5 of the Best Decorating Secrets

Someone asked me the other day if I could just write about design ideas this week, and not go into a long story. Oops. I swear, I honestly do base all of my blogs around a design thought, but sometimes the thought takes a detour, and I find it wandering along the scenic route.
So, as requested by one of my favorite reader's, here are some design ideas....
 






NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A RUG

Rugs give purpose to your furniture
arrangement, and add warmth and character to a room.
By the way, it's okay to have rugs in the kitchen, bathroom and foyer, even if they aren't specifically made for that space.

ADD INTEREST WITHOUT COLOR

If your room seems boring, but you don't want too add a painted "pop of color", make it more interesting with something organic. A live plant, a bowl of rocks or pine cones, a bunch of flowers - even some twigs in a vase perks up a room without almost any effort at all.

 
 







     
                                            
HANG ART WITH A FRIEND

If you're stuck on knowing exactly where to hang your art, recruit some help - let one person hold it up, and the other step back to see how it will look. Take turns, until you're both sure of where it should go; standing by yourself, with two crooked elbows and your nose glued to the wall, skews your perspective, and isn't nearly as much fun.





PLEASE COORDINATE, INSTEAD OF MATCHING

Once you start matching your chairs to your curtains, and your pillows to your rug, you begin to fall down a designer rabbit hole; it will feel uncomfortable, things will start to blend together, and your home can feel dated very quickly.
Try to coordinate your styles and colors instead (which is actually easier). 



SCUFF UP YOUR SHINY

Homes should look as if they have been collected over time, not as if you bought everything from the shop yesterday. Mix old treasures with new finds, and shiny hardware next to dull.
Don't be afraid to change what you already have; scuff up a metal finish with a piece of fine sandpaper or kitchen scrubby, remove the jackets from all of your books, and dare to paint the inside back wall of your dated china cabinet.

Photographs from:
Yayoi Kasuma http://littleaesthete.com/yayoi-kusama-my-life-is-dot-lost-among-thousands-of-other-dots/
Bathroom -  http://www.popsugar.com/home/Midday-Muse-Bathroom-Rugs-1896372, 
Living Room - Atlanta Home via http://www.nikiebarfield.com/ 
Bert and Ernie - http://www.kids-coloringpages.com/74/sesame-street/Coloringpages-Bert-And-Ernie.html
Buttons - https://www.pinterest.com/barbiedoll7/buttons-bows/ and http://www.katekessling.co.uk/blog.php