This Summer - Decorate With White

You know what we love about Spring? Well on top of the great weather, the flowers blooming and the smell of happiness in the air, we love that's it's time to dust off those corners of our homes and redecorate! With so many options for wonderful discount furniture online, you can practically redesign any room with ease. Here is what i am thinking personally for this spring and summer...

Let some light in! No, I don't just mean open the curtains and blinds. I also mean let's focus on lighter colors. Especially, white. My suggestion this spring when it comes to decorating is to go classy with white. Mix and match different whites, creams and ivories in a number of different patterns and textures to give your room a rather elegant and clean look. One thing I love to do is play up textures and bring in pops of natural wood. For a beachy look I might bring in a dritowood lamp. Perhaps a bamboo coffee table. Or a teak bookshelf. The point is to mix and match your whites and creams. Get pillows for the coach that have different patterns - but are still all white. Then add in those natural pops of texture.

Trust me, it will be feeling like a light and east summer in your house in no time. If you have any fun decorating projects that you've been working on, feel free to comment below!

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!

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...