Put together an oversized sofa and chair(s), if you have the room, with a large coffee table, a standard sized sofa and two medium sized arm chairs, with a 3 to 4 foot coffee table and a small table between the two chairs, or If your sitting area is on the cozy side, one or two love seats and a medium to small arm chair with small end tables or leave out the sofa altogether and use comfy chairs and small tables.
Do create interest by adding elements with differing scales of motifs to your initial furnishings. For example:
Your plaid sofa and chair might have lots of throw pillows on it in varying patterns of organic or curvilinear shapes - that is to say, flowers, leaves, or architectural elements with curves and flowing lines. Add to this Grandma's old cherry wood credenza topped with a Raku vase of colorful paper flowers
And a sisal area rug with cotton binding on the floor with an iron and glass coffee table in front of the sofa. Hang some beautifully framed pictures on the wall and you're done!
Pointers
Do take careful measurements before making major purchases of furniture
Do look for metals with rich patinas or oxidized finishes; granite or limestone in dull or natural finishes
Do use heavily textured natural fibered fabrics such as linen or jute, cotton terry or natural canvas; cool to the touch polished cotton or flowing, sensuous silk; soft rich velvet; light and airy organza
Do take a look at Ralph Lauren's paint collections for color inspiration. They can be found at Home Depot across the US.
Paint walls of the same room different colors
Try a canvas floor cloth in your kitchen, foyer or family room
Do remember the old adage "Less is more" when decorating. Don't clutter things up with a lot of knickknacks - If you have a collection of favorite small objet d'art, display them in a glass fronted cabinet, create a shadow box with them in it and hang them on the wall, or display them together on a shelf. Put family photos in lovely frames and display them together in groupings.
Garage sales are great places to find all sorts of "new" and wonderful things for your home. One man's trash is indeed another man's treasure, as the saying goes.
Details do make a difference:
Grace a table with hand embroidered napkins
Pile fresh fruit into a hand turned, hand painted wooden bowl
Line a shelf with colorful blown glass bottles - and place it where the sun can reach it
Use your fireplace in warm weather to hold lots of beeswax candles in a large hand forged candle holder - and have romantic candlelight dinners on the floor in front of it.
Bring the outdoors inside - plant grass in old wooden boxes
Plant moss in the base of your indoor planters
Fresh flowers are always a delightful and colorful addition to any room
Fill a large shell from last summer's holiday at the shore with soaps or tiny jewels of bath oil beads and place it next to your tub
In short, when it comes to decorating in the new millennium the rules are simple:
Think about Balance - Creating Balance in your home creates a comfort zone, a place for soothing and nurturing your Body and Soul.
Think about Nature - Remember that each of us is an integral part of our environment. Be One with it. Surround yourself with Nature.
Think about the Uniqueness of You - Embrace it; Celebrate it. As with playing music, the thing to remember is not to get lost in the form but to let the personality come through.
Have a wonderful time decorating your home and remember to stop and smell the roses!
