Decor Portfolio

{mosimage}Improving the kitchen and bath to function at their best generally falls into the realm of remodeling, a subject that this book doesn’t address. But there are several cosmetic improvements you can implement in the kitchen and bathroom with minimal expense and disruption to your daily life.
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{mosimage}Today’s homes seldom have enough space to let a spare room sit idle.  More likely, the now-extra bedroom is put to use as a combination den-guest room, or sewing space, study, and office all rolled into one.
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{mosimage}It frequently happens that bedroom are the last rooms to receive attention in home decorating plans, all too often making do as rather plain areas for sleeping and grooming.  But they can offer far more than quiet and comfort alone.
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Topping is the list as a favorite spot to put up your feet and let down your hair is the family room. It’s the place where all kinds of functions rub shoulders and sometimes go on at the same time: listening to music and practicing it or playing quiet board games and wrestling on the floor.
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{mosimage}Thoughts of the dinning room invariably bring forth images of comfort, hospitality, good food, and relaxing times, whether the dinning takes place in a room of its own, in a corner of the living room, or in an ell off the kitchen.
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{mosimage}Most living rooms occupy a unique place in he home.  Typically the first room that’s seen after entering the front hall, the living room is called upon to set the mood and look of the interior.
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{mosimage}However grand or model in size, the entry, or foyer, plays a significant role in establishing a first impression of you and your home.  Unlike the entry, the other passageways within the home are often overlooked in a decorating plan.

Tabletop displays benefit from the addition of small plants, which offer tremendous versatility as finishing touches.  They lend themselves more easily than larger varieties to last minute accessorizing.  In addition, they’re relatively affordable, can be chosen to fit a particular decorating style or coordinate with a color scheme, and are easily rotated with the seasons or positioned to receive more light.
When you’re selecting a plant for a small table or shelf, choose a size that’s comparable to a vase or bowl you’d use in the same spot. A large surface does well with a slightly larger plant – or a grouping of small ones. Since tabletop arrangements typically display more than just one plant or other accessory, wait to select the container until you have the vignette in place.  The container should be appropriate to the size and variety of plant, have decorative value, complement the other accessories, and enhance the overall arrangement.

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Plants can also be used as architectural elements to bring unity and balance to a room.  The rounded form of a large fern can contrast with and soften the rectangular or boxy lines of a table, or be used to echo the curved back of a sofa.  The mass created by a branching or fountain-like plant may be used to both visually balance and repeat door or window shapes elsewhere in the room.  An upright specimen can counteract too many horizontal lines.  A tall, spindly plant occupying a corner next to an oversized armchair will appear under scaled, but a combination of tall, medium, and low greenery in a pyramid shape will give importance to the corner and provide the proper scale.
Plants can also be arranged to alter ones perception of a space: placing a large-leafed variety against the opposite wall will make the more distant plant seem much farther away – and the room longer.  (The reverse works, too.) An airy, light-colored plant with most of its lower branches removed will provide plenty of greenery without making a small room seems crowded.  By contrast, an overly large room can benefit from a dense, dark tree or a freestanding cluster of plants that commands attention from all directions and visually diminishes space.

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Even people who are not plant lovers may enjoy a container or two if natural greenery in their living spaces. Plants seem to make people feel better emotionally.  They introduce color, texture, and beauty; they provide aesthetic appeal; and as decorative accessories they are highly versatile.
Plants also have a useful function in the home.  They can make a sparsely finished room look less bare – and sometimes even take the place of furnishings where there are none, perhaps on a stair landing or in the front hall.  A large specimen can lend special character to a room – as a grandfather clock might do – and become a secondary focal point. Plants can serve as screens and room dividers, direct traffic flow, take the place of window coverings, and hide flaws.