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Design by The Decorative Touch Featured in KCH&G

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A luxurious bathroom designed by Janine Terstriep of The Decorative Touch is featured in the October issue of Kansas City Homes and Gardens, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.

Like many homeowners these days, our clients sought a relaxing bathroom retreat, and we created exactly what they were looking for. The blue and cream color palette sets the space apart from the rest of the home, offering the ambiance and serenity of a spa. If you can’t stop eyeing the mosaic staircase, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most luxe features of the space, in addition to the elegant drapes and stunning chandelier.

Thank you so much to Kansas City Homes and Gardens for featuring our design! Pick up a copy of the magazine at a local newsstand or check out the digital edition online and flip to pages 46-47 to see the spread and read the article.

A Look at the Future of American Home Design

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Luxurious bathrooms are on the rise.

Wonderful design blog The Editor at Large recently reported on the findings of the “2020 Crystal Ball Survey” by the International Furnishings and Design Association, which revealed a picture of the normal American home as it’s expected look in the year 2020. Many noteworthy trends emerged, offering an interesting perspective of how home design will evolve over the next nine years. Expectations include:

  • American homes will continue to get smaller.
  • Formal living rooms and formal dining rooms likely won’t be part of future American homes, as people opt for multi-functional spaces like the eat-in kitchen.
  • Bathrooms will become more luxurious with products like fancy fixtures and spa baths.
  • Home automation will become more popular, including high-tech lighting and audio/video systems.

Interested in other predictions for American homes in 2020? Visit The Editor at Large to learn more about the survey’s results.

Photo: Design by The Decorative Touch

Décor Color Palette: Autumn’s in the Air

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Over the years I have had clients moving to the Midwest from both coastlines, and I have helped them with the furnishing and decorating of their new Midwestern homes. Ironically, they have had trouble embracing the colors we use here due to the lasting impression of the coastal environments they have left behind. I totally understand that where you live has an effect on how you create the space that surrounds your interior! The great thing here is we experience the change of seasons, and much of our weather makes us feel like we want to wrap up in warmth—hence the warmer colors used in many of our interiors!

With the turning of the leaves in Kansas City, we know what will soon be approaching, and as we grab for those soft cozy throws draped over our sofas, we are happy to have the toasted caramels and rich browns around us to help us feel even warmer just by the nature of our painted walls and furnishings. Winters can be a little longer than we like, so it’s even more important to choose colors that “warm up” your space. Take a peek at these photos… even if winter lasts a while, you’ll feel nice and cozy at home!

From the orange-red ceiling to the wood floors, everything in this space works for “warm” decor. Red and orange accents blend nicely with neutral tan and brown furniture. The fireplace is also perfect for warming up on a chilly night.

This room also has the quintessential fall color scheme: deep oranges, yellows and browns. Small accents also contribute to warming up the space.

How have you incorporated “warmer” décor at home? Or does your home already have the perfect seasonal color scheme? Do share—we’d love to hear from you!

Images: Interior design by The Decorative Touch

Fall in Love with Pinterest

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If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, you need to. It’s perfect for home decorating enthusiasts searching for inspiration and a place to keep all those photos of things you love. As it describes itself, “Pinterest is a virtual pinboard.”

Think of a pinboard as just that—a digital bulletin board you can pin images to. Beneath each image, you can write little notes to yourself to remind you what you love about the picture—maybe it’s just the lamp in the background, or maybe it’s the entire space! Regardless of which, your explanation is sure to ring a bell. Here’s a look at the Home + Furniture section of Pinterest:

Of course, you can also use Pinterest for other hobbies as well—make additional pinboards for cooking, baking, reading and so on. Head over to pinterest.com to check it out, and let us know what you think! We’re sure you’ll love it as much as we do.

Image: Screen shot of pinterest.com

The Decorative Touch Clients Share Their Experiences

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We know we have a great design reputation in the Kansas City area, but we figure you’d probably prefer hearing it from our clients than from us. Here’s what a couple of our clients had to say about working with The Decorative Touch, our Lenexa, KS interior design firm:

“Before I met Janine @ The Decorative Touch, I used to make so many costly decorating mistakes. Now, having been a customer for over 10 years, I am consistently impressed by Janine’s professionalism. I can trust that she has my best interests in mind, and I know we are making the right decisions for me.”
–Amy M.

“In this day and age, it’s hard to find a company you can trust. The Decorative Touch Ltd. was recommended to me by a friend, and now I know why – the quality of personal service I received was outstanding. Janine really listened to my needs. Now I am recommending her to my friends too!”
–Mary B.

Find us in the Exclusive Interiors Design Studio or give us a call at 913-888-1388 to find out about how we can help you with your Kansas City-area design needs.

Photo: Design by The Decorative Touch, Ltd.

Decorating with Trays

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Trays are a hugely versatile design accessory that we’ve been hearing about from a number of different shelter magazines. Not only does House Beautiful suggest using a tray and ottoman in the place of a coffee table, but the House & Home blog also did a post on using trays for attractive organization. Better Homes and Gardens recently included advice suggesting the use of a tray to contain accessories on a coffee table, and we think that advice could really apply to any table or room in the house.

In fact, we at The Decorative Touch have incorporated trays into a number of our designs. Here are a couple of examples:

Here we have a neat flower-shaped tray on an ottoman, just like House Beautiful discussed.

A tray on this round table complements the wood floors while keeping the flower pots looking orderly.

Visit our website to see more examples of trays in our interior designs.

Photos: Designs by The Decorative Touch Ltd.

Design Inspiration from Keri Russell’s Home

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Keri Russell and Family inside their Brooklyn home

In an article featured in Elle Decor, actress Keri Russell’s brownstone in Brooklyn was spotlighted. We thought we’d share just a few photos of her beautiful home with our readers. If you’re redecorating your home and would like to add a stylish touch to your decor, perhaps these gorgeous photos will serve as inspiration for you!

Inside the living room of Keri Russell’s home, the rug by Shaw Floors, Ochre light fixture, and linen-upholstered armchairs by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams work together to create a cozy and welcome living space.

The chic but welcoming kitchen features a light fixture by Rejuvenation, a kitchen island and cabinetry made out of espresso-stained reclaimed fir, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, and Grohe sink fittings.

The luxurious master bathroom inside Keri Russell’s home a Victoria + Albert claw-foot tub that has Samuel Heath fittings; this tub looks perfect for relaxing in!

Inside the master bedroom, there is a sheepskin rug by IKEA adorning the floor and a chandelier found at an antiques fair serving as the bedroom light fixture. The bed features bedding and headboard fabric by Matteo, and the bedside table was created by Shane Deary, Keri’s husband.

Images courtesy of Elle Decor

Decorative Touches that Gwyneth Paltrow Can’t Live Without

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Gwyneth Paltrow

Elle Decor featured an article spotlighting a few of Gwyneth Paltrow’s favorite things that she just cannot live without, including decorative touches found inside her beautiful home in London, where she resides with her husband Chris Martin of the band Coldplay and their two children. Check out these photos of just a few of her favorite things for design inspiration inside your home.

A well decorated with gorgeous hand-painted wallpaper. This wallapaper by De Gournay is featured on one wall inside Gwyneth Paltrow’s living room.

Seasonal flowers in single-variety arrangements. Gwyneth Paltrow likes to casually arrange flowers like white lilies, peonies, and hydrangeas and place them around her home.

Beautiful, majestic photography featured as artwork inside the home. Gwyneth Paltrow has photography by Darren Almond (like the photo above) featured inside her home.

Whimsical star lanterns hung from the ceiling. Star lanterns by Charles Edwards, like the one seen here, hang at different levels in Gwyneth Paltrow’s stair hallway, so that Gwyneth and her family can gaze at them on their way up to bed at night.

Great Tips for Decorating and Decluttering Your Kitchen

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Are you redecorating your kitchen inside your home? Do you want to add style to your kitchen but also keep it organized and maintain its functionality? This was the charge given to us for the kitchen shown here.

This customer wanted a taste of french country, and yet a classic kitchen.  She and I were delighted with the finished product!  She doubled the size of her kitchen and was able to enjoy the use of this wonderful new island!
When you do a room addition or renovation, you are so happy to complete the project, that clutter and “things” left sitting around will be a thing of the past!
Here are a few tips on helping you stay tidy…

Courtesy of iVillage, check out these excellent tips that are perfect for decorating and decluttering your kitchen.

  • Keep the top of your refrigerator clear of clutter, unless you’d like to feature a modest display of your favorite (and most beautiful) cookbooks. Make sure you add bookends to offset your display.
  • Set up a creative display of your glassware in your kitchen. Feature your pretty glasses on the second shelf in your cabinet, while keeping the glasses you use every day on the bottom shelf, if your cabinets have glass panes.
  • Install a rack underneath your cabinet, and use it to hang and display your beautiful wineglasses.
  • Change up the decorative items (aprons, tea towels, potholders, picture frames, knick knacks, etc) you have inside your kitchen each season. Reflecting the time of year with your decor is a great way to decorate.

Let Janine Terstriep and the staff at The Decorative Touch help you create a kitchen that meets your needs for both style and function.

How to Add Style to Your Laundry Room

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Are you thinking about sprucing up the decor in your home? Perhaps the rest of your house is beautifully decorated, but your laundry room, as so many laundry rooms often are, has been neglected and left undecorated. Did you know that you can add a little style and beauty to your laundry room, while still maintaining its functionality? Check out these great tips, courtesy of Apartment Therapy, on how to spruce up your plain old laundry room.

  • Decorate the wall of your laundry room with wallpaper. Here’s your chance to put up that funky wallpaper you love and didn’t want to use in the rest of your house!
  • Jazz up your laundry room with a cute light fixture, like a chandelier or some other fixture you wouldn’t normally find in a laundry room.
  • Hanging artwork, like vintage laundry signs, make for a great way to spruce up your laundry room’s walls.
  • Swap out your plain laundry baskets for cute and colorful laundry baskets!

Image courtesy of Apartment Therapy