A Heavy Accent

Some accessories can be overbearing...such as your aunt's overly ornate picture frames strewn throughout her small apartment. Adding accessories and wonderful art to your home is a great way to bring your own character and self into your home's design, but keep things in scale. Nothing is worse than entering a 500 square foot apartment only to find the furniture of a grandiose home lurking all over it. Small and subtle accessories that easily fit onto side tables are an easy way to incorporate your style without having your guests trip all over them.

Such accessories include picture frames that make less of a statement than the actual art in them and sleek candle holders that do not look like a prop from the game Clue. Shop for pieces that easily fit with your furniture and do not overpower them with their size. Happy shopping!

The Pampered Guest

Before you have people over there is a tradition that every family must follow prior to your guest's arrival....hide the junk, clean off the counter tops, and make sure the bathroom looks tidy. Hiding the junk is easy, simply find a large box and sweep everything into it...then hide the box in the closet for tomorrow. Having a tidy looking bathroom is completely different though. You want your guests to feel that they are using clean facilities and at the same time enjoying the stylish decor you have used to make this room an inviting one.

Give your bathroom some wonderful decor with matching fixtures and accessories. Whether you prefer a gold finish or a bronze finish, making your bathroom's accessories match is key to a well designed small place. Start choosing the right accessories for you bathroom and make your guests feel pampered!

Time to Decorate!

Clocks are instruments that keep us on schedule and help us coordinate our daily events. The word clock is derived from a Celtic word that means 'bell.' This is because people used to know what time it was in the day by their local church bells. There have been many different types of clocks. From sundials to clocks run by water, there are a variety of devices or methods for you stay on track.

A clock for your home can be a great functional accessory to add to any room. Whether you prefer a large and ornate timepiece to hang over your fireplace or a sleek and modern one to sit on a counter top there are a variety to choose from. So start thinking about what is missing from your room and add a functional piece that will keep your home looking nicely put together as well as keep you always on time. 

Lighting Up Your Life

Seasons greetings to all those wonderful people who devote so much time to decorating their homes and offices for the holidays! With twinkling lights and inflatable reindeers accessorizing our lawns, it is obvious that we are waist deep into the holiday season. This year has seen many trends in lighting, but as is true with most fads the classics are always the best. When planning where to place lights around your home it can be fun to add one or two artistic lighting elements to give your room some personality.

The main lighting in a home though should maintain a classic look. A look that is sharp and provides you with what you really need....functional lighting. Lighting that provides you with task appropriate illumination and lighting that provides an overall glow is a necessity. So this coming year after all of our Santa decorations are put away, consider changing up your design to give you the best and most functional design for you.

The Last Party of the Year

With New Year's Eve around the corner, everyone is beginning to feel the stress. Do you stay in for a romantic evening with a loved one, if you are single do you stay in and watch the ball drop while gorging on take-out, or do you brave the traffic and spend exorbitant amounts of money just for parking alone to?  My bet this year is a reflection of my new year's resolutions...keep it simple. a house party keeps things inexpensive and safe.

Dress up your house with some festive colored lights  by placing string lights and decorative candle holders around windows, counters, etc. Add little sparkly touches around your home , add some chilled bubbly and whatever food you would like to feed those friends of your yours. So whether you decide on ringing in the new year in four inch heels or in fuzzy socks, be safe and start out the new year in the place you spend so much time decorating....home.

Shimmery Glittery Goodness

Every girl dreams of living in a castle with a glimmering chandelier that simply leaves you breathless when you take in its majestic sparkly greatness. Chandeliers are not just for princesses, which is great because the vast majority of us are not and have very little hop of settling down with a prince. A chandelier in your home may sound unattainable due to their cost and size, but with the variety of lighting fixtures available in this day and age, you are bound to find the one you have always dreamed of owning....on a smaller scale.

In a smaller home, chandeliers work best (to scale) in a dining room where it can be a glittery accessory for your holiday meals or in a tall foyer where you can enjoy the fixture every time you set foot into your castle.

Groovy Lighting

Art is most definitely in the eye of the beholder. To some a particular painting is world class, one of a kind, and would fetch millions at auction. To others that same painting looks like a toddler had a great time with some finger paints. Whatever you choose to decorate your walls with, lighting is key to ensure that your art is presented at its best.

Easy to install, art lighting not only provides your art piece with the appropriate fetching glow, but it also provides ambient lighting to your room. So whether your idea of art is a painting of a landscape or a black light enhanced Pink Floyd poster, show it some love with the right lighting.