Home Decor Trends, Tips and Decorating Ideas Blog

Accentuate Your Home With Wrought Iron

Have you ever stopped to think about how versatile wrought iron is?  I never really thought about it much, probably because I associated wrought iron as just being a black piece of clunky metal.  Thankfully,  there are talented designers that have the gift to merge functionality with style which has changed my view of wrought iron and opened my eyes to all it's possibilities.

Wrought iron has come a long, long way and, in my opinion, is one of the most adaptable pieces of furnishings you can add to create warmth and charm to your home decor.   Not only is it beautiful to look at you have to also admire the workmanship that goes into each piece.  But from a decorators perspective the importance lies in its flexibility of using it with any decor style from French Provencal to Country.

Great Ideas For Using Wrought Iron

If your entryway or living area is lacking something consider adding a hall tree.  Not only will you add visual interest you'll also have a place to display small accent pieces and a place to keep umbrellas, hats and jackets.  Wall art such as a family portrait or painting instantly is enhanced with the addition of a scroll or decorative grill. 

Adding shelves to your walls gives you a place to display a favorite collectible while dressing up an area of your wall that was once bare and uninteresting.  Free standing bookshelves can be used grouped together to give you a large area to display photos, books, plants and even act as an entertainment center - one in which you can rearrange when the mood strikes you.

Some of the trendier baker's racks ,normally used in kitchens, are now being used as transitional furniture pieces in living and family rooms which improves the charm of your wood, leather and upholstered furniture pieces.  If you do not have room or the need for a large bookshelf or tower you may find that by simply adding a few pedestal tables give your room a finishing touch. 

Wrought iron furnishings can be used in every room in your house including bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, living room, home office and even your patio without diminishing the look of your decor.  If you just need accessory pieces clocks, wall decor and candle holders crafted of wrought iron give visual interest to your rooms other decorative elements with great attention to details.

We're presently adding more and more wrought iron decor pieces for your home.  Looking for something in particular?  Need suggestions or simply have a question?  Post it here, I love comments and questions and look forward to hearing from you.

P.S. Make sure to become a Facebook Fan - you may just be the next winner of our monthly drawing.

Kids Decor - Tips for getting the most of small spaces

 

It happens to all of us at some point - your child has outgrown their current decor and their room has limited space.  Is it time your kids room gets a new look?  One that is trendier and more functional without requiring a lot of space does take a bit of planning but is easy to achieve. 

The first thing you need to do is write down the tasks the space must do. (and yes, write it down on a piece of paper).  Even if you think writing down a place to sleep seems silly it is a major factor in designing a well thought out room.  Examples are: sleeping, study area, a place to hang with friends, playing games, etc.  Now take that list and order them of importance - this will vary depending on your child. While one child's list of importance may be: sleeping and playing games another child's needs may be: sleep, studying and drawing; you get the idea.  If two children share a room you will need to combine the two list into one so that the room functions for both.  Once you have a list of what the rooms requirements are measure the room and make a rough sketch of the room (don't worry you don't need to be Picasso; you just need to be able to draw lines.)  For each wall you draw write down the measurement so you can get the overall size of the room.  One important factor many parents overlook and omit in their drawing is the placement of television, phone and electrical outlets - make sure to mark these on your room sketch.  The outlet placements help determine what needs to be placed in that particular space.  As an example if a TV outlet is on one wall and you only have 32" of clearance a 46" entertainment center or dresser just won't fit. 

The most important piece of furniture is the bed and should be the first item you decide upon.  If the room is very small and you need space for a desk you may decide to use an all in one bed that has a built in desk area or possible a daybed with or without a trundle.  Daybeds give you more room for other items such as a desk, a play area for toys or an area to play electronic games with friends.  When two children share the same room clothes storage can create an additional problem therefore furnishings like hip lockers or chests with seating are wonderful choices as they give the room more functionality.  Cube desks are the hottest thing now and really save a lot of space - kids of all ages think this is just way too cool.  In your planning do not neglect the available wall space above beds, desks and dressers this is great space for shelving that can be incorporated to fit the rooms overall decor design and gives you more storage for books, decorative accessories and other collectibles.  With a bit of pre-planning your kids room can utilize all the available space without looking cluttered and one your child will like spending time in. 

Home Decor Give-Away

Skeptics always tell you "Nothing In Life Is Free" but they're wrong! Yes, wrong.  We want to let our readers and fans know how much they are appreciated so we are giving away a free gift once a month  to our Facebook Fans.  All you have to do for a chance to win is become a fan!  Seriously that's all!

 Become A Facebook Fan

In addition to our new giveaways we've also been busy restructuring our site to make it more inviting and pleasing for you.  We'll be introducing a lot more products for your home decor and we're excited to get the new site rolled over.  There maybe a glitch or two but we'll be working hard to get things just right.

IN THE MEAN TIME...click on the link above and become a fan.  This months drawing is March 20!  Tell your friends to become a fan and just let us know you sent them and we'll put your name in the drawing twice!

New post arriving soon...

Good Gracious That's Home Entertaining In Style

Imagine how great you'll feel and how wonderful your spread will look when you entertain at home for family and friends.  

How many times have you thought to yourself, "I wish I had a nice casserole dish" or "I wish I had a unique way to display my home made pie or cake?"  If you are like me I use to "wish" this every time I invited company over for a casual get together with friends and especially when I was having a semi-formal cocktail and dinner party.  That is until I decided to purchase quality serveware for my everyday use as well as work for my entertaining needs.  Now I do not have to have pieces for my family dinners and store away the beautiful serving pieces only to be brought out for special occasions.  I love this feature alone.

The GG Collection offers a wide variety of quality products in ceramic, glass and of course hand made aluminum.  The best part about their entire collection is each item works whether you are having a casual everyday meal to an elaborate dinner party.   One of the best selling pieces are the two tiered plate stand, which is my personal favorite and one that is used everyday looks fantastic on a counter top or table to hold fresh fruits.  Having friends over for drinks?  Simply replace the fruit with cheese squares, crackers and other appetizers.  Wanting something more formal?  The two tiered plate stand looks stunning with flowers on top and fresh bread slices on the bottom plate.  The functionality of this piece is only limited by your imagination.  And the best part is you get to use it and enjoy it everyday!

If you, like many of us these days are doing more entertaining at home consider using kitchen serveware you can use on a daily basis which will also "wow" your guests at your next party.

Don't forget to become our fan on facebook where you will have a chance to win free products from Decorative Visions. 

Home Decorating...Where To Start

Okay, we all can't be Martha Stewart and you may find yourself one of the millions of people that would love to decorate their new home or redecorate an existing one but  do not have a clue oon where to  start.  If this sounds familiar this blog post is just for you!

So where to start?  This is a good question and one that many people don't think about.  How many times have you been out shopping and see something you like buy it with the intention of incorporating it into your decor or may be its the inspiration piece you've been looking for to help you decorate only to return it to the store days later or put it in the closet because it didn't look like you thought?  I've been there, done that and have the bills to prove it.    I believe one of the biggest problems with decorating is we're all afraid of what if it doesn't turn out the way I wanted it to, or what if I mess it up?  Well...what if?  I've messed things up in my home on the first attempt but got it right eventually and my home is still standing. (Note: this doesn't mean knocking down support walls.) 

Before any job I ask clients a series of questions, what they like, what their partner likes, their dislikes and have them look through magazines and catalogs for ideas.  Many times if you stop trying so hard things around your home will be the inspiration you need.  I also like to get the paint sample sheets and write down how the colors make me feel, kind of like a journal.  By simply looking at what I wrote over time I knew I would never decorate with pink, it's just not me.  I have pink shirts & sweaters but that's the extent of it.  I had a client once that said she hated blue did not want anything that resembled blue as it made her feel cold and all she wanted was to be somewhere else where the climate was warm and she could feel the sand between her feet.  Guess what color her bedroom was decorated with?  Yes, blue!  See as much as she hated blue drinking glasses, dishes, bath towels etc she kept mentioning how she loved the beach the serene colors and everything else associated with the ocean.   Upon entering her new bedroom retreat she just stood there motionless, frozen like (which made me nervous for a second or two) and after what seemed like an eternity she said "I feel like I am standing in a five star hotel suite in the tropics and not my bedroom".  I took everything she said to heart, her hatred for the color blue but the love of the ocean and everything associated with it.  The color scheme was soft shades of blue, tan and white.  You may say to yourself you hate red, yellow or green but with the help of a journal or communicating what makes you feel your best you may find that shades of those colors suit you best.

If you have bland walls but hate painting or your husband has a fit, consider painting one wall - let it be a day or two to see how the color changes your rooms decor in the day, afternoon and evening.  If it works bring in accent pieces, candle holders, wall art a new accent table.  Next look at your rugs do they enhance the changes you've made in your room?  If not, consider a new rug for the room.  Rugs often times are the inspiration for decor style choices and have a huge impact on your room by drawing your eyes from the floor to every area of your room.

As I get older I love wall decor, more and more.  This doesn't mean I want my walls covered I just want to blend different textures and materials together and I like the eclectic or personal feelings my wall groupings bring to the room.  Formal rooms look great with paintings and tapestres paired with wall sconces.  Traditional - modern bring various elements to the room such as the popular wall writings, one word plaques, picture frame collages, clocks grouped together. 

I like to use multi-functional pieces for my accessories.  I like pretty bowls that can also be used to hold a candle or other decorative item - this way I can use it all the time and not just as a serving piece. 

If you are thinking about redecorating a room in your house but you just aren't sure your idea will work I strongly suggest writing things down, look in magazines and don't forget those items you have around your home you would never part with but you just don't know what to do with it - incorporate it!  One last thing pertaining to placement of decor pieces start using masking tape to mark your floor and walls and then look at it, sleep on it and see if it works for you.

Have a decorating dilemma?  Don't know where to start?  Ask a question for some free advice.  May be you have the next best decorating secret share with us I'd love to hear!!  Until the next time...

Aluminum is Everywhere in Home Decor

Did you know that more people are purchasing and using aluminum over silver?  It's true.  While silver was once very popular a few generations ago it is not so popular today.  Families are busier than ever trying to juggle work and family and would rather spend their time doing something they enjoy rather than polishing their silver on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

More people are being made aware of the fact that the aluminum products on the market today are food safe and require little care which has significantly increased the interest in using aluminum as serve ware and home accessories.

Take a look around the next time you are out shopping or browsing online.  I am sure you will find items crafted of aluminum whether its a picture frame, office decor, furniture, wall hooks and decor to bowls, trays and platters used for serving food.  Not only is aluminum easier to care for it is also food safe, oven safe (to about 300 degrees) makes a great serving piece for chilled food and less expensive to its counter part sterling silver. 

Aluminum is available in various design styles from traditional to contemporary and these two styles can be combined so that you can create your own style and the best part is aluminum works with almost all decor choices - traditional, contemporary, retro to new country.  The next time your looking to add a home decor accessory piece to your home office, a change in your wall decor, bath accessories, decorative ornaments, a serving piece, or need a gift for a special occasion don't be afraid to purchase aluminum after all it is today's "new silver".

Keep up with what's new, products being added by becoming our fan on facebook.

Home Decor & Gifts 2010

Hope everyone is having a wonderful year and that the holidays were filled with family and friends.  We just got back from the Atlanta International Home & Gift show and there was a lot to see this January!!  While it was freezing in Atlanta we were busy trying to visit as many showrooms as humanly possible.  I have to say, as many times as we've been to this show with agenda and plan in hand - the mind gets lost as soon as you walk in the first building.  Once we got our bearings we headed to the "must visit" showrooms and placed orders and also got a close up look and feel of "what's new for 2010".  For the show this year we took a very different approach, we decided to visit many showrooms and "browse" so we could discover where the interest was, what's hot and looked for trends for the coming year.  In the four buildings we were seeing lots of colors and I must say turquoise was everywhere.

After a short mind break we concentrated on looking for new products to add to our offerings.  Entertainment and gift glasses was high on the list and we were very pleased to find a new vendor offering the quality we were looking for and what our customers expect.  This new line, which will soon be on our website soon features wine, martini and mugs for everyday entertaining and for those occasions that require a unique gift!

Speaking of entertaining and gifts...we found a fantastic company (in every respect) that carries aluminum products from jewelry to garden decor.

This gem of a find will fit nicely with our current line  of kitchen decor, serveware and gifts for special occasions.

All of the serveware pieces are easy to care for, food safe and oven safe up to 250 degrees.  If that isn't enough you can even place in your refrigerator and be able to serve crisp, cold salads! 

Pssst...keep checking the website for our new introductions and remember wedding season is just around the corner.

Speaking of aluminum, Arthur Court Designs, now has a selection of Mickey and friends and we're busy adding that to our line and website for all of you "Goofy" Mickey lovers.

Well that's the wrap straight from Atlanta.  Have questions? Want to see something we currently do not carry?  Just ask...we'll do our best.  If you want to keep up with all our latest info become a fan of ours on facebook...until the next post.

Holiday Home Decor

It's That Time Of Year

With Thanksgiving a week away I've talked to more people this year that already have their Christmas tree trimmed!  Years ago we made it a tradition when we got together on Thanksgiving to decorate the tree and I thought then that it was a bit early.  Well, this year I plan on decorating my tree and home for the holidays this weekend.  I'm not waiting until Thanksgiving as it seems I am always rushed.  (Guess I am beginning to show my age here) but I want to enjoy the holidays this year! 

Besides the focal point, the Christmas tree, of course, there are other holiday decorations that have really taken off over the last couple years.  The Totum Pole Snowman is a great accent piece and brings a smile to everyone that sees it.  It is festive and jolly and fits it with almost any holiday decor.  I don't know many people that do not like snowmen but in case you are one of them there are also gift boxes, angels, reindeer among a few that all light up similar to the photo shown.

Another way to bring the holiday cheer into your home is with accent rugs and are available in almost any style and design imaginable and if carefully planned can really emphasize the beauty of your flooring.  Christmas rugs are a great way for you to bring your decorations at all levels including the floor, which, is an area many people exclude when decorating for the holidays.  I will warn you now though once you place a rug or two around your home this season, you'll wonder why you never used them before. 

A really simple and low cost decoration idea I use, and one of my girls favorites is to wrap the pictures I have hanging on my walls with Christmas gift wrap that coordinates with my other decor.  

Placing a few hand towels in the bath is inexpensive and carries the holiday decor throughout your home and can easily be paired with a festive liquid soap pump.

To welcome guests you will receive over the holidays consider adding a coir mat at your front door, not only does it look good it helps keep the dirt and grime out and reminds your guests to wipe their feet.

Decorating for the holidays does not have to be a major chore and one you dread and it certainly does not have to be expensive.  By adding a few pieces at various heights you'll be able to enjoy your holiday decorations at various levels.  

Now it is time for you to turn on your favorite holiday music and start decorating.

If you have any decorating ideas that someone else may enjoy or a way to take the stress out of decorating please post a comment.

Lighting Your Home Decor

 

Now that the days are getting shorter you may be realizing that your home lighting needs an upgrade.  If your like me, I don't pay as much attention to my floor lamps or table lamps in the summer as I do when Fall arrives and it starts to get dark around 5:00!  While I love the Fall season, it is an adjustment waking up and getting to work when it is still dark out and getting home from work in the dark.  This season I have really noticed that my lamps haven't changed even though I have changed my home decor accessories.  What once was a perfect fit doesn't mesh with the elements of my room, plus I've also discovered that my lighting needs have changed and I now need a few new table lamps more apt to the task at hand. 

If you've had the same lamps in your room for awhile take another look at them and ask yourself if they fit the scheme of your decor or meet your task requirements.  If you use floor lamps are they primarily for decorative purposes or do you use the lamp for work and reading?  The floor lamps in my family room I purchased awhile back were bought only because I loved the simplicity of the design...I didn't worry about if the functionality after all it worked with my decor.  Now that I am a bit older when I sit down to relax with a good book I have found that the lamp does not meet my needs and that I don't really like the ambiance the lighting gives like I did when they were first purchased.  I don't know about you but getting rid of my lamps for something that works better is as hard as parting with a favorite pair of worn out shoes but once you get over that you will also re-discover how nice your room is and you may also experience an inner piece...which these days is an accomplishment in itself.

I'd love to hear from you, when was the last time you gave your lamps the attention they deserve?  

Decorative Wall Clocks

Do you have a wall that needs a decorative element to bring your room to life?  When designers talk about wall decor or home decorators are considering adding something to their walls, very few consider using a clock and opt for a water or oil painting or photos or another form of artwork. 

Clocks are a great accessory piece and give a functional touch to a room.  With the various shapes and sizes and design choices  available finding one that works with your decor is almost effortless.

Decorative clocks have again gained popularity because they're easier to place on a hard to decorate wall than the other forms of wall decor.  The best thing about wall clocks as an embellishment to your home is that they are easy to hang and almost everyone can do it with ease; it just takes a little bit of common sense.  If the clock is heavy try to hang it from a stud.  If the placement is not on a stud use an anchor to save yourself the repair of fixing your drywall should it go through.

If you have a large area you want to decorate, consider using a larger clock or for a unique and eclectic look you may want to try creating a grouping of clocks together.  Want to add a kitchen clock?  Again, consider using a clock with a larger face so you can easily see the time.  If you have high ceilings try adding one of the chic over sized clocks to create a focal point.  Spare bedrooms are also a great place to add a wall clock.  This room often gets neglected in what I call the additional, yet functional wall decor section.  How often have you been an overnight guest in someones home and the bedroom didn't have a clock? 

Love unusual or bold designs but afraid to use them in your decor?  A family room, den or home office is a fantastic place to add a unique wall clock.

Go ahead, have some fun, add your own personal style to your walls with of all things a clock!

Do you have other ways of using wall clocks?  Have you done something unique?  Please share your ideas!

Serveware Makes Great Hostess Gifts

With the holidays approaching I've been getting questions as to what makes a good hostess gift.  In my opinion almost anything can make a great hostess gift however if you do a little research you can easily narrow down what would be appreciated.

I tell customers and clients to think of a gift they would like to have and I always ask what the occasion is: an informal bar-b-que, a gathering to watch a sports event, dinner party or a special holiday meal.  I also try to find out if this is someone they know well or possibly a co-worker or spouse's boss.  These are important considerations when buying a hostess gift for many reasons.  You wouldn't want to take an elaborate hostess gift to someone for a get together of hamburgers and hotdogs a simpler gift like decorative napkins, a box of candy or something a long those lines are properly suited for the occasion and you won't run the risk of embarrassing the host or hostess with such a pricey gift. 

Taking expensive gifts to your boss is a bit trickier - find something nice but not overly pricey as he or she may think you only want a raise or promotion.   If you really feel compelled to buy a lavish gift consider getting a couple co-workers to go in on the gift.

If you've been invited to a friend or relatives house for Thanksgiving chances are you are pretty close and have a good idea of what they would appreciate and what they could use.  A small bowl, like the Fleur de Lis serving bowl by Arthur Court (shown in picture) is a wonderful choice as it can be used for many things, a candy dish, fruit bowl or other snacks.   Small serving trays and platters also make great gifts especially if they are unique.

I always try to give a gift I would like to receive and if I'm not sure on an appropriate gift, a bottle of wine will always do.

What's your favorite hostess gift you've received?  How do you choose what kind of gift to give?  I'd love to hear your comments and share with other readers.