Treading in Color

#1 Removable Wallpaper This surface material is easy to apply and therefore easy to change when you feel you need to. Accent wall seem like to much? Consider lining the back of a bookshelf instead. #2 Live Plants Live plants can help bring life and happiness to a space, and good for your health to boot! #3 Window Treatments These should be hung a couple of inches ABOVE window including trim. If you are able to, extend the hanging rod past the window on both sides. This creates the illusion of a bigger window and allows more natural light into the room. #4 Adding Texture and/or Color There are a few ways to do this. One could be bright pops of color in your accent pillows or with a plush throw blanket. Another way may be to add woven baskets to your plants or add storage for your magazines. #5 Lighting Don't forget to include all three layers of lighting to your room.      A Ambient (general/overhead)      B Task      C Accent (focal point)

I've talked about one of my favorite Benjamin Moore colors, Stone Hearth for so long now you're probably sick of it. But in a blog I follow Seeking Lavender Lane  she uses the color to accent her woodwork and doors with. And you know what? It looks amazing, maybe she's on to something? So if you're a fan of lighter color walls, maybe warmer trim work is an option?

So  wallpaper is making a comeback? Well my mindset on this has always been negative. In my line of work I OFTEN come across those with wallpaper removal horror stories and I am trying to advise them on all things with removing wallpaper,  DIY . That being said, wallpaper has changed. a lot! Gone are the borders and nautical prints. It seems to be used as more of an accent, whether that be one wall or the backing of a bookcase, bold or soft. When I first moved into my home 10+ years ago every room was covered in wallpaper, no joke! I hated it!! Plus, long story short we moved into an older home (plaster walls) that had been moved onto a new foundation after our city suffered from a flood. Because of this, there were cracks above doorways and had we tried to remove that paper we would have ended up damaging the walls and potentially needing to then re-drywall, which as first time homebuyers we couldn't afford to do. So what did we do? We primed and painted over ALL OF IT! I

If you didn't see this post via Domino magazine I felt it true enough to share- This Material Is on the Brink of a Major Comeback, Says Leanne Ford. It is a more cost  effective option to stone with a fairly similar look. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Like all great design trends of the past,  Formica  is poised for a comeback. The easy-to-clean material that once comprised almost every private and public countertop in America is in the middle of a renaissance, and guess what? It’s honestly more beautiful than ever. In lieu of pricey stone and granite, laminate is quickly becoming the It material for budget-conscious home renovators. Just ask designer and renovation expert Leanne Ford of HGTV’s  Restored by the Fords , who collaborated with Formica on a curated  capsule collection  that launches this month. “I blame landlords for giving laminate a bad name,” Ford says with a grin. “There are really modern, clean options to play with outside what we think of.” Asid