Home Decorating Ideas and Inspiration

This project was completed by some regular readers from Seattle: “In March 2010, I came upon the ever-popular Penny Tile floor post on your site. At the time, we were in the process of renovating our 1950s rambler and I was unsuccessful in finding a contractor to complete a concrete overlay (thin-set concrete) design on our master bathroom floor.

I love movies, all kinds of movies: historical, thought-provoking, independent, and even simply entertaining, films. But I especially love movies with great design! Some of these are fantastic, Oscar-nominated movies; some are quirky all-time favorites; and some are most significant for their style contribution.

The 1940s were a tumultuous time. It is impossible to understand those years outside of the context of WWII. The war not only defined the decade but from a design perspective, split it virtually in half. During the first half of the decade, new design was halted, as supply shortages and rationing demanded that all available resources — material and otherwise — be directed towards the war effort…Socially, the decade featured a similar split.

It is easy to dismiss the 1970s as “the decade that taste forgot”. But to do so would be to overlook the decade’s contributions in architecture, furniture design and interior decorating. After all, with the Bad and the Ugly there is usually some Good.

I was recently searching for a small, simple stool that was reasonably priced and was surprised that I wasn’t able to find many options. So I did what many of us do and decided to make one myself. The cost is pretty small and it comes together in no time, making this a great starter project for someone who is looking to dip their toes into the world of recovering furniture. I was thrilled with the results!

After years of perusing FLOR’s catalog and website, I finally bit the bullet and ordered the carpet tiles for my entryway and kitchen. The Problem: I have gone through about five different rugs in my entryway. With one pitiful rug pad and two overly-welcoming dogs that rush the front door every time they hear a noise — I was forever straightening, fixing and flattening the front rug.

Maybe it’s because I started reading Cleopatra: A Life, but I have luxury on the brain. Though I haven’t come across any descriptions yet, I bet the Queen of the Nile’s bathroom had some, if not all, of these five qualities of a truly luxurious bathroom.Luxurious bathrooms have at least a few of the following:1. Space. A utilitarian room, most bathrooms are small to allow for more room in other areas of the home. So instantly, a larger bathroom is a luxury.

I am a firm believer that it doesn’t take much to add a little charm to your home or office. During my recent visit to Poke Acupuncture, I noticed that Russell had added tons of new decorations. My favorites were his DIY homemade book planters. Here is a step by step lesson on how to create them yourself.Russell talks with us about his inspiration behind creating these fun book planters:I first saw these in my favorite geniusly-designed clothing store, TheWarehouse in Echo Park.

Would the Billy by any other name be as sweet? What’s in a name when it comes to furniture? Obviously, our purchasing decisions are driven primarily by comfort, style, quality and (for some more than others) a retailer’s overall brand cache. But marketers and branding experts put a lot of stock in the value of product naming as a way to create an emotional connection with the potential buyer. A product’s name can conjure up a trendy era, style, or even mindset.

Today is December first! For many people, the end of this past weekend also marked the day when they put up their holiday decor. The other night, I stopped by the home of a friend who’d proudly put up her tree. Despite the small footprint of her living room, the addition felt homey rather than crowded. If you’re determined to put up a full-sized tree, here’s a few ideas to make sure that you and your decor can coexist in peace!

Although we haven’t conduced an official study of how many folks have a fireplace and how many don’t, we’re going to guess that more people are looking for creative ways to hang their stocking during the holidays than not. We happen to be part of that crowd, so without further ado, here’s 7 festive ways to display your stockings!1. Ladders: Vintage, worn or broken ladders are easy to come by at estate sales, auctions, antique stores and Craigslist.

Green and blue is an all-time favorite combo of ours. It can go very springy, but darken it up a bit and tame it down with dark olive greens and dusty blues:The kitchen up top exemplifies this color combo, with muddy green cabinetry and crisp blue walls.

A long and narrow bedroom can be a nightmare for furniture arrangement. A great way to utilize the space is by placing the bed on a shorter wall, leaving room for furniture at the foot of the bed. Maybe even a sofa!I’ve always wanted a bench at the foot of my bed, but haven’t found the right one for the right price yet. I do, however, have a spare sofa that is small enough to fit perfectly at the foot of the bed.

Radiators can take up quite a bit of space in a small apartment. But do you know what helps? Resting a shelf on top. Make sure you aren’t storing books or flammable objects there, but think of it as a warming side table where you can perch a cup of joe when you’re curled up on the sofa! Here are a few examples:In the warmer months, of course, the shelf can be used in any way you please.

The saying “opposites attract” goes well beyond human relationships — and the affair between orange and gray mingling to create a stunning balance is a perfect example. Depending on the tones, the duo can be youthful and whimsical, eclectic and bold, moody and sophisticated, or masculine and sleek, and any combo in between!

Ceilings are called the fifth wall for a reason. Along with offering ample design opportunity, a fresh coat of ceiling paint can quickly transform the ambience of an entire room. So to inspire your ceiling painting endeavors, we rounded up seven rooms, all from Apartment Therapy home tours, that will make you want to paint your ceiling ASAP. Looking for an unexpected way to modernize a home with old architectural bones and vintage decor vibes?

I’ve been thinking about buying a new couch— but good furniture is expensive! Especially the big pieces — i.e. the things you need the most: a couch, a rug or two, a credenza, a table. Even chairs can get pricey. I visited my sofas at Crate & Barrel for many many months, saving up for them, before I purchased them. One of the writers over on Casa Sugar did too. But she parlayed those visits into a deep discount! Wanna learn how she did it?Her big secret? Buy the floor model.

Although dry erase boards are rather handy tools, we have one problem — the markers. They’re smelly, expensive and easily get lost in sofa cushions. Well good news, you can ditch them all together and use crayons instead. No really!There are a few companies that have caught onto this idea and have started marketing specific products to those parents who would like to give the idea a go.

We spent a fair chunk of Labor Day weekend lazily stretched out on picnic blankets, engaged in imaginative cloud gazing with our son. There’s a hedgehog, a Lego guy, a banana. But yesterday we were in the mood for some more, and not a single patch of condensed water vapor to be seen. So we did the next best thing – we fashioned our own to hang indoors. They took literally minutes to put together, and the effect was surprisingly transporting.

Metal framed beds often get a bad wrap, and not without due cause. Pillows are always slouching through the headboard bars, and metal is certainly no match in comfort with its plush upholstered counterparts. Thankfully there are a few easy ways to work around their flaws or change their look without breaking the bank.

Normally we offer a variety of options or techniques to hide the eyesore of cable/wire clutter. But what if you’ve got an awkwardly positioned outlet and a cable or wire is just something you have to live with? Instead of hiding it, why not make it something more visually amusing/pleasant, as shown here with this adornment by PA-Design.The design also reminds us of Shunsuke Umiyama’s vine inspired Midori AC Adaptor.

With the city festooned in red and green for the holiday season, it seemed like an appropriate time to wonder how these colors came to be associated with Christmas, how blue and white became the official colors of Hanukkah, and what symbolism black, green, and red have during Kwanzaa. The Christmastime significance of the color green is partly related to the evergreen tree, seen as a symbol of Christ’s resurrection and eternal life.

Name: Adam SelwoodLocation: Melbourne, Australia Now here’s inspiration to clean out that basement or attic and make better use of the space. Adam was kind enough to share his work-in-progress renovation, a DIY conversions of a basement once stuffed to the brim with typical “stuff” into a sleek and multi-use home office for both him and his wife.

This entry comes to you courtesy of the fact that I’ve heard this maybe-myth told to me more than once in the past few weeks my friends and complete strangers alike. My car’s keyless entry remote, for lack of a better word, sucks. I practically have to be next to the car to get it to work. Alas, plenty of the aforementioned people have given me the tip to hold the remote to my chin with my mouth slightly open to increase the range of the remote signal.

click for more picsCrafty IntentionsShe painted the space from a harsh purple to Jamaican Sea from Behr, then installed Ikea Lack shelves to hold all her crafty goods including, rhinestones, sequins, little fabric trim, beads, metal and wood accessories, etc. pom poms, tools and glitter.The bottom shelf includes stair-like levels Megan got at Lowes. These allow her to store more small jars in the space.

When designing the look of a room, deciding on the color palette can sometimes seem overwhelming. The task of coordinating the decor to the furniture to the flooring to the walls in just the right way can seem challenging. Thoughts of “Where to begin?” or “How” to begin?” can easily takeover.One place to begin is understanding a bit about color theory and how different color harmonies can create the feeling, look and overall tone of space.