Thrifty decor: Bring on the green

Do you like a little nature inside your home?

Do you love to find something that looks good and costs little or nothing?

Do you like quick  pops of texture and colour ?

Barnacle vessel by Anita Singh

Then think ferns.  Wild ones, the ones you see growing in the woods or other damp places.  They are  a constant in my summer decor mostly because I don't have ready access to cultivated options and also because I love to create interest and a homey, nature inspired look without spending money.


Living on the edge of the ocean, in a meadow with thick woods behind me is the perfect spot for foraging for bargain accents.   I often combine sea related objects, some found and others hand crafted.

Another trick I use is to continually move around objects I have to create new looks.  My summer place is small and there isn't a lot of storage for "accessories".  The candle replaced the sculptured vessel in the photo  above.   

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 Then an old oil lamp replaced the candle.  So three objects different heights, different textures and different shapes is a simple formula for display.  Another trick is to mimic the shape of the table in one or more of the objects.  The circle is repeated a number of times in this vignette.

As the ferns started to wilt,  I removed them and cut some grasses and alder leaves to flesh out the display and moved it to another spot.  Leading the viewer's eye is another great trick to use for simple displays.  Your eye pops from the rope ball, to the bouy and then through to the ferns and lamp.  Again I have different textures, heights and shapes.  The added texture of the lamp base and the table creates a very inviting vignette.  

If you don't have a meadow or woods near you buying several ferns at the florist has the same effect.

Do you have a favourite go to wild plant to use in your  arrangements?

Are you a seasonal decorator?

 All those pictures on Pinterest  over the last several weeks make me wonder to what degree the "average" person goes to celebrate changing seasons, holidays, etc.  I feel like I am letting my profession as an interior decorator down when it comes to special events decorating in my own home!

I  make some effort to decorate, but notice I said "some".  It will never wear me out or cost more than $20.00.   I usually choose several very simple changes to  give a gentle nod to any special event.  I am also a firm believer in using what you have in your house and garden.  If I can't figure out  something to do with what I have supported by a trip to  Dollarama, nothing happens.

 When I was younger I admit putting more effort and money  into seasonal decorating, but it all seems so over the top now, and surely I can find better things to do with the money I would have spent!  Simplifying has been my mantra for the last ten years. That goes for decorating too.

My current effort in the family room....

One gray tray; three gourds from  the supermarket; a ceramic paper bag vase purchased three years ago at Homesense for $ 9.99; a mercury stylized bird that is really a little too big, but I love it and it gets used everywhere; and daisies from the dollar store.  Sometimes I buy fresh, sometimes I use artificial. And best of all is the sun patterns on this glorious day.

It's colourful and simple. Here's more inspiration from Pinterest all with trays.

  One tiered tray; gourds; hydrangea, pinecones... so simple but would work well on a dining table because of  the height

 This one has a collection of objects from around the house (books and jars), pinecones and three clear jars with sedum.  The art work behind the vignette adds the autumn colour.

I can't say no to sunflowers and this vase just gives us more of that glorious yellow. Baskets of pinecone add texture and help play up the colour of the flowers.  Love the old woven basket.

Love the ceramic pumpkin on a cake tray surrounded by fall berries. Variety in heights and textures make this work well.  If you can have just one tray, a silver one shows up best on dark furniture.

This is as simple as you can get with candles in plain glasses, a distressed tray and some autumn foilage.



 And finally, good-bye from the table of my summer place.  No tray but lots of plants and shrubs from my garden.  White ceramic anything is a good purchase.  I love the shape of pears.

And I finish by asking again... are you a seasonal decorator?

5 Ways to add interest to a dining room

When someone says dining room, what picture appears in your mind?  Try  it.  List the elements.

For many of us these words conjure up a dining room set with everything matching, a chandelier and some sort of hutch or maybe buffet.  Probably a picture of some sort will be included.  I bet matching is the most obvious characteristic.

It doesn't have to be that way unless that's what you like.

 Here are 5 ways you can  make your dining space stand out a little.

Mix and match your chairs and table

The days of dining sets have moved behind us.  In many magazines you will see all sorts of mixing of styles, materials and colours. I love the look of upholstered chairs with a wood table. They soften the hard edges and provide some relief in the "wood" department. Some adventurous types will go for two different styles of chairs.

 Adore magazine

 Another option if you aren't too adventurous is to upholster each of your wooden chairs with a different, but co-ordinated fabric.  Note how this room sports more traditional chairs with a very simple table.

In the case of my own dining space, I painted my matching chairs charcoal  and upholstered them with a much lighter fabric to make them the centre of interest in  my sea of golden tones. I am trying to get up enough nerve to paint the solid ash buffets the same colour.   I'm not there yet.  It's difficult when your furniture is all hand made with love.

Look for a harmonious  buffet 

Forget about having a matching buffet (I wish I could!).  Look for one with the same undertone as your table  or chairs and similar lines if you like, or go for something painted or a different style entirely.  Some element of it should relate it to the room as a whole: wood tone, style, or colour of other objects in room.

Here are two I would choose for my space to work with my chairs.

They certainly harmonize with the darkness of the chairs, the style is mid centuryish like the table and I like the fact they are both raised off the floor.  This openness will give the illusion of space, always an added plus in a small room. 

Have at least one hand made/original item

 We live in a mass produced economy where the answer  to everything is in a big box store.  Not so.  Save your pennies, visit an antique shop, a fine craft store or gallery.  Look for something you love, made by the hand of an artist, and place it with pride knowing it's unique.  It doesn't have to be large.

This month I have a lovely pot on my buffet created by an artist friend, Anita Singh.  I love her work 

because it always relates to the natural world.  Barnacle is always a conversation piece.  It is also the perfect example of my next point.

Use a variety of textures

Textures make the most interesting addition to spaces, and it is the element that I see under-utilized  in homes. In my space I have silk drapes, lots of wood grain, a highly textured plant container made from ceramic, a white wavy vase, metal candlesticks with mother of pearl, and two plants.  I love texture!

Choose one unexpected element

Right now the pot my ferns are in is my an unexpected item.  It is so rough and worn looking and I have it paired with silk drapes. Other options could be your light fixture, a painting, something on your tabletop or a small piece of furniture in a corner.  Some would say it should have bling, but I'll leave that up to you.

What's your "interesting " score?

 This is a very arbitrary checklist, based on what is "current"  in my  decor reading and viewing.   Hardly scientific!

No my dining room isn't perfect but hopefully it is interesting.
Just because I write about design doesn't mean my space is perfect (whatever that means) or that it even lives up to what I know about the elements and principles of design.  There's the small matter of competing priorities including: budget, interest and energy, connections to objects and furniture, beliefs about your role consuming and junking, and the desire for good old predictability in your environment etc.

Go green for spring

And continuing with thoughts of spring decorating....

When you enter my house the dining table is in full view from the entry.   In a desperation move while babysitting my 3 granddaughters, I  stuck some fake lavender in a glass jar and thought that I could get away with it.

 I was called out on that move by a family member who was a little horrified I had fake flowers.  I admit they were not good fakes.  I defensively pointed out I had beautiful fresh, pink tulips on my kitchen table, but I was caught.  Time to make amends.

Something green 

Nothing denotes spring like new growth, green and/or plants.

Lately I've been seeing live plants in lanterns.  I like the look and feel, but my place is not a lantern kind of home.  I already tried the plainest one I could find, and moved it all over the downstairs rooms to no avail.  It went back to Pier 1.

I love repetition as a design statement so it's little wonder I'm attracted to these ferns. Lanterns just won't do, but repetition is possible. 

Keeping it simple

So I decided to keep my dining table decor simple  by choosing three green things massed together in a small trough planter.  I'm talking ferns, real ones.

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Three small  Boston ferns, and one trough planter that is very wabi sabi (lots of cracks and rough textures to play with the ferns).  I tried them in the planter before coming home with the lot.  The candles and silver leaf bird were leftovers from Christmas.  

 Tried the green candles, a no go for me.  I wish the bird was a little smaller, but that's what I have!

Still playing with the arrangement.  This will go on for weeks every time I pass the table.  Some day soon I'm sure the lot will end up  corralled in a gray or white tray. Things always do on this table.

Remember this pic from a my friend Gail's house I featured in this post?   I envy her the copper bird planter.  A planter and a bird all in one - my idea of perfect.

Lots of options 

Now I just have to keep these greedy, moisture seeking things alive with constant watering and misting.  I can see me carting them off to my summer house  for babysitting.  I'm  sure they will see lots of moves in the coming year- ledge in bathroom, kitchen table, window ledge in kitchen, laundry room counter or shelf.  The possibilities are endless.  That's a lot of decorating punch for less than $40. 00 and they improve my air quality! 

Are plants part of your decor plan? 

Thoughts on decorating the top of an armoire

So you have an armoire and you are eying that space between the top of it and the ceiling.  Do you or don't you put anything on top of it?   You might want to consider the following:

How much space do you have to work with?
If you have less than 24 inches  I suggest forgetting about adding something above it. Here's why:

This is a lovely  armoire, but the flowers are squished in, and they would be so much 

prettier in a different spot. The arrangement looks awkward.  The scale of the flowers and pan are perfect if only the armoire were a little shorter. If you choose to put something smaller in scale on top it would be difficult to see and you would have to stand back quite a bit to see it. 

BUT sometimes you can make it work.  There's always an exception to every  rule.

 Bosworth Hoedemaker

Even though these baskets touch the ceiling in places, their colour, scale and random/exciting arrangement  make them appear as if they are an extension of the armoire. The armoire is also at the end of a hall and will always be viewed from a distance allowing  you to see what's on top of it.

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And you can usually get away with one large low object with a tall armoire

Hingham Kitchen & Bath Designers 

especially when the object is the same colour as the armoire. 

Do you want your eye to go to the top of the armoire?
If your armoire is a centre of interest in your space you may want to add other elements to enhance that position and make it even more commanding.   You might also want to add something if you have other tall elements in the space or you want to create some height variations among the various verticals in the space.

If you have enough space and you want to draw attention to the armoire here are some tips to consider:

Think in odd numbers. 

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If the armoire has glass doors, consider using the same type of objects stored within it on the top.

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This arrangement of bottles and bedding is a natural addition to what is already stored inside the armoire.  The light colours make the whole unit look very cohesive.

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  In this child's room the top of the armoire seems to be the perfect place to store these large toys.  Because they are the same colour as the room and the armoire, they don't seem too big.  That leads me to the next tip:



If you don't want to draw too much attention to the objects, but you want to fill in the space consider using objects that are the same or similar colour of the armoire or the wall or use clear glass. 

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If you are going to add a piece of art that high make sure it is a bold image that it can be read from a distance and lean it against the wall , if you are considering using a photograph the same guidelines apply.

Think about groupings of the same object in different sizes. e.g., vases, glass bottles, boxes, baskets, birdcages, wire sculptures, spheres,  ginger jars, etc.

If you scroll back through the photos in this post you will see this tip used in a number of ways.

How about you?  Do you have any thoughts on decorating the top of an armoire? 

What does your home say about you?

Is your home different from your friends or very similar?  Could someone match you to your home?  Are there things around that denote your interests,  pursuits etc.  or do you have a generic home?    I asked my husband if our home is like other homes we are familiar with or is ours different?  I found it interesting that he did not  readily identify the things in our home that make it different from other homes e.g., he made most of the furniture, stained glass, railings, etc.  It has the distinct marks of both of our interests. 

In an effort to describe the individual aspects of one person's home when compared to another, the design world often refers to a home's "personality".   I love to go into a home that "feels like" the people who live there.   In my book, designing a home with "personality" (the homeowners , not mine)  is one of the most difficult aspects of being a decorator.  I spend quite a bit of time getting a handle on the people I am working with and trying to  reflect that knowledge in the choices I make for their home.   I don't understand decorators who are known for a set "look" and anything they do is recognizable as their work  I loved the lady who told me she was looking for a Pottery Barn decorator!  Silly me had to ask what that meant. I'm much better dealing with an individual look.

 I am helping a friend solve several home dilemmas. We have agreed to work on this project over a long term basis.  She has little interest in  new trends for 2019 or what the most popular colours are this year.  Here house is totally wood except for ceramic  floors downstairs, and it has  personality galore, but it is not a house for everyone. We talk about function, natural materials, textures, warmth, minimal living, wabi sabi, zen spaces and  the "feel" she wants.  We talk about how her interests have changed and how this influences her living space.  It is not my usual decorating job, but I enjoy our chats and the progress we are making.  I am up to the task because I truly believe that my job is to listen well and lead the homeowner to a place where they make their own decisions. It takes longer, but it is more rewarding for everyone in the end.

These rooms all have very different personalities.  What do they say about the owners?  Look at your own space.  What does it say about you and the people who live there?

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interested in what is currently in style and being in style, seems more comfortable in darker spaces that are soothing, likes luxury,  some personal touches in photos, likes symmetry and order. 

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not concerned with current trends,likes the warmth of wood and can't get enough of it,    likes contained spaces,   hand made objects are important, likes a simple life 

     

Urban Abode

current trends are important, likes luxury, entertains larger groups, likes comfort,  interested in the trappings of "the good life"

not interested in current trends, recycling is important, likes the marks of history on objects, not afraid to be an individual,  likes comfort and a functional space, likes nature, has an artistic eye



Insert  a room in your home here.  What does it say about you? 

It's all about scale

  Designers/decorators are like acrobats, always juggling the elements and principles of design to create  inviting and interesting spaces. These tools of the trade come easily when you spend your time immersed in design, but for the average person it takes a little more effort to pull together a truly well designed space. 

 One of the the most noticeable problems I see in many spaces  is a  lack of understanding/ application/ use of  proportion and scale. It's a biggie in my book. Playing with scale can be used to great effect, but  when done wrong it can creates visually uncomfortable spaces.

 Proportion and scale go hand in hand since both relate to size and shape. Proportion is about the ratio between the size of one part to another, and scale is how the size of one objects relates to another, to the space as a whole and  to the people who will inhabit the space . My best example of  disregarding scale is choosing a large overstuffed love seat, chair and sofa for a small space. Then imagine a petite couple living there! 

Yea or Nah, let's see what we think about these.... I've had my say....  (all images from my Pinterest board Pondering Scale)

When I feel that the scale of something is off I say the object in question looks "uncomfortable".  In the room above the clock looks very uncomfortable.  It has no room to breathe because it is totally hemmed in by the  the headboard and the night table.  Is it a great clock?  Yes...  Would it look better in another setting ?  I think so.  How about you? 

The urn next to the dresser  looks out of place in this space. While it is quite stunning and it fits in with the style of the other objects and furniture, it  needs a much larger space to shine.  It works with the scale of the dark dresser with TV on top, but it it just too large for the space between the two pieces of furniture.

 This is an elegantly designed space, but I am fussy about the scale of pillows to chairs/sofas.  To my mind they have to look good and be functional.  How would you ever sit on this chair?  Pillow to floor immediately!  A 12 in square or a lumbar pillow works well in a side chair.  If you want to add lots of pattern consider a throw folded over the back of a chair.

Cynthia Lynn Photography

 We don't usually see pendants this large but in this space I think they work very well.  It helps that they are transparent.  The choice of  oversized pendants seems to be on the rise lately. 

  You will often see a small decorative mirror over a bed, but it rarely works to best effect.  I would choose a round mirror for this beautiful room and I quite like the gold finish.  I think it needs to be a tad larger.  Rule of thumb is 2/3 the width of the headboard.  Where  this space is  banked by two windows
 you could go a tad smaller that that but not as little as half which is what we have in the room above. 

 When you have a  very tall headboard or posts you need to scale up your lamp accordingly. I want this lamp to have a larger base and only slightly more height. It needs more presence.  Everything else about this space is just lovely.  

  I love the burlap with stripe and the glass base of this lamp,  but it gives  that uncomfortable feeling again.  How do you know which shade size (height and width) to choose for a lamp?   There are all kinds of formulas for this, but consider a shade that is  roughly  2/3 the height of the  lamp base up to where the socket begins and twice the width of the base. The shade above is not too bad height wise, but it needs to have a much larger shade diameter.  

I seem to have a lot of lamp issues in this post.   Great lamp but not on this cabinet and what about placing the little plant  next to it? This lamp needs SPACE!

 Another lovely space with pristine white everywhere.  If this table doubles as a place to eat, I guess function will outweigh form.  Otherwise a coffee table should be roughly 2/3 the length of the sofa.
























 In my world you should not have to reach up to a coffee table or any table for that matter.  It is actually dangerous if you have a hot drink and knock it enroute.  A coffee table is usually the height of the sofa cushion, a tad lower or higher. Modern coffee tables are often much lower than the top of the sofa cushion.

The floral arrangement is also very high for the middle of a space.  Safety again. There's living in a space and then there are photo shoots.  Not the same thing at all.

This may only be a pet peeve of mine because I see tall tables next to seating  in home decor magazines and online.This smallish love seat with delicate arms is overpowered by this  much taller table. It might not be quite so bad if the lamp weren't towering over everything. 

I can't imagine why one would want an art work touching the ceiling and a sofa.  I guess the designer could be making some statement about insignificance!