** We have a winner - Crisanna Nel - congrats and thanks again for all your amazing comments! I think I will have to do a special post just about them! **
You know that book I mentioned last week?
You know that book I mentioned last week?
Well...thanks to Penguin books, I have one to giveaway.
NZ Interior Style written bu LeeAnn Yare and photographs by Larnie Nicolson.
You can buy it here
As this book is filled with tips and tricks for making a house a home I thought you could tell me your favourite design trick, either comment here on the blog or on the facebook.
*If the tips are tops, there will be a runner-up prize, so get entering*
I'll start you off with one of mine from the book:
"The best budget idea in our home is garlands, it's party on a string! They add instant colour, fun and a sense of playfulness."
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| Sick of seeing my house much?! BUT check that party on a string. |
I will draw it randomly this friday the 11th October 2013, so good luck and get sharing! Shares will get an extra name in the hat. Go you design buns.
Stacks of old books, sourced from garage sales or second hand shops, are fabulous for adding height to your displays.
ReplyDeleteOOohhhh I like it / and very true. Changing up heights is a stylist secret that is easy and very effective!
DeleteFloor to ceiling book shelves filled with books and other treasures are my fav way to make a house a home, our books are all boxed up at the moment as we have no book shelves in our new place, can't wait to get some made!
ReplyDeleteAnother book trick and wholeheartedly agree Megan
DeleteSick of living in a rental house with no scope to decorate... add a floating shelf and cover with a statement colour or wallpaper to jazz up a wall! I have fingers and toes crossed Alex - I need that book :)
ReplyDeleteMost excellent tip Kelly and I wish you luck!
DeleteI would so love a copy of this book.
ReplyDeleteMy best share is ... if you love it it's okay to use it as art - children's art nicely framed, old plastic gingerbread man mould, a beautiful old negligee, alphabet cards, bunting made from old maps, my grandmothers plastic clock, inspiring words - all of these adorn our walls - none cost us anything. A real home is one that tells a story about the people who live there, even in their absence.
If you love it then it counts as art for you.
A beautiful home is not about designer price tags and snob value. And really it's the fact that the people who live there know how to laugh, rest and enjoy each others company. I know it sounds cheesy but that's what I would really, really want people to leave my home with - that un-quantifiable thing of feeling loved just as they art however they come.
That's my tips :o) Oh I really love the sound of this book and congrats again on your featuring in it so prominently Alex x
Totally agree! Home is where the love is.
DeleteI don't think that's cheesy at all Miriam. I think it's the truth and people need a reminder of this ideal. Go you and fingers crossed. I love your wee pearls of wisdom that you share here!
DeleteAdd walls decals. They are inexpensive and are available in a multitude of colors and patterns. They instantly brighten up any space! Besides, they aren't permanent so the wall designs can change with the decor.
ReplyDeleteGrace - walls are my all time favourite thing to decorate. They are under utilised and put stuff on!
DeleteIf you love it, take it home (although you probably should self-impose a limit on "love it") and it'll fit right in. Also, the best art is the kind that is not bought with money.
ReplyDeleteArt is in the eye of the beholder! Love it!
DeleteA wall covered in any of the eijffinger pip wallpaper range - you can't go wrong!
ReplyDeleteI would so love to win a copy of this book .
ReplyDeleteI have 2 great craft interior design tricks that look fab.
1. I collect old girls and boys journals from the sallies - look out for the ones with cartoons - wild west cartons.
2. Tear out the pages with the cartoons on from book.
3. You will need a empty large milo tin with lid.
4. Glue the cartoons (I did mind with wild west cartoons)paper onto outside of tin, and also the lid.
5. Then with a paint bush paint it with clear Polyurethane .This hardens it up. And makes it glossy and looks like you brought it in a shop.
This is a cheap and great ideas for a kids room I use it to put felts colouring in pens.
My number 2 things is
Ihave drum lampshades in my home that are red. I am changing decor at the moment and was wondering how on a small budget to change them.I have got some funky as wallpaper and am covering the drum shades in that.
Please ,Please pick me ..
Flowers add beauty to any space they are put in and are an inexpensive way to add colour if they are already in your garden or bought at weekend markets. They don't have to be the expensive varieties either, some of the nicest displays I've seen are simply handpicked greenery from out of the garden. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of this book.
ReplyDeleteI'm retro/vintage girl with a bit of modern added in for fun!! So some fun ways of decorating my house is using plates on the walls......I do love some good retro plates!! I tend to do a lot of grouping on my walls......3 seems to be my magic number!! I just dont do it with plates either.....just to note I don't have plates all over my walls just only on 3 small spaces!! Also a cheap + cheerful way to decorate my daughters room is buying frames from the warehouse + cutting out super cute pics from magazines like Mollie Makes or Frankie + also instead of a picutre I have added just material inside the frame......I buy vintage pillows cases for this idea and finally you can get some super cool scrapbooking papers out there to do the same as the material. Even wrapping paper works!!
ReplyDeleteAnd YES I would LOVE that book!!! Thx for offering a wonderful give away again!! p.s next time can we talk about The Block!!
I am obsessed with Resene paint test pots especially Karen Walker paints. Desperate for storage I turned all our old shoe boxes inside out and painted them bold colours each side being a different colour and voila... They now take pride in the linen cubboard with tea towels, pillow cases, rag cloths etc neatly tucked away in them. I also have been using them to paint old plant pots at home with colours such as pastel pinks with a metallic gold print on top. x
ReplyDeleteI would love love love a copy of that beautiful book!
ReplyDeleteMy design tip, is break convention, trust your instinct and do things for you..... I often have wild and crazy ideas, that even my best of friends are skeptical about, but they always turn out better than even I expect!
Washi tape! So many designs and so many uses; my faves so far are geometric designs in candy colours on my daughter's bedroom wall and 2D photo frame effects around anything you care to hang on the wall to turn it into a piece of art!
ReplyDeleteDip painting can breathe new life into tired pieces of furniture and is a great way to add a pop of colour into a space.
Enjoying everyone's tips!
My favourite design tip is to paint a range of objects one colour i.e white which blends them seamlessly into wood or brick work. It creates a perfect look and it's not distracting or overpowering.
ReplyDeleteOoh I would love to win a copy of this book!
ReplyDeleteMy tip is just a simple one, but here it is: make something. Whether you sew a cushion cover, recover an old chair, paint a table, frame some stunning fabric, or just bake something delicious and put it on a cake stand... it'll be something unique that will make your home totally 'you'!
My tip is this ...... if you made it, then its pretty much guaranteed to fit in with your home and style, so the more you make the better!
ReplyDeleteA couple of coats of paint can change something old into something new!
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for anything organised by colour.
ReplyDeleteThe spines of the books on your bookshelf. The clothes in your wardrobe. Grouping artwork that shares a similar hue. Clustering found objects and ornaments of the same colourway (odd numbers work best!).
It gives a sense of order and unity, especially in a busy room, and its oh so satisfying visually.
xx
Old skis, skateboards, snowboards make great shelves in children's bedrooms - cool way to display collections of toys, photos or special books! Would so love to win a copy of this book...need some more inspiration and motivation!
ReplyDeleteFor a really personal feel, I love old family photos (esp on a photo wall) and key pieces of furniture passed down through the family. And for a general 'lived-in' feel for a home I love to use texture and fabrics to warm up living spaces, such as rugs, cushions, throws, art etc. It's personality that makes a house a home, so knowing and seeing who lives there is lovely - kids toys visible, family pics/photos/art, a lived-in sofa, that's home.
ReplyDeleteif you love it, it will work.
ReplyDeleteif you bring things into your home that YOU love, they will hold hands and become best friends regardless of what they look like.
and my great grandmother always said "it doesn't matter what the rest of the day brings as long as you have made the bed and swept the front porch you will feel like you have it together".
xx