Lunes, Nobyembre 30, 2015

Towel Warmers: the Perfect Holiday Gift

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s time to get cracking on the holiday gifts (unless you’re one of those super-organized people who finished shopping in July). Since the holidays come out in the winter time, we tend to give (and … Continued

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{Inspired By} A Color Scheme for Your Home

I get so inspired to work on my house around the holidays! It might be weird, but almost every Thanksgiving no matter what house I’m living in, I start painting walls. It makes for a little bit of Christmas decorating chaos, but it’s worth it :). This house is no exception, we are finishing up […]

This article {Inspired By} A Color Scheme for Your Home is from The Inspired Room Republishing this article in full or in part is a violation of copyright law. © 2009-2013, all rights reserved.

Palisander – veneered

Salvaged palisander-veneered paneling defines the staircase for Fendi’s flagship store via Interior Design

Getting Personal This Holiday Season

I want to simplify my gift-giving for the holidays this year. I'm planning to give less things, but to put more thought into the gifts. I think the key to pulling this off and making any great gift really special is personalization. Showing your loved one that you put in just a little extra effort goes so far!

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There are a few personalized gifts that I made using Shutterfly this month that I'm SO excited to give, like this framed canvas that I made from my daughter Claire's artwork. I like to do little art classes with my girls and I was proud of how Claire tackled the brushwork and the light/shadows with this one. I thought the original smaller painting was frame-worthy for sure, but I loved the idea of it being printed much, much bigger! So I scanned it in and uploaded in to the Shutterfly site. The print quality of the canvas is amazing and I love the modern white floating frame!

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I hung it in her room for these photos, but now it's wrapped and back in my not-so-top-secret present hiding space (aka my closet) and I can't wait to see Claire's face on Christmas morning! She'll be so excited and I think this is something she'll always love to have, especially as she grows older. :)

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As a little Thanksgiving gift last week, I brought my mom this personalized candle. Shutterfly lets you upload your own photos or if you don't have the ideal image, you can check out their awesome Art Library, which is full of hundreds of great images for you to use to personalize your gifts.

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This summer we rented a big cabin in the mountains for a family reunion and we took this great photo of all the grandkids wearing their reunion shirts there. I love it and I know my mom does too! It was perfect to put on her candle.

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They have a couple of awesome scents in the candles - I went with Grapefruit Blossom for my mom's. Not very Thanksgiving-related, but it smells amazing! :)

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Speaking of kids and Shutterfly's Art Library, I also got a set of these personalized melamine plates for the girls. Isn't the kitty illustration adorable?

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Another present we'll be giving to the girls is sort of a group gift. Michael and I both upgraded our iPhones this year, so we have an extra iPhone 5 or two laying around and we've decided to use one of them as a family phone for the girls to use when they're at playdates or at sports practices. Isn't this personalized case adorable? I know my color-loving girls are going to love the case (I found this pattern in Shutterfly's Art Library too!) and I'm hoping having our name printed on the back will help it to not get lost at the dance studio! :)

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I also love to have a few unique gifts on hand to give to friends and neighbors for the New Year. We live in Mesa, Arizona, which has a TON of cool vintage neon signs from the 50s and 60s. I gathered up a few photos of the signs that I've taken, and I had this super easy to make calendar printed up to give to my friends that love Mesa the same way that I do.

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I love this clean, modern theme that uses pretty fonts and crops your images into a circle. I'm thinking once 2016 is over, I'd love to frame all of these high-quality prints for a gallery wall series!

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Another personalized gift I made with Shutterfly this year was this cute journal for my sister, Heather. She is an amazing writer and fills up journals quickly. It's become sort of a tradition for me to give her a new journal for every gift-giving holiday.

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I uploaded some of her Instagram snaps for the cover and I love how it turned out! Again, amazing print quality and so easy to execute!

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I hope she loves it as much as I do! (Heather, do me a favor and act surprised on Christmas, m'kay?)

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What personalized gifts are you giving this year? I can't wait to see Claire's face when she opens up her painting present! :)
This post is sponsored by Shutterfly. Share and celebrate your family update. Shop Shutterfly for personalized holiday cards that are unique, meaningful and that are just the way you want.

How to Style Your Home Like a Pro

It’s that time of year again.

You’re out of time…

You have people coming over in a few days…

And you don’t think your home is ready…

You want it to be beautiful, but livable.
Decorated, but kid-friendly.
Polished, but inviting.
Finished, but not overdone.

Is that too much to ask?!

Although it might be tempting, now is NOT the time to get out paint rollers, to buy new furniture, or to start an elaborate DIY project.

How to Style Your Home Like a Pro

Yes, you can have a beautiful, livable, decorated, kid-friendly, polished, inviting, finished, not overdone home in time for the holidays.

You just need a little interior styling magic—the secret finishing touch that can take any room from blah to beautiful and guest-ready in a hurry.

What is this styling magic you speak of?

You might have heard of interior styling in terms of getting a room ready for a photoshoot. Interior Styling is what makes a space beautiful, decorated, and finished. But professionally styled rooms aren’t usually livable or kid-friendly, because they’re catering to the camera not to real life. The rooms look gorgeous, but the average homeowner takes one look at them and rolls her eyes because she knows they aren’t practical.

Then why should you use interior styling? Because there is a balance you can find between styled and livable. A happy medium where your space looks put together, but still comfortable.

Many of the styling tricks the pros use to make a room magazine cover-worthy aren’t practical for everyday living. But interior styling helps teach us some classic principles about layout, composition, and arrangement. We can take those guidelines and use them to make any room look amazing and pulled together in no time.

Before + After: The Power of Interior Styling

Let me show you an example of what interior styling can do. With the styling secrets, I took my husband’s nightstand from blank slate to beautiful (and still manly).

How to style a nightstand

Then, I repeated it on my side (with a more feminine touch).

How to style a nightstand

Now, I don’t want you to think for a second that this is just about making things look pretty. Good interior styling strikes a balance between pretty and practical. You can use interior styling to decorate at both ends of the spectrum. Sometimes it’s easiest to start with the prettiest option and then scale it back or modify it to make it practical for everyday.

That’s exactly what I did with the ottoman in our living room. I tried pretty first. This look reminded me of something you might see in a furniture store catalog.

How to style an ottoman

Knowing that wasn’t realistic for our everyday life, I paired it back to still pretty, but much more practical.

How to style an ottoman

It still wasn’t quite us. We are a two-boy, two-dog home. But using the styling secrets I was able to create a totally practical ottoman tray and it still looks pretty.

How to style an ottoman

How to style an ottoman

Where can you use interior styling?

Here’s 12 Spots in Your Home that You Can Style in 15 Minutes or Less

  1. Coffee Table
  2. Entry Table
  3. Console Table
  4. Nightstand
  5. Dresser Top
  6. Mantel
  7. Shelves
  8. Buffet
  9. Sofa Table
  10. Ottoman
  11. End Table
  12. Bench

So…What’s the Secret?

Well, there’s seven of them actually. I call them the 7 Simple Styling Secrets. They’re easy to follow formulas and tricks that will help you make any space more stylish. I’ve teamed up with Cassity to share with you an exclusive free online workshop so you can learn them all.

Free Online Class: How to Style Your Decor Like a Pro

Interior styling is one of my favorite topics to teach because you can instantly see the improvement and you can get started right away…without buying anything new.

I’ll to teach you the principles I’ve learned from following interior stylists and experimenting with styling in my own home. I’ll break it all down with simple formulas to show you how to get those “designer looks” at home.

These 7 secrets will change the way you decorate forever. Within 15 minutes of the workshop ending, you’ll have your first surface restyled. And fair warning: the styling secrets are so addictive you just might find yourself restyling spots at your friends’ houses too (and they’ll love you for it).

Get the 7 Simple Styling Secrets Workshop

This online video workshop starts streaming on Sunday, Dec. 6th. You can watch anytime of day 24/7 (whatever is most convenient for you), but the workshop will only be available for four days. The class is free but you must register to get access: Click here to learn the styling secrets.

Disclosure: Remodelaholic is an affiliate for School of Decorating. If you join School of Decorating after clicking a link in this post, I may receive an affiliate commission. We only recommend products we believe in 100%. School of Decorating gives you the decorating courage and know how you need to create a home you love, and we’re sure you’re going to love it!

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Biyernes, Nobyembre 27, 2015

Shop My House and Gifts for Everyone

Shop My House - The Inspired RoomHello friends! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! We hosted Thanksgiving this year and have our family from Portland in town this weekend. I cooked turkey for eleven, we all worked in our little 1950’s kitchen side by side peeling, cutting, and preparing. The Flair oven was a big hit with my family […]

This article Shop My House and Gifts for Everyone is from The Inspired Room Republishing this article in full or in part is a violation of copyright law. © 2009-2013, all rights reserved.

How to create a luxurious home with black and white decor

How to Decorate with Black & White | Not sure about decorating in monochrome or neutral colors? Follow designer Tamara Magel's lead and learn how to create your own luxurious home using black and white decor.

Black & White Design Inspiration from Tamara Magel

Award winning designer Tamara Magel has a knack for creating comfortable, stylish homes with a variety of textures, colors, and natural materials. Her most recent project was transforming a young couple’s unit in a luxurious New York skyscraper. While this home is filled with luxury textiles, one-of-a-kind light features, and original artwork, you can achieve the same aesthetic on a budget by following Tamara’s design techniques.

Tamara’s Parisian farmhouse chic look is achieved by using black and white decor as the base for each room. Gold accents and strategic pops of color add to the sophisticated, luxurious feel. Read on to view stunning photos of Tamara’s work, along with tips for creating your own luxurious home using black and white decor.

Entryway

To make a sophisticated statement without going overboard, pick a black and white patterned wallpaper for your entryway. Take Tamara’s lead and add artwork with a splash of color to complete the space.

Gorgeous black and white entry with wallpaper and a pop of color (designed by Tamara Magel via @Remodelaholic)

Living Room

By adding deep purple chairs to this living room, Tamara creates a focal point while adding depth to the otherwise white, black, and gold decor. If you’re not ready to commit to colored chairs, opt for throw pillows in a bold hue to achieve a similar effect.

Beautiful neutral living room with black accents  (designed by Tamara Magel via @Remodelaholic)

Lovely neutral black and white living room (designed by Tamara Magel via @Remodelaholic)

Lovely neutral black and white living room. Love the marble coffee table!

Dining Room

Here Tamara demonstrates the power of a bold color like royal blue or emerald for dining room chairs. Keep everything else neutral to achieve this stunning effect. A black table with a centerpiece of white flowers and gold vases creates an inviting, laid back atmosphere.

Beautiful dining room! Love the black built-ins, and those blue velvet dining chairs are divine! (designed by Tamara Magel via @Remodelaholic)

Lovely black and white home decor and dining room area

Bedroom

Combining different black and white textiles, like Tamara did in this bedroom, creates wonderful texture. Take your black and white palette a step further by painting an accent wall a deep charcoal or black as seen here. Complete the look with a timelessly elegant, crisp white bedspread or duvet cover and a fur throw for a hint of pizazz.

Gorgeous black and white master bedroom design (designed by Tamara Magel via @Remodelaholic)

Black and white with marble and gold. That bedside lamp is amazing, and this room is gorgeous! (designed by Tamara Magel via @Remodelaholic)

Bathroom

For a streamlined look, aim to follow Tamara’s lead and incorporate a black and white palette into every room in your home. You’ll find a bathroom benefits greatly from this clean aesthetic. Gold and silver hardware, combined with crisp white towels trimmed in black, add an unmistakable hint of luxury and glamour.

black and white neutral marble bathroom (designed by Tamara Magel via @Remodelaholic)

Closet/Dressing Room

If you’re lucky enough to have a walk-in-closet or dressing room, paint the walls and any furniture a crisp white. Add a beautiful rug for a pop of color and a unique pendant light or chandelier to showcase your sense of style.

Love it! Neutral white room with black accents and a bright rug (designed by Tamara Magel via @Remodelaholic)

Images courtesy of Tamara Magel and Wunderlich Kaplan Communications.

Looking for more ways to incorporate a black and white palette into your home decor?

Check out other Remodelaholic articles like Black and White Master Bedroom Reveal, Black & White Painted Bathroom Remodel, and How to Decorate with Winter Whites.

decorating with Winter Whites from Just The Bees Knees for Remodelaholic.com

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