Special supplement to Wednesday, August 1, 2012

a Weekend Can Make!What a Difference

Trends for 2012

Designs LivingAT HOME

Indiana County

FOR

COLOR, COLOR ON THE WALL...

BABY DIGS on a Dime

Design

By NICOLE ROSERnroser@indianagazette.net

When it comes to sprucing up the look ofyour home in a weekend’s time, most peopleagree that all it takes is a can of paint to makea world of difference.

Buddy Boykin, manager at Tyger Paint &Wall Covering in Indiana, said any time youcan do something small, such as changingwall or door colors, it will make it feel likeyou are in a brand-new home.

He also said while painting, it is smart tochange the paint color to shades that aremeant to be more soothing and bring happi-ness.

With the struggling economy, Boykin said,he has been seeing more people coming into buy their own paint.

“People nowadays don’t want or can’t af-ford to have a professional painter,” he said.

To use labor time wisely, Boykin suggestsusing paint with primer already in the mix.

“Paint with primer is time savvy on labor,and the cost of materials ends up beingcheaper,” he said. “It also tends to hide mal-functions, because it is a thicker product.”

Another benefit to using paint with primer,Boykin said, is it ensures that you won’t bestuck with leftover primer and leftover paint.

He also said the paint can be used fortouch-ups down the road, which is saving onlabor, as well.

Katelyn Hartman, an interior designer atAffordable Interiors in Indiana, said booksare available for painting, with great ideasfor accenting walls.

“That can make a room brand-new,” shesaid.

When deciding on the perfect shade,Boykin said, popular colors include rusticand common colors, such as tan and neu-trals, and Hartman said gray colors are onthe rise.

However, if painting isn’t what you have inmind, Hartman suggests changing carpetsor flooring. She said a vinyl floor can be verysimple and quick to install because it can beplaced right over an existing linoleum floor.She also said a vinyl floor is easy to clean andmaintain, while looking like a hardwoodfloor.

“It can make a room so much richer, andmakes it look refreshed,” she said.

Give home a fresh look in a weekend

2 — Indiana Gazette Designs For Living, Wednesday, August 1, 2012

PAGE 4■ Little bundle on the way? Create theperfect nursery without breaking the(piggy) bank.

PAGE 5■ Liven up your home with color ... orkeep things neutral.

PAGE 10■ Having trouble making thatTV fit into your room design?‘Techorating’ may be theanswer.

PAGE 7■ Bright ideas for great lighting.

PAGE 8■ Simple switches to spruceup any home.

PAGE 9■ Affordable decoratingideas.

Home and Garden Television

Are you unhappy with your home’s interi-or design? If so, you may be the victim of abad color scheme.

It’s no secret that color can either make orbreak a design, but, luckily, neither is find-ing out how to choose the perfect colorpalette for you.

When the color’s right, it can:■ Enhance feelings of health and

well-being.■ Modify perceived temperature — make

your space feel warmer or cooler.■ Transform perceived space — make

your space feel larger, or more cozy and intimate.

■ Illuminate dark areas.■ Create mystery and romance in dull

areas.■ Energize static areas.But it has to be the right color for you.

Color, and the psychology of color, is a bigdesign trend, says Barbara Jacobs, principalof Barbara Jacobs Color & Design.

“But generalizations — green is relaxing,blue is soothing, red is energizing — only

apply when certain hues are used,” she says.“A sharp, electric green definitely would notbe relaxing; a deep blue-green might feelcold instead of soothing.

“The wrong red used in an entire roommight create the sensation of entrapmentrather than energy.”

Before planning color in your personal en-vironment, make a short questionnaire andpoll yourself and your family. Your answersare 50 percent of the project because yourcolor choices depend on them for direction,Jacobs says. She gives clients a very longquestionnaire with hundreds of questions,but you can start with these five. The an-swers will lead you to your new colorscheme.

1. Where is the room?2. How many windows are there and

which direction(s) do they face?3. Is there landscaping outside that will

have an effect on the colors in the room?4. Who will use the room, and what will

they do there? Is it private or communityspace?

5. Will it be a sociable and active place, or apeaceful place? How do I want it to feel?

“(PAINT) CAN make a roombrand-new.”

Katelyn Hartman,interior designer

Metro Creative Graphics

WHEN DECIDING on paint colors, take into account how many windows are in the room andwhat you can see outside.

Choose the perfect palette

What’s inside

By MARY CAROL GARRITYScripps Howard News Service

High Point, N.C., is the marketwhere the world’s best designerslaunch their new looks and lines,so it’s the mecca for trend-spot-ting. Here are my tops for the sea-son.

IT’S ALL ABOUT COLORAs you walked in the doors of the

High Point Market this year, thecolor slammed you in the face, andit felt good.

Yellow, orange, turquoise andapple-green played out in uphol-stery fabric, accents, artwork andfloor coverings.

Color is helping us all breathenew life into our homes and ourlives after the recent economicdownturn. While bright color defi-nitely isn’t for everyone, it seems tobe grabbing the hearts of lots offolks right now.

The key to decorating with allthis color isn’t to completely satu-rate a room in bright hues. Youneed to balance attention-grab-bing pieces by using lots of neu-trals. At market, they were showingcharcoal-gray and light gray asneutrals.

LACQUERED TABLESLacquered accent tables, with

their mod, shiny finish, are thedarling once again of high-end de-signers. Everywhere we turned, wesaw these cool contemporary ta-bles made from bold colors, in-cluding stop-sign red and apple-green.

Even in a traditionally furnishedhouse, an accent table adds a

crisp, clean look. While retro tablesin bright colors are great, white is afavorite because it is subtleenough to be worked into a varietyof homes.

LAMPS ARE GETTING EVEN BEEFIER

For the past few years, lampshave been getting bigger and big-ger, and better and better. But thisyear at market, the trend contin-ued. These knockout lamps are nolonger content to sit in the back-ground. Now they are a focal pointin a well-appointed room. Notonly does this larger scale appealto my sense of design. I like it be-cause the bigger, brighter lampsare more functional. If I put onenext to my favorite reading chair, Icould actually see the words on thepage without grabbing my readingglasses.

The plain, simple ceramic lampsare one of my favorites.

ARTWORK IS MAKING A STATEMENT

In keeping with the overall trendtoward color and big, bold state-ments, designers were showingartwork that was strong enough tostand alone for those who wanteda gallery that featured fewerpieces.

So much of the artwork was bynew artists and offered a refresh-ingly different perspective.

RUGS ARE DEMANDING MORE ATTENTION

The trend toward area rugs fea-turing bold geometric patterns isshowing no signs of slowing down.

In fact, designers are offering moreand more wonderful rugs thathave strong patterns — Ikat, lat-tice, chevron, modern floral andstripes.

While it’s fun to spot trends andwork some of the new looks intoyour décor, remember that the keyto successful decorating is to stay

true to yourself. Not every trend works for every

person in every style of home.If you love what designers are

showing, go for it. But first, ask yourself: What’s my

style? What’s my palette? What type of

furnishings do I like best?

Don’t buy a piece of furniture oraccent just because you think it’s“in.” Only bring in pieces that youabsolutely love.

The column has been adaptedfrom Mary Carol Garrity’s blog atwww.nellhills.com. She can bereached at marycarol@nellhills.com.

Scripps Howard News photo

THE HOTTEST trend this year is all about using lots of color.

Indiana Gazette Designs For Living, Wednesday, August 1, 2012 — 3

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By HEATHER ROTHhroth@indianagazette.net

I can count on one hand thepieces of bought-new furniture inmy home.

So when the two faint lines ap-peared on the (fourth) home preg-nancy test and I started planning anursery, my plans didn’t includeany Babies ‘R Us visits.

We started mapping out garagesales, keeping an eye on Craigslist,scanning the classifieds and raid-ing future grandparents’ attics.

I’m still finalizing the details, butI think I’m going to pull off mygoal: a budget nursery that iswarm, safe, and beautiful withoutdepleting my bank account.

Buying used is a great way tokeep the costs under control. Butthere’s another really good reason

to reuse: cutting down on waste. Ifyou’re inspired by the green livingmovement, this is a relatively pain-less way to join it.

A word of caution: Not all usedbaby equipment is equal. Pay spe-cial attention to items like cribs orcar seats that have frequent recalls.Many thrift stores won’t sell eitherdue to recalls, and some peoplerecommend against buying usedcar seats out of a concern overwhether the seat has outlived itsability to protect a child.

■ Paint covers a multitude ofsins. OK, so failure to match isn’texactly a sin. But it is one particu-lar decorating issue that particu-larly bothers me, and it’s easy tofix. Find a great changing table butit’s pink and you’re having a boy?Paint it. Feeling picky about cur-tains but just love that random

bolt of fabric at the garage sale?Make your own. There are no-sewtutorials online. And you can al-ways go online for do-it-yourselfideas (at your own risk). Pinterestalways leaves me with more ideasthan I could ever employ.

■ Raid attics, basements.I’m lucky in this area. My moth-

er-in-law sent all her baby equip-ment up into the attic after heryoungest outgrew it. So when Istarted looking for nursery furni-ture, she suggested I start there.

Chances are someone in yourfamily has some baby equipmentstored in an attic or basement. Andwhile it might not be in the condi-tion or style you want, it’s worthchecking. I insisted I wanted all-white furniture in my nursery untilI saw the lovely oak crib and dress-er my mother-in-law offered.

They are perfect.■ Check the classifieds, garage

sales.We have the same conversation

on Fridays: garage sales tomorrow? We have our favorite garage sale

music (The White Stripes, “Ragand Bone”), stick within a fewmiles of home, and see just howquickly we can visit all the sales onour list. I’ve been amazed at whatwe can find. I had no idea whatbaby equipment gold minesgarage sales are. Babies grow soquickly anyway, why pay full pricefor that adorable sweater?

Sometimes the classifieds cansave you the trouble of even visit-ing the garage sale. I wanted a glid-er/rocker for the nursery, and nowthat I had the oak crib and dresser,I also wanted an oak chair. Turnsout, a woman in Penn Run was

selling one at a third of the storeprice.

Craigslist is another excellentoption. Often you have to drive abit farther to pick up your pur-chase, but that can be offset bybeing able to see pictures first.

■ Take advantage of local sales.Don’t like spending your Satur-

days at garage sales? Every springand fall, S&T Bank Arena turns intoa market only and completely forchild gear. Cents and SensibilityConsignments holds seasonalsales at the Kovalchick Conventionand Athletic Complex. There areother community-based sales forchildren’s clothing and equipmentaround the county, and perma-nent thrift and consignment shopsas well.

They take all the work out of dealhunting. Maybe I’ll see you there.

4 — Indiana Gazette Designs For Living, Wednesday, August 1, 2012

How to create a beautiful nusery on a budget

More advice for moms-to-beNursery décor isn’t what it used

to be. And that is great news forthose who love interior design anddécor! Many parents-to-be aremoving away from characterthemes and the expected pinksand blues and are instead openingtheir minds to design possibilities.In fact, a survey by Baby Shopmagazine found that nearly half(47 percent) of current and futureparents want nurseries that are anextension of their stylish homedécor.

To help you find the right stylefor your baby’s nursery, here aresome tips from the team behindthe Inspired Nursery blog atwww.inspirednursery.com:

GET TEMPORARILY TRENDY There are certain nursery items

that you will be able to change outeasily as trends evolve and as yourchild grows and expresses him orherself.

■ Keep up with the latest colortrends? Add a pillow and throw toyour glider or buy some home-made or purchased wall art as away to infuse a trendy color with-out committing to it forever.

■ Love today’s trends of owls, orfind yourself drawn to colorful knitdolls designed overseas? These areeasy items to bring into the room,sit on a shelf or display in a book-case, but can be changed out whenthe next trend comes along.

INVEST IN REST■ Look for Lifestyle cribs which

easily convert from crib to toddler-, day-, and eventually afull-sized bed, which means theywill grow with your child.

■ Consider other adaptable fur-niture pieces.

This includes armoires that canconvert into media centers, anddressers that can serve as changingtables. Learn more at www.LaJobi.com.

You don’t need to be a designerto create a beautiful nursery — youjust need a little patience and theright inspiration.

— Courtesy of LaJobi and Family Features

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The summer months are allabout color. From flowers inbloom to vibrant beach towels andcolorful dresses, summer bringswith it a multitude of hues. As youlook around, you might start to feellike your home is a little, well, blah.If so, just adding a little pop ofcolor into your home can help.

Once you have an idea of thecolor direction you are heading foryour home, the fun begins. Start bythinking about the colors you wantto add, where color can make themost impact, and just how muchyou need to give your home a freshlook.

Here are a few tips to get youstarted on your adventure in color.

EXPLORE COLORMore than likely, you already

have a favorite color in mind andwould be OK seeing more of it inyour home. Or, maybe a little in-spiration from the season’s hottesthues would help. Either way, thefirst step is to explore color. Take avisit to your favorite clothing bou-tique, stop in at a paint store or flipthrough home design magazines.Choose the looks you are mostdrawn to or the colors that evoke afeeling of happiness or calm.These colors reflect your personalstyle and will make you feel mostcomfortable in your home.

START SMALL

After picking a color palette,don’t go out and paint your wholehouse with it, start small. Justchanging your accent pillows,throws, lampshades or accessoriescan make a big impact when youare first incorporating a new color.Remember to make sure the colorflows well throughout the entirespace, especially if your home has

an open floor plan with rooms eas-ily visible from one to another.

ACCENT WITH ARTWORKAnother way to bring color to

your home is by updating artworkand wall decor. Simply moving art-work from one room to anothercan give your home a refreshinglook, and adding some newly pur-chased pieces to other spaces canbreathe new life into your home.

BE BRAVEIf you’re ready to go all out with

color, it’s OK to make a dramaticchange. The kitchen is a greatplace to go big with color and isusually the gathering place in thehome. One of the best ways tobring bold color in the kitchen andset a tone for your entire home isto change your cabinetry. In addi-tion to traditional wood-tonedcabinetry styles, there is also agrowing selection of on-trendpaint and stain colors like Kraft-Maid’s new Slate and Midnight fin-ishes.

Take it a step further by choosingglass front doors and adding acontrasting back panel inside thecabinet. Cabinetry colors canbring whimsy and personality tothe kitchen.

“Colorful cabinetry can be a bigcommitment, but it also can setyour kitchen apart in a sea of de-sign sameness,” says Sarah Reep,director of designer relations andeducation at KraftMaid Cabinetry.“This year’s cabinetry trends arecolorful yet timeless and work withjust about any design style. TheKraftMaid Style Finder on Kraft-Maid.com is a great way to seewhat cabinetry colors might workbest for you.”

The beauty of adding hints ofcolor into your home is that withjust a few thoughtful touches, itcan feel as though your home hasbeen completely made over. Besure to carry elements of the colorfrom room to room for maximumeffect.

— Courtesy of ARAcontent

How to liven up your home with color ...

... or keep things neutral

Indiana Gazette Designs For Living, Wednesday, August 1, 2012 — 5

ARAcontent

THE KITCHEN is a great place to make a dramatic change. Try new colorson cabinets and through accents.

Home and Garden Television

Beige needn’t be bland. Createneutral interiors that are relaxing,subtle and sophisticated.

PUMP UP NEUTRAL HUESTo avoid a monochromatic color

scheme, bump the color of yourwall up or down one shade on thecolor wheel to create a 3-D effect.On a wall, use a lighter color on topand a darker color on the bottom.The two shades maintain the neu-tral palette and create contrast.

METALLICSEvery room needs a little bit of

bling. By using unique finishes liketile, or wallpaper infused with tex-tured beading, neutral shades canfeel very glamorous. Bring in bitsof color with gold leafing, copperand gold.

FIND NATURAL INSPIRATIONThough nature boasts dramatic

shades of every color, the environ-ment’s neutral hues can also in-spire. Create rooms with a naturaland sophisticated feel by blendingsubtle shades of cream and brown.

LAYER IT ONDifferent combinations of fab-

rics are important if you go all neu-tral in a room. A textured rug, silkpillows, even in the same creamtone, will look different. Mixing thesame color in different texturescreates a great feel.

HIGHLIGHT THE DETAILSA neutral is the perfect backdrop

for all the details in your space —whether an art collection or piecesfrom world travels.

ADD EXCITEMENT WITH TEXTURE

A serene paint palette can bebrought to life with a mixture oftexture and metallic finishes.

GO GRAY!Gray is a go-to neutral for interi-

or designers. “My favorite neutralwithout a doubt is gray. You can goeither cool or warm with it and cancontrast any color against it,” saysBeth Dotolo of Pulp Design Stu-dios in Dallas.

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6 — Indiana Gazette Designs For Living, Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Creating the perfect master suite retreat

The master bedroom is the idealplace to take refuge from reality —and when it comes to creating theperfect bedroom and bath, casualand comfortable retreats are moreappealing than formal, model-home-like spaces. The right colorpalettes, furnishings and fixturescan transform a master suite into atranquil escape from the stressesand headaches of the day.

But blissful hideaways are notlimited to only one style and feel.Relaxation can come in a numberof ways — it simply depends onthe eye of the beholder. Here aresome ideas and inspiration to cre-ate a serene master suite, no mat-ter your definition of relaxing.

BATHING BLISSBefore choosing a theme or color

palette for the bedroom, focusyour attention on the bath. Thisfunctional room deserves to beupdated with elegant and under-stated features in order to create ahaven from the stresses of every-day life. After all, a true mastersuite escape has the ideal spa-in-spired bathroom.

To achieve a charming appear-ance with soft comforts, start bystyling the room with fixtures andaccessories that exude a cleanstyle, like the Voss collection fromMoen. Voss delivers uncomplicat-ed glamour throughout the entire

bath. With a full range of bath fix-tures, including rain showers,faucets and coordinated acces-sories, your master bath can betransformed into a personal sanc-tuary that will last for years tocome.

“While American bathrooms aredecreasing in size, they’re actuallyincreasing in spa-like atmos-phere,” says Rebecca Kolls, seniordirector consumer strategist ofhome and garden for Iconoculture.

One way to incorporate this typeof atmosphere into your bath iswith a customized shower or verti-cal spa. Your bathroom will be-come the ultimate getaway that

Continued on Page 8

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Indiana Gazette Designs For Living, Wednesday, August 1, 2012 — 7

Bright ideas for how to light your homeBy MARY CAROL GARRITYScripps Howard News Service

Whether it’s a petite night light inthe powder room or a grand chan-delier in your entry, we demand alot from the lighting in our homes.The right fixtures in the rightplaces not only provide the illumi-nation we need, but they do sowith beauty and grace. Here aresome ideas.

SET A MOOD WITH ACCENT LIGHTS

While they don’t add much in theway of illumination, accent lightsare an essential part of a well-dressed room because they set themood, add warmth and usher inlots of character. I like to place ac-cent lamps in areas that are al-ready well lit, but could use anadded touch of sparkle, like on anentry table, a dining-room buffet,the counter in a powder room or inthe kitchen.

Since accent lights won’t be pro-viding the main source of lightingin a room, you can focus simply onhow they look, not how they per-form. I often opt for lamps thatlook like artwork themselves. Oneof my favorites is a lamp that re-sembles a weathered garden stat-ue. In this one decorative piece, wehave two of my favorite decoratingtools: garden statues and accentlighting.

Accent lights make wonderful,welcoming night lights. After Danand I are done cleaning up thekitchen after dinner, we turn offthe overhead lights but leave asmall accent light burning on thecounter, so when we pop back into answer the phone or grab a glass

of water, we are greeted in thedarkness by a soft, warm glow. Ialso like to turn on an accent lightin the main-floor powder roomwhen I entertain so guests can findtheir way.

If you want a small seatingarrangement to look warm andinviting, add an accent light. Placeone on the table in your breakfastnook to pull the grouping togetherand make it look finished. Try thesame idea next to a chair in yourentry or bedroom.

GET STUFF DONE WITH FUNCTIONAL LIGHTING

I love to set a mood in my home,but every once in a while, I need toget stuff done. That’s where func-tional lighting shines. These lampsneed to bathe a room in light, andlook beautiful while doing it.

While I love black shades, theyrestrict the light output of a lamp.So if you’re picking a lamp to puton your office desk, in the mainconversation area in your familyroom or by your bedside whereyou read, go with a light shade.

While small, delicate lamps areoccasionally the right choice if youhave a tiny table or other smallspace, most often a bigger lampwill look better on a standard-sized table. The key to picking theright-sized lamp is to study thesize and scale of the table where itwill sit, the size of the furnishingsthat surround it and any other ac-cents that will be on the table. Gowith the largest-sized lamp thatwill work.

Lamps are an investment, so youneed to treat them well so they willlast for years. Make sure your lampis fit with the right-sized halo and

shade. If you’re not sure, take it to alighting store and ask the pros.Check shades periodically to makesure they are holding up. If they arefaded, dingy or out of style, replacethem. (I’ve found that when youuse higher-wattage bulbs in lamps,the shades need to be replacedmore often.) Sometimes just up-dating the shades can invigorate aroom.

ILLUMINATE ROOMS WITH STYLISH CHANDELIERS

As a general rule, I’m not a hugefan of overhead lighting because Ithink it can be cold and harsh. But,I have to confess, a gorgeous chan-delier still makes me weak in the

knees. Right now, the selection ofchandeliers is better than I’ve everseen, and I’m thrilled by what I’mseeing at market.

Don’t skimp when it comes tolighting — spend the extra moneyand get a lamp or chandelier thatwill add to the style of your home,not detract from it.

The trend now in overhead light-ing is to go big. Lots of our cus-tomers at Nell Hill’s want hefty fix-tures to hang over kitchen islandsor in entries because these large-scaled pieces bring a lot of drama.

When I moved into my home, Iloved the chandelier hanging inthe dining room, but the scale wastoo small for me. When I finally

found a chandelier that was justright, I moved the existing dining-room fixture to my den and movedthe den chandelier upstairs. Youcan try the same thing if you opt toupsize a fixture.

You can find beautiful chande-liers and lamps at antiques storesor flea markets. Simply have onerewired, and you have a treasure.Or, if you’re creative, you can makea lamp out of something unique,like an antique bird cage. Spray-paint it a fun color and have it fit-ted with a bulb and chain and youhave a novel light.

The column has been adaptedfrom Mary Carol Garrity’s blog atwww.nellhills.com.

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Creating the perfect master suite Simpleswitches tospruce upany home

8 — Indiana Gazette Designs For Living, Wednesday, August 1, 2012

will effortlessly flow into any bed-room theme.

COZY COUNTRY FLAIRAn uncluttered room with rustic

antique decor pieces is sure tocreate a relaxing environmentaway from the hectic world out-side. The simple and charmingaesthetics of an English countrylook accomplishes this desiredfeeling. English country stylingmixes patterns and décor ele-ments comfortably and with a bitof flair, incorporating what Kollscalls “style telling” — or stylingthat tells a story. And the cozy de-sign flow works perfectly for abedroom setting.

To create this look, start with asimple color palette — such asblue and white or pink and brown.

Patterned wallpaper, borders andcurtains in floral or plaid printsare a great way to evoke that wel-coming, home-style country feel-ing. Keep your eyes open for one-of-a-kind antiques and wood fur-niture to accent your country re-treat. A perfect — and often inex-pensive — place to start is yourlocal antique store, flea market, oreven yard sales. After all, one per-son’s trash is another person’s vin-tage treasure. Select delicate, yetcomfortable, furniture pieces toadd to the relaxing and comfort-able feel. Accent chairs with coor-dinating floral patterns and over-stuffed accent cushions in a vari-ety of shapes and sizes will makeyou want to curl up with a blanketand read your favorite book. Don’tbe overly concerned with findingmatching wood pieces. Different

and unique items add to the rusticappeal. Pine, oak or mahoganyfurniture items all have their placein laid-back English country style.

COASTAL CONTEMPORARYThere’s a reason why tropical

beaches are considered the fun-damental escape from the hustleand bustle of everyday life.

The rush of the ocean and thefeel of sand between your toes canbring anyone a lasting sense oftranquility. Those same feelingscan be incorporated into a mastersuite by selecting contemporaryand cool hues in blues, palegreens and whites, with touchesof sandy brown and gold.

For this laid-back theme, use anupholstered headboard in a softblue pattern to highlight the focalpoint of the room — the bed. You

can even go a step further byadding plush curtains behind thebed frame, paired with a largeplate-glass mirror to provide thefeeling of open spaces — like theopen sea. Because the bed will bethe focus of the room, keep theshades simple.

Try bamboo window shades tomaintain the casual flow while al-lowing in natural light. Use whim-sical decor pieces such as glassbedside lamps and palm plantsthroughout the rest of the room tocomplete the theme. Looking forlow-cost design elements? Corralbeautiful shells and sea glassfound at your nearest beach intoclear glass cylinders and placestrategically throughout yourmaster suite.

— Courtesy of Moen and ARAcontent

Continued from Page 6

Want to give your home a freshlook, but don’t have the time or en-ergy for a complete makeover?Ditch the daunting DIY projects.Think small projects to make a bigimpact, according to design blog-gers from VeccoStudio.com, an on-line resource for simple, customiz-able DIY design projects.

“I like to think that small changescreate a mighty wow factor inhomes,” says Jamie Wood, designexpert and VeccoStudio.com blog-ger.

“Simple switches like fabricsand displaying seasonal collec-tions in an interesting way ele-vate a space from common tohighly creative.”

Wood is big on swapping out tocelebrate seasonality. The transfor-mations happening outside ofteninspire her décor on the inside.

WOOD’S SEASONAL SWAP OUTS

■ Art: Switch out art in frameswith nature-inspired, seasonal il-lustrations.

For example, leaves for fall orflowers for spring.

■ Furniture displays: Create a“cabinet of natural curiosities” byputting seasonal elements fromnature on display. Birds’ nests,seashells, moss and acorns take ona sculptural quality when dis-played in groups.

■ Rugs: Change up area rugs ac-cording to season using naturalfibers such as jute in the summerand shaggier materials in coolermonths.

Better yet, create your own cus-tom rugs with kits that allow you topaint rugs using stencils to createpatterns inspired by the season fora truly unique look.

BRING THE OUTDOORS IN WITH MOON CANYON

Speaking of the outdoors, thehottest trend is bringing nature in,according to Amy Lipnis and herpartner Kristen Caissie, designersat Moon Canyon Designs. Both saythat using real flora and faunabrings a room to life.

As floral designers, Lipnis andCaissie say plants stir the senseswith scents, sights and even taste.

Continued on Page 9

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Affordable decorating tips

Indiana Gazette Designs For Living, Wednesday, August 1, 2012 — 9

Family Features

CHANGEAREA rugseach season for a freshlook.

■ Flowers: If your home receives naturalsunlight, try growing plants inside. Brightflowers in pretty and unique pots can bringgreat pops of color in your design.

■ Herbs: Growing herbs in a kitchen win-dow isn’t just pretty, but it also spices up aroom with great scents, and of course makesdinner taste better.

CREATIVE ENTERTAINING WITH OLSENDon’t stop the refresh at just the décor; en-

tertain the idea of changing up how you hostyour next soiree.

“Unique and quirky elements will standout,” said Brita Olsen, design and eventplanner for Brita Olsen Creative.

“An easy way to give life to a party is put-ting an unexpected twist on normally ex-pected items, like a super stylish servingplatter or antique rose-colored water pitch-er.”

■ Glassware: Forget the matched set ofglassware.

Quirky or vintage mix and match glass-ware makes a unique statement and makesit easier for guests to remember which drinkis theirs.

■ Menus: Use inexpensive chalkboardpaper instead of a traditional tablecloth totransform your table into an interactivewriting surface.

Or as an alternative, grab candles andwrite menu items directly on them with agold paint marker — a menu that meltsaway as the night wears on.

To stay up to date on the latest in DIY de-sign trends, check out social websites likePinterest or the Vecco Studio blog atwww.veccostudio.com.

Both sites are designed to inspire and letyou pick up great year-round DIY ideas formaking simple switches in your home.

— Vecco and Family Features

Continued from Page 8

Feeling uninspired in yourspace? Updating the decor in yourhome is an easy way to add morecolor, style and personality to reju-venate your residence. Whetheryou’re making a few updates, likenew artwork or wall colors, or ren-ovating an entire room with acompletely new look, decoratingshould be fun, not stressful. With afew simple tips, you can up the de-sign ante in your home withoutbreaking the bank.

A PLETHORA OF PLATESArtwork is a great way to change

things up and give any room aboost. Expensive traditionalframed pieces of artwork aren’tyour only option anymore. In-stead, create an eclectic art piecewith plates you already own, orfind them at garage sales and an-tique stores. Opt for various sizesand shapes and attach each one toyour wall with plate hooks. You cancover an entire wall, or focus on asmaller area — but before you getstarted, be sure to lay out your de-sign on the floor. This way, you’llachieve your desired look, withoutextra nail holes on the wall fromhanging as you go.

PERK-UP HALLWAYS WITHRUNNERS; ROOMS WITH RUGS

While re-energizing your home,the hallways may seem a littledrab. Add a pick-me-up to your

walkway by hanging portraits withfunky frames along the walls. Adda runner along the length of thefloor for a touch of pizzazz. Run-ners come in a multitude oflengths, patterns and colors — notto mention price ranges. Updatingthe flooring will keep your feetcozy and help to diminish thesound of footsteps during thenight.

If you have a space you want toupdate, but a full room makeoverisn’t in your budget, consider anarea rug to spruce things up. If thecolor in your room is dull, the rugcan add visual interest and a popof color, serving as an aestheticallypleasing addition. Area rugs alsohelp to break up the space of alarger room and can add grandeur

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EVEN A LANDING can be decorated to look more appealing.

Continued on Page 10

‘Techorating’ harmoniouslymarries technology and design

10 — Indiana Gazette Designs For Living, Wednesday, August 1, 2012

to a small space. A new rug willalso protect your pre-existing car-pet, vinyl and hardwood floors,keeping them looking newer,longer.

ACCENTS AS DESIGNNo home redecorating project is

complete without a few perfectlyplaced accents. These interestingitems stand out from your primarycolors and furniture pieces, offer-ing a fresh look to any space. Ac-cent pieces — like chairs, framesor vases — will spice up a monoto-nous color scheme, while harmo-nizing with everything else youmay already have in a room. Con-sider a bright beanbag chair foryour child’s bedroom, a bold lawnchair on your patio to enthrallwhile entertaining or a lamp base

in a complementary color on yourconsole. Keep in mind accents aremeant to speak for themselves; sothere’s no need to have anotherelaborate piece in the room to pairwith an accent piece. Just one af-fordable piece is all it takes.

When the redecorating bugbites, embrace the opportunity tofreshen up your home inexpen-sively. With a pinch of creativityand a dash of design inspiration,you can easily make over anyspace into one that’s perfect foryou.

DECORATIVE PAINTINGPainting can consist of much

more than simple strokes of onecolor. Take things to the next levelwith decorative painting. Createdifferent patterns on your wallswith textured rollers to achieve an

artistic design. Sponge and fabricpaint rollers provide unique pat-terns to give your walls a one-of-a-kind look. Low in price and high indesign, using textured rollers is agreat option for redecorating on abudget.

Painting stripes in your room is arefreshing way to update your cur-rent color scheme.

A sequence of wide and narrowstripes in complementing colors isa stylish option. To achieve crisp,clean lines between each stripe,FrogTape brand painter’s tape willget the job done. The patentedPaintBlock Technology applied tothe edges of FrogTape helps pre-vent paint bleed, leaving preciselines and keeping the transitionbetween your colors lookingsharp.

— Courtesy of ARAcontent

Affordable decorating tips

ARAcontent

PAINTINGSTRIPES

is arefreshing

way toupdate

a room.

Continued from Page 9

Some interior design trends arehard to understand.

That jagged piece of cement thatis supposedly a chair or headache-inducing paint color may lookgreat in the glossy pages of a de-sign magazine, but would averagepeople really want it in their ownliving room?

Fortunately, there is a growingtrend in interior design that is easyto understand, relatable and appli-cable in almost every home — thistrend is called “techorating.”

“‘Techorating’ is the blending oftechnology into the overall designof a room to create functional, styl-ish and unique environments thatwork well and look great,” saysJanna Robinson, technology anddesign expert.

“This design trend grows fromthe integral role technology nowplays in our lives and the majorityof American homes.”

Robinson offers some helpfultips for incorporating the techorat-ing trend into your home:

TECHORATING WITH TV“Televisions can now serve

many functions in our homes,from making a design statementwith a sleek flat screen to provid-ing a focal point for gatherings offamily and friends to even serv-

ing as a hub of informationthanks to Smart TV platforms andincreased connectivity,” Robin-son says.

“Techorating principles take intoaccount the central role a TV playsin the living room, family room orbedroom.”

Start by considering the aesthet-ics of the TV itself.

Flat screens are popular not onlyfor the superior viewing experi-ence they provide, but also fortheir visual appeal.

Manufacturers have taken TVaesthetics to the next level, offer-ing ultra-slim models.

LG has gone even further with itsCinema Screen design, which is anearly frameless TV that provides astreamlined, modern look.

Next, because more Americansare entertaining at home, it is im-portant to maximize the viewingexperience for the maximumnumber of viewers.

For some TVs, viewing angle can

be an issue. Robinson recom-mends arranging seating so thateveryone has a good view of thescreen, while still allowing trafficto flow freely around seats. Sec-tionals and modular sectionalsprovide flexible seating configura-tions.

For smaller spaces, bean bags,decorative poufs and floor pillowscan provide extra seating withoutoverpowering the space.

Look for TVs that are designed tomaximize viewing angles. Next-generation 3D TVs provide a widerange of viewing angles in 2D and3D, so, content display remainscrisp and accurate, even for off-angle viewing.

CREATING THE PERFECT BACKGROUND

Techorating techniques usecolor and design to create a com-fortable, functional background

“TECHORATING PRINCIPLES take into account the centralrole a TV plays in the living room, family room or bedroom.”

Janna Robinson,design expert

Continued on Page 11

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for technology. For example, painting the wall

behind your TV a darker color (likechocolate brown) not only helpswith distracting glares, but it alsogives the illusion of depth to thespace.

Similarly, dressing up bare walls,floors and wooden furniture withvarying texture and fabrics such asarea rugs and curtains can helpabsorb sound and improve the lis-tening quality in a room.

Don’t overdo it, though; toomuch carpeting and heavy cur-tains can make sound seem muf-fled. Instead, add some book-shelves or even hung art to create

reflective surfaces that will helpbreak up sound waves.

A mixture of surfaces and mate-rials will provide the best soundquality.

Keep in mind, Robinson says,that you don’t have to completelyredecorate your room to achievetechorating harmony.

“I’m a big fan of repurposing andmelding old with new,” she says.

“If your couch has a solid frame,update it by reupholstering it, ortry a new decorative pillow cover. Ifyou have existing furniture thatneeds a little sprucing up, paint orstain it for a fresh new look.”

— lgmakeover.com and ARAcontent

Continued from Page 10

ARAcontent

TELEVISIONS HAVE become the focal point of many living spaces.

12 — Indiana Gazette Designs For LIving, Wednesday, August 1, 2012

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