Using Outdoor Artwork At Your Home

This time of year many us have turned our decorating skills toward the outdoors.   Stores and online websites carry an abundance of choices for furniture and floor decor.  There also seems to be a large amount of outdoor wall art to choose from these days.  Adding art on a wall or fence can give life, color, and architectural interest to an exterior space just like it does in an indoor room.  

Yesterday on 69 News At Sunrise I gave tips on how to use outdoor wall art.  

VIEW IT HERE

During the show Eve Tannery reminded me that it was my two year anniversary on the show.  Its a fun short decorating segment.

Also go HERE to see a bunch of outdoor rooms I think are very well designed, get more tips, and find out where to get the artwork from the show!!  Like this one...

SEE MORE

'Spring Up' Your Entryway

COMBINE COLOR AND SOFT TEXTURE TO CREATE A STYLISH AND FUNCTIONAL ENTRYWAY

Now that spring is here, is your foyer longing for a little 'spring up'?  Now is the perfect time to clean the clutter and welcome the sunshine in!  

...as seen on TV.  Watch the video HERE!

GET THIS LOOK!  

See below for similar products that are in this photo.....

1. Rug- Surya MAT-5441 Rug

2. Artwork-Turquoise Coral Wall Art

3. Woven Basket- Serena Lily Round Belly Baskets or make your own (SEE BELOW)
Woven baskets are great for storage left out in the open because it is flexible, inexpensive, comes in many different shapes and sizes, and light weight.

4. Table lamp - Regina Andrew Lighting

5. Knob- Ceramic Melon Knob in Aqua

6. Faux plant- Potted 6" Succulant

7. Dish for keys/sunglasses/phone- Bird Jewelry Dish

Other Decor That Is Right On Trend

Birds, birds and more birds are perfectly perfect for this spring!  Here's how you can bring a winged friend into your entryway:

Bring birds in through fabrics-so fun to use in an entry way!

You can get this fabric through Kuhns&Heller.

 Try reupholstering a bench cushion or pillow or two in this adorable bold Kasmir fabric.

Bird decor can be found every where!  

Another way to bring the bird theme is by adding a bit of a bird habitat, like a lantern or bird cage!

Birds are always in style, so of course, this Yellow Bird Cage from Nordstrom makes a great addition to an entryway!

LOVE THIS IDEA!!

Mix metal baskets with your woven ones!  Fill them with ornaments for Christmas, and see what else you can add to them for other seasons (like lemons and limes for the summer, and apples for the fall-use faux fruit of course!)

The key to creating a good basket arrangement is to keep it interesting.  Make sure the baskets have: 

• Different shapes, tones and sizes
• Made of different materials
• Odd numbers work well

Love these funky pink baskets from Serena & Lilly!

DIY PROJECT THAT ROCKS

Kick up the boldness of a wicker basket by painting parts of it.  Try turquoise stripes, a red cross sign, or anything you can think of!  It's so easy.  All you need is:

• painters tape
• some paint 
• paint brush

*you can also use spray paint

Take any old woven basket you have laying around the house, or buy a new one, then have fun adding any color to it, creating a unique work of art! 

And don't forget how useful a big woven basket can be!  

Watch Shosh and Eve on TV

30 Minute Table Runner Makeover

Do you own a table runner that has been either sadly laying across your table going unnoticed, or folded up in a cabinet because you were tired of it when it was displayed?  Well, I have an inexpensive and easy way to change up that runner in less than thirty minutes!!!

The runner before.

Last night I did this quick little DIY project I just had to share because it was so easy!

I had picked up an inexpensive table runner for a dining room I am decorating for my client Keri.  I loved the modern pattern and the colors, but it looked a bit boring when I placed it on the table.  So I bought some flirty little looped fabric trim, and in thirty minutes I created a runner that was more dramatic!  I have yet to bring the finished runner to Keri's home, so I don't have the 'AFTER' photos of her dining room, but I will soon!!

SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED:

-Scissors

-Hot glue

-Decorative trim 

(pick up from a fabric store)

*My runner required 6 yards of trim

STEP 1

Measure the length of your runner.  

The amount of trim you will need is double the length your runner. 

I suggest bringing the runner to the fabric store with you and trying out different decorative trim options that could work with the colors on the runner!

STEP 2

Takes 30 minutes or less! 

Spread the runner across a table.  Starting at one corner, begin hot gluing the trim to the runner.  I suggest running a 4 to 6" line of glue like photo above, then pressing the trim down and holding for 15 seconds with your fingers like photo below.

Keep doing this across the length of the runner until you get to the corner edge.

STEP 3

Cut the excess trim off carefully.

TIP:

The edge you cut may fray like this.  

To stop the fraying, simple use the hot glue on the edges.

Edges should look like this!

STEP 4

Starting in the opposite corner, again, run the hot glue and trim all the way down the runner lengthwise, then cut the excess fabric, hot glue the frays down, and you are done!!!

Looks like this on the backside of the runner!  You get a very finished look!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

This project had me thinking about what else you can add decorative trim to and turn it into a runner....how about buying a long piece of fabric and cutting it to create a runner, then adding the trim to hide the cut ends!  No sewing involved!  And you can get great deals on discontinued or large scraps/remnants of fabric at fabric and craft stores! 

What Are Some Popular Tiles Out There?

Watch Shosh of LoveYourRoom Discuss Tile Options In This Fun Video

Are you planning to use tile in a room inside your home?  

If you did not catch my decorating segment on 69 News at Sunrise, check it out HERE...it's all about TILE!  I have included the latest and popular choices for tile.  Also CLICK HERE to see my blog post on it to see where to get these tiles and even more tips!

St Patricks Day At Design Sponge

Happy St. Patricks Day!  Do you love Design Sponge?  Are you inspired by all things clover?  I do/I am!  I am honored that they featured my Clover Stenciled Wall on their fabulous website.   Thanks so much Design Sponge!  Here is a link to their post CLICK HERE.

Wednesday Is Tile Talk

This Wednesday I will be discussing tile on 69 News at Sunrise!  Are you thinking about renovating a kitchen back splash or bathroom?  I will show popular tile options, new options that are really cool, and how you can use it all, even on a budget!  Please tune in Wednesday at 8:40 am!  If you miss it, I will post it on my website at loveyourroom.com after the TV segment airs.  

Feel free to go to loveyourroom.com to see recent projects we are doing now, and ones we have recently finished...including this one!

Glam Gray and Sparkle Master Suite

Paint Color Choices As Seen On TV

CLICK HERE to see this video!

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -

Choosing the right paint color for your home can be a tough decision, and, before you pick up your paint brush, did you know that certain colors can make you feel good, while others can make you feel exhausted and grumpy?

Interior decorator Shoshana Gosselin stopped by 69 News at Sunrise to break down what colors will have your room looking good and you FEELING good!

I have listed these paint colors, along with room inspirations using them!  

Just CLICK HERE to see them!

Need Paint Color Help? Tune In Tomorrow!

progress of waiting room for a business in Lehigh Valley

Tune into WFMZ TV 69 News At Sunrise tomorrow at 8:50 am to get new, or be reminded, of how to choose a paint color.   I will talk about paint colors issues that I come across all the time!  

 

progress of a residential home project in Allentown.

Here is what I plan on covering:

-What to think about when beginning the search for paint color.

-What shades of color that can make you feel good, and ones that can make you feel exhausted and grumpy.  

-Don’t overdue your color; colors to act as breathers in between spaces.

-My color faves for 2013

News!

Also, I am so excited and thankful to 'Houzzers' (that is the cute name for Houzz readers these days) for naming my little interior design agency one of their 'Houzz’s 2013 ‘‘BestOf Remodeling’ Customer Satisfaction' winner.

We have been busy here at Love Your Room, and I have had little time to do any DIY projects, although I still fit in time to check out other DIYers, and am loving what people are blogging about!   As I stare at a coffee stained list of 'things to do' that has not been checked off for over a week, I am tempted to work on a bookcase project I have been itching to do.  I will have to check out some good ideas that other DIYer's have done.  

Two Ideas For Two Story Family Rooms

WARM WITH TRADITIONAL CHARM

We just wrapped up a family room project in Center Valley PA; I am so happy with the end result but, truth be told, so sad to be finished.  I really enjoyed working with this family of five.  Our first meeting was to find the perfect paint color to create a warm relaxed room to hang out in.  

CLICK HERE to see how we got the look!

COOL AND CONTEMPORARY

 We had fun playing with box moldings.  Check out more photos of this room CLICK HERE.

My Girls' Bedroom Gets A Makeover

I really enjoyed creating this pink-a-licous bedroom for my daughter when she was really little.   We would snuggle on the bed and read, and on Saturdays we could take a nap together (Mommies need to nap more!)

BEFORE

But six years later she is all pinked out and the room needs to function better for her age.   I have held off on re doing her room because I know it can be hard to compromise with a kid.  I was sure she would be my toughest client yet!  

In the end we actually had a lot of fun with the makeover, and I am sure she will write me a glowing letter of recommendation. 

AFTER

So let me tell you about this space: My kid loves art; anything crafty that she can get her hands on like the sketch she did of the zebra you see on the wall with the purple gem eyes.  It was done on newspaper!  So of course, color was a major theme in this room makeover.  

Instead of repainting the bedroom, we added more thin stripes to the pink stripes already there.  I think we used seven new colors.  I am a decorator by trade so I had so many quarts to choose from.  It was fun.  We painted it together while singing along with our favorite bands on the ipod.  

The new day bed was my gift to the room.  I fell in love with it the moment I saw it in a furniture catalog.  I have never seen anything like it.  I do love white leather!!  Also day beds with trundles allow a guest to sleep over so they are handy! 

I can't believe how much stuff my little one has collected, and of course, nothing can be thrown away, so we went to the ever popular IKEA Expedit bookcases for storage.  One doubles as a window bench for more toys (ahhhh!)

Although I have a really cute owl lamp in the room, we realized we needed better reading light so we added a wall light with a movable neck.  It is really great.  I thought choosing the bedding was going to be almost impossible but we did not even need to compromise.  She loved this purple velvet cheetah patterned comforter, and I had to agree that is was funky and soft.

tip: if you have a piece of homemade artwork you want to hang but it is rather small, go get an extra large mat and frame for it (we had to get this one custom made but it was not expensive). 

We kept the dresser (CLICK HERE to see how this dresser was refinished) and added a little desk.  The wall flowers were a fun gift from a friend.  We placed them all over the wall and at night they glow like stars! If you noticed I did not add more colorful stripes to a good chunk of this wall, the reason is that we grew tired-plain and simple!  And when I went back the next day to paint more on, I liked it the way it was.

My Kitchen Renovation

When we moved into our home six years ago we simply decorated the existing kitchen.  We did not build this house so had no control over the finishes used.  Just this year we finally renovated.  Any time you are thinking about taking on a large job like a reno in a kitchen, take your time to plan because it is a costly process.  Here are the highlights of the changes we made:

This is the kitchen before: 

First thing we did was make a list of the things in the kitchen that bothered us.  At the top of our list was:
+ Island is too small
+ Need more storage
+ Cabinet color
+ Laminate

Next we priced out the changes we wanted to make.

Then we began the demo process.  

Say 'bye bye' to the laminate!

And good bye appliances!

We were able to do a bulk of the work ourselves, but brought in a professional painter to paint the kitchen cabinets a beautiful creamy light grey tone.

P found a great hardwood floor and installed it in our entire first floor ('go P go!').  They resemble old farmhouse planks, a bit distressed in a walnut tone.

We worked in a new island that answered our need for storage.  It is six feet long and has cabinets on both sides, including a double pull out trash drawer.  Now that, is good efficiency!

 I am a big fan of red shoes and bright lipstick so this race car red finish made my day!

P always wanted a butcher block counter top so I gave in and we used it on the island (not a huge fan of this look typically).  

We found these great big glass pendants and hung two in newly moved ceiling electrical boxes.  

Lastly we had our walls wallpapered in a textured grey paper.  

Here is the new look!

Did you notice that there is no more kitchen table in our kitchen?  That brings us to Phase 2 of our project going on right now:

This was the other side of our kitchen:

For us, it was more functional to have a larger island, but we could not comfortably fit a large kitchen table in the same space with out it looking cramped.  So we knocked out the long half wall that separated the kitchen from our family room.  This created a more open concept floor plan.  By bringing the wall and re-configuring our furniture arrangement, we not only let more light in because the window was no longer blocked by the sofa, but we also were able to house our kitchen table there!  So functional for us.

We dressed up the entrance to the family room with a pair of square columns.

And the hardwood floor went down!

And here is where we are with the room right now.  We are working on new furniture, built ins on either side of fireplace (not sure of the height or if messing with the fireplace mantel.

I am really happy with how the kitchen and family room flow now.  It is much more open but we have a long way to go.  P needs a much deserved break from this project for now so I just sit in the room with my cereal bowl and dream up changes.......... 

.............while P finishes up our renovated foyer (can you believe this guy!)