I have a confession to make.
I love Design Magazines. Flipping through the pages, daydreaming, pretending I'm in those beautiful photos on the 54th floor looking over an amazing urban view surrounded by pretty things.... A girl can dream, right?
Take me there! Via here
I don't need any excuses to look through my piles and pile of magazines (which I keep in seperate color coded binders, naturally). After all, it is professional literature (Mommy's working, honey).
But if you really want to learn something from magazines, it's not enough to just flip through them ooohing and aaaahing as you go along. Like I wrote in an earlier post about using inspiration - if you don't ask yourself - what is it about this photo that's working- if you don't translate it into actions - you will have a hard time replicating what you loved, and will probably just end up copying and pasting instead. A more critical approach will reveal the true secrets of the trade that you can use to create different moods in your home.
And b/c last week I spoke about balance, here are three tricks I learned from studying magazines - all about creating balance in your home. Specifically, your coffee table.
And b/c last week I spoke about balance, here are three tricks I learned from studying magazines - all about creating balance in your home. Specifically, your coffee table.
Marble + Flowers = Love. From SmallShopStudio
Tip Number 1:
Balancing shapes. Are you using a stack of rectangular magazines? Place a nice round bowl on top of them, or place them on a round table. Too many angular shapes (square sofa, rectangular picture frames, square coffee table...) will give a harsh pointy feeling to a room. Counteracting these shapes with some round ones will give a more cozy and soft feeling. The more round shapes you use, the cozier the room will feel - like in the picture above.
Try It: Look around the room -are you balancing both shapes in the room? Well, are you?
The table's kind of cool, too. Via here
Tip Number 2:
The tray.
You've seen it in every magazine, style blog, Pinterest board and Home makeover show - what's up with that?!
To understand the use of the tray, let's take a look at art. Many painting start with a canvas. The artist will decide on the composition based on the canvas. And the composition is one of the most important part of the painting. It will decide the mood of the piece - peaceful or tense? Happy or sad? Busy or quiet? It will lead our eye across the painting. It will set the tone of our reaction to the art piece.
Trays are the same.
When we place things in a tray (with purpose, not just chuck them in:) it's like three dimensional art. This will help us lead someones eyes throughout the room, set the mood - you get the picture. Curate these trays with purpose.
How?
Mix useful objects with little nicknacks that make you smile. It doesn't have to be something expensive, just a little private joke with yourself. And remember to keep your colour scheme in mind.
Try It: fill a tray with 5 objects in different sizes. Play around with the composition until you're pleased.
Picture via here
Tip Number 3:
Some gold. Or silver. Or bronze.
A little bit of bling goes a long way, weather it's something you picked up at the flea market for a couple of bucks, or a fancy heirloom that's been in the family for centuries - us humans have a long lasting relationship with anything shiny. Going for a dramatic look? Mix metals with black or grey. Want something a bit softer? Go for pinks and pastels. Don't let your stigmas about gold in home decor get the best of you, give it a try!
And now it's your turn. What great home styling tips do you swear by?
Share in the comments section below.
XO
Elisheva
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