ROOMS

Uma Campbell is with us today, sharing a few tips on how to spice up your home office! ----- Whether you use your home office to get work done, to pay your bills, to organize your thoughts and ideas or to plan activities for the family, you want it to be a space where you enjoy spending time. If your home office is dark and dingy, chances are good that you aren’t going to feel very inspired to complete the tasks that you need to complete. Heck, you may not even want to enter the space at all. Image: Houzz Make your home office a more inspiring space with some easy to do touch ups. Here are 4 simple ways that you can breathe new life into your office space, turning it into a room that inspires creativity and productivity. 1.         Re-Do the Walls: Something as simple as re-doing the walls can add new life to your home office. Add a fresh coat of paint or hang up some wallpaper ...

Raise your hand if you have ever gone to the paint store taken home a few (or a lot) paint swatches, taped them to the wall, picked the one to be, painted the room & then said, "Oh my gosh!  That color looks SO different from the paint swatch!  I don't like it!" Most of us have probably had that experience! Right now, I am selecting new dining room paint for our new house. This is the process I am going through to make sure I pick the right color before I paint the entire room.  So here we go:  Buy a sample of it.  This cost me $2.98 + tax. Once you have your sample(s) buy some poster board & paint the poster board leaving the white exposed a few inches all the way around.  Once your paint is dry, cut off one side so that the paint goes all the way to the edge on that side only. ***Edit 9/2/14 - Foam core works so much better than poster board.  It doesn't get wavy like the poster board does once the paint is on it, a...

Do you ever look in home magazines/online & see beautifully accessorized coffee tables &  wish that you had the skills to accomplish that with your own table?   Well, all you need are THREE items to create a beautifully styled coffee table.   I am keeping it BASIC here...take a look! So my drawings may not be the best, but you get the point right?? 1----A Floral/Branch Arrangement.   This element gives you height. Pick a container for your arrangement that has curves to offset the square & straight lines of  the books (mentioned below).  A hurricane with a large candle inside, or 3 candlesticks could also work, but personally I prefer something organic.   2--- Three stacked books.  Pick three nice looking books from your home collection.  If you don't have any, a thrift store is a great place to find large, inexpensive books.   3--- A small, intriguing item to place on top ...

source A beautiful lighting fixture over a dining table is kind of like jewelry, it completes the space.  So, how do you know the appropriate height to hang a light fixture over a dining table?? A good rule of thumb.......  is to hang your light fixture 30 - 35 inches above your table if your ceilings are 8 feet tall.  Add 2 to 3 inches for every foot above that. Following that rule of thumb should get you in the right area.  After that, have someone hold your light fixture up to the height it would be hanging.  Take a step back & give it a good look.  Adjust the height as necessary to what you think looks balanced. Good Luck! source via Looking for some more design tips??  Check these out! Organizational Tips: Find the Space You Never Knew You Had How to Select The Right Lamp For An End Table Need help designing your home?  Visit my website !

Thinking about incorporating a rug into a space in your home?   Excellent!  Rugs help anchor the furniture & add color, personality, and warmth to a space. If you need help determining the correct size for an area rug consider these guidelines: First off, know the standard sizes of rugs before you go shopping.  Common sizes are 3x5, 4x6, 5x8, 6x9, 8x10, 10x12.  Also, it is helpful to have paint & fabric swatches with you as you shop for a rug. {DINING ROOM} *  Rug should extend 2 ft. beyond dining chairs.  No legs of the chair should be off the rug when pulled out. *  Try to leave at least 18" of bare floor around the perimeter of the rug for the room to feel better proportioned. * If your table is rectangle go with a rectangle rug; if your table is square go with a square or round rug; if your table is round go with a round rug or a square rug. *  Consider if you really want a rug under your dining table.  ...

Lighting is very important to any room. With all the varying styles, it can be hard picking the right lamp for an end table.  Here are a few tips you might find useful: 1 - Think of your lamp as part light, part sculpture/jewelry for the room.  Your lamp needs to perform a function but should also look pretty! 2 - Think about what style you are going for.  If your room is traditional, generally a tapered lamp shade tends to be a good option.  If your room is modern, stick with a streamlined drum-shaped shade. 3 - Think about your lighting needs for the room.  If you need a lot of light, don't pick a black (or really dark) shade, instead go with a lighter colored one to give off more light.   4 - Think about the scale of the table it will be sitting on.  If you have a 'beefy' or heavy-looking end table, a small & delicate lamp most likely won't look right.  Pick a lamp that is proportionate to the size of your end table and the surr...

Stuck on how to accessorize an end table or nightstand?  There are so many ways to style/accessorize a table, and really there are no rules. However, if you aren't sure where to begin below is a list of basic items to use that you can't go wrong with: *A lamp * Artwork/mirror *Books * Floral/branches In addition, here are a few more accessorizing tips to get you on your way: Use items of varied heights to keep the eye moving.  Have something short, something medium, and something tall.  Use stacked books to add height if needed. Meredith Heron Layer your accessories.  Don't be afraid to let your lamp cover a portion of the artwork. via                                                                   Group differently shaped items together.  If ev...

Which do you prefer symmetrical or asymmetrical design? Balance is the even distribution of weight in a space.  Balance is essential for a well-designed space.  Two ways to achieve balance is through a symmetrical or asymmetrical arrangement. In a symmetrical arrangement one side of the room mirrors the other side.  The same furnishings are used on  each  side of the room. via via via Asymmetrical arrangements are often times a little trickier to achieve.  The furnishings on each side of the room are different but the visual weight is still distributed evenly. How cool is  this asymmetrical design? elle decor elle decor Which type of arrangement are you most drawn to? There is one other way to achieve balance in a room  through radial balance .  I'll leave that for another post:) Do you need help designing your home?  Visit my website to see th...

Take a look at this window: What is wrong with it you ask?  Well, let's break it down: To create a composition that looks like a designer helped you, try something like this: See what I mean? source via via Have a great weekend everyone! If you need help designing your home, visit my website .

The other day I visited  Recycled Consign & Design  where  Amanda shared Sherwin-Williams new app 'Chip It!'   Needless to say, I couldn't resist putting the app on my toolbar!  I think it is a great jumping point for finding paint colors for a space if you are lost, also it's quite addicting and fun to play around with! For all the details on how to get this app, visit  Amanda's blog.   (Thanks for sharing Amanda!) Sources of images chipped via my pinterest boards

I like T.V. just as much as the next person - every Monday night you will find me right in front of it glued to The Bachelor/ette !  Even still, I don't like it when a huge flat screen T.V. is the main attraction in a space.  I don't think a T.V. necessarily needs to be hidden from sight,  just placed somewhat inconspicuously.  There are all sorts of nifty contraptions out there for framing, making it appear as a mirror when off, having a motorized framed piece of art slide over it,etc - all fantastic solutions, but all very expensive solutions. Below are some awesome ways to tastefully place a T.V. in a room without it being the focal point of the room or breaking the bank. Surround it with art.  All the blacks in the art help to make the black screen not stick out so much. source source Off-set the T.V. on the fireplace wall with another beautiful piece of art work/accessories.  The T.V. is there -with no shame,  just placed with other mor...