The Secret to Making Your House a Home – The Family Photo Wall

There’s nothing that makes a house a home like family photos.  But scattering them around on all available walls and table surfaces can junk up the place.  This week I spent a morning hanging a few things for one of my clients – her cute dog looked on as I worked:

DSC 3393 The Secret to Making Your House a Home   The Family Photo Wall

notice that the dog matches the chair

 

We had decided to create a family photo wall for her back stairwell – it’s in the entrance where most family and friends enter the house.  She pulled out tons of photos for me to arrange and hang.  Believe me, that can be a bit overwhelming!

DSC 4064 e1328219155683 The Secret to Making Your House a Home   The Family Photo Wall

 photos and more photos

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Decorating for Valentine’s Day

Well, it’s that time again.  I just put up my second annual Valentine’s tree!  It’s a small flocked tree that sits on the entry table as you come through my front door.

DSC 3971 Decorating for Valentines Day

 Valentine’s Tree

 

My decorations include some glittery hearts, small pink and white Christmas balls, and some vintage Valentine’s cards tucked into the branches.

DSC 3973 Decorating for Valentines Day

 

 

DSC 3986 Decorating for Valentines Day

 

 

DSC 3987 Decorating for Valentines Day

 

 

This year I added a few new decorations, including these precious little golden owls that my friend, Lezlie, gave me for Christmas!

DSC 3988 Decorating for Valentines Day

 Glitter Owl

 

I found this cool old painting at an estate sale and tucked it in the background – I love the winter scene and the pinkish hues in the sky and tree buds.DSC 3970 Decorating for Valentines Day

 Vintage Winter Landscape

 

In the mirror behind, I tucked in a vintage wedding photo I found years ago – as well as one of the paint chip Valentine’s cards I made last year.

DSC 3983 Decorating for Valentines Day

 Paint Chip Valentine

 

Sometimes it’s nice to devote a small space to decorating for the minor holidays.

DSC 3990 Decorating for Valentines Day

 

Do you decorate (even just a little) for Valentine’s Day?

 

Going to School with The Decorologist

In the part of the country where I live, there are many families who decide that homeschooling is the best option for their children.   I have had multiple clients over the last few years who homeschool and have particularly challenging decorating dilemmas.

DSC 3682 1 Going to School with The Decorologist

 

This particular family has been successfully educating their 5 children in their home for many years, but their surroundings had been less than inspiring.  This is the front room of their home as it was before The Decorologist stepped in:

SDC10720 1 Going to School with The Decorologist

 Before – Homeschool Room

 

It was lined with bookcases full of books and curricula, a few tables and chairs (most of which were too small for their growing children), and various toys and other items.

SDC10722 1 Going to School with The Decorologist

 Before – Homeschool Room

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Paint Swatch Valentines

Whew.  Yesterday was a very long and busy day – I got my car stuck in the mud in the morning,  conducted an Exterior Color Consultation in the rain, and then did a Speed Staging in the late afternoon.  More about the Speed Staging in a future post, but for today I am reposting a post from last year especially for color-lovers everywhere:

 

Although I love to send vintage or vintage-inspired Valentine’s Day cards, I thought it might be fun to send out something like these instead:

DSC 7480 Paint Swatch Valentines

 Handmade Valentines Using Paint Swatches

 

I picked up these paint chips at Lowe’s while I was shopping for lighting and plumbing fixtures for a client this week.  The paint swatches with the holes work great – just glue card stock to the back and stamp in the white spaces that show through.  You can get a million different decorative stamps and ink at Michael’s.  I got the idea from Vanessa over at Silly Eagle Books.

DSC 7473 Paint Swatch Valentines

Paint Chip Valentines

 

Follow me on Pinterest and you’ll find my pinboard, Paint Swatch Crazy, for more ideas for crafts made with paint chips!

How to Spruce Up a Hutch with Shelf Liner

I was at Home Goods last week and found this fabulous repositionable shelf liner.  Isn’t this flamestitch pattern gorgeous???

DSC 3796 How to Spruce Up a Hutch with Shelf Liner

 Macbeth Self-Adhesive Shelf Liner from HomeGoods

 

Recently, I encouraged one of my clients to paper the back of a dark hutch in her dining room with some wallpaper or scrapbook paper to bring in more of the colors in the palette we had chosen for that room and the adjoining room (avocado green and blue).   I knew immediately that this color and pattern might be just what she needed, so I scooped it up.  And then I thought about my own dining room hutch:

DSC 3792 How to Spruce Up a Hutch with Shelf Liner

Antique Hutch Before 

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Nashville Home Stager Shares the #1 Secret to Getting Your House Sold

I started out in this field as a Home Stager before I became an Interior Decorator, Color Consultant, and Design Blogger.  I guess I just don’t know when to stop!  I actually don’t do as much staging as I used to – that’s because I am typically booked out too far to be ready to “stop-drop-and stage”, which is what is typically needed when time is of the essence.

DSC 3715 Nashville Home Stager Shares the #1 Secret to Getting Your House Sold

 Cutest Doggie Ever

 

But I love a good stage – it’s definitely a wham-bam, thank-you-mam kind of deal.  Instant gratification for a design addict like me.  I’m sharing my latest home staging in this post, as well as the #1 secret to getting your house sold.  See if you can figure it out as we go along.  Let’s start with the “before” photographs of this house.   [Read more...]

Fireplace Face-Lift

Do you have a fireplace that fades away into the background?  Maybe it needs some coaxing to bring it out of its shell.

DSC 3656 Fireplace Face Lift

 

 

This fireplace mantel was painted out the same color as the wall behind it.  That’s a big no-no in my book.  A mantel is architecture, like trim moulding, and should never be treated like a wall!

DSC 9495 Fireplace Face Lift

Blah Fireplace

[Read more...]

Paint Some Stripes – But Ditch the Paint!

I ran across an image on Pinterest that caught my eye -this fabulous striped floor in Kate Spade’s flagship New York store.

vinyl tape floors kate spade via apartment therapy Paint Some Stripes   But Ditch the Paint!

source

 

Have you ever had a secret desire to paint stripes or some other cool pattern on your floors, but were too chicken to try?  Guess what?  That floor wasn’t painted at all – it was created with colorful vinyl tape!

vinyl tape via flickr Paint Some Stripes   But Ditch the Paint!

Vinyl Tape

Imagine what you could do with a little of this inexpensive product.

[Read more...]

Does Your Dining Room Need a Make-Under?

Although it’s a simple and small space, this dining room is a fresh and inviting place to share an intimate meal.

DSC 2150 Does Your Dining Room Need a Make Under?

 Simple and Elegant Dining Room

 

This was not always the case!  This homeowner was looking for an interior decorator to give her a new perspective on this dining space, without breaking the bank.   Rather than a makeover, this room really needed a make-under.  This room was like a woman who wears make-up in such a way that all you notice is the make-up.   Below, a make-under  highlighted and enhanced this woman’s natural beauty:

sammi sweetheart makeunder via style.mtv  Does Your Dining Room Need a Make Under?

Before and After “Make-Under”

 

The overdone make-up in this room includes  the high-contrast colors, the brassy light fixture, and the showy window treatment.

DSC 9938 Does Your Dining Room Need a Make Under?

Dining Room Before Design Intervention

By choosing a fresh, light color for the wall (vs. the dated pinky-beige) and painting out the area below the chair rail in trim color (white), the room appears less choppy and more elegant.  By choosing simple panels that hang above and outside the windows, we revealed (rather than concealed) the beautiful view and natural light.  Both of these changes put the focus on the inherent beauty of the architecture of the room (moulding and windows).

DSC 2149 Does Your Dining Room Need a Make Under?

Dining Room After The Decorologist

The brassy light fixture got a make-under, as well.  We didn’t replace it – it’s the same light fixture, only better.  Here is the rather dated brass light fixture before:

DSC 9938 1 Does Your Dining Room Need a Make Under?

Brassy Light Fixture

I had my clients take down the brass fixture, remove the glass hurricanes, and simply spray paint it before rehanging it.  Just a can of metal primer and a can of metal finish spray paint in iron or oil-rubbed bronze – less than $10 for a whole new light fixture!

DSC 2148 Does Your Dining Room Need a Make Under?

Updated Light Fixture

The showy window treatments, high-contrast color scheme, and brassy light fixture were distracting – now you notice the architecture of the room, the lovely view, and the special collection of dishes my client has collected.   Next time you think your room needs a make-over, perhaps you should consider a make-under instead!

Pipe Dreams, Airstreams, and Pinterest

Let me be clear – I am no camper.  but I have had a pipe dream for years about restoring an Airstream trailer.

vintage blue trailer via vintagetrailercamp Pipe Dreams, Airstreams, and Pinterest

 

 

Wouldn’t it be fun to decorate it out all retro-dreamy, like a giant dollhouse?

pretty airstream interior via houseofturquoise Pipe Dreams, Airstreams, and Pinterest

 

 

 

My girls could use it as a playhouse in the backyard. [Read more...]

pixel Pipe Dreams, Airstreams, and Pinterest