Decorating a room can be fraught with problems. When all you want is a nice space in which to relax, choosing your color is enough to raise your stress levels before you’ve even picked up a brush. But if you have fun with the process, all that anxiety will melt away. That’s the firm belief of Nicole Gibbons, who hosts a home improvement show on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
Here are some more of her secrets to creating a beautiful space to call your own.
Try Before You Buy and Don’t Be Afraid
Most home improvement stores will provide small, inexpensive sample pots of paint or color swatches for you to take home with you. Make the very best use of these that you can. You can splash different colors over different areas of the walls you want to paint and get an indication of what the end result will look like.
That means that you don’t have to commit to buying a whole bucket of paint. More importantly, you don’t have to face up to that horrible “uh-oh” moment when you realize it doesn’t look as good on the wall as you thought it might. These samples allow you to be bold but safe at the same time!
Colors Change Perceptions
There’s scientific evidence of color changing the way we look at things. Some hues make us feel hemmed in, others make us feel free. A lighter shade gives the impression of a room being larger than it really is. This is why colors like white and light blue are more common in apartments than more spacious family homes which can justify darker colors.
If the room you’re painting is smaller than average, an airy color can create space. The samples should help you decide on which shade is perfect for your tastes, but even if you’ve settled on an option before discovering you don’t like it, don’t worry. Unlike hanging wallpaper, you can always paint over it and start over with minimal expense!
We all love celebrity style - why else do people buy the latest magazines, search online for their fave stars, and watch awards ceremonies? It’s also great to get a peek inside their homes and see how they have decorated the interior. Of course, many can afford to design their homes whatever way they wish, money simply isn’t an object.
However, some celebrities have a real passion for design, and they have used this to form a business. Now you can steal their style and bring a bit of star power into home. These three big names are making a splash on the interiors scene, Kelly Clarkson, Drew Barrymore, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Singer and chat show host Kelly Clarkson has her own exclusive line with Wayfair, the online furniture giant Wayfair. The theme is “French country”, which is her preference. Buyers can choose feminine soft furnishings and antique-style vases to add to their home. Clarkson said that home has always been “a sanctuary” where she spends quality time with her family, and hopes the line brings peace and comfort that she feels in her own space.
Flower Home, is a partnership project between actress and producer Drew Barrymore and Walmart. The designer collection is affordable but also gorgeous. Barrymore’s outlook was global, she said she wanted to reflect designs from around the world, so there are plenty of colorful objects. She wants each piece to bring joy to homeowners and at $10 for wallpaper, it’s also easy on the pocket.
Gwyneth Paltrow already has an empire with Goop, and the brand recently launched a home collection. Goop and Tempaper partnered to create a subtle pink wallpaper called “Wings” with gray and white bird scenes from nature. This peel and stick wallpaper start from $125, and there’s more to come.