Selecting Furniture

Hello, Décor Chasers! Selecting furniture for our house, apartment, or office can be a lot of fun, but it also requires time and ehhm money….

Today I want to try and give you a guideline that you can use when shopping for furniture and help you get the most out of your time and money.

Buying furniture is a beautiful process, but it can be quite overwhelming. I mean, there are so many choices out there: so many stores, so many different styles of decor, so many colors…

First, I would like to talk about two words that you might think mean the same, but they don’t: scale and proportion.

Scale is a word used, in interior design, to describe the relationship a piece of furniture has with other pieces of furniture or with the room it is in. A small bed in a big room has the wrong scale.

Proportion is used to describe the size relationship of one piece of furniture compared to other parts of itself. For example, a chair with legs that are too short for it.

Ok, so let’s imagine you are in a furniture store. You have fallen in love with a big blue couch. Do you buy it right away? Stop! Ask yourself these 3 questions before paying:

1. Is this piece FUNCTIONAL for the space where it goes? For the people who live there? For your lifestyle?

2. Is this piece SUITABLE for your décor style? For the scale of the room? Does it set the mood you intend?

3. Is this piece HARMONIOUS in quality?  In proportion?

These questions seem time-consuming, I know, but in reality if you did your homework before shopping, it shouldn’t take you more than a minute to answer them.

Plan in advance

Prepare before going to the furniture store. You obviously want to think about what you like, and don’t. Browse around (you know I’m a fan of Pinterest and Instagram) for inspiration.

Next, you want to measure! Measure the space where you are going to place your adquisition, its height and width. Measure door entrances, hallways, stairways, etc. that are on the way to the spot.

Have a budget in mind. Seriously, there is no need to overspend.$$$$

Don’t rush it. I believe in buying furniture for the rest of your life, “until death do us part” haha.

I know that if you follow this guideline, you will make a smart buy. To all of you out there shopping for furniture, I hope this post comes in handy! Until next week.

♥Laters, Mari

Scandinavian Design

Hello Decor Chasers!

#scandinaviandecor, #scandinavianstyle, #scandinavianhome, what’s the deal with Scandinavia? These hashtags keep popping in the photos that I “heart” on Instagram. Scandinavian decoration is everywhere, and how not to love it? You might think this is a new trend, but it actually isn’t​.

First, let’s get our geography straight. The term Scandinavia refers not only to a region in Europe, but also a culture. The three countries that are most related to it are Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Culturally, the Nordic people preferred functional, eco-friendly beautiful design.

The Scandinavian design emerged from a post WW2 ideology, that beautiful and functional products shouldn’t only be for the rich. Remember that back then there was a boom in low-cost materials and mass production, reason enough why the “democratic design” prevailed. It then grew in popularity because from 1951- 1970 there were two yearly  awards given to the most outstanding Scandinavian designers. The term Scandinavian design was born back in 1947, when a traveling design show titled “Design in Scandinavia” passed through the U.S. and Canada, showcasing the work of Nordic designers.

An example of a very popular Scandinavian design is the 3107 model chair. I could bet some money that everyone reading this post, no matter where you are from, have sat at least once in your life in a chair like this. It is a very popular design by Arne Jacobson, one of the pioneers of SD, that has been sold and copied thousands of times.

Arne Jacobson’s 3107 chair

There isn’t one magical formula for Scandinavian decoration because it has various styles within the style…of course it does, it goes back to a whole region! But behold.. I give you  10 +1 tips on how to get your house to look more Scandinavian:

+1: Look for inspiration on the internet. It’s fun, motivating, and basically free; careful it is also time-consuming… guilty! According to my calculations, at least 40% of my day is used on Instagram/Pinterest interior design stalking. Hehe!

Tips to make your house look and feel Scandinavian

1. Declutter. Scandinavian design is minimalistic, own less. Scale back on the accessories.
2. Paint your walls white. The palette associated with Scandinavian design is a neutral one.
3. Wood! Choose floors, furniture, cabinetry, accessories, toys etc. made of light wood and other natural elements.
4. Black and gray for fabrics, use nature prints. Accent with splashes of color, pale colors mostly. Blue is very Nordic.
5. Have clean lined furniture, with smooth rounded edges and natural hues.
6. Decorate with plants.
7. Maximize the use of natural light. Scandinavian design uses little to none window treatments.
8. Buy a natural textile throw (for example sheep skin, wool or mohair).
9. A chimney is very popular in Scandinavian design; but it is never in the middle of a room, it’s not the focal point. It should be in a corner.
10. Choose eco-friendly​ materials.

If you want my opinion about SD, I love it. I can’t get enough of those touches of pink, the brass lamps, and the feeling of simplicity and coziness it gives. I would love to have a Scandinavian bedroom. Could I have a Scandinavian home? Probably not. There is no way I can have a uncluttered simple living room at this point of my life. Remember to always stay true to your lifestyle before buying decoration, it is going to have an impact on your family.

I want to know YOUR opinion! Leave me a comment 🙂

♥Laters, Mari

Ps: Did you know IKEA is a Scandinavian store?

Mrscarlissa

Domestic Objects Hand Made

 

 

Designed by Eleni P.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nordic design collective

Nordicdesign.ca

 

homedit.com

On a side note… Have fun!

Decorating is just sheer fun: a delight in color, an awareness of balance, a feeling of lighting, a sense of style, a zest for life and an amused enjoyment of the smart accessories of the moment. Dorothy Draper, first self-taught female interior decorator of the United States.

Hello decor chasers!

I’ve been thinking of how decorating might not be as fun -as it is for me- for everyone and that maybe, just maybe, it’s time for a post of comfort, good vibes and love.

Please don’t stress with decoration! A staged house is just a perfect house because no one lives in it. A home is made by whoever lives in it, not by what it has or doesn’t have.

Today I’m giving you in five points advice of realness, as my friend Allan would say.

1. Stick to buying things that have a meaning to you, that relate to your life somehow.

2. When choosing furniture, and accessories think about your lifestyle. They have to go together like two pieces of a puzzle.

3. Don’t rush it! The right piece will come! You don’t need to buy everything at once and in one store just because they have a “buy one, 50% discount on the second” deal. First of all, where is the fun in that? And second, you might find an even better price somewhere else.

4. Don’t buy cheap, buy quality. I don’t believe in changing living rooms every 3 years, and buying new beds every five. Even if you have the money to do so, it’s not right for the environment. You can always change the upholstery of the couch, or buy new linens for the same bed.

5. Yes be authentic, yes be original! But to those of you out there that don’t have the decoration bug, don’t worry! If you can, pay someone to decorate your house or find inspiration in books, magazines and Pinterest. Recreating looks is just as fun.

I hope this post has given you some comfort and positivity.

♥Love, Mari

Color, Color, and more Color

Hello decor chasers! I’ve been out two weeks (guilty!), but let me tell you why: I’m changing jobs and had a lot of things to do, thankfully I’ve managed to leave my job in good terms, but also quite excited by this change in my life.

So much can be said about color, and one post is definitely not enough. I’ve decided this post is going to be about what we can do with color, and how we can use it to achieve a desired effect in a room. I’ll probably post more about color in the future, who knows where my studies might take us.

Experts like Steven Bradley say “that good design should work in the absence of color”, but we aren’t experts here …yet.

What can you do with color?

• Set the mood for a room.
• Make a big room feel intimate, and a small room feel bigger.
• Disguise architectural defects.
• Accentuate strengths.

As you can see COLOR is our ally for decorating, COLOR IS MAGIC!

The first thing you want to decide is what mood do you want your room to have? Do you want it to be fun, intimate, welcoming or maybe you want to be able to concentrate better in it? 

Try choosing a mood with this extract from The Color Scheme Bible by Anna Starmer:

Pink: fun, lively, positive and feminine
Red: passionate, daring, intimate, comforting, stimulates appetite
Orange: stimulates creativity, evokes warmth and coziness
Yellow: welcoming, sunny, and linked to promoting intelligence
Green: tranquil, invigorating, restful and balancing
Blue: clear thinking, calm, meditative
Violet: stimulating, sexy; blue-violets are cooling, spiritual

Lets go back to elementary school

Perhaps you remember from elementary school that the primary colors are red, yellow and blue; and that green, orange and purple are the secondary colors which are achieved by mixing two primary colors. (For example: yellow+red = orange)

The wheel of color represents the relationship between primary and secondary colors

Since the wheel of color represents color, and color has different shades and tones, you can find a lot of different types of wheels. Remember, a color wheel is just a representation of color and there are different ways to express its relationships.

After you’ve chosen the mood you want the room to have, we move into choosing the  color scheme. There are four basic color schemes.

Complementary Scheme

The complementary colors are the colors that lay opposite to each other in the wheel. When combined in equal strengths they produce a neutral color. (For example purple +yellow = brown)

In interior design, whenever you want to make a room pop, when you want excitement, then you use complementary colors to decorate.

freshmen.com

Adjacent Scheme

The adjacent colors are the colors that lay next to each other in the wheel of color, for example blue and green. If you want the room to look relaxed, then decorate with an adjacent scheme.

the spruce.com

Monochromatic Scheme 

A monochromatic scheme refers to a color palette that uses the same color but in different tones. These are tones that can be used to attract attention and create focus. Some people say monochromatic palettes are boring, but personally monochromatic calms me and I think it makes a room look cozier.  My bedroom is decorated in a purple monochromatic scheme.

Accented Neutral Scheme

Neutral color schemes only include colors that aren‘t found in the color wheel (various tones of brown and gray) with a splash of color here and there. These type of schemes add sophistication and work if you don’t have a classic taste.

lushhome.com

And there you go! Choosing color in 2 simple steps. I hope you loved this post, please comment if there is anything that you need me to explain deeper or differently. Color affects our mood and thoughts, we don’t think about it everyday but it does. If you don’t feel confident enough to use bold colors paint your walls a neutral tone, buy a neutral couch and add color to accentuate. 

♥Laters, Mari

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All copyrights and trademarks of images belong to their respective IP owners and are used under Fair Use for educational purposes.

The Basics of the Living Room

Hello decorchasers! One of my closest friends asked me to write an entry about the living room. She just moved to her new house and is in the process of decorating.

Like I said last week, when I wrote about styling the coffee table, the living room is the presentation card of our home. I’m going to walk you through the fundamentals to start decorating your living room. The next couple of weeks I’ll write about mixing colors, hanging art, and lighting.

Fundamentals 101 

The curtains: The higher the better! Hanging curtains to the ceiling and wider than the window frame is a perfect way to make the walls look taller and the room airier.

The sofa:  The type of sofa you choose depends on your taste or what’s on trend. Think of scale, if your living room is small putting a big sofa there will only make it look smaller. I’m attaching an image of Erin Gates’ book Elements of Style at the end of the post. Make sure to check it out if you want to see the different styles of couches.

The conversation square: This term is something I made up (I think!). What I mean is that living rooms are meant to have a number of people sitting and having conversations. So how many seats do you need? Easy! How many chairs does your dining room have? If it has 8, you need sitting space on the living room for at least 8. Try to make a square or circle with all the seats so that it looks cozy and inviting. If you have a very big living room it is preferible to have more than 1 sitting area instead of spreading the sofa and chairs everywhere.

There should be 46cm (18″) between the sofa and the coffee table,  and no more than 3 meters between each seat. This allows everyone to speak without having to raise their voices.

Before buying your sofa use tape and mark its silhouette on the floor, this way you can imagine how it’s going to look and make sure it fits.

Coffee table and side tables: Whoever sits in your living room needs to have a table nearby to put down their drink, or cellphone nowadays​, so add tables accordingly.

The rug: At least two legs of all the main furniture should fit in the rug. This is going to be difficult if your living room has an unusual shape, but by all means, please avoid what the interior designer Erin Gates likes to call as the “rug island”, which is when only the center table is on the rug. If you fall in love with a small rug for your living room, place it on top of a larger neutral rug (look at the image at the end of this post).

The pillows:  For small sofas use 50.8cm (20″) pillows, for larger and  L shaped sofas use 22″ or 24″. For accent chairs use 18″ pillows.

Mirrors: No matter the size of your living room, mirrors help the room look brighter and give the ilussion that the room is larger.

TIP: Before buying anything take into account the size of the entry door, stairways and hallways. You are going to want to be able to fit your new piece into the house.

Remember “be honest about your lifestyle and stuff” when choosing your décor! (Erin Gates)

♥ Laters, Mari.

cof

cof

Erin Gates’ Elements of Style.

¡Hola decorchasers! Una de mis amigas más cercanas me pidió que escribiera acerca de la decoración de la sala. Ella se acaba de pasar a vivir a una casa nueva y está en el proceso de decorar comenzando de cero.

Como les dije la semana pasada, cuando escribí sobre la decoración de la mesa de centro, la sala es la carta de presentación de nuestra casa. Hoy les voy a explicar cuales son las piezas clave para decorar la sala y en las siguientes semanas escribiré sobre el color, como colgar arte e iluminación.

Fundamentos 101

Cortinas: Hay que colgarlas verticalmente bien cerca del techo, y horizontalmente debe ser más anchas que la ventana, de esta manera las paredes se ven mas largas y te asegurás que toda la ventana queda cubierta cuando las cierras.

Sillón: El tipo de sillón que escojás va a depender de tu gusto y de lo que está de moda. Pensá en la escala, si la sala es pequeña y ponés un sillón grande lo único que vas a lograr es que la sala se vea aún más pequeña. Al comienzo de este boletín puse una foto sacada del libro Elements of Style, de Erin Gates, donde vienen fotografiados varios estilos de sillones.

El cuadrado de conversación: Este termino lo inventé yo ( ¡eso creo! ). Lo que quiero decir es que el fin de la sala es sentar a un grupo de personas para que conversen. ¿Cuántos asientos necesitás? ¡Fácil! ¿Cuántos campos tiene tu comedor? Si tiene 8, igualmente necesitás mínimo 8 campos en la sala. Acomodá todos los asientos en un cuadrado o circulo de manera que se vea acogedor. Si la sala es muy grande, es mejor dividirla y hacer varias pequeñas zonas de estar, que una sola.

Deberían de haber 46cm (18″) entre el sillón y la mesa de centro, y no más de 3 metros entre cada asiento. De esta manera todas las personas pueden hablar sin necesidad de elevar la voz.

Antes de comprar tu sillón podes usar tape y marcar la silueta en el piso donde pensás ponerlo, de esta manera podes imaginártelo y asegurarte que encaja con todo lo demás.

Mesa de centro y mesa auxiliar: Quien sea que se siente en tu sala necesita una mesa cerca donde poner su trago, o en estos tiempos el celular, así que agregá las mesas que sean necesarias.

Alfombra: Al menos dos de las patas de cada asiento deben de quedar dentro de la alfombra. Esto se dificulta si el espacio de la sala tiene una forma inusual, pero por favor, evitá lo que la diseñadora de interiores, Erin Gates, llama la “alfombra isla”. Con esto se refiere a cuando sólo la mesa del centro está dentro de la alfombra. Puede pasar que te enamorés de una alfombra que es muy pequeña para tu sala, entonces ponéla encima de una alfombra grande de un color neutro. Como en esta foto:

Los almohadones: Para sillones pequeños usá almohadones de 50.8cm (20º), para sillones más grandes usá almohadones de 22″o 24″. Para una silla pequeña usá de 18″.

Espejos: No importa el tamaño de tu sala, un espejo siempre ayuda a que el cuarto se vea más iluminado y da la ilusión de que el cuarto es más grande.

TIP: Antes de comprar cualquiér pieza tomá en cuenta el tamaño de todas las entradas de tu casa, de escaleras y pasillos. Recordá tener mucha “honestidad sobre tu estilo de vida y tus cosas” cuando escojás el décor de tu casa. (Erin Gates)

♥Laters, Mari

MidWEEK Tip

The last few weeks I have been obsessing with The Décor Chaser: the blog’s Instagram, the blog’s content, reading books for the blog, blog, blog and a bit more blog. I’ve been spending so much time looking at beautiful decor posts and daydreaming of how I wish my house was, that suddenly my house began to look a bit dull. Short on money, what is this girl supposed to do? Decoration with flowers! Flowers bring life and energy to any space. They also have the benefit of boosting your mood. Check out this photos for inspiration! And have fun!

♥Laters, Mari

Las últimas semanas me he obsesionado un poco con The Décor Chaser: paso pensando en mi siguiente publicación, en el Instagram del blog, leyendo libros para el blog, blog, blog y más blog. He pasado tantas horas viendo imágenes de decoración de interiores e imaginándome como quisiera que fuera mi casa, que de pronto la empecé a ver fea. ¿ Sin dinero extra este mes que podía hacer? ¡Decorar con flores! Aportan vida, energía y además suben el ánimo. Vean estas fotos para que se inspiren, pero sobre todo… diviértanse!

♥ Laters, Mari

Images used for inspirational purposes only. I don’t owe them.

The Coffee Table Vignette

Vignette   /vin’yet/

“A vignette is a small arrangement of objects, usually including pieces that reflect the personality of the person who lives there.” Emily Henderson, stylist and interior designer.

♥ Vignette is that “oh, this is so you” factor!

Hello! Today, I will be walking you through how to style your coffee table. The living room is the presentation card of your house, aiding as the place where you usually do most of your hosting mementos. Most importantly, it must be moldable enough so that you can kick your shoes off and relax after a long day of work. So, lets get to it!

THE COFFEE TABLE CURSE

You may have fallen victim to (what I like to lovingly call) the coffee table curse. You’ll know your coffee table has been cursed when you find it covered with all sorts of unnecessary stuff… from supporting the TV, DVD and Wii remotes to old food wrappers, boxes, decade old magazines and basically any other trash that may pop into your head. No worries though, the curse can be undone quite easily. Decluttering and styling your coffee table is as easy as 1,2,3! Yup, the rule of three comes in handy when styling your coffee table; just as it works wonderfully in photography and writing.

First of all, set everything that you have on your coffee table on the side, lets start from scratch.

Every coffee table, no matter the size, needs a minimum of THREE objects: something vertical and high, something horizontal and low, and a quirky or sculptural object acting as a bridge between the other two.

“The things on your living room tables should, of course, all be livable things- either things you use or things you love. But remember that they are on display. It pays to slurge a bit on every one of them”. Dorothy Draper owner of Dorothy Draper&Company Inc.

Quirky: characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits.

In this image the vertical element is the vase with flowers, the horizontal element is the stack of books, and the quirky object is the geometrical figure.

In the next example, the quirky white pieces have been set on top of the horizontal element because the table is also white. Nontheless, the rule of three is being applied.

If you have a large coffe table (and I hope you do) you can use more than three decorative pieces. Instead, use three decoration zones, each with no  more than three items. I like using one or three pieces, using odd numbers keeps everything feeling balanced.

Add (1) something green or alive to bring the outside inside, use a carefully selected vase; (2) a tray or a bowl to keep those electronics’ remotes, eyeglass case and such; (3) books or magazines of topics that interest you (i.e. conversation starter) and (4) any other decorative piece that you find amusing or that have some intimate charm or association for you. Remember, you must always have something vertical, something horizontal and a bridge bringing it all together.

Voilà! You’ll end up with something that looks like the image below. Before buying anything new, take into account your lifestyle; for example, do you have kids? If you do, using anything made of glass to style the coffee table isn’t a good idea.

I hope you found this post interesting, I’ve opened an Instagram account for the blog under the name of @thedecorchaser, follow me if you like.

https://www.instagram.com/thedecorchaser/

♥ Laters, Mari.

MidWEEK Tip

If your bedroom has high ceilings, buy a bed with a high headboard. Why? It will make the room look a lot more balanced and will create a striking backdrop, making everything pop!

Si tu cuarto tiene techo alto comprá una cama con una cabecera igualmente alta. ¿Por qué? De esta manera el cuarto se verá mucho más balanceado, además, crearás un fondo llamativo logrando que el resto del cuarto sobresalga.

Silky deliciousness

¡Hola! Hoy estuve donde mi hermana. Me acosté en su cama y me pareció genial lo que encontré: ¡fundas de seda para la almohada de dormir!

Inmediatamente quise averiguar si de hecho existe algún beneficio (aparte de la comodidad) de dormir con fundas de seda y encontré un par.

PROS

• La seda es mucho más suave para la cara y  evita los pliegues en la piel que se hacen al darnos vuelta cuando dormimos. Si estos pliegues se nos hacen todas las noches, terminarán siendo permanentes.
• Una funda de seda también ayuda a que tu cabello amanezca sin frizz. Si dormís con el pelo planchado, con blower, o extensiones podés estar segura(o) que vas a despertar con el cabello perfecto.
• ¿Te da calor al dormir? La seda es un material que respira, y no absorbe tanta agua del medio ambiente (y de tu cabello) como otras telas. Dormirás con mucha más comodidad y frescura.
• La seda es muy resistente, te durará años, además que tu cama se verá divina.

CONS

• La calidad de la seda se mide en momme, la cual indica cuánto pesa la seda. Entre más alto sea el número mejor es la calidad. Una funda de 22 momme para almohada queen cuesta alrededor de $80.
• Hay que tener cuidado con el tinte que el fabricante utiliza para teñir la seda, pues podría ser de dudoso proceder.
• No podés lavar tus artículos de seda en la lavadora, debe de ser a mano; además no todos los detergentes son aceptables.

Momme [mämē]: unidad de medida japonesa equivalente a 3.75gramos.

Hello!  I was at my sister’s house today, laying on her bed and found something incredible: silk pillowcases!

Immediately, I decided to find out if they are in fact any benefits (aside from the comfort) of sleeping with silk sheets.

PROS

• Silk is a lot softer on your face and helps you avoid the so called “sleep crease”. We usually get the crease in our faces while we are sleeping because the fabric doesn’t let the skin glide. This wrinkle disappears during the day, however constantly exposing our face to the Sleep crease can overtime turn into a permanent wrinkle.
• A silk pillowcase also protects your hair by diminishing the amount of frizz, keeps your hair extensions in place, and your hair styling will last longer until next morning.
• Do you get hot in your sleep? Silk is a breathable material, thus it doesn’t draw water from your hair and/or skin. You will sleep way more comfortable and stay fresh.
• Silk is resistant, it will last for years and your bed will look divine. Silk’s quality is measured in momme. This unit of measurement indicates the silk’s weight. The higher the number, the better the quality.

CONS

• Watch out for toxic dyes, not all pillow cases are made the same.
• Silk is not as affordable as other fabrics. A queen pillowcase of 22momme has a cost of around $80.
• Silk should be washed preferably by hand and not all laundry detergents are suitable.

Momme [mämē]: a Japanese unit of weight equal to 3.75grams.

It’s all in the detail

“Your home should be the story of who you are and a collection of what you love”  Nate Berkus

¿Qué tan lindas las cucharas de caballito de mar? Sería perfecto para servir el postre!
How cute are those seahorse spoons? Perfect to eat dessert!
#decorchaser #seahorse #beautifultable