Turn A New Page

 Sometimes looking for a design inspiration means looking no further than your mailbox, stuffed with decorating catalogs that promise to make your home a wall-to-wall showcase.  But even if your dream room is right there on page 57, getting it into your home isn't always easy or ideal.  It can be expensive to pay for every detail, and you run the risk that someone you know may have the exact same "unique" design in their home.  So look to those catalog pictures as a guide you can adapt to your own style.

 In this case, an antique door -- discovered for $25-- sets the backdrop for the arrangement.  You could  pay up to $100 for a catalog version of a stylish shabby burlap tablecloth, or buy it yourself for about 3 dollars a yard.  This homemade version took just three yards that were washed and dried, and the  frayed beautifully in the process.

The coffee table shows how to turn the expected upside down - it holds a $7 wall shelf that takes on a new look and purpose when flipped over.   Below, on the table , old boxes found at antique stores showcase special books and serves double-duty as risers for other decorations.  

Taken as a whole,  this approach mirrors catalog ideas, for a price that may be less than one or two things you'd order - with no added on shipping costs.  In the end, the dream room will look like that design on page 57, only better because this one is all yours.

2011 Spring Home Decor Trends Straight from the Fashion Runway

Fashion trends are flowing right into our home decor.  In fact,  it's the "IN" thing to take the latest fashion trends and turn them into funky fun chic home decor.  So if your bored with your same old dreary home decor,  let's take it up a notch and get inspiration from the runway.

 Spring/Summer 2011 hottest fashion trends tend to lend themselves to the following:

1. Lace
2. Floral prints
3. Animal prints
4. Cowboy Fringe
5. Bright and Bold Colors
6. Pure White
7. Minimalism

So the big question is how to take these trends and put them in your home?

Lets start with color.  The "IN" color you must make a point to use is Yellow, Orange, Turquoise, or Blue. Any one of these colors can be added as an accent and make a huge impact.  On this  dining room tablescape , we added a pop of yellow and orange with small vases of flowers.  Next we added the pure white bunny and  finished it off with a  table topper made of  fringed burlap fabric.  We have added four  small elements to keep the home looking as trendy  as the catwalks  in Paris.

Impact of Lighting

The varieties of wall sconces are endless and make can make a huge difference in the mood of a room.  I f you have an electrical outlet on a wall you have the option of adding wall sconces to a room.  This light was added to a dining room wall to compliment the chandelier.

 This light is called a wall torch.  Once again the lighting was added as a remodel to add drama to the wall.  Torches are a unique piece to add to any room that needs to have more than the standard size sconces.  Be sure to always add a dimmer to wall lighting.

 This is a lighting system that is actually on a pulley system to allow the light to go up and down according to the height that is desired.  The glass is actually hand blown glass that is custom made to order.

 Think outside the box when creating your space.  Here I have taken a wall sconces once used in a dining room and placed it upside down for better lighting above a vanity.  The mirror had to have a hole cut through the glass for  a perfect fit.  Bathroom lighting can be tricky in creating good light for vanity needs so keeps lights a little above eye level.  This bathroom had 10 ft ceilings and was casting shadows on the face  so this sconces solved the problem.