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Your go-to destination for design inspiration and practical tips to transform your home. Discover the latest interior trends, style hacks, and budget-friendly ideas to create a space you'll love.
How to Master the Art of Coffee Table Styling: Elevate Your Living Room Decor
Your coffee table, often the centrepiece of your living room, is a canvas waiting to be adorned with style and personality. Mastering the art of coffee table styling not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of your living space but also provides an opportunity to showcase your creativity. Here, we'll explore key principles and expert tips to help you transform your coffee table into a curated masterpiece. Principles of Coffee Table Styling Balance and Symmetry: Achieving a sense of balance and symmetry is visually appealing for any coffee table display. Arrange items in a way that distributes visual weight evenly. For example, if you have a stack of books on one side, balance it with a decorative object or a floral arrangement on the other. Layers and Heights: Create visual interest by incorporating layers and varying heights. Stack books or magazines, add a decorative tray for structure, and introduce taller elements like vases or candle holders. This layering technique adds depth and dimension to your arrangement. Personal Touches: Infuse your personality into the styling by including items that hold sentimental value. Personal touches, such as family photos in stylish frames or travel souvenirs, not only tell a story but also make your coffee table uniquely yours. Rules to Live by When Styling your Coffee Table The Rule of Threes: Embrace the simplicity and effectiveness of the rule of threes. Group items in sets of three for a balanced and visually appealing arrangement. This could be three candles, a stack of three books, or a trio of decorative objects. Greenery and Florals: Bring life to your coffee table with the freshness of greenery or florals. A small vase of flowers or a potted plant adds a natural element, creating a vibrant and inviting atmosphere. Mixing Textures and Materials: Diversify the visual and tactile experience by incorporating a variety of textures and materials. Combine smooth surfaces with textured elements, such as a woven basket or a metallic tray. This adds depth and sophistication to your styling. Seasonal Transitions: Celebrate the changing seasons by updating your coffee table decor accordingly. In warmer months, opt for bright and fresh elements like seashells or colourful blooms. During the colder seasons, introduce warm and cosy touches like candles or rustic textures. Step-by-Step Guide to Coffee Table Styling Step 1: Clear the Canvas: Start with a clean slate by clearing your coffee table of any clutter. This provides a fresh beginning for your styling project. Step 2: Anchor with a Tray: Place a decorative tray as the foundation for your arrangement. This not only adds structure but also makes it easy to rearrange items. Step 3: Create Height with Books: Use a stack of books or a set of stylish bookends to add height. This serves as a foundation for other elements. Step 4: Add Decorative Objects: Introduce decorative objects like sculptures, figurines, or ceramics. These items contribute to the aesthetic appeal of your arrangement. Step 5: Include Personal Touches: Incorporate personal touches, such as framed photos or small mementos, to make the styling uniquely yours. Step 6: Greenery or Florals: Enhance the freshness of your arrangement with a vase of flowers or a small potted plant. This adds a touch of nature. Step 7: Adjust and Rearrange: Step back and assess your arrangement. Don't be afraid to adjust and rearrange until you achieve a balanced and visually pleasing display. By finding the right balance between aesthetics and functionality, you'll master the art of styling your coffee table. With these principles and tips, you can transform your coffee table into a piece that reflects your style and personality. Experiment, have fun, and let your coffee table become a conversation piece in your living room decor.
Designing Tips for Kids Bedrooms
Your child is finally ready to graduate from their nursery to a big kid's bedroom but you find yourself stuck. You're unsure how best to design a bedroom that reflects their personality while remaining functional not just now, but into the future as well. And we haven't even started talking about the budget yet. Sound familiar? You're not alone. Decorating a child's bedroom is often a difficult task for many parents, no matter how easy it seems at first. However, when you know where to start and the best things to consider, a child's bedroom is so much fun to design. Kids bedrooms serve multiple purposes - playroom, study and sanctuary. However, the most important role is as a place for your child to lay in comfort and safety at the end of the day. Below you'll find tips and tricks to help you save money, space and time, while designing a bedroom that your child will love and one that will serve them into the future. Rethink the intense theme So your child is mad about Paw Patrol and wants nothing more than Chase himself plastered on the walls? Or perhaps the obsession is with a certain colour or animal or movie franchise (we're looking at you, Disney)? The thing is, kids interests change frequently. Just because your child says they want a certain theme in their room today, doesn't mean they'll want it in two years' time. Theme, if taken to the max, can pigeon hole your design choices and drain your bank account as your child outgrows that theme and wants a change. Instead, opt for a subtle, neutral theme that will create a foundation - one more adaptable to the ebbs and flows of your child's interests. This foundation can then be added to and subtracted from to reflect your child's personality. The best way to do this, is via accessories and accents. Which brings us to our next tip... Add personality and interests using accessories Accessories are the best way to incorporate personality and whimsy into a kid's bedroom. And they have the benefit of being generally inexpensive and more adaptable then your big-ticket items like wall colours and furniture. Bring your child's current interest into the room via bedspreads, sheets and cushions. Artworks, buntings and wall decals are also a great way to instil personality into a room but give you the flexibility to remove later if they no longer work. Use them to accent colour choices which can be mirrored in bed linen and soft furnishings, helping to unify and harmonise the space. And what would a kid's room be without toys! But don't just store all of them away in toy boxes and baskets. Choose a few choice toys and use them to decorate the room as well. They are great for both play and décor and will add loads of whimsy and personality into your child's bedroom, allowing them to feel right at home. Invest in lasting furniture As mentioned above, big ticket, fundamental pieces like kids beds, bedside tables and dressers aren't items you want to keep replacing every other year. When designing a kid's bedroom, it's easy to get taken in by whimsical kids' items. However, their cute-factor greatly exceeds their longevity or practicality, and once your child ages, you'll once again find yourself reaching into your wallet for something less juvenile and more practical. So, save yourself the time and money. When buying these items for your kid's bedroom, ensure they will last into the future - even to adolescence. This means opting for classic styles with loads of versatile storage that you could see in your home for years to come. For example, instead of buying a child-sized dresser, choose one they will grow into. Units with more modern colour palettes like white or woods more easily adapt to any style changes that happen within the room and will also suit your child at any age, giving them staying power. Save space with multi-purpose furniture Space is often a big issue in kids' bedrooms. Even if you do have it, it's a great idea to think about and plan how to best utilise the space. One of the best ways to ensure you get the most out of a room is choosing furniture with is able to provide more than one purpose. This could simply mean choosing a desk with inbuilt storage and shelving or a bed with under bed storage. This way you have a space for your child to do their homework or sleep, but they also provide you extra storage to display books or tuck away the never-ending supply of toys. Speaking of kids' beds, a bunk bed is always fashionable and are a major space-saver in any bedroom. Allowing you to use the same space twice, a bunk bed is perfect for siblings sharing a room or to prepare for the inevitable sleepovers and visitors in the future. Not to mention, nothing says a kid's bedroom quite like a bunk bed! With multi-purpose storage and furniture, you'll save space for more important things - like expansive playing area, and every kid needs that. Summary Designing a kid's bedroom can be daunting with so many aspects to consider. Your child's bedroom is their refuge - a place to play, learn and sleep. So we understand it's important to get it right. It's a delicate balance between representing their personality now, with the inevitable changes to their interests as they grow into the future. When it comes to themes, it's always best to go for neutral so you can adapt and change to suit your child at any age. Use accessories and accents to instil whimsy into the room and highlight your child's interests - while giving yourself the freedom to change without a huge financial investment. For big ticket items like beds and dressers, forget the cutesy kids' furniture. Save yourself the time and money and buy an item they'll grow into - both in style and storage. And to get the most out of your space, multi-purpose storage and furniture (like bunk beds) give you more versatility, and more room for your child to play. Following our top tips for designing a kid's bedroom will save you money, space and time, while gifting your child a bedroom they'll not only love but thrive in and one that will serve them into the future. Do you have any tips for designing a kid's bedrooms? We always love to hear from you, so be sure to let us know over on our Facebook page or Instagram account.
