Luxury Linens Worth The Cost?
Are high thread count fine linens worth the expenditure? I’d have to say yes. It’s the simple philosophy of pay now or pay later. The better the quality of linens and bedding you purchase the less it will cost you over time.
Over time low-thread count (inexpensive linens) will ball up and the material will wear thin which will make for a very unpleasant sleep experience. When I was younger I used to think owning luxury linens was all about snobbery and that all linens were created equal. In my mind Kmart linens were just as good as Anne De Solene or Sferra linens. As I began to travel more and stayed at hotels such as the Waldorf, The Breakers in Palm Beach and the Sofitel in Paris I quickly learned that there is a huge difference between fine linens and “regular” sheets; it is true you get what you pay for.
I now only purchase the best linens I can afford – does this mean spending thousands a la Jessica Simpson linen shopping style? No. It means spending a few hundred dollars and shopping at seasonal luxury linens sales. So what if my lovely four poster bed is sporting last seasons linen couture? It’s my little secret ( and you know how to keep a secret right? 
).
Since I now own only luxury linens I take extra good care of my investments. Here’s my secret to luxury linen care.
6 Designing Tips for Small Spaces
A small space doesn’t have to be a design liability when you remember the following principles:
1. Use light colors on upholstery, walls and all major furniture pieces such as entertainment units. Use monochromatic color schemes so that the space appears to visually flow unobstructed.
2. Use glass top tables or acrylics instead of solid woods. Since the glass is “see-thru” it will give the appearance of space.
3. Opt for furniture that “floats” (recessed toe kicks, no sofa skirts, blank space at foot) it will create the illusion of more floor space. Look for sofas with low profiles and slim arms such as the Hawthorne sofa from Room and Board pictured on the right . 
Also when purchasing furniture keep in mind that size does matter. Small spaces will feel cluttered and overwhelmed with standard size furniture. Lucky for us apartment size sofas, tables and other furniture now make it so easy to decorate small spaces. I stress to my clients that when shopping for furniture that they take along a tape measure because what looks small in the showroom may be way too large for their home. Numbers don’t lie so remember to take the tape measure with you.
4. Floating wall shelves are attractive and do not take up precious floor space. I highly recommend their use.
5. Keep the space well lit – darkness makes rooms appear smaller than they really are. I like to use mirrors to bounce light around small rooms. The mirrors also multi-task as they create the illusion of more space by visually enlarging the room.
6. Plan for multi-purpose furniture such as storage ottomans that serve as seating, storage and as a table top. By purchasing the multiple use ottoman you have essentially freed up the space it would take for a small table with storage capability.
Decorating Books Suggestions: Decorating Small Spaces: Live Large in Any Space (Better Homes & Gardens)
Decorating Website Suggestions: Apartment Therapy
Read More »Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Wishing you a very merry Christmas and happy holidays.
Read More »Shabby Chic Still Chic – The Bedroom Design Sketchbook
Rachel Ashwell made Shabby Chic famous and in the years after she introduced the world to flea market finery there has been barely a slow down. Design styles do fade and go away with time – remember the French Country craze from three years ago. Toile was every where and frankly it started to feel overdone.
Inexplicably, shabby chic or flea market design hasn’t waned. Perhaps it’s the romantic, feminine appeal combined with the soul comforting visual softness of the shabby chic style.
The distressed furniture, the crumpled rose-colored floral duvet, the crisp white sofa slip cover and the aged crystal chandelier seems to beckon me into it’s warm, familiar embrace. Shabby Chic is informal elegance wrapped in comfort. Perhaps that’s the secret to its longevity. Some of my favorite shabby chic finds include the 
House Inc. Grand Fleur Rose Bedding Collection from Not Too Shabby pictured on the left. Also from Not Too Shabby, the beautiful and very feminine Elizabeth Chandelier ($598) by Maura Daniel .
Featured above is the Shabby White Collection from Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic designs available at Lavender Fields Home Boutique. Where most white linens look institutional these are far from that the ruffled edges on the bedding gently remind you of its uniquely feminine charm. The bedding looks comfortable and inviting – the perfect place to spend a Saturday morning curled up with your favorite book and a cup of that calming cinnamon and apple herbal tea that brings a smile to your heart.
Decorating Books Suggestions: Shabby Chic, Flea Market Decorating
Holiday Decorating Articles
- Christmas Decorating For A Cause
- Winter Wonderland Decor Idea
- Beach House Christmas Decorating Theme
- Table Settings Redux
- Throwing the Perfect Holiday Party
- Pink-tastic Diva Christmas Decorating Theme
- Silver & Gold Christmas Decorating Theme
- White & Silver Christmas Decorating Theme
- Retro Christmas Trees
- Elegant Evergreen, Red & Green Ornament Holiday Centerpiece
- Noritake Xavier Gold China- Dinnerware Holiday 2007 Picks
- Ice Sculptures You Can Make At Home
- Holiday Decorating on a Budget: 5 Ideas to Get You Started
- Dreaming of a Green Christmas: 4 Eco-Friendly Holiday Decorating and Entertaining Ideas
- 7 Ideas for a Memorable Thanksgiving Dinner Party
- 9 Super Easy Tips to Relax This Holiday Season
- All Holiday Decorating Articles
Home Decor Trends 2008
The top 10 design trends for 2008 are:
1. Home Design Style with a Conscience – it’s all about eco-friendly design, products and implementation – focus on organic, natural, recycled and re-purposed products. In the past eco-friendly or Green design could be summed up in three words: ugly, dowdy and boring. That isn’t the case anymore. Eco-friendly design has met stylish interpretation proving that earth friendly decor can at the same time be elegant, beautiful and exciting as well as Green.
2. Contrast Makes The Difference – high contrast color combinations such as robin egg blue set against dark cocoa or white and black. Contrasting textures like smooth against rough such as man-made steel juxtaposed with the roughness of natural shell or wood against steel. Add a touch of the unexpected to your decor by pairing up accessories or furnishings of mixed media – a soft chenille sofa dressed with a rough textured horsehair or zebra pillow or velvet against metal.
3. It’s All About the X – The “X’ is everywhere in furniture and accessory design. It was spotted at Highpoint, the European Shows and has been slowly making itself available in furniture and decor stores.
4. Multi-Purpose Furniture and Accessories – Beautiful design is simply not enough for today’s discerning home decor shoppers, they want utility driven, multi-purpose furniture and decorative accessories that will make their everyday life easier, less hectic and more organized.
5. Leather with a Feminine Touch – Leather is still a hot trend however this year expect to see the softer side of leather, furniture in smaller scale, earthy golden warm tones such as caramel, cappuccino, cocoa and cinnamon as well as what are considered more “traditional” feminine colors ranging from pastel pinks to robin egg blue with contrasting accent colors of dark chocolate.
6. Understated Luxe – 2008 is all about “whispering” luxury and elegance via your home decor, furnishings and accessories.
7. All Shades of White – from the purest whites to the softest ivories, the white color family will be seen everywhere from walls to sofas to lamps to picture frames.
8. Really Big Furniture and Accessories – it’s all about design drama, over-sized lamps, chandeliers, florals, mirrors, decorative accessories and other design elements.
9. Cool Metals – gray tone metals such as silver, pewter, brushed nickel, aluminum, steel, charcoal and platinum.
10. Zen at Home - we want peace at home and furnishing your home with design elements that make you feel at peace and grounded are the keys to achieving a home sanctuary.
Interior Design Sources (image from left to right): PH Collection Elsee Arm Chair, Archatrive convertible console (into dinner table) with re-purposed gate legs, Thomas Boog Shell Mirror, Saro Trading Company table linens, Ogetti Silver Vases, FTF Design Studio “X” motif table, and Pasha Home Cordoba chair in Spa.
Read More »Christmas Decorating For A Cause
The Decorating Diva.com friend, Alek Komarnitsky, has sent us a photo of his latest exterior Christmas decorations. As in the past, Alek has outdone himself yet once again with the beauty and festiveness of his Christmas home decorating.
We love Alek’s decor and annual holiday creativeness for more than their inspirational value but for the great good they bring. Our regular readers know that Alek decorates for the holidays and makes his decorations interactive so that web visitors around the globe can view them live across the globe AND interact with them by turning lights on and off all for a good cause – finding a cure for Celiac Disease. Both his little boys suffer from this autoimmune disease and Alek has taken action to raise funds for a cure. To date Alek has raised over $20,000 for Celiac Disease Research at The University of Maryland. All the funds raised have been generously donated by visitors to Komar.org’s Christmas and Halloween decorations website.
Visit Alek’s Christmas Decorating Interactive Website.
Read More »Winter Wonderland Decor Idea
Create your very own winter wonderland even if you live in a year round sunny climate like I do, here in Florida. I am going to take you step by step and show you how to take common wooden toothpicks and transform them into icy, glittery snow flakes that you can use to create a winter scape for your home. Then I will show you how to create a frosty window-scape for your newly created snowflakes.
List of Items: You Will Need
- Box of flat toothpicks (.59 at grocery stores)
- Silver Metal Spray Paint ( 5.99 at craft stores)
- Opal Glitter Paint ( 1.99 at craft stores)
- Hot Glue Gun
- Fishing Line (check your husband’s tackle box)
- Snow Spray
- Plastic Paint Tarp (4.99 (3 rolls)available at craft stores)
To create the snowflakes:
- Since you will be hanging these winter wonderland snowflakes in your window, measure the width of the window. I suggest stringing a “line” of 10 snowflakes every 6″ to 8″. Basically, all you need to do is take the width of your window and divide it by either 6″ or 8″ and then you will know how many snowflake lines you will need. Once you know how many lines, you can determine how many snowflakes you need to make.
- Take 5 toothpicks and hot glue them in the center. The easiest way to do is to start with two , place the glue in the center than add the 3rd, do the same for toothpicks 4 & 5. Create as many snowflakes as you will need.
- Cut the required amount of fishing line to fit your window display, the lines can vary in length from 4′ to 6′ this will add interest instead of all the lines being the same length.
- Begin tying the snowflakes along the fishing line, varying placement for interest.
- Take the strung snowflakes outside and spray paint with the silver paint. Follow all instructions provided by the manufacturer.
- After the paint has dried. Paint the glitter on each snowflake. Hang the snowflakes somewhere they can dry overnight.
- Either use thumbtacks to secure the hanging snowflake lines or if you are really into crafts you can create a hanging instrument to display your snowflakes.
- Protect your walls and floors by laying the plastic tarp in the window area. Secure the tarp with painters tape.
- Spray the “Snow” on your window, spraying randomly on tarp, a few of the snowflakes, any holiday plants you would like to add to your winter wonderland.
- Use your imagination and add fun touches such as wrapped presents, small sleighs, reindeer, Santas, etc to your winter wonderland and add more snow as required.
- Above all have fun.
Beach House Christmas Decorating Theme
Welcome your holiday guests and set the tone for a beach-themed Christmas decor with the Christmas Island Shell Wreath. Available at Target ($45).
Want a beach-themed Christmas Tree but don’t know where to start or how? Island Christmas Shop.com makes it easy to decorate an elegant beach inspired Christmas tree. They offer over 36 different beach themed ornament sets ranging from striking starfish to golden ribbon-wrapped, glitter-dusted sea urchins that are sure to bedazzle your holiday guests.
Table Settings Redux
Figuring out if the salad fork goes on this side or that side, where to put the soup spoon, dessert plate, champagne glass, or whether or not to put out the coffee cup and saucer can give anyone a headache. The recommend table settings for a formal dinner affair is depicted below. Depending on the type of dinner that will be served you may not need all the flatware shown in the illustration below. The same goes for the stemware.
(A)Serviette (napkin) (B)Service plate (C)Soup bowl on plate (D)Bread and butter plate with butter knife (E)Water glass (F)White wine (G)Red wine (H)Fish fork (I)Dinner Fork (J)Salad fork (K)Service knife (L)Fish knife (M)Soup spoon (N)Dessert spoon and cake fork
Decorating Diva Hint: To avoid a cluttered table and guests elbowing each other, allow 24″ to 30″ for each setting. Place settings should be 1″ from the edge of the table. I also prefer to bring out the coffee cups and saucers after the main dinner plates have been removed – just in time for dessert. Otherwise you may find that your table may be a bit overcrowded.
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