Let's Get Practical I

How do they get those beds to look so beautiful in the magazines??!

Well, for starters, they iron the bed linens. Think spray bottle with water, can of starch, a very hot iron and a significant outpouring of energy, especially where your hand/arm is concerned ... oh, and at least 3 episodes of Grey’s stacked back-to-back as you camp out in front of the TV getting your workout in for the day.

Even all that effort above can be thwarted if you’re ultra-picky (ie. unrealistic).

Note that before the photographer arrives for magazine shoots, they are tucking/pinning where needed to create the sharpest of a crisp-linens look.

So, what are us ‘normal’ people to do? The above, combined with the often desired look of having many decorative pillows on the perfectly made bed to help pull the room together, is the perfectionist’s partner’s nightmare.

Some people (gasp) don’t even make their bed after crawling out of it in the morning. (You’re going to be out all day and not looking at it until you crawl back into it that night anyway, right?)

These practical tips are not only for people that do make their bed every day, but for those who only make it when they’re having company (and in that case they too want their room to look well-designed):

• Launder your bedding regularly. Once/week+ if you’re a sweat-er or the oily type; once/10 days-2 weeks if you’re the type that holds all your toxins inside. Nothing makes a home or the items in it look older and worn faster than letting dirt (and in the case of bedding, smell) build up.

I dry my bed linens on a low temp for just 15-20 min. to take some of the wrinkles out, and then hang to dry the remaining time if it’s nice out.

If that’s not an option for you, dry on a low temp until dry – this will help to prevent shrinkage. And use all-natural detergents; the chemicals in other detergents wear the fabric and fade the colours [even the ones that say they are designed to do the opposite]. {Use a small amount of bleach only if you have to, and only with white linens.}

• Iron just the top 12-14” of the top sheet only; the rest of the bed can easily be covered with your duvet / blankets and pillows, so why exert more energy than you have to?

• Iron just the ‘showing’ side of your pillow cases. And after you’ve laundered your duvet, iron just the showing side while it’s on the bed. Use an extension cord so you can move around the whole bed easily.

I can do our king size duvet in 10 min., so this is not an onerous task unless you are a perfectionist (think 70/30, not 100%).

In that case, remember that you are the only one who sees the granular stuff: look at your bed from a 5 ft. distance, and if the overall look feels polished and pulled together, your guests will never notice the “30%”.

• Now for those decorative pillows: what to do with them when they’re not sitting pretty on the bed?

If you’re lucky enough to have the room for attractive storage that can accommodate them nearby (eg. a storage bench at the end of a bed or nearby cupboard or built-in where you can spare the space) – you’re golden.

If space is at a premium for you though, and you don’t like the “just throw them on the floor” option [I am kidding], get an oversized clear* plastic bag (the kind used for yard trimmings work well), place the pillows inside and then place the bag** under your bed or essentially whereever you can fit the bag nearby.

The plastic will help to keep the dust off no matter where you decide to store it (even if just overnight you are simply putting them in a corner of the room). And, hey, if you don’t have time to make your bed the next morning, at least your floor won’t look cluttered with your pillows all over it! ; )

* -- A clear plastic is suggested as it’s at least more attractive to have a bag in your room with pretty pillows shining through than, say, a dark green garbage bag.

** -- If you have more than one large plastic bag of decorative pillows, you may want to check out my “less is more” blog post ... Seriously – more isn’t always better; you can still create layers by using pillows with varying shapes, or add a throw. Remember that “function” is the most important element of the best design.

Liz
http://www.elizabethrobertsdesign.ca/

When a good thing is too much ... Or, less is more.

There are enough design “do’s” and “don’ts” out there to make ones head spin ... you’ve got a lot to think about if you want to achieve good design in your home.

There’s the basic key elements of design, the key principles of design, and then when it comes to implementing, it gets more granular: from ‘rules’ for selecting the right paint colour for your home to all the things you should keep in mind when selecting furniture and designing layout. And let’s not talk about lighting (not now anyway...).

Is all this design “advice” too much of a good thing? Can you ever ‘throw it out the window’ and just do what you appeals to your visual senses or what’s going to work the best functionally for you/your family?

I’ve read in many design magazines that if you buy what you love, “you can’t go wrong”. Oh yes you can.

Whether the design and decor of your home is appealing to all senses, including pleasing to the eye, is very subjective – all the rules and theory aside, ultimately it is a matter of personal taste and opinion.

How many pictures of the inside of a rich person’s home have you seen in magazines that made you wish you hadn’t had that extra helping of potato salad at dinner? Ultimately, if you love your home, that really is all that matters.

But if it also matters to you that your friends and family love your home, and that it is considered a well-designed home on a more universal level, applying the rules and principles of design along with the ‘what you love’ method is what will get you there – along with a good, design-savvy friend to help you 'edit' how much of 'what you love' is in the space.

I do personally subscribe to the “less is more” design mantra, and feel that harmony -- when it comes to a colour palette -- is best achieved with some 'neutral space' to give the eye a break.

For example, on a home design show lead by an all-male design duo (whom I do without question think are top talents), they revealed a living room/eating area/kitchen which had been re-done in a milk-chocolate brown, turquoise-y and creamy/gold colour palette.

I loved the palette but it was used so much in the space that, as it was revealed, I felt like I was walking (visualizing) into a spray-painted fairyland of sorts. That kind of design statement can yield a ‘wow’ initially and perhaps for a time, but to stand the test of time, I feel the palette would have been even more impressive if it had been used less in the space.

Think about how you feel about the ‘less is more’ mantra and what it would mean in your space -- and maybe your life, too ...

Liz
http://www.elizabethrobertsdesign.ca/