The New Year Statement: Black, Gold and White All Year Round!

           With New Years around the corner, everyone seems to be  adorning their houses in blacks, golds and whites and searching for that perfect black dress with a dash of gold or those perfect glittered pair of heels. My question is why stop there? Take the gold, black and white tones of New Year all the way to 2016! Let this classic theme be an inspiration for your home decor throughout the year. Dressing up your interiors in gold, black and white not only keeps you classy and stylish but also gives you a chance to finally have colors in your home that appeal to both sexes. This New Year inspired theme allows you to be bold, classic with a touch of splendor. You could go completely black and white with a dash of gold or mix and match the colors equally.

             Firstly let's start with the living room. Comfort and style is a tough outcome to achieve in decor but with this theme you can.  The black and white offers style while the gold tones can be comforting. Let the theme flow from your cushions to your lighting and even to your walls.

(Source: www.blog.styleestate.com)

(Source: www.bloglovin.com)

(Source: www.hobbylobby.com)

            Let's look at bedroom decor! White sheets, sequined pillow covers and lamps in clean black lines. Or you could go with themed prints - the black and white chevron print being my personal favorite!                                                                        

(Source: www.macys.com)

(Source: www.bloglovin.com)

(Source: www.indulgy.com)

(Source : www.redagape.com)

                        Paint your bathroom doors, walls and fixtures in these hues or take the sparkle and the black to your staircase or your kitchen. The possibilities of this look are endless. If you don't want to commit completely how about starting with a few smaller decor items like lamps or mirrors or some word art adornments?

(Source: www.colincowieweddings.com & www.everygirl.com)

(Source: www.bloglovin.com & www.everygirl.com)

(Source: www.etsy.com)

(Source: www.etsy.com)

                              Let 2016 be the year of gilded bed posts and aurelian lanterns paired with dusky sofa sets and raven mirrors against neutral walls or ivory curtains. The most important aspect of this theme is you can interpret it to be classic, relaxed, bold or even bohochic. You can interpret it to be you!

                            

                     

Party Decor Tips

December is the official party month with Christmas parties, New Year's parties & family gatherings being the norm. Here are some tips to throw a super party!


Candlelight & Fairy Lights : Light up candles and tea lights all around the house including the bathrooms. Make sure to stick to complimentary fragrances. Hang fairy lights wherever possible - drape it over plants, inside vases, around your table... Soft lights everywhere!

Glitter Balloons : Blow some balloons and dip them in a mix of glue and glitter. If you do this too early, the balloons may deflate.

Glass Markers & Charms: If you don't want your guests drinks to get mixed up, use these glass charms. Each one is unique, so the guest just needs to remember his / her charm.

Mutli tiered trays : Two and three tiered trays can be used to serve finger food and also used for decor. Decorate them with some thank you notes, special greetings and Christmas ornaments.

Wreaths : Use wreath as a centre piece for your table decor. Place a candle in the centre.

Party Props : If you want your guests to have some fun time, place a few of these party props around the house to make for some memorable pictures.

Ice Buckets & Caddies: Make sure you have stocked up on drinks, and serve them in large buckets to keep them chilled.

(Images courtesy Pinterest and Sanctum)

Burlap Ideas 2 - Have yourself a Burlapped Christmas!

          While Christmas decor might be a lot of shine and glitter to some, we think a little rustic Christmas would be a great idea to keep us warm this year. Instead of glitter and color, why not work with some old-fashioned elegant decor? And what says rustic more than burlap?! This warm and natural material (mustn't forget cheap!) is perfect to turn your Christmas decor around!

            You can burlap your way around a Christmas tree or you can adorn your door with a Christmas wreath.

(Source: www.diyncrafts.com)

(Source: www.diyncrafts.com)

(Source: www.diyncrafts.com)

(Source: www.diyncrafts.com)

         White and brown can be the tone of Christmas this year and these candles not only are elegant but also give a natural earthy feel to your decor.

(Source: Made to style)

          

       You can't go wrong with these stylish burlap stockings. You can decorate them with festive colors or just add some lace and pearls for a more charming finish.

(Source: www.extremepassion.com)

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                        And if you don't want to dress your tree in burlap all the way here are some pictures to give you ideas for burlap ornaments.

(Source: Pinterest)

(Source: Etsy)

              With burlap and decorations, the sky is your limit!... Christmas just gives you a chance to experiment!

Burlap Ideas

Burlap is an easily available & cheap material yet it is not used much in home decor. There are countless ways to incorporate burlap in your decor for a rustic charm. Here are some:

1. Pillows : If you don't fancy using a sewing machine, ask your tailor to make a pillow case for you. You can stitch on a colourful patch or motif to add colour.

2. Pin up Board : Use burlap as the background for your soft board.

3. Table Runner : Add lace trimmings and you have an unusual table cover!

4. Buntings : Burlap buntings will look different and you can use some fabric paint on them to customise.

5. Christmas Stockings : Since it's December, how can we forget Christmas stockings?

(All images from Pinterest)

Bring the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to your home!

       While the Hanging Gardens of Babylon may no longer be available for viewing, they can serve as an inspiration for us to add a little more airborne greenery to our homes. Be it in the forms of pots with overflowing plants hanging from our ceilings or creepers intertwining our pillars, there appears to be a lot of choices available for "Hanging Gardens" in our homes. Experimentation is possible with  the plant species you hang as well as the container you use to suspend them in. Plants can be hung in their earthen pots or with no pot at all leaving the ball-like root system exposed. If you're going to be working your green thumb you might as well be eco-friendly and use cold drink plastic bottles or old wine bottles as pots. Go vintage and grow some plants in an empty hanging bird cage. This way you'll have the birds coming to you! And how cute is the idea to grow plants in empty glass bulbs. This idea can be applied to other glassware too! Turning parts of your home into little 'Hanging Gardens' is definitely possible with infinite ideas to choose from.

(Source: www,spaldingbulb.co.uk)

(Source: www.homegardenair.com)

(Source: www.home-review.com)

(Source: www.pinterest.com)

(Source: www.diyandcraftsideas.com)

(Source: www.pinterest,com)

Twig Decor

Winter is approaching & you can see the trees shedding their leaves all around you. The next time you come across a dried branch or twig, how about picking them up and using them in your home? They add a rustic touch to your home decor if placed in a vase. If you want a festive look, drape some fairy lights over them. Another great idea would be to hang ornaments, pompoms, paper cut outs or even small handwritten notes from them depending on the sturdiness of the dried arrangement. Or make a chime or a hanger for a doorway or balcony like this:

 (Image: Aliexpress)

                                                     (Image: littlemillhouse)

                                                    (Image: pinterest)

                                           (Image:theinspiredroom)

                                              (Image: ebay)

Incorporating minimalism

Minimalism in home decor is a huge trend these days. Minimalism is clean, modern & sophisticated. It's all about keeping a few pieces & not cluttering up your homes with countless things. Some tips:

1. Keep a neutral base with walls, flooring, large furniture
2. Quality not quantity : Use less but use the best
3. Keep it clean : Don't put too many things on the console, coffee tables or elsewhere.

The furniture has simple, clean lines. No carved or heavy looking items. Very few decor items used.

(Image: architectureinteriordesign)

White walls, white sofas, patterned rugs

                                      (Image:aussielivinghomes)

Some greens for the bathroom too

Plants are therapeutic. Surround yourself with greenery and see their magical effect on you. Plants should not be limited to the balcony, open spaces or to the lone indoor one. Find out which plants will do well in your home depending on the sunlight you get and head to the local nursery. Also, think of plants as long term flowers & don't stop adding greens to your home just because some of them die after a few months.

Ferns are very low maintenance and thrive in bathrooms due to the humidity. They make the bathroom look lush green giving a rainforest effect. You can place them on the window sill or hang some from the ceiling. Water them every couple of days & see them flourish!

If space permits, you can place plants in all nooks and corners of the bathroom

                                     (Image Courtesy: decoist)

Hanging from the showerhead is a splendid idea.

                                                  (Image Courtesy: gardenista)


Bathroom shelf, window sill, countertops are great to place plants too

(Image Courtesy: lushhome)