Browse Forums Interior Decorating Lounge 1 Feb 18, 2010 8:19 am I have no idea how to decorate my house, because I don't just like one style. For instance I like a MODERN, open house, with creamy warm colours. Floorboards. Fairly modern furniture. Large flat screen TV Then I like more TRADITIONAL things like Grandfather clocks Grand Pianos Wooden Bookcases Fireplaces Then I like small JAPANESE/ZEN decorative items, like little indoor bonsai trees. Then I like large colourful, generally nature based paintings on the walls, because I am a painter Wow...so confused. I am probably going to end up with a crazy looking house where nothing matches. Lara and Joshua http://pdheywood25.blogspot.com/ viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31186 16.03.10 Scrape 29.03.10 Slab 08.04.10 Frame 11.05.10 Lock Up 03.06.10 Fixing 24.08.10 Handover Re: I's so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 3Feb 18, 2010 10:15 am keep a style per room?? progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: I's so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 4Feb 18, 2010 10:20 am Well, purely in my opinion, if you mix all those influences.... ......you'll end up with a look that's eclectic and at the same time individual, personal and probably delightful. I think some of the old "rules" are falling by the wayside and it's becoming more and more acceptable to mix and match styles. The "themed" interiors in a lot of display homes have a way of looking staged and sterile and I for one wouldn't feel comfortable in such an environment. Of course it remains important to look at each furnishing and decorative item to assess if it works well in the proposed environment - it's still possible to come up with "clangers". But, if it genuinely looks good to you, than it's probably fine. We've found we have to be prepared to retreat to "plan B" when items just don't look good to us even where we thought they'd be ideal. I think it's important to keep an open mind and to be willing to look critically at a room and change things around as much as it takes. When you are able to stand back glowing with inner satisfaction because it looks so "right", then it IS right........and it matters little if some others don't agree. It's a fact of life that people have different tastes and, ultimately, you are trying to create an environment that showcases the things you love and enhances your life on a daily basis. Surely this should be the primary decorating aim, but it's easy to lose sight of it in an effort to please others. IMHO, this is the major cause of "soul-less" rooms. Cheers zeke EDIT The idea of a style per room mentioned by ss above is, I think, a good one, if not applied too rigidly. As an example, the rooms at the front of our house have a more formal feel and will have an identifiable 1930's Art Deco influence. The kitchen/family/billiard areas will be more contemporary. The study will have at least a hint of "gentleman's club". But there will be some overlap - eg our antique piano will be in the more contemporary space and the computer gear will be in the study and I can see some modern art works in the more formal areas....... Re: I's so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 5Feb 18, 2010 11:16 am zeke EDIT The idea of a style per room mentioned by ss above is, I think, a good one, if not applied too rigidly. As an example, the rooms at the front of our house have a more formal feel and will have an identifiable 1930's Art Deco influence. The kitchen/family/billiard areas will be more contemporary. The study will have at least a hint of "gentleman's club". But there will be some overlap - eg our antique piano will be in the more contemporary space and the computer gear will be in the study and I can see some modern art works in the more formal areas....... Thanks SS, the idea of style per room has got me thinking =) Zeke, I agree, I think I will just buy things I like from different styles, and make them work together. I am pretty sure I will be able to do that. I like your example of which rooms you decorated in different styles, similar idea to what I was thinking... Lara and Joshua http://pdheywood25.blogspot.com/ viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31186 16.03.10 Scrape 29.03.10 Slab 08.04.10 Frame 11.05.10 Lock Up 03.06.10 Fixing 24.08.10 Handover Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 6Feb 18, 2010 11:29 am I think I am abit the same, however instead of trying to mix too totally different styles (american hotel style v's a more asian influence) I am going to try and stick to the American hotel style and just try and not sway too much in the other direction. Saying that I am going to have to have a very good idea in my head what I want and just stick too it. THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE IS 495 SQM OF BEACH SAND AND WEEDS! http://missvintageshouseofpain.blogspot.com/ Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 8Feb 18, 2010 12:18 pm Mine isn't any 'one style' either. I like to call it classic for want of a better term. My hard furniture is a mix of antiques, to quite modern (eg my brand new coffee table is glass and chrome). My house is a period weatherboard with a modern extension, I try to keep the furniture suiting the style of the room, but with a bit of a modern twist. Eg - the aforementioned coffee table is in a sitting room with a fireplace and wing chairs, and I have an antique oak buffet in the modern living room with a King Furniture Jasper suite. When choosing new pieces, try to tie them together in one way or another - for example, my 'hard furniture' is either dark wood, antique oak stained, or glass. Try not to have lots of different tones of wood, but keep to 2-3 tones that compliment each other. The same with the upholstery, it's all in a similar colour family, although quite different in style. I really hate rooms that 'match' (eg display home style), it's bland, boring and devoid of personality to my eye. Things don't have to match, but they do need to look good together. Get some good interior design books and look through them, you will see a lot of beautiful rooms and homes that don't have all one style of furniture or decor. Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 9Feb 18, 2010 12:22 pm The hardest thing is when you know what you like but can't visualise it together to understand the feel & get the right atmosphere happening. After all, those glossy mags & professional pictures on websites give you a certain feeling for the home. At the end of the day the easiest way to do this is by an inspiration board. Get magazine clippings of these individual things that you love, bits of fabric, carpet or even some photographs of things you own & stick them to A4 paper. Move them around & see what works. You will find everything will come together without sacrificing your own style & favourite things, or moving them into one particular room. If you want to, you can scan that image to this website http://bighugelabs.com/colors.php which will actually recognise the various colours in the inspiration board & give you a pallette to work with. Last but not least, I have mentioned this site previously but it's loads of fun, it attempts to narrow down your tastes into % of different styles: http://www.sproost.com/StyleEngine "A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality" -John Lennon Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 10Feb 18, 2010 12:41 pm MishB, I was just thinking of making rooms "go together" by corresponding elements other than style, such as using complementing colours, the same colour of wood for each peice etc. SS, Oooo, and inspiration board. Great idea!! Can't wait to get that started. Will start taking photos, and finding pics on the Internet and in catalogues. I might also buy some decorating magazines on the weekend... Lara and Joshua http://pdheywood25.blogspot.com/ viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31186 16.03.10 Scrape 29.03.10 Slab 08.04.10 Frame 11.05.10 Lock Up 03.06.10 Fixing 24.08.10 Handover Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 11Feb 18, 2010 1:16 pm I did that Sproost quiz SS. The first time it said it could not figure out my style Then it said French Country Then it said 50% Zen/50% Contemporary. So the quiz pretty much confirmed that I am somewhere between contemporary, zen and french country =P hahaha, picturing crazy house......... Lara and Joshua http://pdheywood25.blogspot.com/ viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31186 16.03.10 Scrape 29.03.10 Slab 08.04.10 Frame 11.05.10 Lock Up 03.06.10 Fixing 24.08.10 Handover Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 12Feb 18, 2010 1:26 pm I think I just want a kind of peaceful, calming effect, with warm colours.... Might do a Japenese Garden More traditional study area, with a grandfather clock and bookcase Contemporary lounge/kitchen with modern furniture and large tv Lara and Joshua http://pdheywood25.blogspot.com/ viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31186 16.03.10 Scrape 29.03.10 Slab 08.04.10 Frame 11.05.10 Lock Up 03.06.10 Fixing 24.08.10 Handover Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 13Feb 18, 2010 5:05 pm When you're collecting photos, don't overlook small elements. I have pictures in my collection where I don't necessarily like the whole room, but just a colour, or a single piece of furniture or an accessory. I usually cut out the thing that's caught my eye and chuck the rest of the picture.... And my style is a bit of a mixture too - contemporary, modern Asian, a bit Bali/Pacific resort-style. I'm still figuring it out. I have a set of African figurines too - not quite sure where they fit, but I like them. Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 14Feb 18, 2010 5:35 pm kek When you're collecting photos, don't overlook small elements. I have pictures in my collection where I don't necessarily like the whole room, but just a colour, or a single piece of furniture or an accessory. I usually cut out the thing that's caught my eye and chuck the rest of the picture.... And my style is a bit of a mixture too - contemporary, modern Asian, a bit Bali/Pacific resort-style. I'm still figuring it out. I have a set of African figurines too - not quite sure where they fit, but I like them. Hehe, yeah, now I just have to find these pictures......... Can't find much on the Internet, but I do have restricted work access. I want to find somewhere that has lots of decorative homeware shops in the same area that I can just browse through and take mobile phone pics. I did that today at some shops near my house, and found a nice creamy stone Vase => I just wish my house was building already, the anxiety is killing me. It should start next week. Lara and Joshua http://pdheywood25.blogspot.com/ viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31186 16.03.10 Scrape 29.03.10 Slab 08.04.10 Frame 11.05.10 Lock Up 03.06.10 Fixing 24.08.10 Handover Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 15Feb 18, 2010 6:55 pm I think you need to try and narrow down some of the likes you have; it will be much easer to put it all together if you do so. Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 16Feb 18, 2010 10:12 pm Yes, hopefully over time of looking at different styles and shops, I will figure out the style/styles that I want for the house => Hopefully... Lara and Joshua http://pdheywood25.blogspot.com/ viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31186 16.03.10 Scrape 29.03.10 Slab 08.04.10 Frame 11.05.10 Lock Up 03.06.10 Fixing 24.08.10 Handover Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 17Feb 18, 2010 10:19 pm good luck deciding. we have a mixture of things as well. lots of goodies bought overseas so, the asian throws/cushions will just have to go with the wooden carving from Bali and the cuckoo clock I bought years ago in Switzerland - amongst all the other things we have bought over the years. while our new house won't look like a display home it hopefully will look warm and lived in (although not cluttered) Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please help! 18Feb 19, 2010 2:39 pm Rowena good luck deciding. we have a mixture of things as well. lots of goodies bought overseas so, the asian throws/cushions will just have to go with the wooden carving from Bali and the cuckoo clock I bought years ago in Switzerland - amongst all the other things we have bought over the years. while our new house won't look like a display home it hopefully will look warm and lived in (although not cluttered) The house sounds lovely => I definately want to avoid havnig a "sterile" looking home, but even more so, I want to avoid too much clutter. Has too be nice and open, but also warm and inviting, and hopefully interesting! Lara and Joshua http://pdheywood25.blogspot.com/ viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31186 16.03.10 Scrape 29.03.10 Slab 08.04.10 Frame 11.05.10 Lock Up 03.06.10 Fixing 24.08.10 Handover Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please h 19Mar 04, 2010 7:33 am Does anyone know what style of furniture these are? If any? http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/ ... vUnit2.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/ ... kshelf.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/ ... onsole.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/ ... okcase.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/ ... eTable.jpg Thanks (Furniture only. Ignore the statues, etc) Lara and Joshua http://pdheywood25.blogspot.com/ viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31186 16.03.10 Scrape 29.03.10 Slab 08.04.10 Frame 11.05.10 Lock Up 03.06.10 Fixing 24.08.10 Handover Re: I'm so confused about how to decorate my house. Please h 20Mar 04, 2010 2:48 pm So bored at work, keeping check my questions, but no responses Going crazy with boredom Lara and Joshua http://pdheywood25.blogspot.com/ viewtopic.php?f=31&t=31186 16.03.10 Scrape 29.03.10 Slab 08.04.10 Frame 11.05.10 Lock Up 03.06.10 Fixing 24.08.10 Handover If this is a custom build then I would expect the builder to set out the door frame closer to the wall to avoid the gap between architrave and the wall and or specify… 9 8306 Thankyou so much 😀 I've decided on White on white for doors and trims, White on white 50% on ceiling and Mt buller for walls. Fingers crossed it will look OK 😀 2 7165 i had the my concreters concrete right up to the fence. I have pits all along my path, so the water tends to drain away from the house and into the pits. There's only one… 7 12775 |