Home Decor

Home Decor
Home Decor for the Real World

Thursday, June 24, 2010

A Great New Glance at Country Home Décor

While you glance through designing publications, you come across page after page and photograph after photograph of barren modern day designs and accents in sterile and clean appearing rooms. Are you craving for something more warm and enticing? Certainly, you don't seem all by yourself. A return to country home décor is gaining ground across the country.

Country home décor has held its standing as a popular decorating trend all through the decades, thanks to its eclectic style and lack of any stern regulations. It’s all about home and family, a style where it is not only appropriate, but required to showcase personal collections and pictures. So how can you make a comfortable home using country home décor?
The most simple way to redecorate using country décor is to get started with with a focal point. This can be a group of your favorite collectibles, a bright colored art print, or anything that grabs your imagination. There are primitive accessories, folk art accents, artificial flowers, and many more. You will then begin almost all your color selections on this. Settle upon complimentary colors or contrasting colors, depending on the mood you would like to produce.
If you could possibly be acquiring brand new furniture, keep in mind comfort and ease first and foremost and style second. Almost any home furnishings may be transformed to country style by means of its environment or with multi-colored blankets and accent cushions. With country home décor, it's all about coziness and usefulness, not the orderly construction and straightforwardness.
Add accents a little at a time until finally you are content with the overall design. Do not forget, with country home décor there isn't any real rules. Your decorative accents could possibly be anything from yard sale finds to items that you discovered online. This overall flexibility renders this style an outstanding solution for people moving into their first home with pretty much second hand items!
Now that you understand the fundamentals of this design style, you will want to step away from the unexciting modern designs and include a little country home décor to your home now!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Home Decor Catalogs on Video

Just out!  A home decor catalog on video for those of us that miss thumbing through home decor catalogs rather than doing blind searches on the internet.




More Home Decor Catalogs on video coming soon to NanasAtticStore.com!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Old World Style with Tuscan Decor

Tuscan decor is the perfect design trend if you crave casual but elegant style.  What other style welcomes you to come in and put your feet up for hours on end?  Read on to discover the feel of the Italian countryside in your own home.

The ease and grace of the Italian countryside is represented in the Tuscan decorating style. Warm and weathered walls and floors of beautiful marble and stone, soft romantic lighting, and rich wood furniture are hallmarks of the Tuscan style. This decorating theme welcomes you to relax for long periods. This is a style that is easy to copy in any room thanks to its aged beauty and forgiving design.



Wall Paint: Tuscan wall colors are perfect if you have children and pets! Tuscan homes feature walls in warm tones of beige, brown, or yellow. They are usually textured, a look that can be obtained through faux painting techniques or special paints that give the look of Venetian plaster. The idea is to give your walls a subtle weathered look with warm colors, this is perfect for hiding dirt, smudges, and wall blemishes!



Tuscan Floors: The common flooring in Tuscan decorating is made of marble and stone. This is why it's the perfect design choice for bathrooms and kitchens. If you are implementing this style in a living room, a floor of rich wood would be seen. This type of flooring gives the hint of luxury that is common in Tuscan decorating.



Tuscan Furniture: The furniture used is Tuscan decorating is normally solid wood in rich tones. This is the perfect opportunity to use those traditional pieces throughout your home that have been gathering dust. It doesn't matter if the pieces don't match. One of the great things about Tuscan style is that it is a relaxed style where you can bend the rules of traditional decorating. If you are using Tuscan design in a kitchen or bathroom, you might want to replace a few of your cabinet doors with doors made of glass. Tuscan kitchens and baths often have open cupboards revealing colorful dishes or towels.


Tuscan Lighting: A romantic warm glow is achieved in Tuscan interiors by using globes and shades in beige or tan to soften the light. Another common element in Tuscan decor is the use of wrought iron in lighting fixtures such a chandeliers, table lamps, or in the accents of ceiling lights. This is an easy look to copy by simply updating your current light fixtures.



Accents: The home accents used in Tuscan designs are colorful and bright. Often, vases in vibrant blues and yellows are used. Throws and accents pillows are in bright stripes or floral patterns. When looking for wall accents, candle scones of iron are a good choice as are prints of the Italian countryside. This is where the elegance of Tuscan style rears its head. A few carefully selected pieces will complete your new Tuscan style room and give it that luxurious old world touch.



These ideas are only the starting point of creating relaxed luxury with Tuscan home decor. It is an easy design to copy in any home, so get started on your Tuscan decorating project.



Friday, June 11, 2010

How to Decorate Your Kitchen with Rooster Decor

The kitchen is where we gather with family and friends, but it is often the most overlooked room in our homes. Update your tired kitchen with trendy kitchen rooster decor.




This popular decorating theme has surpassed its French Country roots to stand alone in the design world. The question is how to avoid slipping into a traditional country style when bringing this theme into your kitchen? Follow these easy ideas to create a rooster themed kitchen that will fit your contemporary home.



Wall Color: The rooster theme has become so popular that the decor comes in a variety of colors including reds, blues, browns, and greens. Thanks to this, we have many options for wall color. We have the option of going bold with a traditional red accent wall or more subtle with earthy green for one wall and warm beige for the others. Experiment until you find something that fits your personality and blends with the rest of your home. If you have always played it safe by using neutral paint colors, take a chance with this project to play with color.



Decorative Accessories: There are many option when it comes to selecting rooster decor as any search online will prove. You can find rooster rugs, rooster canisters, kitchen towels, rooster themed dishes, and more. To keep the rooster theme under control, purchase only a handful of rooster items at a time. The goal is to balance the rooster decor with other decorative accents in coordinating colors to keep the theme under control. It's much easier to go back and add additional rooster items than it is to select the items to return to the store.



Final Tip: There is no magic formula to determine when you have enough rooster décor in your kitchen to create an attractive theme. Bring items in a little at a time and play with their placement until you are pleased with the overall visual effect. This theme can become visually overwhelming quickly, so be sure to take your time and shop around to select the perfect items. When shopping for rooster decor, think about the items you have already purchased for your new kitchen theme and where new rooster decor will go and how they will look with the items you already have. You will get the right look and feel if you take your time.



Once you are finished decorating your new kitchen, invite friends and family over. Take the opportunity to relax and enjoy the compliments on your decorating success.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Giving Your Home Art Deco Style



When decorating, do you find yourself somewhere in between modernism and traditional? If this sounds like you, consider giving your home art deco style. This décor trend is making a comeback thanks to its clean lines and hints of luxury. The tips below will help you transform your room in classic art deco style.



What is Art Deco? Art Deco is a style of decorating and design that surged into popularity after World War I due to its glamorous style and idustrial touches. Popular movies from the 1930's demonstrate this trend in lush and elegant sets. A simple way to explain this decorating style is that it is modernism with a softer touch using bold colors and geometric shapes. It is an easy trend to bring to life in your own home thanks to the many decorative accessories available today.



Flooring: The typical art deco interior features checkered tiles of black and white or marble. When rugs are used as well, they are usually in a geometric or swirling design. Thanks to the many area rugs available on the market today, copying this idea is easy. By selecting an area rug first, this gives you a starting point for colors and accents.



Lighting: The use of lighting in this style is to give a soft glow and is normally sleek in design. This can include ceiling lights, wall sconces, table lamps, and floor lamps. Often the base of table lamps would be a bronze looking figurine as bronze and glass are a popular fixture of art deco styles. When floor lamps are used, they are generally tall torchiers of metal. Again these are styles that are readily available in stores and online.



Furniture: Art Deco style furniture is often streamlined in design and can be of metal or exotic wood construction. The upholstery is normally or velvet or velour, giving that glamorous touch to the sleek design. Decorative panels can be used as screens and are often black lacquered with the addition of an inset upholstered in luxurious fabric such as leather. This is a project you can do yourself with some scraps from the craft store and an inexpensive room divider or purchase a room screen that is all metal in a swirling design to get a similar effect without the need for crafty talents.



Accents: The Art Deco style is perfect for budget decorating due to the simplicity of the designs. The use of mirrors is common, to add to the authenticity select mirrors in geometric patterns and use them in groups. Colored glass accents add a splash of color and a hint of luxury that is a must have in Art Deco designs. Due to the simplicity of the accents used in Art Deco rooms, many of the items can be purchased at your local dollar store and used in groups to create more visual impact.



Although this style has been in use for generations, it continues to gain popularity as a softer variation of modernism and a more contemporary alternative to traditional designs. With the addition of a few key pieces, it is easy to decorate your home art deco style.



Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Do It Yourself Home Decorating

Are you longing for an updated look for your home, but does the idea of decorating have you running for the hills?  Well, take heart, despite all the hype about the need to hire a professional designer and other such nonsense, there is no reason why you can't decorate your home yourself like a pro!

Home decorating is nothing more than making your home a reflection of your style and personality.  That means there are no right or wrong answers!  Sure there are popular trends, but they are just that...trends.  Now there are a few guidelines that will help you make your decorating project easier, but these are not set in stone.

It's All About You. Home decorating is not rocket science. Contrary to popular belief, there are no right or wrong ways to go about it. Decorating is nothing more than making your surroundings appealing and enjoyable to you. There is no need to label it with design styles and there is no need to bring in a professional to inform you about what you want in your own home. Look around your home and decide what you like and what you don't, keep what you like and get rid of what you do not. This is your first step.

Pick A Starting Point. Look at each room and see what was left after you took out everything you didn't like. Is there a colorful picture? A rug? Perhaps a small statue or accent piece? Pick your favorite thing out of what is left and you have your starting point. You are going to decorate the entire room around this one object. In my house it was a framed print, but it could be anything.

Color. Throw out everything that you think you know about paint colors. Look at your starting point and notice the colors in it. If it is something plain like a seashell, what colors does it bring to mind such as white beaches and the blue sea. Pick the boldest color from your object, that is what you will paint one wall. When you find that color at the paint store, look at the other colors that coordinate with it to find a color for the other walls. Keep in mind other colors that may be in your object as well.

Fine Details. Now you have your colors and the objects. If you kept your furniture, arrange it as you see fit, if not, now is the time to purchase new. Play around with the placement of the object that you kept until you are please with the result. Add throw pillows in a color from your object as well as window treatments. If you think that you need more accents such as area rugs, throws, framed prints, or such add them now using the same colors that were in the starting object.

Let It Flow. This is the most difficult step to follow. Most homes have open floor plans or two story foyers, and when decorating it is important that each room be unique, but that they also blend in some way together. Otherwise, you're home will seem choppy and incomplete. Pick one element that all the rooms can have in common and use it throughout your home such as color families. For example, in my own home I have a rooster themed kitchen, rooster themed breakfast nook, modern family room, southwest office, traditional dining room, and a traditional foyer. The common element between all of these different rooms is the use of warm earth tones in the furniture and wall color. It doesn't have to be an obvious selection such as that, but something as simple as a framed print in a hallway. Again, using my own home as an example, the master bedroom is Paris themed, the hall bath is Safari, the spare room blue floral, and my daughter's room is fairies. How could I make the upstairs appear unified with such a broad array of colors and themes? It took months before I discovered the common element was a magnolia bloom, each room had a magnolia bloom somewhere in its accents. It was very subtle, but it worked. I ran straight to the flea market and picked up two framed magnolia prints and my home was finished.

Keeping It Real. Remember those pictures in decorating magazines that started you on this quest? Who could resist those perfect rooms? You're desire may be to have your home look just like the homes in those magazines, but the reality is that it never will. In those pictures there are no children running in and out, or pets leaving hair on the floor, or people that just want to spend an afternoon on the couch reading the newspaper. Your home is lived in and it should remain a place for family and friends to gather and relax, not a museum show piece. Never decorate to the point that you can no longer enjoy your home. After all, the entire point of decorating is to make your home more appealing and enjoyable.

Now that you know the basic process of decorating your home yourself, why not pick up a few home decor pieces that fit your style and see where your creativity can take you?  The options are endless when it comes to home accents, just be true to yourself.