Monday, February 28, 2011

Laid Back Design Style We Love - Cottage Style

Ok, here's the last of our suggestions for the day. The laid back cottage design style.

"Laid-back best describes your way of life, which means cottage style is right up your alley. You love rooms that feel casual, breezy, and informal. Consider slipcovered furniture and painted wood pieces to achieve a put-your-feet-ip vibe. Use crisp white as the ideal backdrop for layers of soft accent colors found in pillows, rugs and vintage accessories."

Think of your favorite little cottage by the sea or in the countryside for inspiration. Simple and quaint and relaxing are all things that are synonymous with this style we love so much. Check out our website for furniture to match this!

Polished Casual Design Style

Ok, so onto another popular design style that you can incorporate into your living room and bedroom design and furniture. It's called polished casual.

Here's Better Homes and Garden's great explanation:
"You love to mix and match your favorites from several styles, so polished casual is the best way to describe your look. Crisp, fresh and always comfortable, this approach anchors itself in neutral, subtle hues and furniture that isn't fussy but isn't slouchy either. Pair your clean-lined sofa with a dark leather wing chair or a weathered metal table - anything goes, but simplicity is key."

This look is great for the casual, fun person. It allows you to bring in different pieces of your personality and mix and match.

Country French Design Style

Let's explore some design styles in the next few posts. To start with, we want to talk about one of our favorite classics - country french.

Better Homes and Garden does a nice job of explaining this look:
"If this is your particular design style, you are probably drawn to a rustic but refined style that feels comfortable and livable for today's families. Your version of country french might be rustic - think glazed pottery and chunky woven baskets - or more refined - think gilded details. Either way, patterned fabrics such as toile, stripes, and fleur-de-lis motifs will help you set the tone. Incorporate details such as stucco walls, wrought iron accents, and furniture with carved details for an old-world look."

We love the elegance of the country french look. It's sophisticated and demur and harkens out to lovely Provence, with all it's beauty and splendor.
If you are looking for some country french living room furniture, check out our website for ideas!

Warm or Cool - Color Schemes to Fit Your Mood

So, we recently posted about color theory in regards to home decoration. We'd like to continue that discussion by talking now about the different types of color. Let's start with the main colors and what type of feeling each conveys.

Cool colors -
Cool colors in general convey a sort of serenity and peace in a room. They are soothing and zen-like. Blues are remeniscent of the ocean and sky. Blue can also show professionalism. Purples are cool tones, but convey a sense of regality and money. Cool colors in general tend to recede in a room. They are not the dominant colors.

Warm colors -
Warm colors are stimulating and advancing. They command attention and power. They spark creativity and warmth. In a sense they reflect objects in nature - the sun is yellow, fire is red and orange. Red and yellow make us hungry. Look at the colors of all your favorite fast-food joints. These colors tend to be the dominant colors.

A tip to follow when decorating - For either color scheme, warm or cool, make sure to balance it with pops of a color from the other side. Perhaps add a green plant to a warm room, to cool it down. Add red pillows to a blue and white living room sofa to warm up a cool color scheme.

Either way, carefully plan what type of feeling you want your room to have and plan accordingly. The worst thing to do is to start decorating without a plan.

Using Color in Your Room Decor

At Zara Furniture, we have an in-house team of interior design experts, ready and able to help you with all your design needs and advice. Today, we want to talk about color and how it can affect the design process.

So, let's start with a little lesson in color theory. Traditionally, artists defined red, yellow and blue as the three primary colors from which all others on the color wheel can be mixed. For decorating purposes, we like to point this out because you need to understand the relationships and harmonies between different colors. For example, how purple relates to both red and blue and how green derives from yellow and blue.

The basic color wheel that you are most likely familiar with, shows the pure hues of colors. However, with design and decorating, you most likely will be using tints and shades of those colors. Tints are lighter values of a color. Shades are darker values. Colors that lie opposite each other on the color wheel are known as complementary colors, meaning that when paired, each makes the other appear more vivid. The next thing you need to know is that colors that sit next to each other on the wheel are known as analogous, meaning that the always look good together because they share a common hue. Lastly, triads are any three equally spaced colors on a wheel. The purpose of this combination is to obtain a lively balance.

So, why does all this matter? When it comes to purchasing furniture for the room you are designing, and choosing paint colors, you need to best plan out a color scheme that works best for you. Otherwise, you may run into a poorly colored room, with mismatched colors all over the place. A room should be a neat reflection of yourself. It is your space, so when picking out living room furniture or choosing paint colors, think about yourself and what you are trying to express.

In the next post, we will talk about the different colors and how they make you feel. Stay tuned...

Friday, February 18, 2011

Budgeting a Redesign

Decorating a room can be fun and invigorating. It can bring you a fresh look to your home and express your unique style. But, it can also be expensive and with anything that requires financial budgeting, comes headaches. But buying new living room furniture or putting up new paint does not have to cause you stress. If you approach it with a clear plan in mind, the budgeting of the project should be fairly easy.

First things first, design your dream room. Set all financial burdens aside and plan the room as if it didn’t cost a thing. This way you can have fun and get out your creative side. Include practical stuff that needs to be fixed, upgraded and purchased. Next, determine your real budget and start be brutally honest with yourself about what you can and can’t afford. If you really don’t have enough money to make all the necessary changes to make you happy, then set the project aside for awhile until you do rather than maxing out your credit card.

Before you start making an itemized list of things you will change, do your research. Go online, open catalogs, hit the stores. Shop around and get to know how much things cost and what you can get for the money. Use an online furniture discounter, like us at Zara Living, to look for lower costs. In stores, you will see a lot of markup. Now, if you’ll need to hire anyone to help you with the redesign work, shop around for labor prices as well.

Sit with your itemized list of costs, your dream list and your budget in front of you. Think about what you can afford and what can be changed into something a little less expensive. After you’ve gone through it all and come to some conclusions, draft up a plan for the project. People work better with a clearly laid out plan and instructions. Especially if you have to assign tasks to others. Now you will have a way to make sure things get done on time so the project doesn’t drag on longer than it should.
Spend big money on the big room items. The things that will make guests say “wow.” And scrimp where you can on the smaller cosmetic changes. For the wow pieces, look online for a great furniture supplier. For smaller items and décor, check out secondhand stores, estate sales and discount retailers. It may be like looking for a needle in a haystack but when you do find something it is usually a great steal.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Decorating For Your Zodiac Sign

You know what we love about interior decorating? We love that you can design a room to reflect your unique personality and change it based on your mood. Decorating a room is like getting dressed. You can design in a way that expresses who you are and how you feel. We came across this fun article the other day about decorating based on your zodiac sign and it got us thinking and creating….

  • Aries – You are into gadgets, like a large screen TV, and clean, clutter free spaces. Try pops of bold color, like a red sofa. Keep the space clear of excess clutter by storing things away.
  • Taurus – You like worldly things and lush living spaces. Try decorating in all white. A white sofa, a white coffee table, white carpet. Add pops of gold or brass to add elegance.
  • Gemini – You like art that functions as a statement piece. Modern design appeals to you too. Try a contemporary sofa that focuses on clean lines.
  • Cancer – You are all about family values. Perhaps dedicate a wall to family photos. You also love the color blue, for the ocean. Turquoise or sea blue wall colors or used in decorating will make you feel right at home.
  • Leo – Bold and passionate, find a great yellow or orange color that speaks to you and decorate in that. To bring out your party side, make sure to have board games on hand and leave out a prominent wine rack.
  • Virgo – Use warm woods and natural hues for a refined country look. Stock up on stylish storage chests.
  • Libra – Try fun pops of light blue and orange for a modern, fun look.
  • Scorpio – Since your sign is all about transformation, you’re great at taking flea market finds and turning them into beautiful pieces of furniture.
  • Sagittarius – You are all about world travel and having fun so your room should reflect that. Display your treasures from all across the globe and invest in some beanbag chairs for fun entertaining.
  • Capricorn – All about regality and uniformity, your room shouldn’t look too soft. Invest in some firm leather couches with armrests and a sturdy oak table. Add an Oriental rug for that special touch.
  • Aquarius – You love gadgets and gizmos so your home should contain plenty of those. You will feel right at home.
  • Pisces – A dreamer, your home should feel whimsical and soft.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

WAKING MY BEDROOM UP FOR SUMMER

The other day I was taking a look at my bedroom and started to think that perhaps it’s time to make some updates. Spring is upon us, and that always reminds me of cleaning, shedding layers and starting afresh. Now that winter is coming to a close, I want to try out a different look in my room. Something fun, something to rejuvenate me.

I’m thinking of a textural, beachy feel. Something reminiscent of Caribbean romance and cool ocean breezes. To obtain that look I am going to focus on draping the bed in white linens, adding a few textural pieces and fun pops of color. Let’s start with the bed. Covering it in white linens, I am planning on adding a nice gold and pink bedspread to lie across the foot of the bed. I want to create a mosquito net feel, by attaching white, gauzy linen to the ceiling and to the head of the bed frame.

Next, let’s move on to the flooring. I may consider ripping out any carpet and replacing with wood paneled flooring or tile. A really fantastic area rug, with a great jute-like textural feel would look phenomenal here. As for new bedroom furniture, a desk or armoire made of darker, teak wood would look great, especially with a vase with a couple of fan palm leafs on top. Rattan seating would complete this look giving the room a generous touch of rustic island flavor.

With just a few changes here and there, it would be very easy to get rid of my stale, winter bedroom look and lighten it up for the spring and summertime. I think I’ll go for it. How will you rejuvenate your room this spring?

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Feng Shui Your Room For Better Rest

So you are thinking about rearranging your bedroom to make it more of a peaceful place. Have you ever thought about applying some feng shui tips to your room? Feng Shui is an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China. Its purpose is to reveal how to balance the energies of any given space to assure the health and good fortune for people inhabiting it. If you believe in it, it has some pretty cool ideas to make the energy of a room flow better. Let’s see how a little arranging of your bedroom furniture can make an impact on the feeling of your bedroom.

The first important thing to do is to position your bed correctly. The ideal placement of your bed allows you to see the bedroom door while laying in it. According to feng shui, being able to view the door, even while sleeping, allows you to feel more safe and at ease. The foot of the bed shouldn’t point at the door. According to feng shui, this is called the “coffin” position and puts your bed in the main flow of traffic, which is not relaxing. The head of the bed should be placed against a wall as opposed to under a window or away from the wall. If it is against a window it is thought that the chi of a room will be able to enter and leave the room quickly, causing unrestful sleep.

Another important thing to keep in mind is to have your bedroom act only as a place to sleep. Television, computers or exercise gear are believed to distract you from sleep and take up energy. If you have to have a TV in your bedroom, consider buying an entertainment center or armoir that matches the feel of your room. That way you can close the doors to the TV when not in use.

Following these few tips should help you have a more relaxing environment in your bedroom.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Valentine's Day Means Deals at Zara Living!

As Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, we are offering our online buyers a couple of great incentives. If you check out our homepage right now, you will find a coupon for 14% off all items except special order items until February 15th. The coupon code is “valentine14.” What better way to celebrate the upcoming holiday than by buying your loved one a unique piece of furniture through us.

If you check out www.couponsmamma.com right now you will find another awesome coupon for our site with similar offerings.

Check it out today – you will love the deals!