Mar 04

10 Tips for Spring Refreshers

By pattisays In art and interior design, color trends, context of interior design, design, design tips, design trends, inspiration, interior design, interior design trends, Japanese design, joy, Marie Kondo, organization, Pantone, pinks and greens, Refresh, Spring, trends, Uncategorized, updating, upholstery /  1

Like bears coming out of hibernation, people start to stretch and yawn and look around and ask me “What can I do to refresh my interior for spring?” It’s similar to the fall preparation for hunkering down for the winter…”What can I do to cozy-up my house?” as the leaves drop and a chill wafts through the air.

Spring is the season for re-birth and starting fresh. Fresh – what does that suggest? This year we are very fortunate that Pantone set forth the color direction for the entire year – greenery. I have great enthusiasm for incorporating this bright verdant living color throughout the seasons – yes, a color for all seasons – but we are not limited to green in its various forms. I give you permission to add color that makes you feel good. Pick your favorite color…any color!

Now let’s get to that question about “What can I do to refresh my interior for spring?.” Here are 10 tips to change your world and bring joy as spring approaches.

  1. Color POP: Speaking of your favorite color…”paint magic” as its often referred is the practically instantaneous positive reinforcement that you need to make a quick, effective change in your interior! Pick an accent wall – preferably one that is framed by inside corners (rather than stopping a color on an outside corner) and take the leap of painting it an entirely different color than your norm.  Bear in mind other color cues in the room so as not to create a discord of color or completion between your design elements – but don’t be afraid either. The idea is a pleasing POP! and an extra pointer, if your room is already painted a decisive color, white can be the accent. Yes, white can be an intentional color accent and not the lack of color that it can often seem to be.
  2. Live Plants and Flowers: Spring suggests flowers and greenery – to watch them grow toward the warm weather, bulbs inside can be fun, bouquets of your favorite flowers, sprigs of greenery in a small vase can even be enough. A bud vase on your bathroom sink counter, a statement piece at your entry or coffee table, a flowering plant with young buds to last a few weeks, a fern to add feathery freshness. – any and all of these can add life to your interior spaces.  If you have flowering trees or bushes outside, this is the time to cut a few branches and bring them inside, place in a vase with water and the warmth of your interior will “force” the buds to bloom – Voila!
  3. Reupholster to Refresh: Do you have a tired piece of furniture that might deserve a new fabric? A favorite comfy chair, a hand-me-down of sentimental value, a good frame (bones) that can be salvaged to new with a change of printed fabric, leather, or woven textile. This furniture facelift is just the trick to give new life to older pieces.
  4. Change It Up: When you move things around and rearrange your furniture, artwork and accessories you will be surprised how you can refresh without adding anything new. Take a look at your furniture arrange. Can the same pieces be rearranged in the same room and create a new look?? Might you move one piece out to another room or bring in a different piece from some other room?
  5. Pillows to Toss: Throw pillows…throw them out! Well, I exaggerate a bit, but cycle them into a bag in the closet for another time or place or “recovery” and find some fun new pillows to brighten and refresh your interior. What an effective change a few colorful pillows can make in a room!
  6. Add Art: DIY or find something to cheer you! Dressing your walls with new work can lift your  spirits!
  7. Fresh Fragrances: Like Votive’s Pink Mimosa or Skeem’s Current Mangosteen scented candles, or Vance Kittera incense will add a dimension of sensory appreciation to refresh the stale, stagnant air of winter.
  8. Wipe and Dry: New dishtowels are a great and simple boost to change seasons! Find some fresh and uplifting colors to brighten your kitchen and make wiping up more fun! They make a great gift too!
  9. Stash Your Throw: What’s that afghan on your sofa or that blanket on your bed? Switch out the dark colors of winter with fresh new accents to add color and cuddle in too!
  10. Get Tidy: Marie Kondo has written books about it- she knows the “life-changing magic” that getting organized and tidy can do for you! Spring cleaning is a great therapy and introspective look at the things you own, how much you have and what is clutter beyond your ability to enjoy it all.

 

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Jan 02

Resolutions and Getting Tidy in the New Year

By pattisays In cleaning, clutter, design trends, DIY design, interior design, Marie Kondo, Oprah, organization, practical design, resolutions, Uncategorized /  

With a New Year comes the best intentions for making resolutions that promise to make positive changes to improve the quality of the upcoming chapters of one’s life. We all have them. Some are repeat performers – have been tried in the past, but perhaps not so successfully accomplished.

Take Oprah – that gal with the Midas touch – she looks at something and smiles and it is an instant hit – she endorses it and WOW – gotta have it- good as  gold! Right now Oprah is blitzing the TV with her ads for Weight Watchers. She has a major investment with that brand that has only increased in value with her endorsement and fractional ownership. Yet the angle is that she plainly and unabashedly  states along with photos and videos that she too has known failure and difficulty accomplishing certain goals. She is right there in front of the camera speaking frankly to the viewers about the trials of her  ongoing, struggling, journey to master her own weight control and the invitation for viewers to join her and start now. What an honest and effective approach to starting a new resolution or an old one failed and revisited.

Another popular resolution, and one the pertains directly to interior design, is cleaning house – figuratively as well as literally. In fact much of these resolutions seem to be about eliminating excesses. Excess weight, excess obligations, excessive habits…but let’s just address the literal act of culling clutter and eliminating excesses of things as pertains to your interior spaces.

Surrounding yourself with items  that bring happiness, memories and stimulate in a positive manner is the root of pleasing interior design for your personal spaces. Decorating with favorite color combinations and decorative accessories is a  very personal statement for each individual. Sharing your space brings compromise and creativity to this process melding different life experiences and the items that represent them.  But as life stages come and go so might the true attachment to these  things acquired and collected over time. But the root of it all is to surround yourself with things that make you happy – that please you.

That’s when the resolution to de-clutter becomes desirable, if not necessary. Which brings this blog to the focus of paring away until you are only living with things that bring you joy.  As stated in the best-selling book the life-changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo as she continually reminds her reader that they should “be surrounded by things that spark joy ” and that the result will make them “happy.” It’s a Japanese art as is so true of so many simple, spare, precious things Japanese. It is restraint that we all should perhaps strive to emulate. The result being freeing, refreshing and simple.20160101_181135_resized

Who doesn’t want to achieve happiness? If  tidying up can have so many benefits, then doing so would be the magic that Kondo promises  will result. If we  follow her cleansing steps – changing our lives for the better, we  will find happiness.

I love this intriguing little book. It touches on so many realities and oh so truisms. I love the promise and the helpful manner in which it outlines the order to proceed. It seems so simple and yet it appears to be a better process for those with small spaces, few things and a fairly manageable inventory to attack.  It became obvious to me that inasmuch as I wanted to dive into this new program right away and reap the results – it was going to be a bigger, longer process than promised. This is a primer to begin to think about commencing to get started with this daunting albeit needed task.

Yet, I do love the book and will embrace many of its instructions and principles in a month or so after a long anticipated vacay to the southern climes of warmth and inspiration and another opportunity to collect and bring home a little more cool stuff!!!

Thank you Tricia!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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