A FREE bi-monthly home decorating ezine!
published by KatieDid Design
February 2003, I
brought to you by KatieDid Design
http://www.katiediddesign.com
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February 13th, 2003 ------ February Issue, I -----
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Editorial
1. TIPS & TRICKS
- Pay Attention to Texture!
2. FEATURE ARTICLE
- Stretch Your Decorating Dollars
3. BOOK OF THE MONTH
- The Seven Layers of Design
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Hello Readers!
Sorry for the three-day delay in sending this out!
My family had to fight off a bad stomach bug these past four days.
We're all feeling better now, thank goodness! Thank you for all the
ezine recommendations that I requested in the last issue. I'm going
through them.
I've got great tips and information this month, a really great book, and some great advertised offers.
So enjoy the issue!
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Does your kitchen collect kids’ artwork lots of it?
Here’s an AWESOME new invention that will solve the artwork
clutter problem and decorate your walls.
The Display & Store picture frame is a combination poster-
sized frame and memory box that holds all those paintings,
puppets and school projects.
Exclusive to Family Calm at:
http://www.familycalm.com/picture_frame/katiedid.shtml
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1. Tips & Tricks
- Pay Attention to Texture!
Texture is an important element in decorating that
is often overlooked. The exact same color scheme and patterns can look
vastly different, in different textures! For example... compare
the following: Picture an all white hospital room with flat white walls,
flat white tile floors, plain white sheets and bedding, and flat white cabinet
doors. Now compare it to all white room decorated in the Shabby Chic
style with white walls faux painted to give texture, gauzy, large textured
curtains, a white-painted wooden floor, a white chenille throw rug, white
damask bedding on the bed, intricate carving on cabinet doors, and white
lace on the tables.
What a difference! Texture adds interest and
richness to your decor. It can be added through anything from textured
fabrics to picture frames and accessories, to plants, to layers (of anything).
So if your rooms look a little boring, and you can figure out what's missing...
take a fresh look at your room and see if you can add
texture!
Have fun!
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This article Copyright 1999-2003 - Kathleen Peters, KatieDid Design. Reproduced with permission.
Kathleen Peters - 'Katie' - is a custom window treatment and bedding designer, and owner of KatieDid Design, her online shop. She is also the editor-in-chief of Decor, Decorating, and Design, a free bi-monthly ezine filled with articles, tips, and guidelines to help with your home decorating.
http://www.katiediddesign.com
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I still have some spots open for the Refer-A-Friend program with INGDirect,
the 11th largest bank in the world! So you can still get $25 free,
just for funding an account with $1.00!
Get a great return for your savings, an FDIC insured bank account, the ability
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interested. The email will include all the information as well as their toll-free
customer service.
Email me if you're interested!
mailto:ing@katiediddesign.com?subject=ING_account
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2. FEATURE ARTICLE
- Stretch Your Decorating Dollars
by Lorene Bartos
Inflated housing and furnishing costs can place
budget constraints on renters or first-time home buyers, as well as on established
families. In many cases, most of the housing portion of the budget goes toward
rent or mortgage payments and very little remains for furnishings.
Through new materials and designs, decorators and
manufacturers have made furnishings more affordable. Plastic, fiberboard
and laminates are inexpensive materials used in place of solid woods. Multi-use
pieces cut down on the number of pieces needed and make attractive and functional
furnishings available at a reasonable cost. Consumers can further reduce
home-furnishing costs by finding creative uses for old items and by developing
the skills necessary to refurbish their present furnishings.
A Home-Decorating Plan
When you set up housekeeping for the first time,
it is important to make a home-decorating plan. Spending an entire budget
on one nice piece of furniture makes it
impossible to afford anything else. It leaves the decorating plan incomplete
and the living space sparsely furnished. If you are on a limited budget,
select inexpensive, low-quality furnishings for starter pieces. These temporary
pieces probably will be replaced eventually with better, more lasting choices.
Low-quality pieces are easier to discard when the time comes. Also, tastes
change. The design and color you choose at first may not be what you want
in five years. Purchase better pieces later and you'll get the type of furnishings
that you'll enjoy for many years.
The decorating plan for a new household does not
need to include all the furnishings contained in a well-established household.
Many pieces are not essential and can be purchased later as more money becomes
available.
Basic Guidelines
Decorating within a budget involves planning, creativity,
do-it-yourself skills, and a spirit of adventure. Follow these guidelines
to create an attractively furnished home at minimum cost:
* Develop your sense of creativity and imagination by becoming more aware
of your surroundings. Train your eye to see creative uses for ordinary objects.
* Collect ideas. Jot down things you see. Clip ideas from magazines and other
sources. The ideas you find may spark inspiration. You may decide that a
foyer treatment is a good idea for a den. An idea copied exactly is rarely
successful. Instead, adapt it to fit your situation.
* Express your own taste. Make your home reflect your personality and the way you like to live.
* Try to visualize how the design or treatment will look in your home.
Working with large samples of colors and fabrics can make it easier.
* Be courageous. Break away from tradition and try something new.
* Develop do-it-yourself skills. The more decorating tasks you can do yourself, the less expensive your projects will be.
* Learn to recognize bargains. Be on the lookout for sale items, and follow
your decorating plan so you don't buy things you don't need.
* Make the useful decorative and the decorative useful. By combining function and aesthetics, fewer items are necessary.
Where to Start
Decide what overall feeling or atmosphere you desire
for a room. Traditional or modern? Cozy or light and airy? Bright and flashy
or calm and subdued? The atmosphere you create affects how people feel and
function.
Before you dive into projects, review a few basic
design principles. Rules for decorating are not as strict today as they once
were. People combine old and new, mix styles together, and don't follow strict
color schemes. But no matter how imaginative your idea is or how much money
you spend on it, the end result will be disappointing if you don't follow
basic principles.
Backgrounds (walls, ceilings, floors). Background
colors become dull and lifeless from dirt and age. Brighten walls with a
good cleaning or coat of paint. Dark colors hinder light reflection. Too
much pattern in the background makes special accessories go unnoticed.
Color. Choose a color scheme. Use different colors
in different proportions and vary from dark to light. Repeat colors. Tie
colors together with a pattern, and repeat the pattern around the room. Use
subdued colors in large areas and bright colors in small areas. Accent neutral
background colors with small areas of bright color.
Focal point. A focal point is whatever draws your
eye as you first enter a room. Emphasize only one area rather than making
many areas compete for attention.
Lines. Lines should provide variety without confusion.
Lines can provide direction or movement of the eye throughout a room.
Shape and size. Use a variety of shapes for interest.
Make sure your furnishings are in pleasing proportion to one another and
to the room.
Texture. Different textures lend different feelings to a room.
Pattern. Use patterns to add interest. Start with
a pattern and use its colors throughout the room, or choose a pattern that
coordinates with the room's existing colors. Repeat patterns in the room
and don't be afraid to mix patterns.
Lighting. Keep light bulbs clean for maximum light.
Replace lampshades when they become dark and yellowed. Provide adequate light,
especially for reading, sewing, etc.
Surface Treatments
Often a new surface treatment is all an old piece
may need. When deciding on a surface treatment, consider how the item will
be used. If it will be replaced soon, you can be more extreme in your choices
and less concerned with wear. A heavily used item, though, needs a surface
that is durable and easy to maintain.
Paint is one of the easiest surface finishes to
apply and can be attractive and durable. Spray or brush it on large surfaces.
Antiquing, like most paint finishes, does a good job of covering surface
colors and marks on old furniture. Use stencils to paint designs on floors,
walls, furniture, lampshades, etc. Cover the design with a clear
coating for protection.
Fabric as a surface treatment can be applied in
many ways. When using both fabric and paint to decorate a room, always buy
the fabric first and then find or mix a paint to match. Bed sheets work well
in home projects that require large pieces of fabric.
Wallpaper and adhesive-backed papers are popular
covers for home-furnishing items as well as for walls. To make a poorly designed
or awkward piece of furniture blend into the background, cover it and the
wall behind it with the same pattern. Cover small items like waste baskets,
coffee cans and notebooks to make them coordinate with the rest of the room.
Article Copyright - Lorene Bartos, Extension Educator,
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in
Lancaster County. http://Lancaster.unl.edu
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3. BOOK OF THE MONTH
- The Seven Layers of Design, Fearless, Fabulous Decorating
by Christopher Lowell
I just recently had a chance to go through this
book, and it is great! It goes through the seven layers that make it
up a room, and show how each plays an important part of a complete decorating
scheme. It's also got some FABULOUS do-it-yourself project ideas.
Here is part of the write-up on both bookstore sites:
"If you can put together an outfit, you're already overqualified to
decorate a room," believes Emmy Award-winning Christopher Lowell. Now, the
most popular and colorful personality on the Discovery Channel brings his
proven Seven Layers of Design system to readers in a lively blend of design
theory and hands-on advice for do-it-yourself projects. In this book, as
on his program, Lowell brings his humor, wit, and charm to a host of decorating
projects and ideas, making them simple, fun, and rewarding.Christopher Lowell's
Seven Layers of Design solves decorating dilemmas by encouraging you to look
at a room piece by piece, layer by layer, from the floor up. By following
this process, home decorators can avoid costly disappointments and learn
inexpensive tricks for changing the personality of a room. With his colorful
presentation of the Seven Layers (Paint Architecture, Installed Flooring,
Upholstered Furniture, Accent Fabrics, Non-upholstered Furniture, Accessories,
and Plants Lighting), Lowell lays the groundwork for simple yet stunning
home design."
Get it through Books-a-Million:
<http://www.qksrv.net/click-510419-42121?isbn=1563319225>
Get it through Amazon.com:
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1563319225/katiediddesign>
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That's it! Remember, if your decorating isn't fun,
it isn't worth it. So enjoy it!
--- Katie <><
KatieDid Design
- Custom Window Treatments & Bedding
http://www.katiediddesign.com
PO Box 381235
Murdock, FL 33938-1235
1-877-KATIEDID
God Is!
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