Celebrate Your Independence from Costly Decor: Great Items to Buy in July

Believe it or not July is the best time to buy home decor! One reason for this is that stores are eager to move items that are on the floor so they are having tons of sales this month to encourage people to buy! Summer is the least popular buying season so retailers have plenty of sales to combat this. Below are some great decor items to buy this month!

Window Treatments

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Window treatments can sometimes be the last thing you think of when decorating your space. You may look around and think why do I really need them? Good question! Window treatments do an amazing job of softening your whole space as well as serving a purpose of light control as well as privacy. This is why window treatments are a great item to go ahead and purchase this month when you come across one of the MANY sales!

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Area Rugs

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Area rugs are another great item to purchase this month. We suggest this because they can be a pricey investment depending on the type and size you choose. While they can be a bit costly, they can absolutely transform a space and bring it all together. This is another item that does a great job of softening your room which is always nice. 

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Art

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Purchasing art for your home is such a personal experience. We truly believe that you should fall in love with the art you buy because it is such a personal choice that is unique to you and your personality. That being said, art that you love may not always be the top on your priority list when it comes to your decor. This is another way you can take advantage of summer sales and buy that piece you've been eyeing! wayfair.com is one of our favorite places to find affordable and stylish art.

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Its Spring! Is it Time to Update your Window Treatments?

PDR Interiors

On last weeks blog we talked about updating your throw pillows for Spring. While a pillow update is something you could easily do every season, window treatments certainly do not need to be updated every season. That being said, with Spring in full swing, it may make you look around your home and realize you are tired of the same treatments you've had for years. 

Change with the Times

PDR Interiors

When it comes to window treatments, it can be easy to look them over and keep them the same while everything else in the room changes around it. It is important to keep your treatments updated as well as in line with the rest of the space. For example, if you have recently updated the furniture in your living room to a casual transitional style and your window treatments remain very traditional, you will not be able to achieve the full look you are going for. 

Less is More

PDR Interiors

Gone are the days of over the top treatments like heavy tapestry panels topped with huge dramatic swagged valances. These days less is truly more. Simple clean lines rule the day, with soft textures and patterns being what you're seeing all over. Some of our favorite go-to treatment styles include faux roman shades, box pleat valances, and grommet or pinch pleat panels. Popular treatment fabrics include soft neutrals, simple embroideries, and geometric patterns. 

PDR Interiors

Spring Spruce Up - Quick Tips to Update your Bedroom

Spring is now in full bloom, and with that comes the overwhelming feeling of wanting to freshen  and spruce anything and everything in your home. This prompted us to start a Spring Spruce Up series where we will share quick and easy tips on updating different spaces in your home! This week we are kicking it off with tips on updating your bedroom.

Bedding

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Bedding is one of the first things you see when you walk in your bedroom and very well may be the most amount of color or pattern in your whole space. So why is it that we hang on to the same old bedspread or duvet for years and years even though we aren't as in love with it as we once were? One reason is because most people want to spend their money on places in their home that guests will see the most like their living or dining room. While these areas are important to place your attention on, your bedroom is equally as important. You will be amazed at how you feel when you update your bedding because it can make it feel like a totally new space!

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Window Treatments 

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Window treatments are another area that can stay the same for years and become a stagnant area in your bedroom. Maybe you have some older more traditional feeling treatments in your room and the rest of your pieces have changed over time to a more transitional vibe. Updating your window treatments to something fresh and current can do WONDERS for your space! Always remember to go higher and wider than the window itself to create a larger and more open feel instead of staying right along the window trim. 

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Interiors

Every Window Needs to be Dressed

When it comes to windows, there are a lot of opinions.  Some people want to leave the windows uncovered and soak in the view.  Others want to blackout any stitch of sunshine.  And still others want to have the option to do either.  I am of the mindset that every window needs some sort of treatment.  Window treatments give the room a completed look.  When windows sit stark naked, it feels like something is missing.  Most people tend to boycott treatments because they remember the old days of draperies and sheers covering every window.  There are so many options beyond heavy draperies or even plain blinds these days. 

Non-functional drapery panels are an easy way to give the look of full draperies but not go the expense.  These panels don’t open and close, but they do frame the window nicely. The fabric coordinates with the rest of the space making the room look well-thought-out.

A unique window calls for a unique treatment.  Despite the tinting on the glass, this homeowner had trouble with the sun beating through his window.  Remote controlled fabric shades work to block out the sun when its rays are too harsh or to roll up completely when the view out the window is desired.  A pretty cornice board along the top hides the mechanics of the shades and matches the décor of the bathroom.  

For an office suite or a more contemporary home, roller shades are a great solution.  They eliminate all hassle of dusting (something I hate about blinds) and they control the light while still allowing a view.  

My point is that window treatments serve a variety of purposes- light control, privacy, aesthetics, and so on.  You would be mortified for your friends to see you naked, so don’t submit your windows to that shame.

How do you dress a door?

“What can I do to dress up my doors?”  That’s a question I am asked a lot.  People have trouble with knowing what type of treatment they can use on a functioning door.  Sliding doors are easy because no treatment will obstruct the opening and closing of the door.  A swinging door is a completely different story.  Most doors remain bare because of the confusion people feel.    

Depending on the issue that needs to be addressed, there are a few options.  Light control, privacy, and the desire to complete the look of a room are the top reasons people want to dress their doors.  One treatment style that does a great job of covering all these needs is a roman shade.  The shade can be made from any fabric to compliment the decor of a room and sewn to a size that custom fits a door without obstructing it's function.  I recently had two clients who wanted roman shades, but for very different reasons.  One client needed them to offer another layer of insulation to the house.  Their single paned windows were allowing cold winter air to seep in and the shade acted as an energy efficient barrier.  The other client felt her home looked bare without window treatments and she desired something that would give her more privacy at night.  Both were pleased with how this treatment solved their issues.

Easy ways to make a space feel larger

You wouldn’t normally think adding something to a space would make it feel larger, but that is just what hanging drapery panels can do.  Most windows do not go floor to ceiling in a room, thus leaving wall space above and below the window frame.  Our tendency is to take a drapery rod and mount it on or directly above the frame.  In that same line of thought, we usually only draw the rod out far enough for the finials to stop at the side edges of the window.  What we are left with are window treatments hung tightly around the window and a lot of wall space to spare.  Mounting a rod this way can dwarf not only your window, but the whole room , as well.  

When I hang window treatments, I take the rod all the way up to the crown molding (if there is no molding, go to the ceiling line).  This adds dramatic height and plays up the vertical space in the room.  When hanging stationary panels on windows greater than 3ft in width, I recommend foregoing the long rod spanning the window width and instead using two short ones on each end.  This is an especially helpful tip if you are using store-bought panels because it creates a sense of fullness.  Even for custom made draperies, two small rods looks stunning on a window and the rods appear more substantial.  To create the illusion a window is wider than it is, place the rods out to the side of the window frame so that only a portion of the panel is overlapping the window.  

Stretching the Dollar to Cover Your Windows

We all want unique items.  There is something about having what no one else does that makes us proud.  But sometimes lack of time and money get in the way of us having one-of-a-kind pieces.  When it comes to window treatments like draperies there IS a way to have the best of both worlds.  Store- bought window treatments can be dressed up to appear as if they were custom made.  Adding trims with beads, baubles or tassels instantly allow the panels to appear expensive.  Another embellishment option that gives a more streamlined look is adding a band of fabric along the edge of the treatment. 

Don't forget about the hardware.  My advice to my clients is to always splurge on a rod with a larger diameter (1.5- 3 inches). Steer clear of the thin half-inch metal poles that look as though they will snap if you stare at them too long.  Finials add a sophisticated element that enhances the decor of the room. You want a finial to have some weight to it so it looks sturdy and correctly proportioned to the size of the rod.

A popular look for hardware right now is to use a pair of shorter rods instead of one long one.  This can only be done if the panels are not functional (meaning they do not open and close).  I refer to non-functional panels as "dummy panels".  You hang these drapes on either side of the window, each with its own rod.  The appeal to this method is that you aren't staring at a rod that sprawls the width of the window.  Instead your eye can focus on the beautiful draperies that flank the window casing. 

Happy window dressing!

At Bay

As a kid, I wanted to move to a house with a bay window in my bedroom.  For some reason I thought this was the end-all-be-all of bedroom features.  As far as I was concerned, it didn't even have to have a closet- just a bay window with a window seat.  After all, I was as obsessed with storage and effieciency then as I am now, so the window seat was non-negotiable.  We never moved to a house with a bay window but I did spend a lot of time with my realtor grandfather in houses that had one, so that sufficed. 

Many other people fantasize about having bay windows in their home but once they get one, they just aren't sure what to do with it.  Do we put curtains up?  Do we need a window seat?  Do we just leave it alone?? All of these questions end up leading to frustration.  Here are a few photos of bay windows done well.

                  

                  Kitchen seating

Open and airy reading nook

Seating & storage

For every individual style there is a solution to the bay window dilemma.  It really isn't as difficult as it may seem.  I hope these ideas provide some bay window inspiration!

The Decorated Look

Have you ever gone into a furniture store’s showroom and fallen in love with the pieces you see?  Now how many times have you gotten those pieces home and they just don’t look as good as you remembered?

The truth is there is nothing wrong with the furniture.  No, it’s not your house either.  What you saw in the showroom is just not what you bought.  Look at the illustrations below.

The first picture shows a fully decorated room with window treatments, area rugs, beautiful pieces of art on the walls, greenery and accessories on the mantle (much like the furniture store’s showroom).   What you fell in love with in the showroom was the decorated look.  What you brought home is new furniture- like the room in the second picture. 

The difference is in the details.  Furniture pieces are a huge component in a space, but without adding the extra touches, all you have is furniture sitting in a room.  Nobody wants to come into their new home and see furniture lined up against blank walls or naked windows that make your house a fishbowl at night while allowing the sun to fade your furniture during the day. 

Everyone wants to come home and feel comfortable in their space- all of our homes are lived in, but who says “lived in” can’t be beautiful?   Never underestimate the value of floor and table lamps, art pieces, greenery and accessories in a room.  These are the components we spend the least time thinking about but they all work together in layers to give our space the decorated look while still being functional.  A little tip- allocate 30% of your budget for these items.

Campus Housing needs to Feel Like a Home, Too

I guess it's all the back-to-school ads I've been inundated with, but I am dying to decorate a college dorm room. There are so many cute options out there to make the space fun and attractive, as well cool ways to add more storage (Lord knows you never have enough!). I remember having so much fun picking out the bright colors, fun fabrics and organizational supplies for my dorm- yes, my organizational nerdiness has deep roots! I even knew a girl whose family brought in carpeting and laid it like a rug over top of the existing carpet to make her dorm more welcoming and less whose-foot-fungus-might-I-get.

I spent a lot of time on the University of Kentucky's campus this summer while I worked on a fraternity house update. Collegiate housing takes a beating and gets worn & dated pretty quickly but it's nothing PD&R can't handle! Take a gander at what I mean:

Dark Paneling, furniture and fabrics made the space feel outdated.

Lighter, but durable and stain resistant fabrics on the furniture and windows allowed the light to be reflected, not absorbed.  Even with the paneling still up, the space became much more inviting.  Plus, we moved the sectional to the prime spot for UK games to be watched on that nice flat screen!

The sectional used to be what greeted you when you walked into the house which caused the room to be chopped up.

Since we moved the sectional to face the TV, a couple of sofas and a pair of chairs were used to make a welcoming seating area that wasn't as overpowering as the former large piece.  Notice how the room is so much more appealing by using fabrics in colors that provide a little bit of contrast.  Look at the windows- we threw out the old metal blinds and brought in new roller shades that you  see in a lot of Starbucks and Wendy's (think no dusting!!).

The last area in this living room was fireplace.  It had great potential but was covered with a lot of knick- knacks and blocked by furniture.

Moving out some of the unnecessary furniture and clearing away some of the clutter allowed the beautiful stone wall to be seen.  The back corner proved to be an ideal place for a study table, too.







     
This panoramic shot shows you how we broke the room up into 3 areas- study, conversation and TV:

Here's a shot of the foyer area before the project began. 

A game room/lounge area seemed to be the best use for this space, so we replaced the wallpaper, flooring & broken vertical blinds and brought in some swanky chairs and their Foosball table.  Now the guys have more than enough space to spread out between the 2 rooms.