Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Decorating With Turquoise

The past few years turquoise has been a very popular color used in bedrooms and bathrooms. When it comes to decorating a room with turquoise, people generally opt to either paint the walls of the room with this color or they choose to decorate it with accents and accessories of the hue. Turquoise paired with wood and white furniture, greenish hues, and soft textures can create a light, airy, and relaxing space. Turquoise, a greenish blue color belongs with the “cool” hues found in the color wheel and it is calm, soothing, and peaceful. Pillows and comforters are easy items to find in this color, as well as unique vases and lamp shades that can be used as accent pieces. Turquoise is best paired well with light greens and yellows, browns, and whites.

Decorating With Black

Bold and daring when used in interiors, the color black can look smart, stylish, sophisticated, and sexy.  Often used for front doors or shutters on colonial style homes or for trim on Victorian styles, black is a color now making its way indoors. Black makes for a great single accent wall in a subtle, matte finish.  Black is popularly paired with damask fabrics and prints and coordinates well with whites, reds, grays and yellows. Black should be used in well-lit, airy spaces so it doesn’t shrink the space or overpower the décor. Smaller accents pieces like ottomans, pillows, and lamps in black give bold splashes to a space without dominating a room.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Decorating With Yellow

Paired great with the other gray and reds that we discussed yellow is a daring, warming, and surprising color popularly being used in home décor. Soft and subdued shades of this color are often used in kitchens, creating an inviting space to start off your morning. Yellow is a sunny, inviting color and it evokes the emotion of happiness. It is a great accent and focal color to use in spaces where people congregate and enjoy fellowship with each other. Yellow is versatile and can be muted to coordinate with neutral tones or spiced up to pair with reds, blues, and oranges. When used on the walls of a room, designers suggest that lighter color furniture be used as to not overwhelm the space. Smaller yellow accents go nicely with grays, blacks, and whites.


Decorating With Gray

Last summer trend forecasters predicted that gray was they knew brown, meaning it had involved as the front runner for neutrals. Grays have also been substituted as the “new white” for its subtle sophistication and simple, clean elegance. Designers suggest that when using grays on walls choose a matte finish versus semi or high gloss and pair it with a creamy white or off-white trim. Since grays are already shadowy, illuminate the space with lots of elaborate light sources, including lamps, sconces, or chandeliers. Use gray as neutral to let a bright color shine or pair it with metallic metal finishes for a rustic retreat. Popular color pairings with gray include mustard yellow, white, black, and burnt auburns.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Boy's Nursery Themes 2012

Popular nursery themes and décor for 2012 in little boy’s rooms tend to conform with those from the past, including nautical, trains, and sports motifs. Simplistic neutrals, grays, and tans will still be popular as well in a modern, minimal fashion. Nautical nursery themes offer masculine hues of blues, reds, pale greens, washed out yellows, and natural woods. Nautical fabrics boast bold stripes and colors, while coordinating prints include anchor and sailboat motifs. Nothing says ‘boy’ like a sports themed nursery! In true masculine spirit, sports themed nursery decor has long been an American tradition. Sports and train motifs allow for bold colors and a variety of novelty accent pieces. Wall prints and accent pillows with sports and train memorabilia are easy to find and incorporate! All three of these themes last long past the infant stages well into early childhood, allowing the décor to withstand time as your child matures.

 

Girls Nursery Themes 2012

Popular nursery themes and décor for 2012 in little girl’s rooms include toile, shabby chic, and rose motifs. Classic and timeless, toile nursery decor is a gorgeous, feminine theme that incorporates soft, vintage prints with an array of colors and coordinates. Pink, green, black, and yellow toile prints are the most popular color combinations in baby bedding.A shabby chic baby nursery is accessorized in neutral hues that are perfect for a new baby girl. Shabby chic nursery bedding, furniture, decor and accessories come in soft colors and often present an antique, rustic feel. Shabby chic décor is calming and delicate.Shabby chic fabrics incorporate muted pastels and light tans. Chandeliers and monogrammed wall art areeasily incorporated as well. Another popular baby girl’s nursery motif this upcoming year will be rose prints. Designed to be feminine and timeless, rose motifs come in light pinks, greens, and creams. Rose motifs are gorgeously accessorized with white, antique furniture and lavish window treatments.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Choosing Bathroom Window Treatments

When choosing window treatments for a bathroom it is most important to consider the bathroom's environment, privacy needed, and theme. When considering the environment you must remember that bathrooms can be humid and filled with moisture. Explore synthetic fabric options that won't mildew. Ventilation is another significant environmental factor that is important in a bathroom. Make sure your window treatment(s) doesn't interfere with the operation of a window or cover any floor/ceiling vents that could block airflow. Privacy is also a vital consideration in bathroom window treatment selections. When bathroom windows face the street or a nearby neighbor, light controlling blinds and shades or lined panels work well. Layered sheers provide great natural light but often have limited privacy at night. Thirdly, keep your treatments style & theme appropriate For a crisp, clean, spa-like fell shoose simple, horizontal blinds/shade or a drapery panel. For an more elaborate or luxurious feel choose a layered look, panels paired with attractive top treatments. Side panels and swags are more traditional and can easily complement other accents in your bathroom such as your shower curtain or towels. Smaller bathrooms tend to look larger with simple window treatments in lighter colors. Larger bathrooms are a better fit for more elaborate options because the space isn't as easily overpowered.

Interior Trends: Maybelline's 2012 Predictions

Every year Maybelline Cosmetics releases it's predictions for anticipated interior trends and colors. This year in 2012 they have placed their bets on 3 bold colors that create an exciting but fresh palette: Tangerine Tango, Grass Green, and Sunshine Yellow. Maybelline is also predicting a resurgence in retro furniture and modern, simple accents. Take a look below for a sampling of Maybelline's interior trends forecast!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Interior Trends: Complementary Colors

 
Colorful décor is used for numerous purposes within interiors. Color variations can visually change the proportions of a room, create a mood, make a room feel cool or warm, and link different areas in your home. A popular trend for bold colors in interior decorating is the use of complementary color schemes. Complementary colors include combinations of red & green, purple & yellow, and orange & blue. Complementary colors are directly opposite of each other on the color wheel. Because there is a strong contrast between complementary colors, rooms using this scheme are bold, lively, and exciting. Complementary colors create a sense of harmony and create an interesting and pleasing palette. Boring combinations like gray and white tend be overlooked because they just don't hold our interest.