Darlene’s DecoratingMaking Your House Your Home

As I sit in my unfinished living room, my mind cannot help but dream. I dream of color and texture. I dream of furniture and pictures. I dream of floral arrangements and I dream of a floor plan.

All this runs through my creative crevices of my decorative brain. I try to visualize what the living room will look like before I even start. Sometimes I will write things down in my dream or idea book. This way I can take stock on what I have repeated in my mind’s eye.

You do not want to go to the expense of decorating, if you do not know what you like. My suggestion is a planning book, sometimes called a dream book or an idea book.

Fill a notebook with sheet protectors and then start looking. In the dream book, you can fill the pages with pictures of things you like from magazines or even pictures you have taken on your own camara. Take notes when you see something that catches your eye and put those notes in your dream book as well. Soon the pages will be full.

After awhile you will begin to see a pattern. A pattern of colors or textures or even themes. This process will help you to understand or visualize your own personal style of decorating.

Once you have understood your own personal style, you will be able to plan your decorating project.

More on that one later, but for now……start dreaming!

Technorati Tags: color, colors, decorate, Decorating, dream book, living room, style

It is snowing outside and it reminds me of how beautiful it can be used in decorating. White can be romantic in a classic setting, casual in a country setting and comfortable in a cottage setting.

You can mix almost any color with white. White and blue remind me of an English Cottage or a Beach Cottage. White and brown remind me of a Contemporary Flat in the City.  White and green remind me of all the styles: casual, beach, cottage or contemporary.

Many decorating colors may come and go, but white never goes out of style.

Technorati Tags: beach, casual, color, color. cottage, contemorary, country, decorate, Decorating, style

Over the holidays I decided to decorate my bedroom. I am a decorator by profession, so I decorated everybody else’s room instead of my own. I decided it was my turn.

I already had the wallpaper (BOGOF @ $1.00 per roll, yeah me!) and the border (BOGOF @ $.50 per roll, yeah me!) I bought a comforter with matching curtains at a garage sale ($5.00, yeah me!). I bought 2 antique lamps (priced at $80 a piece, I paid $35. for both, Yeah me!) I already had items that I loved, but didn’t hang them because the wallpaper wasn’t done.

Anyway, my daughter and I went to work. She was learning how to wallpaper and we were spending quality time together. We finished the job, rearranged the furniture and hung pictures. The bedroom is absolutely beautiful!  I now have a sitting area that I can have my devotions and alone time. I received a reed diffuser for Christmas and I am amazed at how it infuses the room with scent. The end result is priceless! I can head down the hallway and know that my room is beautiful just by the inviting aroma!

All I have left is to make my tree for behind my bed.  I already have the items needed:  bushes, pvc pipe, spray paint, can, plaster of paris and basket.  I can’t wait!

Technorati Tags: bedroom, budget, decorate, Decorating, reed diffusers