4 Ways to Transition Your Decor for Spring

Spring is almost here! Transition your home’s winter décor to something more suitable for the new season with these four ideas:

If you’ve got a dark or neutral palette, adding in one or two pops of color on small pieces like a chair or pillows will liven things up for spring. Here, designer Emily Ruddo brings new life to grey & white with punches of watermelon pink and sea foam green.

Design by Emily Ruddo ; Photo by Meghan Beirle-OBrien

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Instantly update your bedroom for the warmer months by upholstering your headboard in a floral fabric. If you’re someone who likes to change your look often, you can create a DIY headboard slipcover.

Design by Town House Interiors; Photo by Lind & Cumings Design Photography

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We tend to use heavier drapes in the winter because they help insulate from the cold. As the temperatures rise, switch these out with something sheer. This is a great solution for lightening up décor elements that don’t feel as geared towards spring. Here, the velvet sofa feels seasonally appropriate thanks to the airiness of the sheer curtains that let in lots of natural light.

Design by A. London by Accouter Group

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Beacon Hill Fabric

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Linen, a fabric that has a relaxed and casual feeling to it, will go a long way in making your winter décor feel right for spring & summer. Slipcover a few key pieces, like your sofa, and finish the look with a rug made of natural materials like sisal or jute.

Photo by Lisa Romerein

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Ralph Lauren Linen Fabric

 

 

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Spring’s Biggest Color Trend: Blue in Every Shade!

 

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New & Chic Outdoor Collections

Photo via Lee Jofa Designers David Hicks and David Easton have each collaborated with Lee Jofa to create stunning outdoor fabric collections. Hicks’ signature geometrics and Easton’s Turkish-inspired prints are eternally classic! Photo via Ralph Lauren Home Ralph Lauren’s versatile collection of neutral-colored performance textiles brings a luxurious look to any outdoor space. Photo via Robert Allen Flaunting motifs inspired by those found in the exotic markets of distant locales, Robert Allen’s playful outdoor collection emphasizes today’s trend of layering bold patterns. Photo via Pindler & Pindler; Credit: SFA Design Great for outdoor spaces and high-use indoor areas alike, Pindler & Pindler’s latest collection of fabrics features bold stripes and punchy ethnic prints.

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Decorating Trend Alert: Dots & Stripes

 

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Stripes never really go away, but now we’re seeing them used in a more contemporary way. Stronger, thicker statement versions have made their way into the home, especially on the floor. Try a striped rug for instant impact.

Make way for a new kind of dot! Abstract variations on the classic circular print have us seeing spots—in a good way! Try a Dalmatian-inspired pattern on drapery or go for a splatter effect like the wall of this New York bedroom designed by Pat Healing.

Quirky areas in your home, like this little nook, can be made into something special with a little glitz & glamour. Combine metallic stripes with polka dots like blogger Jennifer of Dimples and Tangles did. She used the same hue for both, but because most metallics act as neutrals, you can mix silver, gold, copper or pewter.

Fashion designers have fallen in love with the combination of bold stripes and polka dots, sending confident yet lighthearted looks down the runways in a nautical color scheme (red, white, navy and black). Take cue from blogger Laura Trevey of Bright Bold & Beautiful who shared this lively bedroom.

    

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How to Use Neutral Colors to Enhance Your Home: Exclusive Tips from Top Designers

Every home’s architecture is different, which is why this week for our Summer Designer Tips Series we asked designers how they use neutral colors (a very popular palette) to enhance all different types of spaces. Check it out:

Lisa Staprans, Staprans Design

Lisa Staprans often spends time outdoors in order to clear her mind and inspire her work. For inspiration, Staprans draws upon the colors in nature that surround the spaces she designs. Using earth tones and accents of brighter colors, the interiors work from the outside and move in. The accent of orange is pulled from the leaves when they turn in the fall.

Lisa’s Tip: “Bring in elements that complement and are inspired by the architecture and surrounding gardens. Use cues from the outside and bring that inside with color, texture and layering.”

 

Photo Credit:  Bruce Damonte

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Sofia Joelsson, Sojo Design

In this modern living room, designer Sofia Joelsson added a coziness that still fits with the clean-lined, minimalist setting. “I am a very neutral person when it comes to color schemes, and I use that as a basis for all of my projects,” she explains. Here she built an entire seating area around neutral colors, a trend that we’ve seen this year and expect to stick around because of its versatility. “You can always add or change it up just by adding accessories, art or flowers with a pop of color.”

Sofia’s Tip: “We have all heard the saying – less is more. You should approach designing modern spaces with this in mind. A modern space is often harder to design than traditional spaces because you will see every detail.  The key to decorating with neutrals is to use layers of different materials and textures to create depth and interest.”

Photo Credit  Joey Accordino

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Nina Magon, Contour Interior Design

Designer Nina Magon, who came in third on NBC’s American Dream Builders, believes that bedroom design shouldn’t be formulaic. “The following are necessities: a bed, two nightstands (not necessarily the same) and nightstand lamps. Everything else is optional and depends on the space and its size.” Here, she used neutral hues to allow the over-sized, uniquely designed tile headboard to sing.

Nina’s Tip: “Muted colors should be used on expansive areas like walls or floors. Make sure you contrast it by using brighter colors as accents on rugs or pieces like furniture. By doing this, the brighter colors do not overwhelm the space, but rather add pops of interest.”

Photo Courtesy of Contour Interior Design

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Sandra Funk Levy, Funk Design Studio

“Right now I’m drawn to soothing neutrals with tons of texture,” says designer Sandra Funk Levy. In this bedroom she used lots of texture and layers in slightly rosy neutrals, including rich drapery and a sisal & fur rug layered together. “Window treatments are vital to the space. They can highlight great architecture or conceal many flaws, and they always draw your eye to the view.”

Sandra’s Tip:  “Consider blush tones when decorating a space with neutrals. It’s my favorite because it enhances skin tones so that everyone looks better in the room.”

Photo Credit:  Peter Morehand

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Trend Alert: Decorating with Paisley Prints

 

Subscribe To Our Newsletter Paisley, by nature, is a very intricate pattern, so if you’re someone who enjoys the simple things, go for a tossed paisley. An extraction of the pine motif that is “tossed” about on a solid background, this version of paisley is more straight forward than its cousin. Here designer Alessandra Branca used it with an easygoing red, white & blue palette. Paisleys in hushed tones of lavender, baby blue and vanilla offer visual interest, yet they are quiet enough for a bedroom or even a nursery. Take a note from design team Tilton Fenwick, who used a muted paisley wallpaper, then accented it with bright accessories. Because it’s a pattern that often contains several colors, a paisley rug can help tie together a room that is color blocked. Choose a rug that has many of the hues used in the space, like the one in this dining room, which pulls from the chairs & grasscloth wall panels to unite the look. Today paisley is moving into the contemporary side with bright shades & large scales. A little goes a long way with a print this vibrant, so choose one spot in a room to use it on, then sit back and let it do all of the talking.

 

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Martyn Lawrence Bullard Gives Us 4 Decorating Tips

Distinguished designer & television star Martyn Lawrence Bullard is so talented that he could probably decorate a room in his sleep. Check out the design tips we’ve learned from the Million Dollar Decorator:

Tip #1: Paper-backed fabric gives walls a gorgeous texture

Martyn often upholsters walls with rich fabrics, which explains why his work exudes such opulence. Here he has paper backed a paisley fabric and used it as panels on the walls of a bedroom to accentuate the wainscoting in the space.

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Tip #2: Upholster your pillows in two different fabrics

Light & breezy prints are great for summer, but when winter rolls around, we often want to shift to a deeper color palette. Bullard’s genius solution to this is to upholster one set of pillows in summery fabrics and another set in complementary prints that are better suited for the cooler months. In the summer, put the darker pillows behind the lighter ones, and when the seasons change, all you have to do is switch them around for a new look!

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Summer

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Tip #3: Tightly control colors when layering with a multitude of patterns

Although most designers recommend a maximum of three patterns in a room, Bullard effortlessly mixes a plethora of them by tightly controlling the colors. Here, he has enveloped an entire room with neutral, rust and brown earth tone prints that all coordinate with each other.

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Tip #4: Embrace odd architecture rather than trying to hide it

We all have that strange architectural feature in our home, whether it’s an awkward corner or a room that’s too small. Bullard’s way of handling tough spots like these?–Embrace & enhance them! In his own dining room, he made the slanted ceiling a standout element by adding fabric between the beams.

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Exclusive Designer Tips: How to Layer a Room

Our summer Designer Tips Series is back this week with the scoop on how to layer a room so that it looks special. Bone up on your decorating dexterity with these great pointers:

Jennifer Cohler Mason, J. Cohler Mason Design

Jennifer Cohler Mason proves with this stunning dining room that layering doesn’t always mean using several colors. Here she went monochromatic with jaw-dropping turquoise—“It is important to select fabrics with texture which will help to add depth to the fabrics so they are not flat,” says Jennifer.

Jennifer’s Tip: “When layering a room, start with the rug which truly grounds a room and then layer on the furniture, window treatment, lighting and art.”

Photo Credit:  Brett Beyer

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Eddie Lee, Eddie Lee Incorporated

Designer Eddie Lee knows that filling an entire room with toile is “not for everyone,” which is why he likes to balance it with, “blocks of solid coordinating colors on the upholstery for a fresh way to give a room a strong look without feeling too fussy.”

Eddie’s Tip: In decorating rooms, I like using a large rug to ground the space. I often layer a large solid rug (like sisal or solid wool) on top of a smaller oriental rug to frame a seating group.

Photo Credit:  Patrick Cline

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 Young Huh, Young Huh Interior Design

Young Huh turned a small powder room into a jewel box fit for a queen at this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House with layers of both traditional and modern elements. “The beautiful [floral] Hollyhock fabric upholstered on the walls contrasts with the black patent leather wainscoting, while the ceiling shimmers in a gold metallic wall covering,” explains Young.

Young’s Tip: When layering a room, think about the contrasts of pattern, geometry, surface and sheen.”

Photo Courtesy of:  Young Huh Interiors

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Kriste Michelini, Kriste Michelini Interiors

The soft colors of this bedroom designed by Kriste Michelini have just the calm quality you want in a room where relaxation is most important. The soothing paint color and dreamy window treatments create a true sanctuary.

Kriste’s Tip: “You definitely need the final layer of beautiful art and accessories to finish a room. Art seems to be often overlooked yet it can elevate a room from ordinary to extraordinary. Accessories, books and unique finds from your travels add soul and character to a room. It tells your life story.”

 Photo Credit: Jennifer Chaney

Photo Credit:  Thomas Kuoh

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Timeless Toiles: Decorating with the Classic Pattern

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Create an Americana look in your bedroom like designers John Knott & John Fondas did with toiles depicting historical figures such as George Washington & Benjamin Franklin. Or go for something a little more provincial with scenes featuring bucks & roosters. Regardless of the type, any toile will “smooth out” irregularly shaped rooms.

Asian-inspired toiles that portray everything from pagodas and dragons to blushing geishas and Chinese lanterns transport you to the Far East. Large toile patterns, like the one pictured in this powder room, are great for small areas because they unify the space.

Design a fanciful room that would be fit for Marie Antoinette herself (channel Sophia Copolla’s film about the fashionable Dauphine) with ornate French toiles. Use it on both the walls & in fabrics like designer Gérard Tremolet did in his home for a look that’s très magnifique!

Toile may be considered a classic pattern, but today’s versions, featuring prints that appear to be sketched or painted with a brush are a perfect whimsical statement for the modern home. Use it sparingly on drapery or an accent wall for a pop of something unusual & special.

    

 

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Designer Profile: NYFW Fall 2014 with Oscar de la Renta, Anna Sui, Derek Lam & Cynthia Rowley

Fashion and interior designers are inundated with color and texture all day long, and they bring the same fashionable sensibility to their homes as they do to their clothing collections.  Some prefer a soothing neutral home environment whereas others like something more vibrant. As evidenced during last week’s New York Fashion Week, designers Cynthia Rowley, Oscar de la Renta, Anna Sui and Derek Lam approach their Fall 2014 collections and their homes with a similar design aesthetic. Check it out:

Cynthia Rowley

Cynthia Rowley loves color and pushes the envelope.  Her Fall 2014 show features color blocking to its fullest.  Wearing her collection, one could easily blend right in to her NYC townhouse.

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Highland Court – 190138H – 46 Orchid

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Oscar de la Renta

First Ladies, socialites, and “ladies who lunch” wear Oscar’s magnificent clothing.  More affordable yet still uber-elegant, his Lee Jofa fabric collection reflects his traditional sense of style in both his Connecticut home and in his 2014 collections.

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CLICK HERE to view more Oscar De La Renta fabrics collection for  Lee Jofa

Anna Sui

Anna Sui is the fashion world’s punk darling. She loves combining inspiration from many periods and her home is the ultimate eclectic space. It reflects elements of Goth, Art Deco, and the Victorian period while pulling influences from Moroccan & Chinese cultures.

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Derek Lam

Derek Lam is refinement and tailoring at its best. Both his work and his home exude luxury by using the finest cashmere, velvets and silks.

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Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week 2014