Now that the summer holidays are over everyone is busy with their routines at work and school. Add after school practices and evening activities and that makes for a long day. After days like these coming home is especially welcome. A beautiful front door display will make that homecoming even more special. We are all short on time in these busy months but with a little planning now, and a few well chosen pieces, you can have a display that will transition well and look great the whole season through.

The leaves have barely started to change so instead of pushing the season with pumpkins and scarecrows I’d rather put the focus on Autumn flowers. If you have containers at the front door where the Summer flowers are still doing well you can incorporate some Autumn flowers into your existing containers. When your flowers do start to fade you can pull them out and replace them with more fall plants or add harvest type accessories directly to the container. Adding a variety of grasses and or Coleus and choosing rich colors like deep purple, burgundy, wine, bronze, copper and orange is a sure way to make the look more Autumnal. Adding twigs and branches will take the look up to even another level.

Closer to Thanksgiving is the time to really go into the Harvest theme. You can put a single pumpkin or groupings of pumpkins beside your containers at the front door. If you have room inside your pots you can put them here too. In this basket arrangement wiring in a mini pumpkin or two would look great. Adding any element of twigs, grapevines or straw will look fabulous in a Harvest display and will transition well into Halloween.

Another idea is to put a leaf garland around your front door. It should last from Thanksgiving until Halloween. You can either purchase a faux garland or make a real one yourself. All you have to do is collect dry colorful leaves and then, with a needle and thread, string together a garland. You can attach the garland around the door with strong sticky tape.

When Halloween approaches all you have to do is add a spooky touch. If your flowers have packed it in you can pull them out and either put straw or twigs or leaves on top of the soil and let your pumpkins sit on top of the containers. If you have a wreath on the door that can be altered, you can tie on a little skeleton or bat or what have you. Tying a black ribbon on the wreath will also help set the spooky Halloween mood. In the last picture here you can see how easily this display is taken from a Harvest theme to a Halloween theme with the small addition of the black crows. Hopefully you enjoy your homecomings during these colder busier months and find time to relax and enjoy the splendor of Autumn!

by Christina Kristensen
Contributor

Your bed should be the focal point of your bedroom.  By keeping your colour palette consistent throughout you will create not only a sense of calm, but also a great backdrop for the star of the show, your bed. The most dramatic element of the bed is the headboard. It used to be we would buy a bedroom suite and live with it for decades. Because the headboard made such a big statement it really dictated the look of the room for decades. Not anymore, thankfully. These days there are so many incredible options for the headboard. There are also many fantastic do-it-yourself headboard projects making it easy to completely change the decor of your bedroom much more frequently.


We have all seen the upholstered headboards that are so hot right now. They are in all the design magazines. With a little plywood, glue, foam, fabric and a staple gun, you can easily make one yourself. Here is a twist on that idea. Instead of having one solid piece of foam how about doing what they did here? You can cut the foam into smaller squares and achieve this effect. Isn’t this a gorgeous way to recycle smaller fabric samples? You could cover the squares in all the same fabric as they have done here for a more neutral look or mix and match the fabrics. The type of fabric and patterns you choose will, of course, dictate the style. The possibilities are endless.


You don’t have to have an actual headboard. You can create that visual weight behind the bed in countless other ways. You could hang a piece of art or a collection of framed prints on the wall behind your bed. You could also hang some fabric or a beautiful carpet for a luxurious look. If you like the substantial look of wood you could make a really easy headboard yourself by clicking a few pieces of wood flooring together for a sleek and modern look or use some reclaimed wood or antique shutters for a cozier feel. 
  
For a little girl’s room you could buy or make some fairy wings with wire and netting and then wrap them with white mini lights. You could have two large wings or have a collection of smaller wings that will look like twinkly fairy petals. I guarantee the little fairy princess in your life will love her room. She might even be easier to get to into bed at night - but no promises there!

by Christina Kristensen
Contributor

Photo Credits:

First image:  homedesignimperial.com
Middle Image: southernliving.com
Bottom Image: theluxhome.com

It’s finally time to open the windows and let the breezes in! Summer decorating is all about bringing the outdoors in and some of my favourite looks are those inspired by the ocean. The fantastic thing is that whether you want to bring in natural elements or pull together a nautical theme, you can do so on any budget and to suit any style home.

The powder room is the perfect place to add a little bit of the sea. A heavy rope basket for your hand towels and a few natural accessories like these starfish will complete the look.
Two other high impact areas for decorating are the front entry and the mantel. If you want to bring in natural elements you could use apothecary jars or any glass vases or containers you may have and fill them with shells, sea glass or stones. For some height you can fill a tall vase or container with twigs.  Of course the look can be casual, sophisticated or modern, depending on your accessories. Showcasing your shell collection on a mirrored tray will add a little glamour and sparkle, whereas using a wooden or woven bowl will provide an earthier natural look. 

The HouseWarmings store at Elgin Corners in South Surrey carries many natural accents like stones, shells, coral and twigs. You’ll also find decorative plates with shell motifs, little seahorse spreaders, silver starfish napkin rings, and ocean themed napkins. One of my favourite ocean inspired accessories they carry is a pair of mermaid bookends.

I love the nautical color scheme. The contrast between the white, blue and red is so crisp.  Adding linens of these colors in casual modern or sophisticated prints is a good way to bring in the nautical theme along with some great accessories.

The POSHSHOP at Morgan Crossing, also in South Surrey, has a wonderful selection of nautical accessories. Besides what you see in this gorgeous vignette, they have silver starfish and crabs and beautiful framed vintage flags which would compliment any nautical display perfectly.

I hope surrounding yourself with things of the ocean will rekindle good memories of warm days spent at the beach and on the water. I also hope that you will find some new treasures this summer as you comb the beaches and gift shops!

by Christina Kristensen
Contributor

Photo Credits:

Top image: hubpages.com
Middle Image: countryliving.com
Bottom Image: Christina's own
 

It’s the one room in the home where you can make a great impression and wow your guests with less effort than anywhere else. Due to its small size, any of your design efforts will reward you with big impact. Also, because the room is cut off from the rest of the house and time spent here is short, you can afford to go a little bolder with the wall color and wallpaper patterns. One final perk is that again, due to the small size of the room, you can probably splurge a little on the materials and finishes. These are all good reasons for spending a little time and effort making your powder room close up ready!

Here are three things to consider when adding to your powder room. According to Sarah Richardson, it’s a good idea to use a pedestal sink instead of the traditional sink with cabinet. Unless you really need storage, this is the way to go. The look is not only more open, it is the less expensive option. Another tip is to use two light sconces on either side of a bathroom mirror rather than a single light above. This will give the room symmetry, a more modern and luxurious feel and will put you and your guests in a more flattering light. Finally, using taller more substantial baseboards will add interest and weight to the room making it look richer.

You don’t have to go bold with pattern or color to create a big impression. This powder room is full of pizzazz. The repetition of polished chrome really makes this room sparkle and the wall treatment along with the beautiful floor mosaic make this room a standout.

For the more adventurous amongst us who like bold colour and pattern, the choices are endless. Remember there is a delicate balance though; you want the right amount of punch without overwhelming. If you are worried that your pattern or paint color is too bold you could try just painting or papering the upper half of the room. It’s a good look and it can be much easier on the eye not to mention your pocket book. Great designer wallpapers can get more than a little expensive. Another way to employ wallpaper without the expense or permanency is to paper a thin board or boards and hang them on a painted wall. You can frame the boards with moulding for a more formal and finished look. A feature wall with equally sized framed wallpapered boards can give the nice architectural appearance of inset panels.

Whether your powder room has a soft neutral color palette or has punchy bold wallpaper, it should feel like a little retreat for your guests. Adding nice little soaps and luxurious towels go a long way in making your guests feel like you went the extra mile. Your powder room says a lot about you as a hostess so isn’t it worth the effort.

by Christina Kristensen
Contributor

Photo Credits:
Image #1 http://www.hgtv.ca
Image #2 http://www.houzz.com 

You have probably heard that Pantone has named Honeysuckle Pink the color of the year. Personally I am not a fan of pink and have spent the better part of the last decade trying to rid my home of that dreaded and oh so eighties dusty rose. I’ve scraped off wallpaper, pulled off hideous tile and repainted. I really did not feel excited about pink making a comeback in home décor. This lack of excitement motivated me to examine the psychology behind my disapproval of the color. First of all pink, to me, seems dated. I am either imagining Grandma’s curvaceous rose-colored chesterfield complete with doilies or I have flashbacks of my old country kitchen with the blue and pink heart and ribbon wallpaper. In addition to these bad visual images I equate pink with the girly-girl culture that I just don’t enjoy. I find it just too, well, Barbie.  

The good news is Honeysuckle Pink is not your Grandmother’s pink. Neither is it Barbie pink. It has been defined as a reddish pink that is encouraging and uplifting. After scouring design magazines I have happily discovered that when used in unexpected color combinations or bold geometric prints, all of my negative associations are erased. I have come to the conclusion that even I could come to love this new pink.

This bold combination of pink and orange exudes a lot of energy and really works well in this modern bedroom. In a more traditional home you could introduce Honeysuckle with this beautiful floral wallpaper.   

Here are a collection of pillows that would bring any room up to date without coming across as too feminine.

This new color of the year was a tough sell for me in the beginning but now after seeing that pink can be used in such bold and modern ways, I’ve changed my mind!

by Christina Kristensen
Contributor

 

Photo Credits:
Image 1 - www.bellavitahomeblogspot.com
Image 2 - www.pbcstyle.blogspot.com
Image 3 - www.styleathome.com