'Color Stays'

Want to know more tips on how to add a fresh, punchy shade so that it will immediately liven up your space?

3. Wallpaper Wall

Have any leftover wallpaper from the DIY wallpaper your medicine cabinet from my last post?

If you do, one way to make your walls pop with color is to play up a bright wallpaper print on one wall. Designs with patterns, like horizontal (best for a short wall) and vertical (best for a low ceiling) create instant depth. This could be your chance to really let loose! But since wallpaper ink tends to fade easily with overexposure to the sun, avoid walls that directly catch the sun’s rays.

Wallpaper adds height to this small nursery with low cielings

4. An Unlikely Story

It’s time to think outside of the box. Just as the choice in a new bold color can come as a complete surprise, so could the spot you decide to add the color.

For instance, try painting your kitchen floor or installing linoleum flooring in an unexpected aquamarine or lime green shade. Or what about the ceiling instead? The color choice could add a nice surprise element to your décor. Keep the rest of the kitchen décor and walls neutral – let the floor do all the talking.

Summer house owners take risk by painting their floors

Better yet, paint your bedroom doors in a rich burgundy color for an immediate color contrast. Use the bedding in your bedroom or other room accents to echo the new color of your doors.

A bright door that instantly catches your attention

5. Mix N’ Match It

I know what you’re thinking: “What?! Mismatched curtains?! What are you thinking?”

Sounds a bit unusual. But if done with a little bravado, you can pull off the look. The first step must be to select a fabric that already has a unique texture, for immediate visual attraction. Rich fabrics like taffeta, linen or those with a metallic sheen drape well.

To choose the shades, again choose a shade that is found within the same color family (brights, primary; pastel, jewel tones, etc.). Another way to slowly introduce color is to leave one panel in a neutral hue and to have the other in a bright color.

An average home with curtains in orange and yellow

Some color combinations you might not have thought of before: yellow with turquoise; purple with green; blue with silver; red with purple; brown with hot pink; blue with gold; coral with green.

House rules have changed. It’s time to think in color!

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com; lh4.ggpht.com/; images.bidorbuy.co.za/user

'New House Rules: Color!'

I’m not going to lie.

There’s a fair amount of black in my wardrobe: the boyfriend blazers, skinny jeans, open-toe pumps, leggings, turtlenecks, cardigans and booties. And there’s a fair amount of black in my bedroom décor too: the wrought iron bed, the embroidered valence on my curtains, the futon, the photo frames and appliances.

One would think that I have this obsession with black, which I don’t. Black is the easiest color option whether in wardrobe or décor to find and to pair with anything.

But all this black is making me depressed.

Let’s start with the décor. Adding color to unexpected places or furnishings will create contrast, depth and an instant visual appeal to what might have felt like a funeral parlor before.

Bold furniture and pillows instantly brighten up this living room

1. Go wild with the furniture

Remember that all-black futon I just described in my master bedroom? I suggest to keep the futon frame intact and replace the black cushions for some fuchsia ones. If this seems too extreme, a set of bright pillows strike a nice compromise.

The key, in this case, is to keep the rest of the color scheme in a neutral palette. Make sure that the eye-catching color works well with the existing hues.

Bright pillows do the trick

2. Paint by number

Ever noticed those white, dining room chairs you bought years ago at a flea market? Or do you ever stop and notice your bookshelf on that far wall, the one that houses your favorite short stories and novels? My guess is that you haven’t, the same way I have ignored all the functional (and bland) furniture in my house.

Ever fancy a red bookshelf?

A quick way to give instant pep to a dining room area or library nook is to take a chair, bookshelf, stepping stool, and paint it in one bold color. If you have chosen to paint a dining room chair, try painting one chair in the bold shade and leaving the others neutral. For a more unified look, paint all the chairs in the same hue. Tip: A paint spectrum serves as a good color guide.

Let this dining room set inspire you

For more color tips, come back for my next post.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com; farm3.static.flickr.com; www.furniturestoreblog.com; tudorks.file.wordpress.com

'Pretty Pretty Wallpaper'

Always wondered what to do with that pretty wallpaper, but never thought to cover your walls with it (who does that anymore)? Here’s one way to reuse that wallpaper that will enliven your medicine cabinets without overpowering your bathroom walls.

Tip: Stay away from grandmother-inspired floral wallpaper and make sure you’re using a brightly patterned wallpaper. Create a visual surprise, not a visual bore.

Example of wallpaper inside medicine cabinet

What you will need:

· 1/4 –inch foam core

· A roll of wallpaper in two different panels (will allow you to switch patterns)

· 3-inch paintbrush

· Mildew-resistant wallpaper paste

· Measuring tape

· Ruler

· Box cutter/craft knife

· Scissors

· Pencil

Bright, bold wallpaper choices

How to:

1. First, remove shelves and use the measuring tape to note the exact dimensions of the inside of the cabinet.

2. Cut the foam board to the exact measurements of the cabinet using the ruler, pencil and box cutter. The same dimensions should be traced with a pencil on the two rolls of wallpaper, and cut with a scissor.

3. Take the glue and spread evenly on one side of the foam board using the paintbrush. Lay the wallpaper down on the foam board slowly, starting on one end and smoothing out the paper and the air bubbles as you go.

4. Repeat this last action on the other side of the foam board, using the second roll of wallpaper.

5. Once dry, place the finished board inside the cabinet. The foam board should fit snuggly into the cabinet. Tap it lightly into place.

6. Put the shelves back in place and you’re finished! If you want to change the pattern in the future, just flip the board over!

Example of wallpaper used inside a curio chest

*This how-to project only works on cabinets with removable shelves. If your medicine cabinets don’t fit the bill, another way to create contrast is to paint the inside of the medicine cabinet a different color than the rest of your walls.

The point is to be resourceful and creative, and to revamp your décor in an easy and inexpensive way.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of simplystated.realsimple.com; mintdesignblog.com katyelliott.com

'Lindsay Lohan Fired From Ungaro'

The Paris fashion shows wore on with the usual sprinkling of celebrities and notables in the front row. But at the Emmanuel Ungaro show on Monday, the show was definitely sans a certain Hollywood wild child: Lindsay Lohan.

Turns out that the celeb was reportedly asked not to make an appearance at the Ungaro show, and instead she chose to attend other shows like Chanel’s ready-to-wear. At the end of the Ungaro show, designer Estrella Archs took a solo bow – prompting the fashion media to ask: “Where’s Lilo?”

I guess those heart-shaped pasties that elicited gasps last fall won’t be making a comeback.

Former Chief Executive Officer Mounir Mouffarige enlisted the young star’s help to resurrect a fashion house that had gone through 5 designers in 5 years. He predicted that the involvement of Lohan in the line would make for “an explosive combination.”

Explosive was right. But not in the way Mouffarige, who has since resigned, wanted. The collection last fall gave off to a bad start; with its heart-shaped frocks deemed ‘off-target’ and an even stronger backlash from other critics that claimed it was the worst collection they had ever seen.

Ungaro himself even, the founder of the namesake fashion house who parted ways with the label years ago, publicly decried the collection.

Sources did confirm yesterday that Lohan has been fired from Ungaro as an artistic advisor. When asked by the media if she had been ‘sacked’ from Ungaro, the celeb coolly replied that there were some legal issues involved and she couldn’t discuss the issue further.

But let’s be honest: We’re all pretty sure here that had the collection been received well, Lohan wouldn’t be out of a fashion job right now.

As far as the fate of the Ungaro house, fashion critic Nicole Phelps of Style.com called the latest Fall-Winter 2010 collection by Archs “an improvement” since the last season.

Ouch. It looks like the fashion house can’t blame all the bad publicity on a case of celebrity collaborations gone wrong.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of independent.co.uk; whatshaute.com; mylifetime.com