When Decorating Relies on Really Good Bones

 

Irwin Weiner ASID - No, it's not Halloween or the Mexican Day of the Dead . . . but I decided to dwell on the darker side of interior design today and ruminate on all the different ways we can add bones (literally) to our home decor. "Good bones" most often describes the positive architectural features of a space, such as high ceilings, decorative arches, moldings, and attractive passage doorways. But I was drawn to how human bones have been increasingly creeping and clattering into our decor, from wallcoverings (see above: Beware the Moon's Skulls Wallpaper, Bronze on Oil Slick) to furniture (see below: Vanitas collection, including a skull chair, vertebrae floor lamp, and brain ottoman). The trend is not new, as you'll see in our creepy featured video of the famous bone-encrusted interior of the Kostnice Ossuary in the Czech Republic.

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Update on June 14, 2011 by Design2Share

Super King Size Leather Beds: We just found a great collection of sleek leather bed designs. They add sophistication, whether your bedroom decor is traditional or modern. 

Featured Project: DIY Painted Headboard

Now is the perfect time to think about freshening up your interior space. With a splash of color here and a new piece of furniture there, it's easy to redecorate. Here's a quick, budget-conscious DIY design idea to help get you started.

Paint Your Own Headboard

Chances are if you if you purchased your bed frame as part of a bedroom set, the headboard is already included. If you don't want to put forth the extra cash, especially after paying for a pricey mattress, no problem! Painted headboards are a great way to add a pop of color to your bedroom.

Step 1: Measure the width of the head of your bed and mark it with blue painter's tape from floor to ceiling. Now, choose your color based on your desired color scheme. You obviously don't want it to be the same shade as your walls, but it should complement that color.

Step 2: Once you have your color, paint the wall, staying within the blue painters tape. Once the paint dries, if you choose to do so, you can detail with paint or with some removable wall decals from a company like Blik. For as little as $40, Blik makes easily removable wall decals in fun shapes like bookshelves, chandeliers, birds, etc. If this sounds like too much work, don't worry and leave your wall a solid color.

Step 3: Simply position your bed up against the painted wall, prop up some decorative Euro pillows in coordinating colors and patterns, and you have yourself a headboard. You might want to take this opportunity to invest in a new comforter or duvet in fun, light, spring colors. You'd be surprised at what a little bit of paint and some new bedding can do for your space!

Contemporary vanities and more at Decor Planet for your bathroom needs.

Color Challenged? Buy Some Palettes!

 

Irwin Weiner ASID - Clever Seattle interior designer Emily Lauderback hitched her wagon to the color train - she has a specialty now of helping clients out with color selections. First approached by a Venetian plaster company to help them out with clients who couldn't make up their minds when it came to making color choices, Emily developed what she calls Dwelling Palettes, each comprised of 12 Benjamin Moore paint samples, that harmonize together. Use the colors to apply to any interior or exterior design job, from wall colors to accents and upholstery. Go to Emily's Color in Space website for more information, and to purchase the inexpensive palettes that interest you for your next decorating job, and watch this video with Emily explaining how her color system started and how it can help clients.

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Modern Style Homes Deep in the Heart of Texas

Sago International

Irwin Weiner ASID - There's a lot to be said for recycling old urban core properties and turning them into livable spaces. Inner city homesteading has been chic for years, and the trend isn't going away. The allure of provenance about old spaces attracts both do-it-yourself homeowners and speculators/builders who want to make something new and imaginative from the old and discarded. This video shows you some of the recycled and brand-new contemporary homes in this year's Austin (Texas) Modern Home Tour. You'll come away with an appreciation for the clever design going into residential architecture. I particularly love the Sago International home on a one-acre lot, creek facing, on Vireo Cove (featured near the end of the video, and exterior view in top photo); the thrust concrete deck is a thing of beauty, and the interior spaces are clean and open.  

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A Villa Away from Home

Sarah Van Arsdale - Chances are that when you travel, you don’t want to stay in a place that looks just like your own house. And staying in a sterile hotel room can make you wonder just what city you're visiting. That’s why we were drawn to this beautifully designed property on the Greek island of Mykonos: it’s comfortable, with every convenience you’d want – and yet there’s no mistaking that here, you are very far from home. If you want to learn about terrific design, come with us as we tour this home. 

(Photo: Villa Drakothea )This house and property brings out the flavor of the Greek Islands, with a rustic touch and no sacrifice of comfort. The curved, white-washed walls of the living room give the feeling of being in a brightly-lit natural cave overlooking the blue waters of the Aegean Sea.  

(Photo: Villa Drakothea )This home, designed by Antonis Ampatzis, is available to rent. And from where we sit in New York City, it’s impossible to resist fantasizing about a trip to this sunny,well-designed, comfortable nook of the world.

One trick that makes the design of this home work so well is the nearly-unbroken background of a white palette. The white-washed walls continue throughout the home, providing a feeling of continuous calm and peace, and providing a background against which the color can really pop when it does appear.

(Photo: Villa Drakothea )Because of the white background throughout the entire home, color must be carefully chosen so it will add just the right note. Here, we see a corner with a wooden window shutter painted in a brilliant celadon green, bringing in a note of freshness to break up the white and brown.

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