Home & Garden Blog » Decorating

4 Tips To Make Valentine’s Day At Home Memorable

brock — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:28:07 +0000

You’ve read my previous articles, so you know exactly what you are having for dinner on the big Valentine’s Day night and you know to go light on the red and pink, but you still have to bring your romance A-game if you’re going to make this the perfect night.

Making your significant other feel special is a Valentine’ Day imperative, otherwise you’re just cooking a fancy dinner. Here are some ways you can make your romantic night at home unforgettable.

Candles

Nothing is more romantic than the glow and flicker of candlelight. There should be one or two candles on the primary dinner table, depending on the size, and several placed throughout the home. The goal is to provide enough light to see, but still keep it low and romantic. You don’t want to go too few or else you may end up bumping into everything, and there is a fine line between candlelight romance and a weird Voodoo shrine. If your home looks like a cave, then add a few more. If your home looks like a flaming inferno, then tone it down.

Rose Petals

These flowers will be in high demand this holiday, so try and grab fresh flowers a couple of days early and keep them safe in nutrient rich water (you can also used boxed loose rose petals). Pull off the petals and place them around the dinner table. If you think you might have a “romantic” evening, then place them around the bed as well. I’ve never been a fan of the treasure trail of rose petals, so a little goes a long way. As an added bonus, clean up the petals when you’re done — don’t leave it for her to clean up in the morning. That’s just rude.

Fragrant Oil

You can always buy scented candles, but I have found them to be a little hit and miss. Either the smell is overpowering or too subtle. I like to use heated scented oils because their scent is pretty steady. You can use an oil heater that you can purchase at a store, or a candle heater also purchased at a craft or decorative store. Keep the fragrances simple like rose and other floral scents. Stay away from citrus and fruit smells because you don’t want your house to smell like Mr. Clean was just there.

The Dance

We all want Valentine’s Day to be perfect, so take the time to make it that way. A great dinner is only the start. Beforehand, clear a spot in the living room and, when dinner is over, put on a little “At Last” by Etta James (or whatever your special song may be) for a little slow dance. For those few minutes, the world melts away and it’s just the two of you. What can be more memorable than that?

Cubicle Decor: Make Your Office Space More Homelike

brock — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:34:01 +0000

It’s a sad fact, but the reality is that most people spend more time at work than they do at home. Even those who have children and families have to create a delicate balance between the rigors of work and spending quality time with loved ones.

We are a working nation and many people work in excess of 50 or 60 hours a week. For many, their small cubicle is a home away from home. They work in it, eat lunch in it and have those stimulating work conversations in it.

Cubicles are naturally drab and colorless, but that doesn’t mean you can’t turn yours into something homelike. Of course, always make sure it’s OK for you to add decor to your cubicle first. I can guarantee that productivity will increase if you feel happy walking into your cube, and not like an under appreciated wage slave.

Pictures

Most cubicle walls are made of cloth. Stick some Velcro strips on the back of family photos and hand them around. Flank the company wide memo about TPS reports with framed photos of your children, wife or friends. Just make sure it’s work appropriate. Your boss doesn’t want to see you in Cabo with a margarita or the congratulatory look on your son’s face when he showed you his first poopie.

Add A Personal Touch

What are your favorite collectibles? Do you enjoy Asian art? The White Sox? Feel free to bring some items from home and place in and about your desk and cubicle. Put the signed baseball next to the printer and the banner up on the wall. Bringing a little bit of you into the cube will relax you, but don’t make it too distracting. You don’t want to spend all your time staring at your stuff and not doing your work. Also, avoid bringing in things that make noise, have flashing lights or are motion activated. Yes, that includes the moaning ghost for Halloween.

Plants Bring Life Into A Dead Cube

This was my favorite when I was working in a cube. My corner had a small potted tree that always cheered me up. It was actually there when I arrived, and the custodian took care of it. There was something nice and refreshing about seeing that living plant every day. A few small plants that you can take care of will help keep the green thumb fresh as well. The only caveat is to not turn your cubicle into a jungle with strange flowers and giant trees. It’s supposed to be a calming place, not an arboretum.

What have you done to create a more “homey”, personal workspace?

Don’t Let A Room Become Decoratively Defunct

brock — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:10:41 +0000

My home used to be filled with various decor and decorations that, in my opinion, were dazzling. I was proud to come home to see art on the walls, potted plants and the smell of fresh flowers permeating the air.

When I had kids, that slowly changed. Fresh flowers and potted plants were taken away because of possible poison and choking hazards. The artwork was either broken or taken down because of injury and damage hazards.

The fact is that it’s easy to let decorating rooms fall by the wayside. I have been to many homes where they have an immaculately lavish living room and a bedroom as sparse as the Sahara desert. Don’t let your rooms become decoratively defunct, and instead see them as an opportunity to explore your wild side.

Many people tend to be conservative on their decor for fear of making it look bad or too outlandish. Decoratively defunct rooms are perfect for testing the waters for new and exciting ideas without the worry of prying eyes.

Always wanted to know how a room would look draped in Asian influenced decor? Try it out in that den your husband uses as an occasional office. Do you have country decor, but want to know how things might look with a more modern feel? Why not transform that spare or guest bedroom into your testing grounds.

There is no reason why a room should be draped in the blandness of white walls. If you have children and worry about things being broken, then create your own little decorative sanctuary in a room they can’t get into.

Your home is a place of solace and one of the few places on Earth you can call your own. You should take the time to let your natural expression shine through and take some risks even if it’s behind closed doors. Imagine how you will feel when you find out that the Asian decor you used in your spare room turned out amazing; you can then transfer it into your living room. People will think you took a major risk and it paid off, but only you’ll know the truth. Home is where the decorative heart is, so let it proudly beat and fill up those empty walls.

Cobalt Glass: Classic Yet Modern

brock — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:41:24 +0000

When I started hitting the rummage sales and auctions to find great deals, I would occasionally come across pieces of dark blue glass that looked absolutely beautiful. After a little digging, I discovered the world of cobalt glass.

If anyone remembers their high school chemistry class, then you may have already experienced cobalt glass. It has been used as a filter for flame testing compounds for decades. The deep blue hue will filter out the sodium contamination that burns yellow.

It is created when you add the element cobalt to molten glass. It gives it a dark bluish hue that you can’t get any other way. In terms of decorating, it goes well with both vintage and modern decor, depending on the piece.

Cobalt glass has been used for bottles, plates and other decorations for years, as well as in modern times. You won’t have any problem finding vintage pieces, as they are commonly seen at auctions and flea markets. There was a time when cobalt glass was a common decoration, but as they years went by it lost favor.

Modern pieces come in the form of vases mostly, but you can find an assortment of classic cobalt glass decor that is older. What makes cobalt glass so special? The sheer sharpness of the color. In more modern decor, the look is sharp and drastic and the deep blue fits in well and since the other colors are similarly stark or vibrant, it melds into the scheme seamlessly. You can have more cobalt glass in a modern decor scheme because it does fit in so well, this is not the case in country decor.

In more classical or country decor, cobalt glass is the focal point of a table or shelf. You have to be careful and be sparing with cobalt glass or it can completely overwhelm the room. As a centerpiece, it draws the eye and then you notice the other pieces around it.

Whether your decor preference is country or modern, cobalt glass is beautiful and worth trying out in home decor. And besides adding color and style to any room, one of the perks of cobalt glass is that it can be found inexpensively at places like second hand stores and auctions.

Decorating A Christmas Tree For Different Holidays

brock — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:53:35 +0000

When the Christmas holiday is over, one of the saddest parts is taking down the tree and all its decorations. The lights and how they danced on the ornaments are some of the most beautiful sights of the season. It’s no wonder people have a pang of regret after putting all the decorations back in the attic.

There is a growing movement of people who are bucking tradition and keeping the tree up all year round. No, this isn’t a Festivus for the rest of us, but a real trend in having a seasonal tree for all the holidays.

A century ago, this would have never worked because the pine trees traditionally used for Christmas dry out and wouldn’t last more than a few months. With the addition of artificial trees that actually look like the real deal, the idea quickly began to take off. Why should Christmas be the only holiday with a tree?

With this new trend, the Christmas tree stays up until a little after New Year’s, and when it’s time for Valentine’s Day the decorations are changed. Off go the Christmas ornaments, which are replaced with red and pink hearts and cute little Cherubs. Manufacturers even make special ornaments for these trees and lights that match the colors of the holiday.

The next holiday is Easter and people take the hollowed out colored eggs and place them on the tree along with little rabbits and some pastel garland. People can technically decorate for any holiday from The Fourth of July to Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday, but a tree decorated with a stove pipe hats and beards would look awfully strange.

The real difficulty with these trees isn’t the lights or the ornaments, but the tree topper. There are dozens of different tree toppers for Christmas, but your limited on the other holidays. Your best bet is to get some wire and a pair of pliers and try to make your own, possibly with paper mache. The other option is to simply go without.

The reality is that the topper isn’t what makes a tree magical anyway. When you turn out the lights and the only illumination is the tree, the world is bathed in a special light. I don’t think it matters what holiday it is. It doesn’t matter if it’s the pink hue of Valentine’s Day or the vibrant pastels of Easter. A seasonal tree helps make each holiday mean a little bit more.

Holiday Lights Tips for Your Tree and Outdoors

brock — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:13:10 +0000

When it comes to Christmas decorations, there are numerous decisions to make. From types of wreaths and trees, to the shape, color and even texture of ornaments, there is a lot to consider. However, one aspect that people take for granted are Christmas lights.

Christmas lights are one of those just-grab-it-and-go kind of decisions because you need to put a border around your house, or fill up a whole in the back of the tree. In reality, the type of lights you use are essential to creating a good design style for both inside and outside your home.

There are basically four types of Christmas lights: solid white with no color, solid color, multicolored and twinkling. I, for one, hate all twinkling lights unless you have them connected to some type of music. I can’t think of a reason why you should ever have twinkling lights, unless it’s part of a large-scale design — which I will save for a later post.

The Tree

The tree is the centerpiece of your indoor holiday decor and I have always been partial to solid white bulbs. The ornaments are the focal point for me, and I want something to illuminate them rather than overshadow or clash with them.

The only exceptions would be if your bulbs are all of one color and you wanted a specific color of light to accent your tree and ornaments. Otherwise, let the soft white light of the bulbs shine off the reflective surfaces to create a dazzling scene.

Outside

Decorating outside is a little more complicated. I try to stay away from the solid white lights for the outside because I like the lights to serve as the focal point, rather than just to illuminate my home. The only exception would be if you have a sculpture, or other large holiday decoration, that you want as the focal point. In this case, the standard white lights are ideal. Also, consider the background behind the lights (i.e. color of your home, fence, etc…). You want to create a cohesive look, rather than let colors clash here.

Other that that, it’s all about taste. If you are creating a design using multiple strands of different colors, just make sure they all go well together, and be careful when using several different colors, as it can make the design look too busy.

On To The Next: When To Put Up Christmas Decorations

brock — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:47:58 +0000

After you’ve made it through the endless driving and gorging on turkey for Thanksgiving, it’ll be time to focus on the next major holiday: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Festivus, etc… It’s pretty much a given that you take down the Thanksgiving decorations soon after the holiday, but exactly when do you put up the next holiday?

This is actually a complex question. I know people who have their Christmas tree up by Thanksgiving night. I actually have no problem with this. Sure, it’s a little early, but for many families it has become a tradition and it’s one of the few times you have all the family together in one place.

Christmas trees aside, I like to wait at least until the beginning of December to put up the Christmas decorations inside the home. It still feels like fall in November and often there isn’t even any snow on the ground to give it a good ambiance. I mean, who doesn’t like looking out the window at the newly fallen snow lit only by the soft glow of Christmas lights?

Once December hits, the inside is fair game for decorations, so go wild. Bring out the Christmas villages, fake snow and that Hummel figurine you won from the office pool.

Then there are the outdoor decorations. This gets a little more tricky. You don’t want to wait too long and end up putting everything up in a blizzard or trudging through two feet of snow, but you also don’t want to be “those neighbors” who get everything out way too early.

My thoughts on outdoor decorations is that it’s OK to wait a while because you can keep them up for a couple of weeks past Christmas. I like to wait until mid-December to put out the outside decorations, but this is dependent on the weather. If it looks like an early winter, then I have no problem putting them out a little early. Safety is the biggest concern and no one wants to slip and slide on a snowy roof.

A final note on the whole inflatable decorations phenom. Please, just don’t go overboard. It’s fine to have one or two on your yard, but don’t make it look like Wal-Mart exploded on your lawn.

Children’s Art: A Design Dilemma

brock — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:26:09 +0000

The summer is winding down and children are either eagerly awaiting or anxiously dreading the beginning of school.

I have one child going into kindergarten and another entering preschool, so the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of school physicals and purchasing a mountain of school supplies. A staple of early school is the bringing home of a plethora of art projects. Your children’s treasures can range from the hand turkey for Thanksgiving to daily drawing and coloring projects.

Your child comes home brimming with pride at his accomplishment and, let’s face it, so do we. Soon our refrigerator is covered, and the projects start moving their ways onto walls and cabinets. The problem is while we are proud of our children’s projects, they don’t exactly mesh well with the design scheme.

A purple-headed elephant riding in a spaceship may be an awesome picture, but it doesn’t quite go with your country living room. So what are we parents to do? How can we give our children the support they deserve and keep our home looking stylish?

First, you need to designate a specific area for the artwork and make sure your children understand this. It could be the refrigerator, a section of wall or a door. It’s important that the area be easily viewed, so it doesn’t look like you’re hiding the artwork.

When the space begins to fill up, then you need to start taking things down. You can’t let things start over flowing into other areas. Also, taking things down doesn’t mean throwing them away. These are keepsakes and treasures you can parade out for future girlfriends, boyfriends and grandchildren.

Instead, create a scrapbook for each child and put the art in it for easy perusal. If you or the child wants to see it, just pull it out of the closet. It’s important to put the grade, age and name on the back for reference in the future.

Some items will be too large for a scrap book, such as posters, science projects, etc. Those can be stored in a box in the attic or in the child’s room if he is particularly attached to it.

In the end, the child gets his artwork featured and saved for future posterity, and you get to keep a design theme that doesn’t include polka dot suns and chickens with green feathers. It’s a win-win situation.

Add Some Flair With Colored Rocks to Your Home Decor

brock — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:45:03 +0000

Do you remember the Beta vase fad? The basic concept was to take a clear glass vase, with a few layers of colored glass rocks on the bottom. At the top, a small clear insert held a live plant, and in an open space between swam a Beta fish.

While I admittedly had one, as most everyone else did at the time, it didn’t last long. Fads seldom do. What it did start was my affection for the colored glass rocks. I went to the store and picked up several different colors and styles from blood red to rainbow striped.

When the third or fourth fish had…well…passed into the great beyond, I decided to get rid of the Beta vase and was stuck with a ton of colored glass rocks. For a long time, they just sat in a drawer, but slowly I began to pull some out every now and then to add color to my decorative crafts.

One day, I was trying to add a little flair to a centerpiece for my kitchen table. I had a clear decorative bowl filled with a few types of plastic fruit, but it just didn’t look right. The fruit added some muted colors, but I wanted something more dramatic with a little punch to it.

I tried adding plastic flowers, but they didn’t sit well with the fruit and were easily squished by heavier pieces. In a flash of inspiration, I grabbed some of the blood red colored glass rocks and dropped them in the dish along with the fruit. Much to my surprise, it looked great.

Colored rocks fit between the opening of flowers, fruits and other decorations to create a natural filler. They also don’t get squished or move from contact with other decorative elements. They are great for adding some dramatic color to any clear container with or without the fish.

But, don’t go overboard with your new decorative tool. The rocks can easily take over a centerpiece or decoration if too many are used. You won’t have a fruit centerpiece with a splash of color, but a colored glass centerpiece with some fruit mixed in.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with colors and shapes. Who knows what kind of decorative masterpiece you can create with these inexpensive baubles?

Interior Decor: The Effects of High Temperatures

brock — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:00:19 +0000

No, this isn’t an article about heatstroke while putting up a new curtain or becoming dehydrated from rearranging the furniture. This is about what happens when your decorating scheme goes to the dogs when summer comes and air conditioning isn’t option.

Most people have some type of central air or, at the very least a window unit, but there are many people who don’t have either, or the AC unit has broken down. There is nothing worse than having the central air unit stop working in the summer. Being stuck at home with high temperatures makes for an uncomfortable situation and, believe it or not, it can also have some serious effects on your decor.

Water Marks

Unless you want some damaged furniture on your hands keep those coasters handy, folks. The use of tablecloths and other coverings on tables and other finished wood surfaces can create a water mark disaster if coasters aren’t used. The condensation from glasses, cans and bottles can turn your table cloth into a sponge.

Cold drinks can cause water marks and, in some cases, staining. If the drink is set on a finished wood surface then it can damage the furniture, creating water marks that will not go away. Coasters can prevent the worst of it, but even they can’t save tablecloths because the condensation from drinks create so much moisture that some coasters can’t handle it all.

Live Flowers

Flowers love the sun, but they are not too fond of high heat. Fresh flowers that are subject to 90-degree temperatures will start to droop and sag; this can completely ruin the look of a room. Also, heat accelerates decomposition causing fresh flowers to decay faster. This goes for the water, as well.

Wilting flowers lead to bugs, especially if the windows are left open to allow the air to circulate throughout the house. In this case, the best thing to do is to avoid fresh flowers altogether in the summer heat. But if you can’t bare to part with fresh flowers, then make sure to dispose of them as soon as they begin to wilt.

Air conditioning seems like a modern day standard, but there are still many homeowners who live without it. Despite this, one can still maintain beautiful interior decor, but with just a few extra precautions.