Various Themes and Looks for a New Millennium

Decorating today has become interesting and growing business. Consumers now have more options than ever before when decorating a home, and can choose from a vast array of styles, prices, finishes, colors, and other decorative features.

If you aren’t certain what style you want, or if you’d just like to know more about decorating, this is the place to start. You’ll see some of the newest decorating trends and learn about new twists on old favorites.

The following Style Guide focuses on one design style, with photos and style tips to highlight the features and elements important to one particular look.

Decorating in a Casual Style

Casual style is comfortable, warm, inviting, and homey. Almost everyone loves it. But exactly what are the elements of a casual room? In general, casual rooms have simple details, textured elements in fabrics and accessories, restful horizontal lines, soft upholstery, low-luster surfaces, and arrangements that avoid perfect symmetry. Rectangular and softly curved elements contribute to a casual feel.

The casual room often includes a bit of whimsy, such as a child’s sled remade into a coffee table, a birdhouse lamp base, or a basket filled with pinecones.

Decorating styles with a casual feel can include rustic, American country, French country, Adirondack, ethnic, cottage, Shabby Chic, and more.

While many homes today are completely done in a casual style, most homes incorporate a bit of casual style somewhere — in a family room, breakfast room, guest room, or country kitchen. Use these tips to enhance a casual feel in your home.

Comfortable upholstered furniture is a primary element in a casual interior. Long horizontal lines underscore a casual look and add to a restful mood.

While neutral colors (beige, tan, brown, gray) are often associated with the casual style, interiors can also range from soft pastels to deeper tones such as green, navy, and terra cotta.

Furniture in casual settings is often large in scale and selected for comfort and utility. Unusual pieces such as wicker, rattan, recycled items, and rustic antiques fit well into a casual room.

Fabrics

In a casual room are often lightly or heavily textured, sometimes coarsely woven and usually without sheen. Natural fibers such as cotton, wool, jute, and textured weaves are used to underscore a casual look.

Upholstery

Details might include basic cording, simple gathering, informal pleating, and buttons.

Furniture in casual settings can be arranged on diagonal lines within the room and avoids the use of perfectly matched sets.

Wood furniture pieces and wood flooring are often made from lighter woods such as pine or oak, and are generally in a non-shiny matte or low luster finish.

Hardware materials include antiqued brass, wrought iron, ceramic, and wood.

Theme rooms or collections are often arranged to enhance the mood of a casual room. Common themes include nautical, rustic, sports, Americana, quilts, hobbies, regional, and more. Collections might be of decoys, birdhouses, teapots, posters, memorabelia, trophies, art prints, etc.

Windowcoverings

In a casual room are often layered, using simple fabric panels for color and under treatments of functional shutters, blinds, or shades for light control and privacy. Drapery hardware in a casual room can also be made of non-traditional items such as twigs, ski poles, pipes, nailheads, and other creative elements.

Curtain details

Are non-fussy, such as contrasting lining, welting or banding, tab tops, gathering, simple valances or swags, and tie-backs.

Flooring

Choices can include hardwood, tile, stone, carpeting, area rugs, vinyl, and concrete. Popular casual carpets are sisal, berber, and textured weaves in geometric designs such as diamonds or squares.

Casual style light fixtures are often seen in materials that include wood, iron, ceramic, pottery, and tin. Chandeliers are found in wrought iron or antiqued metals, and may use small fabric covered lampshades in a coordinating pattern. Sometimes chandeliers use real candles for a light source.

Accessories

In casual rooms often include arrangements of baskets, pottery, books, pillows, collections, boxes, tins, trunks, wreaths, wood carvings, and dried flowers. Candles and plants add more texture, color, and interest in a casual room, as do put-your-feet-up ottomans. Artwork is simply framed and in casual themes that support the look of the room.

Casual tableware includes stoneware, textured placemats, loosely woven fabric napkins, sturdy glassware instead of crystal, stainless steel flatware, wooden bowls, iron or pewter look accessories. Casual table looks can be found in everything from neutrals and pastels to brighter floral colors.

Decorating in the Paris Apartment Style

Paris apartment

Interiors appeal to our sense of glamour and European style. Picture high-ceilinged rooms, a small wrought iron balcony overlooking the Seine, and old world architectural details.

This decorating style can have a range of looks including period styles such as baroque, rococo, and neoclassical, to more contemporary versions that include deco, Mediterranean, old world, and cabaret.

Black, white, and gold, are the main color themes, though jewel tones such as deep blue, red, or green are another possibility. Touches of golden gilt are another outstanding element of the Paris style.

Furnishings and accessories display a vintage style and time-worn elegance. Look for painted furniture pieces in black or cream mixed with dark woods and accents of gold. More luxurious Paris looks might feature shimmering silks and brocades along with finely carved furnishings.

Accessories and motifs can include vintage posters of French nightspots, French signs, large train station clocks, black wrought iron tables and shelving, and any scenes of France, Paris, or the Eiffel Tower.

Here are more things to look for in a Paris apartment style room...

Large scale posters of French landmarks and nightspots are very popular starting points for a Paris room. Also, look for paintings, faded and stained etchings, old black and white postcards, and sepia-toned photos of nearly anything French.

Black is the great unifying element in Paris rooms. Look for it in painted wood furniture, picture frames, fabrics, lampshades and accessories.

Large clocks are often a focal point in a Paris room. Choose an antique or a new reproduction that features lettering in French and has an aged appearance.

Frequently used motifs in a Paris room include the fleur de lis, toile (pastoral country views in one color and white), hot air balloons, castles, and scenes of France and the Eiffel Tower.

All elements in a Paris room should have the feel of age and permanence. Avoid items that look too matched, new, or shiny.

Light fixtures

It should add a romantic glow to a Paris room. Install wall sconces with little silk shades, crystal chandeliers, and fringed lampshades on table lamps for an air of elegance. Black lampshades will cast a golden light when lined with gilt. Beading, cording, and fringes can be added to any shade.

Occasional furniture

It should draw from the Paris look as well, with layered skirted tables, padded iron benches, little bistro tables and chairs, and large ottomans covered in rich fabrics.

Gorgeous vanity tables will be seen in Paris style bedrooms. Make them luxurious by using a decorated gilt table or a vanity all dressed up in silk and ruffles. Use vintage accessories and mirrors to add to the glamour.

Fabrics

Fabrics to use in a Paris room include velvet, damask, brocade, lustrous silks, and traditional toiles. Toile is often paired with coordinating color checked fabrics in both large and small scales. Tassels, cording, fringes, and other details add a luxe old world look. Linen, leather, and paisley designs are also seen, as are bold stripes.

Upholstered furnishings

It should look upscale with beautiful fabrics, dressmaker details, and carved legs. Down cushions provide the slightly rumpled look of comfort and elegance.

Wood furniture pieces are stained dark or painted in black or ivory. Distressed, crackled, and aged finishes bring a "collected" feel to the furniture. Small aged areas of gilt on furniture edges add to an heirloom quality.

Accessories

Accessories in a Paris-themed room might include large vintage mirrors, architectural elements (columns, corbels), garden statuary, black wireware, clocks, hatboxes, luxurious silk pillows, soft throws, vintage candelabra, flowers, plants, china, and delicate porcelain figurines. Also look for vintage linens and antique hats (or clothing) to display.

It can be ballgown beautiful with flowing panels, elaborate swagged valances, ruffles, tassels, silk cording, or bouillon fringes. Simpler rooms might feature linen or toile panels over shutters.

Flooring of dark hardwood might be covered with an array of worn Oriental carpets to provide instant pattern, color, and age.

Shabby Chic is a comfortable, casual look using vintage accessories, pastels, and comfortable furniture.

If you love to collect mismatched teacups, lacy linens, soft floral fabrics, painted furniture, vintage crystal chandeliers, and lots of white accessories, this may be your style. Like "comfort food" it seems to appeal to our "grandmother’s house" sense of beauty and belonging.

Shabby Chic is also a balance. Use something elegant and beautiful next to something time-worn, smooth china along with textured lace, dull painted surfaces contrasting antique silver accessories.

Here are some ways to use the Shabby Chic decorating style in your home:

White furniture Painting furniture changes its personality. Once dark and heavy pieces magically turn light, fresh, and summery, and a roomful of mismatched items can be transformed to instant harmony. Try uniting hand-me-downs, flea market finds, and old furniture with a coat or two of white paint.

Slipcovers hide wear and tear, out of date fabrics, and mismatched colors. White is the color of choice, but faded prints will work just as well. And if they get soiled, just pop them into the washer and back onto your furniture. Look for easy care fabrics, and preshrink before having the slipcovers made for your furniture. You might even get two sets — white for summer and a warmer floral for winter.

Tea Stained Fabrics bring the illusion of age. The key criteria is that a fabric look old, worn, faded, and soft — even if it is brand new. The background can be ivory, creamy white, or a variety of muted pastels. Buy vintage-looking fabrics, or try tea staining your own fabrics (after testing the method and timing on a few swatches).

Overstuffed Upholstery including large "sink-in" chairs and sofas are a Shabby Chic staple. Comfortable, slipcovered, rumpled, ruffled, and rounded, with chairs almost big enough for two. They are welcoming and inviting and look right at home.

Rumpled Elegance

Leave your ironing board in the closet when decorating in the Shabby Chic style. Upholstery should look sat-in, well used, and definitely not pressed. Note that it is not "messy", just comfortably "used" and "lived-in".

Architectural Details Seek out everything from glass doorknobs, iron corner brackets, concrete column bases, old mantles, and more. They will bring authenticity, style, and interesting detail to a space.

Imperfect Accessories

If it was once elegant, it can now be Shabby Chic, even if it is flawed, damaged, or painted. It just has to look old. Large ornate candlesticks painted white with bits of the old iron finish showing through, a chipped floral teapot pressed into service as a vase, scrolly sconces, worn mirrors in detailed frames, golden cherub lamps are all candidates for the look.

Iron Metal furniture, headboards, and decorative items are another successful addition to a Shabby Chic interior. Peeling paint, rusted sections, and vintage looks are all the better.

Flowers and Candles

Fresh flowers are a natural for a Shabby Chic room. Look for a handful of pink roses plopped into a china vase, floral fabrics and needlework pillows, books on flowers and gardening, and candles to bring a romantic mood and interesting lighting.

Pattern Mixing

Bring a "gathered" look by combining a variety of patterns, checks, florals, and stripes. For easiest mixing keep the background color the same (white or ivory, etc.) and repeat at least one color in almost every pattern used (all with a touch of rosy pink or pale green for example.)

Even if you can’t transform your home into a full Shabby Chic interior, try using this style in a guestroom, home office, or family room

Decorating in a Contemporary Style

Contemporary interiors have a mantra: clean lines, sculptural furnishings, art, neutral elements and bold color.

While some people dislike contemporary style for looking stark & cold, others find it exciting, urban, & fresh. It’s a look that often appeals to artists and architects who love the underlying simplicity of line, shape, & form.

Notice how few accessories D(see next page) are needed in the room pictured here. Both the accessories and art are large scale, architectural, and add texture to this unmistakably contemporary interior.

The color palette in a contemporary interior can be anything from a mix of neutrals, to black and white, to the use of bright and bold color. Black is often used to ground and define a contemporary room.

Line may be the single most important element of a contemporary interior. Look for it in architectural shapes and curves, in the bold use of black or color, in background details such as soaring ceilings or tall windows, and in sculptural or geometric elements and art.

If you love the look of contemporary, here are some ideas for creating your own modern room. Think of museum interiors when planning a contemporary room: each element has its own space, and is set off to stand alone while contributing to the whole.

Architectural and functional elements of a space are fully embraced in a contemporary interior, whether they are beautiful or simply structural. Ceiling pipes in loft spaces, broken brick walls in a former factory building, metal ductwork, etc. is often left exposed, adding textural interest and line.

Learn to see the negative space (the areas around a particular object) and protect it. Make bold statements with both furniture and accessories. If you love red, put it up on an accent wall or choose a bright red sofa or chair.

In both furnishings and accessories, skip the small, pastel, and cute. Avoid ruffles, florals, carved details, traditional shapes. Instead, go for the bold, artistic, and sculptural.

Furniture generally exhibits clean, smooth lines. Cover it in a neutral, black, or bold fabric. Fabrics often have a natural look (wool, cotton, linen, silk, jute) and add textural appeal. Keep furniture details uncluttered. Skirts are often either flat or box pleated, and have no additional trimmings such as fringes or tassles. Legs are exposed and in chunky, solid shapes. Pillows add shots of color and texture in clean geometric shapes.

Highlight art by placing sculptures on columns or pedestals. Install specialized lighting for original art, framed prints, or posters. Use repetition of line, color, and form.

In straight contemporary interiors it is most effective to have a few large accessories well placed. Give each piece breathing room by establishing a zone of empty space around it.

Lighting is exceptionally important in a contemporary interior. Look for unusual fixtures with sculptural interest, clean lines, and perhaps accents of bold color or metallic. Install recessed lighting or track fixtures to wash walls with light. With new construction or remodels look into installing indirect or cove lighting.

Flower arrangements should be dramatic, large, and follow simple lines and shapes. Place them in contemporary containers that add to the sculptural look.

Plants will add a shot of life to a contemporary room. Make them big, place them in simple pots, and choose varieties that have interesting leaves. Uplight them from the back and underneath. Cover the dirt with smooth rocks or chunky bark chips.

Think of each piece as sculpture. Don’t crowd it. Frame posters and prints simply in classic black wood, colored metals, or light natural woods. Hang groupings of pictures close together so they look like one large piece of art.

Glass, metals, stone, and wood will all fit well into a contemporary interior. However, avoid a cold looking room by adding shots of warm colors and providing textural interest in fabrics, upholstery, rug, or accessories.

Flooring is generally smooth and sleek in vinyl, wood, or low-pile commerical carpeting. Area rugs can add more color, texture, interest, and space definition. Animal prints are at home in many contemporary rooms. Try leopard pillows on a black sofa or a zebra area rug.

Dinnerware is available in a variety of contemporary shapes, colors, and styles. Keep it simple and add interest by combining a range colors. Introduce texture with fabrics and placemats, metal, twigs, and other "architectural" looking materials.