March: Home Hints

By InStyle.com
Mar 24, 2008 @ 10:30 am
March: Home Hints
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Liven Up Your Space

Courtesy of BeautifulPillowsAndHome.com
"New, great looking pillows can liven up any living space with very little effort or money," says Monica Pedersen of HGTV's Designed to Sell. A fresh coat of paint can do wonders to brighten a room too, she says.

BUY ONLINE NOW: Linen pillow, beautifulpillowsandhome.com, $176.
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Invest in Art

Courtesy of Corbis.com
Interior designer Nate Berkus suggests buying a beautiful painting or great photograph, like this one from Fernando Bengoechea Photography. "Remember, a truly stylish home breaks rules and represents the personality of the people living there," says Berkus.

BUY ONLINE NOW: Peacock Feathers photograph by Fernando Bengoechea, corbis.com, price upon request.

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Expand the Appearance of a Room

Courtesy of RugUSA.com
eBay Design Director Shawn Henderson recommends this tip to make a room look bigger: "My trick is to use a large area rug and spread the furniture out to visually expand a room. For an inexpensive solution, I’d suggest finding a seagrass rug."

BUY ONLINE NOW: Couristan Recife Collection Seagrass Natural Rug, rugsusa.com, $17-300.
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Opt for Luxurious Simplicity

Courtesy of Robern
"The most brilliant ideas are often the simplest," says professional organizer Lisa Adams. For her, the embodiment of this rule is a Robern mirrored cabinet with cold storage. "Half the mirrored cabinet is kept at a refrigerator-like temperature, changing the way that we can use the bathroom for storage," she says. "Cold storage can effectively increase the life of high-end cosmetics, maintain the quality of medicine, or just keep chilled drinks close at hand. Imagine being able to sooth puffy eyes with toner or cucumber slices at the perfect temperature as soon as you awake."

GET MORE INFORMATION: robern.com

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Mix Cheap and Steep

Courtesy of Target
Style expert Dayna Spitz approaches design like fashion: "I would never dress anyone in head-to-toe of the same designer. That same rule applies for decorating!" And her philosophy extends to price points as well. "Don't be afraid to pair a mass market piece of furniture with a high-end custom piece or an antique. Afterall, that's what gives a room personality and style." She suggests a pedestal table from Target paired with custom-designed chocolate leather chairs and a glass chandelier for the dining room.

BUY ONLINE NOW: Antique White Pedestal Table, target.com, $250.

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Display Pretty Jewels

Courtesy of Pottery Barn
Think outside the jewelry box, like wardrobe stylist Jenny Gering. "I hook together linen tiles from Pottery Barn and use them in my dressing area to display necklaces and brooches."

BUY ONLINE NOW: Pinboard tiles, potterybarn.com, $25.
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Refresh a Room

Courtesy of Tiffany
Another tip from Nate Berkus is to update all of your photo frames, one room at a time. Most likely, they can use it! Also, he says, "To make a small space seem larger, use the same color white on all walls and ceiling, or keep a neutral color scheme throughout."

BUY ONLINE NOW: Rectangular frame, tiffany.com, $450.

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Get More from Furniture

Courtesy of Crate & Barrel
Designer Susan Maxwell of Suz Maxwell says, "Buy multi-purpose furniture pieces that can be used in many ways. This will allow you to utilize less space and keep things uncluttered." An easy way to achieve this is with an ottoman that opens up to store board games or blankets.

BUY ONLINE NOW: Stow Leather Storage Ottoman, crateandbarrel.com, $169.

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Add Little Accents

Courtesy of Montgomery Wards
“Pillows, mirrors and candlestick holders (especially brass candelabras), are all affordable touches to add a chic accent to your living space,” says Shawn Henderson. Remember to add variety in candlestick height to strategically guide the eye through a room.

BUY ONLINE NOW: Antique gold candleholders, wards.com, $60/set of three.
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De-clutter the Bedroom

Courtesy of Ikea
Daniel Kucan, of HGTV's Desperate Spaces, knows that nothing clutters a bedroom "like a nightstand covered with personal objects such as lotion bottles, a tissue box, and that paperback you've been meaning to get to for months now." But there's an easy solution: a nightstand where you can tuck things away. "Stash your stuff inside and simplify your bedside decor by using only a lamp, a stylish alarm clock, and a carafe of water."

BUY ONLINE NOW: Bedside Cabinet, ikea.com, $100.

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Keep Kid Areas Tidy

Courtesy of The Container Store
It's not just about the adult rooms, says Lisa Adams. Make play areas neat with organized receptacles for toys. "Each storage bin should be labeled, so kids know where to put what (e.g. stuffed animal bin, ball bin, etc.). For young children who can’t read, use picture labels," she says.

BUY ONLINE NOW: Calypso round boxes, containerstore.com, $15/each.

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Decorate with Glass

Courtesy of Horchow
Monica Pedersen loves what decorative glass can do for a room. "Whether it is simply freshening up the look of basic candles by tossing an inexpensive glass hurricane shade over them or filling an oversized-glass urn with brightly-colored fruit, glass accents always lighten the feel of a space," says the decorator.

BUY ONLINE NOW: Glass jars, horchow.com, $95.
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Give a Modern Edge

Courtesy of Design Within Reach
A simple piece of furniture can add an interesting mix to a room. Nate Berkus recommends a modern classic chair from Le Corbusier or Mies van der Rohe, available at designwithinreach.com.

BUY ONLINE NOW: Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, dwr.com, $3,890.

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Alternate Shades

Courtesy of Lampsplus.com
"You can streamline a room and make it look more modern by getting some off-white or white matching paper drum lampshades," says Shawn Henderson. "People usually don?t think of altering their lampshades, but it?s a nice touch."

BUY ONLINE NOW: Cream linen drum lampshade, lampsplus.com, $30.
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