Give it some personality.  Your decor should be a glimpse into what and who they can expect to find in your home.

Let it say ‘welcome’ :  a seat, a lamp, a table/bench.  It says, ‘come in, have a seat, there is warmth here’.  Love the ‘happy’ rug.

Show your true colours:  are you colourful or more reserved?  Note how the basket tones down the formality of the design.

Make a statement!   The bright pink bench is a wonderful element of surprise in this classically designed space!  And love those tres chic wall sconces!

No excuses for small spaces.  A large simple piece of art can say ‘I may be small but look out!’.  This vignette is not lacking in big personality.

Be a fashionista if that’s who you are!  Cut out mirror, chairs and console – a fashion trend this season.

Glam it up … gold leaf wallpaper, murano glass chandelier and lots of mirror.

Live a little! Add some life to a hallway with a zebra print wallcovering.  The chandelier is a glamorous contrast to the sisal rugs.

Add some drama with a damask wallcovering. Here  its an unexpected formality in this loft like apartment.

Take the road less travelled.  Don’t follow the beige decorating crowds.  The light fixture is also an original beautiful touch.

Be simple but don’t be boring.  Here is a beautiful combination of paint colours, grasscloth wallcovering and mirror for drama.  The light fixture and art take centre stage.  The bench speaks simplicity and pure beauty.

Make a statement with beautiful lines:  horizontal grain in the grasscloth, vertical grain in the light fixture, striped fabric on the chair, herringbone pattern in the hardwood.  The wall sconces and chest also repeat strong vertical and horizontal lines.  What seems quite simple is a very well thought out design space.

Personalize it with family pictures and trinkets unless you want it to feel museum like.  Love those wall sconces!  No room for a side chair?  Tuck an ottoman under the bench!

Combine modern and classical to give your decor a fresh feeling.  Notice the flowers in almost every picture – a sure way to breathe life into a space.

And a little pooch always saves the day:)

For lots more  ’welcoming’ decorating  ideas please visit our Pinterest board, http://pinterest.com/lumarinteriors/staircases-foyers-and-hallways/ .

All pictures in this post taken from our Pinterest Boards which can be traced back to original designers.

www.lumarinteriors.com

To die for!  That’s all I can say about this paper.

And expensive.  No nicer way to say it…

But there is nothing out there that compares.  We’ve looked.  This is a textured linen fabric on paper with a slightly metallic damask printed on top.  Thibaut is the supplier.  Established in 1886, this is the oldest continuously operating wallcovering company in the United States!  We love Thibaut’s enduring classic styling and the way they always infuse something fresh and  on trend for a new look. We’ve loved them for years!

So we are hoping to get the final blessing from the client to go ahead with this.  This paper would be used on key feature hall walls.  One wall will have 4 of these gorgeous black/white/cream botanicals (from Soicher Marin – our  new love for artwork).

 Look at the closeup to appreciate the linen texture.  Can you catch the slight gold metallic on the top right hand corner?

It also has a plain co-ordinate.  It is the same linen paper without the damask print.  Our original proposal was to use this on the other adjoining walls.  But we may have to opt for a beautiful paint colour to co-ordinate with the damask paper.  We can live with that.

What do you think?  Beautiful, yes?  A  unique take on classic, yes?

We’ll keep you posted and hopefully show you a professional ‘after’ photo (pending the client’s blessing:)

What you do on the walls and the ceiling (referred to as the fifth wall) has a huge impact in your decoration.  You can almost do nothing else but do something impactful with the walls and it will give you instant gratification.

For the runway version of distinct walls hot off the press from Vogue this month is Tory Burch’s dining room walls with its custom painted panels from Iksel, Paris.

Luxury Fashion Designer Tory Burch

Not a shy girl when it comes to making a statement:  a fashion leader.

For those of us a little tamer than that see the following ideas for trends happening now:

Texture

Grasscloth wallpaper is happening

Wallpaper

Wallpaper feature wall for instant decoration

Gloss

glossy painted walls - rather than matte or eggshell

Glossy ceilings

lacquered jewel toned walls

Hand Painted

chinoiserie on silver leaf

Completely panelled walls

panelled walls

Saturated Colour

Makes for a gorgeous backdrop

What do you think?  Are you up for more colour on walls?  Drop us a line and let us know.

We also do colour consultations so if you need some help go to our website to contact us.

www.lumarinteriors.com

Even when wallpaper was ‘out’,  some of the best dressed homes sported very fashionable wallcoverings.

You just can’t beat the impact or warmth it can give to a room.  Think about it – its a lot of square footage you can cover.

Here are some wonderful applications to inspire you!

I love  a library in a grass cloth or string wallcovering (very au courant right now).  Here is a dining room that one of my favourite American designers, Suzanne Kasler, did in a beautiful seafoam coloured grasscloth.  Check out the contrasting celadon painted ceiling.  I LOVE that combination!

Gorgeous grasscloth wallcovering!

Painting the walls a seafoam colour just wouldn’t be the same in the above room.  The wallpaper is  like wearing a very simple dress in an exquisite linen.  Oh and by the way, like linen, you have to accept its inherent qualities.  Linen shows wrinkles and grasscloth shows seams.  You can’t hide it; its just part of the charm.  (Fashion in the home – fashion in clothes…very much alike if you ask me)

Or how about this beautiful damask wallcovering in the dining room below?  Its a traditional room but the wallpaper actually has a very fresh feel about it.  No?  Let me know what you think.

Damask wallcovering for elegance

How about a de gournay hand made wallcovering……

de gournay mural wallcovering

de Gournay hand paints wallpapers, fabrics and porcelain at the very top end of the market.  It has traditionally specialised in 18th century Chinoiserie and 19th century French designs. But they can customize colours and patterns to your space and give a more modern feel if needed.

How about this stunning filigree wallpaper from Thibaut to dress up your entrance or the powder room?  It is a traditional motif but has a modern fresh feel when paired with the right accessories as in the vignette below.

Thibaut Wallcoverings

Stripes add a bit of formality….

Classic fresh stripes

You can choose something very striking or something very soft.  I tend to like soft in large spaces and more striking in small spaces.

A flowing, curvey floral is going to be more relaxed.

Lovely, soft pattern

And if you just can’t handle a lot of it…why not add some paper to a feature wall.  The wall behind the bed or a wall in the dining room make for perfect spots to add some punch.

A wonderful feature wall

Dress up a powder room

So, like I said, even if there is nothing else in a room, add some wallpaper and you will feel like you are all dressed up and ready to go – LOVE IT!

By the way, when I did my last blog post on ‘colour’ I should have posted the name of one of my favourite blogs from a true colour expert.  Please visit Colour Me Happy on my Blogroll.  You’ll enjoy her posts – I’m sure!

Why do we flock to the garden centres in spring?

By mid-March we’re tired of our grey and black clothing and grey skies, particularly those of us living in northern climates.     New York decorator Mario Buatta says that ‘colour is a mood setter’.  How true is that?  Colour psychology is a huge topic for another time.  But simply put, it affects you more than you know.

So, after more than a decade of neutrals, colour is back!  Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting you have to go out and redo everything but it sure is nice to see some colour injected into neutral rooms.  That’s a good start after this way too long love affair with ‘beige’.  Forecast colours from Para Paints range from chartreuse to hot pink to orange.  (Come visit our in-studio event on May 25th for the full presentation!)

How do you inject some colour in an otherwise neutral room, you ask?  Easy.

• Recover a chair or two and co-ordinate some toss cushions in a cheery colour
• Wallpaper a focal wall in the master bedroom or living room
• accessorize with a colour and repeat the colour 2-3 times around the room
• add a vividly coloured area rug
• add some colourful, uplifting art

The beautiful coral on the headboard is repeated on benches and cushions.

Bright pillows and art perk up this neutral space

A pretty green wallpaper makes the room feel all dressed up.

Pantone announced its colour of the year for 2011 to be Honeysuckle.

Pantone Colour of the Year 2011 - Honeysuckle

According to Leatrice Eiseman of the Pantone company energizing colour Honeysuckle is uplifting and gives the confidence to face life’s many challenges today.

What an uplifting eating area this is!

You  gotta love designer to the stars Mario Buatta.  He embraces colour and pattern wholeheartedly. No tiptoeing around here.  In the April 2011 issue of Elle Decor Mario agrees with this maximalist approach.  He believes colour can make you feel great! (How true!)  He has favourite paint schemes that he shares:  for the living room – yellow walls, a pale-blue ceiling and white woodwork. (Sarah Richardson’s paint palette for Para Paints has a beautiful pale blue for ceilings).  For Kitchens – off white cabinets painted robin’s egg blue on the inside with a lemon yellow ceiling. (sounds perfect)  For bedrooms: apricot walls, a pale blue ceiling and off white  woodwork (sounds very feminine.  Just ask Mariah Carey-he did her bedroom).

Me and Luisa having dinner with Buatta in New York

Mario Buatta – The Prince of Chintz

So, I see colour everywhere these days:  in fashion, in home decor and yes, in the flowers outside…. Must be spring for Mario all the time…..