Alternate Post Titles:
My bloggies are the BEST!
Shout-Out to Libby!
Now, SHE knows what she's talking about!
I got the following email from a blog reader and
(sigh.) I love my bloggies! You really all are too fabulous! Her thoughts were so helpful and complete that I think the email is well worth posting here. Her email follows.
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I just saw your blog post about decorating and felt compelled to respond. And as I did, I realized I had a lot more to say than would be appropriate for a blog comment. I hope you don't mind all of the advice. I, too, have been redoing my house lately so it is top-of-mind for me. Anyway, here goes....
My top ten pieces of decorating advice for Emilie Ahern (in no particular order):
1. I've read your blog(s) for awhile now and you have great taste. Trust it.
2. You already know a lot of the principles of design (balance, composition, color, etc). Applying them to your home is the same - it's just a larger scale and requires thinking three dimensionally.
3. Figure out the layout of your room, how you want it to function, how you want it to feel and go from there. Assessing the room is probably the single most important thing you can do. If you have a lot of knick-knacks and nowhere to put them you're going to be in trouble. Or if the room is going to function as a family-friendly space and you have a lot of "untouchables" that will also present problems. Figuring out what you have and what you need can easily be done with a tape measure and grid paper and will save you hours of headache later (think buying artwork you can't use or backaches from rearranging furniture).
4. Light colors reflect light and dark colors absorb it. Therefore, light colors expand a space and dark colors shrink it. You can use either in your space, you just need to know how much light you have (natural or otherwise) and how "big" you want the space to feel.
5. High contrast creates high energy and low contrast creates a more soothing feel. If you look at the two photos you posted, the first one has a more soothing overall feel because the main colors are almost monochromatic (beige, cream and tan). But the second photo with its main colors of dark brown and white bounces your eye around the room and creates a higher energy level. You can have high and low contrast with both light and dark colors. For example, a room with all gray tones (from deep to light) would have an overall soothing feeling, whereas a room with bright green walls and white (or even black!) trim would have a much higher energy level. Either scheme is fine, you just need to decide which one you want (see #3).
6. Not only should the layout of the room flow well, you should also remember to keep it balanced vertically. If you scan your eye around a room, the weight should be distributed equally from top to bottom. Have a lot of low pieces of furniture? Make sure to dress your windows with long drapes or a valance and use visually big pieces of artwork to give weight to the top of the room too. Also, if you have a big piece of furniture on one side of a room (like an armoire) balance the opposing side with something big as well (either furniture or artwork grouped together to give the wall weight).
7. Apply the rule of odds: Everything looks better in odd numbers. Want to add a punch of color? Use three things with that color spaced throughout the room (see light green items in photo #1). Have some artwork you want to group together? 9 looks so much better than 8
8. As others have said, use the things you love and it will all come together in the end.
9. Pick a metal and stick with it. A room looks so much more intentional if you have one type of metal throughout (iron, brass, pewter, etc). Metal primer and spray paint are your friends.
10. Repetition. Repetition is the difference between a well-decorated room and a decorated room. Have a beautiful pine armoire? Find an end table with the same wood tone so that each piece relates to the other and looks intentional. Have a pillow with a fleur-de-lis? Find some hooks or a doorstop with a fleur-de-lis. It doesn't have to be a lot (or even obvious), but when there are the same elements repeated throughout a space it gives it rhythm and cohesion.
Good luck! I know you are going to knock this out of the park! Just be sure to keep all of us updated on your progress!
Libby
P.S. Be sure to check out design blogs and magazines. As with most things creative, you will be overwhelmed with the inspiration! Here are a few of my current faves:
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http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/
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http://sweetsomethingdesign.blogspot.com/ (I especially like her tutorial about chippy paint finish)
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http://thepioneerwoman.com/ Pioneer Woman's friend, Hyacinth, is redecorating her living room and getting help from three talented women. Check out Pioneer Woman's Home and Garden section for updates and links.
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Libby...YOU ROCK!
Thanks a million times for the thought, effort and inspiration!
Tomorrow I may tidy up and take some before photos of our bland, boring house.
P.S. I will also post a specific poster I bought at the flea market this Summer and ask for some advice from my readers. I LOVE this poster and want to hang it in my girl's room, but can't imagine how to build off of it. Stay tuned.
