20 May, 2011

20 Palatial Quick n' Easy Weekend Decorating Projects


I love nothing better than a decorating project - what makes it even sweeter is that it's quick, easy and affordable - but give a Palatial feeling to my home!
So here are few great ideas that I came across through a number of fabulous newsletters I receive and thought you might like a few of the ideas too - maybe an even start one this weekend!
Enjoy,


1. Refresh Your Bedroom
New bedding, a fresh coat of paint, and unique lighting will give a bedroom a new personality - and it can be finished in a weekend.
2. Update Window Treatments
Tired of the store-bought panels that are scattered throughout your home? Give them an instant transformation with a few snips of the scissors and a bit of creativity.


3. Paint Fun Stripes
Stripes are the perfect way to add pizzazz to a space. While they're not difficult to achieve, be sure to spend lots of time prepping so your stripes turn out perfect.

 
4. Add Wallpaper
With wallpaper's recent comeback, a slew of beautiful choices are available to jazz up any room. Look for oversize patterns to create a sophisticated and dramatic look.


5. Update Your Bookcases
Bookcases don't have to pose a decorating dilemma. Spend a few hours organizing and arranging them to get the perfect look. Click the link below for editors' tips for styling bookshelves.

 

6. Tile Your Backsplash
Transform your kitchen with a new backsplash. This easy (really!) DIY project will add sophistication to your space. Consider small tiles on a mesh backing for the easiest installation. Or why not use some tile paint - and give it a fresh new look for a the cost of a lick of panit! Just make sure you surface is in good condition, cleaned & prepped before painting - easy! [Australia - White Knight Tile Paint from Bunnings or Mitre 10, your local  paint orhardware store - is perfect for tiles in good condition].
 
7. Update Your Standard Cabinets
Give your standard cabinets a boost with a new coat of paint and modern hardware. This Swedish-inspired look is enhanced by a beadboard backsplash and red-and-white toile curtains.

8. Make Easy Art
Think outside the frame when you need your next piece of artwork. Here a refinished vintage shutter was transformed into a savvy place to display photos, postcards, and clippings.


9. Make Your Own Flower Arrangements
Creating a classic flower arrangement doesn't have to be difficult. With a few simple steps you can turn a grocery store bouquet into a masterfully crafted centerpiece.
 
10. Give a Bookcase a Makeover
This once-ordinary unfinished bookcase was given a modern look with an espresso gel stain finish and a few accessories. To make the bookcase truly unique, a linen roller shade was installed to conceal clutter.
 
11. Make a New Headboard
Two salvaged windows are a great alternative to an ordinary headboard. To get this look, find windows that measure approximately the width of your mattress. Remove the glass and install fiberboard or foam board to cover the backs. Cut fabric or wallpaper remnants to fit each section and adhere with spray adhesive.


12. Redo Your Mantel
Mantels can be tricky to decorate. But in an hour or two you can give your mantel a new look. Here a collection of old books is casually stacked, giving the mantel character. Small accessories provide an interesting contrast to the book collection.


13. Add or Upgrade Your Moulding
From grand crown molding to handsome baseboards, millwork can really elevate a room. If you want to add extra architectural interest, consider adding a chair rail or wainscot.


 14. Dress It Up with Mirrors
Mirrors can make a room seem larger and brighter. A symmetrical arrangement stands out for both its space-enlarging reflections and its graphic simplicity.


15. Create a Custom ShelfThis simple shelf can be made in just a few hours to finish off an entryway, bathroom, or bedroom. You just need a few supplies and basic woodworking skills

16. Put Your Scraps to Use
Do you have extra stacks of scrapbook paper lying around? Decoupage your favorites to canvas to create do-it-yourself art. Paint the edges of the canvases for a finished look.

17. Punch Up Your Plain Pillows
Transform an ordinary pillow into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece with some simple sewing and a few beads.

18.Big Impact with a Little Fabric
If you love your lamp base but the shade needs help, give it a facelift with a modern fabric. Working with a drum shade allows you to use almost any textile; a tapered shade looks best with a small overall print or a solid fabric that doesn't require a pattern match.


19. Create a Home Office
The galvanized plumbing pipes and prefab shelving in this work station are compact and simple to put together. This home office proves that smart style doesn't demand a big budget.

20. Create a Family Gallery
Narrow art ledges are the perfect way to create a gallery from your collection of family photos. Vary the sizes of the pictures, but select compatible frames so the focus remains on the art.
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Which project will you be doing this weekend?

images & subtext via bhg



16 May, 2011

To Brighten Your Day...

I'm sorry I have missed you & posting regularly on Palatial Living these past couple of weeks... I am getting used to [another] new routine and just trying to find the 'happy' balance with work, jobs, family & friends, & my overall health [sanity]!I promise I will get there soon - but in the meantime I want to thank you for your patience and kinds comments...
So here's a little something I know would like on my desk or table - to brighten your Monday!
Enjoy,



image via mirabelle, peonies

12 May, 2011

House Snoop... Perched Up on a Palatial Eco-System Estate.


A tropical hinterland Palatial Estate in Queensland... looking for a magnificent home to get away from it all and feel like you're perched up on top of the world? Well this is the place for you... take heed trans Atlantic & Pacific Friends of Palatial Living... this could also be yours! I instantly feel in love with the landscaping and the infinity edgeless pool - I felt like I could be part of this beautiful  Eco system instantly - just being in or beside the pool! Built for having guests over and entertaining this home is breathtaking... take a look at all these gorgeous images & the serene views from all angles of the home...
Enjoy!





Agent's Blurb... Musgrave Rd Yandina Creek
Belle Property, Buderim Queensland + 61 7 5445 6722




Lifestyle - Indulge in this lavish, tranquil and chic residence Mandalay overlooking sweeping valley views from its hilltop haven 100 meters above sea level with a view over coastal villages between Coolum to Marcus Beach. Perfect environment for an extended family or a fabulous corporate retreat equal to international standards. The Asian influenced architecture has a genuine sentiment of intimate spaces within gentle surroundings providing a perfect transition through indoor and outdoor spaces, pavilions and lush gardens. A contemporary 5 star residence that is an inspirational Bali-Resort style home or retreat just a short drive to Noosa Heads, Coolum Beach, Brisbane and the regional Airport.
Accommodation - Eco-friendly timber and stone finishes to the 4 connected pavilions, 5 living spaces, 7 sleeping chambers, and large office which surround the heated infinity pool. The air-conditioned rammed earth pavilions with 1070 sq meters of living space are linked by steps and shaded pergola breeze-ways. A fully self-contained Guest Suite and a serviced private suit are part of the property's 7 Sleeping chambers, 4.5 bathrooms, 4 living areas and other house facilities such as an art studio. Areas include formal living, dining, eat-in kitchen, media /family room, a number of wet areas, office, library, reading room and art studio.
Features - An open fire place, air-conditioning, ceiling fans, tinted windows, alarm facilities, intercom, gated access, soaring timber ceiling and breezeways. Glorious tropical gardens and fossilized Himalayan slate and terracotta walkways. On site car parking for 12, golf pitching lawn or space for full sized tennis court, 35,000 gallons of water under the suspended pool terrace, reticulated watering systems.
A sustainability declaration is available upon request from the selling agent.



images & sub text via domain.com.au & belle property

Ways to Making the Most of Small Rooms...


I recently found a great article in American interiors mag House Beautiful that I wanted to share with you... I thought it had some great tips & tricks for making the most of small or smaller spaces that often perplex us with 'what to do?' . These are probably the most asked questions & dilemmas that my clients come across in styling their homes & office spaces - that's where I come in to help them!

Organize Furniture into Mini-Rooms > In this New York City studio apartment — just under 400 square feet furniture is arranged by function. The distinct zones help make the space feel much larger.

Choose Furniture that Does Double Duty > To maximize space in the studio,  a large farm table is used as a desk, and transforms it into a dining table when entertaining. Large black wire bins stylishly store files — and make it easy to move them elsewhere.

Float Furniture in the Center of the Room > In this small guesthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah, designers Marshall Watson and Jeffrey Kilmer arranged the furniture in the small living room away from the walls. "If you create space beyond the furniture, it adds volume to a room," says Kilmer

Create Hidden Storage > Interior designer David Kaihoi lives large in his small New York City one-bedroom apartment with multi-functional furniture. The elegant banquette serves as seating for both the dining table and the living room, plus it stores linens and towels underneath.

Use All Available Space > To use all available wall space and height, Kaihoi built this floor-to-ceiling bookcase. There are storage cabinets on the bottom, a spot for the television, and plenty of room for books.
Select Multi-Purpose Children's Furniture > Choosing furniture that works throughout a child's life is a smart investment. This antique gentleman's chest has served multiple purposes for Kaihoi: desk, bar, child's bureau, and — when the child was in diapers — changing table.

Match Furniture to the Wall Color > Kristen Ewart designed this beach house on Balboa Island, California. She painted these dining chairs semigloss white to match the walls. The chairs disappear into the walls, opening up the room.

Try Nesting Tables > Since the master bedroom is small, Ewart chose nesting tables. One can be pulled out at night, and pushed out of the way when not needed.

Add Closet Space with an Armoire> In a 1,400 square-foot Alabama cottage, designer Melanie Pounds designed an Ultrasuede armoire to compensate for small closets in the master bedroom.

 
Create an Additional Entertaining Area> If you have a small kitchen and entertain frequently, set up a small table away from the kitchen. In her home's entryway, Pounds chose a skirted console table to display books and flowers for everyday use. When she entertains, she uses it as a bar or serving table. "There's less congestion in the galley kitchen and dining room. It saved us!"

Choose an Open Console> Pounds designed a leggy console to hold her bathroom sink instead of a traditional closed cabinet. The open space helps to make the bathroom feel larger.
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Hopefully these 'small' ideas will help you with any 'small space' styling dilemmas you might have in you home!
Enjoy,


images & subtext via house beautiful


08 May, 2011

Happy Mother's Day x

Happy Mother's Day!
Wishing my fabulous mum & wonderful mother-in-law, my much loved grandmothers & grandmother's-in-law, all the mummy's amongst my family & friends, you are the women we look to for fun, encouragement, approval, love & kindness. 
A Happy Mother's Day especially to all the lovely '1st time Mothers Day Mummy's' from my fantastic Mother's Group! Hope you have a truly wonderful special day xxx
A Big - Big - Big Loving Thank You to my husband, Matthew
 for giving me my best gift, our sweet little Isabelle.
Isabelle, You make my Mother's Day!
You make it all worth while - You are the Big Picture.
Love you precious x

 
image via paterson maker

04 May, 2011

Lusting After...


Here's just a few things I have been lusting after at the moment...
Of course there's many more but I ran out of space in my collage!
Maybe I need to create another one, or two or three!
What's on your 'dream' shopping list?



images via tiffany & co, ralph lauren, veranda house, ada and darcy

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