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The Color Turquoise: Southwestern and Beyond
Turquoise is one of the most beautiful colors imaginable and it’s often thought of nearly simultaneously with Southwestern style decor. But its soft watery shades are gorgeously appropriate and right at home in many other types of decor, such as shabby chic, modern interiors, cottage style and rooms that have exotic appeal. Here are some ideas from Southwestern and beyond.
Turquoise of the Southwest
Turquoise is a quintessential Southwestern color. Find it in sunsets or Native American jewelry. It looks fabulous when mingled with soft desert sands and pale sunset pinks, and it pops against white for a fresh, clean look. Turquoise is amazing when used as an accent color in Southwestern decor: For example, a turquoise Southwestern wall art will come to life when mounted on a natural stone fireplace façade. It also adds a vibrant kick in Native American textiles such as braided rugs or fabrics that can be used in anything from wall art to floor rugs to throw pillows.
Modernize a Kitchen with Five Affordable Upgrades
A kitchen can be what makes or breaks the sale of a house. If a home is otherwise appealing, but the kitchen is dated and ugly, potential buyers would rather walk away and keep shopping rather take on the work and expense of replacing the kitchen. However, a total kitchen replacement is not always necessary, particularly if the kitchen functions well but just needs a style update. Here are five affordable upgrades that can be used together or in any combination to update your kitchen.
Modern Wall Color:
Nothing says “1966” like avocado green walls. Refreshing your walls with new paint is one of the easiest and least expensive upgrades you can make, and it gives you lots of bang for your buck. Evaluate the space and the colors that must stay, then choose something new and fresh that complements those colors. You can never go wrong with serene neutrals like ivory or tan, but you can also add some panache with a focal wall in a trendy color like green tea, mimosa yellow or periwinkle blue.
Decorating with Warm Wood Accents
Decorating a home with wood is one of the fastest and easiest ways to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Wood has long been a favorite as a home decorating material. Not only is it used in the construction of almost every home, but there are also plenty of creative ways to use wood decoratively. If you’d like to add more wood to your home but need a few new ideas for inspiration, here are a few tips that can help you get started.
Highlight Your Home’s Natural Architectural Features
When decorating your home, it is important to remember that it’s architectural features can have a lot of visual appeal. In fact, the woodwork and trim in many older homes is nothing short of spectacular. Although modern construction techniques often take the place of traditional skilled woodworkers when building today’s homes, there is still a lot to be said about calling more attention to existing wood features. This is why many people cringe at the thought of painting natural woodwork. However, even painted woodwork can have warmth and appeal, especially if it also features decorative detailing and striking features.
Big Design Impact Using Oversized Art
If you want to create a lot of big design impact in a room, oversized art is the quickest and easiest way to accomplish your decorating goals. Although there’s nothing essentially wrong with smaller pieces of art, there’s just something special and eye-catching about larger pieces. If you’re trying to create a strong focal point in a room, it’s hard to beat the effectiveness of an oversized piece of art. Regardless of the overall decorating style of your home, here are some quick and effective ways to decorate your home with large art pieces.
Warm Up Your Home with Wood Art
Although many modern decorators have a tendency to use a lot of metal art these days, it’s important not to overlook the beauty and warmth of wood art. Because of the fact that wood comes from a living tree, it often seems to add a certain degree of character, life and personality to a room that can be lacking in some other forms of art. If you think that wood art can only be used with the more traditional styles of decorating, think again. Today’s wood art comes in a wide variety of styles, sizes and colors, ranging from traditional looks to sleek and modern contemporary styles. If you’d like to add one or more beautiful pieces of wood art to your home, here are some decorating tips to help get you started.






