Entry of your home......the First Impression

One of my favorite memories when I was growing up was at Christmas time looking in the windows of Marshall Field's downtown Chicago. Every year would be a new theme from Peter Pan to Toyland. It was mesmorizing and was always the first impression I had of that store.

Our home is the same way. We have a first impression that each person that walks in our home sees, and we have the great opportunity to 'WOW' them. I'm not talking about glitz and glamour (unless that is your taste) but simple, beautiful collection of things that says "Welcome to my home".

Here are some great examples of unique, beautiful entryways that may inspire you to have a little fun.
Starting with mine:

Here is one indoor/outdoor porch entry I did for a friend:

Doesn't it invite you in for a cool drink or simple, summer dinner?










Here are some other options:Chocolate brown is very popular right now but to keep it light use metallic accessories and a beautiful pop of color like this hot pink. Very Chic!

These last four ideas have a more dramatic feel but they show you what the house is going to look like just by the entry. It is a small morsel of what' to come!!

Try something new and fresh in your entry, maybe a vase of fresh flowers??! It will change how you look at your house! Send me pictures, would love to see them.

Revamped Cabinet for our 'Man Cave'

When I was discussing ideas for my husband's 'Man Cave' I mentioned how I would like to refurbish the cabinet that is at the bottom of the stairs in the basement. It seems original to the house and it is good condition just very outdated. I wanted to try save it and make it blend in with the new decor.

The cabinet is built into the corner (shown in picture below under TV) and attached to the wall so I didn't want to remove it if we didn't have to. We store games, decor, and extra bedding in their for company. It was painted bright white, with large square wooden knobs and an old linoleum tile on the top. Not interesting in the least!!

Our starting point was my husband's desire to make a display area on top that he could lay out some special LP's that he had saved. Since the cabinet had a large top (24"x72") there was plenty of room to display the records.

With colors brought in from our coordinating rug in adjoining room (Media area), I used chocolate brown for the cabinet, the original hinges in silver, gold paint for wall above cabinet, tan micro-suede fabric and new oil-rubbed bronze hardware (purchased at Target).

We custom cut a thick piece of Plexiglass (Home Depot) to fit on top of the cabinet to protect the records and finished it out with trim painted to match cabinet.


What a perfect place now to display special mementos we could change out in the future while using as a table/server for drinks and snacks. Love the change!!!

Now on to the rest of the 'Man Cave' updates: paint, carpet, baseboards, and decorating (my favorite)!!

Design Inspiration File

I have heard from several sources lately about how important it is to have a 'Design Inspiration File'.

Anyone can have a design file, not just professionals. It may include ideas, photos, and notes about parties, decor, crafts, furniture, tile, flooring, lighting, or just rooms in general.
I have a file system that works great for me that I have separated by rooms: Living rooms, Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Kids' rooms, Parties, Crafts, and misc. Instead of saving hundreds of magazines (which drives my husband crazy) I rip out any pages/photos of things that interest me and file them in my expandable binder. Then when I need inspiration or an idea for something I know right where to look. Believe me, it saves a lot of time than looking on the Internet.
Give it a try, start small and you will have a Design File in no time!!
A few great websites to start with if you want to look online is:

www.hgtv.com, www.housebeautiful.com, and www.bhg.com

Decorating Kid's Room

I think I have the most fun decorating for kids. The look on their face when they walk into their newly re-decorated room is priceless. I have had the joy of doing several rooms for friends and clients, and wanted to share some of those pictures.

I always start with a theme or inspiration piece. It could be bedding, picture, color, or a theme (such as sports). I have done both themed and color-inspired rooms for my children. I always want to do something they won't outgrown too quickly so I'm very careful about using 'commercial' items. I also love to use dimensional pieces, such as a drawbridge I made for the medieval castle room or wooden picket fence in garden room. These dimensional items bring everything to life, not just something to look at, but feel too!

Don't forget the details, that brings the whole design together!!
Jen

Decorating after Christmas...Silver and White

I don't know about you, but after Christmas when I put the tree away and pack all the boxes of decor in the crawlspace I feel empty. I miss all the warmth and glitter of the holiday decorations. Who says you can't decorate again after Christmas. I always have my "Winter" decor that stays up from Christmas until spring time. It includes snowflakes, crystal, white sparkles, and silver pieces. I still get the warmth and glitter of the Winter but with sparkle and shine!
Here are some beautiful examples of Silver and White you can decorate with all winter long:

Decorating in Black & White

I'm an advocate of always having a piece (or 10) of black in every room, either small like a frame or large like a mirror. With that in mind, a trend that is one of my favorites is black and white pieces. I love how dramatic it can be! It can be a focal point or a unexpected little surprise. A little surprise it always fun in decorating, but it should be a piece you love. Just keep in mind not to use them all together in one room, or too match-y. It would be too overwhelming.

Here are some examples of really fun black and white pieces I love:

Turquoise picked color of the year?!

I'm not sure why but they choose a color for the year and for 2010 it's turquoise. Now, turquoise if not my favorite color, or even in my top 20 but I did find some beautiful things that can bring this HOT color into any decor. Here are some examples of how a little bit of the color can make a big impact.