Combining Spouse Styles for a Harmonious Home

Sometimes it’s hard enough to agree on what to have for dinner, much less try to design a home with your significant other. Finding home furnishings that you both love can be a challenge, but with a little compromise and creativity, it is definitely possible to find stylistic harmony under the same roof!

Here are a few ways to get past your differences and design a home that reflects both of your personalities and style preferences, along with some specific examples of these combos in action.

Mix Styles to create a focal point

1. Find Out What is Most Important to Your Partner

• Is it comfort? Color? Shape? Fabric versus leather? Price? Sit down and discuss what you both want and why. If your color preferences are extremely different, pick a gender-neutral color for bigger upholstered furniture pieces or window treatments. A few bold color accessories can highlight personal preferences — males typically prefer the neutral leathers and hardwoods, and women can add their own style with throw pillows, linens, and other accent pieces. Try mixing rustic styles with sleek, sensual fabrics, or contemporary furnishings with earthy, soft colors and textiles.
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  Tradition art with modern furniture

• Give your partner the respect of listening to his or her point of view, because he or she has to live there too! You should both feel comfortable and happy with the furnishings in your home. Thankfully, with the range of options available at every price point, couples can find furniture to combine both of their preferences.
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  Merge Style with 2 Hues

2. Have a Plan

• If you’re just starting out and need to furnish you entire home, focus on one or two rooms at a time. This will help keep you both on the same page about what you need to shop for and help you see progress in your home more quickly. After you come to a consensus about the style of a certain piece, let your spouse do what he or she does best.

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  Use abstract art to offset classic furniture

• Women tend to enjoy doing some legwork at home, first by going through magazines and looking for ideas, searching for items online, comparing prices, and enjoying the shopping process in general. This helps men too, because they appreciate the more targeted approach to shopping and will be more helpful in making final decisions when you’re actually in the store.

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  Make Traditional more Modern with Bright Colors

3. Combine Your Favorite Styles

• There’s no rule that says all your furniture needs to be the same style — having an eclectic blend of home furnishings is perfectly acceptable. If you both like a particular item, buy it! Combining your styles will make your home a unique place that is a reflection of both of you.
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  Give it a whole new look with slipcovers

• Take advantage of free services.  Many furniture stores offer such benefits as interior design consulting, room planning guides and product brochures. Working with a designer can help you coordinate new furniture with your existing pieces, or they can help you design your home from the ground up and find solutions that will please both of you.
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  Use a different style for the WOW factor

• Having a designer’s assistance not only can help you choose the right piece of furniture for your room, but he or she can help you and your spouse with space planning, traffic flow, color schemes, and coordinating fabrics. Designers also can help you find unique solutions to any unusual room layouts or space challenges you may be facing. They also have access to hundreds of catalogs of furnishings that are not on the store’s showroom floor, giving you options that you may never have considered otherwise.
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  Unify areas through Color

In other words, they can take your home from looking like a mish-mash of items to a complete “look” that works together seamlessly.

Have fun and enjoy the process.

Your home is the place where you should be able to relax, recharge, be yourself, and nurture each other. Furnishing a home that allows you to do those things together should be a fun and rewarding experience. Enjoy the process of creating a home that is uniquely yours together!

Mix in style, not in scale

Thanks to Osmond Designs and HGTV for this great content!

Re-Purposing Guide for your Unique Home

There are as many ways to re-purpose an old piece of furniture as there are old pieces of furniture in this world. It is literally limited only by your imagination.

Whether your home is traditional, modern, or shabby chic, you can create an interesting and beautiful piece of decor with only a little time and a lot of creativity.

Aiva is here to help you do it right with some great tips and ideas:

1. See What it COULD Be -

Look beyond an item's current appearance to imagine what it could become with a little of your time and attention. If the curve of a sofa really speaks to you but you can't stand the torn up upholstery, imagine what it could look like with some new fabric. Don't let chipped paint or broken drawers distract you from what could be a great piece.

Repurposing is an eco-friendly way to show off your individual style, so if something about an item is speaking to you, listen!

2. Seek Your Treasure -

You can find great treasures in alley dumpsters, but if you don't want to get dirty, you can also look in:

• Your own old furniture that could be given a face lift
• Your Grandma's attic
• Yard and Garage sales
• Thrift Stores
• Consignment Stores
• Architectural Salvage Yards
• Repurpose Stores, such as Habitat for Humanity's ReStore
• Craigslist
• Eco-friendly websites to connect sellers and buyers, such as Freecycle.com

3. The Bones - 

The most important thing to consider when looking at a piece of furniture is if the basic structure, the bones, is still strong. If it has a sturdy frame and good springs (for sofas and chairs), things like hinges and legs are an easy fix. With a little sanding, some new fabric, paint, or drawer pulls, you can reveal a diamond in the rough.

4. The Purpose for the Re-Purpose - 

Take stock of your current situation and what your home needs, and let that be the guide for how the new piece will be used. You don't have to use it as it was originally designed, and some of the best ideas are the most unique. 

 

5. Get to it! - 

• Refinish wood with a sander, paint or shellac
• Wood Filler can repair crack or old nail holes
• Benches, headboards and dining chairs can get a new look with some fabric and a staple gun
• Reupholstering a sofa may require a professional, but that may still be cheaper than a new one

And some more ideas:

• Refinish dresser drawers, line them with pretty paper, and hang them on the wall for shelving
• Mount an old door horizontally for a unique headboard on your bed
• Cover an old dresser with a slab of remnant granite for a kitchen island

Check out PINTEREST for thousands more ideas

Tell us some of your unique re-purposing ideas on our facebook page at facebook.com/aivadecor

If you want to learn how to re-purpose and re-furbish old items and you live in the Cincinnati area, great classes are available at Secretly Shabby (www.facebook.com/secretlyshabby, 231 Main St. Hamilton, OH 45013, 513-607-6482). Lisa Weaver will show you how to master DIY shabby chic for your home :) 

Bedroom Furniture Arrangement Tips

Your bedroom is where your come to wind down, relax, and sleep. You spend 1/3 of every day here (well... hopefully), so it is important that it is as comfortable, as comforting, as delightful as possible. Building on some of the concepts in this four-part series on Arranging Furniture in your Home, here are some useful tips to make your bedroom your favorite escape:

Select the Right Size Bed

It’s possible to use a larger bed if you don’t need a lot of storage furniture. Also, consider the visual weight of your headboard. If the bed is slightly large for the room, opt for a visually lighter headboard, such as one that features metal scroll-work. A solid headboard consumes more visual space, and taller, heavier headboards work best in bigger bedrooms or bedrooms with tall ceilings.

Consider All Options

Don't be afraid to give your bed a slightly unusual placement, such as in front of a window, if it will help you maximize space.

Adjust for Size

In a small bedroom, use fewer furniture pieces of a slightly larger scale to maximize floor space. Opt for tall pieces, such as this armoire that add volume in a smaller footprint.

Add Comfort

Place a bench at the foot of the bed or a small-scale armchair in a corner for bedroom seating. Consider placing a chair next to a bedside table. The chair and bed can share the nightstand. If there isn’t room next to the nightstand, pair the chair with a small garden stool, which will serve as a small table without occupying much space.

Plan Walkways Around Furniture

Allow at least 2 feet on either side of the bed to allow for space to make the bed. Avoid placing the bed within 3 feet of the door; otherwise the bed becomes a roadblock.

If you are wondering how to arrange a small bedroom to maximize your space, here are

40 GREAT SMALL BEDROOM IDEAS from freshome.com

And here are some general BEDROOM ARRANGING TIPS from Home Decorating for Dummies.

Difficult Floor Plan Solutions

Problem: Long and narrow, one window wall

Solution: Face the bed to the window to make the most of the view. Include a desk/dressing table, chair, and mirror opposite the doorway. Place a pair of benches at the end of the bed for seating. Flank the bed with nightstands or nestle the bed into a built-in storage unit that includes two cabinet towers and a cabinet that bridges the head of the bed to create an alcove.

Problem: Square room, two free walls.

Solution: Place the bed so it’s the focal point and the room feels grounded. Stretch storage up the wall with a freestanding armoire. Pair matching small-scale dressers to use as nightstands. Position the bed on an oversize rug that extends at least 2 feet on either side and at the foot of the bed.

Using these tips, tricks, and ideas, you can make your bedroom the peaceful reprieve you deserve.

Dining Room Furniture Arrangement Tips

Whether your dining room is elegant and sophisticated, a place for special guests and special occasions, or it is casual and comfortable, a place where the family hangs out and kids are doing homework at the table, it needs to have function and flow.

As part 4 in our four-part series on Arranging Furniture in Your Home, here are some great ideas about the best way to create to best arrangement for your dining and hosting needs:

Consider How You Use the Room

How do you use your dining room? For family-style meals or buffet-style serving? Make furniture choices that support your needs.

Suit the Space

Circular tables with pedestal bases let folks see everyone at the table and are suitable for tight dining spaces or square rooms.  Rectangular tables limit seating, but work well in rectangular dining rooms and come in a variety of lengths and widths. Oval tables with added leaves also work well in rectangular dining rooms and offer flexibility by adapting to small gatherings or large.

Buy for Size

Be sure to allow a minimum of 36 inches from the table to the wall on all sides. Position the table so traffic flows smoothly around it

Know These Measurements

When determining how many chairs you can fit around your table, allow for a width of 20 to 24 inches and a depth of 15 inches per place and leave at least 6 inches between chairs.

Include Functional Storage

Make the most of square footage with a wall of shelves that provide storage for the dining room’s alternative uses -- office supplies, games, and crafts -- or dining extras such as china, linens, and barware.

Light it Right

Choose and place lighting that adapts to the room's functions. For example, hang the chandelier with extra cord length so it can be adjusted for homework or dining. Use dimmer switches, lamps, and sconces to set the mood for the occasion.

Difficult Floor Plan Solutions

Problem: Rectangular space, no free walls

Solution: Combine chairs, benches, and settees for an eclectic look. Duplicate the room shape with the table shape to maximize seating (for example, a rectangular table with the same proportions as the dining room will make the most of the space). Include storage such as cabinets or bookcases, on the perimeter. Define the dining space with a rug that contrasts with the flooring.

Problem: Oversize space, multiuse space.

Solution: Opt for a table that preserves open space for other uses (for example, don’t buy a huge table with seating for 20 when you’ll only ever need seating for 12). Add storage that will accommodate all the activities that take place in the room. When choosing chairs, select models that can also easily be brought up to the table for extra dining seating. Anchor the secondary seating areas with lamps and occasional tables.

Remember that when you are arranging your chairs around the dining room table, you´ll need to leave about 6 inches between chairs to allow for elbow room.

Keeping all these tips in mind, you can create an impeccable dining room that also perfectly serves your needs.  

Family Room Furniture Arrangement Tips

The family room is meant to be the center of family entertainment and activity, which is why good furniture arrangement is so important. Remember from our other blog entry Living Room Furniture Arrangement Tips & Tricks that the three aspects of a well-arranged room are: 

1. Function

2. Flow

3. Focal Point

We are going to build on these ideas when arranging the family room. So here are some helpful hints and tricks to make it the room where your whole family wants to be:

Focus on Entertainment

Place the television and computer so the screens face away from the sunlight. The viewing distance for a standard TV is 8 to 12 feet, and the best viewing angle is not more than 30 degrees. For traffic flow, create paths that flow behind viewers and not between them and the screen.

Add Storage

Consider freestanding pieces in a smaller room and wall-to-wall built-ins in a larger room. Make sure there is some storage near the TV.

Mix Furnishings of Various Sizes

Every object has a height, depth and width. To add visual interest to any space, incorporate a variety of furniture with different characteristics. If you're going for a serene, unchallenging area for rest or recovery, keep the furnishing volumes in a room similar. This rustic living space from HGTV Dream Home 2011 uses an extra-large sectional with small armchairs and side tables to create an energetic space with various volumes.

Use Scaled Pieces to Create Balance

The size of pieces relative to one another and the size of the space is their scale. Similarly scaled pieces are more serene when used together, but a nice balance of pieces creates a harmonious atmosphere, utilizing the differing physical qualities of height, depth and width throughout a room. When furnishings are out of scale, you'll notice that it just won't feel comfortable or right.

Form a Healthy Relationship

The relationship of items to one another to form a pleasing whole is called balance. There are two forms of balance: symmetrical and asymmetrical. Bilateral symmetry is like the human body: There are two of everything. Asymmetry refers to an imbalance, such as two candles of slightly different sizes next to each other. Symmetry is very restful, while asymmetry is used to add visual motion and excitement.

Use an Artist's Perspective

Look at your space as a painter looks at a work of art. There are visual tricks that painters use to create the appearance of depth in a space. You can use these tools, too. 

The first trick painters use is "triangulation." In interior design, triangulation is the placement of two end tables on either side of a sofa with a painting above the sofa. If you can imagine this scenario, it is lower on the corners with the apex of the view just above mid-center at the top of the painting.

Create Depth in Artwork

The second trick painters use is the creation of depth in artwork, which is a two-dimensional medium. Paintings often have a foreground, mid-ground, background and vanishing point. Stand at the threshold of your room. Place a chair, perhaps at an angle, in the foreground closest to you. The cocktail table will provide a mid-ground and the sofa with the wall behind it will serve as the background. A window in the scene will give you your vanishing point. Or, the vanishing point can be within a work of art placed above the sofa.

Think About Form in its Totality

All furniture arrangements have a certain "totality," a "form." Large rectangular spaces can be dealt with by dividing the "form" of the space into another form. A long, narrow living space, for instance, can be split in two by creating zones of function. Say, one half is for the sofa, or the function of conversing, and the other half is for a dining set, or the function of dining. This helps you take the bite out of large rectangular rooms by dividing them into squares according to their function. Humans tend to feel more comfortable and less formal in square furniture arrangements versus rectangular.

Difficult Floor Plan Solutions

Problem: Irregular room, one wide traffic lane.

Solution: Use the perimeter of the room for a computer desk and storage console. Choose chairs with casters so that they are easy to move. Float the furniture to focus on the fireplace and the television. Ensure that the fireplace and television are visible from each seat.

Keeping these suggestions in mind, you can create a family room that is warm and inviting, and just the center of activity that your family deserves.

Living Room Furniture Arrangement Tips

Whether your living room is large or small, when arranging furniture, you want to keep in mind 3 things:

1. Function

2. Flow

3. Focal Points

Here are some helpful layout ideas and tips for arranging your living room to meet your needs:

Face the View

If your living room doesn't have a fireplace, orient seating so it takes advantage of whatever view your room has to offer, whether it's a TV or a bank of windows. Create your own focal point by hanging a large piece of art on a wall or create a vignette of favorite objects on a console or bookshelf.

Arrange for Conversation

For face-to-face chats, place seating no more than 8 feet apart. In a large living room, use furniture to create comfortable islands. Face two sofas in the center of a room, and place a group chairs and side tables at one end to create a separate conversation area.

Set Up Traffic Patterns

Allow 30 inches between pieces in places where you need to be able to walk around furniture and 14 to 18 inches between a coffee table and sofa, so drinks are within reaching distance.

Put a Table Within Reach of Each Seat

Use round pedestal tables as side tables between chairs and sofas.The curves of round tables make them easier to navigate around. When space is tight, use nesting tables for flexible use when needed.

Think About Lighting

Install in-floor electrical outlets to service floating furniture arrangements. If you have a small living room, think about wall lamps at either end of the sofa in order to avoid large end tables to accommodate lighting. There are countless lighting options out there - look around the find the best ones for your room.

Difficult Layout Solutions

Problem: Long room, entry at one end.

Solution: There’s no need to crowd; leave room for traffic and an entry drop spot. Cozy key seating pieces up to the fireplace facing each other. Use end tables as landing spaces on both ends of the sofa. Pair chairs to balance the visual weight of the sofa and to maximize seating.

Problem: No free walls, centered fireplace.

Solution: Float seating in the center of a room filled with doors and windows. Face chairs and sofa toward each other to encourage conversation. Anchor the conversation grouping with a rug and large coffee table.  Frame the space with additional seating and cabinets for storage, positioned around the perimeter of the room along the walls.

Using these great suggestions, you can have the great living room, with function, flow, and a focal point, that you deserve!

Go Window (Treatment) Shopping

For window treatments, simplicity meets minimalism with an emphasis on clean lines. No longer are heavy drapes with swags and jabots in style. The trend is much more tailored.

These are some of the looks trending for window treatments now.

Bold patterns: You can’t go wrong with fabric that is bold and bright. Geometric, trellis and large scale florals are used to make a statement.

Banding: Adding a simple band around your draperies give character to your drapes without going overboard on pattern. It creates a clean and sophisticated look.

Sheers: They are taking on a more decorative look with unique interwoven materials and embossed or printed patterns.

Roman shades: Always a favorite, you can go bold in pattern and color with this style of window treatment.

Longer, looser pleats: Pleats are getting softer and longer to create a contemporary look.

Wider Drapes: Drapes are getting wider and longer to make windows look larger. Velvet and silk will help emphasize this rich look.

Eco-friendly shades: The drive to be more earth conscious has made Eco-friendly shades popular. From grasses, sisal, reeds or bamboo, they create a unique texture.

Tone on Tone: If you like a softer look, choosing a fabric that is similar to the surrounding wall color will define the window without making it a focal point.

If you are around the Cincinnati area, a great source for all kinds of window treatments and more information is:

Affordable Blinds of Cincinnati: 

Wyatt Carroll, 513-317-8101