Easy Fix Friday ~ How To Use Driftwood

Good Morning! We continue to answer our P4D reader's contest entries ~ where we asked you to leave a comment with an idea for a future P4D post (from this book giveaway contest last month).

Joy asked us where she could find some usable driftwood: "I'm looking for usable driftwood! Something large enough to go over a queen bed and has some structural integrity! Love your site - keep getting great ideas!"


Driftwood is not the easiest thing to find..unless it's on the beach! :) What I did find is artwork that uses driftwood at BoundlessGallery.com that will be just beautiful to hang over a bed.




Here is a driftwood sculpture in elenamary's 1000markets shop made with driftwood, shells, abalone, sea glass and pearls.


Another way to bring in the natural wood feel is driftwood lamps:


Here is a very elegant driftwood (resin base) lamp from Horchow.




And here is a more rustic driftwood lamp (but still elegant) from Living Comforts.

Easy Fix Friday ~ Deco Your Bedroom!

Today we kick-off answering your design dilemma comments from our contest that ended a few days ago. Let's start with Francesca who said "I'd love to learn some easy/quick tips for adding an Art Deco feel to a bedroom and bathroom (or any room of the house.)" We're hear to the rescue Francesca!

Art Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional, and modern. The movement was a mixture of many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Art Nouveau, and Futurism.


{Click on photo above for larger view}

A very quick and easy way to add some art deco flair to a room is to accessorize with pieces like vases, posters, lamps, and books. Above is a Decor Board we put together featuring:

1. Lighting. This Nial Table Lamp is a great mix of masculine & feminine ~ streamlined Art Deco look with the steel, black, and cubes on the shades, and feminine in the curves of the shades.

2. Travel Posters. Travel Posters. Travel Posters! Very popular in the Art Deco style, like this French PLM Railroad poster - Calvi Beach on the Island of Corsica. This poster is one of my personal favorites from the Art Deco period. Many European & American Travel Posters were done in the Art Deco Style- here are a ton more to peruse through.

3 & 4. Art Deco Books & Book Ends. Yet another super easy (and budget friendly way) to add some Art Deco flair is to accessorize your room with Art Deco Books and Bookends. Art books always have the most interesting covers, so just laying around your house or stacked they will add Deco style. The Cubist/Deco Men bookends are also modern and fun.

5. Riedel Vivant Medium Art Deco Vase. A beautiful clear vase (FOR $20.00!!!) etched in the Art Deco Style. It's simple, clean style is a subtle nod to Art Deco, and would look great anywhere in your home.

6. Wallpaper! Ok, wallpapering is not quite an easy fix, but doing just one wall would look fantastic with the feminine Art Nouveau/Deco look to this wallpaper with the more masculine accessories like the lamp and book ends. Also, instead of wallpapering~buy this wallpaper, cut 3 large panels of the paper and frame them in huge black frames (can find cheap from A.C. Moore, etc). It will still give you a great way to add a deco feel to your walls without having to cover a full wall.

This was a fun project to research~ I'm feeling like I want to Deco my home! Good luck and we hope this gets you inspired! :)

Easy Fix Friday ~ Dawn's Sink Dilemma

Today we wanted to share with you an Easy Fix that we helped our reader Dawn with in her kitchen. She was actually the inspiration behind starting Easy Fix Friday! :)

Dawn is a regular P4D reader who won our Dandy Chandy Giveaway back in June! She was so happy and we began talking with her about how she is having her home built, and how the contractor unfortunately did not complete the job and left MANY unfinished projects. Dawn sent us pictures that showed how the contractor left two HUGE square holes on either side of the sink (not to mention many other unfinished projects)!!!:







We gasped in horror and knew she needed our help FAST! Right away we told her to measure the square holes, and suggested to find and glue 2 beautiful square ceramic tiles on both sides of the sink. Dawn loved our Easy Fix idea, and check out her wonderful new sink with our advice and some elbow grease from Dawn:




Great job Dawn! We are SO happy to see that a contractors HUGE mistake can be a relatively easy and unique fix. We know all projects that contractors may mess up or not complete aren't as simple as this was ~ but by tackling a little at a time it's helping Dawn & her husband reclaim their home. And we can't wait to see the dandy chandy she won from us hanging in her home~but we know she has many other projects to tackle, best of luck!

If you have a home or decorating dilemma you need some speedy advice on, email us at primed4design@gmail.com and you could be featured on Easy Fix Friday!

Easy Fix Friday ~ From Circus to Fabulous!

P4D reader Melissa in Alexandria, Virginia just bought a home earlier this year. Congrats Melissa! It's a lovely townhome and she loved everything about it but......


...THE CIRCUS BEDROOM! Cue the circus music and a monkey on a unicycle throwing peanuts! Yikes! She wrote us asking for our help & our help fast! Luckily the bedspread wasn't left behind when the seller moved, but the walls where. And don't get us wrong stripes can be done beautifully, but most striped rooms work best in one color tone or 2 at the most, otherwise it will come across a tad like you're under the big top.

Melissa stated she is drawn to the classicly elegant, yet contemporary look. So we gave her our best advice: try a nice white bedspread for the bed, a soothing blue on the wall, coordinating pillows, and white stripes that work as frame/moulding. The stripes even gives the appearance of a headboard framing the bed with....


...A WHITE CHANDELIER STICKER from blik! Cue the classical music and a glass of wine!

And that, our dear readers is how you turn a crazy circus bedroom into a classical soothing retreat! All with a little bit of advice and inspiration from us and a little elbow grease from you. We are bowing as you are reading, Thank-you Thank-you! Please hold the applause. ;)

Easy Fix Friday ~ Color Makeover

TODAY WE ARE STARTING A NEW FEATURE CALLED EASY FIX FRIDAY (3RD FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH)! :) WE WILL FEATURE A READERS DECORATING DILEMMA AND THE EASY FIX FROM US! Please email primed4design@gmail.com if you have a small decorating dilemma you need help with, and you may be featured here on the blog.

Suzanne from New Jersey contacted P4D to get advice on what color to paint her living room. Currently, she has a very monotone color scheme consisting of very light beige (almost white) couches and wall color. The only punch of color is the wine and beige colored rug. She is looking for a wall color that will brighten up the room and make the furniture more visible.

All 3 of the wall colors (Sherwin Williams) to chose from will make the couches pop, but staying within a nice warm color scheme. We suggest accenting with dark chocolate browns and dark reds (similar to that in the rug). A dark wood coffee table and chocolate colored throw pillows would add a nice contrast to the light couch and make the color of the walls pop a little more. Our "easy fix" color palette recommendation:



Some accents that would complement this color palette:



1. Target's Metro Coffee Table

2.Land's End Combed Cotton Cable Knit Throw in mahagony

3. West Elm's Bronze Ceramic Table Lamp

For furniture placement, if space permits, we would angle the chase lounge and place a small chocolate wood table between it and the couch. If not, you may want to push the two couches together (but keeping that window open would be a nice option). Add a nice lamp and you got yourself a warm and cozy living space. Good luck!