decor

Decorating for Valentine’s Day

February 1, 2012 By Kristie Barnett 12 Comments

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

Filed Under: Seasonal Meditations Tagged With: decor, decoration, decorologist, mirror, owls, paint chip, paint chip craft, paint swatch, tree, valentine card, valentine decoration, valentines, vintage

Pipe Dreams, Airstreams, and Pinterest

January 13, 2012 By Kristie Barnett 20 Comments

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

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

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

Filed Under: Decor Addiction, My Decorology Tagged With: airstream, decor, design, exterior house colors, hanging art, interior, kristie barnett, pinterest, trailer, wall art grouping

Nashville Interior Decorator Weighs In: What’s “Out” in Design Trends

January 6, 2012 By Kristie Barnett 28 Comments

In my last post, I wrote about a recent Elle Decor article where high-end designers were deeming certain decor trends to be “so out.” I obviously disagreed with them and (judging from the unprecedented amount of responses from you guys) so did you! Several of you wanted to know what’s on the The Decorologist’s list of trends that should be thrown out the window.

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In working with real clients in real homes, I don’t get bogged down in what design trend is hot or not. However, I am going to tell my clients if they have something going on in their home that makes it look “dated” and is holding them back from having a beautiful space. So here’s my top 5:

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Christmas with The Decorologist

December 12, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 45 Comments

Today I’m opening my door to give you a tour of my home at Christmas. I’m not big on traditional Christmas color schemes, so get ready a heavy dose of pink and gold!

Oh Christmas Theme, Oh Christmas Theme . . .

November 30, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 18 Comments

Do you have a theme for your Christmas tree? Since many people have more than one tree for Christmas, I think more and more are choosing to “theme up” at least one of their trees. What’s more natural than a bird-themed tree?

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Halloween Decorating with The Decorologist

October 26, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 1 Comment

Well, I almost didn’t do it this year. Believe it or not, about every third year I just can’t handle Halloween decorating. I dread the winter and the cold, so it’s hard to celebrate that by making the house look even drearier with dark and ghoulish decor. I know I could do a cheerier, kiddie-pumpkin and scarecrow version, but that’s too cheesy for me (no offense to the cheesy).

But my kids kept begging, and I felt guilty for not making the house look haunted and creepy. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Seasonal Meditations Tagged With: black crows, bones, cheesecloth, decor, halloween, halloween tablescape, haunted house, skulls, spider webs, spooky, the decorologist, white pumpkins

How to Terrify Children with Cheesecloth

October 21, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 11 Comments

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to decorate your home for Halloween is by draping a little cheesecloth in all the right places.

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A snip-snip here and a little rip there transforms this seemingly-harmless material into something spook-tacular!

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What a cool way to tablescape for a Halloween party!

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I like to drape cheesecloth over sconces and light fixtures, like this one in the entry of my home. It creates a spooky glow among the black crows, spiders, and glitter skulls under glass.

What simple materials do you use to make your home spooky at Halloween?

Filed Under: Seasonal Meditations Tagged With: cheesecloth, decor, decorating, halloween, halloween ideas, spider webs, spooky, the decorologist

IKEA Has Gone Gray – And That’s a Good Thing

October 12, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 14 Comments

I’ve been ordering furniture for a client over the last week from IKEA, so I was really excited to see that they have added another option to their black, white, or birch furniture finishes. IKEA’s finally gone gray! Actually, gray-brown. I hope this is the final evidence if you need confirmation that gray-brown is the new expresso brown.

Hemnes Dresser from IKEA

The gray-brown finish is available only on selected IKEA furniture, and they can barely keep them in stock right now. I found gray options in the Hemnes, Isala, and Lack series. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Color Consultation, Retail Therapy Tagged With: coffee table, decor, decorating, furniture, gislev, gray, gray is the new brown, gray-brown, hemnes, ikea, isala, lack, table, trend, wood finish

Trading Spaces – The “New” Living Room

September 9, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 18 Comments

I’ve had several requests from you guys to see the “after” of the living room that now resides in my old dining room. Here it is:

“New” Living Room

This was the room when it was set up as the dining room – as it had been for the last 10 years. [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Decorology Tagged With: decor, decorating, dining room, living room, vintage

How to Add Enchantment to Your Home

August 3, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 10 Comments

I took a day trip last week with the fam to Rock City atop Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s perched above a mile high mountain where you can literally view 7 states from one vantage point.

Waterfall in Rock City

It is one of the most beautiful places imaginable – Native Americans lived and Civil War soldiers hid amongst the majestic rock formations and caves all over the area.

Rock City Enchanted Gardens

Wowza.

Rock City

Everything there seems enchanted, like right out of a storybook.

I want this in my backyard

Rock City was developed in the 1940′s. Everything is made of stone or wood, since the site was rich with those natural materials.

Natural Stone Paths

When we rounded the corner here, I gasped. My daughter said, “This is Mommy-Heaven!” (meaning she knew this was my kind of place). All this beautiful nature plus a little vintage kitsch? Nothing better in my book.

The Decorologist in Fairyland Caverns!

So this gets me to thinking about interior decoration (big surprise). How do you incorporate this kind of natural enchantment into your decor?

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I’m a bit enamored with (ok, let’s be real, i’m totally enamored) with tree stump tables.

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West Elm has a side table that is too cute for words . . .

West Elm

Besides tree stump tables, what else can bring a touch of enchantment into your home?

Necklace Stand by Urban Outfitters

Do you think you can go too far? Can enchanted decor go too kitschy?

Can’t help myself!

Well, going whole-hog isn’t for everyone. But we can all make our homes more enchanted in a more subtle way. Maybe it’s a rough-hewn dining table paired with a glam light fixture.