Great Decoration

Summer is officially over.

Did any readers notice  I took an extended holiday away from Designing Home blog?

This is where I spent my summer.

The little speck of a house in the background is my favourite place in the world. The views are spectacular and the ocean in all its moods speaks daily.  Duntara is as close to heaven as you will get.

Composition in Time #22,  2016, Margaret Ryall , wood assemblage, 16 x 16 in.

Composition in Time #27, 2016, Margaret Ryall, Wood assemblage, 16x16in.

Composition in Time #29, 2016, Margaret Ryall,  wood assemblage, 16 x16in.

Rant warning!

Have you ever noticed how your location impacts design because of availability of products?

I live in a terrific city, St. John's,  on a beautiful island, Newfoundland, in the North Atlantic known for its culture and brightly coloured homes.


 But there is a downside to living on an island; it doesn't always provide ready access to a lot of products especially in interior design.   Judging by the homes for sale on Realtors.ca in my local area,  this is a common problem for more than me or my clients. That being said, every now and then you find the perfect solution to your design quandary at local businesses.  It just shouldn't be a sporadic event.

Yes, I know in this world of technology anything is possible, but if you are super fussy about undertones and/or comfort, it would not be smart to order a big ticket item without setting your eyes on said object.  That leaves custom ordering from fabric samples and hopefully a floor model to test for comfort and waiting 8 to 10 weeks or more. Is my impatience showing?

 What about when you need something in a few weeks or you don't have a grand budget?  Back to roaming the limited selections and hoping something has magically appeared since your last visit.  Sometimes it has!  

My lamp and another Homesense gift from a friend

The last month has passed me by as I tried to source a specific wallpaper for my upcoming kitchen reno.  



 I  finally located  sources for  the mosaic wallpaper in the US and England.  Perfect you might think.  So did I, until I found out the $7.00  US  6 x 6 in. sample would cost me $56.00 by the time it was delivered to my door. That didn't include GST or whatever else Canada Post decides to ding you with at the door.  Not going to happen!  Move on to the next idea.


More than colour and next to texture, I love subtle patterns and in tile the Italians know how to do pattern well.  Again I knew what I wanted,  I could even paint a picture of it if requested. That's  more depressing when you can do that,  and I have seriously considered painting my own  tile if all else fails!






 Online I found the exact thing I wanted  on a tile site in England.  With hope I tried two local tile suppliers who assured me nobody is looking for patterned tile like that.  I am!  I am all about monochromatic patterns.  It's just not in style in this area I was told.  More reason to choose it in my book.   I have visions of me getting the 15 sq. feet  I need in England this fall and making all 7 of my travel companions each carry some home for me. Don't laugh this might happen, if I can't find a Canadian supplier or a comparable tile .  One last place to check out.  Fingers crossed.

And IKEA's  floating shelves are only available onsite.  That's my latest disappointment.

I am worn out before the kitchen reno even begins.

 Do you have similar frustrations where you live?  How do you get around them?

When does a trend become overused and tired?

Sometimes certain trends are grabbed by many homeowners,  and before you know it they are everywhere and you may begin to feel like you have reached your viewing saturation point.  I get this feeling a lot on Pinterest. It might be a pattern, a wall treatment or specific fabrics.  I find myself thinking... please no more.

Does it really matter to the average homeowner?

Only you can answer that question. I'm not censoring  what a homeowner chooses to use to decorate a home. Rather I am  just commenting that certain  design decisions seem to be very overused, and as a result  if you want to have a home that is a little unique or individual, these design decisions are probably not the way to go.

Chevrons

I have always been a lover of geometric prints.  There was a time when I loved chevron designs, but that affair has ended!  Too bad I have to say good-bye;  perhaps in ten years we will have a reunion.

Animal prints

I have to work hard to warm up to animal prints, but  I agree that their  organic spots and stripes are very interesting when you want to include  patterns in a room.  Maybe one or two  animal prints might be good, but more than that becomes overdone.  I like to  introduce them using small items like a  box or a pillow because they are easier to replace when you get tired of them.

Blackboard walls

Having been a teacher, I left blackboard walls behind years ago.   I think they work well in  a child's playroom or bedroom because they serve  a functional purpose, but they are dusty. Think about allergies too.  There is something messy and not quite right about them in main rooms of a  home.

Gallery/salon  walls

I love  smaller gallery walls that are very organized.  Too many items and you end up looking at the organization (or lack thereof)  and not the individual  pieces of art.

Baskets everywhere

I have  baskets in my home here and there because they are functional, but I am always careful  not to overdo it.  I don't want someone to walk in and think ... the house of baskets.

 Text as art

  Yes, I like quotes, I even collect them and I love text.  Their use as art  just seems to be way overdone in the last few years.

Faux taxidermy

 Here's another design  motif  that when  used in the right setting  added an individual note to a space in the past, but not anymore because faux taxidermy is  everywhere and I am still trying to figure out why.  Are you a lover?

Starbursts

Another beautiful motif that has reached the boredom point from overuse.  As a lover of circles and rays I would have to think  long and hard before using a starburst in a design right now.  Too predictable!  Another element on my revisit after 5 years list.

Large horizontal stripes

When this image first popped up on Pinterest I was attracted to the strong graphic nature of the stripes.   Very quickly bold, equally sized and spaced stripes were popping up everywhere especially black and white ones.  Nothing was sacred as they appeared  on walls, rugs, pillows, tables etc.


And how about you?  Do you have design elements or objects that you think need a rest?  Perhaps you love some of my "tired" choices and want to argue for their continued use.

 The Oscars are always a spectacle, sometimes inviting, sometimes confusing  or repellant depending on your life view.   I have my issues with them, but that's not what this post is about.

In addition to rooting for my favourite actors and movies, Oscar night is a great opportunity to see how fashion trends (always connected to decorating trends) play out on the red carpet.  The best and worst dressed are a matter of opinion.  This is obvious when you read several sites and compare the observations with your own.

Blush pink and its variants was the stand out colour for me.  Even some of the gowns described as white had subtle pink undertones. 

Blush Pink appeared in late 2014 as a trend in fashion and decor  and is continuing into 2015 especially in the European market.  It is a delicate hue that looks especially good with soft whites and/or pearly grays.

The four corners of a room are often a no man's land when it comes to design.  I am not saying that you have to fill up every corner with something, but I am advocating thinking about your space to determine if  it might need to look more "fulfilled". Here are some of my favourite solutions:

Using Art to fill an empty corner