Beginner's Guide to Home Accessories

Steal ideas from top designers to inspire your home decor

2006-06-02T18:35:06Z

Hell, while you're at it, just go ahead and steal the designer's decor in itself!

For every renovation or design problem there is always a solution. But we all need a vision to begin the process, and without doubt, for me that spark of inspiration most often comes from travel. I travel constantly, mostly for work, and every couple of months for pleasure. I do my utmost to make sure that everywhere I stay has some form of uniqueness; its own sense of style. In today's world it's not difficult to find a hotel that exudes immense creativity. There's an ever-growing choice of boutique hotels and B & B's that are putting their own stamp on design.

"Elements" for success

2006-06-05T20:09:26Z

This may seem like a mere local story, but I think the tactics here can be extrapolated to show how many decor shops have been successful.

New and old merchandise is interwoven among the displays, ranging from hand lotion and hanging pots to chandeliers and jewelry. Prices range from $10 for a vase to $200 for a lamp.

Blais and Peek do some of their buying at flea markets but also have been to home decor trade shows. They spent three months renovating the two-level building. With the help of a village grant, they spent $30,000 installing hardwood floors, painting the walls and ceiling and upgrading the entryway.

The trick here is probably balancing the higher-end items while still offering enough cheap merchandise that will keep walker-bys shopping there. But it can be done, obviously.

Wall-hanging pointers

2006-06-09T20:05:51Z

Amen. Amen. I hate hanging big stuff on the walls.

Get a sharp drill bit for use in concrete and masonry products. An improper bit or a dull masonry bit will jump around and make a crooked, messy hole that is hard to anchor to. Manufacturers detail the appropriate bit size on the packaging of concrete anchors. Follow these guidelines to the nearest 1/16 of an inch.

If your drill has a hammer action, use it. If not, set the adjustable speed to the fastest setting. Beginners should start slowly and gradually increase speed to ensure the bit stays on target and does not roam to the nearest soft spot.

When drilling concrete walls, it's not unusual for the bit to creep across the surface a fraction of an inch before biting into the hard surface. So, if it is critical that the hole be made precisely, start the hole by punching out a small pit with a hammer and star masonry bit. Be sure to watch the positioning of your hands and wear safety goggles.

Drilling in straight-up concrete? Obviously I'm not enough of a decor fanatic to worry about something like this...but to each his own, eh?

"Recycled" decorations

2006-06-13T20:04:04Z

CNN reports:

From Menlo Park, Calif., to Brooklyn, N.Y., small-business owners are relying on their creativity to create niche products for a discerning market and often use recycled and natural materials in the process.

Start-up small businesses specialize in designing and manufacturing unique and stylish home furnishings - from a plush rug with a Down East twist, to lamps made out of antlers, and end tables made of scraps from a Steinway piano factory.

There's some pretty interesting stuff featured, but I'd like to see more of it. Check out the mentioned websites if you want to follow up on some of these items:

http://www.angelaadams.com/
http://www.scrapile.com/
http://www.spaltana.com/
http://www.hableconstruction.com/

What is a wall treatment?

2006-06-28T15:08:54Z

Wall treatments are a fun and unique way to decorate the walls in your home. Wall treatments can include paint, stenciling, fabric, and many other mediums. If you are ready to change the look and feel of your walls, you've come to the right place. This guide will describe several different types of popular wall treatments and explain how to achieve them. Before you know it, your walls will be covered with your own personal style!

Faux Finish

2006-06-28T15:09:57Z

Faux finish is one of the most popular wall treatments today. It is fairly easy to do, and mostly uses paints and glazes. Nearly every faux finish begins with a base coat of paint. Faux finish can create the look of material, rock, or suede, or it can just provide an interesting pattern that looks like a texture on your wall. I have personally found that faux finish is great for walls that are old or damaged. They can cover a multitude of problems and if you use a faux finish that looks texturized, it will cover up drywall mistakes, old wallpaper glue, and other things that make your wall less than perfect.

There are many different types and styles of faux finishing. One of the most common types is called ragging. For this finish, you'll need to begin with two colors of paint, a glaze, and old rags or plastic bags. (A sponge can also be used here. If you decide sponge, round and textured sponges work best.) The first step is to paint the wall with your base color; it is usually better to use the darker color as your base color. When the base coat is dry, mix the glaze with the second color of paint, using equal amounts of each. At this point you can either dip your rag into the glaze mixture and blot the paint onto the wall using the rag, or you can roll the glaze mixture onto the wall (over top of the base coat) and rag the paint off of the wall. As you do this, some of the base coat will show through, making the wall appear textured. It's easy to experiment to get the look you want. Just experiment on a smaller area, then paint over it with your base color again.

Another type of faux finish is color blending. Color blending can resemble the look of leather or water. You'll begin with two to six colors of paint. Again, paint the wall with your base coat and let it dry. (Color blending can also be done on a white wall.) Mix glaze and the other colors in equal parts. More colors will create a different effect. On a small section of the wall, dab streaks of paint on the wall with paintbrushes. Then blend the colors together with old rags. Mix and swirl the colors together until your desired effect is achieved.

Color washing is yet another very popular faux finishing technique. It provides the look of a cloudy sky on your wall, giving it a soft and inviting feeling. The supplies you'll need for color washing are one color of paint and one glaze, and paint brushes or rags. Paint brushes will give a more textured look while rags will give a softer, more diffused look. Paint the wall with your base color of paint. After it dries, mix that same color of paint with the glaze, using the ratio of four parts glaze to one part paint. Dip a soft cloth into the glaze mixture and apply it to the wall in a random circular motion, as if you are actually washing the wall. At this point, if you are using paintbrushes, brush the glaze mixture onto the wall in a criss-cross motion using random strokes. Finish by feathering out any harsh brush strokes, and lightly sweep over the patterns with a clean, dry brush.

Stenciling

2006-06-28T15:10:25Z

Stenciling is a fun way to add pictures and/or shapes to your wall. Stencils are often used for borders, as well. You might even want to try stenciling around a door or a window. Start with a wall that has been painted with eggshell or flat paint; glossy finish paints do not work well with stencils. Once you've chosen your stencils and colors of paint, pick up a few stencil brushes and some painter's tape (blue masking tape.) The first step to stenciling is to make a mark on the wall to show where you want the stencil. Then line it up and tape it to the wall so it won't move. Don't use much paint on your brush when stenciling, and work from the outside edges in. Once you've filled in the entire stencil, you may choose to go over it again if you want it to be darker. Repeat until the entire pattern is finished.

Fabric

2006-06-28T15:10:48Z

Many home improvement television shows are now using fabric for wall coverings. While popular, it is a bit more expensive as a wall treatment, but the outcome can be worth the price if it's what you want. When you use fabric to cover the wall, you can match your window treatments, bedding, etc. Care and cleaning is a bit more difficult with this medium, as the fabric needs to be vacuumed to maintain its appearance. Some people recommend using dark colors and busy patterns, as they will hide dirt a little better.

To apply a lighter fabric such as muslin to the wall, you'll need the fabric, liquid starch, and a wallpaper brush. Start by soaking the fabric in the liquid starch and lightly wringing it out. Then, apply the fabric to the wall and smooth it out with a wallpaper brush. Continue to apply the next sections of fabric to the wall, slightly overlapping the edges and matching up the patterns.

To apply a heavier fabric such as denim to the wall, you'll need the fabric, a staple gun and staples, trim such as braids or ribbon, and a glue gun. Start by measuring the surface that will be covered by the fabric. Estimate a little extra because it's always better to have some fabric left over than to not have enough! Iron the fabric to your liking. Keeping the lines of the fabric as straight as possible, staple the fabric to the top of the wall. As you work, smooth and pull the fabric tightly, continuing to staple the fabric across the top of the wall. Then smooth it towards the bottom of the wall, pulling it tightly and stapling it at the bottom. Keep the fabric as smooth as possible. Trim any extra fabric from the bottom. To hide the staples, attach the trim with the hot glue gun along the top and bottom of the wall.

Tissue Paper

2006-06-28T15:11:15Z

Tissue paper is an easy and inexpensive way to add texture to your walls. It gives the wall a leathery look. The supplies you'll need for this treatment are sheets of tissue paper, paste (such as white craft glue), paintbrushes, two colors of paint, glaze, and some old rags. Working on sections that are large enough to hold two or three of tissue paper, roll the paste onto the wall with a paint roller. Tear the edges off of the tissue paper so they won't be straight lines. Then crumple up the tissue paper and unfold it again, and stick it onto the paste on the wall. Smooth out the tissue paper with a paintbrush, leaving some wrinkles for texture. Repeat and overlap the tissue paper until the wall is covered. Let it dry, and then paint it with a base coat of paint. After the base coat dries, mix the second paint color with equal parts of the glaze. Rag the glaze mixture onto the wall and blot with a dry rag until the desired effect is achieved. If you desire a heavier, thicker look, use brown paper bags instead of tissue paper.

Sources:

www.mormonchic.com
www.interiordec.about.com

Gendered decor?

2006-07-10T19:50:19Z

Stop the presses, it turns out that males and females have different tastes for home decor.

Women's brains take in more sensory data than men's. They are biologically wired to see more, hear more, smell more and feel more, he says. "This is why men don't understand why women can't relax if the house is a mess." This brain difference also explains why men don't notice gritty counters, and why more women change litter boxes.

Women trust feelings; men trust logic. A woman will decide to buy a home if a bird is nesting in the eaves, and the cupboard knobs are just like the one's her grandma used to have. Men will buy if the seller knocks 10 percent off the asking price.

This article rides the line between decent gender discriminations and outright he-she stereotypical stupidity, but even that won't distract you from the fact that the subject is violently obvious.

Depot to the Decor

2006-07-17T20:09:02Z

It was only a matter of time.

The dark wood dining room table is set with black-and-white dishes, crisp white napkins and bulbous wine goblets. The six curvy arms of the glass chandelier overhead are topped by mini lamp shades. Silk-like curtains brush the floor on a nearby window. It's a scene familiar to any loyal Pottery Barn customer.

But this catalog page isn't from Pottery Barn. It's a vignette from a Home Depot Direct catalog mailed this summer, and it's one of the many ways the giant home improvement retailer is trying to soften its image and cozy up to affluent female shoppers.

It's interesting that they present this as Home Depot's effort to court the female demographic. Though nothing was really gender-specific before, it goes without saying that the store chain marketed itself as a nitty-gritty construction and equipment outlet. I wonder what it's going to be like now with an aisle of curtains and doilies and decorative shit.

Wall Decor

2006-07-27T14:22:09Z

Decorative Throws

2006-07-27T14:27:36Z

Mirrors

2006-07-27T14:31:45Z

Clocks

2006-07-27T14:35:31Z

Beginner's Guide to Home Accessories

Steal ideas from top designers to inspire your home decor

"Elements" for success

Wall-hanging pointers

"Recycled" decorations

What is a wall treatment?

Faux Finish

Stenciling

Fabric

Tissue Paper

Gendered decor?

Depot to the Decor

Wall Decor

What is Wall Decor?

What are the different types of Wall Decor?

Why should I use Wall Decor?

What is the cost of Wall Decor?

Decorative Throws

Decorative Throws Overview

Why should I use decorative throws?

What styles do decorative throws come in?

Where can I use decorative throws?

Mirrors

Mirrors Overview

Purposes of Mirrors

Kinds of Mirrors

Best Places to Use Mirrors

Clocks

Clocks Overview

Kinds of Clocks

How Clocks Work

Choosing a Clock