Faux florals: no longer a no-no

If you think decorating with fake flowers is tacky, think again.  Today's offerings have come a long way from the plastic, waxy-looking florals you might associate with waiting-room lobbies or outdoor cemetery arrangements.

Case in point:  a sunflower arrangement in my home tricked my late father-in-law one Thanksgiving.  Because he was a country boy familiar with this summer flower, he couldn't figure out where I found a fresh arrangement in November.  He asked, "Where did you get sunflowers this time of year?"  That particular arrangement happened to be from NDI, one of the vendors Decor & You uses to supply clients with realistic florals.  The faux water in the vase of sunflowers, complete with "hair" from the stems really helped pull off this con job.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of using real flowers in the home.  But yesterday's official arrival of spring doesn't mean the tulips and daffodils are ready to be plucked for a centerpiece.  So going "faux" is a perfect way to get your floral fix in the interim.  Faux florals are also cost-effective since you can use them year after year!

Here are a few tips on how to use faux florals:

1.  Buy the most realistic-looking florals you can find and can afford.  While some of the best ones may be pricey, consider them as an investment piece.

2.  Display only in-season florals (OK, maybe I should have put away those sunflowers before November!).  For spring, this means tulips, daffodils, forsythia, or hyacinth, for example.  If you want a faux flower that you can keep out year-round, consider a faux orchid.  Because they are now widely available at florists year-round, an orchid won't scream "I'm fake!"  While many flowers are available all year at florists, your trick to pulling off faux florals is to keep this rule in mind:  you want your arrangement to look like you just picked the flowers from the garden.  So don't display something like a tulip--a signature spring flower--in say, October.

3.  Think beyond the dramatic dining-room table centerpiece.  Consider using faux arrangements in a powder room or on a kitchen window ledge or on a bedside table.  Smaller arrangements scattered throughout the home help bring the outdoors in, even when the flowers aren't real!






4.  Give them as gifts!  If you're looking for a unique gift, consider a two-part, "now and later" gift:  a bouquet of fresh flowers for the recipient to enjoy now and a beautiful faux arrangement for later.

Now that you know these tricks of the trade, do you think you can spot the posy poseurs, the impostor impatiens or crocus con artists?  Still baffled by how to make it work?  Don't hesitate to contact me at aboesen@decorandyou.com.  I can help you find the right flowers for your space, considering size and scale--and your budget.  And if you want a truly unique piece, I can help you pick your favorite flowers and order a personalized arrangement through a vendor that makes custom faux florals for Decor & You.

Happy Spring!

Little Tips for a Big Screen Experience

By the time Sunday’s Academy Awards show airs, I will have seen seven of the 10 Best Picture nominees. How about you? If you plan to watch the nominated films on DVD or Netflix in the comfort of your own home, don’t think you need an expensive media room to enjoy the movie. Read my latest blog post to learn affordable ways to optimize your at-home movie-viewing experience!  http://decorandyouinteriormotives.blogspot.com/

Little Tips for a Big Screen Experience

We’ve all seen those over-the-top media rooms: the massive TV screens, surround-sound speakers, sound-proofed walls and stadium-style rows of recliners with cup holders in the armrests.

Impressive? Sure. But they aren’t necessarily in everyone’s style or budget.

Here are a few simple and affordable tricks to optimize the movie-viewing experience, whether in a designated media room or an everyday family room:

Place the TV on the same wall as windows to minimize glare. Light bouces back from a TV screen, so avoid having windows or lamps opposite the television.

Install room-darkening blinds. Also called blackout blinds/shades, these window coverings will prevent natural light from penetrating into the room. This creates the dark, easy-on-the-eyes atmosphere perfect for watching movies. (Even with custom-made blinds, some natural light can seep in around the edges -- consider decorative drapery panels on each side of the window to cover the light gap.)

Position furniture the appropriate distance from the TV. Take the size of your screen, multiply it by three, then divide that number by 12 to determine the optimum distance from the TV you should place seating. Example using a 32" TV:  32 x 3 = 96.   96 divided by 12 (inches in a foot) = 8. Place seating eight feet from the TV!

Place the largest piece of furniture in front of the TV. Usually, this is the sofa. Don’t feel like the room has to be set up for movie-viewing all the time. Chairs may be placed facing each other or the sofa in a conversation-style setup for everyday, and then swung around to face the TV screen when it’s movie time. 

Make sure every seat has a place to rest a drink and popcorn. In addition to your room’s existing end tables, place little garden stools, cube ottomans or footstools with trays so every guest has a home for snacks. Another tip: make sure each guest has comfy pillows and throws, too.

Minimize cords and clutter. You don’t want movie viewers distracted by that tangle of wires or precariously leaning tower of DVDs, do you? A console can be your best friend to hide clutter as well as store DVDs.

If you need help -- whether it’s creating an entire media room  or sprucing up your everyday TV room -- please contact me at aboesen@decorandyou.com. Decor & You is all about helping you, no matter what the size  the project.

Modern-Day Cave Man

The walls are painted, the furniture, area rug, lighting and blinds are in place and the cave paintings are hung.  At long last, John M.'s "Man Cave II" is ready for habitation.

The finishing touches were made to the cave while John and his wife, Karen, were away on a trip.  When they returned home, John sent me this message:

"Karen and I just returned home and had to run upstairs first thing to see the MC II!  It is wonderful!  LOVE the prints, and, of course, you already know that we love the rest.  The new rug is perfect.  I can almost (not quite) take credit for killin’ the b’ar just like Davey Crockett did.  And, the “rearranging” you did is great.  We hadn’t done anything more with positioning things because of the trip and wanting to see the prints on the walls, but your taste, as usual, works just great for us!  I am SO looking forward to hibernating in the cave for a long time.  (Winter doesn’t end for another six months, does it?)"



Shortly thereafter, John and Karen unveiled the new cave to family members and I received another e-mail from John:

"We “unveiled” the MC II tonight to Sue and Paul, Beth and Tim.  All were very impressed an insanely jealous.  I think they liked it."

Take a look at the "before" and "after" photos below:   

Before




After

 

After



Before

 






Before



After





     





This was an extremely fun project to work on, and I want to thank John and Karen for giving me the latitude to take the cave theme all the way from inspiration to installation.   My sincere hope is that this space will be a place of refuge for John, who is now officially a modern-day cave man.  Here's hoping Karen can lure him out of the cave once in awhile! 

It's Karen's turn next...we're going to remodel the kitchen.  Do you think we should call it her "gal cave"?

Stay tuned...!
 

 

 

Las Vegas Market - Trends Update

Last week I attended market week at the World Market Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.  As usual, it was a feast for the senses sensory overload.  Despite the allure of 65 degree temperatures and sunshine, I spent three days indoors traversing the hallways of three 16-ish story buildings in search of the latest trends in home furnishings.

By far the most dominant trend at market was the use of natural and/or reclaimed materials.  Accessories, light fixtures and furniture were made of driftwood, reeds, grasses, shells, feathers, rocks, bottlecaps, old newspapers, shutters, etc.  I didn't see anything made from old pizza boxes, but I assume it's only a matter of time... Here are some examples:

Also prominent was the use of colored glass in vases, trays and bowls, most in citrus colors and turquoise, with the occasional purple thrown in for good measure.

 Area rugs were highly textured, including beautiful sculpted patterns and silky, soft shags.  Although these photos are in living color, there were many rugs shown in tone-on-tone neutral shades such as pewter, taupe and ivory.

  Elements of whimsy surfaced in all categories:

And finally, although it wasn't prominently featured at this market, the Color Marketing Association has declared that Honeysuckle (a deep pink color) is the THE color for 2011.  As with most color trends, they appear first in the home furnishings arena as tabletop and small accessories, although I did observe the use of pink tones in area rugs and throw pillows.  Stay tuned as the year progresses to see if Honeysuckle appears in accessories and textiles...

That's it for the market update from the spring show in Las Vegas.  Let me know if you need help incorporating any of the new trends into your decor.  Or, if you venture into the trends on your own, send me your photos--I'd love to see them!

Waiting...

To quote a Tom Petty song, "the waiting is the hardest part."  It's been several weeks since my last post because John M. and I are patiently awaiting the arrival of the first wave of furniture for his Man Cave II. 

Generally, in any decorating project the upholstered furniture has the longest lead time--usually 8-12 weeks.  The reason for the lengthy wait is that each piece is constructed specifically for that project.  A frame style is selected along with the cover (fabric) and cushion type and they are assembled by hand by expert craftsmen.   Trust me, it's well worth the wait for the uniqueness and quality inherant in custom furniture.

Prior to the arrival of John M.'s upholstery his man cave will be cleared of all furniture that will not remain in the room and that furniture will be donated.  Many charitable organizations will pick up and leave a donation receipt for your furniture, which saves you the logistical headaches while supporting a good cause.  In the Omaha area I recommend an organization called "Hand Me Ups" for such donations.



SW6122
Camelback



In addition to clearing out the space, John will have the room painted with a fresh coat of neutral "cave-colored" paint.  At this point I'm leaning toward Sherwin Williams' Camelback.  It's light enough for a small space with low ceilings, but warm enough to provide the ambience we want to achieve.

Once the upholstered furniture has arrived we will begin the next phase of our project, which includes the wood furniture pieces--desk/return, file cabinet and end tables (photos below).  The lead time on wood furniture is typically 4-6 weeks depending on whether or not the items are in stock, so we'll have another short wait at that time.

Desk and return



Rolling file cabinet



The third phase of our project will be the addition of the artwork, area rug, blinds and lighting--in other words, the icing on the cake...or should I say the icing on the cave? (hahaha)