Canadian Link Exchange

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for another Great Canadian Link Exchange - links to blogs, facebook pages and twitter for some interesting Canadian folks.

Great Canadian Link Exchange - Feb 23

5 Free Decorating Changes You Can Make Right Now - Part 4

If you just can't find anything you like in your home, or you've grown tired of your accessories, try a trade with friends (either permanent or temporary). Gather up all the decor items you'd like to replace, while your friends do the same. Then get together and make a trade. Items that seem tired to you are fresh and new to them, and the things they're ready to part with look completely different in your home with your other belongings.

5 Free Decorating Changes You Can Make Right Now - Part 3

The next step is to go shopping –- in your own home. Go on a tour of your house, from room to room, and see what furniture and accessories can be used in other spaces. Maybe the lamp from your living room would look better in the bedroom. The picture hanging in your bathroom might work in the hall. The vase on the piano may look great on the fireplace mantel. Dig around and see what you can find to use in a different room. This one is especially easy when your home has decor that flows –- when all your rooms work together, more often than not you can use your furniture and accessories in any of the rooms.

Canadian Link Exchange

Happy Wednesday!! I'm taking part in an awesome link exchange today for Canadians - facebook, twitter, blogs, whatever...check it out to see some great Canadian content:

Follow Me, I'm Canadian - Great Link Exchange

5 Free Decorating Changes You Can Make Right Now - Part 2

Next comes rearranging the furniture. Pull your sofa out from the wall. Try using a pair of end tables together as a coffee table. Experiment with putting furniture on an angle. Try your bed against a different wall. If you have a living/dining room combo, what about switching ends so the living area becomes the dining room and vice versa?

5 Free Decorating Changes You Can Make Right Now - Part One

What do you do when the urge to decorate and change your space hits, but you just don't want to spend any more money? Luckily there are a lot of simple decorating changes you can make for free. Over the next few posts I'll talk about my 5 favourites.

Today's tip is the simplest EVER:

The very first step is to open up the blinds. Letting in natural light is one of the fastest ways to improve the look of a room!

Accent Walls

What's one of the most common things clients ask me about? Accent walls! The main thing when deciding to do an accent wall is to use it as an actual "accent" and not "just because". Many people go to accent walls when they can't decide between 2 colours. You want your accent wall to be an area that should be highlighted, so the choice of wall is as important as the colour. To make your accent wall work, follow these tips: The accent wall needs to relate to something in the room. Carry the colour and tone of the accent wall into other elements. If there is nothing else in the room that coordinates with the accent wall, it will look out of place. Bring the accent colour through with throw pillows, area rugs, upholstery, drapery, floral arrangements, etc. Avoid leaving the other 3 walls white. The most effective way to do an accent wall is to paint the accent wall in a darker colour and paint the remaining walls a light or medium neutral tone that either relates or contrasts. Leaving the other walls stark white makes the accent wall less effective. Accent walls can also be used to change a room's shape. An accent wall can visually shorten a long room or widen a long one. One place accent walls tend to be used incorrectly is in a long hallway - painting the end wall of a hallway a darker colour doesn't have the same effect as it does in a long room - because you only see the one wall, the dark colour recedes and can make the hall seem even longer. A better option is to paint one long wall one colour, and the other long wall a slightly darker version of that colour. Accent walls can be great when used correctly. Because it's only one wall, you can change the colour easily when you tire of it, and it's easy to be more adventurous with colour when it's only one wall and not the bigger commitment of all 4 walls!