Decorating Trends for 2009
While the weather and economy has many of us at home, we can find many comforts and entertainment in our homes. Consider rearranging current furnishings to a different room or re-purposing furniture. The matchy-matchy look is over. Mix and match are in. Move furniture to a different room, shop in your storage basement and garage for “finds” to decorate your space.
Color is not new but continues to be a trend into 2009. That grey that didn’t go with anything, now shades of grey (silver, grey, grey blues, steel grey, etc) will go with everything. Check out our color schemes in this newsletter.
Lighting up our living space is one of those “I didn’t think lighting is part of decorating” thought that has resurfaced as a 2009 decorating trend. We need to see the spaces we decorate and live in the most positive lighting, so take a look at your light fixtures (or lack thereof). Give some thought to designer lighting fixtures. Tip: that gold plated light fixture isn’t lighting up you home the way you think it is.
Smaller/lighter pieces of furniture are replacing oversized, bulky furniture. Now might be a good time to get rid of the “puffy” sofa. Eight or nine foot sofas limit furniture placement and can overwhelm a room. Smaller/lighter pieces of furniture with fewer cushions are drawing attention. Smaller/lighter furniture is furniture that generally can be moved by one person without multiple falling cushions littering our pathway. Think simple.
Mixing styles such as rustic with modern or contemporary is in. Textures can give a rustic appearance to a normally streamlined décor. Traditional can be integrated with modern. Consider modern art with traditional furniture and fabric or vise versa.
Going green is a continuing trend into 2009.
Luxurious master bedrooms or bedroom suites provide that retreat that we are looking for at the end of a long day. Create areas for reading, conversation, and of course restful sleep. Custom bedding that meets our décor and comfort desires can give us the perfect retreat.
Living in a decorated, organized and well maintained home has replaced the fixer upper. The mortgage crisis along with economy, has led to a trend to maintain our homes in “mint” condition. Buyers are not looking to add maintenance cost to a high mortgage payment, and potential sellers don’t want a “balloon” repair/maintenance payment at the time of selling a home. So repairing, maintaining and decorating while we reside in our homes is a growing trend for 2009.
Decorating on a budget
Decorating on a budget and custom furnishings, hum…how can the two coexist? While the state of the economy is on our minds that doesn’t mean that decorating our homes has been put on a back burner. It just means as homeowners, we are more cost-conscious and more selective about how money is spent. This is the first of a series of articles dedicated to cost-conscious decorating.
Let’s start with setting decorating goals and follow up with a budget. Answer the following questions. What room or rooms are we decorating? What is a reasonable time frame for project completion? How much of the work can I or my family complete? What resources do I currently have? Keep in mind that first time do-it-yourself projects may not have a finished or professional look in the end and that your cost will increase (from the original budget) if you have to redo the project/decorating.
It can be cost effective to do-it-yourself if you have the knowledge but hire a professional for those projects that you don’t want to redo. Also consider hiring a professional for a design/decorating plan that you can implement yourself. Ever have the feeling that you have a lot of furnishings and accessories in a room that you like but the room isn’t functional or doesn’t look put together? A good design plan can remedy this problem and in the long term save money, time, and hind sight in creating the “look” that you want.
Let’s address customization. Yes customization may be more expensive than retail or “ready made” furnishings, but consider the long term benefits of customization. For example, let’s consider upholstery. Reupholstering a sturdy framed chair or sofa can update the look of a room and provide customized and comfortable seating that will last for many years. Upholstered furniture is also both decorative and functional.
Sometimes purchasing bargain or “assembly line” furniture can translate into purchasing more (unnecessary) furnishings with our “savings” or having short term savings only to replace the furnishing(s) in 3-5 years. A quality upholstered piece of furniture in a room minimizes the need for excessive furnishings and accessories and in the long run can provide savings on replacement furnishings.
Next Month we will discuss some decorating ideas.
Color Schemes
Selecting a color scheme is an important part of design so a monthly article introducing color schemes that may jump start your decorating is being introduced starting with this 2009 newsletter issue.
If you are spending more time at home, having a peaceful and soothing décor may be appealing to you. Decorate any room in your home with a toned down and simple scheme to create a place to relax and unwind. Consider using pastel color combinations.
Possible pastel color schemes:
1. Light blue, lilac and neutral taupe
2. Butter yellow, sky blue, neutral taupe
3. Creamy tan, lavender, blue gray
For those who don’t like a mixture of pastels, consider limiting the colors in a room to one or two colors to create a peaceful and soothing décor.
If you are feeling the cold right about now, consider a warm and welcoming color scheme.
Try these color schemes for starters:
1. Add a warm yellow, orange, and/or navy blue to lavender
2. Add terra-cotta, taupe and/or chocolate brown to a warm yellow
3. Sea blue-green and copper, add silvery blue or coral
Tip: If you have trouble envisioning these color schemes, put together paint chips of these colors to see how well they accent each home.
Upholstered headboards
Let’s spend some time dreaming. Your mattress and box spring should be the very best, most comfortable, relaxing place to end your day. Also, every bed should have at least a headboard. The bedroom is one place where the focal point is less relevant, because the bed serves this function and the headboard makes this function beautiful.
Upholstered headboards can be fabricated in a variety of designs. For a personalized look, a monogram on a simple fabric may complete your headboard and room. If your style is traditional and/or you want a neutral headboard design, consider a headboard with a simple rectangular shape, solid, upholstery weight fabric and nail heads. Buttoned tufted headboards present a much tailored look to any bedroom. To achieve a feminine or softer look, round the headboard shape, upholster the center in a print fabric and/or gather a coordinating fabric around the edges. What a focal point to your bedroom!