home decor

  Choosing the right piece of art for you entry can set a welcoming scene for your home.   When I have the option, I always choose art first and then build a room around it  rather than buy art to match a space. It's the artist in me, you need a focal point in a room that doesn't have an architectural one, and art is your most versatile choice.  I designed this small space several years ago, but it is still on trend today. Here are some elements to think about before making an art purchase for any space, but in particular small spaces where you many only have one piece of art. Scale This  contained front entry is a narrow space with a high ceiling. The bench is low and dark and was to the right of the door.  The table  also dark was to the left of the door. Always choose work that mimics the shape of the space you are filling.  In a smaller space I often use one piece of art rather than an array of smaller pieces, but that's personal preference. ...

Summer is officially over. Did any readers notice  I took an extended holiday away from Designing Home blog? This is where I spent my summer. The little speck of a house in the background is my favourite place in the world. The views are spectacular and the ocean in all its moods speaks daily.  Duntara is as close to heaven as you will get. I had a marvellous summer full of creativity, conversation, relaxation, long walks roaming the beaches, whale watching and iceberg viewing directly in front of the house and on and on it goes.  I'm coming to fall with a renewed focus on my art practice.  It feels very satisfying.  My new work continues to focus on  what gets left behind, but I have moved from two dimensional works to three dimensional using found wood and objects to explore Compositions in Time.   Composition in Time #22,  2016, Margaret Ryall , wood assemblage, 16 x 16 in.  Composition in Time #27, 2016, Margaret Ryall, Wood assemblage, 1...

We are out the other end of our IKEA kitchen design & install and hindsight, as you know,  is a wonderful thing. Our family joke is now we are ready to tackle an IKEA kitchen. This is the first of a series of posts around the design and installation of our new kitchen.  Design is key Without good design any reno is throwing good money after bad.  If you haven't really thought out how you want to work in your kitchen,  and how you want it to look overall, no matter how well you install it, you won't be happy .   I hope some of my musings, and what I learned as I worked through the design process, will be helpful to you if you are planning an IKEA kitchen as a renovation project.  Get what you want by designing well  Know what's hidden Know the bones of your kitchen  so there'll be no surprises. We wanted 90 inch pantry units and had a bulkhead with pot lights in it.  I kept nagging my husband to have a look, and I was so glad because ...

Have you ever looked for similarities in rooms you are attracted to in magazines or online? That's one of the best ways to determine what you like for your own decor.  If you don't know where to start here are several suggestions to set you on your way to finding your personal decor look. Develop a vocabulary for your style  Initially you may not have the words to describe  why you are attracted to a space or why you find it interesting, but you will over time if you do enough looking and comparing. Start with some rooms you  don't like at all.  When you have about 10 or so look at them and decide what you don't want in a space.  This is just as important as what you do want. Here's a room that doesn't  particularly ring my chimes because it has too much glitz and materialism.  It reminds me of  a woman who has on too much makeup and bling,  but there are lots of people who love a glam look.  I'm not judging, just saying it's not fo...

  Analytics are always interesting when you keep a blog and they can provide insight into your readers likes and dislikes.  I keep a close eye on my blog analytics and also Pinterest. While I look for patterns of pins on Pinterest there often aren't any, but last month was a little different.  Do  these images  indicate what is popular on Pinterest or do they reflect what I like personally or both? Here's a selection of  my most liked/repinned pins in order of popularity from last month: source  source  source  source  source    What we can say ... clean lines are evident in all designs versions of gray are very popular paired with lighter walls texture is a dominant feature especially from wood and brick lighter woods are used to add texture and warmth contrast is an evident characteristic  nature is present in fruits, plants, woods That's what Pinterest told me last month. Of course I know what is popular on my feed is i...

St. Patrick's Day gets lots of attention where I live because so many of us have Irish roots.  While the partying and music happened last weekend, I'm doing my own bit today by recommending green as a colour to consider in decor if you like to bring the outside in.  When someone says they hate green, I'm  flabbergasted.  How can you hate the the most prominent colour in nature? You can have a little green woven in with any other hues and it always looks good.  Think plants.  Is there any room a plant doesn't work in?  Or you can have a green statement piece or green accessories mixed with another colour.  The possibilities are endless when you think about the variety of greens and the proportion of use in a space. A green statement piece  source  A green velvet sofa is daring and this one sings because of the white walls and light artwork above it.   source  This is still a statement in an otherwise white room,  just a mor...

March is the month when my heart beats a little faster because spring is on its way and opening our summer place begins to be a reality. Each year at this time I plan what the coming year will bring in repairs and DIY projects.  This post summarizes some of our past projects and how they have come together to create our special place. It is modest and quite ordinary looking when viewed from the outside, but  we have a million dollar view, and an interior that reflects our interests and skills.  We are perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean on the Bonavista Peninsula in Newfoundland and through the seasons we see icebergs, seabirds, whales and beautiful full moons.  One October I even saw my first display of the Northern Lights. Come along for a virtual visit to Ryall's Seaside Home and Studio. View outside the studio window mid summer After the storm Full moon over Bonavista It's a magical place and it hardly matters what goes on inside, but over our years here th...