COMFY HAVEN

There are always certain materials we use in our homes to create atmosphere and style . We use wood and textiles to create warmth, we use granite and marble to exude luxury . Recently I have been see three materials in the decor world that used on their own or mixed together creatively create some truly perfect and unique looks and seem to move away from the traditional while still being somewhat traditional. By somewhat traditional I mean that they are material that have been around for a long time but are being used in new and wonderful ways. They are velvet, brass and grass. Here are some ideas to get you going. 

1.     Luxurious Velvet 

Velvet is luxurious and comfortable. It is the perfect fabric when you want to create an atmosphere of decadence at luxury. You can use it as upholstery, cushions and in beautiful rich colors that is perfect if you love luxury and also perfect for the boho chic home. It is a bit of a difficult fabric to use…too much makes your home look like the set of a soap opera and choosing the wrong color can just ruin your home décor. But use correctly velvet can add a very elegant look to your home décor.

Image credit: LK Griffin Photography

Handmade Velvet French Mattress via MabelandMeInteriors

Velvet Pillow via iheartnorwegianwood

2.     Beautiful Brass

Add shine to your home brass. Brass fits well with all kinds of decor styles. It has a warm hue,  it can give a vintage retro look and also be modern. Brass looks beautiful combined with the colors that are current in furniture and in decor, from petrol and dark blues to kale and forest green, it also goes well with popular materials such as marble and terrazzo.

Brass is an ideal material to add the finishing touch to almost any interior. So whether your interior is Scandinavian, modern or boho feel free to add brass.  

Image via digsanddigs.com

Image via The Merry Thought Shop

Image via The Merry Thought Shop

Image via Sanctum Handmade

3.Chic Glass

You don’t need to wear rose tinted glasses to see the world in color. Glass can be used to add subtle accents or the complete opposite…eye catching bright bold accents.

The everlasting beauty of glass is that it doesn’t go out of style. If you have vintage bottles hidden away, now is the time to use dust them off and add you’re your shelves. What I especially like is the new and innovative ways people are using glass as decorative accents pieces in their home.

Image via  Fashionstorm

Image via GEO TERRANIUMS

Image via 99 Buddhas Pixie Greens

Recap

What I like about all three of the materials above is that they can be combined easily and effortlessly to create an elegant and unique look. One of the best ways to do this is to add one element as a focal point and build around it. So if you add a velvet sofa, use brass and glass as accents. You can add and remove as you please creating a home with personality and personal touch. 

One of the greatest challenges you face daily in your home is probably storage. "Where do all these go?, Where can I keep this ? How can I make this attractive yet pracical? We all have these thoughts running in our minds when ever we think of redecorating or rearranging things in our homes. Storange is a necessity and there a unlimited options that help you with storage issues in your home. So do you just run off and buy some boxes? Storage can be stylish too. Here are some simple insider tips that can help you when choosing storage solutions for your home that can actually bring together your home decor and create a stylish environment that your family and guests will love.    1. Add Texture.  Different materials can be added together such as wood, natural jute, meta and glass to create layers and texture.

Photo by Flik by design - Browse kids' room ideas

2.  Don't be afraid of Patterns. If you want to be a bit causcious pick something in a neutral shade that fits in with any scheme and keeps the look subtle and warm. Or your can do add touches of colorful patterns that really pop. Start small adding one of two pieces and build on it. 3. Make a Statement. One really stand out piece can transform a room completely and gives you a basis to work from. 

Photo by Burnham Design - Discover home office design ideas

4. For The Love of Art. Absolutely anything can be a work of art. Even your storange solutions. A bit od creativity can transform areas in your homes that might otherwise be boring to striking little nooks. 

Photo by Esther Hershcovich - Browse kids' room photos

“If I wasn’t an actress, I’d want to be a designer. I love the process. There’s something about picking out fabrics and finishes that feeds my soul.” I love Jennifer Anniston as an actress but a recent article in  Architectural Digest where she show cases the home she shares with her husband Justin Theroux and their three dogs also tells me she has a fastastic eye as a designer. The L.A house is surrounded by lush plants and fantastic pool but it is the interior details that caught my eye.  I love the pictures of the couple on the vintage rosewood credenza in the family room.  The living room midcentury modern littered with elegant and classics pieces. The master bedroomsIn the master bedroom has walnut bed with suede headboard and Dolly, one of the couple’s three dogs, lounges on the platform’s pashmina shag carpet. The bath has a marble tub that is absolutely breathtaking with an amazing view. While my personal tastes are more minimalist I love homes that really speak the personality of its owners and I feel this one such home.  “I look around at my husband and my dogs and our home, and there’s nowhere else I want to be.”  Jennifer Anniston

Image via AD

Image via AD

Image via AD

Image via AD

Image via AD

You have spent countless hours and a infinite no trips to furniture shops to decorate your home. The mission is finally successful: your home fits with your lifestyle. But when you sit on the bench ...your eye falls on the empty white wall. What do you do with that? 
An easy and economical way to decorate your walls are with printable wall art.  Typographical and graphical art prints are just 'oh so trendy' and I love the non fussy clean look they create.
 The Printable Concept is modern art shop offering a very unique line of Scandinavian art prints and printable wall, as well as a curated collection of photography from emerging and established photographers from all around the globe. They are literally 'art shop gone rogue' and make simple and elegant works of art accessible to everyone. 


And using printable wall art is an easy, low cost way  to decorate, the curation is already done for you at the The Printable Concept and all you have do is use a bit of creativity and put these different images  together to suit your taste. You are free to vary size, color and pattern and even combine the prints other personal items such as a tile or photo frame to create your own unique look on your wall. 

You can combine prints and illustrations to create a gallery wall ...or just add one or two typographical art prints. If you love fashion... a collection of fashion posters on your walls might be just what you need to inspire you.
With printable wall art the options are endless... Here are a few images to inspire you. 

White marble has been around for centuries, the Greeks were fascinated with it and used it to build magnificent structures that stand even to this day.  I love it's texture and the 'veins' in marble add visual interest to anything that is made with it. The art of designing with marble lies in subtlety. It is minimalist and modern. In recent times designers are using it in home decor, accessories and jewelry  not just in its natural form either but on fabric, paper etc.  Here are a few of  my favorites on etsy.
 This white marble side table by CoilandDrift on Etsy plays with geometry and balanced angles to create a jewel-like table that appears to change shape at every angle.   

Image via CoilandDrift

Image via CoilandDrift

Image via loveCOLORAY

The white marble vase and tray by Sevenstone  was inspired by minimalist design. The clean lines are beautifully enhanced by classic Carrara Marble.

The traditional way we treat walls in small spaces to keeping them white...or very plain and simple, so that they appear to make the room feel larger. But the alternatives to this is much much more interesting, it just requires a bit more work. It is about using wall paper, mirrors and art to create depth in a room.  1. Focus on Art It may seem odd to add a large piece of artwork in a small room but having this as a statement piece can draw the focus away from the size of the space and toward the art itself. The same principle applies to empty walls in odd areas of you home (foyer, powder room, or even hallway), try add some large scale art pieces to take the focus off the area and onto the art. 

Image via onekingslane.com

2. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall Mirrors are a very very common way of making spaces seem larger. Hanging mirrors opposite one another creates the illusion of even more depth, and placing one on a wall opposite a window will help catch and reflect light.

Image via Apartmenttherapy.com

 And if adding one large mirror is too expensive, you can group smaller ones found at thrift stores to create the same effect. 

Image via Apartmenttherapy.com

3.Go Dark, Not Light Adding a darker color on your walls and decorating a small room with bright or mettalic objects like cushions or gold leaf framed paintings and white accents can create depth and take the attention away from a small room. 

Image via Design Sponge

Image via Design Sponge

4. Add prints and bold colors Add prints and bold colors on your walls, not only does this add wow factor but again takes the focus away from room itself. Just take a look at this living room of entertaining guru Lulu Powers. To keep the room from being too overwhelming , stick to a limited palette for both the wallpaper and the furnishings. 

Photo by Nicole LaMotte

5. Create Areas of Beauty    “Have nothing in your house you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful” William Morris Add shelves on the walls and create small vignettes with pieces you collected from your travels or items of interest. These become great conversation pieces and again drives attention away from the size of your space. 

Image via apartmenttherapy.com

Image via Onekingslane.com

mbartstudios on Etsy

Typography and monograms continue to be popular in the decor world. People love words and letters. So do I.Words inspire me, especially when things get difficult it only takes something I read to change my whole perspective. Like this ceramic plaque, I just love what says.
From a decor perspective typographic decor tends to span a variety of styles, from vintage letterpress or old correspondence imagery to clean modern graphics, often using bold text or individual symbols.There are so many ways to decorate with typography. Using it as a bold piece,collecting your favorite letters and placing them on central attraction on your wall, personalizing your living room or bed room with monogrammed pillows. Or find your own unique way to make a statement. Typographic decor is fun, a way to show off your personality and great a conversation starter.

Typographic wall decor found via Stylefiles

Creating a corner to suit your personality found via thisnext.com

black and white found via brabournefarm.blogspot.com

be insipred with this wall decor found via keltainentalorannalla.blogspot.com

bold use of the letter a found via pinterest.com

From top left
1)  Six personalized name eggs in nest, 8x10 print from inspiredartprints
2) Vintage metal pitcher vase from inbloomfinds
3) Grow recycled wood sign from WilliamDohman
4) Hand stamped "wish" bookend from JoshuaByOak
5) Vintage metal pitcher from inbloomfinds
6) Letterpress typography mugs from KitzieG
7) 4 typographic felt coasters from greenolivetextiles
8) Collective Animal Nouns Tea Towel from Xenotees
9) Hand Stamped Kitchen Towels from NestaHome
10) Embroidered monogram basket from jennilyons81
11) Extra large red letter "B" made of wood from Hindsvik
12) Retro modern wood letter "M" from EdiesLab
13) 'Jumbled Numbers' Working Wall Clock Kit from thyll
14) Think Positive Letter Press Print from happydeliveries

15) Shut the from Door wooden sign from WilliamDohman
16) Home 4 3D letters made from maps from littlewhitedog