Are Your Book Cases A Clutter?

Whether you are a bona fide book worm or book shelves came with your Manhattan apartment, you’ll want to make the most out of your book cases. Read our tips for keeping them organized and looking their best:

• If the book cases in your San Diego home only feature a few scattered books, place picture frames, bud vases and other items on the shelves to add dimension and fill up the space.

• Select one color—if you aren’t afraid of color choose red or yellow—to tie everything together. If you have a red end table in the room, for example, tie in the color via a red picture frame and red vase.

• Paint the insides of your book shelves to add contrast and highlight the objects within.

• Even if you don’t have tons of books, place a cluster of books on each shelf.

• If you do have lots of books, arrange most of them vertically (to save space), but set up a few horizontal stacks to switch things up.

• Even though real estate might be at a premium, make sure to incorporate decorative items nonetheless. That goes with free space, too. Leave at least ¼ of each shelf free.

• If your book shelves house books and other forms of media, try not to display anything not worthy of display.

• Even if your book case is devoted to DVDs and other forms of modern media, add a few vintage touches for character.

Lighting: A Two Part Guide

You can have the right furniture and accents, but without the right lighting your San Diego or New York space won’t shine as brightly as it could—pun intended. We hope the first part of our two part guide to lighting will help you fix all of your lighting woes.

First thing’s first – let’s address the four basic types of lighting:

1. Accent: The main function of accent lighting (aka mood lighting) is to highlight something—like artwork or a bookcase—that you want to stand out.

2. Task: Task lighting provides a beam of light for reading or doing another activity and is commonly used in an office or reading area.

3. Ambient: Most often found in schools, labs, office spaces and medical offices, ambient lighting mimics sunlight and illuminates the entire room.

4. Decorative: This refers to chandeliers, sconces, pendants, etc., which work as attention grabbers but also provide ambient lighting.
Stay tuned for part two of Zara’s lighting guide next week, in which we will tackle the many different types of light bulbs out there so you can pick which is best for your space.

Making the Most of Your Small Space

Just because your home or apartment is small doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on style! You can make even the smallest space appear roomier with a few simple strategies.

In your kitchen, make sure you can move around among the stove, sink and refrigerator without running into anything. It will save your sanity when cooking and also make the space appear larger. If your kitchen area is especially tight, consider replacing a traditional table and chairs with a bar table and bar stools for a contemporary look that is also space-friendly.

When dealing with limited square footage, try to find items that can do double duty by performing multiple functions. Coffee tables can serve as extra seating in a pinch, for example, and can also store books or other items. Although pushing furniture to the sides of the room might seem like it will make your living room seem larger, it actually does the opposite by making the space look like a waiting room! Use a rug in a neutral color to unify the room and give it a focal point.

Lighting also plays a major role in decorating a small space. The darker the room is, the smaller it will feel. So make sure to let in as much light as possible and add mirrors to the walls to open things up even further. Strategic painting can also help. By painting the walls a brighter color than an adjacent hallway or room, the space will feel less cramped.

Go Big at Home

You know the saying, “Go big or go home”? Well, we think you should go big at home! Most people make a common mistake when it comes to choosing furniture. They tend to shy away from larger pieces in favor of several small pieces. The result is a cluttered, messy hodgepodge that makes the room look smaller. While it is possible to crowd a room with oversized furniture, one well utilized piece not only adds visual appeal, it also provides storage, thereby making the room seem larger.

Don’t be intimidated by large furnishings. Depending on the room size, you should stick to one or two pieces, like a contemporary sectional and patterned rug or an oversized piece of art. When a substantial, attention-grabbing piece is introduced, a visually stimulating focal point is created that gives the room direction.

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!

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.

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.