Bring Some New Style Into Your Home This New Year!
The environment that you surround yourself with, daily, is important in your life and the quality of your living, as well. There’s nothing like a little redecorating to freshen up your space and renew your life this new year, so think about ways to spruce up your house, keeping in line with the “New Year, New You” idea behind the first month of the year!
Easy ways to update your style on a budget:
-Curtains
-Pillows
-Rugs
-Inexpensive knick knacks like vases, mirrors, sculptures, bowls, flowers, plants, and more!
-Handmade artwork (*We’ll talk more about this later..)
*Keep in mind the many great places to find some amazing home accents that won’t break the bank. We love store likes TJ Maxx and Home Goods, Marshalls, and Ross. Even some trips to your local thrift store can be fruitful and give you the chance to use some unique pieces in your home for next to nothing!
**TIP— Choose a decorating style, then incorporate other styles sparingly.
This is easier said than done because it’s natural to gravitate to whatever is currently trending, and right now that seems to be “modern farmhouse.”
Modern farmhouse and cottage styles are beautiful but aren't for everyone, so be sure to really think about what’s you and what you want to be surrounded by to make you happy and feel at home.
It’s good to mix styles to a point, but there should be one prevailing style throughout… The one that’s most representative of YOU is the one to stick with s your home always feel like YOUR home; The have fun adding in some modern or unique pieces of flair to your overall look!
***And remember: Don’t be afraid of color....
Trends right now, lean towards neutrals, and while neutrals are beautiful, color is what will really make your house your own. It’s great to use neutrals in your house, particularly for foundation pieces that you don’t want to change when the next trend takes off (namely window treatments and paint colors) but its great to add color into your home with furniture and accessories; It’s really nice to see it all come together int he end!
**TIP— Use texture and layering to add interest to a space.
"The devil’s in the details”, so the saying goes… It’s the attention to detail that takes a room from nice to amazing, and those small details are what will give a room its personality.
Layering helps add dimension and interest to a room. Add a throw and a bed tray to your bed, or create a vignette for your coffee table. Just like layering jewelry, layering your home decor accessories can be really fun — just be sure not to overdo it.
Another detail that is important not to overlook is use of texture. A room will fall flat without use of textures, so consider adding fabrics like linen, burlap, raw silk — anything that has a great texture to it because that helps add dimension to your decorating.
**TIP— Don’t be afraid to mix metals.
Just like with jewelry, gone are the days when matchy-matchy in home decor was considered a good thing. Mixing metals keeps things interesting, and it’s more modern than having all the same finishes.
These days, shiny brass and chrome fixtures are taking a backseat to matte black, matte gold, oil rubbed bronze, and brushed nickel — but any metal can all look great if it works with your overall home’s style aesthetic and the rest of your decor.
**TIP— When in doubt, go big or go home.
Big and bold is more modern than a bunch of small objects grouped together, so rather than grouping a bunch of small accessories, use one large one. Rather than a hanging of small pictures on a wall, choose a few big pieces. If in between sizes, choose the larger area rug. Hang an oversized mirror over your hallway console table.
**Tips for hanging art:
1. Yes, it should be ‘eye level’, but not if your ceilings are really low (typical is 8 – 9 feet) and not if you are really tall. If the wall were cut up vertically into four sections (going from bottom to top) then think of the art being in the third quadrant (counting from the floor).
2. If it’s a collection of art then you need to treat the whole collection as one piece, and start and stop it where it makes the most sense, as if it were one.
3. Engage as much as the wall as possible and orient the collection in the shape of the wall. The two photos above could be fine if you just tweaked them. The one one on the left just needs a piece added underneath it, and the one on the right needs those pieces to be in a grid that forms the shape of a square, properly proportioned to the wall. Those pieces are far too small to be hanging out on their own up there in a tiny little line.
While the situation is rather nuanced we tried to come up with some general rules for how high or how big the art should be. Remember, if your walls are really tall then you can go higher and if your piece of furniture is really low then consider going lower to help engage that whole space. But generally try to fill as much space on the wall as you can, allowing for a space around the pieces so they aren’t crammed towards the furniture, wall or moulding.
Everyone’s ‘eye level’ is different because we are all different heights, so that rule doesn’t really apply too much anymore. I’m sure that galleries have a rule about the middle of the piece being at eye level or something and often that does work, but if there is no piece of furniture below it then it might need to come down. Don’t be afraid of going lower. Consider the space you need to fill (from above a credenza to the ceiling) then place it 6 – 8″ above the piece of furniture (if its big enough) and see how it looks. The artwork and the piece of furniture should relate to each other and live near enough to each other that they collectively engage the whole wall together as a unit. Often, if there is a huge gap in between it will look disjointed.
*NOTE: Slightly too big art is always better than too small. So if you have to choose, go bigger.
**TIP
Speaking of adding art into your home to update you look in an inexpensive way….
Why not come in to our studio and make some art of your very own?! Eve if you’re looking to add some flair to your home in the smallest of ways, creating a few piece of art, say, various pieces with very different colors or seasonally-themed artwork, is so easy to swap out when the mood (or season) strikes!
Remember that creating your own artwork is always a great way to display the color, style, and personality that you want in your home...
That's why a painting and wine class at our studio is the perfect way to spend time. We'll walk you through a painting, step-by-step, helping you the whole way through! First-time painters, have no fear... we're here for you. The majority of our customers are first-time artists, nervous to take on such a unique and creative activity, but it's amazing to see that everyone who comes to our studio, leaves with a beautiful work of art that they made themselves! The great thing about designing your own art is that you're in charge of everything from the color to the style. If there's a room in your home that you're looking to make some decor for, edit the colors of your painting to best fit in that space! Any of our paintings can be modified to fit the colors and styles that you're looking for, and that's the great thing about making art... you get to make it the way YOU want! Let your creativity take over as you take control of your artwork and create a masterpiece that you'll treasure forever.
*Bonus: Hanging your own art in your home, ensures that you have a one-of-a-kind piece that has a story and memory to go along with it! Use it as an instant conversation piece when guests are over, reminisce about the fun you had making the piece, and be proud to show it off!
Check out our calendar and see all of the amazing classes we have coming up throughout the next few weeks. Be sure to take note of all of the incredible Valentine's classes we're offering during February, too! Bring your friends and family in for a fabulous experience in a creative space where you'll paint, drink, and have fun!
*We also have the option of private parties, corporate/teambuilding events, mobile parties, and more!
-Private parties: https://www....ivate-parties
-Corporate events: https://www....porate-events
-Mobile events: https://www....ainting-party