A few years ago, we were all  worrying about how to organize our growing collection of books. Remember bookshelves? But this is 2012, and these days we’re concerned not about organizing books but a growing collection of electronic devices, including our Kindles, Nooks, Ipads, Iphones, Netbooks, cellphones, external hard drives, flash drives and other assorted gadgetry and the cords that come with them.

Are electronic devices taking over your life? Here are 5 ideas to help you get organized:

1) The Door Dropspot (pictured above). Need a safe place to stash your continuously disappearing cellphone? Invest in the Door Dropspot which provides a nifty place to keep cellphones, keys, letters that need to be mailed, etc. Since it all hangs from a doorknob you’ll be reminded of what to take out with you each time you’re ready to leave the house. This handy gadget, called the Doorganizer©

2) The Backpack from TwelveSouth. Got an external hard drive that is eating up a lot of desk space? Well, if you’ve got an iMac or an Apple Cinema Display, check out the Backpack. By clamping down on the mounting arm of the display, it acts as a little shelf, tucked out of the way. They even come with wire ties for cord management, and a silicone mat so that the spinning of the drive doesn’t cause too much noise.

3) Velcro. Here’s another option for tucking away that pesky external hard drive. Try affixing industrial-strength Velcro underneath your desk to hold your drive and any USB cables or USB hubs you may need.

4) The OneLessDrop cord organizer. Has your life disintegrated into a tangle of cords? Check out the “H” which elegantly sits on your desk to keep your cords in place and out of sight.

5) The OXO Cord Catch. It keeps your unplugged cables and cords off the floor and within easy reach. No more crawling underneath desks to find cellphone cords of computer cables!

And here are some other ways to cut down on gadgetry clutter:

• Buy less. Do you honestly need the device you’re considering buying? Will it improve your life or complicate your life?
• Become a late adopter. Instead of running out to buy the latest Kindle, Ipad, Iphone, or what have you, take your time and wait for the products to improve (and come down in price). You’ll get a better product that you can hang onto for longer, you’ll pay less and you’ll save the environment by not making multiple purchases of the same product.
• Edit relentlessly. Are you the type to hold onto all the old gadgets and cords you’ve ever owned, even if perhaps the gadget is now broken and unusable? Don’t be afraid to toss.
• Identify where to send old electronic gadgets before it’s time to toss. Sometimes, we are reluctant to get rid of an old laptop, a broken TV or cellphone because we have no idea how to safely dispose of such items. Make a point of researching when and how you can dispose of your electronic gadgets ahead of time, so that there’s no hesitation about tossing an item when it has reached the end of its useful life.

Images: via apartmenttherapy.com

This is a post from Home Design Find

Design Dilemma: 5 Options for Organizing Gadgets

How do you salvage an old damaged rug and turn it into something special? Numerous carpet companies have hit on an idea.  We’ve seen it up close and think they’ve got something.

ABC Carpet and Home, for one, has overdyed vintage rugs and called them “Aquasilk” as part of the store’s Color Reform Collection. They’ve taken faded and worn vintage Turkish and Oriental rugs that have definitely seen better days. They’ve bleached out all the color and then infused a pop of electric color over what’s left. These are the results:

This would seem to fit neatly into the reclaimed and recycled furniture trend that we’ve been seeing in recent years. Having examined these rugs in person, we think they can fall into one of two categories: either they work brillliantly, or they miss terribly. The dye pattern on some of these rugs looks just a wee bit too runny (hence the aqua name) like a rug that’s suffered water damage. This is particularly true of the rugs that don’t boast much of a contrasting pattern underneath the overdye. But on the right rug, this technique looks really cool and could be the perfect modern interpretation of a tradition. Plus, pink, turquoise, purple and royal blue rugs are always fun.

Problem is, these rugs don’t come cheap. A rug of about 7 x 8 feet runs between $8-$10,000 at ABC Carpet and Home. Check out their collection here. Also, will these rugs stand the test of time, or just seem like a really bad trend a year or two from now? If you’ve plunked out $10,000 for a rug, you better hope it has staying power! Even so, we were wondering if there’s something in this idea that might work for the craft-minded at home. Why not take an old sunbleached, faded rug and try overdying in a pop of bright color? If you’re lucky, you might get these results:

We did a little research and discovered, alas, that the bleaching and dyeing process takes a lot more work than most of us could handle at home (hence the $10,000 price tag on these rugs). The bleaching process requires harsh chemicals that demand good ventilation and special breathing equipment for anyone near by. You will need an acid dye for the overdying and also a stainless steel vat big enough for the carpet and the appropriate amount of hot water which must maintain a temperature of at least 140 degrees farenheit. You will need a carpet steamer to set the dye after overdying. Few of us have the kind of set up at home required to dye an 8 x 5 foot carpet, and the bathtub just won’t work. However, that being said, there are those who have tried it at home, with spectacular results. Check out CentrSource and find great deals for your home design and decoration. Good luck!

Images: ABC Carpet and Home; designholeonline.com; dgpublications.com.

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Design Dilemma: Turning Old Rugs into Art

You’d think you couldn’t go wrong choosing a selection of beiges to coordinate throughout your home, right?

But then you get those beiges on the wall, and somehow they manage to clash horribly. Or they clash with your beige couch, or your beige carpet.

Why does this happen? In a word, undertones.

Every paint color, even neutrals like whites, beiges and grays have tones. These include mass tones and undertones. Mass tones are the predominant color you see when you look at a color.  So the predominant color you see in a beige might be beige. The predominant color you see in a white might be white. But the undertone is the color that is the hint of another color you may see peeking through that first shade.

In a seafoam green, for example, a mass tone might be the green. The undertone is blue. In an olive green, a mass tone might be green, but the undertone would be yellow.

Can you see the undertones in the gray pictured below?

If we were to take a guess from the picture (undertones can look different depending on the time of day and surrounding colors) we’d say this was a warm gray with yellow/green undertones. That’s why it works so well with the accent colors of ivory and yellow in the room.

Most color schemes work best when the undertone is the same. And when you pair colors in the same family that seem to clash when combined together, what you’ve got is a clash of undertones. That explains why some pinkish beiges just don’t seem to work with yellowish beiges or greenish beiges. It also explains why some warm whites with a hint of yellow look odd when combined with cool whites with a hint of blue. It also explains how you can take a certain gray couch, pair it with a gray wall and feel that the color of each has completely changed. Because when you see different colors in the same family paired together, the undertones tend to come jumping out.

Here’s an example of a room with clashing undertones:

The comforter on the bed is yellow with yellow undertones. The taupe/beige walls have pink undertones. While you’re not likely to go screaming out of the room due to its decor, you may feel that something is “off” if you spend time in the room.

How can you learn to recognize undertones in paints before you make a big mistake?

1) Try spreading paint out very thin on a drop cloth. The undertone becomes more apparent as the color becomes more sheer.
2) Compare the color to other shades. Grab a color chart and compare different reds to each other and to a “true” red. You will quickly see that some reds have undertones of yellow and will appear closer to an orange red, while some reds have undertones of blue and will look more violet.
3) Compare your hue to complementary hues. Complementary hues intensify each other. So a great way to tell if a beige has pinkish, yellowish or greenish undertones is to compare it to other hues, like red, yellow or green. If your beige has pink in it, it will appear brighter next to a green than a red or yellow. If your gray has blue in it, you will see it more clearly when it is compared to an orange.

It may take a little practice, but once you’ve learned how to see undertones in paint you’ll find that you can coordinate fabrics, accents, rugs and paint combinations without fear! One other note about undertones: while maintaining consistent undertones is a great rule of thumb, remember that all rules can be broken at the right time and with the right intention.

This is a post from Home Design Find

Design Dilemma: Understanding Undertones in Paint Colors

No matter how beautifully-appointed your condo or apartment, if your nights and days are filled with loud music, voices and television noise from abutting apartments, your fabulous pad is still likely to feel like a living hell.

Are there design solutions to too much noise? The answer is yes — to a point. A few design changes at home may help ameliorate noise somewhat, but in the end, the most effective strategy may be to invest in earplugs or talk with your neighbors about how they can cut back on the noise level.

Here’s what you can do at home:

• Furnish your home with noise-absorbing upholstery. You may hanker for the sleek minimalist look but a sparely-furnished apartment is more likely to create echoes which can be heard in other units. Also, sparely-furnished units do not provide much opportunity for sounds coming from other units to get absorbed. So lay down carpets and area rugs, put up heavy draperies, add textile wall-hangings, hang lots of paintings on canvas. This won’t solve your noise problem completely, but it can help.
• Install cork flooring or cork covering on walls. Cork is one great sound insulator. And the virtue of cork is that it can be used as a flooring or wall material by itself (see the picture above) or can be used underneath other materials, such as wood, vinyl or tile flooring. It is an ideal material to use because it is water and mold-resistant.
• Caulk wall-floor junctions. Careful caulking of the joint under the baseboard may reduce airborne sound transmission.
• Add wall-to-wall carpets. Again, carpeting is unlikely to totally alleviate noise, but it can help muffle.
• Insulate. You may not be in position to retrofit your ceilings and floors, but if you are, consider glass fiber, mineral wool and cellulose insulation are often in the walls and floors between apartments to dampen noise.
• Add additional layers of drywall or denser floor materials.
• Decouple. Decoupling separates parts of the wall and floor structure so they do not touch, thus eliminating a direct path for sound to follow. Resilient channels are flexible metal strips commonly used to decouple drywall from the wall or floor structure. Resilient channels and drywall should not be installed directly over existing drywall or plaster, because this may create a sealed chamber that amplifies the sound and makes the noise problem worse. If plaster or drywall is attached directly to the wall or ceiling structure, consider removing it and installing one or two layers of new drywall on resilient channels attached to the framing.
• Place gaskets behind electrical outlet cover plates. These will help cover the spaces that noise move through.
• Replace your windows. Double-paned, glazed windows can significantly cut back on noise you hear from cars, leaf and snow-blowers and other assorted street noise.

Unfortunately, there is no perfect design solution to noise problems but a combination of measures is likely to lend you some noise relief, so take heart!

This is a post from Home Design Find

Design Dilemma: Cultivating The Sound of Silence

The problem with rugs is that they seem to fall solidly into two camps: either you go with the tried and true oriental rug or you opt for something more contemporary. Oriental rugs can feel a little staid, safe and boring while contemporary rugs seem to date faster than a carton of milk. So where do you turn if you want something that feels modern and contemporary but with a little history behind it?

We suggest the Beni Ouarain rug.

Beni Ouarain rugs have been all over the place in the interior design world in recent years. Most likely, it’s because the simple black and white design can work in almost any interior, no matter how traditional or how mod. These carpets are woven by a nomadic Moroccan tribe (known as Beni Ouarain) which has been producing them for hundreds of years. The classic Beni Ouarain has a network of diamonds made up of relatively fine black lines. Borders are uncommon. The rugs have a raw gestural look because the patterns are often broken and asymmetric. Here’s another example:

The best thing about these rugs is that they work as a fantastic “glam” backdrop in almost any interior. They can feel modern…

Or they can feel traditional….

They can go rustic….

Or feel urban…

They can hide in the background…

Or take center stage…

The problem with Beni Ouarain rugs is that they don’t come cheap. Most rugs run typically in the $2-$4,000 range, or more. If you’d like to read more about the history of these rugs or see more stunning examples of the range of designs, click here. And if you love the look but can’t afford the original consider looking at a similar rug offered by Anthropologie.com which runs between $600 and $2,000. One thing for sure is that you really can’t go wrong with a Beni Ouarain if you’re looking for a dynamic yet versatile rug with a little staying power!

Images: viaSohaute.com; www.berber-arts.com; OndineKarady.com; theparkerpalmsprings.com; www.newyorkmagazine.com; atlantahomesmag.com

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Design Dilemma: Beni Ouarain Rugs — Mod but Traditional

Last week we took a look at the major design trends of 2012. Up there on the list was the move toward large-scale photography in the home. Large-scale art work of every sort is a trend that has been gaining in popularity in recent years. Why? Because there’s no simpler way to bestow atmosphere, color and impact in a room than to bring in art, and usually the larger the better. Large scale art also eliminates the need to artfully craft a “gallery” style wall. It only takes one piece to provide a lot of pizzazz to any room.

The trend to bring in large scale photos is the latest wrinkle in decor and may reflect the fact that photography is often more affordable than a painting. Another plus is that  family photos can be blown up and used to create art, making photography extremely personal but also wallet-friendly.

Take a look:

Above, a family photograph has been blown up and mounted to create a cool piece of art in the dining room.  Reprinting photos in black and white is a simple way to give graphic punch to ordinary family photos. Check out another example below, in which a family photo has been turned into wallpaper in a living room.

And here, a color photograph gets extra punch by being divided into a grid pattern. It can be done if you have the patience to do a lot of cutting!

Here are a couple of other interiors featuring large-scale photography:

How can you get onboard this trend?

• Become the artist by culling through old photos of family and friends. If you see something you like, you can have it enlarged and framed to add an artsy, personal touch to your home.
• Check out the annual sales and open studios at art schools. You’ll find photography at bargain prices.
  
• Comb the internet. Affordable online galleries featuring photographs are easy to find.
  
• Rotate the pieces you collect. Move things around for a fresh perspective from time to time. Find new ways to arrange and group photographs.
  
• Don’t be afraid to mix color and black and white. photos. Though we are most used to seeing uniform displays of photos in either color or black and white, the room above proves that both can live well together on the same wall.
• Choose what you love. Pick pieces that have personal resonance for you, no matter how quirky or offbeat.

Images:via  apartmenttherapy.com

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Design Dilemma: Large Photography at Home

As yet another year draws to a close, we’re already looking forward to what next year will bring in design.  Already we can pinpoint some design trends that have had their day — bird decals, antlers on walls and books organized by color are trends we’re happy to see go.

And what’s new on the horizon?

1. Taupe as the “to-die-for” color.

We’ve heard from design experts that taupe is in for 2012. Actually, we never saw this color go out. Taupe, or a sort of gray-brown, has been the standard color for pantyhose as well as stumped designers for years. Below, you can see plenty of taupe at work in a bedroom:

Taupe has a way of appearing fresh and clean, as in the bedroom above. But it can also serve as a neutral backdrop to more high energy color.  It can also serve as a great backdrop for artwork.  If you decide to embrace this trend you might try livening up either your taupe (which can tend toward the bland) by combining it with a lot of color. Consider mixing it up with bold blues, bright yellows, punchy oranges or in-your-face reds.

2. Rustic and Reclaimed.

This trend picks up on something that has been happening for a while now, but which only seems to be gaining strength — that is, the trend toward the use of recycled materials in furniture and as wall coverings. We’ve seen lots of reclaimed wood, for example, as in the kitchen cabinetry below:

Or on this bedroom wall:

But recycled materials are not just limited to wood. More and more designers are getting creative with metals, plastic and textiles. Who would have thought a shopping cart could have such potential:

The table and chair above were designed by Los-Angeles-based artist Ramon Coronado but all sorts of new and inventive furniture designs are being made in firms large and small around the world. It’s a great way of not only individualizing a space by moving beyond big box store offerings, but it’s a great way to keep more stuff out of landfills. Reclaimed materials used as reclaimed lighting fixtures will be part of this trend, according to trend prognosticators. As a side note, the fascination with reclaimed materials will continue to contribute to the popularity of the industrial chic look. Reclaimed metals and other industrial materials will make their way into all sorts of furniture pieces and accessories, from lighting fixtures to table legs.

3. Natural Eco-Fabrics

We’re talking nubby cottons, hemps,  Belgian linens and  burlaps in natural colors light colors, such as sandy beige, light gray and tan. Think breezy beach cottage and you have the idea.

4. Low Furniture

We wrote about this trend last year but it still seems to be going strong. A number of furniture manufacturers have lowered the height on their lounge chairs going for a more relaxed, low-slung look, reminiscent, perhaps, of the 1970s. The standard height of most furniture is about 20 inches, but manufacturers right now, have lowered seating heights to about 17-18 inches.

5. Big artwork and especially photography.

Photography has been big in interiors lately and it promises to be just as big next year. Large artwork of every kind is in, but especially large black and white or sepia toned photos.

Images: www.designnewengland.com; homemagazine.fooyoh.com; remodelista.com; kencangbanget.info; viewhomedesignblogspot.com

This is a post from Home Design Find

Design Dilemma: 5 Design Trends for 2012

This time of year we spend a great deal of time lingering in the dining room with family and friends. Holiday parties, cozy winter dinners and weekend brunches demand a welcoming space that encourages unhurried conversation and second helpings. With shortened days and cold winter nights, there’s no better place to be.

We’ve run across some beautiful spaces lately. For instance, take a look at these fab dining rooms:

In the dining space above, a colorful kilim and sisal rug bring an ethnic touch and some texture to mid-century Modern Eames chairs. And below, a quirky light fixtures and large eyecatching painting paired with an ornate wooden bench add character:

In this dining room, dramatic pendant lamps steal the show:

In the ethereal dining room below, a crystal chandelier, white chairs and pale walls bestow a feeling of airyness:

So what’s the key to creating a dining space with character? We’ve noticed that most of these dining spaces have a few things in common:

1) Dramatic lighting. The dining room is one space where good lighting is absolutely key. Not only do you need a chandelier or pendant light that can provide just the right soft lighting to fit every entertaining occasion but you need lights that can make an impact in style, even when the lights are off. In each of the dining rooms above, chandeliers or an interesting pendant lamp play a critical role. Go quirky, glam, sophisticated, but don’t be boring!

2) Art. In most of the rooms above, a large painting ups the drama factor by creating an instant mood. Your work of art may feel funky, serene, elegant or traditional, likewise setting the mood for your space and parties.

3) No matching sets. Matching dining room tables and chairs look stale and staid. Lend dynamism to your dining space by mixing it up. Mix up chairs, for example, combining different looks or the same chair but in different colors. Choose your table independently of the seating for an eclectic look.

4) Color! In the first photo of this post, a teal blue and lime green wall are paired with a pink couch and colorful chairs to create a space that feels welcoming and fun. What a great space for morning brunch! In the picture above, the same chair in various colors helps loosen up the look of an otherwise plain white dining room with white table. Choosing to use no color at all can also be a statement, as in photo number 5 which suggests peace, serenity and elegance.

5) Comfort. Sure, it’s great to have stylish furniture to set the mood but don’t forget that a dining room should be comfortable as well. Chairs should be comfortable enough to linger in for hours. Lighting should be adjustable so that you have bright overhead light when needed in addition to mood lighting for intimate dinners. If you use a rug, be sure it’s large enough to allow dining room chairs to be pulled out and remain on the the carpet.

Images: houseandhome.com; via apartmenttherapy.com; vokdesigngroup.com; diychichome.com; emmasblog.se; la maisondannaG.blogspot.com

This is a post from Home Design Find

Design Dilemma: Creating an Inviting Dining Room

Pull out the silver garland and the mistletoe, because we’ve entered the holiday decorating season. Christmas trees, holiday wreaths, string lights and plastic reindeer rule the day. And yet, today’s more austere times seem to require simpler decorations — those that delight in the natural pleasures of the season without exploiting them.

What’s so great about decorating for the holidays these days is that we’ve all come to realize that we don’t need to go overboard to enjoy the season. Instead, it’s far more satisfying to decorate in a simple, sustainable way that does minimum damage to the earth. The emphasis is on the natural and the edible. Another plus: we need not worry about storing costly decorations in our homes throughout the year because our natural and edible decorations can return to the earth from which they come.

Check out these ideas:

1) Clementines

This time of year we’re all munching on this succulent fruit. So why not take it out of the fruit bowl and use it as a colorful and sweet-smelling adornment around the house? From RealSimple.com comes this idea: take several lengths of heavy-gauge wire, knot one end of each, and string through a clementine and a jingle bell. Twist all the wires into a cluster and secure with a large bow. Hang on a newel post or your front door. You might even take your clementine strand and adorn the mantle.

2) Fir sprigs and flute glasses as a holiday centerpiece.

How’s this for a simple holiday centerpiece? Take champagne flute glasses and stick in a sprig from a fir or pine tree. Add a votive candle at the base of the champagne glass. You’ve just concocted an inventive, elegant holiday table centerpiece that is simple to make and easy to enjoy.

3) Candles — votive and otherwise.

Here’s one to try if you have no kids, pets or clutsy adults at home.  Take white candles and place them in hurricane lamps or glass bowls. Distribute these babies in any corner of the house that could benefit from some holiday cheer. You can even distribute them along a staircase if you dare and you’ve got a fire extinguisher handy.

4) Seasonal branches.

There’s something about seeing little red berries or little white flowers on bare branches that warms the cockles. Seasonal branches of this sort can be used as a centerpiece on the table or an adornment on mantles.  Below, branches arranged in a hanging basket serve as a stand-in for the traditional holiday wreath. But a tree branch doesn’t necessarily have to have any berry or flower to be beautiful. Use a bare fallen tree branch, as seen in the first photo of this post to create a centerpiece for draping garlands, greens, holiday cards or Christmas ornaments.

5) Gourds are not just for Thanksgiving.

Choose pale gourds and put them under glass, as shown below. You might also experiment with painting gourds in typical holiday colors, perhaps a display of all white gourds, or silver and gold metallic gourds.

6) Kitchen Spices for holiday wreath.

Gather your spices to make a beautiful crafted wreath that can also be used to flavor your food! Basil, thyme, sage, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves can all work perfectly.

7) Pine Cones, spray-painted and otherwise.

No post on sustainable decorating would be complete without a nod to the spray-painted pine cone. Yes, it’s an old favorite in terms of ideas, but it’s simple, festive, sustainable, and it looks great!

Images: RealSimple.com; digsdigs.com; homemakerschallenge.com; www.simpleeffects.com; sibubeauty.com

This is a post from Home Design Find

Design Dilemma: Simple, Sustainable Holiday Decor

Lately, we’ve been thinking of all the wonderful things that we’re seeing on walls. True, paint is still the number one choice for most of us because after all, it’s relatively inexpensive and easy to change. What we’re noticing in paint is deep, dark dramatic colors (like the bedroom above) that create drama and a sense of peace.  Still, there are plenty of other options for walls beyond just a bucket of paint, and many of them are just as pretty and sometimes more practical.

Here’s what we’ve been noticing:

Tile

It’s the standard wall covering in bathrooms and kitchens because its  easy to clean and can get wet.  The tile  in the bathroom below is graphic and punchy, a little bit retro and a whole lot of fun. But there’s no reason to limit tile only to rooms where you expect to splash around a lot of water.

For example, tile used in the entry foyer below creates dramatic interest with more depth and texture than would have been achieved with the use of wallpaper or just plain paint. The natural stones also work well against the rich wood floors.

And here’s subway tile used in a dining room. It’s the contrast of the subway tile with the ornate molding on the ceiling that attracts all the attention:

We’ve even seen tiles put to use in the livingroom:

Wood

Wood paneling is a commonly used material for dressing up walls. The latest takes on wood paneling use reclaimed wood to create a rustic/edgy sensibility. Here we see reclaimed wood in a bedroom:

And below we see it used in a dining room. The wood has been mixed in sources, and includes some painted planks for a patterend effect. Using reclaimed metal adds another funky element:

Below is an even more colorful rendition:

Cork
A lot of us never think about adding cork to our wall covering repertoire, but why not? It has great insulating capabilities and looks cool too.

Below, a cork wall on a stairwell adds lots of texture, and prevents sound from bouncing around as well.

Cork can be used in small doses, as in this dining room, where it is used on sliding doors…

Or, it can be used throughout an entire room, as seen below. The owners of this home chose to outfit their theatre room in cork for sound absorption.

So you see, there’s a whole world of choice for walls out there. No need to feel limited to paint or wallpaper!

Images: designsponge.com; motiqonline.com; remodelista.com; Livingetc.com; apartmenttherapy.com;

This is a post from Home Design Find

Design Dilemma: Three Different Looks for Walls