Posts

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Things Are Looking Up: Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

/in , , /by

A striking chandelier or a stunning light fixture adds the ideal punctuation mark in a well-designed room. I like to think of them as style on high — no pun intended. One of my favorite online inspiration sources is ElleDecor.com. This time when I decided to focus on spectacular chandeliers, these lovely pieces were rich in color and  beaming with style. Take a gander below at the diverse décor. As illustrated no room is complete without the right lighting, adding the special something that each room needs. Below are my faves. But it doesn’t have to stop there. Share with me on Facebook some of your favorite illuminating treats.

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Designing with Beautiful Chandeliers

Are you ready to light up your world? I can help you complete the task with much grace, taste and style. Just reach out to The Decorative Touch,  and we’ll give you a new, bright start on your home.

Photo via ElleDecor.com

Designing an Eco-Friendly Home

/in , /by

Many homeowners are opting for a green lifestyle these days, so what better place to start eco-friendly living than in your own living space? The Decorative Touch  is well versed in what exactly it means to ‘go green’. I understand that green never means you have to sacrifice style.

Designing an Eco-friendly Home

Designing an Eco-friendly Home

Eco-friendly interior design should not only be recyclable but also harmless. In order to successfully complete eco-friendly interior design, natural and organic materials have to be used. That means no particleboard. No chromed metal. And sorry, no plastic. Although you may spend more of your budget to design an eco-home, the natural materials are very durable, good quality, and of course safer.

Nearly every part of your home can be made ‘green’, including wall coverings and paint. Think about river rocks to decorate the walls, or perhaps wood panels, ceramic tile, cork, or wallpaper made of bamboo. For your ceilings, opt for wood panels. Flooring is not an eco-friendly exception.  It can be made of stone or wooden parquet made from European woods, bamboo or cork. The results will be stunning and eco-friendly.  Combine lighter and darker words to create fun shapes and patterns in the room.

Your furniture can come from sustainable forests, be upholstered with eco-friendly fabrics, and at The Decorative Touch  we even like to ‘recycle’ by infusing beautiful antique or vintage pieces to create a unique vibe for your home. Also, accessories can offer great choices for green home decor: glass or clay vases, rocks, wicker baskets, old chests, and dry leaves or tree branches from your backyard.

Other benefits? Lower maintenance costs, less energy usage, higher levels of occupant satisfaction, and lower Co2 emissions.

Seem like a big task? That’s what The Decorative Touch is here for. Just reach out to us, and we’ll give you a new, fresh, green start on your home.

Photo via stagetecture.com

Rope Bathroom Decor

How to Use Rope for Design

/in , , /by

I want you to look past the practical uses for a rope, and start to embrace the concept of using it in your design. As you know if you read my blog on a regular basis, I’m always looking for new, elegant ways to infuse the avant garde into luxurious homes. Ropes help me do just that. I understand rope would normally be considered a utilitarian necessity and not an attractive decorative element. But I’ll show you with the examples I’ve collected below that rope can really add a fresh feel and shine in many rooms.

A wonderful illustration of rope design used in the home is the bathroom. A rope-based towel holder is not over done but adds obvious style.

Rope Bathroom Decor

Rope Bathroom Decor

A living room often needs lots of light to brighten the space, and what better way to do so than a rope lamp?

Rope Lamp

Rope Lamp

A plain pair of wooden stools gets a brilliant makeover by adding simple coils of rope.

Rope Seats and Stools

Rope Seats and Stools

Are you ready to transform your space with a little rope? I can help you successfully and tastefully achieve this dynamic look. Just contact The Decorative Touch to get started today.

Photos via marthastewart.com

Leather Tapestry

Wall Décor

/in , /by

Do you have blank walls? Or does the current look of your walls remind you of something straight out of a ’70s movie? Then I say it’s time for a drastic change, and The Decorative Touch can help get you — and your walls — on the right track.  If you are a do-it-yourself person, you will love the idea below.  Or, with my help, you can turn your walls into instant eye candy, as the new wallpapers of today are not what your grandmothers had.

Dress your walls up or dress them down with vinyl medallion wall decals. This material creates a classy canvas.

Medallion Decals

Medallion Decals

Tapestries adorn walls because they are intricate works of art. Admittedly, at first thought they might represent old-world decor. But when they are a  hand-painted leather tapestry like this one shown, they bring modern style  to the room.

Leather Tapestry

Leather Tapestry

Are you ready to transform your space by changing the look of your walls? I can help you successfully and tastefully achieve the dynamic look. Just contact The Decorative Touch to get started today.

Photos via styleathome.com

 

 

Simple Living Room

Simple Home Style

/in /by

So you’re not a complicated person. I get that. And as someone easy going and carefree, you want your home to reflect your subtle personality. The Decorative Touch loves to use the simplicity of an understated palette to make a prominent statement about who you are. Below I’ve gathered ideal pictures that illustrate how to make a dashing impression from a minimalist point of view. The design of your room never has to be overdone or overstated. With a few simple touches, you’ll be amazed how a little really does go a long way.

For example, in this photo we see a mixture of prints, however the colors and patterns are very subdued. No aesthetic drowns out the other.

Mix of Prints

Mix of Prints

Here, Texas long-leaf pine floors and wood moldings create a stunning canvas. Not too much. Just enough.

Simple Living Room

Simple Living Room

An all-white environment is both simple and regal, as you’ll see the in the photo below.

All White Bedroom

All White Bedroom

Are you thinking of redesigning your home? I can help you design the home of your dreams. Just contact me at 913-888-1388 or decorativetouchltd@yahoo.com. Also feel welcome to stop by in person at 14111 W. 95 Street , Lenexa KS. We can help you come up with ideas that will match your home’s look, feel and style.

Photos via Country Living

House of Turquoise: Living Room

House of Turquoise

/in , /by

When reading a few online blogs recently, I came across a design philosophy I wholeheartedly agree with: design to celebrate life.  To help homeowners celebrate life, I have to know how my clients truly function in their homes — their reality — and still design a space the incorporates how they’d like to live — the fantasy. The combination makes for amazing results. Many times, I’m asked to include an outgoing color pallete into a home. I love challenges like these, figuring out the line between tasteful and tacky when infusing lots of color. Turquoise is a very lively color. But can it be used in a practical, real-life environment? As a design expert I say it can, and I’ve got the pictures to prove it. This cheery Cape Cod-inspired home I’ve featured below is a beautiful blend of turquoise style and function. (To be precise, the color is called Stratoon Blue.)  Glance at the photos, and be inspired to splash some exuberant color throughout your home.

House of Turquoise: Living Room

House of Turquoise: Living Room

House of Turquoise: Kitchen

House of Turquoise: Kitchen

House of Turquoise: Home Office

House of Turquoise: Home Office

Are you thinking of redesigning your home with an outgoing touch of color? I can help you design the home of your dreams. Just contact me at 913-888-1388 or decorativetouchltd@yahoo.com. Also feel welcome to stop by in person at 14111 W. 95 Street , Lenexa KS. We can help you come up with ideas that will match your home’s look, feel and style.

Photos via houseofturquoise.com

Chic Basements

/in , , /by

Basements can be cozy, chic and captivating as well. Gone are the days where a basement is an at-home, over-sized storage unit.  As we rummaged through designer pictures on the Web, we found some photos that are the paradigm of  enjoyable basement living. Look through these examples, showing how to take an underused space of your home — the basement — and unveil its potential. These spaces utilize stunning color palettes, cozy furnishings and functional layouts to create the basement of the homeowner’s dream.

This basement radiates warmth from the vibrant red hue on its walls that uses a chili-pepper red glass backsplash. The wide-plank hardwood is a nice complimenting, modern touch.

 

A neutral palette is the main decor for this multi-functional basement.  Here, this basement not only encourages relaxation with the comfortable furniture and media center, but the area also touts a workout zone.

Need a place for your teenagers and their friends to hang and be safe? Then this basement is ideal for you and them.

Reach out to The Decorative Touch, and we can help you transform your basement into a glamorous haven you will enjoy.

Rustic, Traditional, and a Touch of Modern Décor

/in , /by
You’ve heard the old mantra, “Opposites attract.” Believe it or not, this saying couldn’t be more true than in interior design. In fact, I love the mix  of rustic and traditional, with just a bit of modern style infused. I saw a lovely home in the magazine Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles that was the ideal paradigm of this concept. These photos illustrate  a great mix of styles, merging today with yesterday and modern with timeless.
Are you thinking of redesigning your home? We can help you design the home of your dreams. Just contact us at 913-888-1388 or decorativetouchltd@yahoo.com. Also feel welcome to stop by in person at 14111 W. 95 Street , Lenexa KS. We can help you come up with ideas that will match your home’s look, feel and style.
Turn Your Closet into a Work Zone

Small Space Design

/in /by

In interior design, there are no such thing as small spaces; only small imaginations. The Decorative Touch can take minimal space and maximize its potential. Believe it or not we often take small spaces, make them super-efficient without ever sacrificing any style. We can do the same for you. Check out some of the small spaces that have been converted into amazing areas on the Web site of Better Homes and Gardens.

Have you thought about turning an extra closet into a work zone? We love how this space uses drapery panels to slide along a curtain rod, allowing the homeowner to hide the clutter.

Turn Your Closet into a Work Zone

Turn Your Closet into a Work Zone

Also, you can add storage as well as architectural aesthetic by including a built-in. Incorporate a recessed daybed into this design, eliminating the need for both a bed and a sofa.

Incorporate a Built-in

Incorporate a Built-in

Need help envisioning how a nook can be transformed into a voluminous, multi-functional space? Reach out to The Decorative Touch, and we can assist you starting today.

Photos: Better Homes and Gardens

The Fabulous Foyer: Pretty and Classic

The Fabulous Foyer

/in /by

They say first impressions are everlasting, so since the foyer is the first impression your home will make on guests, we want to inspire you to create a decor for your foyer. The entryway can be just as creative as other parts of your home.

For example, we were drawn to this foyer because of the design of the chair. This seat has been upholstered, allowing the fabric to keep a relevant, updated feel while preserving the antique ambiance of the chair.

The Fabulous Foyer: Pretty and Classic

The Fabulous Foyer: Pretty and Classic

Photo: HouseBeautiful.com

If you’ve read the last few posts of this blog, you know that we are huge fans of antiques and vintage. The entryway of your home is a great way to let all of your guests know how much you appreciate things of old. In this foyer, antiques included the American hooked rugs. Such a nice touch.

The Fabulous Foyer: The Anitque Entryway

The Fabulous Foyer: The Antique Entryway

Photo: HouseBeautiful.com

This neoclassical foyer uses creamy marble floors, paired with antique Italian commodes that are topped by marble urns. The space is brought together by a Zodiac light.

The Fabulous Foyer: Neoclassical

The Fabulous Foyer: Neoclassical

Photo: HouseBeautiful.com

Are you thinking of redesigning your entryway? We can help you create the foyer of your dreams. Just contact us. We can help you come up with ideas that will match your home’s look and feel.