Warping the Fabric of time and Space with Home Decor

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The Home Decor Time Warp

Is your home decor trapped in the past? Do you seem to be stuck with remnants of eighties, seventies or even nineteen-sixties home decor? Here are some home decor tips that may help keep the fabric of time and space intact for you, and help you move from trendy to timeless in your interior design.
One of the great benefits of my profession is that I get to visit all of my clients homes. Each client is as different as their home decor, so I get to see, first hand, what works and what doesn't. Trendy, transitional or just tired and tattered, my clients share their flooring needs with me and we choose the type, style and color that will best suit their decor needs. As I traverse from one home to another, I have noted a phenomenon of science fiction proportions. Upon entry into each home, I seem to be time-warped to another decade. Another plane in the time-space continuum. I enter one home to find that I should have worn my platform shoes, because I am suddenly stuck in the seventies and it's time to boogie. Upon entry to another home and I feel I need a pair of six-shooters strapped to my hips. Visit another home and I feel as though I should have grown a mullet to fit in with this eighties household. Another, and it's back to the future. Of course, this is normal because most people who have called for me want to update their home decor. My experience tells me that most homeowners update their decor to current trends, and then get stuck there for ten to twenty years or more. Then there are those homes that always seem to look stylish and exquisite no matter what the current trend is. These are people who follow basic and timeless home decor techniques that never go out of style. Trendy is fun for a few years, but timeless decor can last a lifetime. Let us see if we can pin down some of those techniques that will make a lasting impression in interior design and decor.
The first element I will discuss is paint color choices. As an example; I have noticed that many people are painting all the walls in a room or rooms a red color. There's nothing wrong with red, but the colors most people are choosing are trendy colors of red. These colors will most likely be unfashionable in a few short years. I understand the look they are trying to achieve, but the color choice is simply not one that will stand the test of time. Bright or pastel colors are almost always a trend. Do you remember the salmon pink from the sixties and seventies Or how about the peach and mint green colors of the eighties southwestern rage. If you want to be trendy with red, I suggest using the same color group, but let's tone that down to a color that is somewhere around a muted hue of cinnamon or burgundy color. Now we have a color that doesn't jump out at you as you enter the room because it is a more subtle shade that gives warmth and presence to the walls without overwhelming the entire room. Color choice is a very personal element, but if you want to use bright yellow in your home decor, save it for accent items that you can change out easily when you tire of them or when they are no longer in style (nobody wants to enter a room where they feel like they have just penetrated the center of the sun). Use tones or hues of color that accomplish your goal without going "over the top". If you love the color purple, you can use it. Just use a very subtle hue that blends into the background.
The next element would be window coverings. We have already discussed color so I won't go into it here. What we do need to consider is how popular your window treatment is now, and how it will look in three to five years. The generation preceding the present thought that mini-blinds were the best window treatment. Now we see that they have mostly fallen out of favor, with the exception of using them as if they were shades set behind another type of window covering such as draperies, or with valances and trimmed with other fabric coverings. Most roman style shades will stand the test of time. I see a lot of plantation shutters being used, and they are much better for long-term use (depending on the look you are shooting for in your decor). Fabrics (or draperies) are another home decor element that can be trendy or timeless, depending on the textures and patterns in fabric coverings. If you stick with what has always worked throughout the decades, you can be trendy and still expect long term usage. Stick with subtle fabric patterns. The use of a trendy patterns like brightly colored circles (polka-dots) may look good this year, but what about next year. You can use any pattern your heart desires as long as it is subdued and does not scream out "look at me"! Also, watch out for trendy fabrics such as those with a metallic sheen because texture is also a very important factor in home decor. For Example: Velvet is timeless, as is lace.
I suppose we should say a word or two on Texture. I am happy to see many people using stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops in their kitchens. These are textures that have a lasting effect on home decor. Although I'm afraid that most people don't realize the extra upkeep on granite or any real stone. These materials must be sealed well and periodically re-sealed to protect them. Real stone and some through body porcelain tiles are porous and require a sealer to protect them from spills that could leach into these textures. Glass is also a timeless texture for home decor. Brass and chrome seem to fade in and out of favor, but overall is generally safe. Watch out for exotic textures that are more on the trendy side.
As for flooring, the biggest mistakes people make are in the area of color and pattern. If people walk into your home and notice your flooring before they pay attention to your decor, you have probably made a bad color choice. You don't have to always choose safe earth tones for flooring, but you do need to make certain that your color selection blends into the background and not the forefront of your interior design. There are also different textures in flooring. Choose a texture that will last. During the time period when southwestern decor was all the rage, many people chose patterned Berber carpet for their floors. When trends changed, many people were having a hard time decorating around a floor that they no longer cared for because it was not stylish. Plush carpets are always safer for home decor and do not tend to go in and out of style. Hard-surface floorings should always have a natural look. Because hard-surface lasts a long time and is a greater investment, be careful about color and composition. You may have to live with a bad floor choice for many years. One terrific tool for flooring is the Area Rug. They are extremely versatile and if you stay to classic patterns, they will serve you for a long time. I always suggest the use of wool area rugs for their durability and stain resistance, and most oriental or middle eastern patterns always make a good appearance, without dependence on current styles and trends. Area rugs can be used to define space and for color accent or background color utilizing larger rugs. They are a good, timeless tool for home decor.
I am not saying that you can't be trendy or up to date with your interior design. I am not saying you have to get stuck with traditional. Simply use more subtle colors, textures and patterns to establish the background for your decor, and use accent pieces and furnishings that can be easily and economically swapped out when they are no longer the rage. If you stick with what has always worked in the past, you preserve your home decor for the future. It can be fun for me to zip around in time and space, but it's no fun for you as a homeowner or tenant, if your decor is stuck in the past. Don't let your home decor get trapped in a time warp.





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Those of you who know me know the affinity I have for the Time Space Continuum. This fascination stems from my knowledge that God is Omni-present. That means that He is everywhere and with us all; all at the same time. It is also my belief that God is everywhere in the past, present and future at this very moment. Which would explain why He knows what we will do before we do it. I look forward to a day when we shall all be loosed from the bonds of time and space as we know it now. I think that time travel is just one of the benefits we receive as a Child of God. God's word explains (in the book of Revelation) that someday an angel will proclaim that there will be "time, No Longer"; Rev. 10:6. Prophecies are also a glimpse of the future that God has allowed us to share. In many ways, we as God's children are already free from the constraints of time and space... But that is a discussion for a later time...




Portions of this blog are part of an article I wrote for www.ezinearticles.com




Charles Beason
chazbeason@rugrunnerbiz.com



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Home Decor Tips for the Renter (or Leaser)

    Just because you rent or lease, does not mean that you do not care about your decor. However when you rent or lease an apartment or home, you are often faced with a few home decor challenges. Let's discuss those challenges and how they can be overcome.

    Home Decor always starts with some basic design rules that we need to follow in order to achieve the best results. I think most people would agree with me about the backdrop (or background) elements for home design.

1. Paint Color(s)

2. Window Treatments

3. Flooring

4. Furniture

These four elements set the base, or backdrop for your decor needs. Before we get into choosing color schemes, textures, patterns, etc... we must address these four elements of design, and this is where the renter is at a disadvantage to a home owner.

    Most landlords already supply two or three of these elements. Paint color(s), Flooring, and often it is the landlord that chooses your Window Coverings. Let us first address paint. Most landlords supply the paint color and they take a dim view of renters using any paint color other than that which they have supplied. Most landlords paint their rentals in off-white colors. This may not be your favorite color and many renters would certainly like to choose their own paint colors, but most renters would also like to get their security deposit back when they move out, so most often you are stuck with the choice that has already been made for you. This does not have to be a horrible thing, as off-white will usually work with most any home decor. Some landlords will let you paint in other colors as long as you re-paint it back to off-white before you move out. Perhaps they will allow you to paint one accent wall which can help greatly. Check with your landlord before you decide to change the paint. If they say no, it is not the end of the world. You simply have to pick your design colors from other sources than the paint.

    Most landlords also supply the Window Treatments. Most rentals that I see have been supplied with shades or blinds that are neutral colors. Here also, most landlords do not want you to remove or replace what they have supplied. Although, most landlords will not mind if you use curtains or draperies to add to the existing window treatments, so here is an area worth asking about. Always check with your landlord before you start attaching window coverings to their property. Some landlords will not allow you to nail or screw anything into the walls. Most that I know do not mind, as long as you fill the holes in when the window treatments are removed. Now you can use texture, pattern and color for your windows to compliment your home decor style.

    The next consideration will be your furnishings. Most renters already have their furniture, or at least some furniture. Many time the furniture you have may be hand-me-downs. If you do not have your furniture yet and you are on a budget, consider shopping at thrift stores or yard sales. You can usually find some great bargains and if the furniture is not the right color or does not have the right texture, you can always use paint or stain to change the color, and slip-covers can be found for sofas, chairs, etc.. and this will still allow you a good amount of latitude for your home decor.

    That leaves us with the Flooring. This is often the most aggravating part, because the flooring is almost always supplied by the landlord, and most landlords don't care how it will tie in with your home decor needs. No matter how ugly the color is, or how old and worn the flooring is, you are pretty much stuck with it. I have had many clients who have tried to get their landlord to change the flooring, and almost always, they will not even consider it. Even when the tenant offers to pay for part of the cost. This can be frustrating, but changing the flooring is not your only solution, so don't give up just yet. This is where area rugs can be a wonderful option. Area Rugs come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and although I usually suggest that a person find their rug first before choosing other decor items, you can easily work the other way around and choose a style and color that matches your decor. Use an area rug to cover that old dirty carpet or add warmth and color over any type of hard-surface flooring. It is best to invest a little bit more for a good quality rug (many wool fiber rugs can be found for the same price or slightly more than the cheap ones you find at the chain-stores). The great thing about a good quality rug is that you can take it with you when you move, and a wool fiber rug can last a lifetime with proper care. Also, most patterns will never go out of style, if you choose a more classic or traditional pattern.

    Just because you don't own the home you are living in does not mean you have to give up on style and decor. There are a world of possibilities, even for those who rent or lease, to make your apartment a real home. Check out our web site for an area rug to cover an ugly worn out floor, or just to add the right colors to balance your design needs.

Charles Beason

www.rugrunnerbiz.com

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