Rule #4 - Color and Texture

I feel like I could go on and on about color and different palettes to use! So here goes...

Monochromatic: Contains one color but uses all different shades and tints of it.



Complimentary: Colors opposite each other, like red and green or blue and orange.



Neutral: Different shades of blacks, whites, grays, and browns. I like to use neutrals as the base of a room, and then add pops of accent colors.



Analogous: Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. For example, an analogous color pallete could have greens, blues, and purples.



Warm and Cool: Colors provoke "feelings." I personally love warm colors because they feel more cozy. I learned this pretty quick when I had an icy blue color scheme in my family room and realized I wanted to warm it up. Warm colors include browns, reds, oranges, and yellows. Cool colors include blues, greens, and purples.





Color is a very personal choice. Choose colors that you love, and so when you surround yourself in them, they make you happy and comfortable.

Look for nice textures in fabrics and accessories because great use of texture provides a rich look, and provides interest in a room.

Rule #3 - Contrast

To create interest in a room, use contrast. Don't just think about color, but also shapes, patterns, sizes, textures, etc.

Just recently, each of my kids got new beds. Because the walls in their rooms are painted different colors, I decided to go with white bed coverlets for their beds. It provides a nice contrast. I felt a little crazy putting white bedding into their rooms when they are each as messy as can be, but all well. They definitely keep me on my cleaning toes!



Notice the contrasting things in this photo. The darker woods contrast against the lighter walls above. Also, while the color palette is similar between the vases and pillows, their shapes and patterns contrast against each other.

Photo by Sunset Magazine

Rule #2 - Balance

Just like not having the proper balance in our everyday lives causes chaos, poor balance in design causes visual chaos.

There must be a balance between the space with heights and the visual weight of objects. Think symmetry. If you were to take a room and draw a line down the middle of it, each of the sides are the same and mirror each other, like in the photo below...



If you slice the fireplace in half, the room looks pretty much the same on both sides. They both have identical curtains and chairs.

You can also find balance in assymetrical rooms. If there is a cluster of white candles on one side of the room, and the other side has a similar size cluster of white photo frames, it achieves assymetrical balance. Although the items are not the same, they maintain a proper balance because of their size and scale to the room.

It's also important to find balance in hanging things on the walls. Even though the general rule of thumb is to hang art at eye level, if there is art work hung at all different levels all around the room, it won't look right. Things need to balance each other out at the right heights.

Photo courtesy of HGTV

Interior Design Rule #1 - Proportion & Scale

Let's just call this week Interior Design Rules week! I am going to cover the 6 most important rules of Interior Design that anyone can incorporate into their spaces that surround them.

For today, I will touch on Proportion and Scale. Would it look right to stuff a king sized bed into a tiny bedroom? Or what about a large 6 person dining room table into a small dining nook? No, no! I understand that sometimes we are stuck with what we've got for now, like hand me down furniture, or garage sale finds. Heaven knows, I had a huge queen bed in my daughter's room for awhile that literally took up the whole room because that's what we had to work with! And when we were newlyweds, all my furniture was my mother's rejects that she was done with. But, when you start shopping and purchasing your own furniture, look for pieces that will be suitable for the space you've got.

Proportion and scale needs to be incorporated into walls too...

If you have a wall that is huge and shows lots of open space, don't hang tiny art there. Make it work by finding that properly sized piece (or create your own). And vice versa, don't hang a giant picture on a small wall. There are ways to manipulate art. For instance, I've purchased a print, chopped it up into equal parts of 8, and then framed the 8 pieces and hung them up on the wall in a grid. By framing it in pieces and spacing them out a little bit, it expanded the art and made it work better for the wall I needed it on.

Here is an example of poor Scale and Proportion...



I love this room! I think it is cute as can be, but there are two things that need to be changed that could make it look even better. Look at how small the lamps are, and how the rug is too small for the area it needs to cover. They don't fit in with this space.

Photo from AB Interiors

Applique

Sorry I've been MIA this whole week! I'm in charge of these activities for the ladies at my church that take place once a quarter, and last night was one of them...which has kept me pretty occupied this week. Usually the few days leading up to these activities have me running around town picking up things and preparing for them. So, please forgive me for the lack of posting!

Something I've always wanted to try is applique. I love that you can take a plain old shirt and turn it into something cute. I think you could make some cute baby onesies or kids' shirts by doing some applique. You could also use applique on throw pillows, tea towels, or blankets. If you can trace, use scissors, and do a basic stitch on a sewing machine, you can applique!

Here are some examples of some applique projects:

Helping Little Hands made this little tractor shirt for her son...



Pin and Paper made these cute sweatshirts...



Don't Look Now spruced up this blanket with some flower applique...



And here are some free applique websites that have printable templates you can use 'til your hearts content:

Free Applique.com




Make Your Own Baby Stuff.com has stuff especially for baby clothes or nursery decor...



Isn't this whale the cutest?

Hope you have a nice day! I'm heading to the river to lounge in the sun!

Furniture Before & Afters

Over at Skinny LaMinx, there are a few of these chair transformations. It just goes to show that any hideous chair can be transformed. This gal has got some talent when it comes to chair makeovers!





Hannah over at Hannah Stanton did this incredible reupholstery job. This chair was seriosuly in bad shape. What an amazing after!




And this one is my favorite because Lori over at Lori Danielle took two of those wooden palletes and created a toddler bed! That is one of the most creative, thrifty, and coolest design transformations I've ever seen!





People never cease to amaze me when it comes to their creativity with design!

Cookie Monster Themed Birthday Party

I have this super talented friend named Ruby who never ceases to amaze me with what she can do and whip up! This past weekend, we went to her 2 year old daughter's birthday party, and it had a Cookie Monster theme. I was blown away with all the handmade decorations, the cake, and all the thought and effort that went into everything. It all looked SO amazing. Here are some photos from the fantastic party...



Isn't that cake the coolest?



Ruby made her daughter Hune that blue tutu!



Ruby and Hune



There were so many other cool things there that Ruby made, like chocolate cookie monster pops, and mints scattered on the table with stickers of her daughter's face on them. That girl has got some talent!

And this is another cake that Ruby made for her sister in law. Isn't she great? And by golly, super talented!