When I walk into many of my home staging engagements, all I tend to see around me is the stuff that has to go. There are usually plenty of things that need to stay & of course a few items that need to be added but really, getting at the decor “editing” is what makes a room easier to view & a place in which you can envision spending relaxing time. I believe this same editing theory is needed in our homes for more serene everyday living.
Let’s take a look at this bathroom, for example:
This room is lovely & not over-cluttered at all. The problem I feel was with the many hues found in this one small space. Your eye travels the room looking to take them all in & reconcile the pink in the flower arrangement with something else in that pink family. We find the maroon towels, but those are so dark & seem chopped up by the pale tan towels. The nice warm hues of the candle stand out alone… but that was the item I most liked with this wallpaper & flooring.
I used the candle to help me start over. By pulling everything out of the flower arrangement that wasn’t in this warm scheme & finding a nice organic vase, we had a great foundation. After the removal of the dark towels, we switched them out for subtle a subtle sage color already found in the leaves & stems of the arrangement. Eliminating the decorative ball & bath mat kept the look clean & consistent. (hey, I know how easy it is to just use the towels that are handy — or clean! — for your guest bath, for example, but going to that little extra effort to use the right color gives the entire room that designer’s touch.)
How about one more example:
The bedroom here was filled with great decor pieces & the color scheme was nice. There were just one or two too many items as you can see here:
The four prints plus the mirror over the bed went a little overboard. You might also notice there were a few small silk flowers sitting in the pot holding the tall bamboo & another flower arrangement on the bedside table. I’m sure the intent was to liven up the room with something organic & colorful. A better option was the use of a red-shaded lamp in the design, accomplishing three things: it brightens up the space with the lamplight, brightens up the space with the brightly-colored lampshade & also pulls the whole room together by repeating the red from the accent pillows over on the desk.
I also preferred playing the artwork off of the bedding vs. the original super-contemporary heavy black frames of the first set of prints. Now the setting is serene & restful. Don’t you want to curl up with a nice book?
The best part about both of these transformations was the cost: $0.00. Using the items in your home you can often pull things from other rooms before you ever have to go shopping. Give this editing theory a try & see how you do. Do your best to keep things simple in terms of number, type & color of items in each vignette. You know what they say: ”Less is More!”
Next Time on MHD.com: Tipsfor outside your home – improve your curb appeal!
Editing your decor for more serene surroundings
When I walk into many of my home staging engagements, all I tend to see around me is the stuff that has to go. There are usually plenty of things that need to stay & of course a few items that need to be added but really, getting at the decor “editing” is what makes a room easier to view & a place in which you can envision spending relaxing time. I believe this same editing theory is needed in our homes for more serene everyday living.
Let’s take a look at this bathroom, for example:
This room is lovely & not over-cluttered at all. The problem I feel was with the many hues found in this one small space. Your eye travels the room looking to take them all in & reconcile the pink in the flower arrangement with something else in that pink family. We find the maroon towels, but those are so dark & seem chopped up by the pale tan towels. The nice warm hues of the candle stand out alone… but that was the item I most liked with this wallpaper & flooring.
I used the candle to help me start over. By pulling everything out of the flower arrangement that wasn’t in this warm scheme & finding a nice organic vase, we had a great foundation. After the removal of the dark towels, we switched them out for subtle a subtle sage color already found in the leaves & stems of the arrangement. Eliminating the decorative ball & bath mat kept the look clean & consistent. (hey, I know how easy it is to just use the towels that are handy — or clean! — for your guest bath, for example, but going to that little extra effort to use the right color gives the entire room that designer’s touch.)
How about one more example:
The bedroom here was filled with great decor pieces & the color scheme was nice. There were just one or two too many items as you can see here:
The four prints plus the mirror over the bed went a little overboard. You might also notice there were a few small silk flowers sitting in the pot holding the tall bamboo & another flower arrangement on the bedside table. I’m sure the intent was to liven up the room with something organic & colorful. A better option was the use of a red-shaded lamp in the design, accomplishing three things: it brightens up the space with the lamplight, brightens up the space with the brightly-colored lampshade & also pulls the whole room together by repeating the red from the accent pillows over on the desk.
I also preferred playing the artwork off of the bedding vs. the original super-contemporary heavy black frames of the first set of prints. Now the setting is serene & restful. Don’t you want to curl up with a nice book?
The best part about both of these transformations was the cost: $0.00. Using the items in your home you can often pull things from other rooms before you ever have to go shopping. Give this editing theory a try & see how you do. Do your best to keep things simple in terms of number, type & color of items in each vignette. You know what they say: ”Less is More!”
Next Time on MHD.com: Tips for outside your home – improve your curb appeal!