Holiday Simplicity

The holidays can be hectic with decorating, buying gifts, planning meals, dealing with school parties, pageants, and projects, and keeping the kids in check. Decorating the house doesn't have to be an mind boggling event.

The Thanksgiving project involved decorating a turkey with household items - for a kindergarten class. Yet it was a "family project." So, what better than to use clippings cut with a razor from various decorating magazines to create a designer turkey. Click on the image to enlarge and see what you can find. The head, the beak, the eyes - they're all there.

At the BTR abode, we opted to keep it simple this Thanksgiving and Christmas. As such, the entry way is tastefully decorated with its normal ornamentation with just the addition of holiday greenery, lights, and gold ribbon. The tree, rather than our standard Hallmark ornament extravaganza, is a simple silver and blue with a few surprises . . . remember the pickle in the tree from years past? How about finding the spark plug? I did a machinery theme for my little tree last year and the spark plug was great with the Hallmark cars, bikes, trains, and tractors. And hence the beginning of a new "pickle."

Remember the real reason for the season (. . . for unto you this day, in the city of David, a Savior is born. He is Christ, the Lord) and try not to fret over the little stuff. Enjoy the time with family and friends. And Happy New Year from BTR to you.

Accent Walls

Accent walls have been described as adding an exclamation point at the end of a sentence. The idea is to choose a wall or portion of a wall to serve as, you guessed it, an accent. A bright or bold color might overwhelm a room if used everywhere, but if used in one or two distinct yet deliberate locations, can bring a bland room to life.

In my last house, the two walls that segregated the kitchen from the great room provided an excellent location for the accent color - a deep Sherwin Williams brown. The antique decor was the perfect the compliment to the dark color. Similarly, the fact that the flat screen TV was back-dropped by this wall made for the perfect home theater experience.

Accent walls can include faux or trompe l'oeil finishes, or the can be used to accent a faux finished wall with a solid color as in the opening photograph.

Whatever you do, the color of the accent wall will set the room apart; the color will draw the eye to that wall. Accent colors also work well as plant shelf back-drops, especially if the shelf is illuminated. The color change adds depth and highlights the contents of the shelf rather than the architectural variation of the shelf itself.

Refreshed Kitchen

There are many ways to energize your kitchen from a complete makeover with lighting, flooring, cabinets, counters, and appliances to simply refreshing what you have. There are countless books and magazines that will show you a dream kitchen with a nightmare price: $9,000 to $25,000 for most major remodels.

But here's something to consider. If your cabinets are wood or laminate and are structurally sound but simply outdated, don't replace them. Renew them. Most finished woods and laminates can be cleaned, primed, and painted for a fraction of the cost of replacement. I'm not talking about some adhesive cover-up or laminate makeover. Just elbow grease, primer, paint, and imagination. The options are truly endless!

Some years ago, I had solid cherry cabinets installed in my boys' bedrooms to increase their storage capacity. Several of the doors had cosmetic defects and had to be replaced. But I got to keep the defective ones; as proof of my point, note this simple sign that I made from one of those doors for a kitchen that is presently being rejuvenated. All told, I have less than $20 invested in this little sign.

MSN House and Home concluded that kitchen remodeling yields the greatest return on investment of any home improvement project. In excess of 90% of what you spend will be returned and a great kitchen helps sell the house faster. Remodeling magazine concluded that the national average ROI for kitchen remodeling is 88%. The net result is that you'll recoup most of what you spend. If ambiance is what you like, enjoy it at home and save money too. There's no return on your investment when you eat out. So bring the charm of that Paris Cafe or Italian Pizzeria to your home. Or, if you're into the shabby chic or NYC fast food look, you can have your own bushel of rats! (Just kidding. These are two of our girls, Gypsy and Pearl.)

Almost Anything Can Become Decor

Many people fall into the trap of thinking that if they can't buy it at Target or a furnishing store or a high-end design studio, then it cannot complement their decor. Wrong.

Too many times I have found store-bought material to be too contrived or not precisely what I wanted to convey. In earlier posts, I've shown how tool chests and cabinets can be used effectively as furniture. I've shown how a galvanized trash can can serve as a laundry hamper. When I could not find the right piece or pattern, very often, I've made it myself. High quality solid wood tractor beds with working lights are not easy to find. Nor are beautiful, functional cradle plans that are designed around the mattress and covering set already selected. So what do I do? I make my own.

The same is true with decorating a house. In my last home, I went for an antique agriculture theme. Using print advertising, antique tools and farm implements, old saw blades, wood and iron shelving, carpentry planes, and other "country" items, I created an atmosphere of yesteryear without it appearing unkempt or dingy.

Similarly, you may not be able to find just the right wall-hanging to match your decor. Not a problem - in these photos you'll see three canvas paintings made with ordinary house paint. In each case, the colors were used elsewhere in the room and the wall-hanging helped tie it all together. As a motorcyclist, I was excited when the postal service announced a tribute stamp series to motorcycles. A simple matte and frame resulted in a decoration perfect for the sports bar-themed office. Hockey jerseys serve as window valances and autographed hockey sticks adorn one wall.

Dear friends of mine have a lovely cabin in the mountains of Georgia. It so happened that I had several Amish wagon wheels in need of a purpose. The last photo shows a hanging candle holder using decorative metal frying pans and crackled glass votive holders. If they don't intend to light the candles, they can wrap silk greenery around the chains and spokes. If they do, then it can be left as-is.

Don't limit yourself to what you see at the store.

Cave Painting

In the natural world, cave paintings are among the earliest human record; they help us understand how the natural world appeared to humanity at the time. Many cave paintings remain to this day in locations across the globe.

Perhaps your child likes dinosaurs - rather than the cutesy cartoon caricatures, maybe a more authentic theme would be in order.

Combining the techniques of faux, trompe-l'oeil, and simple art can result in a dramatic transformation of your child's room. Instead of merely being four walls of solid color, they can become rock walls on which cavemen of millennia past left their mark. A few accent pieces like a stool-sized rock in the corner, perhaps a hanging vine near the window or door (made to appear as an orifice to the outside), artificial sound of dripping water, a tanned pelt or a used chamois, and dim lighting for sleep-time can converge to make a realistic scene.

No scary monsters or man-eating dinosaurs. Just the echo of drumbeats from centuries past for your child to drift off into dreams. And no scary price-tags to keep you up at night either!!

Want to make it more personal? We'll set aside a special spot where he or she can add their own finger painted animals or hand prints to bridge the gap between art and history. Years from now, you each will look back fondly at how they've grown from those simple hand-drawings. In a way, it becomes your own time capsule recording how they were when they were little. It sure beats saving tons of crayon art on the fridge!

Floors - the Sixth Wall

Patios and driveways have become increasingly decorative as affluence has increased. Stone pavers, stamped concrete, and decorative stenciling are among the solutions commonly employed.

Acid staining (or etching) is becoming increasingly popular. This is a process employed on new (or bare) concrete where a colored acid solution is applied and worked into the surface.

You will often see acid stained concrete in Harley Davidson dealerships, some shopping venues, and high-end restaurants. Unlike paints and coatings, the acid stain permanently changes the chemical composition of the concrete giving it permanent color. Maintaining a clear coat finish is the only periodic maintenance required. This protects the concrete from soaked-in spills and makes regular cleaning easy.

In these photos, this patio extension was bare concrete with a broom finish. It had a few stains that were difficult to remove and while visible after the staining process, they simply add character to the varied tones. The process usually takes about a week from start to finish as it involves pressure washing (if not new), first application, second application, neutralizing, rinsing, mopping or vacuuming, first coat of clear, second coat of clear. By day seven, your floor is ready to be enjoyed.

Faux Finishing

There are many ways to achieve a faux finish, including wood grain (discussed earlier), sponging, ragging, & bagging. In these photos, you'll see a variety of sponging techniques.

Color choices, contrast, the number of colors used, and technique all combine to make a nearly infinite number of results. You can make a wall look like leather or aged plaster or as though it is wallpapered seamlessly.

Bathrooms, small and large, are a perfect place for a faux application. The smaller space lends itself well to being brought alive with color and texture. Even a simple two color finish as shown here can make a dramatic statement. Likewise, a small transition wall is perfect for a faux finish. In the photo with the cross, the homeowner wanted to blend apricot and light green in a great room. Using a combination of those colors to create a transition wall resulted in the look of aged copper complemented by the ornate bronzed cross. Similarly, the faux finished bridge in an entry way achieved the goal of blending two colors in the foyer as well as tastefully introducing the variety of eclectic decorations in the home.

Faux and Trompe L'oeil

Two words are taken from the French to define artistic wall finishes: Faux (pronounced "fo" - not "fox" or "foo") means "false." Trompe L'oeil literally means "fool the eye" and is pronounced "tromp louie." In other words, you can create the illusion that something is more than it appears. Theme parks do this all the time and you'll often see it in restaurants and resorts.

But, it can be done on a budget too without appearing that it was. The opening picture at the top of this site is a faux granite in a master bathroom. Three layers of color glaze over a solid base, plus several industrial high gloss top coats create the illusion of stone. Were the wall not textured, this illusion would be even more convincing. (Scroll the screen to the right to see the faux wall.)

In the pictures that accompany this entry, four color glazes were used over a solid base coat to create a natural stone appearance; the cracks and grout lines were hand-painted in two colors giving the appearance of age and organic growth in the more porous surfaces. The addition of aged urns and silk greenery complete the look and give dimension to the surface.

Kids' Rooms

Rooms
for kids can be a lot of fun - both for them and me! In these instances, two of the boys were huge Harley Davidson fans while the other was a John Deere fan.


In the John Deere room, I drew the plans and made the bed from lumber readily available at the box stores. The headlights, which are activated by a wall switch tied to a switched outlet, are standard track lighting while the reflectors are adhesive available at Wal*Mart. The flooring in both rooms is a garage-grade material intended for vehicle traffic. I figured if it could stand up to cars, it could survive boys. The faux barn doors grace the window while vintage signage, parking meters, and potato sacks adorn the walls. The bed has plenty of storage beneath and the wall cabinets hold games and other boxed toys. Finally, a chrome shelf on casters holds all manner of books, musical keyboards, and models. Even the toy box, unpictured, is a truck storage box to lend to the theme. The picnic basket atop the tractor was conceptualized from the lyrics to a Kenny Chesney song.


The Harley room was even more fun; the mirror is made from an old motorcycle tire set inside another tire. Seats from a 2004 Sportster fill the plant shelves over the cabinets while a bunk bed/futon provide two boys with ample sleeping and reading space. A garage drop light serves as a reading light that can be pulled to either part of the bed. The eight foot stainless-laminate counter floats atop two tool chest/cabinets available at Sears. The tool cabinets proved economical and durable, and also completed the overall theme. The drawers are filled with pajamas, underwear, and socks; the large stand-up cabinet holds all manner of clothing on four shelves. Various Harley Davidson licensed accessories fill the walls and a galvanized trash can with "Dirty Rags" serves as a laundry hamper. Switch plates and outlet covers are chromed in classic Harley style.

No detail was spared yet neither room was particularly expensive to decorate. More importantly, this incredible form also boasts significant function.

Simple Charm

Many first-time home buyers, as well as those of us on modest incomes are limited to condominiums, townhouses, or tract homes. And while a new or newer home is always nice, they sometimes lack the charm of an older bungalow or the elegance of an impressive beach mansion.

This dilemma can be solved with one or more of these techniques.

Front Doors

Tired of that old steel or fiberglass door that graces your entry way? Lacking the thousands of dollars, time, and aggravation that it takes to select and have a new one installed? The front door says a great deal about you and your home. What does a bold and beautiful door say that a dull, dirty one cannot?

In these photos, the hardware was updated and the sidelight and door were re-painted with an exterior semi-gloss paint. Then, I mixed a variety of colors on-hand and made a glaze that I then wood-grained and coated with a clear industrial gloss finish.

The result is a door that makes a dramatic statement; I love to hear the neighbors ask about the cost and species of our new wooden door. They are amazed to walk up and discover that it's the exact same door that was installed when the house was built.

Renewing Furniture

Taking old (or older) furniture and making it into something new is often the most creative and least expensive solution to keeping what you have and making it work with a new theme or decor. In these examples, you will see wood end tables, night stands, coffee tables, and store-front counters made of very old and worn formica laminate being renewed into something entirely new and refreshing. Imagine taking your structurally sound, but outdated laminate cabinets and counter faces and making them look new! This can be done for a fraction of the cost of replacing them.

With some vision, elbow grease, and the right tools and paint, I can take what worked for your decor yesterday and tailor it to what you want tomorrow. In a few years, if that proves dated and you want to change it, we can do it again.