B is for Baseboards

An easy way to heighten your baseboards and make them seem more substantial: add half-round trim a couple of inches above your existing baseboards, then paint the trim, baseboard and wall in-between the same trim colour. This makes it look like your baseboards are bigger than they really are.

Media Coverage for Alexander's Room

We're starting to get our much-needed media coverage for our Alexander's Room Project. People seeing the story in the news is what helps us get our donations so we can actually do the room, so we're very happy to see the stories starting!

Moose FM website

TimminsToday.com

We're also talking to our CTV contact about a story, so stay tuned! 

Giveaway Extended

The giveaway over at Wildesigns has been extended - head on over for your chance to win a free virtual room makeover!

http://wildedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/06/manic-monday-heather-of-stylish.html

A is for Accessorizing

Based on what I've been hearing from clients, one thing that causes a major decorating headache is accessorizing. What to buy, how many, where to put it. Accessories may be on the smaller side, but they have a big influence on how the room looks.

image from Pottery Barn

Here are a few general guidelines and tips to make accessorizing a little easier:

Group your accessories in odd numbers (three or five work nicely!).

Group together items of various sizes - avoid putting all one size together. Mix it up by putting tall with short, wide with narrow, etc.

Try grouping items of the same colour together.

Displaying collections against a contrasting background makes them stand out.

Try grouping like items together as well. A seashell on the table, one on the mantel and one on the floor are "3 seashells in a room". Put them together and they're a "collection".

If you have a huge collection of something particular, display some and put the rest away - then rotate the pieces every few months to change things up a bit. 

On a bookshelf, add some accessories so it's not just books - mixing together books and accessories adds a bit of interest and variety.

If you have mismatched or ugly accessories that you can't bear to part with, try painting them. A can of flat white spray paint can fix a lot! A group of mismatched accessories become a collection when they're unified by white spray paint - try vases, ceramic birds, pumpkins, etc. Anything you find can be painted to tie together.

Try one or all of these tips and see how your accessorizing improves. Let me know how it goes!

Home Grown

I was recently invited to contribute decorating articles to a brand new online magazine and I'm thrilled to announce that it has officially launched today:

Home Grown - Parenting in the North

Click on the link to check it out (and let me know what you think of my summer decorating tips)!

Decorating From A to Z

I've read a few articles lately that follow an A to Z format, and decided to give it a try here on my blog.

Stay tuned for the first of 26, coming up soon!

Dream Room Project is Back Again!!!

I'm happy to announce that for the 3rd year in a row, Designers Unlimited's dream room makeover project is ready to go! 

Last year's room for Sarah Valade turned out so well, her mom is joining us to work on this year's room, which is awesome!

This year's room is being designed for Alexander Chevrier, a 5 year old boy with Muscular Dystrophy. Planning is underway and over the next few months we'll be gathering materials and donations to put together a fresh new space for him. So far our paint has been donated by Timmins Decorating Centre - we're off to a great start!

Here are a few before shots:

I can't wait to get started - this is my absolute favourite project of the year!!

Manic Monday at Wilde Designs

Happy Monday!! 

I'm super excited to be featured over on the Wilde Designs blog today...go check it out (and enter the giveaway while you're there!!).

Manic Monday at Wilde Designs

Check out the rest of Beth's blog while you're there - lots of great stuff! 

Over the Top Kid Bedrooms

I just came across an article online about parents who go overboard decorating their children's bedrooms - some spending a year's worth of college tuition (one room was $75000 - crazy!).

Seriously, what child needs a $7000 light fixture?

After watching the video, I think the parents have a few issues...

You can check the article out here : Over the top kid rooms

Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments!

Outdoor Decorating Mistakes - Part 3 & 4

Third on the "outdoor decor mistakes" list is ignoring the landscaping. A little bit of landscaping can go a long way toward giving your home curb appeal. You don't necessarily need a huge garden full of a variety of flowers - if you don't have a green thumb, an urn on either side of the door adds colour without taking a lot of work. Hanging baskets of flowers can be another low-hassle option. Stones and shrubbery can look great as well. A small fence can also add curb appeal - as long as you choose a paint or stain colour that works with the rest of the house. And the last mistake, on the opposite side of the spectrum - excessive lawn ornaments! While one or 2 decorative items can add a bit of pizazz to your yard, an entire family of gnomes paired with a well (or 2!), a collection of pots, wooden cutouts, and multiple sets of windchimes detract from your home's look. A smaller number of well-chosen items will have more impact.