Try these (FREE!) decorating tips at home

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In this week's Home Inspirations column I thought I would share a few of my favorite decorating tips! 

 

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• August 27, 2011

 

When I speak to organizations throughout southwest Florida, I always offer some tips that my audience can actually go home that day and either try them out or include them in the decorating plan in their own homes. 

Try some of these ideas for making quick changes that may make you like your home a lot more! 

The best news: Many of them are absolutely free or will cost very little to implement. My top decorating trips that anyone can implement are listed below. Give them a try! 

• Keep your decorating plan simple and uncomplicated.

• Declutter. It makes all the difference: Start with the refrigerator magnets and work through old stacks of magazines. Then remove some furniture if your room seems too crowded.

• Color is a decorator's most valuable tool and it can be yours as well. Follow this color rule for distributing color and you can't go wrong: 20% walls, 30% furniture, 10% accessories.

 • When selecting paint colors, follow nature as your guide. Mother Nature has perfected the color palette so imitate her. This is a rule I always follow and I have never been sorry.  See below:

Photo of nature's colorsOne of nature's color palletes photographed at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

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Take it outside: Tips for affordable, fun and functional outdoor living space

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We are having a sizzling summer in southwest Florida and most of us are staying as close to the air conditioning as possible!  However, summer will not last forever and now is a good time to think about these tips from my article in ASID Professional Design Magazine. They will help you to enjoy your your outdoor spaces when the weather allows time on the lanai or porch!  
  
Special to ASID Professional Design magazine, Summer 2011Photo of cover of ASID Professional Design magazine
 
By Wrenda Goodwyn, ASID Industry Partner
As a decorator, I have always believed the outdoor space is as important as the  indoor space.  It extends your living area, adds an additional room to the home and can be a cozy retreat.  Whether designing a small patio in a condo or apartment, a huge lanai with pool or a screened porch, it can be the favorite part of a Florida home all year.  And it can be done affordably!
 
Come up with a plan. Do you want this to be an extension of the living area through open doors (use similar fabric and furnishings) or do you want it to be a separate nook apart from the living area (use wicker, antiques, eclectic collections).  How do you want the space to feel?  Tropical, beach cottage, contemporary, country, cozy, etc.   Be sure to work with the client to determine your direction and have a plan before they begin making purchases!
 
Furniture: Incorporate weather- resistant furniture: sofa, chairs, chaise lounges, dining table.  My favorites:  rattan sea grass, wicker, metal, mosaic table tops.  (Pottery Barn, West Elm, Aida Gray Home, Pier 1, Restoration Hardware).  Tip:  Think comfort. Source: West Elm.
 
Color: Tropical paint colors and fabric prints.  Tip:  This is a chance to do something a little different than anywhere else in the home.  Bright and tropical or more muted and subdued colors.  
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Home sweet dorm: Tips for transforming a room into a functional space

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Since this may be the week that you are putting the final touches on a decorating plan for someone heading to college, you may be interested in some of these tips from this weekend's "Home Inspirations" column. They also work for a home bedroom for a teen or 'tween!

 Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• July 31, 2011

The first time most students walk into their dorm room they are greeted with four (white or beige) walls and a somewhat sad single bed. Let's face it. It is not a pretty picture.

Photo of bedroomFrom Pottery Barn: Key West wall mural is background to room done in blue/green tones.But with a few tips and some thoughtful, creative planning, it can be transformed into a cheerful and creative living and study space that will be functional and fun for nine months!

Decide on a color scheme.

You may not be allowed to paint the walls but you can come up with a color palate that will set the tone.
Select a style that works for you.

A young college-bound student had me decorate her bedroom at home a few years ago. A theater-major, she was all about everything Broadway. The room was purple and well, spectacular. With murals of NYC, lighting effects and filled with Playbills and framed memorabilia. I was sure that she would want to take this theme with her as she embarks on her college adventure. But she told me this week, no. Not the case. She will take a few small mementos from home but she looks at college as a new start. She will be using blue-green tones and a beach theme. A new chapter and a fresh new style.

Focal point: the bed. Accent pillows, throws, sheets and comforters should be where you put the bulk of your budget.

Photo of coolersFrom Pottery Barn: Mini coolers in cool colors.

Consider storage. Always at a premium you will want to maximize every inch: Under the bed with risers. Vertical shelving. Hanging closet organizers. Cube ottomans that double as storage.

Really cool (and comfortable) sphere chair (very inexpensive) that folds up. Drawers that break apart and can go under bed.

Declutter. Start on day one! Only take what you will use and don't be afraid to send some back with mom and dad. You should leave some space open so that you can move and have space for friends to visit. Remember: Less is more and this is a good time to simplify your lifestyle.

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Travels: Haunting and beautiful Mendocino on my mind

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Mendocino has cast a spell on me. A good spell.

It is probably the fact that it is a quaint, very rustic village that time has forgotten. Setting on a rugged Photo of Mendocinobluff overlooking the Pacific, two hours north of San Francisco, the journey to get to this paradise is not for the faint of heart. But the Mendocino coast rewards those who make the journey with a setting that is pure heaven.

Or maybe it is isolated enough that the 700 or so people who live there seem pleasantly far removed from what goes on in the world.  For a few days I was happily one of them. In this unspoiled paradise.

It is right out of a movie.  Literally.  Many have been shot in this picturesque town, including East of Eden.  The historic Blair House was the setting for Murder She Wrote.

But for me, it is always about the houses.  The people who live in them now and in the past.Photo of Mendocino House with Wildflowers

Mendocino was  settled in the mid 19th century during the lumber boom and then the gold rush. In the 1950's it was primarily an artist colony.  Today it has a handful of galleries, organic restaurants with names like the Moosse Cafe and a few shops.   The historic Mendocino Hotel where you can have a delicious dinner and wine overlooking the bluffs. A Mendocino beach with driftwoodbeautiful beach filled with driftwood.  Hiking trails at Headlands State Park that wind out to cliffs filled with wildflowers and overlooking the ocean and the village. 

The homes are an eclectic combination of salt boxes, cottages, Queen Anne and Gothic Revival. The town is on the National Register of historic places.

Nearby, you can go to Glass Beach and wade through the tidal pools and pick up bits of colorful glass left over from the days going back to 1949 when it was a public dump. Or take a scenic tour on the Skunk Train of the Redwoods east of Fort Bragg by the Noyo River.

But the best part is just being in the little village of Mendocino. Haunting and spiritual. It casts a spell  that follows you home and it lingers for a long time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travels: Living like a local on the streets of San Francisco

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Photo of San Francisco BridgeI have always wanted to live in San Francisco.
 
Of course I have also wanted to live in London, the Cotswolds, Zurich, Key West, Mendocino, New York  and a long list of other places that have captured my heart.
 
But San Francisco is a place that has always made me wonder what it must be like to live in this beautiful, vibrant city. So I did. Sort of. 
 
My home away from home for four great days was the Photo of Telegraph HillLoft on Lombard. Located at the foot of Telegraph Hill and historic Coit Tower, this condo is part of the worldwide selection of great places that HomeAway offers that make you feel like you are living like a local no matter where you travel.  It is the best way to really feel like you are part of a city for a few days. 
 
Offering all of the amenities of a high rise city lifestyle, Photo of Loft on Lombardthis warm and comfortable 600-plus square foot loft gave me a peak of the Bay Bridge. Across the street is the historic Del Monte building.  It was the best reservation I have ever made. For me, it is always about the décor, wherever I go.  This little slice of San Francisco had it all.  A terrific window seat that frames the window and views. A contemporary kitchen  with  state of the art appliances and Ceasarstone countertops. The living room has high ceilings and contemporary furnishings. There are lots of books on architecture and art. I was right at home. 
 
It was only a short two block walk to the cable car and from here I could go anywhere. China Town.  Union Square. I left the car in the garage and walked to Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli square, the Embarcadero, Pier 39. Five minutes from my favorite Fog City Diner. I went to the market. Walked the streets. Ate seafood on the Wharf. Felt like a local. I liked it.
 Photo of Ghiradelli Square