hurts to hear them reinforced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghSEuYa-EI0

Her rooms are pretty. Especially like her recommendations of smart layering, creating personal vignettes, and one that almost all designers say, have at least one black element in the room. I heard this years ago, and it's definitely helpful if like me, you go for sort of light, airy, ethereal rooms. Having something black immediately grounds things, and keeps your room from drifting off into the stratosphere, ha.

It could be a black lampshade, or stack of books, or ebony table, anything. For me, it is just a few touches of iron. I have some black iron lamp bases. I reinforce that with a black lantern and a few primitive iron candlesticks. Keeps things from heading into too 'sweet' or 'cutesey' territory, in my opinion...

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Iwantcoffee — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 19:00:24 GMT

Love her beautiful kitchen!

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Harpa — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 19:38:33 GMT

@Oznell

Thanks for posting these ideas! I never knew of the black decorating tip. I think I've done this instinctively, especially in the living room, which is really the music room.

The ebony piano, of course, is the central statement, and I have black accents to complement that.

I am in a bit of a quandry about the office, however. Office which doubles as a guest bed via an upscale futon. Not the decorating part, but the placement of things. Still not happy with this, so more pondering required on my part.

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Oznell — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 19:44:37 GMT

@Iwantcoffee-- Me too, I was drooling over that stove!

Offices are hard for me too, @Harpa-- I've never been happy with ours. Best of luck with figuring out your furniture placement!

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Teddie — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 20:04:00 GMT

We have the oil rubbed bronze fixtures which followed into the door handles, etc. From there, I gravitated the same to other areas, the darker metal base of a lamp, like you said, @Oznell. I have metal art across a wall. I don’t think I was doing this with any specifics of dark in each room but it did come together the way I like.

TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

spiderw — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 20:08:30 GMT

Thanks, Oznell, for the informative decorating video. I enjoy decorating and receive compliments, but I am always open to suggestions. It is all about taste and what makes you comfortable and happy, just like the clothes you choose to wear. I have many family pictures throughout the house and wall art. I like colors, not stark white walls. I have mixed furniture, not one specific style and many knic knacs.

With that all being said, as I get older, I would like to down size and move into smaller place. However, the tips given in the video are good ones and food for thought for those who are looking for change.

Decorating is fun and enjoyable and even if you cannot affort a lot, you can find many items of reasonable cost in different stores. It is all a matter of surrounding yourself with comfort and your style so that there is no place like home!!!!!

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

LoveMyBaby — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 20:14:29 GMT

@Oznell @I'm drooling too. Reminds me of my grandma's stove in her Detroit home, (home sadly has been demolished). Such delicious Italian meals she made on that old fashioned stove. She also had glass front white cupboards which I copied into my kitchen re-do.

The latest trend now is incorporating shelves (fewer cupboards). Not totally eliminating cupboards, just adding shelves to areas near the stove and prep areas. I like it a lot.

Loved the video, thanks for sharing. 💚

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Oznell — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 21:21:05 GMT

Glass front cupboards and shelves, @LoveMyBaby-- drooling again!

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

panda1234 — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 01:20:35 GMT

@Oznell I too just discovered “soulful home” yesterday and loved it. Her home is adorable and she made several good points with the ten decorating tips.

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Catiele — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 03:11:55 GMT

Enjoyed the video. Would love that sink. Also she collects pitchers as do I.

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Oznell — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 11:27:32 GMT

Me too, @Catiele, I find pitchers irresistable, plus they're practical.

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Somertime — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 12:00:32 GMT

@Oznell A good tip for trying to decide on a paint color for a room..........go to Home Depot and get left over pieces of drywall about 2 x 4 or a little larger. The number is dependent on how many paint colors you are deciding on, I would suggest 3 pieces. Paint each one the color of your choice. Move it behind your furniture, move it around the room to see how it catches the light in the daytime and do the same in the evening to see what the color looks like at night. Paint will look different during the day than in the evening. You can place the paint board next to your furniture as well to see if it "works". Since the paint board is a larger size, it gives you a far better idea of what it will look like in your room, rather than painting a small section of the room. It makes it far easier. You can take the paint board with you if you are looking for drapes, this way you can place the board next to the drape you are thinking about purchasing and see if it will work! Takes a lot of worry out of "Did I make a mistake, will it work?"

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Oznell — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 12:02:09 GMT

Great tip that can save so much painting "heartache" @Somertime, thanks!

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

DREAMON — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 13:08:36 GMT

I too couldn't take my eyes off of the gorgeous stove.

I started adding touches of black to my home a few years ago and really like that.

I really enjoyed this video and found it very interesting...Thank You

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Lucky Charm — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 21:36:36 GMT

Oh boy....I'm the odd one out here....

I thought her kitchen looked horrible.

The stove was a monstrosity--I guess for the sake of having it.

Took away easy access to upper cabinets (on the end) and countertop.

The last lower cabinet is totally useless, (!) fake cabinet door panel. ALL DEAD SPACE.

No wonder she needs to store her batteries, baggies and dishwasher tabs in pitchers everywhere!

Ugh, I could go on, but I won't.

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Oznell — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:15:12 GMT

@Lucky Charm, I know I could probably never figure out how to operate that stove, and would be scared of it! But it's so vintage (from the Twenties) and the silvery chrome part shimmers and captures the light so tantalizingly-- it captivated me in spite of myself...

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

GingerPeach — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 22:12:14 GMT

I've been keeping extra plastic bags from the grocery store in one of my countertop canisters for years. They're in this one. I keep dog food in another, and use the two largest (without lids, of course) for cooking tools (wooden spoons, etc.)

Re: 10 TIPS TO BETTER DECORATING

Oznell — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 16:11:56 GMT

Here's a postscript to tell how "Kelly" in this video inspired me, along with @Catiele.

Like both of them, I love pitchers. Before I watched the video, I had three out for display-- the aforementioned vintage amber glass one that I keep a Luminara candle in (the wavy old glass disguises the plastic flame when not "lit"!); a porcelain one that has a metallic gold and pewter leaf design on it-- that one holds some bare branches; and a Wedgwood creamware one with the famous dog handle. Of course, they weren't grouped together, but in different areas or different rooms.

Unlike Kelly, I don't specialize in just white ironstone pitchers, but I liked her grouped vignettes. So now, after hunting in various cupboards for possibilities, in kitchen I have a small brass tray with two good size creamers on it-- a plain white one, and a white with slim gold trim and a monogram of my maiden name...

Then on a little shelf in dining room, I put my medium blue and white rooster pitcher, with a tiny blue and white creamer, and a small cobalt blue Fenton glass pitcher in a grouping...

It's fun to get inspirations from various sources and then put your own neglected things in new arrangements, no? I'll get tired of this too, but enjoy even tiny changes.