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Holly Jirovsky

What I’m Cooking Up

Call it too much Pinterest, but I’ve been cooking up ways to finish putting together rooms in my home.  I think I’m getting a touch of the sniffles too, and that makes the dreaming/Pinteresting all the worse. I thought maybe you all would like to come along on my daydreaming and hopefully I’ll get all rested up in the meanwhile. For tonight, let’s talk about the living room.  This is the room that I’ve left the original paint color when we moved- it is a dark cream color.


Was it really ever that empty? Since adding in my new couches, now is the time to add a little color and finish the room.


Here are my very unofficial points to decorating a room: 1)  Find a starting point.  Choose a fabric or a paint color or even a dish or small tchotchke that inspires you.  If you already have a pattern, pull colors from it.  If you’re starting with a paint color, find fabrics and patterns that match. Keep in mind the lighting in the room.  Is it full of light with lots of windows?  Is it in a dark basement?    While I think it is possible to have a beachy theme in a dark fluorescent lighted basement, pulling it off could be more work than it is worth. 2)  Be sure to think of decorating a room much like putting an outfit together.  You’ll need color, pattern, texture and shine to really make something that visually pleases. 3)  Choose how you want the room to feel.  Is this a formal space?  What is its main purpose?  For example, are you hoping for a casual airy cottage feel or bold and masculine? 4)  Be sure to consider how your chosen colors/patterns will look when compared to the rooms around it to create flow.  And also the style of the room or your personal style taste.  If you love French country, then choosing a very modern style in the room next to it wouldn’t be a great idea. 5)  Layout the furniture.  This is the part that seems to be the most complicated.  Remember that you need to have a good traffic pattern (aka people don’t want to have to climb over the sofa to get to the next room).  And also, furniture does not have to be against a wall.  It is okay to have pieces float.  If you have trouble figuring out your living room, get on Pinterest or Google your issue.  I’ll bet someone out there has a solution. 6)  Fill in with accessories and “layer.”  Layering with outfits creates interest, why would it be any different with a home?  Accessories can be tricky though.  You don’t want to clutter and you don’t want things that aren’t to scale.  For example, small figurines will get lost and feel cluttered on a large mantel. But fewer, larger items will make an impact.  Grouping like items together also makes for a bigger impact than scattering them about the room. Back to my living room… I identify with color.  It is the glue that puts things together.  And so while I have a house full of neutrals (mostly whites), I enjoy a good jolt of color to make things fun and modern. I’ve decided to add in a very bright and deep orange (similar to below) to my living room.  Mainly in the form of pillows, lamps and other knickknacks.  I hope to show you the finished product soon. But for now, I need to do some more daydreaming, recoup and cook up some chicken noodle soup…


RUSTOLEUM 6 pack-12 oz Satin Fire Orange Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover Paint $25 on ebay.com

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