home decor

 The Oscars are always a spectacle, sometimes inviting, sometimes confusing  or repellant depending on your life view.   I have my issues with them, but that's not what this post is about. In addition to rooting for my favourite actors and movies, Oscar night is a great opportunity to see how fashion trends (always connected to decorating trends) play out on the red carpet.  The best and worst dressed are a matter of opinion.  This is obvious when you read several sites and compare the observations with your own. Blush pink and its variants was the stand out colour for me.  Even some of the gowns described as white had subtle pink undertones.  Blush Pink appeared in late 2014 as a trend in fashion and decor  and is continuing into 2015 especially in the European market.  It is a delicate hue that looks especially good with soft whites and/or pearly grays. This style board gives a good representation of how the trend plays out in furniture and accessories.   And in fashion ... from

Mantles can bring out your inner decorator or cause you frustration.  I hope at the end of this post your inner decorator will be leaping.  If you don't have a mantle, but have a buffet, console table or even a wide window ledge all the principles/design tips  still apply.  for additional information about  decorating above a fireplace check here . Come along to a traditional home that is getting a foyer facelift. Fireplaces and mantles are usually a focal point in a space.  Often there are other architectural details that ensure it is a dominant feature.  In this case, there are two archways on either side of  the fireplace, one into  the living room and the other into the dining room.  While the fixtures in the home are traditional, the homeowners have mixed in contemporary furniture while still honouring the original feel of the house. Original photo from homeowner Initial observations: The mirror: reflects the chandelier adding interest  has simple traditional styling  that rel

I couldn't resist carrying on the egg theme from my last post.    How about some of these cosy re-workings of the basic egg shape for furniture with a difference ? Houzzz  It's a sofa with egg shaped pillows!  Definitely for the younger crowd.   source Do I ever have a spot for this bed!  It could get a little cool though on the edge of the Atlantic in May. I think a room with one glass wall would be a better bet.  New room addition to the summer house maybe?  source You don't have to stretch the imagination much for this bed design. The egg shape  in open cutwork is very pleasing as are the curved legs of the tables.  source This is about as functional as you can get for patio furniture and the lines will fit in with any landscape . source  If you want a statement piece for you space, look no further.   How could you not like this colourful sofa?  Might have to move a few pillows to the floor.   source Barbara Barry's egg coffee table is a classic.  source As is this b

  We are hunkered down for a winter storm with 40 cm. of snow predicted.  Everything is closed so there are no schedules to keep. It's the kind of day where I have lots of time to let my mind wander where it may.  That's a dangerous thing when you can go from one thought to a hundred in a minute.  So let's see how I got from snow to this post. White, cold, wishing for spring,  Easter, eggs, decorating eggs, symbolism of eggs, egg imagery through history, eggs in art, design trend for 2015 (read it on Houzz this week),  Las Vegas Market trends Winter 2015, should write a new blog post because I have time today, anyone else predicting eggs are hot, search Pinterest.  Yep!  That's how my head works. What is a trend? Decor trends  are predictions based on patterns recognized from multiple viewings of similar material.  Anyone can make trend predictions if they have enough information and time to look for patterns.  Here are some of the patterns I'm seeing on Olioboard,

I love serendipitous events that add to my thoughts on an interior decorating topic.  I recently experienced this  as I was preparing to write about neutral colour schemes.  Just like a gift  La Dolce Vita , one of my favourite blogs, appeared  in my inbox with the perfect visuals to support  several of the points I wanted to make.  Paloma always finds the best spaces to present to readers! Check out her blog, you won't be sorry.  Making a neutral scheme work requires skill.  Once you  remove colour from the equation you have to make the most of the  other elements of design especially: pattern, texture, value/contrast and form.  Of course the principles of design remain in tact. Every successful space  has  good balance, harmony, emphasis, scale/proportion and rhythm. Sounds great, but what does that look like in a space? Check out all takes of this  living room  by Bill Ingram & William McLure of Bill Ingram Archit ect.  Quiz time:  Jot down what  you think makes  the space