Affordable Decor

Hello and Happy Easter! I have a few photos to share from visits to some of my favorite retail stores. I also want to highlight my appreciation for visual merchandising. I'm sure my fellow design enthusiasts take a snap shot or two when faced with beautiful displays or beautiful pieces of furniture.
First, a random walk-in to Beverly's, the craft and fabric store, and home accessories! One can easily pass this store up not thinking to find home accessories since there is an overload of artificial flowers and  fabrics in every shade known to man displayed in the store front. But little by little I've noticed decorative pieces mixed in with the arts and crafts overload. To my surprise I was visually tantalized by the beautiful display of house goods..

I was loving this British flag three drawer side table. Highlight this artistic piece by placing it in a heavy traffic area in your home. The aged look along with the design would be an interesting accent in your home.

Another British themed piece. What a fun and clever wine rack design!

And it just kept getting better. I love these trunks! Another interesting idea to add to your home. I would use these in my living room as end tables and of course storage. Or use them as night stands in your bedroom.

Beverly's had an abundance of accessories that I personally think would be great for filling large gaps in book shelves. Any one of these accessories would add visual pleasure to a boring book display.

I'm a sucker for clustered displays of merchandise. There is something so visually pleasing when I see gorgeous accessories so well coordinated in the display. I get so locked into staring at displays that I forget what I was supposed to buy. If my daughter wasn't with me on this day, I would probably linger for a good two hours just creepily staring.

These Buddha statues were my favorite and I love how the decorative turquoise vases are mixed in.

 French country section..

I made a pit stop at Ross and found this lovely turquoise bench. A perfect seating area in a mud room or foyer. The clean lined bench in a bold non-typical bench color adds a dash of style to a bland space. I put my MGSIMPLESTYLE stamp on this bench.

 Row of Buddha's.

Decorative bookend.

Onto TJ Maxx.  

Perfect lamps for a coastal room theme! I love the detailed lamp base and the print on the shade is a perfect topping.

Coastal, or simply chic decorative pieces? The curvature in these are so feminine. 

Soft colored country tables. The perfect sized table to add in a foyer; place a decorative vase with fresh flowers and your guests will be instantly greeted with your personal style.

 more of Buddha.

Check out the fun print on this piggy bank. Snug this little fellow in between a stack of books to accessorize that book shelf.

Wood carved ottoman. There is something rustic and masculine about this piece. A great accessory to add to a "man room"

More cluster displays. I love the soothing green color of these frames. Frames are yet another great addition for filling spaces on a book shelf or if small enough you can find stylish frames such as these to use for a bedside gallery.

These were beautiful! And the best part is they were only $5 each. I should have snagged them as I'm sure with that price they are no longer there. That's the thing about bargain shopping; you have to get it while you're there so you don't have sleepless nights of regret for that bargain piece you failed to follow through with. So from one bargain hunter to the other, go with your instinct. If you love it, GET IT!

Beautifying your home is more accessible and affordable than it was a decade ago. Don't think that just because a room is beautifully decorated that its full of  pricey pieces. There is a sea of affordable home decor available at mainstream retailers fit for your style and budget that I am happy to highlight and share.~MG

Couch Pillow Placement

I received a recent inquiry about couch pillow placement; how should they be placed and the maximum amount of pillows you should add. My personal rule of thumb is place as many pillows on your couch as long as you and your guests are still able to sit comfortably. Of course the bigger and plush the couch the more pillows you can add but don't go adding 50 pillows to where your guests end up sitting on the floor. You can mix and match your pillows from geometric patterns to floral design. My tip is if you do use several patterns, break up the busy-ness by pulling a solid color from one of the pillows to tie it together and make it a little easier on the eyes.

in this photo: trina turk pillow embroidered linen jungle bloom gray/blue

dl rhein mod link robin's egg embroidered pillow bindi stripe swoon dl rhein mod link robins egg embroidered linen pillow

As far as arrangement, It highly depends on your organization style. If you have a casual design with a room full of mix matched patterns, I say randomly place your pillows on the couch just like this...

via amandacarverdesigns.com

If you have a very detail organized room neatly coordinate your pillows..

via homes-design.net

There's nothing wrong with a single pillow. It adds a simple compliment to your couch. Another rule of thumb, if you have leather couches, select soft plush pillows. The soft texture breaks up the cold feeling of the leather couch and brings warmth and comfort.

via archzine.org

If you a have super sleek contemporary couch and you want to bring in some warmth, bring in matching pillows such as these to make for an inviting seating area. There is nothing more cold and uninviting  than leather on leather with white on white. 

in this photo: Thomaspaul - Mod Mex Banner Violet Pillow

Toss pillows are an easy accessory to replace. Alternate them between seasons or style them together. Either way it brings instant change to your room that you won't regret~MG

DIY: Herringbone Theme Wall

One of my favorite solutions for a refreshing change in any space is paint. A fresh coat instantly transforms a room without changing anything else. To make for an even bolder change, create an accent wall using multiple colors. I've come across several DIY accent walls and the herringbone design is one my favorites! The simple sleek design is a stylish and easy enough pattern to create. One of my favorite DIY projects comes from DIY duo, Ashley and Eric from Design Build Love. Check out how they tackle the herringbone design in their laundry room. Don't let the angles intimidate you...it's a lot easier than you think..

I admit that the downside of painting is prep work but I can't stress enough how important it is to properly prepare to get that smooth finish. Once all that pain in the arse prep work is complete its time to have fun. Choose your base paint color and use strong adhesive paint tape for the pattern. Ashley recommended Frog Tape. I've seen the infomercial for this and was instantly sold on the paint block technology leaving clean lines after peeling it away. I've used that blue stuff plenty of times and had to go back to fix my straight edge design.

Next, the pattern..To simplify, locate the mid point of the wall and draw your vertical line to get two even sections. Find the center of section one and draw your vertical line; do the same for section two. Now you have four even sections and ready to draw your chevron pattern. Evenly space the chevrons as you go and begin taping over your template.

Choose your desired colors. Ashley and Eric used multiple neutral shades.

Have fun with it. You can either make a consecutive or random pattern..Either way, your end result will look great!

And VOILA! I love this! I don't know about you but I wouldn't mind doing laundry with this stylish pattern facing me.

 For detailed instructions check out designbuildlove.co.

More DIY herringbone accent walls. Get inspired to create a simple change in your home. 

via saraplus2.blogspot.com

via apartmenttherapy.com

via improvemental.com

Here's a tip..if you're afraid to steer away from one color to multiple and pattern design, start off by painting a small space in your house. Even if it is just a laundry room or maybe a pantry, the change really does go a long way.~MG

Color Inspiration: From Trendy Color Block Shoes

Spring style is here and I'm noticing that color blocking is the current fashion trend in just about anything. I walked into DSW not too long ago and found an array of stylish color block shoes in the brightest and boldest colors you can imagine. I was memorized by the color combos and wished that I myself was bold enough to wear different colors of the rainbow since I naturally lean towards the Wednesday Addams look. As I'm walking through the store the interior design voices in my head start speaking to me and I begin to wonder how these colors will look in a room. So I took color inspiration from some of my favorite color combo shoes and translated them into interior decor color schemes... 

 Fuchsia and Orange with hints of gold. These colors scream GIRLY GIRL...

I couldn't tell which color was more dominating so I tried to use both orange and fuchsia as evenly as possible like on the shoe. I splashed some gold accents and a few neutralizing tones to make it easier to look at. If I added any more fuchsia or orange the display would be a potential hazard to your eyeballs. I would love to sit in this room in real life and feel the energy. Would it be pleasantly relaxing because of its stylish decor, or give you the same feeling when you've had a medium size cup of Peet's house blend? (SBux lovers..you know what I'm talking about)

via 

tobifairley.com/blog

I was also curious to see if these colors were actually used and low and behold..This is a perfect way of balancing the colors and similar to my design board, neutral tones helped keep you from thinking you walked into the mind of a 4 year old girl.

Teal, Blue and Mustard Yellow...I love this combo..I would definitely purchase these because its a bit more subtle than the fuchsia and orange..

Unlike the temper tantrum room I can totally see myself entertaining guests in this soothing yet fun room. Again I chose a neutral color for the couch to calm down the brightness..

via cococozy.com 

I had a hard time looking for the same color combo and this was the closest thing I could find.. The yellow chairs make such a statement in this room and are so unexpected. It's so refreshing to come across everyday items in out of the ordinary colors. It's a fun surprise for your guests. 

Upon searching for teal colored rooms..I came across this and just had to share..  

via decorati0ns.net

The various teal colors are so relaxing and although this room is a bit too "fancy" for my personal taste..I still visually soak in its beauty. I absolutely love the two toned wallpaper and the pinstriped arm chair. Such great details in this room!

Black, Purple, Light Blue with a bit of gold. This was another challenging color combo. Most rooms that I came across only had two of the color combos. I even had a hard time getting it together on my design board but in the end I came up with this and I must say this is another room I would love to bring to life..

I chose black walls with lighter accent pieces because I recently watched the Black and White Master Suite Color Splash episode where David painted all the walls pitch black but used extreme contrasting colors so that it didn't look like Darth Vader's cave. So, I gave it a try..

via homeautodesign.com

The color combo was done well in this room..The dominating color on the shoe was black but I love how it was used minimally. 

I had a lot of fun with this post and it challenged me to work with color combinations that don't exactly automatically come to mind when approaching a color scheme. Any of you looking for a drastic change in color but don't know where to start..then hit the shops and see whats trending..Even if it is from a shoe.~MG

Lucky Green

Happy St. Patty's Day! I've come across many posts today about decorating your house green and of course I would like to add to the hot topic of the day. Green actually is one of my favorite colors...more so sage and mint green.  Now, I would never decorate my entire house green; painted green walls, furniture, accent decor pieces, etc, unless of course I was a Leprechaun. However, adding pops of this fun color would definitely brighten up a room..I had a lot of fun this morning creating a design board collecting accessories in different shades of green. Start off your spring decorating adding any one these gorgeous accessories that would be perfect for getting into the St. Patrick's day spirit but can also stick around through summer. 

in this picture:layla grace: terrene green cream indoor/outdoor rug trina turk: greek key green hook rug
zig-zag village green elemeno pillows  trina turk: needlepoint shanghai links pillow pisa 19" pillow
geo print green pillow

in this picture: west elm arm chair nori green stripe place mat stoneware container lid hr/15 minute glass cargo element caddy pop green candle holder green bowls:unknown

in this picture: birthday fern leaf lamp arteriors half crackle glass curry and company goddess chandelier spring interlace giclee drum shade green ikat pattern giclee

Choose as many or as little accessories to add either subtle hints or bursts of green. For the subtle hints, add in a few toss pillows and maybe a green lampshade, add in a green armchair, or choose wall art with minimal green patterns. For a burst of green, paint a wall your preferred shade, add a bold area rug along with adding splashes of different accessories throughout your room. You you can't go wrong if you choose the right pieces and spread them evenly throughout the room. 

Having a hard time picturing it? Here a few rooms with subtle hints.. 

 via decorpad.com

A few toss pillows..

via  pinterest.com/Renee Camacho

Green accent chair and toss pillow..

via apartmenttherapy.com

Green accent furniture like this dresser

via  athoughtfulplaceblog.com

A gallery wall with hints of green

 Don't limit style in your kitchen. These mint green chairs brighten this white space instantly.

via designsponge.com 

More pops of green..

via mariakillam.com

A green couch is not your ordinary couch color but it's not as loud of a color if you compliment it with neutralizing tones ..This designer did a great job!

 via roverhomes.com

Here is your burst of green. Choose a brighter shade with bold texture.

via justpillow.com 

This room screams Spring time! I love the sage green painted walls with splashes of bold color in the toss pillows and ottoman, accent chair, and table accessories.

via homeworkshop.com

The accent arm chair balances out the bright theme wall. 

Green isn't a typical color you come across in a home but done moderately and it will give your space a refreshing and very unexpected, yet delightful surprise to your guests.~MG