As We Gather Around the Table

It’s fun to gather the family around the dining room table for a special meal as we celebrate holidays, milestones, and distinctive events.  As you set the table for Easter, add those extra touches that help set apart the day as anything but ordinary. 

There may be no such thing as overlaying when it comes to setting a “wow” table.  You can toss the rulebook that said placemats were for bare tables and chargers were for tablecloths.  If you have ‘em, why not stack ‘em?  Lay down an ironed tablecloth.  Position placemats at each place setting.  Top those with chargers, followed by dinner plates.  If you can serve your meal around the table or off of a buffet in the room, you can skip the informality of an in-home buffet line through the kitchen today.  If you save up the cloth napkins for “special occasions,” then today’s their day.  Anything from a simple, rectangular fold to a dressy flair inside a napkin ring will do for napkins you place on top of each dinner plate.  Or, you can fold them to create a long bar and tuck them around your chargers, creating another layer like a table runner between each charger and dinner plate.    

If your guest list has grown beyond your everyday table diners, spruce up each place setting with place cards.  Simple, folded cardstock works, but you can get creative with cursive names written on real or plastic eggs or little marked bags of candy for a pre-dessert.  Lay out all the silverware your meal calls for, including salad forks to the left and a dessert spoon or fork at the top of each place setting.  If you have tiny tasting dishes, you can even serve salt and pepper at each place, offer individual dipping oil for bread, or later serve small dessert portions so guests can splurge and try a variety without the heavy portion.  Beside each tea glass, make like a restaurant and provide a water glass, complete with a tall glass bottle on the table or buffet primed with chilled water at the ready. 

Make some extra effort to make today dressier than the everyday.  Because today is a special day.  Today, we celebrate how much God loves us and how He sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place and rise victorious over death so we could have the opportunity to accept the gift of salvation and spend eternity never parted from Him.  And there is nothing to be more grateful for than that as we gather around a beautiful table and bow our heads in thanks this Easter Sunday.

 

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 31st.
 

Congratulations to those selected for the 2013 Royal Algodon Court, which is announced today!   www.AlgodonClub.com


Happy Easter!

How to Mix Patterns and Prints

Some rules were meant to be broken, as they say.  But some are not.  When it comes to mixing fabrics with different patterns, prints, and textures, it’s a pretty safe bet to stick with the rules for the most attractive layered results.

 If you want to try your design hand at layering prints and patterns to spruce up your rooms, first start with color.  Choosing a color family as a jumping off point gives you a foundation to build on.  You want to select shades within a color family that blend well together, but without a matchy-matchy hang-up.  As a secondary step, you want to choose a contrasting color to throw in the mix.  A non-monochromatic look will give you the most bang for your buck for the most varied, layered look. 

 The next element to consider is scale.  You want to mix your scales to avoid visual confusion.  The best blend incorporates a large print with both medium prints and small prints.  Stick with one main large print and build around it.  You can select multiple mediums and smalls to add in.  When you have some selections in front of you, whether fabrics on the bolt or items in a store, stand back and look at them as a grouping.  If you like each piece individually and as a part of the group, you’re probably on to something that could work for your space. 

Variety can be the spice of your look.  Don’t be afraid to experiment with layered solids, stripes, florals, and geometric prints, along with mixing in different textured fabrics and finishes.  Just stick to the points of main and contrasting color selections, varied scale, and a cohesive blending of pieces you love.  Incorporate this concept into a collection of the same item, like several throw pillows on the couches or on beds, or in layered decorative elements like drapery panels, lamp shades, upholstery fabrics, and rugs in the same room. 

You can lay it on thick and love the finished product when you decide to experiment a little with varied patterns and prints.  Why not have more than one for a look that is simply much more fun?       

 

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 24th.

 

 

      

Home Accessory Shopping List: Check

When you’re out and about, certain items can catch your eye, making you stop in a store aisle and wonder if they should just hop right into your cart.  If you want to add some current accessories to your space to update or add some seasonal color, keep an eye out for stylish items on this shopping list:

Wall Hooks – They come in a variety of styles, colors, and sizes, and they double as form and function hanging in an entryway, mud room, or hallway for bags, jackets, and umbrellas. 

Wall Clocks – They’re not just for an office setting.  Pick a bright and colorful one or a large, formal piece and throw it into the mix of what you display in frames and on canvas. 

Pitchers, Stoneware, and Vases – Both glass and ceramics continue to be great additions to little collections on display in clusters in a variety of spots, especially when they add pops of color to a room.

Lamps and New Shades – Gourd and pendant lamps are pretty popular now, as are drum shades.  Flank two lamps on a sofa table or buffet, or replace a dated tapered shade with its modern cylindrical cousin. 

Starburst Mirrors – Fanning out from the standard round or rectangular styles, starburst mirrors become reflective pieces of art all on their own when hung in any room.

Accent Tables – These contemporary side tables are scaled down from the typical four-legged versions and include sculpted metal and ceramic drum and stool versions.  Many are not really big enough for a regular lamp; just set them beside a side chair and offer a coaster or short stack of books topped with a small arrangement.    

 If you’re in the market for some larger pieces:

Leather Ottomans – In larger sizes, they take the place of a standard coffee table while still offering a foot rest and a kid-friendly soft edge design.

Mirrored Foyer Tables or Nightstands – Add some glamour to your entry or bedside with these neutral pieces that blend with many décor schemes while reflecting light and style into the space.

X-Bench – Two of these make the perfect resting spot at the foot of the bed or in place of a regular bench in your living room seating. 

Parsons Table – With sleek lines and an unfussy look, a parsons table is a classic choice for a new dining room table or even a slim table for a home office space or as a foyer table. 

 It’s always good to have a list to go by when you intend to shop.  Keep your eyes peeled for good deals and hot buys that can both update and dress up your rooms.  New style – check it off.  

 

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 17th.

 

 

Decorating Trends for Spring 2013

With Easter just three weeks away, now can be the time to start ushering in your spring décor as the weather warms and the kids are primed for Spring Break.  Let’s take a look at what spring décor themes will be trending this season.

Bird nests are big right now.  In different forms throughout the decades, nests have been pretty classic.  But modern spins have nests displayed in clusters empty, attached to a greenery backdrop like moss ribbon, and with pale shades of eggs in tow in faint blue and champagne shades.  They can be built into table centerpieces, rested on top of a stack of books on the coffee or end table, or added into a topiary, whether flanking a front entryway or sitting on top of a foyer table. 

Pale shades in general are hot this spring.  Taking a detour away from the more traditional pastel colors of pink, green, blue, and purple, spring is taking on more of an upscale neutral feel with the incorporation of gray, white, champagne, muted blues, light coral, and faded sage greens.  Incorporate these in table linens, guest hand towels, couch throw pillows, and decorative knick knacks. 

Decorative accents like painted metal lanterns, birdcages, and glass and ceramic dishes will be featured displays as well.  Back-to-nature naturals like tins of grass, boxwood topiaries in both pot and pom forms, and clusters of blooms like hydrangeas will make soft, attractive additions to counters, tables, and shelving.  For fun twists on spring staples, use children’s rubber boots as outdoor planters for a favorite potted bloom, fill a bright ceramic pot with clean garden hand tools for a patio table centerpiece, or stash early Easter candy in a pretty vase usually reserved for a bouquet. 

Find ways you can put some spring in your home’s step for a fresh, bright start to the new season.  Whether traditional or modern is your style, there are countless options out there for incorporating some seasonal flavor in your home, sweet spring home.   

 

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 10th.

 

 

        

Filling Your Decorating Tool Kit

As the calendar turns a page toward spring, we naturally turn toward thoughts of spring cleaning, revamping, and seasonal makeovers.  You may not want to be focusing on the deep cleaning projects around your home just yet, but we could ease into it with a restocking of your decorating tool kit. 

Power tools may be the go-to for the typical tool box, but savvy home stylists need some other tricks up their gloves.  Think versatile and handy.  Painter’s tape covers doorframes and edges you want to keep paint free.  But it also marks off areas of a wall to act as a gallery border, allowing you to hang up frames, canvases, and other artwork with the outside edge clearly labeled.  Once each piece is hung, simply peel off the tape and admire your clean lines.  If you’re moving around furniture for a new look, painter’s tape can also mark off the corners of to-scale furniture pieces on the floor after you have done the measuring to give you a visual about what will and won’t fit where, all before sliding heavy items.        

Clip rings are a great little tool to have on hand.  They make hanging, moving, and changing out drapery panels quick and easy.  Without having to ensure fabric panels are custom fit to each drapery rod, you can change out what borders your windows with flat (ironed) sheets in a style you like, fabric-by-the-yard you have hemmed, or any packaged drapery panels.  No loops or pockets – just clips that chomp down on the fabric’s edge and a ring that slides onto drapery rods – can help you take fabric wherever you want it displayed.  That can include making fabric room dividers or creating your own extra closet space behind a fabric cover. 

Cleaning wipes can be a tool you want to add to your repertoire if you haven’t already.  They make cleaning up countertops, fixtures, and other surfaces quick and simple for not just cleaning but picking up around the house.  Storage baskets in various milk crate sizes go beyond a storage solution to decorative accents when used to hold remotes, magazines, toys, towels, and more.  Brass picture hangers that use two small pin-like nails for each piece of hardware give you a leg up on getting wall art level the first time, helping to reduce those second hole attempts.  Keep a candle lighter on hand in the drawer by your kitchen scissors to light a candle or two for quick home fragrance and a little dinner ambiance. 

Though not part of what we ordinarily consider “tools,” you can use these and develop your own list of go-to materials to help out around your home to get things neat, straight, and decorated to your liking.  Keeping the right supplies on hand can be the key you need to make such a big job a little simpler. 

 

DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 3rd.