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Think color, not clutter at home when seeking
change in new year
Every January starts for me as a new beginning, a
fresh start. My head is filled with all of the new
things I would like to accomplish during the year.
I know I am not alone. Once the holiday decorations
have been put away, clients begin to call their decorators
and designers for help in beautifying their homes.
To kick off the New Year, here are some ideas for sprucing
up your home.
- Paint your white walls. If you still have white
walls because you are afraid of color, make 2006
the year you overcome your fear. Select a color from
your upholstery fabric or a favorite piece of art.
Warm colors like butter yellow and terra cotta make
a room feel cozy and welcoming, while cool colors
like blue-gray and taupe add a calm and sophisticated
feel.
- Give an ordinary bookcase some character by painting
the back panel in a fun color. If your house has
a niche for the television or the stereo system,
consider painting the inside of the niche in a color
that contrasts with your wall color.
- Give your ceilings some interest. Try painting
it a contrasting color, or applying some decorative
molding. Stencil a border or apply a beautiful wall
covering. Add a medallion to the dining room chandelier.
- Add lighting. Most homes simply do not have enough
light, and yet light makes an enormous difference
for both functionality and aesthetics. A friend of
mine, also a decorator, had a beautiful chandelier
installed above her kitchen island. It looks wonderful
and unique. She also lit up her dark hallway by installing
low-voltage, halogen track lighting. One project
I'd like to undertake myself this year is to install
hanging light fixtures on either side of my bed,
replacing my bedside table lamps.
- Think big when it comes to artwork and accessories.
One large painting or floral arrangement can make
more of an impact than several smaller items. If
you do have a collection of small items, group them
together to give the collection importance.
- Clear the clutter. Please put this at the top of
your list of New Year's Resolutions. Clutter can
wreak havoc on the most beautiful of rooms.
- Add luxury to your room with gorgeous window treatments
and coordinating throw pillows and upholstery. Dress
up windows with side panels or top treatments. Select
coordinating fabrics to update tired furniture. If
you are handy with the sewing machine, you can create
slipcovers for your sofa or chair, and even make
pillow covers for your existing pillows. Of course,
for those of us who are not blessed with sewing skills,
these items can be custom-made.
Beware the snowball effect--you know what happens
when you start to make changes to your home. You paint
one room and all of the sudden the other rooms start
to look tired. You buy a new sofa and suddenly the
chairs look shabby. Take things a little bit at a time--
It's only January; you have all year.
This article first appeared in Alameda Newspaper
Group papers on Jan. 7, 2006.
Go
back to the list of decorating columns.
All articles copyright 2003-2008 Anna
Jacoby.
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