Indoor Living

Think about where you spend the most time. Is it your office? Your bedroom? Your kitchen? Regardless of which of these places you find yourself in the most they all have one thing in common. They are inside. You are surrounded by walls, items, and furniture. According to the E.P.A. the average American spends 87% of their time indoors with 69% of that time in their home and another 18% percent elsewhere? (much of it likely at work or school). So seeing that the average person spends almost 90% of their time inside, the idea of spending that time in a beautiful space seems all that more pertinent. Interior design seems less like something for artist types and more like something that should be embraced by the average Joe when you look at it in those terms. I encourage anyone who is curious to learn a little bit about the different styles, there are many that may suit you. The best option is really getting your feet wet and then developing a unique style all your own because like art, the beauty of an interior space is subjective. Here is a link to the top 100 interior design blogs. Just about each blog takes a unique approach to interiors that may suit you. Soon I will be discussing my own style of interior design and how my tastes have evolved over the years so stay tuned.

Inexpensive Light and Airy Decorating Ideas.

I have recently transformed my bedroom from a dark, somewhat claustrophobic space into a much lighter, spacious, and clean place. I want to share my ideas with anyone who may be fed up with the doom and gloom and be ready for a fresh perceptive! Beginning in the early 2000s a trend emerged that made generous use of dark browns, grays, chocolates and beiges. The time has come to shed the bleak military barracks color pallet and swap it out for something original and timeless and specifically in this article LIGHT. I am going to outline the essential steps to transforming the look of your room to a light and fresh space on the cheap! *Note all posted photographs are my personal work and results. Enjoy!

Step #1.) Paint your walls! Possibly the most important and drastic change you can make to a room is paint. If you have darker walls like I did (mine were dark brown) You will want a cheap white primer, (Glidden  brand at Walmart can be purchased for $10-$12) and a high quality paint color of your choice. I recommend pastel shades to achieve a more open and fresh look. The absolute best brand I have come across is Benjamin Moore. They have and enormous selection at decent prices. Remember the basics of painting, prepping with painter's tape and doing the trim first etc. *The color you see in this photo is Benjamin Moore's Sweet Salmon (#2167-60)

Step #2) Paint and refinish your furniture. Lets face it. Furniture is expensive and buying new furniture that matches the color pallet of your home is not economical unless you have cash to burn. DISCLAIMER: This step may not be for everyone, it requires serious dedication, time, and patience. If you are happy with the look of your furniture then by all means disregard this step. When going for a timeless and light feel painting your dark furniture a brilliant white tends to yield stunning results. OK if you are still reading here is what you need to know. #1 SAND. #2 PRIME. #3 PAINT. Regardless of whether you are using a sponge roller (personally recommended) or spray paint sanding and priming is absolutely ESSENTIAL. Take it from someone who learned the hard way. This step can be trickier on particle board furniture but amazing results are still completely achievable. Detailed instructions on refinishing particleboard furniture can be found here: http://www.ehow.com/how_5247114_refinish-particle-board-furniture.html OK, you may be thinking that this all sounds like a lot of supplies and therefor a lot of dinero. However. In this step you are bringing new life to your furniture which will allow you to keep the furniture looking new longer at a fraction of the cost of purchasing brand new items which today cost a lot even at "affordable" stores.

*All Photos below are my personal Work. left is before and right is after.

 Before End table (particleboard)

Step 3.) Little Accessories. What you can't paint a lighter color you can buy for cheap at places like Ross Dress For Less or TJ Max or even places like goodwill in the home sections. Examples of accessories include things like wall prints, mirrors, picture frames, little items that should match your over color palate (if your into color coordinating that is!) Also big ticket items like couches and chairs can be cheaply refinished with slipcovers in the colors of your choice. There are many home goods retailers which sell universal slipcovers.

The Accessories like the Parisian Books and Candle Holders were purchased at Ross at incredible discount of $11-$15 a piece which is roughly 1/3 the cost at many upscale home goods retailers.

A final piece of advice....Although this article was geared toward transforming a room from a darker, more serious tone to a lighter, more open feel it is more important to decorate how YOU like it. Following trends is overrated do what makes you happy.