Creative Decorating for a Tuesday

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Use two (or three) tablerunners horizontally across a table. Gives you a different look and they can double as placemats.

marthastewart.com

So let's just say that it's Tuesday (because it is :-) ) and you're looking around your house wondering what little thing you could do today to shake up your decorating a bit. Just a little. Not much. Just something fun or different that you may not have tried before. The list of things you could do is actually unending, but here are some ideas...

If you've never layered art on your fireplace mantel, why not try it for a different look?...

myhomeideas.com

If your artwork is too small, make it bigger by attaching a thin piece of painted wood to the back like Just A Girl did for her spring mantel...

Paint a chalkboard on a door...

Country Living Photo Keith Scott Morton

We've talked about painting the backs of bookshelves and papering the backs of bookshelves, but why not make it a little more interesting by doing a little of both and mixing up the patterns?...

idealhomemagazine.co.uk

Arrange your books by color...

Style At Home

Paint a funky mirror a fabulous color...

marthastewart.com

Add some lace to your favorite pillow...

Style At Home

Mix up your bar stools with different finishes or paint colors...

Style At Home

Update your family photos and make them a focal wall in one of your rooms or hallways...

myhomeideas.com

Think outside the box on a new way to accessorize your dining room walls. This dining room wall would be a great one to use for inspiration!...

Photo by Michael Partenio via House Of Turquoise

Paint your front door a bold or just different color...

houseandhome.com

There was a question in the comments on my decorating with mirrors post on whether I knew how to make a new mirror look old. I actually didn't, but found some sources that do....

e-how article How Do I Faux Antique a Mirror?
marthastewart.com How to Antique a Mirror
HGTV.com How To Distress a Mirror

Have an awesome day!

Door Decor

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

April showers bring May flowers...

If you're tired of using wreaths on your door and looking for something a little more unique, why not use this idea from Midwest Living?

Green Decorating Inspiration

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Country Living Photo Eric Roth

Happy Wednesday everyone! A hodge podge of decorating inspiration in green for you today. I noticed when I finished the post that most of the inspiration had a springy vibe to it. Guess it tells you where my head is at. It's going to be 60 degrees here today! Just a smidge excited about that. :-)

Some casual mixed up dining with a map in BHG.com's Space Savvy Breakfast Room Banquettes.

This is such a bright, fresh color scheme. Puts a smile on my face...

BHG.com

Good inspiration for how to work with sofa placement by the stairs. I love the mirrors and the creative use of two benches slightly offset in front of the sofa. The texture of the sisal rug helps warm up all of the white. And, of course, the green!

Pottery Barn

Southern Living via myhomeideas.com Photo Laurey W. Glenn

BHG.com suggests using die-cut felt placemats to embellish pillows. I recently saw a bunch of placemats at HomeGoods that would work perfectly for this idea.

This BHG.com pillow idea would be adorable for a little girl's room.

Coastal Living Photo J. Savage Gibson

In this photo, they fit two rows of books on each shelf by simply raising the back row of books on a piece of wood that's painted to match the shelves.

idealhomemagazine

Remember the damask shower curtain in this damask pattern inspiration post? I ran across this bathroom at BHG.com. Looks like the same curtain?

Interesting how they just created this round table cloth to fit the size of the table top...

marthastewart.com

Southern Living Photo Laurey W. Glenn/Styling Leigh Anne Montgomery

A fun pop of chartreuse in this black and white color scheme.

BHG.com

This definitely isn't my favorite green, but I like the idea of removing the shelves from the built-in, painting the backs and installing floating ledges instead for a unique look. To see the rest of the DIY projects in this BHG.com living room makeover click here.

This does NOT look like the door I'll be leaving through to check out the warm weather today, but I wish it did! Makes me want to paint my door a wildy fabulous color... :-)

houseandhome.com Photo Angus Fergusson

Have an awesome day!

Creative Decorating Ideas - 5

As you've probably figured out by now, the creative decorating ideas posts are just my sneaky way of being able to post a hodge podge of unrelated ideas. :-) Enjoy...

HGTV.com

In this Candice Olson basement family room/art studio design (above) she creates the illusion of light and space with a wall of mirrors flanked by curtains. Unfortunately you can barely see that part of the room, but it's off to the right in the photo. Thanks Lisa!

I like the way Pottery Barn used this folding screen in the corner and accessorized it.

Some of you mentioned using curtains on doors in the comments on yesterday's post. I love this example below, and I also did a post on door drapes a while back if you want to check it out.

BHG.com via House of Turquoise

These bamboo tiles add great texture behind this bed. It reminds me of when we talked about this reed wall that my friend, Natalie, created for a bedroom vignette at her store. Sara at Turning Stones liked that idea and decided to do it in her bedroom. Click here for her photos and tips on how to do it.

House Beautiful Photo Mikkel Vang

Speaking of completely unrelated things, but something that might help you complete some of your creative decorating ideas sooner than you otherwise might be able to... Did you know that Pottery Barn is having a Dream Room Giveaway and that you can register to win a $5,000 Shopping Spree through Feb 15th?

Have a great weekend!

Phantom Screens

Image from: Harbor Bay Glass and Mirror

This a little off of the decorating path, but it does have to do with improving your home.

When we were in the process of building our home, we visited our new neighbors and immediately noticed (and loved) the Phantom retractable screen that they had on their front door. I don't know if this means that we don't get out much, but we had never seen a screen quite like it!

We contacted the Minnesota dealer and had one installed on both our front and sunroom doors. I can't say enough about how great these are! They mount to your existing door frame and are held in place by strong magnets when the screen is drawn across and, when not in use, the screen just retracts back out of sight. I love that even when the screen is across the opening, I have a full, unrestricted view of the outdoors. It honestly feels like there's nothing there (thus the term Phantom, I assume!). I also really like that it's hidden when not in use. They don't fall in the "to die for cheap" category, but they were worth every penny.

If I were to offer a word of caution it would be that I'm not sure how user-friendly these would be with small children who like to run in and out. My opinion is that they take more strength and need more guidance to open and close than a small child has.

What does the photo below have to do with Phantom Screens? Absolutely nothing... :-)

Have a great day!

Source: House to Home

Color Splash

Source: Coastal Living Deborah Whitlaw Liewellyn; styling by Brian Carter

Source: Coastal Living

Jean Allsopp

Source: Coastal Living

Jeff McNamara

Have a great day!