Mirrors are one of the most underrated decorating pieces. Sure, you use them every day, but did you know that a well-placed mirror can show off your style, make a room seem bigger or even give a room a drastically different perspective? Read our tips for making the most out of your mirrors.
• Tight on space? Prop a large mirror—at least ¾ the height of the wall—to fake extra square footage.
• Create instant artwork by grouping mirrors of varying size and shape and frame type on a wall for a spin on the current trendy picture wall.
• Have a room with only one window? Strategically hang a mirror so that it reflects the window and gives the illusion that there are two. Bonus: During the day this will bring more light in.
• Don’t have a table runner? Place a full-length mirror (the inexpensive kind you would attach to the back of a bedroom or closet door) on top of your dining room table. This unexpected table topper looks chic with flowers and candles on top or even on its own.
• During the warmer months when your fireplace is on hiatus, place a mirror inside and set pillar candles in front.
Whether you have a leaf mirror lying around or plan on picking up some mirrors for an easy decorating fix, we hope these tips help!
Showing posts with label living room furniture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label living room furniture. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
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!
"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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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