Month: March 2013

Spruce Up Your Outdoor Entryway

March 28, 2013

With frost-pale lawns and haggard, empty trees becoming less and less of a common occurrence, the time has come to cast off the melting vestige of winter and turn our sights to spring. The entire world is waking from the somnolent lull of the cold, and as we stumble into the bracing sunshine, we take a look around and realize our outdoor areas need a little help starting the spring transition. And why not? Warm weather means more time spent outdoors; neighbors and guests and family alike need an aesthetic space to enjoy the renewed birdsong or to watch the flowers grow.

A good place to start is right at your front door. Trade the worn “Welcome” mat for something more vibrant but equally amicable. The Tuscany Slice Doormat looks as though it were carved from the bed of a gentle brook. A hardy cobble of stones forms the heart of this rubber doormat, while the outside is ringed by multicolored pebbles. Utilizing this same design, the Tuscany Rubber Stair Treads fit evenly over each step to provide a fragmentary display of beauty.

Surrounded by your rough plaster walls teeming with vines or a sunbaked patio littered with terra-cotta pots, the Tuscany Doormat and Stair Treads are the finishing touches on your own sunny villa. Made in the USA from recycled rubber, these doormats and stair treads are also eco-friendly, assuring many mild and enjoyable springs on our planet to come.

Create Your Own Coastal Retreat

March 22, 2013

Coastal decor invokes that mystic murmur of a shell pressed against your ear or the brackish sting of salt on your tongue. Whether your home is firmly landlocked or neighbor to the sea, the coastal theme fits swimmingly into any room—bedroom, kitchen, or bath. Keep your indoor slice of paradise simplistic and light with some basic coastal decorating tips.

1. Color: A coastal color palette includes mostly cool tones, like soft blues, light aquas, and greens, mitigated by sandy neutrals. Peach or coral can bring unexpected pops of color, like an ocean sunset, but deep colors should be used sparingly. The Tides Bedspread makes impeccable use of the coastal palette, featuring a wavy blend of light blue, cerulean, celadon, light steel blue, and aqua. Its rounded corners swell like waves, and the cotton fabric is fresh and breathable.

Tides Grande Bedspread

2. Patterns & Textures: Like those on a piece of saltwater taffy or a beach parasol, stripes are a staple pattern of the coastal theme. Scalloped borders and lines call to mind the ebb and flow of waves and (of course) the scallop shell. Most of the Natural Shells Table Linens utilize both stripes and scalloped edges, as well as a machine-quilted surface reminiscent of rippling water. With a napkin set, table runner and topper, placemat sets, and a quilted apron available, Natural Shells will give your kitchen the quaint appeal of a seaside cottage.

3. Moods & Motifs: The coastal theme is remarkably versatile; you can put your own unique spin on coastal decor by invoking certain moods. With shell motifs, you can conjure a vivacious atmosphere as well as nature’s beauty. The Spa Shells Shower Curtain and coordinating Bath Collection utilize shell designs and simple lines and shapes to make entering your bathroom like stumbling upon a hidden cove.

The sticking point of the coastal theme is to keep decor as uncomplicated as possible. By avoiding overly-elaborate decorations and eliminating clutter, your new coastal room will emit a sense of floating along, rather than battling the current.

Time to Update Your Wall Decor

March 15, 2013

These days, our fierce preoccupation with time, our unyielding devotion to the clock, is simply a part of life. Factor in the recent time change, and we have time on the brain now more than ever. While time can certainly be a source of anxiety, it can also be a source of beauty and inspiration. A one-of-a-kind wall clock will capture all the nervous, darting glances directed its way and transform them into spellbound stares.

Decorating with large wall clocks is a growing trend in the decor world, perhaps because these magnificent time pieces double as works of art. With their sheer size and meticulous detailing, wall clocks fill empty spaces meaningfully and are excellent focal points with which to anchor a room or hallway.

The Blaine Blocks Wall Clock is ideal for the modern decorator who prefers to step outside convention. No frame binds this timepiece; Blaine is a cosmic arrangement of free-flying black blocks, each ensconced in faux animal print. These twelve pieces can be positioned as close—or as far—from the main block as desired. No matter the distance, the black hour and minute hands will keep perfect time.

Blaine Blocks Wall Clock Set

For a sentimental glimpse into the past as well as the present, the Visions of Memories Photo Wall Clock features twelve interconnected frames for your photos. Textured, pressed metal designs lend this 29”x29” clock a unique appearance. With every glance it receives, this vivid wheel of memories will invoke thoughts of loved ones.

Visions of Memories Wall Clock

Mother Nature and Father Time convene in the Scrolling Vines Metal Wall Clock. The clock face is surrounded by a thicket of flourishing vines, some winding through openwork and others through pressed metal designs of green, aubergine, golden yellow, and rosewood. Moving in a circular and perpetual motion about this 32” diameter clock, the scrolling vines invoke the infinity of nature.

Scrolling Vines Wall Clock

Last is the Treviso Wall Topper Clock, with its stately, dark bronze scrolls and antique copper fleurs. Although traditional, this wall clock is anything but ordinary. This 44”x19” piece can be mounted above a door to fill vacant space or to dramatize an entryway.

Whichever you choose, a decorative wall clock will not penetrate your head with intrusive ticking but grace your eyes with a quiet presence and beauty.

Treviso Wall Topper with Clock

Drop the Lid on Boredom—Enhance Your Bathroom!

March 8, 2013

Nothing ruins a breathtaking bathroom quite like a drab, clunky toilet. Throw in a precarious stack of toilet paper rolls and tissue boxes, and you’re headed for one cluttered space indeed. But it’s never too late to turn a blah bathroom around! Bath furniture and functional bath accents can reduce clutter and maximize space. And even the most yawn-worthy toilet can be beautified with a decorative toilet seat.

Decorative toilet seats offer a wide selection of patterns and materials, assuring a perfect match for your overall theme. When choosing, keep the size of your toilet in mind; you don’t want to purchase an elongated seat if in fact you have a standard-sized toilet. The Jewel Shell Elongated Toilet Seat is a resin collage of molded shells, beach sand, and other underwater accents on a blue or beige background–ideal for a coastal theme!

Jewel Shell Elongated Toilet Seat

Space savers, meanwhile, are meant to accentuate and organize your bathroom. Overhanging shelves present the practical function of accessory storage, while decorative accents coordinate with your theme. The Gianna Space Saver, in regal Venetian gold, has glass inset shelves and romantic, heart-shaped scrolls spiraling throughout.

Toilet paper holders possess the all-important purpose of making toilet paper neat and readily accessible. Toilet paper stands, like the opulent Aldabella, are positioned on the floor, while toilet paper holders mount to the wall. The Aldabella Toilet Paper Holder furnishes elegance and a nifty place to store magazines.

 Aldabella Wall Magazine Rack with Toilet Paper Holder

To accentuate a rustic lodge theme, try the Stinkin’ Bear Toilet Paper Holder. Toilet paper roll storage is made simple with the Lace Design Toilet Roll Holders; these trim canisters will funnel your rolls into tidy, out-of-the-way stacks.

Stinkin Bear Toilet Paper Holder  Lace Design Toilet Tissue Holder

And finally, a Toilet Brush and Holder Set provides a hygienic place to stow away the very necessary—but at times unattractive—toilet brush. Sleek chrome and an inlaid plastic liner exude a futuristic asepsis in your bathroom.

Slender Toilet Bowl Brush and Holder Set

With a dazzling decorative toilet seat and a little extra space, you can streamline your bathroom into a harmonious, relaxing place.

 

Decorative Nightlights

March 1, 2013

Decorative nightlights are beautiful beacons to guide you safely through pitch-dark halls or lightless bedrooms. Although practical, nightlights serve an aesthetic purpose as well, acting as finishing touches to accentuate your decorating theme.

As though blooming straight from the outlet, the Amethyst Rose Nightlight and Dogwood Nightlight will turn a gloomy hallway into an enchanted forest path. A porcelain nightlight and a handpainted nightlight respectively, these floral accents are highly-detailed, right down to the veins winding through their leaves.

Amethyst Rose Nightlight Dogwood Nightlight

The Mighty Elephant Nightlight, meanwhile, will complement a safari theme; this gentle giant will guide you through your nighttime expeditions with kind eyes and a poised trunk. A resin nightlight, this accent has creases in the trunk and a subtle gradient in the tusks for a realistic appearance.

Mighty Elephant Nightlight

Wine and grape decor will coordinate smoothly with the Wine Bottle Stained Glass Nightlight. A pair of stained glass wine bottles and one wine glass attach to a nightlight plug, allowing for endless customization with Switchable nightlights.

Whether your theme is Southwestern or vintage, coastal or contemporary, nightlights are the perfect final touches for any room.

Wine Bottle Glass Switchable