Home Decor Design Tips

Autumnal decorating encompasses more than just orange, ochre, yellow, and brown.  We have to remember, reds and purples are both vibrant, beautiful shades of fall.  In fact, some of the prettiest leaves are the ones which turn flaming red and deep, dark plum before they die and fall to the ground.

That is where gorgeous, grapevine baskets can come in, and my, do they come in with a vengeance!  Have you ever seen anything so pretty?  The plus side is that, yet again, you can actually make these yourself, for very little cost.

The first thing you need is, of course, a grapevine basket.  You can find one – or many, if you’d like a couple – any number of places, including Michael’s, Wal-Mart, Target, and quite likely even the big name dollar stores.  Then you need some florist styrofoam – that hard green stuff you often find holding fake plants and things.  Get a big block of it, you can cut it down and just stuff it in your baskets.  After that, just stick in the branches of some preserved leaves – red and purple, or really, whatever other autumn leaves you like.  Include some sprigs of wheat and sticks of dried berries for some extra splashes of color, and voila   This works as a centerpiece, you can place it in front of a picture with a fall theme as shows, or use it as an arrangement on your coffee or end tables – they can even be a connecting motif in your living room

Consider this: spicing up your home with a beautiful, autumn topiary — what do you think?

I know, I know.  “Topiary,” to those of you unfamiliar with the word, probably sounds like some hoity toity fancy thing that you would never really need in your house.  Really, it’s just a fancy way of saying “plant,” depending on what you use to make one.  Sure, some people probably do spend tons of money on these things — but you don’t have to!  They’re so easy to make, and the best part is, you will be able to coordinate it with the rest of your decor quite easily.

All you need is a pot — your choice — some decorative moss or grass to stuff in the pot, and perhaps some dirt or anything else that will let you anchor the base.  The base itself?  Just a stick.  Go outside and pick one, it doesn’t even have to be particularly sturdy, depending on the materials you use to make the “blossom.”  Naturally, autumn leaves are a wonderful choice, but you could also use dried, decorative grasses, flowers, and such — or fake leaves for that matter.  Go to a craft store like Michael’s, or even stores like Wal-Mart or Target, you’ll be able to get all of these items for very little money.  That goes for the accents, as well — things like sheer or gossamer ribbons in complimenting colors.  Not only will they be pretty, but they will hold the whole topiary together — literally!

Seasonal decor can be one of the most fun, artistic, and creative ways to redecorate your home — and the best part is that you do not have spend enormous amounts of money in the process.

As summer draws to a close, it is typical to feel down — even you parents who are rejoicing over the fact that school’s about to be back in session!  The sunniness of summertime decor starts to feel out of place, reminding us that winter is just around the corner all over again.

Autumnal decor, however, can remind you of all the good things.  Furthermore, when you dress your home up for all, it becomes evocative of all the things autumn is best known for: crisp, clean air, sharp blue skies, beautiful foliage, and an overall feeling of rejuvenation.  After all, fall is the last big hurrah before winter wraps its cold fingers around the world again.

So, this next series is going to be devoted to how to turn your home into a vibrant, cozy autumn wonderland — at almost no cost to you!

Finally — the sunroom. Sadly, because I went all front porch crazy at the onset, you’re already familiar with a lot of the tips that can make your sunroom as stylish, comfortable, and beautiful as any other room in the house. Here, however, you have even more options, because you do not have to worry about inclement weather. Want wall to wall carpet? Go for it. What to put that plush, comfortable couch everyone loves to lounge around on out there? Have at it! All you want to be careful of is sun fade. If the windows in your sunroom is polarized, you should be okay. If it’s not and you don’t want to spend a ton of money on window treatments, then you might think about furniture covers — the bonus being that they are easy and inexpensive to change up whenever you have a whim to do so.

Do not be afraid to furnish the floor on your front porch – or in your sun room, but of course, those are safe from the elements.  However just because you cover your front porch floor with something does not mean that it is going to get ruined in the rain or snow – after all, most front porches do have a “roof,” such as it is.

Besides, no matter whether your porch floor is currently covered in tile, slate, wood, et cetera, think how lovely, how cozy and homey it would look with a nice area rub or square of carpet.  Besides, there are plenty of options for porch coverings made from indoor-outdoor carpeting, so it is easy to make sure you are getting something that is both eye pleasing and comfortable.

It will be worth it, especially when you see how well it can tie your porch furnishings together.

Some people simply do not want to risk putting wooden furniture out of doors – and some simply like the antiquated, lovely look of metal based furniture. Iron is a beautiful material for porch furniture, particularly wrought iron. Better still, it is heavy enough to stay in place even in the windiest, most inclement weather. However, whether you choose wrought iron or cast iron furniture, you have to treat it properly in order to avoid rust. There is nothing worse than orange, scaley rust climbing up and down your gorgeous furniture.

Aluminum furniture is another popular choice, especially because it tends to be less expensive than iron porch furniture. As well, you can get types of aluminum furniture cast to look a lot like iron. You can also find pieces with exquisite finishing details.

Oh, porch furniture – there are so many possibilities but, as always, if your furniture is going to be outside, you need to be a smart shopper and take some precautions. Wood furniture looks exquisite on a front porch, but you need to be careful about what kind you get. Woods that are naturally resistant to the weather are ideal; these include redwood, as seen in the picture; teak; and beautiful cypress. These woods will not need any coatings, but if you prefer a different kind of wood, you can always paint it, stain it, or use a water resistant finish. You should also treat other woods with generally moisture resistant coatings.

Wicker and rattan furniture is lovely for porches as well. In this case, you just want to be careful about any frames in which the furniture itself is held. For instance, aluminum is good, and if your porch is well covered, bamboo frames are gorgeous.

It’s summertime, and by and large, there has been a lot of beautiful weather out there.  The problem?  It’s summertime, and as beautiful as the weather has been, it is ridiculously hot.  The humidity out there is like pea soup — so a lot of people are taking themselves out to their front porches (with some well positioned fans, of course) or their sunrooms, and languishing in total languor in the shade.

This brings about all kinds of possibilities for outdoor — and semi outdoor — decorating, furnishings, and accessories.  Indeed, those are the items on which this next series of home decor design tips is going to focus.  We are going to discuss everything from pillows, upholstery, window dressings, lighting, and flooring, to how to keep your furniture safe from fading, getting mildewed, and staining.

Being a Southern girl originally, I myself greatly prefer porches and think they are entirely underrated, so this series will be divided into two parts: front porches first (bias, anyone?) and sunrooms second.  There will be plenty of budget decorating tips as well, so make sure to stay tuned!

This post brings us to the last part in this wall decor series, and for this one, the focus is on wallpaper. Now, now, wait a minute before you start groaning. Wallpaper has been done to death, it is true, but this is not some flimsy piece of advice telling you to go out and find some hideous flower patterned wallpaper, or something done up in stripes and polka dots that could not possibly match any of the decor in your house. Have you ever thought about paintable wallpaper? This provides a wonderful creative outlet, and rather than having to settle on what is out there – because it really can be extremely difficult to find the “right” wallpaper, the kind that would compliment your room and design perfectly, without spending an absolute fortune – you can pick out and execute the design yourself. If you want a striped pattern done up in silvers and blacks, you can have it. If you would like an elegant fleur-de-lis pattern, with the motif in burgundy and the wallpaper itself in a lovely, classic cream, there is nothing to stop you from having it. You can use stencils, sponges, or freehand it, and paintable wallpaper gives you the option of being able to easily sketch out your designs before you commit to them with paint. This can be just the thing you need to liven up your living room, bedroom, kitchen, or bathroom, and you won’t have to worry that you’ll hate it two months after it’s up on the walls.

The walls in your home are not just architectural bracings; they are not simply necessary structures. For those of us with innovative imaginations and a wish to give in to our artistic whims, the walls in our homes can – and should – be blank canvases. Quilts, paintings, pictures, fountains, and other wall hangings are all well and good, but if you really want to express yourself and create an interesting atmosphere in your home, the options are limitless. Wall mosaics, whether you make them out of tiles, slate stones, or even random objects around the house, can be indescribably gorgeous. Tiles are not just for the floor, they do not have to be regulated to the walls in our kitchens and bathrooms. You can make your own works of art on your walls, and generally at an incredibly affordable price. If you just want to make a single mosaic, the cost of tiles will not be that much at all, and you might be able to cut a deal at Home Depot, Lowe’s, et cetera, by asking for broken tiles that they have taken off the floor. After all, to create a mosaic, you’re going to have to break quite a bit of the tiles anyway; this way, not only can you have it done for you, but you can save quite a bit of money in the process.