Hot Home Decorating Trend - African Style

Irwin Weiner ASID - It's not just that I'm noticing this trending towards all-things African in interior design just because I'm from Africa. It's fairly obvious that something has trended towards the masses and it's a big story when you're seeing the front of Home Goods stores plastered with African accessories and tabletop items.

Vernacular African decor uses lots of hand-carved wood, beautiful lacquered finishes, large scale, bold design, and bright prints ranging from overscale florals to metallics and animal skins. "Natural" is what it's all about, but I'd say it's more "super-natural," a bit larger than life, yet still warm, generous, and inviting.

There are colonial influences in traditional African design along with the dominant native motifs. You'll enjoy the following video we just took in my native Cape Town. Jay spent time interviewing Moenieba and Lesley at Colonial House Design. The interior design house and manufacturer typifies the trendiness of the African design movement in everything they create and customize for their clients. Some of their iconic furnishings and accessories are shown in the above photos and in our video. Enjoy!

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4 Quick Decorating Tips for Boring Bathrooms

Jessica Ackerman - If your bathroom is a visually boring place, perhaps it's time for a much-needed change. Although bathrooms are generally the smallest rooms in a home, there's no need to go small on the decor and overall look. In fact, with just a modest amount of decorating and perhaps the addition of a bright new shade, your bathroom just might become the most visually exciting room in your home. If you're ready to transform your boring bathroom into a decorating showcase, here are some tips to help get you started.

1. Pick a Fun Theme

Although you might not want to choose a fun and funky theme for a formal master bathroom, it can be a nice approach to take with other bathrooms throughout your home. For example, imagine how great your children's bathroom would look when decorated in a funky theme. A low-key, casual beach theme, for instance, is a great approach to take when decorating a bathroom. Not only does it look great, but the casual nature of the decor also makes it easy to keep neat, tidy, and organized.

It's easy to create just the right look when decorating a themed bathroom, thanks to the wide variety of themed bathroom accessories you'll find on the market today. For example, you'll find no shortage of beach metal wall decor from which to choose.

2. Keep It Sleek and Simple

You might enjoy a more detailed decorating style throughout the rest of your home. However, the bathroom is one room that can definitely benefit from a simpler approach. When you factor in all the time and effort it takes to keep a bathroom neat, clean and sanitary, you can definitely see how simple and sleek is better than frilly and fussy when it comes to decor.

When choosing decorating accents for the bathroom, it's a good idea to think in terms of how washable and water-resistant the items are. For example,

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Wood Wonders from J.B. Blunk

Irwin Weiner ASID - The epitome of 1960s counterculture artists, J.B. Blunk is now revered for his sculptural forms in wood. We wanted to feature this silent video overview of Blunk and his work to underscore his talent and vision. He wasn't just expressing himself or rebelling against an established art culture; he let the wood do the talking. Go to the J.B. Blunk website for more information. 

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White Decor Adds Winter Wonder to Interiors

Jessica Ackerman - If you think that white is one of the more boring colors to decorate with, think again. White can actually be used in many exciting and creative ways throughout the home to add a dash of decorating excitement. Because it can be combined with practically any other shade, white is also extremely versatile and easy to work with. Although white can be used to great advantage in your decorating scheme year-round, it can be especially fun to use during the winter months to create a "winter wonderland" look. In fact, what better way to celebrate the beauty of the snow outdoors than to use white to re-create the look indoors? If you'd like to freshen up the look of your home with white this winter, here are some great decorating tips to help get you get started.           

White Walls for a Clean Slate

White walls can provide the perfect backdrop for a myriad of other decorating options. It's important to remember that if you'd like your other decorating accents to really "pop," you have to make sure that the room's wall color isn't too overpowering. If you walk into a room and the wall color is the first thing you notice, chances are the rest of the room's decor isn't receiving the attention it deserves. For example, a beautiful piece of wood wall decor could serve as an eye-catching accent piece when hung on a white wall. However, if hung on a darker colored wall, it could blend in too much.

White walls can also provide a nice visual contrast to other darker colored decorating pieces throughout a room. For instance, if your furniture pieces are dark, white walls could provide the perfect backdrop. The same is true for dark woodwork, dark cabinets, or dark flooring.

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