Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Life

Category: Design and Décor 101

  • How to Bring Florals in throughout Your Home, from Live Plants to Decor

    When you are seeking a fresh new decor option for your home, it’s always wise to consider florals. Whether you’re thinking of a beautiful vase of roses, a live plant or new curtains with a flower motif, garden elements and nature-inspired pieces help you to feel alive and happy while at home. If you’re staging your home, these additions won’t hurt, either. Here are some original and easy ways to beautify your home and freshen it with florals.

    1. Choose a floral tablecloth

    One of the quickest ways to bring a slice of nature into your home is to dress up your dining room table with a floral tablecloth. Bright, fresh colors are great for spring, and orange, yellow or hibiscus shades make an impact in the summertime. Autumnal hues and leaf patterns fit the bill once chillier weather hits, and holly berries, poinsettias and other elegant red florals are perfect for the wintertime. Top it off with coordinating chargers or candlesticks when you entertain for a polished look.

    2. Dress up a corner with a live plant

    When you select a plant for your home, don’t feel the need to limit yourself to traditional choices. How about a grass plant in a bell jar or terrarium? Orchids and air plants are also beautiful ways to bring a touch of nature indoors. The more colorful the plant you choose, the more noticeable it will be, and the better it will brighten your mood each day when you see it.

    3. Choose vibrant wallpaper

    Bold, dramatic floral wallpaper is in vogue right now, and for good reason. Muted tones have had their day, and bright colors and vibrant patterns are the new normal. Choose an accent wall in your bedroom, living room or office and apply a beautiful floral wallpaper. Keep the other walls and knick-knacks simple to really bring your accent wall to life.

    4. Tiled floors

    Believe it or not, flowers can live at your feet indoors just as they do outside in your garden. Floral tiles are a great way to make a subtle impact in your kitchen or bath. Choose a neutral background with pops of color to easily integrate your tiles with other decor and style changes over time.

    5. Display a floral centerpiece on the mantel

    Floral centerpieces are a classic way to brighten up your home. There’s no reason, though, that you need to display them solely on your dining room table. Instead, dress up your mantel or a charming bookshelf with a plant or dried flowers in a basket, glass dish or wooden bowl. Centering your room around nature in this way is sure to bring a sense of calm whenever you gather near your fireplace.

    6. Choose floral curtains

    When you look out each day, why not surround yourself with flowers? Floral curtains can be understated or bold and vibrant, and they’re a beautiful way to remind yourself to get outside and enjoy nature. Consider switching out your fabric patterns throughout the year to either mirror or contrast what is occurring outdoors. This is an excellent and instant mood-lifter, particularly in the dull of winter.

    7. Display floral art

    The best quality of wall art is its versatility. Your artistic preferences may be completely different from your spouse’s or your mother’s, or even than what you liked last month. Fortunately, you can remove and replace wall art at any time, which makes it one of the best ways to keep your home décor fresh. Rotate floral prints from room to room as your tastes change, considering seasonal shifts in your choices. These days, modern, bold pinks and fuchsias are excellent options for wall hangings. Consider also prints of classic works of art, like Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers,” for instant appeal. Florals bring another dimension of joy and beauty to your home, whether printed on fabric, painted on canvas or displayed fresh in all their glory. No matter the season or the room, finding a way to work a flower motif or two into your decor is sure to be an instant mood-lifter. In addition, if you’re staging your home, subtle floral touches can make your home seem brighter and more welcoming.

  • Coordinating Your Garden to Your Home

    While architects have often noted that landscape architecture has lagged the modernist building movement since the late 1930s, these days, there’s consensus that your garden should, if not match, at least coordinate with your home.

    An English country garden may work just as well with a Cape Cod style home as it does with a thatched Tudor cottage. However, it really doesn’t suit a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired angular home with clean lines and lots of glass.

    Try to match your garden’s style to your home when it comes to size, color, and style for a clean, comforting appearance.

    Big custom made luxury house with nicely trimmed and landscaped front yard

    Size

    If you’ve got a tiny little porch, don’t flank your home’s entryway with massive flower pot sentinels. That will only emphasize how small your porch is. Similarly, if your front yard is the size of a pocket handkerchief, perhaps bursts of color from small petaled trailing plants like lobelia are a better idea than a hibiscus bush. Save the big, showy flowers for those you can train to grow on a trellis against the house, like a clematis.

    If, on the other hand, you’ve got a huge front yard, you may want to create interest by designing winding pathways that delineate different kinds of gardens: flower from herb, annual from perennial, rose garden from mixed flowers, Zen garden from rock garden. Also, you’ll want to scale up the size of your plants as well. If you’re working with a big space, you can invest in plants like hostas and hydrangeas, which will grow and grow and grow until you cut them back.

    Try to scale the size of your plantings to the size of your home. If tiny and perfect works for your house, it’ll work for your garden too. Make sure, if you have a small home on a small lot, that you keep both evergreen and deciduous trees trimmed. Letting them get too tall isn’t just an aesthetic faux pas, it can be dangerous, given the severity of many storm events.

    home with nicely trimmed and landscaped front yard

    Color

    Repeating your home’s paint colors in your garden’s foliage or flowers is one way to link interior and exterior. Think of the house color as the flower painting’s backdrop. You can echo your home’s color scheme, or you can choose contrasting colors to make your garden pop.

    The easiest house colors to integrate with foliage are, of course, greens and browns. But you can use your garden flowers to both amplify and contrast with your home’s exterior wall color.

    White has a commanding presence in a garden, and some landscape gardeners think it should be used with care, to create a focal point or unite a space. Trim and roof colors should be repeated throughout a garden, with white or off-white plantings as accents or unifying elements with any house that has white or cream in its paint scheme.

    modern house with matching style garden

    Style

    The warm texture of a red brick house with gingerbread trim and deep overhangs calls for one kind of garden and a specific range of plants, while the neutral concrete and glass angles of a modern, custom-built home would look silly adorned with petunias.

    If you’ve bought a heritage home, honor its stature with traditional and vintage garden designs. Make use of arbors and hanging baskets on the porch. Flank a colonial style home’s front door with large planters bursting with trailing flowers. Create a rose or hydrangea or French herb garden. Build a latticework gazebo.

    Landscape architects suggest using foliage as building blocks with modern design, and some of the best examples of this are of rectangular planters filled with wild and spikey decorative grasses. The abundance, movement, and deep true colors of the grasses provide contrast to the neutral color scheme. They also supply texture, movement, and a wildness that works well with a very precise and sometimes coldly confrontational architectural style.

    Modern architecture lends itself very well to xeriscaping, and once a xeriscape lawn has been designed and planted, it matches the spirit of modern architecture: clean lines, low maintenance, and a lack of ornamentation. Vertical gardens and green walls work very well with modern architecture too, providing a shot of color and free form design, adding a bit of warmth and interest to hard edges. Planning, planting, nurturing, and appreciating your garden should be a voyage of exploration and discovery, something you perfect over the course of years. Don’t be afraid to try new colors, plants, and accessories to see what works and what doesn’t. Most importantly, don’t forget that gardening can be a year-long passion. After all, the important work gets done in winter: planning, poring over seed catalogues, and researching patio stones, water treatments, wind chimes, and lawn furniture.

  • Innovative Ways to Use Your Basement Space

    Finished or unfinished, basements are too often overlooked. They are frequently forgotten when it comes to considering available space, due to clutter, dampness and darkness. These issues can be addressed with a few tried and true techniques and basement renovation ideas. Here are five suggestions.

    1. Home gym

    Save yourself the gym membership fees and commute time by installing a home gym. For a modest investment, create a dedicated workout space that changes with your needs. Start with a yoga mat, an elastic exercise band and some free weights. You can find a used weight bench with a bar and some weights for about $150.00, or find working stationary bikes and treadmills for even less. Heavy bags provide a wonderful way to relieve stress and condition your body in the privacy of your own home.

    Make your home gym even more serviceable and comfortable by including rubber flooring and a full-length mirror to monitor your form. Shelves are handy for exercise books, cleaning supplies and bottled water. A bar fridge or plug-in water cooler will help you stay hydrated. Finally, a smart TV that supports YouTube lets you sample a variety of exercise techniques or catch up on the news during cardio.

    2. Home Theater or Music Room

    A home theater delights the whole family and is relatively cheap to install. A large screen smart TV and a family computer with lots of memory are a great way to begin. Good speakers enhance the entertainment experience. Sectional couches (or old movie theater seats) provide ample, comfortable seating. A microwave and a bar fridge allow you to prepare snacks and refreshments for game or movie nights. Carpeting is a good idea to warm up the space and reduce noise.  If you’re willing to make the investment, cork flooring provides a beautiful and forgiving surface that doesn’t need vacuuming.

    3. All-Ages Playroom

    The large footprint basements offer means little ones can scatter their toys and enjoy hours of fun. Shelves for books and board games make the space useful. Install a large table for crafting and painting, as well as for puzzles and games.

    The good news is your basement can provide a playroom no matter your age. Invest in an air hockey or ping pong table, foosball, miniature pool table or a pinball machine to create a grown-up relaxation space.

    4. Bedroom, Bathroom, and Laundry Room Combo

    An extra shower in the family home is a great idea and it gives guests a little more privacy. Installing one in your laundry room can be an efficient strategy. Adding bedrooms and bathrooms will also improve the resale value of your property and provide a convenient place to host family and friends. Be sure you comply with regulations, including mandatory exits and closets.

    5. Bachelor Suite

    If you’ve already got a bathroom and bedroom downstairs, think a little bigger. A children’s room adds convenience for sleepovers, while a full guest suite provides extra income through homestay students or long-term tenants. A kitchen space that includes a sink, stove, refrigerator and table is essential for a self-contained rental unit.  Additionally, a private entrance is the single most important feature tenants looks for.

    Before you embark on a basement renovation, make a list of goals. Use shelving and storage boxes to pack and re-organize everything you’ve stashed under the house. Unify what’s stored into a single room furthest away from the social or living areas of your repurposed basement.

    Invest in a dehumidifier. As the damp disappears, so will the impression of coldness. Cozy is good, but hygge is better.

    Eliminate dark basement corners with appropriate lighting or add a large carpet to unify the space and provide bright splashes of color. Paint walls white or an engaging hue, like butter yellow, to improve your mood. Add to this airy brightness by choosing shiny flooring materials and a variety of small lamps. Use mirrors and clear glass windows to brighten the space or use frosted glass lit from behind to give the impression of windows. Overall, it’s most important to be creative. It’s your basement, after all.

  • Remodel Your Attic into a Beautiful and Usable Space

    Attics are often overlooked despite having the greatest potential in most homes (garages are a close second). Instead of using the attic as storage space for strings of broken holiday lights, boxes of unsorted family photos and clothes you’ll never wear again, transform your attic from the set a spider-webbed horror into a beautiful and usable space.

    Here are five attic room ideas to consider when you decide to reclaim this space:

    Kid reading book in modern attic
    Kid reading book in a modern attic

    1. Home office/crafting space/reading room

    The sloping ceilings of most attics make these rooms ideal for sitting or lounging. The effort required to get up to the attic guarantees it will be a low-traffic area, so you can count on fewer interruptions.

    Exposed beams in many attics offer all kinds of opportunities to customize seating and work areas with built-in shelves. Take advantage of nooks and crannies, in addition to harnessing whatever natural light the attic gets. Think window seats with storage in a dormer window, long tables with benches under one of the sloping walls, or even a hammock suspended from the center beam.

    exercise bench in an attic
    exercise bench in an attic

    2. Spa bathroom/home gym

    Continuing the “get away from it all” theme, installing a luxurious spa bathroom with a deep tub is a wonderful idea. Naturally, if you take this approach, installing plumbing where there’s never been any before might mean incurring some major expenses. If your idea of exercise is lifting weights or practicing yoga, the large open space can be transformed into a home gym or yoga studio. Whether you choose the spa or gym option (or a combination of both), adequate insulation and ventilation will be a huge factor in your renovation.

    Pages: 1 2

  • Discover Beautiful Dining Table Decor Ideas for Every Season

    So many of our dining table decor ideas involve bringing the outdoors in, as if to assert some kind of connection between our consumption and its creation. More often than not, seasonal dining table decor reflects this theme. We use pumpkins or smaller gourds, twine leaves and garlic braids with twigs for harvest. We cut pine boughs and dip their cones in gold paint and splash some holly and ivy around for the winter holidays. We continue the trend with greenery for spring and cut fresh flowers in summer.

    There’s no end to found-in-nature objects you can use to jumpstart dining table décor brainstorming. To move beyond the ordinary, here are a few non-traditional suggestions.

    High contrast for winter

    Since the three functional elements of a dining room are its chairs, lighting and the table itself, why not focus on two elements at once and make your centerpiece the most food- and mood-flattering light source you can find? After all, it is in the winter when we rely most on artificial lighting to boost our spirits.

    Whether your table is round, square or rectangular, the centerpiece should be your dining room’s pièce de résistance, the object that draws the eye to the table before your guests’ gaze radiates outwards.

    The classic approach is, of course, candelabra—a single, large fixture centered on the table, or a series at intervals. Instead, try taking an eclectic approach: if your dining room is modern or functional, find the most elaborate, massive, rococo bronze candelabra available and pose it on a damask brocade table runner with gold tassels. The contrast between your sleek teak or glass table will startle and intrigue.

    If your dining room is traditional, go another route and invest in something modern and Calder-esque—a candelabra made from copper plumbing fittings, clean, geometric metal shapes or simple, black staggered cubes of variegated height.

    Clean and green for spring

    When the days start to get longer, it’s time to time to strip the table and let its lovely lines and textures speak for themselves. Get rid of your layered-linen approach and switch them out for placemats and a runner. Alternatively, try a long, narrow mirror on a rectangular table to shine and reflect light from new angles.

    Spring is all about seizing the day and ending our hibernation, as well as spending time outdoors for longer and longer each day. Make it easier to migrate to the patio or deck by using a round, square or rectangular tray as your dining table centerpiece. This makes it easier to grab when you realize it really is warm enough to have coffee or dessert outdoors.

    Try also to sneak more than one shade of green into your dining room: a series of small succulents, the palest of green linen napkins or some startling chartreuse placemats. Think beets and asparagus, snowdrops and lilacs when choosing your table linens.

    Light and airy for summer

    Summer is all about fresh, and your dining room decor should reflect that. It’s a time for linen and lace, not brocade and velvet. Let your table decorations reflect that sentiment and get rid of heavy tablecloths in favor of light and airy fabrics and bold, bright colors. If they make you think of corn and watermelon and fresh peas, they’re a perfect choice. Consider also translucent fabrics paired with white linens.

    Still want to bring the outdoors in? Use an herb garden as your table’s centerpiece and keep some kitchen shears handy so you can make the rounds just as dinner is served. You can welcome guests to your table as you sprinkle a few fresh-cut chives, a basil leaf or two, or a fresh sprig of rosemary, coriander or parsley on each plate.

    Invest in a few great fruit bowls that are also conversation pieces and lead with a fresh fruit dessert centerpiece—mangos, berries and cherries for a summery feel.

    Spare and bare for fall

    Most fall dining decor themes reflect the abundance of the harvest season, with its russets, taupes, ochres and rich, dark greens. Try taking a minimalist approach to fall dining decor. The falling leaves expose a tree’s true form, and decor that reflects structure can be dramatic. Take advantage of the changing angles of light to feature a series of small wood sculptures as centerpieces. Choose ones that look good from all angles and contain depths of color: marble, granite or wood. Or try a large round metal piece that both reflects and absorbs light. Embrace the stark and don’t be afraid of high-contrast color choices. Rather than black and white, though, think tan and gray.

    Just as what we eat changes from season to season, the way we eat changes too. Try to create a dining experience you can customize to reflect the rhythm of the season.

  • Four Ways to Display a Collection

    A home should be a unique expression of the interests of its inhabitants. Plates, rare books, antiques are just some of the items one can collect and display. These pieces readily get conversations started and offer the opportunity to showcase them in stylish ways. Read on to discover how unexpected spaces in the home can be the perfect gallery for personal treasures.

    Welsh sideboard

    Practical and stylish, a sideboard offers discreet storage options on an uninterrupted surface. These timeless pieces were once relegated to the dining room, but now can be placed anywhere. Beyond serving food, they also offer a convenient area to display your treasures, particularly plates and vintage silverware. The trick is to select one focal point and keep backgrounds neutral. Collections will shine without overwhelming. If your display is particularly colorful, consider placing against a white or beige wall.

    Pigeonholes of a desk

    A desk can be the perfect place to display a collection. Pigeonholes were once used to store office supplies and papers. They now can provide space for a mini gallery. Start by clearing off stationary and polishing for the cleanest surface. Arrange your collection in a way that pleases you the most and get ready for the compliments.

    Bookshelves

    From masks to statues of all sizes, sculpture is one medium that thrives on proximity. These multi-dimensional works should be viewed from as many angles as possible. Bookshelves provide the perfect space for display, as most are elevated or at eye level. This placement also prevents accidents by keeping too many hands away from creating a hazard. To enhance these bold objects, consider adding the right lighting. A spotlight or single light may wash out intricate details. Diffused light, such as sunshine, works best. If that is not possible, try recessed lighting.

    Built-ins

    Versatile built-ins are meant to be filled with personal treasure. Books, Depression-era glass or action figures can all find a home on them. These small landscapes offer the right amount of space and light to bring dimension and character to a flat wall. For the more creative types, deepen the impact of your display by playing with layers.  Arrange books as a foundation and move smaller décor items to the forefront for a multi-dimensional look that will start many conversations. Love displaying your personal treasures as much as you love collecting them. This article was inspired by the April 1958 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine, proving beloved collections are timeless and always in style.  

  • Art Appreciation Begins at Home: Teach children the value of original pieces from these unexpected sources

    A new generation of art connoisseurs is ready for guidance. Art is meant to be appreciated by everyone and can be done as early as possible, even at home. Children are naturally drawn to the creations of others and delight in having their own imaginations captured. It is also a great way to improve visual thinking skills and so much more. Recent studies show art appreciation provides a foundation for growth in math and reading. It also promotes social-emotional advancement and exercises language skills, which grows vocabulary. Try discussing shades and the process of creation to build more sophisticated language – paraphrase what the children say and ask more in-depth questions. Read on for ways to add a little more creativity to your home.

    DIY projects

    Toddlers can start with color mixing activities. These can be done in a sandwich bag to reduce mess. Grade school children or adults can cut butterfly shapes out of card stock to act as a canvas. Set out primary colors to start. Allow the children to mix red, blue and yellow, which spawn green, purple and orange.  Older children or tweens can have fun with a broader range of colors to make pinks, browns and other hues.

    Claude Monet, the father of French Impressionism, famously attributed his love of art to flowers. Help children of all ages find their inspiration through nature with a fun and easy project. Gather kid-friendly scissors, construction paper, green paint, a paint brush, markers and a popsicle stick. Start by painting the stick green. Have children draw and cut out a flower. Younger children may benefit from an adult tracing one for them. Glue the flower to the stem. Once done, have the budding artists discuss their creations. Show children how much you value their art by showcasing on the fridge or used in tablescapes for a personal touch.

    Selecting from an art gallery

    Parents should prepare children for a visit to an art gallery in advance. They should know not to touch the pieces, keep their voices low and nicely express their opinions. Beyond manners, parents can introduce young ones to a variety of mediums to discover which ones will fit in with their home’s style/aesthetic. Photography, sculpture and paintings are the most common. Older children can be involved in discussions on subject matter, abstract versus conceptual art, and placement. If the piece is going to be hung in a child’s room, discuss focal points, colors and subject matter. Keep in mind children will naturally gravitate toward what gives them comfort and joy. If hanging a piece in a common area such as the family room or kitchen, discuss as a family what would best represent the family and the feelings the piece will evoke. If possible, ask the gallery to arrange a meeting with the artist so they can discuss the work and answer questions. Most are open to nurturing future patrons.

    Renting pieces

    A full commitment to art is not always possible.  Many artists are open to renting their pieces for a short duration. This can be done to bring home new art for seasonal, celebratory or personal reasons. Artists with a wealth of original pieces are eligible to sign up for brick and mortar or online rental services. Higher end services assign curators to visit client homes to assess the space, present options and install pieces. This can be done on a three- to six-month rotation. For digital galleries, parents can browse selections as a family or present final options at the dinner table, offering the opportunity for each family member to discuss their preferences, champion their top choices and learn the art of compromise. Bring a love of art home. Children of all ages will benefit from any efforts made to improve their visual learning and language. This article was inspired by the April 1958 edition of Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

  • 10 Living Room Decor Ideas

    1. Bold hues

    This year’s motto is the bolder, the better. Intense teal and vibrant purple are very on-trend choices.

    Jewel tones and shades of green are big this year, while last year’s popular gray hues are a bit passé. Predominantly white living rooms with splashes of intense color are in, so are plants (but not succulents this year). If you would prefer to stick with earth tones, steer clear of beiges and grays. Instead, spice things up with mustard, terracotta or doeskin shades.

    2. Art Deco

    Designers are done with mid-century modern (called “MCM” in some circles), with its sleek, blonde and minimalist teak lines. Instead, embrace glam deco styles that incorporate the staples of maximalism. Look for this trend in lighting, fabrics and gold metallic hues.

    Symmetry and metallics are two of the defining characteristics of traditional Art Deco style. Think parallelograms plating a round gold mirror, a geometric oval racetrack rug, an overstuffed taffy velour club chair or a round, glass-topped bronze drink cart. All of these exude classy but casual glitz.

  • Ask a Pro Q&A – Nail Down New Flooring: Go from slab to hardwood with these stylish flooring options

    If outdated flooring has you puzzled as to the next remodeling step… our interior design pro, Jennifer Adams, is here to help. Consider these variables for a new look that your loved ones will enjoy walking all over.

    Question: I live in a 1953 ranch home built on a slab. I want to install hardwood flooring throughout. However, the slab is covered with asbestos tile.  How would you install hardwood flooring?

    It is possible to install wood flooring over a slab floor with asbestos tile on it. However, there are lots of variables to consider, including how level the slab is, the moisture content in the air, and the level of moisture in the slab itself. A high-quality engineered flooring product might be a better solution and give you a similar look to hardwood, especially if you can’t nail the new flooring down. To find out what products will be best for your situation, ask a professional installer or licensed contractor.

    – Jennifer Adams

  • DIY with What You Have

    Refreshing your home doesn’t have to mean getting bogged down in major projects. These easy DIY ideas offer serious design inspiration without the big commitment.

    Paint a pattern.

    A fresh coat of colorful paint will revive a piece of furniture, but you can take it a step further by adding a pattern, too. Use paint pens to draw designs on drawer fronts, tabletops and more.

     

     

     

     

    © Meredith Operations Corporation. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Embellish with watercolor.

    To give a plain lampshade an artistic makeover, moisten a large paintbrush with water and sweep a wavelike pattern around the bottom of the shade. Then, tap wet paint into the pattern with a soft, round watercolor brush. (Use watercolor paint for paper lampshades and fabric paint for fabric shades.) The paint will bleed to the edges of the moistened area. After the paint dries, dot the wave with more paint in alternating colors. For dots that blend, paint them with edges touching.