A powder room does not have to be the forgotten extra bathroom that is only in use when your main bathroom is occupied. Since guests primarily use a powder room, it’s important to curate a space that is clean but also reflects your personal style. Read on to discover tips on how to upgrade your spare bathroom into the powder room of your dreams.

Design with a theme in mind

A small space such as a powder room is the perfect opportunity to get creative with your decor and design. Nautical themes are classic for bathrooms, but there are a ton of other options. If you want a subtle theme, an interior decorator in Sea Girt recommends focusing on a single color or aesthetic. Keeping a theme in mind will help you pick out other design details, such as towels and hardware, and will help you to create a cohesive look in the room.

Lighten up the place

Lighting plays a crucial role in a small space such as a powder room. Changing out your light fixtures is a relatively simple way to improve the design of your powder room. You can choose a more modern look by using industrial bulbs or shop for vintage fixtures if you want a more classical style. Adding mirrors is another option: mirrors reflect the light already present while also making your space feel bigger. 

Revitalize with a repaint

Painting a powder room is a significantly easier task than painting a living room, and it can have just as big of an impact. House painters in Hillsborough Township, NJ, suggest knowing what kind of mood you want your powder room to have. You may want to choose a more vibrant color, which brightens up the space and makes it feel larger. However, if your powder room is smaller or located under the stairs, you can embrace the moodiness and go for darker colors.

Ditch the paint for something different

If plain painted walls aren’t your thing, don’t sweat it. Wallpaper allows you to introduce exciting patterns and color schemes to your powder room without doing the painting work. If you don’t want to commit to a full room of wallpaper, you can add trim to the middle of the wall and have a solid color on one half of the wall and a printed wallpaper on the other. Tiling the walls is also an option. With so many different tiles and patterns, you are sure to find a style that suits your design dreams.

Upgrade your vanity

In a small space with few design features, the vanity becomes the main focus of your room. You can upgrade your mirror by purchasing a new frame and fitting a mirror, or by painting the current frame a new color. If you are handier, consider repurposing an old piece of furniture as your vanity, such as a small side table. Finally, upgrading your sink hardware can make your vanity look entirely new.

Powder rooms can be so much more than a spare bathroom. By following the tips above, you can create a powder room you and your guests will love.

As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, homeowners everywhere are starting to experience Seasonal Affective Disorder. Fortunately, there are a few simple updates you can make to your home to combat the SAD-ness! Making small adjustments to your home’s interior can instantly transform your mood, no matter what the weather looks like outside. 

Let in the sunshine. Seasonal affective disorder’s primary cause is a lack of natural light. When we don’t get enough daylight, our brains release melatonin, which is what makes us sleepy and more sluggish during the winter. To combat this, add more lighting to your home decor. Use a mix of general, task, and accent lighting to increase the brightness in any space. If you don’t want to add new fixtures, you can always up the wattage of your lightbulbs to increase the light in a room. 

Incorporate warm colors into your decor. The expert Salem, OR house painters recommend dressing up any space with the warm, cozy color tones that speak to you and your existing decor. Shades of pink, red, and orange can instantly make a space feel warmer and brighter. If those colors aren’t your favorite, use light, creamy shades of gray, blue, and white to warm up your house. There are plenty of neutral-like shades you can choose from in these color families. 

Play with mirrors. Install mirrors so that they will reflect the natural light that pours into your windows during the day and the light from your light fixtures at night. When used correctly, mirrors can also help make a space feel bigger than it actually is, helping to prevent you from feeling like you’re cooped up in a cramped house all winter long. 

Soften up furniture. Make your home feel extra cozy with plush cushions, throw rugs, blankets, and pillows. Consider using fabrics like velvet, wool, and faux fur. These additions to your furniture look great, but they also elevate your home’s overall comfort level, too. With enough cozy elements, you won’t mind staying inside! 

Bring nature indoors. In the winter, we tend to miss the breath of fresh air we’re so used to receiving in the warmer months. So, bring the outdoors inside by incorporating natural elements into your decor. Find furnishings or decorative items that feature cotton, reclaimed wood, or winter foliage to capture the beauty of a natural winter landscape. 

Light the hearth. Instantly increase your home’s cozy factor by lighting a fire in your fireplace. Doing so creates a beautiful, glowing ambiance that’s relaxing and comforting. If your home doesn’t have a fireplace, consider investing in a free-standing space heater that mimics a fireplace. There are also wall-mounted space heaters available in various designs that you can easily match to your home decor. If none of these options work, you can see if your TV has a fireplace screen saver option and light a crackling candle to set the mood. 

Don’t succumb to the winter blues. Keep your home cheerful and bright this winter with these decorating tips. For more home decor inspiration, contact Kimberly Paulus, a Sienna Plantation, TX interior decorator.

Figuring out how to decorate a fireplace mantel can be a deceptively tricky task, especially when you can scroll through Instagram or open a magazine and see tons of artfully decorated fireplaces without leaving your house. A mantel may often be the focal point of a room, which can add to the stress of deciding exactly how you want to decorate it. However, there are several different methods you can follow when planning your mantel décor. Whether you are aiming to make Martha Stewart proud or just looking to add some style to your living space, the following tips can help you tastefully decorate a fireplace mantel for any time of year.

Decorate with art

A classic and beautiful way to decorate a fireplace mantel is with pieces of art. Not only is this an excellent way to display the art that you own, but it also adds flair and character to a room. There are several ways you can display artwork on a mantel, including:

• Layering the artwork to create a casual, gallery-like look. Use different size frames to play around with proportions. 
• Placing a single, bold piece of artwork on the mantel or hanging above it to serve as an additional centerpiece and focal point.
• Choosing an art collection with similar themes and tones to create cohesion.

Decorate with curated items

Similar to decorating a mantel with a collection of art, choosing curated items creates a cohesive look atop your fireplace mantel and reduces the pressure to pick individual decorative pieces. Coordinate your items by color for simplicity and ease or by theme for a more laidback feel. Some potential ideas include flowers or natural elements. If you have any collections of sorts, this is the perfect opportunity to display them. Dust off your old baseball memorabilia, records, and vintage cameras and display them proudly.

Decorate for the holidays

Holidays present an opportunity to add festivity to your usual mantel decorations. You can choose to swap out your typical decorations for holiday-themed ones, or you can add the following items to your regular mantel for that seasonal touch:

• Lay seasonal garland (ex. pine for Christmas, twine and Easter eggs for Easter, gourds, and vines for Thanksgiving, etc.) along the mantel.
• Place ornaments in a vase or bowl or scatter them along the fireplace. 
• Hang a string of lights around the fireplace or draped across the mantel.

Decorating a fireplace mantel doesn’t have to be stressful. Following these tips and tricks can help you decorate your mantel and achieve your desired look and style. While we can’t guarantee Martha Stewart’s personal stamp of approval, we can bet your friends and family will be impressed by your new display. For more design inspiration, check out the interior designers in Mt. Pleasant, SC. 

It’s that time of year again! Benjamin Moore released its 2020 Color of the Year, First Light (2102-70). The color is described as “a soft, airy pink that flatters any space and plays well with other colors.” 

Adding First Light into your home is an absolute must since it can be used in a variety of ways and fits any design style. Here are five ways you can incorporate First Light into your home this upcoming year.

Paint the walls. 

The most natural and most obvious way to add First Light into your home is by painting your walls. The professional painters in Hickory, NC, say that First Light is soft enough to act as a neutral and can brighten up whichever room you choose to paint. Complement the walls through furniture, accent pieces, and other decor in shades of browns, grays, white, and black. 

Add throw pillows. 

A fun and easy way to incorporate new color trends without spending a ton of money is by adding throw pillows. The light pink shade will stand out against darker colored couches and chairs and adds a feminine or romantic touch to generally darker rooms. To make more of a statement, find patterned throw pillows that incorporate the delicate hue. 

Paint your front door.

Your front door is the first thing guests and passersby see when they arrive on your street. First Light is an inviting shade of pink, so it’s the perfect color to welcome anyone who stops by. This color will brighten your home from the first glance and enhance your home’s curb appeal.  

Add a rug.

Since First Light complements browns so well, adding an area rug in the hue will work wonders on wood floors, says Naples, FL, interior decorator Claudia Leah. Not only do area rugs add a pop of color to a space, but they can bring another layer of texture as well. You can also layer area rugs on top of each other to create more interest in your room. 

Repaint an end table. 

Take your current end table and paint it First Light, or buy an end table in a light pink color! If you’re going the DIY-route, make sure you take the proper preparation steps, like sanding and priming, to ensure the color goes on smoothly and evenly. Once painted, you can place the end table in your bedroom, living area, or entryway. 

Incorporating First Light into your home can be effortless when you follow these tips. Whether you decide to paint your child’s bedroom in the color of the year or use it in your accessories, your home will feel lighter and brighter almost instantly.