Decorating new house

[Diamondsbybree]

I love to go to stores like Home Depot and Lowes. I go straight to the paint department and take all those free magazines with paint themes and color tips. I have gotten some really good decorating ideas from them. And of course, I watch alot of HGTV (my favorite channel).....

 

[MichelleCarmen]

One other thing that I forgot to mention regarding art. I realize some people like it, some don''t, but I have found some great original pieces on EBAY, for great prices. Just go to the ''self representing artist'' area. I wanted some great ''Martini'' orignal acrylic paintings and would type in the word ''martini'' in the self representing artist area and I was amazed by the talented people all over the world! I love the fact that I can go outside of my local art shows to acquire new, fun pieces.

Michelle, I''ll probably think of more things, as this subject is really a passion for me!!! Have fun decorating and hunting for that perfect item

Please post any additional ideas you have. Is it alright if PM you if I have any questions?

Oh, and great idea regarding eBay artists. I LOVE art and in fact spent two and a half years working with clay and have a strange assortment of hand built and wheel thrown vases. You can see my learning curve from rather lopsided bowls to pretty-well-centered ones.

The funny ones are used as the cat''s dishes. lol Anyway, earlier my husband and I were discussing purchasing prints for the walls, but I''d much rather have an authentically textured painting than a photograph of one.

Maybe your husband and you should trade vehicles

lol

Have a great weekend,
Michelle

 

[Libster]

PM me anytime, I"m pleased to help. I''m going to sign up for an art class in January and contemplated pottery instead, but figured the whole "wheel" thing would throw me....LOL

Plan on spending some time on the EBAY artist area, you will be amazed how much is out there. Good luck!

 

[twinkletoes]

yeah, i bought my condo earlier this year and furnishing it has been slow going. it''s so expensive! and i''d much rather wait for quality pieces than getting ikea furniture that will last 6 mo just so i can fill my place for the time being. i bought my couch/chair/ottoman set on sale from macy''s. coffee table and side table from crate & barrel. office desk from potterybarn. white bookshelf from pottery barn. i''m lusting after the C & B Colette Bed, but the price is steep and I don''t need a new bed now and I would feel silly having a King size bed all to myself. I love the Vendome bedroom set at well. *sigh*

livingroom before:

livingroom currently:

i am still in need of a fake tree for the corner as well as artwork on the walls. the artwork i''ll be painting myself so that may take some time. i''ll eventually sew some drapes as well. on one wall in my livingroom i''m going to blow up and frame old b&w photos of my family and hang them all together.

like this one of my mom as a child:

the desk i bought for my office:

but in all honesty, i''m in no rush to finish furnishing my place. i have about 1720 sq ft all to myself and i seriously only really use like 2 rooms. it''s too big for me right now, but it''d be perfect for when i get married. i''d also like to wait on furnishing everything because i think it''d be nice to get married and shop for "our" place together - you know?

 

[twinkletoes]

i''m not sure what kind of art you are into, but i like these...modern, pop, retro

http://www.kanvas.com.au/

http://fourblankwalls.co.uk/index.html

http://www.youareart.co.uk/

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

BUMP.

Let''s get some more decorating ideas. For instance, my favorite topic color! We have a sage green sofa set and I REALLY want to paint the family room like a salmonish orangish but pale color...ok that sounded gross but if I find a picture close to what I am thinking of then I''ll post it. Hubby is even up for this! Although it took a little coercing...

I am thinking for the guest bathroom/bedroom I want to do a beach cottage type them, think simplistic blues, pale yellows, and whites...alright those are the only rooms I know for sure....even though I have been toying around with the idea of doing the dining room and living room and various shades of mocha, chocolate and beige mmm

 

[MINE!!]

Lady, I think that it sounds scrumptous. I love those two colors together and I think that it would be wonderful contrast. You are thinking about something like a muted Burnt Orange ... Not mango...or mandarin

 

[moremoremore]

OH boy! This thread again! I love it!

OK. This is going to sound really really odd. But if you are into subtle tones and decor and bare spaces...there is a site I LOVE. Not to shop from.. it's a real estate site LOL. It looks like the realtor staged the empty homes. The styles and furniture give me great ideas!

BJDROUBI.COM

 

[MichelleCarmen]

lol I feel ashamed. I asked about decorating, but thus far, have only purchased two rugs and some over priced williams sonoma candle holders. . .lol

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Date: 7/7/2005 9:42:26 PM
Author: MINE!!
Lady, I think that it sounds scrumptous. I love those two colors together and I think that it would be wonderful contrast. You are thinking about something like a muted Burnt Orange ... Not mango...or mandarin

Exactly MINE! Because our sofa is so muted I wanted something to POP in the room. In the temporary apartment we are in the walls are beige and

sooooooo BORING! That is when I started playing around with the idea of picking a WOW color....just haven''t found it yet....except in my headlol


P.S. For anyone that is interested in lots of blues or muted tones Lowes has a new collection of paint called ''Seaside Escape'' (I think), it has THE most BEAUTIFUL colors! I think I could decorate my whole house with that one palette. You can access it at the Lowes website and then look for the interactive paint workshop, it even let''s you play around with the different colors (not just that one brand but most brands that Lowes carries).

 

[Mara]

every few months i freak out that the house looks barren and ''stark'' since i really like neutrals (too much) and i go on a mini shopping spree and get colored things to make it seem more homey. we have been here 1.5 years and finally i feel like things are coming together!

funny thing was we had people over for 4th of july and one of my friends said something like ''mara you are such the decorating queen...i have to get you to my house to help me out''..and i was like..''what are you talking about?! i feel like the house looks so barren and nothing ever goes together!'' and they were all exclaiming ''no way'' etc etc...i was amazed.

it''s so funny how things look one way to you when you see things daily etc and how they look to others. i kind of had to look at things through my friends'' eyes...and it''s looking pretty good! finally! sometimes i think, oh that looks horrible or it doesn''t match at all. i am VERY hard on myself.

but feeling pretty happy with it so far. still got a few things to do, esp in terms of artwork which i just cannot committ to for the life of me...but i am getting there!!!

i will say recently i have discovered eBay for some items and have gotten a fabulous deal. i got one of those french gallery clocks, 23" with a working pendulum, brand new and it was $60. $150 in the ballard designs catalog. it looks fab downstairs in our entry. also a piece of artwork i saw in a catalog is on ebay for $50 instead of $300. the frame will be about $100 so i''ll have it complete for $150 instead of $300!

so if you see something in your fave magazine or catalog, look on ebay! you never know. also craigslist in your area...awesome deals! that $200 PB mirror I got on there for $40 was such a great deal.

i have been galvanized into action recently....i just don''t want to be all decorated and then boom, time to move!! that would SUCK.

 

[Mara]

oh and the other thing...RUGS.

i have recently started thinking about them as a way to add quick, portable color to the rooms...we have all neutral walls (pale taupe), white baseboards, and a cream carpet which gets dirty really easily.

so i decorate with color and was thinking a rug would be a great way to add some spice. PB rugs sell on eBay for 1/2 price if not less...definitely some good deals there!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 7/8/2005 12:19:38 AM
Author: Mara
oh and the other thing...RUGS.

so i decorate with color and was thinking a rug would be a great way to add some spice. PB rugs sell on eBay for 1/2 price if not less...definitely some good deals there!

We have a dark red oriental rug and it looks fabulous next to our plain grey leather couch. It certainly does add some spice. We purchased this rug at The Bon Marche Home Store (now bought out by Macy's) during one of their rug sales. . .actually, my husband's aunt bought it for us as a housewarming gift (lol) and it was 1/2 off. . marked down to $700. . .even in a nearly undecorated house, a rug in a room fills up space with simplicity and elegance.

 

[ringbling17]

Date: 7/8/2005 12:19:38 AM
Author: Mara
oh and the other thing...RUGS.

so i decorate with color and was thinking a rug would be a great way to add some spice. PB rugs sell on eBay for 1/2 price if not less...definitely some good deals there!

Speaking about Pottery Barn rugs, I just purchased one for the baby''s room from ebay. It retailed for $599 and is currently on sale on the PBK website for $450.
After I calculated the shipping and tax, it would have come out to $575.
I found it on ebay for $400, but I decided to contact the seller and make them an offer of $200 to see if they would accept.

And they did!!!! So, I got it for $200 plus shipping!

Also, I wound up getting the matching crib set as well! I wasn''t going to at first, but I am a person that likes to coordinate!
I am so excited and can''t wait to start decorating!

 

[moremoremore]

That''s fantastic! And I agree about the PB ebay rugs. I recently purchased one and I got a great deal. I first called to the pottery barn outlets to see if they had any (b/c that''s where the seller''s go for the most part I bet)...and they didn''t so I bid on a rug. I actually gave the gal more than her asking price so she ended the auction now...but she was so great that I saved $200 on the base price. Paid no tax. Got free shipping.

I also purchased a aubusson needlepoint a few years back and saw it in a high end gallery for nearly double. It doesn''t match for now but I have it tucked away!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE ebay!

And you know, I think it does take a few years to get everything ''together''... I''m the kind of person who can''t just go out and furnish. I need to collect over time!

So happy hunting!

 

[fire&ice]

You really can get GREAT deals when you buy second hand or the factory relist of the stuff people buy & resell on ebay.

Years ago, I became overwhelmed when we moved in the house we built. I considered a decorator/designer (and I''m married to an Architect!). I decided just to take a step back & start rummaging auctions, yard sales (no ebay back then), etc. I bought what spoke to me & low and behold gradually the filled up the house!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 7/8/2005 12:09:12 PM
Author: fire&ice
Years ago, I became overwhelmed when we moved in the house we built. I considered a decorator/designer (and I''m married to an Architect!). I decided just to take a step back & start rummaging auctions, yard sales (no ebay back then), etc. I bought what spoke to me & low and behold gradually the filled up the house!

Did you start out with a theme in mind? Did you set out with the idea that you match your interior to the Craftsman style or did you just hunt about and let some pieces coordinate and some look funky and let these items sort of fit in? What about colors?

Just curious as I''m planning to buy a few small fill-in-some-space tables w/in the next few weeks and wonder, should I have a theme prepicked out/and colors too. . .or does this matter all that much?

Why does the thought of picking out house stuff make my hyperventilate?

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 7/8/2005 2:29:07 PM
Author: MichelleCarmen

Date: 7/8/2005 12:09:12 PM
Author: fire&ice
Years ago, I became overwhelmed when we moved in the house we built. I considered a decorator/designer (and I''m married to an Architect!). I decided just to take a step back & start rummaging auctions, yard sales (no ebay back then), etc. I bought what spoke to me & low and behold gradually the filled up the house!

Did you start out with a theme in mind? Did you set out with the idea that you match your interior to the Craftsman style or did you just hunt about and let some pieces coordinate and some look funky and let these items sort of fit in? What about colors?

Just curious as I''m planning to buy a few small fill-in-some-space tables w/in the next few weeks and wonder, should I have a theme prepicked out/and colors too. . .or does this matter all that much?

Why does the thought of picking out house stuff make my hyperventilate?

Hah! It made me hyperventilate! We had some family pieces so the whole Arts & Crafts/ Mission/Craftsman style wasn''t what we set out to do. We decided to do one room in that & did just that. Over the years it has encrouched nearly every knook and cranny of our house. But, we still have the family pieces we work around. I''m a believer in mixing metaphors & being eclectic. While our dining room has the woodblock prints from the time period, it''s decorated in our alter ego of neo-classical. Yes, daintly furniture isn''t us - but to our defense - the rooms all have 10''+ ceiling w/ big proportions.

To answer your question, I tended to gravitate towards peices I found pleasing. I worried about where I was putting it secondary - and it just started to fall into place. We made some mistakes. Fortunately because we bought in second hand stores, auction, estate sales, etc, we weren''t into the piece for lots of money. We were able to re-sell our "mistakes" at auction, etc. As you know, I collected so many pieces of A&C that I eventually sold those myself - birthing of a career. But, to this day, any items that aren''t A&C I sell outside of my business (auction, etc).

People do things differently. The color scheme came after furnishing the room. In the A&C rooms, the colors were a no brainer - straight from Sherwin Williams historic collection (They have various time periods to choose from). The other colors came from a color pulled from the rug. Again, something that pleased me. Other people pick a color scheme and decorate around it. It depends what makes your life easier as to what kind of person you are.

But, one thing to consider, if you are going to renovate the house for re-sale, go as neutral as you can.

What kind of style makes you happy? Laid back? Airy Wicker? Masculine? Dark? Light? I have one friend that designed her entire downstairs around a piece of pewter & a painting.