 |
August 1, 2008
Posted by: Cathy at 1:27 pm
|
|
What shakes-up and wakes -up a room?
Is it an element of surprise, or contrasting elements, or exciting color, or trendy fabrics, or dramatic lighting? Any of these things, and many others could send a room from dull to delightful.
It could be just a small detail that elevates the room, or a large statement piece that is attention grabbing.
Instead of redecorating your entire room, it may only need some simple, but interesting elements to send it over-the-top. Here are a few ideas that might shake things up a little…
- Add a large piece of modern/contemporary art to a traditional room, or vice versa.
- Reupholser an ottoman in a trendy fabric…zebra, leopard, giraffe, cowhide, snakeskin etc. (faux, of course).
- Recover some throw pillows in the same trendy fabrics.
- Remove the carpet, and paint old concrete or worn wood floors in a large scale diamond, checkerboard, or stripe pattern, subtle or bold.
- Change the 2 end dining room chairs to, two completely different styles and colors.
- Contrast elements, add something old with new, light with dark, smooth with textured.
- Add some large scale accessories…mirror, art, urn, sculpture, tree.
- Add a beautiful vase full of fresh, one color flowers, set front and center in the room.
- Add two contemporary chairs to a traditional living room grouping.
- Replace dated lamps/chandeliers with contemporary lighting. Updates instantly!
- Hang a series of interesting finds in a straight row, on a wall… old rakes, baskets, hats, masks, driftwood etc.
- Hang draperies simply, up to the ceiling.
- Add candles, and light them at night. Also background mood music.
- Add an exciting accent paint color to one wall. Light it. It becomes modern art.
- Add a very contemporary coffee table to a traditional room.
- Line up 5 or 7 of the same thing on a mantle…candles, vases with 1 flower, shells, coral, rocks, apples,
- Paint the ceiling other than white.
There are so many ways to add some excitment to a room. Can you think of some other ways? What have you done to give your room the Wow factor? Please add to the list.
( model home room photos)
Back
Do you LOVE IT? 
Loading ...
1. Great ideas. This gives me lots to think about.
by eric — 8/4/08 at 3:04 pm #
2. Love all the ideas and wish I had time to try some….
Love the hands bowl!!!!
You are contantly coming up with great ideas…..does your head hurt?
by Julie — 8/4/08 at 8:10 pm #
3. Hi Cathy, this is a great post…lots of good ideas to mull over…one thing I sometimes do is use an item for inspiration…I saw a girl on re-design with Kenneth Brown do a whole room around colors and patterns she saw on a cocktail napkin…it turned out fantastic..a good way to think outside the box so to speak…well we are in the middle of tearing apart our farmhouse in Western New York…thanks for all the color suggestions you gave me…I actually sat back and thought long and hard about my color scheme…some of my furnishings and hard surfaces in my home I cannot change (if only money were no object) so I decided to center my projects around the colors in Williams Sonoma Marisol Dinnerware….we painted the livingroom Benjamin Moores Hawthorne Yellow HC-4 and it is such a change from those cream colored walls I have had for 24 years…now on to the diningroom…I want to pick up either the green or the blue in those dishes for my diningroom walls…I was thinking the blue Because my table and chairs are painted green (from Arhaus Furniture) and then using the green for my great room/kitchen? Could you recommend colors in those blue and green shades in either Benjamin Moore paint or Behr Paint…my husband likes Behr paint…and I know they can match the BM paint colors too…I thought I wanted a complete change with the other colors I was originally going with..but having 2 homes to maintain slowed my down on making a complete change…so I am doing just what this article suggests…working with what I have….just wanted to let you know what I decided to do and would appreciate blue and green color suggestions from you if possible… the dishes are posted on the Williams-Sonoma website…Thanks so much Cathy…I love your taste and style…Margie
by margie — 8/4/08 at 8:41 pm #
4. I hope you can use some of these ideas Eric.
Thanks so much for commenting.
by Cathy — 8/5/08 at 9:56 pm #
5. No Julie,
My head doesn’t hurt yet! LOL. That “hands bowl” (first picture) is quite interesting and beautiful. It’s a HomeGoods piece and I thought it was so interesting. I could see it sitting on a coffee table or console. A great conversation and art piece. Unique pieces like this bring interest to a room. Glad you noticed it and commented.
Write back soon,
LYC
by Cathy — 8/5/08 at 10:06 pm #
6. Thanks so much Margie,
You are so right about “anything” becoming an inspiration piece…even a napkin. Just about anything you are drawn to.
What a fun decorating project you’ve got going. I looked up your dinnerware. Lovely, casual and colorful. They are a great inspiration for your dining room. The yellow in your living room is picked up in the dinnerware as well. Nice cross-over. I do like your lean toward the blue. With the green in other rooms, this will accent the blue in your plates and add more of the color.
The blue on your plates, on my computer my be off a little. So you may have to adjust the blue paint slightly to yours. Stay in the deeper tone of the blue of the plates. Otherwise, it will get too Baby Blue. Grey the blue just slightly, so it’s not too intense. This blue would look good with a white wainscoting and white wood trim. Your green furniture will blend nicely with the wall color. I would tie everything together with a fabric for your draperies and seat cushions that have all the plate colors in them…green, blue, yellow, white. Maybe a stripe, plaid or floral. Make sure you display those great plates on the wall or cabinet. Add the yellow of your living room in as flowers on your dining table and in art. Also take some of the blue and green into the living room ..pillows, drapery, accents. Try to “cross pollinate” both rooms with the colors.
Here are a few wall colors you might look at, or something close to these…
B.M. paint, blues…
Blue Lapis 2067-40
Summer Blue 2067-50
B.M. paint, greens (you asked)…
Arcadia Green 2034-50
Seedling (Affinity paint) AF 450
Behr paint Blues…
Castle Moat 580-B6
Cornflower Blue 580 B5
Romantic Aisle 590 D
Behr paint, Greens…
Sagey 420 F
Topiary Green 440
I hope I’m close here. Your colors will all look great together. So cheerful and fun. Keep me posted on what you do. You’ve got my interest peeked!
So exciting!
by Cathy — 8/5/08 at 10:58 pm #
7. Cathy, This information you have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed for…your vision of what I want is uncanny…it is as though you know me well and my likes…I will head out to the paint store tomorrow to check out these color suggestions…THANK YOU SO MUCH…your clients are so lucky to have you on board…as is your Homegoods family…..I think I now fully understand what you mean about crossing the colors between the rooms…I am excited and ready to tackle the diningroom…first have to remove my stenciled wallpaper…I think we will be torn up for a while….I will let you know what colors I go with and somewhere down the road will be making trips to Homegoods to look for those special items to complete the look I am going for…I feel so lucky to have stumbled upon this web-site…it has been very helpful to me….Thanks again for your time, your imput, and your interest…..Margie
by margie — 8/5/08 at 11:54 pm #
8. You’re so welcome Margie.
Glad I could help a little. I hope one of these paint colors works for you. Find one you like. It will seem intense at first on all the walls but after your furniture, drapery, art etc. go in, it will “relax” and be a beautiful fresh background.
Keep me updated on the progress. Can’t wait to hear about the results.
Thank you for your glowing comments and compliments…you’re the best!
Cathy
by Cathy — 8/6/08 at 12:02 pm #
9. Hi Cathy,
Enjoy reading all your posts here. You have some wonderful ideas and a great eye for design. I too, live in So. Cal. Huntington Beach, to be exact! I’ve enjoyed taking your home ‘tour’ on RMS too!
Speaking of ‘Shaking-Up a Room’, we recently painted our whole living room a rich, jewel-toned navy blue and I just love it! I’m definitely not ‘color shy’, that’s for sure
Thanks so much for all your inspiration. Keep up the good work!
Judith (jjdinhb (on RMS)
by Judith — 8/6/08 at 2:46 pm #
10. Hello Judith,
I’m glad you’re enjoying the site. Your jewel-toned navy blue living room sounds ” heavenly”! lots of “shaking -up” with that color… (and I don’t mean from the recent earthquake) LOL. It sounds lovely and dramatic. Being from Huntington Beach, you’re just up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) from me. I think we can use strong dark colors out here successfully, because our sun is so intense, with few cloudy days.
It works in your room!
Enjoy your home and thank you for your thoughts and encouragement.
by Cathy — 8/6/08 at 6:54 pm #
11. Thanks, Cathy
I tried to include a pic of my navy living room with my comment, but don’t know if it ‘took’ or not!? I’d love for you to see it. I think it turned out stunning if I do say so myself
I have pics posted on HGTV.com ‘rate my space’. Take a peek
Enjoy the rest of your Summer!
Judith
by Judith — 8/6/08 at 8:24 pm #
12. Hi Cathy,
I just popped back on to say thank you for your kind words on my RMS post. High praise indeed coming from a professional like you. I’m certainly no pro, but I love to feather my own little nest
Much of the work we’ve done ourselves which makes it even more gratifying. Many lovely items such as the mirrors and lamps were purchased at HomeGoods 
Thank you again for the lovely comment and I’ll keep popping back on Openhouse to see and be inspired!
Regards,
Judith
by Judith — 8/7/08 at 12:25 am #
13. Hi Cathy, Luv your blog. Try a rm. with light tan/mocha walls & paint 1 wall Chocolate. On this wall 3 small pics from Paris & only the space around pics is painted the Lt. tan/mocha. Use clear square vase & can fill with rocks or Coffee beans & then your choice of silk flower colors. I used off white magonolias. Also use Metal Wall art (Gold leaves, another silver & gold squares). 20 yrs. old & still perfect gold like 14k. Lady in Houston made them $100.00 ea, Compare to my fave famous ones we all know cost $600 up. Finished off with Lg. tray from Home Goods Dk. wood with leopard lac. inside w/matching rug, also from Home Goods. This tray fits atop coffee table. Use runners on dining tables, shiny the better & change what you display often as you like. I use yellows, also tans with turq. Where do I get my tips? 5 Star Hotels. Mansion on Peachtree (Atlanta/Buckhead) opened recently, great place to get tips from residents & chefs. When a hish rise goes up go stay a night. Can check their sites free of course. My Dad was a home builder & taught us kids to lay brick, rock, & put in granite counter tops. He thought every one should know how. At 59 I no longer lay brick & rock
Go atop Pikes Peak it will give you much inspiration. Another tip I like to use various shapes of vases, round oval, square & tall together. Blues w.yellow, orange, sage, etc. Prefer black marble tops in baths w/black & white floors. That way you can change color of towels, candles etc. forever & ever. Use small mirrored nooks on wals similiar to shadow boxes. Easy to make & fill with what you like or tiny items from trips, honeymoon, or of your children when small. (Hand paper cut-outs, drawing, pic, you can lamanate, ribbon from their hair etc. Also can freeze dry flowers from your wedding & put under glass doom mounted on pic frames & hang on wall. All easy to make. Use carpet pieces & put the squares together for a rug & sit chair at angle on edge. Use things you love from family & friends that make you smile with the memories. Have Fun, Linda
by Linda — 8/7/08 at 2:46 am #
14. Dear Cathy, I buy all table runners & place mats from Home Goods. Also Home Goods has chandliers to hang over tubs, islands & entry halls. The Italian glass used in shower floors & windows yrs, ago builders would give you left over scrap glass or sell to you at cost. Don’t call me I retired from that also 30 yrs ago to stay home with our daughter. Left legal field & worked in hospitality yrs ago. Guess what some Grand Hotels I know shop Home Goods as well. I get tips from The Broadmore, Rosewood, JD Marriott, Starwood, Four Seasons Hospitality Groups. People give you ideals when they know you admire thir work from the simple/inexpensive to Fine Art. Also, good tips free from Home Builders like my Dad. Pick your dream Home in your Dream State if mtns. or beaches & go on a Builders web site & look at his homes. All show pics inside. All things also including Green Homes, solar etc. Another good place beside High Rise Hotels in Atlanta, Calif. Texas etc. visit vrbo.com & can see vac. rental properties all over US & the world of homes people decorate, timeshares etc. Thousands of beautiful kitchens & baths. I am bold in hotels & ask questions. Online is free. Also get Vonage I call worldwide & get tips. Convention Sales love to tell you about their hotel & why you want to book there instead of next door. Vegas puts up a hotel every day it seems, go look or get online. Stay in a cabin in Smokey or Rocky or resorts in Lake Tahoe. Cabins are easy & cost less to decorate. Use Bear Lodge themes. Bear stuff comes in soap dishes, shower curtains, rugs, towels. benches etc. Use stuffed teddy bears, throw pillows & throes. Also can hang quilts on walls in cabins. Log Homes do this alot. If you quilt have at it. If not, buy them everywhere in Gatlinburg, TN. etc. Make Memory Bears using material from your childrens quilts, clothes. you saved. Use their baby pillows. If short on time just put the outfit your grown children came home in as newborns
Have a fun summer & safe Labor Day. Linda P.S. Those pretty seaside cottages you all (yes, was from TX) spoke about seeking inside. You can online. Also go take a tour of a Timeshare for 2 hrs. Get free nights stay & just say NO afterwards. My faves are hotels & Builders. And, yes I am most fond of builders in Colo. Can’t beat a huge mtn anywhere for decorating windows if you ask me. Also if you like the beach put sand in cheap square vase, or your best crystal bowl, then put rocks from creekbeds or shells from beach in sand. In a hurry buy bags of shells, flat polished rocks, marbles etc. Also can stick votice candles or pillar ones in the sand. At Christmas use fine tray or silver plasted coated ones & put votice candles in holders on tray & sprinkle Red flower petals around on the tray. Match red or green to candle colors. String white Chrismas lights thru greenery. Find an old alum. tree in pink & hang all pink ornaments. (Anyone out there remember those or just me?) 
Decorate a football tree with that schools tree skirt & ornaments. Home Goods has pretty tree skirts & Christmas decorations. My husband says “women never throw anything away so that they can do all of the above & more.” And, the wives say “why aren’t builders installing more & larger walk-in closets.” My husband says “save money & take out the kitchen when you retire as we don’t cook as much as the kitchen is just for looks.” Right we could use our kitchen for a giant size curio cabinet as the real ones & hutch are full after 34 yrs of fun times & family. Hey, I know of someone in Dallas & house is so big she has a wrapping room. (Room just for wrapping her Christmas gifts) Lets all get on her Christmas list ok? Bye now, love this Home Goods blog. Linda
\\\
by Linda — 8/7/08 at 4:12 am #
15. Hello again Judith,
I loved your rooms on RMS. You did an excellent job. Yes, you can take great pride in your work. Especially if it’s done on a budget, because you have to rely on your creativity to make the statement…not just throw money at it, until the statement is made. (does that make sense)?
Glad you found some great things at HomeGoods, ( I always do)…you don’t have to spend alot to make big impact.
Looking forward to hearing from you again.
Keep up the good work!
by Cathy — 8/7/08 at 4:41 pm #
16. WOW Linda!!!
You are a virtual fountain of ideas and knowledge! Love all your place’s to go to for great inspiration. You are so right…ideas are everywhere, you just have to keep your eyes open.
Well, all I can say is, you need to write a book on all your experiences. I will go back and reread and digest more of these great ideas of yours.
Thanks so much for taking all the time and effort writing to us.
I can tell , you have a real zest, passion and joy of life.
Thanks again for your contribution.
by Cathy — 8/7/08 at 5:35 pm #