Tag Archives | Design Styles

Shabby Chic Bathroom Ideas and Decor Designs

The shabby chic style is quite like the bohemian style in that it is quite carefree and relaxed – they also both make use of drapery and informal storage ideas. But with the shabby style the decor colors are more pastel shades.

Keeping to the informal and relaxed style, a lot of a shabby chic style storage space is out in the open. You’ve got wire baskets being used as storage (1). Towels being stored out in the open on ladders as seen in picture (2). If you do want to close your cabinets, glass panel doors will look great (3) or fabric covers (4). One idea in our vintage wall decor post was to hang up vintage/antique door knobs on the wall to act as towel hooks.

Some accessories that with fit well into shabby chic bathrooms include the old school table mirrors that flip over, and vintage perfume bottles that can be refilled with hand soap, body lotion, etc.

When it comes to furniture pieces like vanities or the wall mirror, chip painted furniture looks best (5). Or just painted wooden pieces in a pastel color. Picture (6) shows a large mirror just leaning up against the wall – this informal and relaxed style is the kind of design thinking to go for.

If you really want to go for that shabby chic look then a mini chandelier is a must have piece. Another feature piece to have in the bathroom is a canopy over the bathtub (7) – or just curtaining off the bathtub like in picture (8). It will make the bathtub feel more secluded and intimate, but it also introduces a lot of drapery into the bathroom – which really creates that shabby chic vibe. Another way of introducing a lot of fabric into the bathroom is through the windows. Hang up large fluffy and frilly curtains, even if you have a small window (9). Or if you have a shower in the bathroom, a white frilly or pastel colored fabric shower curtain is another way to go. Picture (10) shows a frilly pastel colored bathroom rug.

Having plain white walls will look great, as the pastel shades of furniture and decor will add color to the room. Another idea for decorating the walls is to create a texture just like in picture (11). You can also create a textured wall style with just paint. Check out our post here for simple and easy painting techniques. The colors showed in the pictures of that post are quite bright and colorful – for a more shabby chic style mix and blend more pastel shades. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12

May 23, 2013 in Bathroom

Black and White Bedroom Designs and Decor Ideas

Black or White: You will have two main color schemes when looking at black and white bedroom designs. You can opt to go black heavy or white heavy. Black heavy is when you decorate the walls in black and the feature pieces (bed frame, bedding) are black as seen in picture (1) and (2). This is less common as it can make the room feel smaller and darker, but on the other hand it makes the bedroom feel romantic and intimate. You can always paint one wall in black and have the other walls white to still keep a bright room – as seen in pictures (3) and (4).

White heavy bedroom designs will have only white walls and black decor pieces which makes the space feel larger and brighter (5) (6).

Feature Pieces: The main pieces in the bedroom that will determine the color scheme of the room are the walls, floors, the bed frame and the bed sheets. In picture (7) even though the walls are grey/green and there are some green throw pillows, since the bed, headboard, and bedding are black and white – that becomes the dominate color scheme in the room. This is because the bed is the biggest piece of furniture in the room and so the color of the bed and the color of the bedding you use will play a big role in the overall color scheme of the room.

Pops of Color: If you keep the entire room decorated white and black, any colored pieces will really pop out – adding to the color palette of the room. Whether that is a green pillow or a plant as seen in pictures (8) and (9) or even tanned colored furniture (10). Check out this post to see bedrooms with pops of red: A Color Guide for Red and Black Bedroom Designs.

Floor Color: Yup even the floor color will have a say in the overall color scheme of the room. In the photos above a lot of the rooms make use of neutral colors like white, grey, or dark hardwoods, and light brown carpeting. It is something to keep in mind if you are doing the flooring too.

Decor Accessories: Some decorating ideas include hanging up a black frame on a white wall – this creates great contrast. The same goes for a white frame on a black wall. Black and white photos are a classy decor touch. So is a black and white chandelier (11) or iron lighting fixtures. Other ideas include hanging an abstract painting above the headboard and using black or white area rugs. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11

March 23, 2013 in Bedroom

A Color Guide for Red and Black Bedroom Designs

Here are a few design tips to keep in mind when decorating a bedroom in red and black:

Wall Color Ideas: The biggest decorating decision will be what color to paint the walls or what color wallpaper to use. The photos above have been arranged into bedrooms with red walls, white/light colored walls and black walls. The bedrooms with red walls are quite striking. As a result, there will be little red elsewhere in the room.

White walls keep the bedroom feeling larger and brighter, and is a great canvas to decorate the rest of the room with black and red pieces. A bedroom with white walls only needs a few splashes of red (pillows, rug) because each piece will really stand out. This is if you stick to decorating the rest of the room with white and black pieces – allowing the red to shine through.

The bedrooms that are surrounded with black walls feel much more intimate, cozy, and even smaller. This is alright if you just want to stay in the bedroom at night and use it for mainly for sleeping. Once again, not much red is needed to make an impact. Splashes of white, like the headboard and side tables with a light colored floor as seen in picture (9), can lessen the impact of the black walls.

The Bed: In any bedroom the bed will be the main focal point as it is the largest piece of furniture in the room. As seen in the photos above, the color of the bed sheets and bed frame have a big say in the overall color scheme of the room. The more striking bedrooms make use of red or black bedding (blankets and sheets) while the lighter rooms make use of white sheets and add splashes of black and red through the pillow cases.

Decorative Red and Black Bedroom Ideas: In a few of the photos above (2) (7), you can see the contrast a large frame has hanging on the wall above the bed. Dark frames work best here as they contrast the white or red walls. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10

March 23, 2013 in Bedroom

Black Bedroom Ideas, Designs, and Pictures

Designing a bedroom in purely black decor is a bold choice. Doing this will make the bedroom feel very intimate, cozy, as well as a little bit smaller and darker. A way to decorate with black and keep the room bright and spacious is to mix in some white which we showcased in our post here: Black and White Bedroom Designs and Decor Ideas.

Moving onto pure black decor:

Decorating The Walls: There is the option of painting the walls in pure black. A way to make it look less flat and brutal is to add some texture. Whether this is by using textured wallpaper as seen in pictures (1) and (2) or by using textured painting techniques. See our post here for ideas and pictures:

Feature Pieces: In the bedroom the feature piece is the bed. It is the biggest piece of furniture in the room, so it becomes the focal point. Because of this, the color of the bed frame and bedding will have a real impact on the overall feel of the room. Check out the difference between having everything in black shown in photos (3) (4) and having white bedding and or bed frame seen in photos (5) (6). See how the color of the bed and bedding changes the feel of the room.

Looking at the Floors: If you want to keep to the pure black style then the best flooring options are dark hardwoods and tiles (7). Using a lighter color like a medium shade of grey or pine colored wooden flooring will brighten up the room a bit. If you have a light colored floor and want to keep with the black decor style, using black area rugs can help with this.

Other Black Bedroom Ideas and Decor Accessories: When hanging things to the walls you’ll want to use white, cream or light grey frames because darker frames will get lost on the dark walls. If you want to add an elegant chic twist to the bedroom, a black or white chandelier will do the trick as seen in picture (8). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8