Spring Decorating on a Dime!

Hi all, finally the sun is to shine here in the north east for Easter weekend! I will surely have spring fever after experiencing weekly nor'easters , floods and record breaking rain in the month of March. Not only will I pull out the golf clubs, detail my car and rev up my work out program, I will be attacking spring cleaning and decorating.

So with many of you looking to do the same, I thought I would give you some decorating tips on how to get your home ready for the warmer weather to come! This will surely bring back memories of our mothers switching out their winter curtains for their summer ones and of course window washing (Cleaning is the first step afterall)! Watch for my tips over the next two weeks.

TIP #1 Replace all heavy textured accessories such as throws and pillows with lighter versions, choosing linen, cottons, flax and sisal. Freshen up the colors by incorporating the lighter hues of your room's palette. I love heading to Pottery Barn where I can purchase pillow covers at a fraction of the cost and they often have coordinating throws. Bring out your decorating books that have warmer weather lifestyles as a focus, arrange them on a coffee table and add a looking glass to encourage your guests to peruse through them. A couple of my favorites are anything to do with gardening, roses and outdoor spaces. Change out your metallic accessories for lacquer, rattan and bamboo all having wonderful textures, but not heavy.

Pottery Barn Pillow Covers

Rough Luxe.......a Return to Grace, Industrial Chic .....Mindful Modern

Moving on to the next trend, I feel as though there may be a need to clarify between the "ROUGH LUXE" and the "INDUSTRIAL CHIC" trends. While there are many commonalities the rough textures, aged appearance, distressing, layering there are enough differences for each to stand on it's own. Rough Luxe to me feels more of a state of "acquired elegance" often including heirlooms, a natural beauty of aging, vintage etc. While for me Industrial Chic is more modern, including contemporary art, the exposure of natural elements architecturally, reclaimed finishes..... I see this more in an office or kitchen setting. However we decide to use this look, long gone is the "Throw Away Society" a call to returning items to grace has now established itself. To get this look add grays, beiges and warm neutrals, mixed with washed wovens, french grain sack cloths and burlap, limed oak, aged metals,recycled glass, mercury glass, peeled and distressed finishes.



ROUGH LUXE HOTEL IN LONDON




BEAUTIFUL COLOR PALETTE




VINTAGE OFFICE




GREAT KITCHEN




RECLAIMED FOYER




VAGABOND VINTAGE ACCESSORIES




ARTERIORS BOOKCASE




NATURAL SLATE FIREPLACE SURROUND




GREAT BEDROOM!