Organization Tip for Any Holiday: Red!
With the recent holidays of Easter and Passover, we have been striving to dress up our dining room tables. Now comes graduations, reunions, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Valentine's Day....the cycle of celebrations never end. How to avoid having too many boxes and drawers filled with holiday-specific linens that are never ironed when we need them to be? Restaurant white is an option, but we can also discover the power of red!
It doesn't have to be lipstick red - it can be crimson or red-orange. But a shade of red works with almost every holiday. Valentine's hearts, fall harvest, candy canes, patriotic fever...the common thread is a red one.
Even for Easter, mix the red with its analogous colors of purple, orange, and yellow, and the table will look like someone had a lot of fun dyeing Easter eggs. By investing in a great, deep crimson table cloth, then buying several set of cloth napkins in many different colors (white for formal, mint green for a modern Christmas, deep blue for Bastille Day), we can have a great holiday table without bothering with linen storage.
Add some flowers and some holiday-themed candies scattered for effect, and we're ready for the bet part of holidays: the food!
Pottery Barn has some sharp new table linens in the latest shades of red. In particular, take a note of the Jackie Floral http://www.potterybarn.com/products/jackie-floral-table-runner/?pkey=e|jackie%2Bfloral|4|best|0|1|24||4&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_- , and Leila Block-Print tablecloths http://www.potterybarn.com/products/leila-block-print-tablecloths/?pkey=e|leila|6|best|0|1|24||1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_- .
The Indispensable Hand Broom!
So, when we got a hand broom for the dining table as a Christmas gift, we thought we were adding another useless item to the bottom drawer. It's cute in restaurants when the waiters use a little broom and pan to clean the bread crumbs off the tablecloth before the dessert course comes, but we don't usually use a tablecloth at home, we don't have crumb-producing bread all that often, and we rarely have any kind of official dessert course. And, although we'd love it if some fabulous waiter was part of the mix at dinner time, we don't see that happening, either.
But we were so wrong. It's wonderful having a little broom and pan that is well-designed and attractive in the dining area. It is great to grab it for a quick table cleaning. And it also works beautifully on the crumbs on the floor, or the dust bunnies in the corner that got missed, or the paper bits that fell when the three-hole punch got tipped upside down.
We find that we are using this little hand broom every day, and don't know how we lived without it. It's a lovely accessory to look at, and a helpful one, too. If only we used our KitchenAid as often!
For the Porsche of hand brooms, visit the website of Fjorn Scandinavia: http://fjorn.com/sk1600660.html
Flooring: what to do when your friends wear stilettos?
Bathmat Mania
Here are two great bathmats, one from Crate & Barrel: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/bed-and-bath/bath-rugs/reversible-stone-bath-rug/s655221 , the other from Garnet Hill: http://www.garnethill.com/lilly-pulitzer-26-23174-3b-chinoiserie-bath-rug/bedding-home/bath/bath-rugs/129475
Not your typical lighting website
Sorry i've been MIA for a couple of days. A terrible stomach bug has taken over the Room Juice studio. Luckily I am feeling better this evening and I have a FANTASTIC find to share with you all!
As I've said time and time again, we all put off lighting until the end of our design project which is a BIG no no. Lighting is super important in achieving a pulled together and finished space. Lighting also determines the mood of the space and determines what your color palette will look like. So, perhaps lighting should be first? After all, an investment on a beautiful pendant fixture for your entry may go from home to home with you as the years go by, but so many of us tend to put more money into a sofa that will be sunken in 5 -10 years. The point is, think about your project and prioritize what you are going to spend on and what you are going to save on and consider lighting as a top priority.
If you are on the lighting bandwagon with us, take a look at this great website http://www.firefarm.com/. We're so excited to have found fire farm for a few reasons. The first being that they make CUSTOM LIGHT FIXTURES! A designers dream website.... the ideas are already dancing in my head. But, for those of you who don't dream day and night about non-existent pendant lights, you can browse their product line for some great inspiration and very unique fixtures like this Small Tympani Chandelier below. Check it out if you're as bored as we are with most of the other lighting sources on the internet!
Upholstered Headboard DIY
Upholstered headboards- comfortable, practical and beautiful...and expensive... The only downfall we could think of. But, GOOD NEWS- Making your own upholstered headboard is SO simple and very cost effective. For just about $100 you could make the headboard you dream of. Follow this link for instructions on how to do this DIY project.
http://simplystated.realsimple.com/home/2008/05/headboard-revam.html
COLOR Triadic, monochromatic, analogous...
Color schemes are the glue that hold a room together. Without a good scheme, you will most likely end up with a mish-mosh of mismatched items. We often pull our color schemes from a fabric, a piece of artwork, or an area rug. But, there are times when you're really stuck and you can't even find something to start with. That's where this amazing tool we found comes in VERY handy. It's called color scheme designer and not only is it a fun procrastination and spare time filler, but you could find the perfect color scheme to start your room design with! http://colorschemedesigner.com/
And believe it or not, there are actually reasons behind pairing certain colors. We all remember in elementary school when we learned to mix tempra paints to make different colors, and that red was complimentary to green. But, most of us didn't learn the rest of the amazing pairings that exist. Monochromatic, complimentary, triadic, analogous and more. Take a look at the site and you will learn about the color scheme science and you may even find the perfect one for you!
Urban Outfitters- boho chic home decor!
Urban outfitters isn't just for clothing anymore. I just discovered their amazing collection of home decor. Right now they feature some bold patterns and colors that are sure to inspire. Base your room around one of their wallpapers or bedding collections.
Venetian Plaster DIY
We all know that painting a room creates a huge impact and can alter the look and feel instantly, but what if you add texture to that paint? The room will go from a plain painted wall to a rustic 100 year old villa in Italy, or an industrial look with a gray concrete feel. It's time to play with venetian plaster! With a little time and determination, you can add this beautiful finish to your walls. Follow this link from DIY network to find out how.
http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/decorative-paint-technique-venetian-plaster/index.html
The spa isn't always blue...
One of the most highly requested things in bedroom design is "i want it to be spa- like" and one of the biggest misconceptions is that spa is automatically blue or blue green. That is not the case at all. In-fact, the tranquility of a spa can be achieved using any cool color and even a light tone of a warm color. Today's color scheme was inspired by Crate and Barrel's beautiful bedding collection called Marimekko Puutarha Puutarha Lilac Bedding http://www.crateandbarrel.com/bed-and-bath/all-decorative-bedding/marimekko-puutarha-puutarha-lilac-bed-linens/f40348 . Pairing this serene pattern with cool light gray, dark charcoal, and lilacs picked up from the bedding creates a spa like feeling.
