From the Floors Up

Choosing Art for the Bedroom

By Leave a Comment

Bare, blank walls can make a room feel unfinished. Choosing what to hang where in the home can also be intimidating for some. Staring at a blank wall when decorating is kind of like a writer staring at a blank page when writing.  The blank stare can stifle us from making a decision. If you have blank walls in your bedroom, or anywhere in your home, we hope this article can help you take the first step to decorating your walls.

 

Bedrooms should be sanctuaries and calm places for us to restore our spirits as well as rest our bodies.  Comfortable textiles on the bed, soft flooring like carpet or area rugs on the floor, curtains that can block light all create the environment for good sleep.  You can add to the soothing and restorative qualities of your bedroom by what you hang on the walls.

 

Every wall in the room does not have to be filled with art. Empty spaces give the eye a place to rest. Art for the bedroom can be framed in frames that coordinate with the furniture, wall or floor. Metal frames can also add a little sparkle to the room. You can frame practically anything and it will look great on the wall. Framed art can include family photos, your wedding portrait or vacation photos. Fabric and paper can also be framed. Choose art that speaks to you. If you love it, you will love to see it as you fall asleep and wake up every day.

Transform Your Space With Paint

By Leave a Comment

Paint is one of the most versatile design elements in decorating. It can transform walls, furniture, floors and fabric. Simply painting a wall, one of the easiest DIY projects, can immediately change the feel and look of a room.  But paint can do a lot more than just change the color of a wall, floor or piece of furniture.

 

This room might seem an extreme example of what you can do with paint. The graphic pattern on the wall is very lively yet the look is achieved with just two colors of paint. Creating patterns with paint can make a simple project have a complicated result.  Using stencils and tape can yield a myriad of patterns. Vertical and horizontal stripes can be done with painters’ tape and a level. Stencils can be as simple as a circle or as complex as a lattice print or classic onion pattern.

 

The techniques that are most typically used on a wall can also be used on furniture. Wood furniture should be properly prepped before being painted. Prep work may include puttying, sanding, priming and more sanding before you begin to paint.  Stripes are easy to achieve vertically or horizontally on the wall.  Painters’ tape should still be used to mark off the stripes to prevent the color bleeding through. Stenciled walls can imitate traditional inlay or patterned tiles.  For a large expanse of wall, bigger patterns will feel less busy.

Decorating Around the Television

By Leave a Comment

Before the age of the flat screen television, many designers and home owners hid their televisions in entertainment centers, armoires and custom made cabinetry. Rooms were designed around ways of disguising and hiding the big black boxes of old style televisions. When not being used, televisions were discreetly tucked away behind doors. The flat screen TV changed all this.

 

Flat screens have moved up onto the wall in many homes. Mounting a flat screen to the wall means you free up floor space in the room. No longer do you need a large entertainment center or armoire. This means flat screens can be hung above a fireplace, returning the fireplace to a focal point in many living and family rooms. Mounting a large television on the wall should be done with the proper television mounting kit that is attached to the studs.

 

Smaller entertainment consoles can be placed underneath the television to hold DVRs, DVD and BluRay players as well as game consoles and movies.  Today’s entertainment consoles can be lower and smaller in profile, taking up less space on the floor than older models.

 

Many homeowners do not decorate around the big black rectangle on the wall, instead they leave it as the sole focal point, as in this room. Adding shelves or artwork around the TV can help balance out the size and dark color, making it blend in more with the rest of the room’s décor. Creating balance on the wall that holds the TV can make the TV feel more a thoughtful part of the room’s design.

Perfect for the Kitchen: Food Themed Art

By Leave a Comment

At first glance this photograph might appear to be of an exotic type of marble or granite. Or perhaps a marbleized paper or faux painting technique. It is none of those things. It is a cross section of a cabbage shot in close-up. Yes, cabbage.

 

Food based art and photographs can be beautiful and food themed art is also the perfect wall accessory for the kitchen and dining room.

 

Kitchen walls are typically filled with cabinetry and appliances, but rarely is ever wall surface filled. Most kitchens are left with some blank wall space and some more than others depending on the size and style of the kitchen layout. What to put on these blank kitchen walls can be challenging.

 

It is not wise to put original oil or acrylic paintings near a cooking area. Grease in the air can cling to the surface of the artwork. Dining rooms are a better choice for paintings like these that are not framed behind glass. Watercolors, drawings, collages and photographs can all be hung in the kitchen since the majority of time they are framed with glass to protect their surfaces.

 

Choosing what food themed art to hang can be based on several factors, including the style of your kitchen, your favorite food and other colors in the flooring and cabinetry of the kitchen. Traditional kitchens would do best with traditional still life style art, while contemporary and modern kitchens could have food art that was more abstract. Be inspired by food photography to take your own shots and frame them.

Putting Pattern on Your Walls

By Leave a Comment

Everywhere you look today there are patterned walls.  Blogs, shelter magazines, and design shows are all featuring pattern on the wall. These patterned walls can be done with paint, stencils, fabric and wallpaper.  Which material you choose is a matter of personal choice and how much time and effort you want to put into this trend.  If you’ve ever removed wallpaper from the wall, you know it can be more work removing it than installing it.

 

Wallpaper is the classic choice for adding pattern to walls. Wallpapering a room can be done by a DIYer but it isn’t a simple task.  Do your research before running out and buying the paper and paste.  There are many tutorials online about installing your own wallpaper. If you do it yourself, start with a single wall or a small space.

 

Paint can be used to make patterns on the wall that range from simple stripes down with painter’s tape to elaborate stencil patterns that resemble hand-painted wallpaper.  Painting a pattern on the wall can take longer than hanging wallpaper but is easier to cover up and less expensive for materials.

 

Fabric can also be applied to the walls for instant pattern.  Simple starch and water will hold the fabric on the wall. This is a great option for renters who can’t wallpaper or paint.

 

Complement your patterned walls with a patterned area rug for layers of pattern in the room. Or keep it simple with solid colored carpet or area rugs on wood floors.

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

Recent Comments

Subscribe

Enter your email address to receive new post notifications via email.