An Open Book

One of my favorite accents in any living room will be a stack coffee table books. The few minutes or seconds spent flipping through them can be either entertaining or inspiring, and I don't even have to start at the beginning. 

These books are not so rare or hard to find. A visit to Barnes and Noble or Urban Outfitters will attest to this. They cover a wealth of subjects, from art, to fashion, architecture to music. You can stack them on one end of a long table in the middle of the room next to a set of coasters, or sneak them onto a small end table at the end of a sofa, right next to a guest's elbow. 

Earlier we discussed the importance of personalizing your space. Coffee table books are a wonderful way to do so. The books you read are a great influence on how you think and who you are, and these giant hard cover books are a good snapshot into that part of your life.

Below is a short list of books, divided by subject, to inspire you and give you an idea of what is available to you. Follow the links for more suggestions, and take notes! You may be on your way to the bookstore this afternoon!

                                               

For the Art Lover

No. 1: First Works by 362 Artists

For the Humorist

Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar

For the Lover of Adorable Things

A Letter to My Dog: Notes to Our Best Friends

Alexander McQueen: Evolution

Mi Casa es Su Casa...

.... But it's still "mi casa."

If you stop to think about it, the homes that offer the most joy to visit are the ones who are true expressions of those who live there.

You may already have the basics - the furniture, the lighting, upholstery, and maybe a few small accessories. Do theses elements properly reflect who you are?

If not, think about what hobbies or interests you like to share with the people you know. Think of your home as a way to visually showcase what inspires you.

Imagine for a moment, a guest - any, it doesn't matter who - touring your "dream home." What do they see? Do they look straight ahead to see the latest artistic find? Or do they wander to the edges of the room to admire your collection of trinkets from your world travels sitting on your vintage end tables?

These are good questions to ask when decorating the more public or common areas of your home, but for the more personal spaces, like bedrooms or offices, think about how you want to feel at the end of the day or when you're doing work. If you like to sit quietly and read at night before bed or in the morning before taking off, you may want to use soft, inviting colors and fabrics. If your day begins before the alarm goes off, and you roll out of bed to do one hundred push-ups, you would probably prefer furnishings that are conducive to your busy lifestyle; maybe organize your items so that you can easily move out of the room and into the world beyond.

Take a look at these unique and personalized rooms from Apartment Therapy.

James and Mark's flea market inspired home.

A fashion lover's bedroom.

A modern take on classic decor.

From the Top

Interior design is, for the most part, an open ended project. There is no formula for it, and no objective right or wrong. This sometimes makes it difficult to begin, especially if you don't know where to start.

Washington, D. C. based interior designer Liz Levin says to first think about how a particular space will be used. "What will you do with this space? The design needs to complement the room's function." This means that if you are decorating a den or television room, you will want to make sure to arrange the furniture for maximum viewing potential. You may want to avoid positioning the TV in an area with heavy foot traffic, lest someone walks in front of it during a movie and disrupt the view for everyone else.

Lighting is also important. And just like furnishing, it must also work with the purpose of a room. "For cocktail parties, soft lighting is key," says Levin. Installing a dimmer on your ceiling lights or putting lamps or votives around the room helps create the ambiance needed for an evening event, but does not eliminate the possibility of brighter lighting for a more casual setting.

Most people only see two purposes for windows - letting light in, and providing a view to the outside. But a bare window can bring the look and flow of a room to a screeching halt. Choose window accessories that serve those two basic functions while at the same time giving your room an elevating touch.

Thinking about theses three things is a good place to start when decorating, but it is important to remember that your room and your home are not about paint and upholstery. "It's about a person and the things they love."

If You Thrift

Buying second hand items, or "thrifting" is a great way to save money while putting together your home. It's incredible what treasures you can find in a thrift shop, or on someone's lawn on a Saturday morning. Sites like Craigslist and Freecycle have also made it easier to find used furniture and other items at a low price in your area.

But sometimes the Victorian dresser purchased at a low $50 may come with an unwanted smell, or a funny looking stain. Second hand items are usually final sale, and your own Craigslist ad to sell it has not gotten any  callers.

Fortunately, the collective genius of home economic experts all over the internet have provided us with a wealth of solutions for such inconveniences.

Below is a list of a few suggestions for dealing with flaws found on your finds.

One trick I learned years ago is to remove water rings from wooden furniture. Furniture polish is ineffective but a paste of  1 baking soda and 1 teaspoon of water will wipe that stain right off. Be careful to use only the amount of water prescribed, then gently rub the paste in a circular motion on the ring.

To clean an old, foggy mirror, use a mixture of two parts and one part rubbing alcohol, being careful not to get any of the mixture on the frame.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_4617623_clean-antique-mirrors.html

It's important to vacuum furniture before using it, and then do your cleaning project outside. Then, a grocery store cleaner should help remove odors and kill any bugs that might have piggybacked alongside.

source: http://www.ehow.com/how_6498879_clean-used-couch.html

If a stain is too serious to handle on your own, you may want to consider handing it over to an expert, and passing up on the next questionable item.

Welcome!

Welcome.

We see this word on doormats everywhere, but is this how you feel when you step inside someone's home?

Here’s an even bigger question. Do you feel welcome when you step inside your home?

If you answered with a dejected and heavy “no,” then I will assume the following is true.

1. You're not happy with where you live.

2. You are not an interior designer.

It’s easy to feel a strange mix of inspiration and frustration when flipping through the pages of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, or scrolling through Pinterest. The list of blogs, vlogs, and webmags by interior design geniuses seems to never end. What's more is that t

hese gurus talk to their readers with the assumption the everyone is an expert

But what about the rest of us? The accountants, IT professionals, and doctors who have no time or aesthetic inclinations? It can be argued that everyone is creative in his or her own right, but in the world of home design, not all is fair game. Most of us have had the opportunity to turn a tiny dorm room into something remotely home-like, but are still having trouble graduating from stacked Bed Bath and Beyond baskets into a real "grown-up" home.

This blog is for you - the pragmatic, the analyst, the left-brained. Here you will not find instructions for decoupaging a dresser or "up-cycling" a loading pallet to be a coffee table. There will be no Modge Podge (though it is a fantastic product) or printable image transfers. Rather, the purpose of this blog is to break down the logic and theory involved in decorating your dwelling place, all to help you turn it into a welcoming expression of who you are.