Decorating Tips and Advice From Lake of the Ozarks

Decorating Tips For Great Looking Rooms

2010-10-13T18:25:00.000-05:00

Using texture is one technique you can use to your advantage. Texture can be used for contrast with materials such as bricks or rough tile. Texture can also be shown in fabrics for window treatments and upholstery.

Pattern is another element that can be used effectively to set the mood of a room and create style. It can also be used to create the feeling of space. For instance using a vertical patterned wall paper makes walls seem higher. A great technique to use in a smaller home.

Shape can also enhance a room. A round area rug can be a delightful addition to a living room. Window treatments can also be used to add shape to a room. They can also be used to create harmony and rhythm to a room by repeating a shape already existing in the room. For instance repeating the curve of the arm or back of a sofa, on the hem of a valance.

Careful planning allows you to use these elements and techniques to their maximum effect. When paired with color you can create a unique and personal look to your home.

If you ever need a fresh pair of eyes on your project make sure to give me a call. My specialty is Lifestyle Design. Your Lifestyle. Helping you make your home a reflection you, your family and your lifestyle.

Please check out my web site at http://www.lakelifestyledesigns.com/

The Best Wrong Number I Have Ever Had!

2010-09-30T09:41:00.001-05:00

This job came about quiet by accident. The client called my office thinking she was calling another window covering business that has a store front. After visiting with her for a few minutes on the phone she agreed to schedule her free in-home consultation with me. I went on the first appointment and took some pictures, showed them a few fabrics, and discussed some design ideas. Went back on the second appointment showed them some computer renderings of different design ideas and several fabric choices. They decided upon the design and fabric pictured here.

Living Room Before

Living Room After

After with verticals closed

I am still annoyed at the calls I get in the office from people trying to sell me something, or soliciting money, But I have a whole new attitude towards the wrong numbers !!

Plastic Water Bottles Get New Life As A Beautiful Window Shade

2010-05-26T15:56:00.000-05:00

Hunter Douglas has unveiled a new fabric for their Applause Cellular Shade line. The fabric is called Vintage and is made from 40% recycled materials. So a 48 X 60 shade is made using 3 recycled plastic water bottles. I love this!! For a long time I felt very guilty drinking bottled water. Now I am very careful to save and then turn them in for recycling. I feel even better about it now! Now my water bottles can be used to create the foundation of a beautiful window treatment.

We all know that recycling saves energy, landfill space and reduces CO2 emissions. And the honeycomb design of the Applause Cellular Shade provides savings on your homes energy bill.

If you have windows in need of an up-date. Lets get together and see if the new Applause Vintage Fabric would be the right choice for windows in your home. You will love your new look and feel great about going green.

See how your new window treatments look BEFORE you buy!

2010-01-31T19:25:00.027-06:00

An exciting addition to my business is a computer rendering program that allows me to design window treatments on a photo of your room.

This has helped in choosing the treatments, as well as helping to visualize what the finished window treatments will look like. It is a great way to explore some of the many treatment options at the beginning of a project.

OPTION 1

OPTION 2
If you have been wanting and wondering what new window treatments would look like in your home, contact me so we can discuss "your" new window treatments.

Were to start on a new decorating project?

2010-01-31T17:34:00.008-06:00

Wondering were to start
on a new decorating project?

Do you have a room that needs to be finished or updated, but you are not sure how or were to begin?
The easiest way to get started is to start looking for inspiration. Something that can be used as a road map for the room. This inspiration can come from a photo from a magazine, a piece of wall art, an area rug, or a great fabric.

This can help to set the theme for the room as well as the colors and style of the room. Once you have this road map we know what direction to go in to complete the project. And having this road map will help in the shopping and selecting phases of the project.

Now that you are inspired, and you have your road map, what comes next? Many of my clients are taking advantage of a Decorating Master Plan. This allows for us to prioritize your project and plan it out in stages. The key to a good master plan is that the room look good at each phase of the project and not like an unfinished room. Send me an e mail and I will e mail you the word document that we will use to plan your 2010 decorating projects. lorisyl@charter.net

Newest Hunter Douglas Product for Windows" Pirouette"

2009-04-07T09:01:00.010-05:00

New Pirouette Window Shadings from Hunter Douglas.

Decorating today is about enhancing one's own standard of living. It seems all eyes are still on the window, and for good reason. Windows are our porthole to the world outside.

All our home's rooms have different and unique needs. Media rooms require room-darkening window fashions, while the expansive views of the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks, enjoyed by many lake homeowners pose a different set of challenges. No one wants to cover up a gorgeous Lake of the Ozarks view.

Now the personality of window shadings had been enhance with a totally new concept in light control: Pirouette window shadings from Hunter Douglas. Pirouette window shadings feature soft adjustable horizontal fabric vanes attached to a single sheer backing to control light in an entirely new way. With the gentle pull of the operating cord, textured fabric transforms from what appears to be cascading folds to contoured vanes, allowing an enhanced view through the sheer backing.

This is another cutting edge product from Hunter Douglas the offers the best of everything a window covering has to offer. Privacy, light control and still enjoy a great view of Lake of the Ozarks, even when the shade is down. Raise it into the sleek head rail and completely clear the glass for the most un-obstructed view.

Lake Lifestyle Designs Decorating and Real Estate Staging can bring a sample of this product right to your home to see how it will work for you on your windows and offer you free decorating advice, analyze your window treatment needs and help you choose the best product for all your homes window covering needs.

Interior Designer VS Interior Decorator

2006-11-28T18:51:00.000-06:00

Interior Designer or Interior Decorator. Many believe that the two are the same. But there are some significant differences in the two professions.

A Interior Designer has the education, training and experience to make structural changes to your home. Would manage the construction and installation of a design. Making sure designs are in compliance with building and safety codes. Designers are also, in some states, required to have a license. The license certifies the designer is qualified to make complex decisions about interior spaces.

A Interior Decorator is primarily concerned with surface decoration. Will have the ability and expertise to transform an interior with the use of color, paint, wall papers, furnishings, fabrics, window treatments, accessories and art placement. Helping you put the finishing touch on each room of your home. They can help you select the appropriate products to create the look and feel you want for your environment. Warm and Cozy, Causal Elegant, or Bright and Cheery?

Although there are few schools for interior decorators, most are geared toward the profession of interior design, many decorators are trained and have studied the principals and elements of design and will use that training and skills to help you complete your decorating projects. They will also have available to them products that are offered to the trade only. Allowing you access to products you would not have on your own.

I am proud to say I am a Interior Decorator and have NO desire to be a Interior Designer.

In a future post I will give you some tips on hiring a Designer or Decorator.

Wake Up Your Walls With Color

2006-11-28T14:14:00.000-06:00

Why live with boring white walls? Paint is the least expensive way to decorate, set the mood and enhance the look of a room.

When choosing a color for your walls consider the amount of light in the room and the orientation of the room. North facing rooms may need to be warmed up with color. Rooms facing south tend to get a lot of light mid day and bright light washes out color. So off whites may not be enough for those rooms. East and west facing rooms give you the most leeway.

You can also create a mood with color. To create a feeling of tranquility focus on a cool color palette. Blue is probably the most serene color in the spectrum.

Looking to spread a little cheer through out your decor? The basic rule here is stick to warm colors.

Warm and cozy setting also use a warm palette to produce a snug comfortable look. If cool colors are part of your color scheme, choose warmer versions of them. Greens with more yellow in them and blues warmed up with red.

Vertical Solutions

2006-11-28T13:58:00.000-06:00

There was a time when our only choices for a sliding glass door was a traversing drapery or dated vertical blinds. Not any more!

Vertical blinds are now available in soft fabric vanes and the vinyl blinds are available in beautiful patterns and colors. Also an option is one simple wand control that tilts the vanes, and open and closes the blinds. No more cord and chain controls.

Duette with Vertiglide, (pictured here ) made from the same cellular fabric you are familiar with for the window is now made to fit the sliding door. It can open left or right and takes only 6" of stack space.

Luminette from Hunter Douglas combines the beauty of a sheer with the versatility of a vertical blind. Get it all in one product.

Newest on the market is a product called panel track. Panels slide left or right stacking on top of each other. Panels can be made from natural materials like woven woods or bamboo type materials. Or can be flat panels of drapery fabric. Panels can range in size. I will be trying to find a picture to post so you can see this wonderful new option for large windows or sliding doors.

Enhance Your View

2006-11-28T13:15:00.000-06:00

Don't cover up your view, Enhance it!

Each window in your home will have its own specific needs. Start by assessing your rooms need for privacy and light control. Even when you have a great view from your windows, there may be a need for privacy and light control. There are many products available that will allow you to have privacy when you need it and enjoy the view when you want.

Also keep in mind that while your room may not have a need for privacy or light control, when it gets dark and you lose your view, windows can become a big black hole swallowing up your room. So you may want to consider a shade for the window that can be lowered at night and raised during the day.

Once you have assessed your windows need for privacy and light control now it is time to complete your window. Like an artist, when he completes his masterpiece, he enhances his work with framing. We do the same with our windows. We don't want to cover up our beautiful view, but enhance and frame it with beautiful fabrics. These enhancing treatments will allow you to create a look or set the mood to your room. They help to give your home a finished and completed look. Each treatment should be designed and fabrics selected with your lifestyle and the style of the home in mind.