A Cozy Family Room Décor

Photo: Arena Cove

Whether you are decorating a family room for a new house or redecorating the one you have; there are some certain things to consider. A Family Room is most often a mixed-use type room. Normally it’s a place for the family to unwind at the end of the day, it’s sometimes used for family game nights and occasionally used to entertain guests while watching “The Big Game” on TV. At least once a year this space is used to accommodate an overflow of family guests during the holidays. The reason this type of room is considered “mixed-use” is because it’s casual, comfortable, has the most seating, and the best TV to watch. When decorating this type of room, keep function and comfort as your top two priorities.
Wall color should be an inviting color in a warm tone, such as tan, gold, rust, or an earth tone green. The color of the walls has a way of setting the tone immediately. It provides a warm setting and compliments other warm furnishings in the room.

Occasional and accent furniture (coffee tables etc.) look best in this type of setting when they are made of wood and finished with a darker stain with light distressing. The sheen of the stain used should be more honed and less polished. This will ensure added warmth to the space as well as hide knicks and scratches.
Lighting in a family room is very important. Select lighting that puts out a warm glow. Overhead lighting should be able to dim. This is important because in one instance you may need more light while playing games, on the other hand having lighting with dimming capabilities is nice to have when watching a movie.

Accessories should include collections of books, family photos in frames on tables as well as on the walls. Take advantage of a family room by highlighting memories made by family members.
Keep in mind that all furnishings in a family room should be comfortable, durable, and functional. It is also nice to have plenty of storage for winter blankets, games, etc.!

Choosing Art for the Bedroom

Bare, blank walls can make a room feel unfinished. Choosing what to hang where in the home can also be intimidating for some. Staring at a blank wall when decorating is kind of like a writer staring at a blank page when writing.  The blank stare can stifle us from making a decision. If you have blank walls in your bedroom, or anywhere in your home, we hope this article can help you take the first step to decorating your walls.

Bedrooms should be sanctuaries and calm places for us to restore our spirits as well as rest our bodies.  Comfortable textiles on the bed, soft flooring like carpet or area rugs on the floor, curtains that can block light all create the environment for good sleep.  You can add to the soothing and restorative qualities of your bedroom by what you hang on the walls.

Every wall in the room does not have to be filled with art. Empty spaces give the eye a place to rest. Art for the bedroom can be framed in frames that coordinate with the furniture, wall or floors. Metal frames can also add a little sparkle to the room. You can frame practically anything and it will look great on the wall. Framed art can include family photos, your wedding portrait or vacation photos. Fabric and paper can also be framed. Choose art that speaks to you. If you love it, you will love to see it as you fall asleep and wake up every day.

Encapsulating Autumn with Decor

Seasonal decorating is a tradition many families will integrate into their homes.  When winter comes, the Christmas tree and lights go up, and when spring comes, flowers are planted around your house.  Autumn is a great season filled with holidays, festivities, and seasonal amenities which are fantastic to include in your home design.   

It’s also a great time to spice up your space with new floors and countertops. In fact, flooring and countertops can set the stage for your design. From hand-scraped to wire-brushed trends to marble looks, the design possibilities are endless in 2020. Plus, with innovations in the industry, you do not have to settle for only one type of flooring in your home.

We put together a list of five Autumn décor ideas you will want to include in your home to express your festive-side:

Plaid

Fall has a sense of being cozy when you are indoors and a sense of adventure when out and about.  Adding plaid blankets or a new area rug to your floors will give your house a nice warm and cozy feel.  You can try adding plaid designs outside through welcome mats, outdoor pillows, and blankets. 

Fall Plantation

Including fall harvest inside your home is another excellent way to make a statement.  Outside your home, you can add straw, autumn flowers, or corn stalks. Inside your home you can take these same elements and create an arrangement for your countertop to set the mood for fall.  Add pumpkins as a centerpiece on your table or you can even have a basket filled with fall foods like corn, squash, and baby pumpkins.  Including faux wheat is another excellent decor piece to add to vases or pitchers around your home.  Go a step further and add fall scents. You can incorporate things like cinnamon soaps or cider scented candles to help capture the fall feel.

However, if you notice that your countertops are not as pristine as they once were, you can have your countertops replaced. Currently homeowners love the natural, one-of-a-kind beauty of marble and quartz countertops. Marble countertops feature an authentic, beautiful veining that is unmatched by any other countertop. However, if you are looking for a more durable & low maintenance countertop, quartz is a great option, you can opt for beautiful quartz countertops. Quartz is composed of natural crystals, which makes it an insanely gorgeous countertop option. Plus, quartz countertops are perfect for homeowners who love to cook because they are scratch-, stain-, and heat-resistant.

Wood

Adding pictures with wood or incorporating wood into your home design can add to the overall warmth of a room.  You can start using your fireplace more and decorate your mantle with festive fall décor.  Put fallen leaves into picture frames and display the beautiful countryside colors of fall for an added touch.

Think Rustic

Rustic colors will make a substantial impact on your home’s decor and what you are trying to convey.  Adding rustic display items and antiques will help fully encapsulate the fall spirit.  Woven baskets are great to use in your home and can hold your plaid blankets.  Adding warm reds to your home through curtains, throw rugs, area rugs and floral arrangements can give a rural influenced aesthetic in the fall season. Try adding rustic display items as a centerpiece to your kitchen island!

Pillows and Pictures

A simple, cost-effective task you can add is swapping out your current pictures and pillows.  This is an easy tradition you can do for every season.  Plaids and stripes with autumn hues can help bring your room full circle, but you do not have to commit to the look year-round fully.

Autumn can have so many fun decorations to add to your home.  Try including some of these tricks and tips this fall season to your home.

Coordinating Colors

Good design has a synergy between colors in the room. The wall, floor, furnishings and accents all work in harmony to create a beautiful color palette for the room. For professional designers and decorators, designing the color palette is a key part of the overall finished room’s successful design.

Learning to coordinate colors between different design elements can help you create a room that has a professional polished look.  Coordinating colors doesn’t mean using the same color on every surface and object.

Picking up a color from one piece and bringing onto another surface can unite the two pieces.  The paint chips pick up a highlight color in the fabrics.  The same process can be used for the flooring and wallpaper in the room.

Using a single focal point unifies the overall design in the room. Upholstery or other fabrics can be a starting point. Paint color is next. Once the paint color is chosen the paint chip can be used to select carpet or an area rug.

Wallpaper, pillows, or other fabrics are great places to begin when coordinating colors for a room. Once you have the main colors coordinated you can introduce contrasting colors that appear on the opposite side of the color wheel from the main colors in the room. Use these in objects and small pops around the room.

Where to Start When Creating a Gallery Wall

Question: Where do you start when trying to create a gallery wall? The idea is great, but knowing how or where to start is difficult.

Answer:

Creating a gallery wall does not have to be difficult. Here are some tips to use when creating one in order to make your experience painless!

First, gather together the pieces you are planning to use in your gallery.  Lay them out on the floor and start by selecting the piece that is the largest, the brightest or the most eye catching. This will be the focal point of the wall. By starting with the desired focal piece, the rest of the picture placement on your galley wall will be much simpler.

There is no right or wrong when deciding on the placement of various pieces that hang in a gallery grouping. It can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Go with your intuition and try to balance the overall grouping throughout the placement.

The idea with your galley wall is to create a display of complementary pieces.  Each individual piece adds its own beauty, but the piece as a whole can also hold itself together.

Variety of subject matter will help the gallery grouping be more successful. Having variety will add interest and keep the eye moving around the grouping. It is fine to use color or black and white as a theme throughout the pictures. One idea is to to use a black and white center piece, surrounded by colorful pieces.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that it should feel balanced. Layout the grouping on the floor or a table surface and play around with different layouts. Decide the best layout and then install the grouping. It helps to create a sketch, so that you can remember where things go.

Hang the focal piece first, followed by the pictures closest to it as arranged beforehand.  Don’t worry if your arrangement changes as you hang each piece.  Your final arrangement on the wall will be the best layout of all!

Arranging Seating Areas in the Living Room

Timber Cove Model

No matter what size living room you have, if you like to entertain frequently you need to give some consideration to your seating. From conversation areas to quiet reading nooks, proper seating arrangements can help make an entire room flow together beautifully.

Types of Seating Arrangements

There are several different ways you can arrange the seating in the living room of your home. The idea is to create as many different groups as you can within the space, while still leaving plenty of room to navigate the area easily.

Group seating areas are meant for three or more people to gather together. This could be a couch opposite a chair, two loveseats or couches opposite one another, or a loveseat, couch, and chair all arranged around a coffee table. Group seating areas are generally in the center of the room. If you have enough space, you can even set two group seating areas back to back in the middle of a large room.

Intimate seating areas are for two people to talk quietly together. This is usually two arm chairs and an end table. They can be placed near a window or in front of a fireplace or other area that invites conversation.

Quiet seating areas are for a single person to use at a time. This usually consists of a single arm chair, usually with a small table and/or lamp nearby. These seating areas may be tucked into corners or next to bookcases or other large or built in furnishings.

Seating Area Tips

Make your seating areas better and more suited to the room they are in with these tips.

  • Use temporary seating in small spaces such as pillows and ottomans. You can stack them on the sides of the room when not in use.
  • Walk through the room to all the various seating areas and make sure they are easily accessible, and that they are not blocking the path to other parts of the room.
  • Try to make sure that each seating area has a table nearby, as well as plenty of light.
  • Make sure that the main seating area in the room is grouped around a focal point to ensure its use.

Decorating with Mirrors

Pelican Bay Model

When it comes to decorating with mirrors there are never any rules. Yes, mirrors are a great way to quickly add visual interest to a space. Using mirrors as a decorative element has multiple benefits. They can instantly add depth and bring in natural light. In addition, mirrors can create a special effect when they reflect colors and paintings on adjacent walls.

Here’s how you use mirrors to add style and increased light to your home.

Place a floor length mirror between two windows

Implementing a floor-length mirror between two windows creates the illusion of a third window. This helps bring in more light to the space. Casually propping a large framed mirror against the wall creates a relaxed feel.

Use Mirrors to Enhance The Room Elements

You can use mirrors as an accent to the focal point in a room. For instance, by hanging a mirror over a stacked fireplace mantel that extends to the ceiling you can create a dramatic look. This is a great way to create emphasis in a neutral living room.

Hanging Mirrors On Adjacent Walls

Are you ready to make a powerful statement with your home’s decor? Try lining two large equally sized mirrors on adjacent walls. This enables light to bounce all around the room. This look will especially complement the dining room area because it expands the area and gives the illusion of a bigger crowd around the dining room table.

Mirrored Backsplash

Update your kitchen by installing a mirrored backsplash around your counter area. A mirrored backsplash will open up a small kitchen and add glitz without being over the top.

Forget the Medicine Cabinet

Forgo the traditional medicine cabinet hanging over the bathroom sink. Instead, you can use a mirror of any shape to make a statement. A circular shaped mirror can break up all the sharp straight lines and adds character.When using mirrors as an accent piece in the home try to select mirrors with interesting shapes and unique frames.

Feng Shui Home Design Principals – Color

When using Feng Shui principles to design the interior of your home you’ll also to give thought to what type of colors you’re going to paint each room. Yes, using colors based on how they mesh with your energy is crucial to creating a home that promotes well being and balanced energy. Just think. If you were to use all fiery colors within one space it would no doubt be draining and overwhelming.

The key to effectively using colors that harmonize with Feng Shui principles is to balance out the color scheme. Too much of a dominant color will have your energy in disarray. Here is a guide to finding the right Feng Shui colors for your home.

Yellow: In Feng Shui yellow is associated with sunlight and energy from Mother Earth. It infuses energy, hope and it increases mental clarity. The great thing about using yellow as part of your color scheme is that it creates a sense of stability. Try using yellow in area of the home such as the office area, living room or your bedroom.

Red: Red is a fiery color which is why it is associated with fire. This color has the power to increase the heart rate and blood pressure. Red also helps alleviate depressions and stimulates activity. You can use this color in areas of the home such as the living room and bedroom.

White: White is a pure color that’s often associated with serenity. White and metallic colors are also associated with metal which is one of the five elements of Feng Shui. White can be used in any area of the home.

Green: In Feng Shui, green under the wood element. It is a color that promotes growth, action and inspires internal change. Use this color in rooms where the whole family gathers to promote positive energy.

Black and Blue : Black and blue represents the element; water. Black can increase mental activity and inspire creativity. On the other hand, blue is good for the body because it decreases accelerated heart and breathing rates while lowering the blood pressure. These colors are ideal for private areas in the home where you retreat to for privacy and solace.

We could all use some balance and well being in our lives today so we hope you find this tips helpful and useful!

Ideas to Dress up Your Hallways

In a lot of homes, hallways are just a connection to other rooms, and homeowners often overlook their decorative potential. With hallways often being narrow and short, homeowners may throw up a picture or two and call it a day, but we believe hallways can be so much more.

7 Ideas to Dress Up Your Hallways

1. Blended

When working with the design in your hallway, you want to be sure that it continues the current design onto the next room. Your hall can be a subtle preview of what guests should expect when they enter your home’s next room. The design flow should never stop in the hallway because that tends to make the transition feel awkward. Instead, you want to make sure that each room blends well into the hall and leaves seamless transitions. 

2. The Main Event

Just like in any other room, you will want to create a “focal point” that becomes the center of attention in the hallway. This item can be anywhere from a gorgeous light fixture to an extravagant mirror. It will depend on what you want to do with the space and what decor pieces you plan on incorporating. 

3. A Perfect Runway

As flooring experts, we understand that no room is complete without the perfect touch of flooring. For hallways, we recommend purchasing a “runner” for the floor. This simple addition can instantly make your hardwood floors feel more cozy and chic.

4. Chic Shelving

In hallways, you want to keep the decor light and simple. Since there is not a lot of space to work with, a simple, chic shelving piece can do just the trick.

5. The Gallery.

Gallery walls are a trendy, inexpensive way to decorate any room, but they work exceptionally well in hallways. When creating your hallway’s gallery wall, you want to be sure that you keep it simple. Depending on the size of your wall, you will most likely want to use fewer items than you would typically in another area of your home. Try and keep it simple and light to create a refreshing look.

6. Look Up

If you are looking for a creative way to make your hallway unique, you could try painting your ceiling a fun color. Once you have decided on a color, you can incorporate it into your hallway’s design. This will help tie together everything. 

7. Captivating Wallpaper

Graphic wallpaper is a current trend everyone loves. It is especially perfect for hallways because it will help bring them to life. We recommend trying to use vertical graphic patterns in your hallways. This will help make the room look more substantial than it actually is.  

Tips for Adding Color to a Gray Color Scheme

Do you feel stuck with your all-gray color scheme? Well, it is time to unlock the magic hidden in this cool-toned hue. Grey is so much more than just a combination of black and white. In fact, this color scheme is versatile, and there are numerous possibilities for designing it to compliment your home’s interior. In fact, although grey is considered a neutral color, it is much more interesting than white or black. The best way to make a gray room pop is to implement color into the design. In fact, you will find that gray serves as the perfect backdrop for a bold accent color. It also has the power to enhance more subtle hues as well as frame colors. The color palettes are virtually limitless. Look at some of the ways you can use add color to a gray room.

Soft Furnishings

If you find that your taste is subject to change from time to time, gray is the perfect backdrop for ever-changing designs. Use bright colors such as orange, blue, and yellow as accent colors in your soft furnishings. Whether you are designing a living room or bedroom, you can select soft furnishings like pillows, curtains, and comforter sets that feature unique patterns and bright hues.

Metallics

You do not have to just stick to traditional color palettes. In a dull room, find the perfect area to install a copper panel, or you can opt for metallic fixtures. Add an extra dimension to the room with accessories such as pendant lights and place settings. When paired against gray, metal is able to take center stage.

Electic Patterns

When adding some spice to the gray room, combine colors with eclectic patterns to further add emphasis to the room’s design. You can even mix different patterns within the space while the gray walls further highlight the decor. Area rugs, couch slipcovers, and other types of textiles add variety.

Using Texture

Be sure to add some colorful texture to your cool gray rooms. For instance, you can combine natural stone, distressed wood, and plush accessories against your gray walls to add dimensions.

What ways would you add a pop of flair to an all-gray room? Let us know below in the comment section.