It's Guest Blog Time!
I have always admired people that can decorate a home by pulling many seemingly different items together and finding commonalities that create these works of art. Such as finding pink throw pillows for a neutral colored couch to compliment the pink flowers in a painting hung behind it. It appears to be simple but truly it takes talent to make it look effortless. Because interior design has always intimidated me, I either did as little as possible or dog eared every catalog and bookmarked every web page until I was too overwhelmed to make a decision.
I read a review about this month's Guest Blogger online and the photos that were posted were stunning. Decorating a house to make it your home is one of the many stages of the PCS process. Whether you go all in and change every room, or you add just a few personal touches it is all part of the settling in process. We asked for tips on making your house into a home. This is our most beautiful blog to date and all of the credit goes to our Guest Blogger, Mariya Kelly!
3 Tips to Decorate Your New Home Guest Blog by Mariya Kelly
It is July and this means that many of you are getting ready to move to a new country and call a new house your home. While it may not be possible for you to choose your new house or the furniture in it, we are here to help you spin and mold that new space into your own personalized sanctuary. After researching as much as possible about your new locality, home organization and décor shopping options on the local economy, as well as pluses and minuses of the common housing types in your future neighborhood, you will be ready to start packing strategically for your trip. Here are my main three tips to get you started.
Tip # 1. Give your clutter some privacy.
Most of us don’t live in a museum and this means that many of our possessions are not really display worthy. If your new home is not likely to have a lot of dedicated storage areas to lock up the clutter, modular occasional furniture with hidden storage will do the trick. In my work that is heavily based on restoring, restyling, and reimagining well-loved items. I like using light weight multipurpose items, such as trunks, baskets, nesting shelves, and tension rod closet organizers. For one of my clients in Virginia who is a single mom raising two gorgeous children we sourced this beautiful midcentury South American carved trunk to serve as a unique coffee table that also safely stores the kiddos' toys when their play time is over and mama’s coffee/cocktail time is on.
For another beautiful hard working mom client, we grabbed two oversized laundry baskets with flat lids from our local budget home goods store to do double duty as lovely side tables and convenient storage for kids’ and doggies’ toys.
In our little cottage in Alexandria with a tiny closet in the main bedroom, we added a second dressing area by combining our trusty rattan shelves from Indonesia, woven baskets from the local home goods store, and a simple tension rod closet organizer from Amazon.
Tip # 2. Windows want to look pretty, too.
If you’re lucky, you will move into a new home with glamorous tall windows wrapped in artfully crafted antique millwork that need no further embellishment to please the eye. However, most of us will be looking at builders’ grade window frames, and some of us will be staring in horror at metal break-in prevention bars safeguarding some dirty glass that is impossible to reach with a sponge.
Fear not – drapes to the rescue! Window drapes are wonderfully abundant on today’s market and in most cases are very easy to install. With some creativity, drapes can instantly turn an eyesore into a beautiful focal point in your room, and you can take them with you to your new home and reuse them not only to cover your windows but also as tablecloths or fabric for pillows and throws.
The sheer curtains in this client’s project serve as a functional element that adds privacy, as an architectural element that visually extends the heigh of the room, and as an important artistic element that completes the design story.
“I hate dusty drapes that block the view” – this is a common user error phrase I hear from my clients and friends. Drapes don’t have to block the view or get dusty. They are not your yoga outfit and don’t need to cling to your window frame. Install them higher and wider than your window, throw them into a washer every once in a while, and they will hang as a beautiful soft frame complimenting your view.
Drapes can be a very simple and cost-effective solution to transform challenging spaces into functional areas. In our basement we used a tension rod and draped curtains to hide unattractive wall elements and create a cozy sleeping nook with lots of soft textures.
Tip # 3. Don’t trade down for trends.
I am sure you have already heard from numerous design blogs that you should declutter your home and take all your family chachkas to your local charity store, that you should invest in original art and natural materials over plastic, and that you should prioritize the unique over the mass produced and the generic. This all may be valid. I take a slightly different approach and try to hold on to objects that retain their emotional value to me.
These plastic table mats are super generic. We purchased them for just a few dollars for our first dinner party in our little first home in Alexandria. They are still with me, and I love them for their practicality, design, as well as the precious happy moments they remind me of.
My grandmother’s shawl that has been with me for decades has little craftsmanship value, but is one of the two objects that I have left to remind me of her. I have used that shawl in every house we lived in, as a tablecloth, as a bed throw, and currently as wall art in my son’s room. The shawl has not been cut or altered and remains completely intact.
When I was a child, my mother took some old cotton sheets that had developed holes in them and turned them into embroidered hand towels. I happily accepted them as a gift when she came to visit me while I was pregnant with my son. When I was looking for the final element in our bathroom remodel, my mother’s embroidered towel was the perfect choice to complete the look.
If an object brings you joy, you will always find a way to incorporate it in your house, no matter where you are. And if you get stuck, help is easy to find. Lots of home stylists and designers offer services online these days and can coach you to help you unlock your inner talents.
Maryia's Bio
Maryia Kelly has a 20 plus year career in marketing and public relations and started her home designInstagram showcase and consulting services in 2021. She helped several clients in Alexandria and Arlington, VA to transform their homes to fit their needs and personality. Maryia is currently serving with her husband overseas and has temporarily suspended her design consulting services. You can still visit her Instagram account where she shares her personal home décor projects and inspirations.
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