Many of us have home offices these days. Even if you do not make your paycheck at home, you most likely have an area dedicated to your computer.
Slave to aesthetics that I am, I have lived without a printer for 9 years. I didn't want to mess up the look of my study with cables and extension cords. Well, no longer. Voila! The wireless network that came with FIOS (through Verizon) allows me to use a wireless printer! Genius! I highly recommend a wireless network if you aren't currently using one.
You might also want to consider painting a wall in chalkboard paint, perhaps the wall behind your monitor. You never know when brilliant idea might strike or you just need to leave a note about the dry cleaning.
Lighting. Because I am a design fanatic, I have an antique murano glass chandelier in my study. Because I need plenty of light, especially at night, to write these scintillating blogs (!), I have several lamps as well. Get creative with your lighting. Maybe you like art deco... scour eBay for a great art deco metal study lamp.
Everything needs its own place, especially in a study. HGD can help you organize your study so that you are more efficient. Good decor starts with good organization. 571-232-4507
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Fashion in your home?
It has been said that there is a direct correlation with home decor and the fashion runway. Oscar de la Renta just designed fabrics for Lee Jofa; Ralph Lauren produces paint, wallpaper and fabrics; Vera Wang even hawks mattresses!
This fall designers are showing military accents, army green, lace and fur. For those fashionistas out there, you can bear these trends in mind while updating your look. Remember, fashion is fickle and these are trends; they will be outdated soon so before you paint your study army green think about making a smaller less committed investment.
Lace pillows on your bed. A faux fur throw on your sofa. Army green towels in your beige bathroom.
Holcomb Gray Decor can show you how to incorporate the newest trends into your decor, without breaking your bank... so you have some money left over for your wardrobe! 571-232-4507
This fall designers are showing military accents, army green, lace and fur. For those fashionistas out there, you can bear these trends in mind while updating your look. Remember, fashion is fickle and these are trends; they will be outdated soon so before you paint your study army green think about making a smaller less committed investment.
Lace pillows on your bed. A faux fur throw on your sofa. Army green towels in your beige bathroom.
Holcomb Gray Decor can show you how to incorporate the newest trends into your decor, without breaking your bank... so you have some money left over for your wardrobe! 571-232-4507
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Simple fixes
Need to update your look but don't want to spend a lot to do it?
Consider changing your lampshades; Target, yes Target, has a variety of lampshades from which to choose.
Change the hardware on your kitchen cabinets; hardware can really date your look. A fresh wrought iron will really modernize your kitchen.
Buy some plants; a vivid orchid or a feathery fern can really adorn a room.
Buy cloth napkins in black... it goes with everything and makes a dramatic impression.
Change those throw pillows... its a lot cheaper than reupholstering your sofa. Consider a set of pillows for every season... Light linen for summer, sumptuous velvet for winter.
Use a table runner.
HGD has a number of ideas for sprucing up your old digs. 571-232-4507
Consider changing your lampshades; Target, yes Target, has a variety of lampshades from which to choose.
Change the hardware on your kitchen cabinets; hardware can really date your look. A fresh wrought iron will really modernize your kitchen.
Buy some plants; a vivid orchid or a feathery fern can really adorn a room.
Buy cloth napkins in black... it goes with everything and makes a dramatic impression.
Change those throw pillows... its a lot cheaper than reupholstering your sofa. Consider a set of pillows for every season... Light linen for summer, sumptuous velvet for winter.
Use a table runner.
HGD has a number of ideas for sprucing up your old digs. 571-232-4507
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Express yourself
You have bare walls and an empty wallet. You would love to collect art but that's for rich people, right? Wrong.
Art is simply decorative or illustrative elements in printed matter (if we are talking about art on the walls... not the myriad of other forms like sculpture or glassware). Is your five year old's broad stroke butterfly made at school art? You bet. So is that collection of vintage postcards you have.
Frame that series of japanese hand fans your grandmother gave you. Cover your hall wall with old family black and white photos (keeping all the frames in the same color family). Go to your local paint/wallpaper store and ask for their discontinued wallpaper books; pull out pages that you like and frame them.
Cut out snowflakes and frame them in black frames for winter, buy a satin covered hanger and hang a handsmocked baby dress on it in your little girl's room, hang a whole wall of baseball caps in your son's room. Old Tennis rackets as art? Yup.
Let Holcomb Gray Decor help you find your artistic side. 571-232-4507
Art is simply decorative or illustrative elements in printed matter (if we are talking about art on the walls... not the myriad of other forms like sculpture or glassware). Is your five year old's broad stroke butterfly made at school art? You bet. So is that collection of vintage postcards you have.
Frame that series of japanese hand fans your grandmother gave you. Cover your hall wall with old family black and white photos (keeping all the frames in the same color family). Go to your local paint/wallpaper store and ask for their discontinued wallpaper books; pull out pages that you like and frame them.
Cut out snowflakes and frame them in black frames for winter, buy a satin covered hanger and hang a handsmocked baby dress on it in your little girl's room, hang a whole wall of baseball caps in your son's room. Old Tennis rackets as art? Yup.
Let Holcomb Gray Decor help you find your artistic side. 571-232-4507
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Style vs Theme
So you love Paris. You've bought berets and miniature Eiffel Towers and lots of poodles and you are ready to decorate!
Hold up! Put that poodle down!
Theme decorating is great for parties and can sometimes even work for a child's room but a whole house or even just an adult room decorated in a theme is just too kitschy.
You can embrace a STYLE... let's say french provincial but you should decorate with restraint. Research the colors and textures used in that style. You can subtly convey a style; themes are a little more brazen.
It is a thin line to walk but Holcomb Gray Decor can help you navigate this tricky path.
571-232-4507
Hold up! Put that poodle down!
Theme decorating is great for parties and can sometimes even work for a child's room but a whole house or even just an adult room decorated in a theme is just too kitschy.
You can embrace a STYLE... let's say french provincial but you should decorate with restraint. Research the colors and textures used in that style. You can subtly convey a style; themes are a little more brazen.
It is a thin line to walk but Holcomb Gray Decor can help you navigate this tricky path.
571-232-4507
Monday, October 11, 2010
Going Green and saving it too
So you use Seventh Generation household products and drive a hybrid car; good for you! You're doing your part for the environment, right?
You can make some pretty green choices in your house as well. From bamboo flooring to VOC paint, you can decorate beautifully and responsibly.
Some other green venues, would include purchasing your furniture from a consignment store and your books and knick knacks from thrift stores or yard sales. In addition to being environmentally responsible, these choices are kind to your wallet as well.
Holcomb Gray Decor can help you decorate responsibly. Call us today at 571-232-4507.
You can make some pretty green choices in your house as well. From bamboo flooring to VOC paint, you can decorate beautifully and responsibly.
Some other green venues, would include purchasing your furniture from a consignment store and your books and knick knacks from thrift stores or yard sales. In addition to being environmentally responsible, these choices are kind to your wallet as well.
Holcomb Gray Decor can help you decorate responsibly. Call us today at 571-232-4507.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Decorating for dinners, brunch and Happy Hour!
So you don't need to remodel your house every time you entertain and unless you want to rival Martha Stewart you don't need to get all cute with cocktail napkins either.
However, there are a few things to bear in mind while decorating if you do like to entertain in your house.
Flow. Does your home have it? Can you easily navigate your way around the living room or are you dodging furniture and toys? Walk around; feel the flow. Maybe you have a nice big ottoman which is great for propping up your feet whilst watching the game but for that big cocktail party where most people will be standing you need to move that to an unused room.
Usable space. Are there end tables accessible to your chairs, sofa so that people can put down their drinks? Do you have enough dining space, or should you invest in a card table to give people extra room? Card tables are cheap and store easily. Next time you have a big dinner party, have several different tables in different rooms rather than cramming everybody in at one table. Antique malls have stacks of beautiful vintage tablecloths which are affordable. If you don't have pets, think about investing in big floor pillows and having a dinner party on your living room floor.
Knick knacks and what nots. Have you filled all your table space with little porcelain figurines and vases? Think about clearing your tables for a party so that people have room for their glasses, plates and such. When I entertain, I clear my kitchen countertops to make room for the dirty dishes and silverware.
Finishing touches. Do you have a stash of pretty candles and nice hand towels? New bars of scented soap? Just like how you put on those earrings to complete your outfit, dress your home up a little too.
Holcomb Gray Decor is happy to assist you in preparing for you next big shindig!
However, there are a few things to bear in mind while decorating if you do like to entertain in your house.
Flow. Does your home have it? Can you easily navigate your way around the living room or are you dodging furniture and toys? Walk around; feel the flow. Maybe you have a nice big ottoman which is great for propping up your feet whilst watching the game but for that big cocktail party where most people will be standing you need to move that to an unused room.
Usable space. Are there end tables accessible to your chairs, sofa so that people can put down their drinks? Do you have enough dining space, or should you invest in a card table to give people extra room? Card tables are cheap and store easily. Next time you have a big dinner party, have several different tables in different rooms rather than cramming everybody in at one table. Antique malls have stacks of beautiful vintage tablecloths which are affordable. If you don't have pets, think about investing in big floor pillows and having a dinner party on your living room floor.
Knick knacks and what nots. Have you filled all your table space with little porcelain figurines and vases? Think about clearing your tables for a party so that people have room for their glasses, plates and such. When I entertain, I clear my kitchen countertops to make room for the dirty dishes and silverware.
Finishing touches. Do you have a stash of pretty candles and nice hand towels? New bars of scented soap? Just like how you put on those earrings to complete your outfit, dress your home up a little too.
Holcomb Gray Decor is happy to assist you in preparing for you next big shindig!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Welcome Autumn
The sun drops a little earlier these days and when it does, the temperature goes with it. The last of summer's tomatoes cling to the vine and we find that we are not spending quite as much time mowing the lawn.
Ah, Autumn. It's descended.
So have you thought about decorating your house to reflect the changes outdoors?
We've put out our obligatory pumpkins. Have you?
Here are few other things you might consider doing....
Apples apples everywhere. Bowls of them. In the kitchen. On the dining room table. Use nature's bounty.
Scented candles. Decor encompasses all of your senses. Buy those Bergamot or Cedar Spiced candles at World Market. Invite some autumnal spice into your home
Run a runner. Find a beautiful runner at Home Goods or Pier 1 in pumpkin or cranberry and put it on your dining room table. No dining room? Pick out straw placemats in autumnal colors and use those in your kitchen.
Soaps. Buy heavily scented soaps for your bathrooms. The luxurious scent will warm you up.
Don't want to turn on the heat yet? Buy a fuzzy throw for your living room. I found some beautiful ones with crewel work details for 19.99 at HomeGoods.
Bake some bread, a pie and spice cake.
Change your candles to darker colors.
Think about investing in draperies to ward off chills from your windows.
Think about acquiring a set of china for a different time of year. I use white in the summer and heavy earthen pottery in the colder months.
Enjoy the change!
Ah, Autumn. It's descended.
So have you thought about decorating your house to reflect the changes outdoors?
We've put out our obligatory pumpkins. Have you?
Here are few other things you might consider doing....
Apples apples everywhere. Bowls of them. In the kitchen. On the dining room table. Use nature's bounty.
Scented candles. Decor encompasses all of your senses. Buy those Bergamot or Cedar Spiced candles at World Market. Invite some autumnal spice into your home
Run a runner. Find a beautiful runner at Home Goods or Pier 1 in pumpkin or cranberry and put it on your dining room table. No dining room? Pick out straw placemats in autumnal colors and use those in your kitchen.
Soaps. Buy heavily scented soaps for your bathrooms. The luxurious scent will warm you up.
Don't want to turn on the heat yet? Buy a fuzzy throw for your living room. I found some beautiful ones with crewel work details for 19.99 at HomeGoods.
Bake some bread, a pie and spice cake.
Change your candles to darker colors.
Think about investing in draperies to ward off chills from your windows.
Think about acquiring a set of china for a different time of year. I use white in the summer and heavy earthen pottery in the colder months.
Enjoy the change!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Questions & Answers!
We have been very pleasantly surprised by the readership of our new blog and while we can talk, or in this case write, a blue streak, we would love to hear what kind of decorating help you need.
Drop us a message on our Facebook page, Holcomb Gray Decor, or join our blog on Google, and let us know what your decorating dilemmas are.
We look forward to hearing from you and answering some of those questions!
Drop us a message on our Facebook page, Holcomb Gray Decor, or join our blog on Google, and let us know what your decorating dilemmas are.
We look forward to hearing from you and answering some of those questions!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Appetizing ideas
The kitchen is the heart of the home. Whether or not you love to cook, most of your parties will end up 'round the fridge. So let's make sure that the magnets on the refrigerator are not your only decor.
Use what you eat. Have a table in your kitchen? One of the fastest ways to make a kitchen more appealing is to feature fruits and vegetables in a pottery bowl. Its cheap, its easy and you can feast more than just your eyes.
Those pretty cookbooks can be used to stimulate visual interests; purchase a book holder, wrought iron is nice, and open your favorite cookbook, illustrated of course, to an especially pretty page. Instant counter art.
Hide what you don't use daily. Not a big baker? You don't need that KitchenAid mixer sitting out on the countertop. You could probably use more prep space anyway; who couldn't?
Scour thrift stores, or even Target, for inexpensive pretty prints... of what else, food. A nice still life of lemons, a cute print of a coffee cup, even a poster of a pepper. Don't ignore the walls of your kitchen.
If you are not fortunate enough to have some sort of shelving in your kitchen, install some. Feature tea cups, spice jars, salt and pepper shakers. Too kitschy? Prop up your prettiest plates or simply line up your nice crystal wine glasses.
Think about the color in your kitchen. Do you have a lot of natural light? Lucky you. Need to warm/brighten things up? Consider spicy colors or vibrant yellows.
HGD can help get things cooking in your kitchen. 571-232-4507
Use what you eat. Have a table in your kitchen? One of the fastest ways to make a kitchen more appealing is to feature fruits and vegetables in a pottery bowl. Its cheap, its easy and you can feast more than just your eyes.
Those pretty cookbooks can be used to stimulate visual interests; purchase a book holder, wrought iron is nice, and open your favorite cookbook, illustrated of course, to an especially pretty page. Instant counter art.
Hide what you don't use daily. Not a big baker? You don't need that KitchenAid mixer sitting out on the countertop. You could probably use more prep space anyway; who couldn't?
Scour thrift stores, or even Target, for inexpensive pretty prints... of what else, food. A nice still life of lemons, a cute print of a coffee cup, even a poster of a pepper. Don't ignore the walls of your kitchen.
If you are not fortunate enough to have some sort of shelving in your kitchen, install some. Feature tea cups, spice jars, salt and pepper shakers. Too kitschy? Prop up your prettiest plates or simply line up your nice crystal wine glasses.
Think about the color in your kitchen. Do you have a lot of natural light? Lucky you. Need to warm/brighten things up? Consider spicy colors or vibrant yellows.
HGD can help get things cooking in your kitchen. 571-232-4507
Appetizing ideas
The kitchen is the heart of the home. Whether or not you love to cook, most of your parties will end up 'round the fridge. So let's make sure that the magnets on the refrigerator are not your only decor.
Use what you eat. Have a table in your kitchen? One of the fastest ways to make a kitchen more appealing is to feature fruits and vegetables in a pottery bowl. Its cheap, its easy and you can feast more than just your eyes.
Those pretty cookbooks can be used to stimulate visual interests; purchase a book holder, wrought iron is nice, and open your favorite cookbook, illustrated of course, to an especially pretty page. Instant counter art.
Hide what you don't use daily. Not a big baker? You don't need that KitchenAid mixer sitting out on the countertop. You could probably use more prep space anyway; who couldn't?
Scour thrift stores, or even Target, for inexpensive pretty prints... of what else, food. A nice still life of lemons, a cute print of a coffee cup, even a poster of a pepper. Don't ignore the walls of your kitchen.
If you are not fortunate enough to have some sort of shelving in your kitchen, install some. Feature tea cups, spice jars, salt and pepper shakers. Too kitschy? Prop up your prettiest plates or simply line up your nice crystal wine glasses.
Think about the color in your kitchen. Do you have a lot of natural light? Lucky you. Need to warm/brighten things up? Consider spicy colors or vibrant yellows.
HGD can help get things cooking in your kitchen. 571-232-4507
Use what you eat. Have a table in your kitchen? One of the fastest ways to make a kitchen more appealing is to feature fruits and vegetables in a pottery bowl. Its cheap, its easy and you can feast more than just your eyes.
Those pretty cookbooks can be used to stimulate visual interests; purchase a book holder, wrought iron is nice, and open your favorite cookbook, illustrated of course, to an especially pretty page. Instant counter art.
Hide what you don't use daily. Not a big baker? You don't need that KitchenAid mixer sitting out on the countertop. You could probably use more prep space anyway; who couldn't?
Scour thrift stores, or even Target, for inexpensive pretty prints... of what else, food. A nice still life of lemons, a cute print of a coffee cup, even a poster of a pepper. Don't ignore the walls of your kitchen.
If you are not fortunate enough to have some sort of shelving in your kitchen, install some. Feature tea cups, spice jars, salt and pepper shakers. Too kitschy? Prop up your prettiest plates or simply line up your nice crystal wine glasses.
Think about the color in your kitchen. Do you have a lot of natural light? Lucky you. Need to warm/brighten things up? Consider spicy colors or vibrant yellows.
HGD can help get things cooking in your kitchen. 571-232-4507
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Small changes, big impact
Sometimes in life, we are "handed" an opportunity to start anew. These opportunities come in different forms... new baby, new marriage, divorce, death, inheritance, job loss... we never know how life will treat us.
We do know that we need our home to be our haven, especially when we go through drastic change.
So how do you know how to make changes without creating upheaval?
Start with basics... pare down. Going through a divorce? Pack up those wedding gifts you were never fond of but were too polite to toss.
New baby? Let's shelve away all those breakables for a while.
Job loss? Let's make sure your home office is adequately prepared for brainstorming.
Any time is a good time to reevaluate color and how it impacts you. Did your ex-hubby choose the living room paint color? Change it. Is the red dining room too dramatic for you while you are experiencing a life change? Tone it down.
Let's finally get rid of those college paperbacks and upgrade to some investable hardbacks. Let's take down the old wedding photos in the office and hang up a cork board, framed of course, so that we can tack up new ideas.
Baby all grown up? Let's donate those plastic sippy cups and purchase some nice tumblers from Crate & Barrel.
Want to dramatically change a room without spending much money? Take those drapes hanging from the windowsill and hang them from the molding/inch below the ceiling.
Tired of that old print poster from the museum of art? Invest in a mirror, which will broaden the room and brighten it as well.
Put a simple smile on your face by just changing the candles from cream to chartreuse.
Holcomb Gray Decor can help you make the transition. Call us today at 571-232-4507.
We do know that we need our home to be our haven, especially when we go through drastic change.
So how do you know how to make changes without creating upheaval?
Start with basics... pare down. Going through a divorce? Pack up those wedding gifts you were never fond of but were too polite to toss.
New baby? Let's shelve away all those breakables for a while.
Job loss? Let's make sure your home office is adequately prepared for brainstorming.
Any time is a good time to reevaluate color and how it impacts you. Did your ex-hubby choose the living room paint color? Change it. Is the red dining room too dramatic for you while you are experiencing a life change? Tone it down.
Let's finally get rid of those college paperbacks and upgrade to some investable hardbacks. Let's take down the old wedding photos in the office and hang up a cork board, framed of course, so that we can tack up new ideas.
Baby all grown up? Let's donate those plastic sippy cups and purchase some nice tumblers from Crate & Barrel.
Want to dramatically change a room without spending much money? Take those drapes hanging from the windowsill and hang them from the molding/inch below the ceiling.
Tired of that old print poster from the museum of art? Invest in a mirror, which will broaden the room and brighten it as well.
Put a simple smile on your face by just changing the candles from cream to chartreuse.
Holcomb Gray Decor can help you make the transition. Call us today at 571-232-4507.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Making a collective impact
Let's say you've always loved teapots. Or over the years, you have accrued quite the matchbook collection. Maybe your grandmother started giving you Lladro when you were small or perhaps you just can't explain why you need beer cans from around the world.
Collections. I think we all have them in some form. And we want to show them off; that's great! Nothing gives a glimpse into a personality better than a collection. However, there is definitely a RIGHT way to display your collection.
Groupings make an impact; assorted pieces strewn here and there may you look like a hoarder. Designate one wall for that Hand Fan collection. Use an entire bookshelf for your elephant collection; Do Not place an elephant in every room.
Collections can be charming; display them so they are so.
Need help making a statement with your collection? HGD can help you with that. 571-232-4507
Collections. I think we all have them in some form. And we want to show them off; that's great! Nothing gives a glimpse into a personality better than a collection. However, there is definitely a RIGHT way to display your collection.
Groupings make an impact; assorted pieces strewn here and there may you look like a hoarder. Designate one wall for that Hand Fan collection. Use an entire bookshelf for your elephant collection; Do Not place an elephant in every room.
Collections can be charming; display them so they are so.
Need help making a statement with your collection? HGD can help you with that. 571-232-4507
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