By Mary Carol Garrity
Tribune News Service
What decorating projects and plans do you have in store for the new year? Are you renovating a key space like your kitchen or bath? Redecorating a well-used room, like your bedroom or family room? Hoping to add a bit more personality to an area that feels blah or unfinished? I like to make decorating-related New Year’s resolutions every year to spark my creativity as I make my spaces lovelier. Here are a few resolutions for making your home more beautiful in 2015.
Stop hoarding: After many years living in our beloved old home in Atchison, Kan., Dan and I have officially moved to a bungalow near Kansas City. I loved my majestic fixer-upper and will always treasure the fabulous memories we made there, but I was more than ready to downsize, to have less home to take care of. As we got ready to move, I was blown away by how hard it was to go through all our stuff, deciding which things would go with us to our cottage and which would have to find a new home.
During 2015, I’d encourage you to set aside some time to review the items in your home. If something is no longer of use to you, or no longer brings you joy, give it to someone who needs it. Then, when and if you ever move, you’ll be so thankful this big job is done.
Find and embrace your own style: While it's fun to incorporate new looks you love into your decor, always be true to yourself and embrace a style that suits you. In 2015, discover your signature style. It sounds really hard to do, but she says it's actually super simple to pinpoint your decorating passion.
First, figure out what you need from your home. Next, fill your home with things you really love. You want to look forward to walking through your door every day and drinking in the furnishings and accents you’ve used to feather your nest. What do you gravitate toward? What colors or patterns or styles capture your eye over and again? It’s that simple to find your style.
When decorating, don’t just stop with the furniture:
A well-designed space includes much more than great furniture.
All the other elements in the room, like the artwork, accessories, rugs and lighting, are essential for completing the design. They work together to give the room its individuality and dramatic flair, to ensure the space is a reflection of you.
Add a bit of luxury to your home: Everyone loves indulging in a little luxury now and then. Even if you like things casual and simple, a dot or two of glam will give your spaces a spark of new energy.
Pick one little space, maybe a corner of a room or one piece of furniture, and add a touch of luxury there. Perhaps it’s tossing a pillow corded in a yummy velvet onto your bed, sofa or favorite chair.
Gold accents are super hot right now, so you will find lots of options for adding sparkle to your home. How about replacing a tired old lamp with one that features a gold base or a gold-line shade? Place a cluster of gold pottery on your mantel or weave gold picture frames into the display on a side table. You will be surprised by how much a dash of gold warms up your spaces and makes you feel pampered.
Explore the power of stripes:
Stripes belong all over the house. Drapes done in a striped fabric add height to a room. Want the window to look larger? Include a striped fabric going horizontally at the base of the drape. It will bring added weight to the space. Have you avoided using a bold stripe on a larger piece of furniture, like a sofa or chair, because you’re afraid it will be too much pattern? Don’t be, she says. It will add lots of drama to the room, and, when accessorized correctly, will recede into the background. Still not convinced? Then cover a piece of furniture in ticking, like I did for my new lake house!
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