The Home Decorating Tool You Probably Aren’t Using

They are surprisingly versatile and a powerful tool to have in your design armoury. You use them like pieces of art, furniture and other home decor, as major features in a room or a last minute styling detail, the opportunities are endless.

What could this fascinating addition be?

Plants!

Plants are colour, shape and most importantly life to a room and the ways in which you can use them are almost endless. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should bring every aspect of the outdoors in, but careful and considered use of plants in your home can do more than just brighten the place up a bit.

As a room divider

As you can see a shelf full of plants in a room can really divide the space and create a beautiful distinction between different parts of a room. You can use them instead of furniture or screens.

As a major statement

A large well-developed tree in your living room might not be in everyone’s taste but you can’t deny that its presence adds height and an element of drama. Case in point, the image above.

As an opportunity

If there’s a corner in your room that you just can’t get anything else to fit in and you don’t want the space to look awkward or wasted, try placing a cluster of plants there. A grouping with a mix of sizes and shapes could provide you with a visual distraction for hours at a time.

As a living sculpture

Plants that spill out of their containers add a nice sense of movement to a room, while clever uses of materials combined with plants (like the succulents above) add something you cannot get with other things.

As wall-mounted decoration

How amazing do these terrariums look hanging off the wall? On a blank canvas (such as this wall space) these additions provide just the right amount of interest and a sense of warmth.

As table centrepieces

While cut flowers are lovely, they don’t quite have the lasting appeal of a plant. Create a focal point on your furniture and use potted plants as a living, breathing, decoration. Oh, and don’t feel that you have to wait for a special occasion either. Who could be more deserving than you?

As hanging art

Plants look great when they fill the dead air space. They provide unique shapes and colours dangling above you. Hanging plants are perfect for those who live in small spaces.

As final styling pieces

Pairing inanimate objects and plants can make a great style choice in your home. On bookshelves they are especially practical ways to break up large volumes of books (though we’re also quite fond of books at Starts at 60).

5 Home Decor Trends Go Cool, Dramatic For Fall

This fall, decor continues to move in a more easygoing direction, with welcoming hues, softer profiles and a comfortable mix of materials and styles.

For those with a flair for the dramatic, there’s room for that, too.

Some trends for the upcoming season:

Warm and welcoming

New York designer Elaine Griffin sees the influence of millennials in a trend toward “feel good finds” with a palette of warm colors, laidback furnishings and lots of texture.

“Millennials’ homes echo the nurturing environments they grew up in,” she says.

That generation is embracing locally produced crafts as well as goods from far corners of the planet, she says: “There’s retro style and global influence everywhere.”

Fall also offers a range of new rugs, from fluffy wools in neutral colors to tapestries known as kilims in deeper tones and stronger patterns.

Amy Matthews, the Minneapolis-based renovation maven who has hosted shows on HGTV, DIY Network and TheDesignNetwork.com, loves using Persian runners in unexpected places.

“There’s nothing like (it) in the kitchen,” she says. “It brightens up a classic kitchen, and also makes changing out color schemes a breeze. And in any other room, it will take your decor to the next level by anchoring with ‘art’ for the floor.”

Pattern play

Geometrics, mineral prints, florals and global motifs get fresh interpretations for fall.

For Griffin, “marble motifs are the ‘it’ pattern of the season.” The veined white versions are found everywhere across bath, kitchen and tabletop goods, but look too for marbleized patterns in dramatic hues on fabric and paper.

Wallpapers are on Matthews’ pattern radar.

“Wallpaper’s not just for the walls anymore,” she says. It can go on ceilings and even furniture.

“It’s more dramatic and eye-catching than paint, making a strong statement and setting the tone for a room,” she says.

Roman blinds are also back in style, with contemporary pattern collections by designers like Diane Von Furstenberg and Jeffrey Alan Marks.

Mix and match metals

Beth Kushnick, set decorator for CBS’ “The Good Wife,” puts metallics near the top of her trend list.

“Some are highly reflective and others are more subtle, but they’re in gold, silver, copper and rubbed bronze. They really up-scale a look and broaden a color palette,” she says.

The trend appeals to Matthews, too. Her style tip: Don’t overdo it.

“I prefer not to pick any more than three different metallic-finished pieces, and then put them together for an eclectic and timeless look,” she says.

Color story

“My go-to color is always blue,” says Kushnick. “I’m seeing dark blue and teal in particular now, which work so well for a variety of styles, bridging the gap between masculine and feminine.”

Adds Matthews: “Cool grays are giving way to dusty, sky and indigo blues.”

Griffin is seeing muted versions of ’60s pottery hues — turquoise, coral, citrus and ivory — debuting this fall and carrying into spring 2017.

A range of whites and creams will complement all those metallics, says Kushnick.

“As a set decorator, I usually try to stay away from these colors, since they’re difficult to use on camera. But on my new show (CBS’s “BrainDead”) I’m using them almost exclusively. I’m seeing options in every décor style. White’s working year-round, and is here to stay.”

The paint company Benjamin Moore has named Simply White its color of the year, and Sherwin-Williams, Glidden and Behr also selected whites as their signature 2016 colors.

Dramatic touches

Matthews is excited about “the rebirth of the chandelier.” She sees the statement fixture as one of the most dramatic and playful additions to any room.

“Designs look best when they’re eclectic and a bit eccentric,” she says, adding, “The more eye-catching, the better. If tile is ‘eye candy’ for the walls, then pendant lights are the earrings that make the outfit.”

For Griffin, the drama’s all about a curvier silhouette in furnishings.

“After years of harsh angles, the curve looks fresh for fall,” she observes. “Streamlined new versions are evocative of ’70s and ’80s classics.”

INNOVATIVE WAYS TO USE LIGHTING IN HOME DÉCOR IN ESSEX

When remodelling your home, there are certain things you may not have thought of because your focus is on colour, style and even periods in décor. One of the most often overlooked aspect of remodelling or renovating a home is the lighting you will use to enhance the overall appeal of the room or rooms you are giving a new look to. Before finishing your plans, take a few moments to think about the kind of lighting that will offer the look you are after, then check out an electrician Romford area of Essex to get a quote and timeframe for installing the wiring and perhaps the lighting itself to see if your plans are within your budget. Here are some innovative ways to use lighting you may not have considered.

Task Lighting

Some rooms have need for more light than others, especially areas of the home where there is a lot of activity such as the kitchen or laundry room. Task lighting offers light directed towards areas where it is most needed so that you have ample light to do what you need to do while other areas are left in a softer glow. Task lighting can be floor lamps but usually you are looking at recessed lighting with the individual lamps being pointed towards areas that need to be well lit.

Ambient Lighting

In some rooms you don’t want that stark light that doesn’t allow you to just sit back and relax. Ambient lighting is ideal for this purpose and generally casts a warm, soft glow in the room. This is typically recessed lighting in the ceiling, or the fixtures can be flush, but the lighting gives off a warm glow that can be brightened to white if needed through the use of dimmer switches.

Accent Lighting and Lamps

If you are adding built-in cabinetry or bookshelves, accent lights are absolutely perfect for calling attention to what is being housed within. If you have a library of first edition books or some collectors’ pieces for your built-in glass cabinetry, small accent lights offer just the right amount of glow to capture the attention without overpowering all else in the room.

Wall Fixtures and Sconces

Older cottages and farmhouses often had wall fixtures and sconces of the period in which they were built. Over the years these have degenerated with use and time so that it may be required to install new lamps that have been fashioned after the period they were originally designed for. You could always try to buy working antiques, but often it is just easier and less expensive to buy new lamps fashioned like old.

Being aware of how you want to make innovative use of lighting prior to remodelling can save you a huge amount of time and effort later on. The wiring and inspection can be done prior to the finishing touches of your remodelling project and when that is complete, simply flip the switch and see the end result. It’s amazing what shedding a little light can do to any home décor.