Saturday, January 31, 2015
Decorating Rules – To Break or Not?
Some rules are made to be broken but others – not so much.
There are lots of “rules” when it comes to decorating. At House By The Shore, we’ve heard them
and so have you, keep small rooms light in color, don’t mix metals, etc. Those are the rules you can and should
break! There are other rules however
that should give you pause. Why? They
have to do with what will make the room’s décor feel right. Here are rules we won’t say we never break
but find that we rarely do and also some we think you should just ignore.
Lighting:
Have a mix of light sources – ambient, task, accent and
decorative – in every room. Lighting has
been scientifically proven to affect your mood.
Don’t break this one; you’ll be happier if you don’t.
Lighting rules you can break – there are all types of
standards and lots of math that come into play here. For example to determine an entry way fixture
you should take the height and width of the room and add that together in
inches and that sum is the diameter of the fixture. So if you have a 10’ x 12’ entry that would
be 22” and that is the diameter of the fixture you need. Well folks, it is all about scale. A 24” diameter fixture will be fine – a 10”
one, probably not. You don’t have to stick
to these verbatim.
Good to use as a guideline – chandeliers should be about 1’
narrower than your table and hang somewhere around 33” above the table. However this can vary depending on the height
of your ceiling. The main thing is scale
again. If it looks right, go with your
gut not the measurement.
Lamp height – this one we don’t break. When sitting, the bottom of the shade should
be eye level, otherwise you’ll be looking up at the bulb. Typically this means the middle of the shade
is going to be somewhere between 36” and 42” inches from the floor.
Rugs:
The biggest mistake you can make here is going too
small. We stick to a rule of having the
rug cover about 60% of the room minimally.
You can take it to within 6” – 12” of exposed floor space. The room will fill awkward if you break this
one.
Don’t put a rug on carpet.
Hogwash – break it all day long.
In a seating area, the legs of the furniture should all sit
on the rug or off the rug. In other
words, the rug should be large enough for the furniture to be on it or small
enough that it is centered in the middle of the furniture grouping.
Living Rooms:
Art over your sofa shouldn’t be the width of the sofa. Spatially it will look better if the width of
the piece or the grouping is about two-thirds the width of the sofa. The art should hang where the bottom of the
frame is about 8” – 10” above the sofa (this keeps heads from banging into
it). The middle point of the art should
be about 5’ off the ground – this one can vary though depending on the height of
your ceiling so you can break this one – the other two, not so much.
What size coffee table?
It depends on your sofa. Again
shoot for two-thirds the width of the sofa for the length of the coffee table
and typically you want it a couple of inches lower than the sofa. Lower you can break in our opinion, a little,
not by a mile though or it will be very awkward. You should have 18” between the sofa and
coffee table though. No one is going to
get out a ruler here but you won’t have enough room to walk freely if less than
this.
The number of pillows on the sofa is determined by the
length of the sofa. Forget it – go with
what you like. This one was made to be
broken!
Art:
Never, ever hang it to high!
Never, ever break this one!! The
mid-point should be average height eye-level.
Dining Rooms:
Each diner should have 24” of space. Don’t break it – less than this
Keep 2’ between a pulled out chair and the wall – again, we
wouldn’t break this one or someone may have hot food in their lap.
Rugs in dining rooms – they have to be large enough that a
chair pulled out is still on the rug.
Don’t break it; this is a safety issue not to mention an attractiveness
issue.
Bedrooms:
When you enter the room, the bed should be the focal
point. We agree completely.
Art over the bed? Two-thirds
again. It will be underwhelming with
anything less.
Bedside tables look best when they’re a couple of inches
lower than the top of the made up bed but this one isn’t set in stone. You just don’t want it too far off either
way.
Lamps – scale is important.
They don’t have to match but they should be the same height. Use a stack of books underneath one if they’re
not.
Pillows, you can’t have too many – well maybe you can. The main thing is vary the size and the
tallest are in the back and shortest in the front.
Patterns:
Check out an earlier blog post: Mixing
Patterns Like the Pros. Again it
is about size and scale.
Hopefully this advice will help you decide which rules you
can break and which ones you should stick to.
The main thing when in doubt – how does it “feel.” It shouldn’t make you feel awkward and
instead your choice should make you feel all warm and cozy!
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Strawberry Ice Inspirations
Strawberry Ice – 2015 Color Trend for Spring
In the throes of winter, we often look forward to spring and
this cheerful color is sure to be a favorite.
Pantone® has
chosen strawberry
ice as one of their picks for spring color trends. Their color choices for the season are a
cooler and softer color palette that takes its cues from nature. At House By The Shore, we believe this
is a great coastal color. You see it in
everything from sunrises and sunsets to shells, coral and even shrimp. For us, it only makes sense to bring it into
your coastal home décor and well, into your clothing and makeup too. As Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of
the Panetone® Color Institute puts it, “both tasty and tasteful, Strawberry Ice
is a confection color that evokes a feeling of being ‘in the pink,’ emitting a
flattering and healthy glow.”
We think you’ll be seeing a lot of this color
and we already are. Here are just a few
of the things we’ve found that we just love!
Photos: Pantone®
Strawberry Ice, Clique
Shops – Phone Case, Up
Country Pink Gingham Dog Collar, Essie Guilty Pleasures Nail
Lacquer, NYX
Lipstick – Indian Pink, House
By The Shore Fish Bench, Lilly
Pulitzer Janice Shift Dress – Pink Salmon, House By
The Shore – Pelican Bed, HGTV
Dream Home – 2015, Kate
Spade Vegas Jewels Drop Earrings – Deco Rose, and House
By The Shore Sea Gate Pillow – Hibiscus.
House By The Shore's Blog Policy
House By The Shore's Blog Policy
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Coastal Kid's Rooms
Fun rooms for kids with great beachy and nautical décor and coastal colors!
At House By The Shore, we love creating
coastal kid’s rooms. They’re so much fun
to decorate and kids are always thrilled when the room reflects their
personality and has been designed just for them. We want to share some of our thought
processes with you in hopes that it will help you create not only fun but
functional spaces for your children to enjoy in your house by the shore.
COLOR:
Kids love color. Go
bold. If you’re not brave enough to
paint the walls with it, incorporate the colors into the furniture. As you can see by this picture, this furniture line was
featured in Coastal Living magazine’s Dec
2014/Jan2015 issue. We carry this line
not only for their great design and durability but also for the incredible
selection of finish options they offer.
You can truly personalize the piece by choosing your child’s favorite
color!
ADD THEIR PERSONALITY:
We believe any room should reflect the personality of the
people who live there and this is particularly true with children. Let their favorite things shine in the décor. For instance if your child is fascinated with ocean creatures, use them in the room. What little boy wouldn't love having a shark
lurking in his room?
STORAGE IS A MUST:
Along with kids comes lots of stuff! Toys, books and games will quickly get out of
control without proper storage. Be sure
to use pieces that will make the rooms functional. Bookcases
with baskets on the bottom shelves for toy storage always work well or consider
a wall
unit with open storage for books and décor on top and closed door
storage on the bottom.
SLEEPOVERS HAPPEN – A
LOT:
We haven’t met a kid yet that doesn’t have sleepovers. That means twin
beds or bunk beds
are a great idea. If you have a small
room, then consider a daybed
with a trundle. Children want to spend time with friends and
when they live by the shore you can count on many friends wanting to visit. Also in a vacation home, it is a great idea
to consider two sets of bunk
beds to maximize how many you can sleep.
INCORPORATE ART:
We’re firm believers that children should be exposed to
artwork from a young age. Everything
doesn’t have to be childish and art should grow with the child. For example this oil
would look great in a nursery and grow right up with the child and look equally
great in a teen bedroom.
PREVENT COLD FEET:
Adding a colorful area rug to a kid’s room is a fantastic
idea - even if they have carpet already.
Rugs give them a soft area to play on and if you’re placing a run on top
of existing carpet, you’re protecting it from the spills that are bound to happen. Choose rugs that are easy to clean and that
have a pattern which makes stains harder to detect.
THAT COASTAL FEELING:
You’re living by the shore! Incorporate coastal décor accents
into the room. Add a mixture of bought,
found and DIY projects for a well-rounded look and feel.
We hope these tips give you some great inspiration to
furnish and decorate your coastal kid’s room.
If you’d like some more ideas check out our coastal
bedrooms for boys and coastal
girl’s bedrooms boards on Pinterest!
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Make Your House By The Shore Family Friendly
A family friendly beach house means comfortable living for you and will
attract rentals.
When you own a House by the Shore, one thing is for
certain. You’re going to have lots of
people who want to visit. Whether you
need your home to be family friendly for your family and friends or whether you
want to optimize rental potential, there are a few tips we can give you to make
your home appealing and stand up to the wear and tear of lots of people.
Consider Material
Choices
The materials you choose need to be durable and easy to
clean whether it is flooring, upholstery fabrics or bedding. Tile is a great go to for any beach house
because it will stand up to the sand tracked in, a constant barrage of wet feet
and spills. Soften the harshness of the
hard tile surface with a great area rug. Just be sure to choose one that will clean
easily and stand up to traffic.
Slip covers of durable upholstery fabric is a great choice
for sofas and chairs and believe it or not, white bedding
is a great choice. It goes with
anything and is easily laundered to remove stains.
Invest in Durable
Case Goods
Choose case goods with care. You don’t want to skimp on quality here,
especially if your house is a rental.
Cheap furniture will not stand up to the wear and tear and you’ll
replace it so frequently it won’t make sense.
Going for well-made furniture will
pay off in durability and also impress renters.
Incorporate Coastal
Elements
You are at the beach after all. Don’t be afraid to go bolder than you would at
your home inland. Whether that means
adding a pop of bright coastal color in a buffet
for the dining room or using pieces with carved out coastal creatures in
the kids’ bedroom,
have fun with it. This is what makes
your home stand out. It will make you
happy when you’re there and will stand out in the sea of rentals for those
considering your place or that other one.
Use Coastal Colors
Flaunt the colors of nature around you. Choose a soft palette of blues and greens or
a bold tropical theme. Coastal colors
bring the outdoors into homes by the shore.
Express Your
Personality
Let your personality show through with your coastal décor. Incorporate coastal art,
accent pieces and
found objects that reflect your personal coastal style. These touches are what make a house feel like
home. Your family and friends will
appreciate it but it will also make your home more appealing to renters.
Light it Up
Don’t forget to layer your light sources. More than likely you’ll have lots of natural
light but you’ll also need overhead or ambient lighting. Ambient lighting is needed for general
activity. To
complete your lighting plan,
you’ll also want task, accent and decorative lighting. An example of task lighting could be the lamp
you use to read. Accent lighting is
directional – the light you use to accent a painting or a piece of sculpture. Decorative lighting is when the fixture
itself is a piece of décor – like a lantern.
By including all layers of light in
every room you’ll create a warm and inviting space.
Maximize Space
Take advantage of all your square footage. Use bookshelves
to maximize storage. Trundles
with daybeds and bunk beds
give
you more beds in the same square footage and increase the number of people
the home can sleep which improves rental opportunities and also makes guests
more comfortable. Typically the more
people a home can sleep the higher the rental rate.
Making your house by
the shore family friendly is easy when you keep these points in mind.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Marsala
2015 Color of the Year
Well it’s official. The
Pantone Color Institute®
has chosen the color of the year! Marsala
(Pantone 18-1438) is a warm rich red-brown that appeals to both women and
men. Pantone
states in the explanation of why Marsala that “Much like the fortified wine
that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness
of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a
sophisticated, natural earthiness.”
The color is flattering to many skin tones which will make
it a winner for beauty products but it is also flattering to home décor. Rich, warm and grounding it will deliver a
lot of warmth to interiors whether you paint your walls with it or choose to
use it as a pop of color.
We wanted to share with you some of the things we at House
By The Shore love in this warm rich color!
Image Source: (1) Day-Date Watch
from Rolex, (2) Simple
to Foresee Dress from ModCloth, (3) Coral
Bouquet Canvas from House By The Shore, (4) Peggy Mid-Century
Sofa from West Elm, (5) Color-Cut Cake
Stand from Anthropologie, (6) Panetone Color of the
Year 2015, (7) Cheers
to Marsala!, (8) Old
Point Armoire from House By The Shore, (9) Chuck
Taylor Fresh Colors by Converse, (10) Marsala
Dog Bow Tie from LADogStore, and (11) Tulle
Underwire Top from J.Crew
House By The Shore's Blog Policy
House By The Shore's Blog Policy
Friday, January 2, 2015
Moody Blue Board
2015 color trends for home décor are pointing to blue as a prominent color.
As we move forward into 2015, we thought we’d take a moment
to share with you some things that inspire us.
This board is devoted to blue which will be prominent in home décor for
the New Year according to House
Beautiful. We love blue and
think it is a lovely color to use in coastal décor. It is such a natural fit since it is the
color of the sky and sea. According to Color Wheel Pro,
“Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a
calming effect. Blue is strongly
associated with tranquility and calmness.”
Photos: Maine
Blue & White Jug, Nautical
Life Needlepoint Belt, Nautical
Style Guest Bedroom, Capri
Pillow – Indigo, Blue
Crab Print, Fish
Bunkbed, France
Blue Round Dutch Oven, Blue
Family Room, Blue
Gingham Dress
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