CasaSugar

Su Casa Challenge: Kimpossible's Corner of Family Favorites

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:30:49 -0800

Su Casa member Kimpossible responded to my January Su Casa Challenge and posted photos of a bright corner in her home that holds special significance for her family.

She writes, "This is one of my favorite spots in our home. It's a sideboard that houses games, but it's the map above and bowls on top of it that make it my favorite. The map is mounted on foam core so we can add pins to it to mark all the places we've been to as a family. The bowls are souvenirs from the places we visit. The little blue bird on the cabinet used to belong to my hubby's grandmother. I love this spot because it brings back such wonderful memories of our vacations."

I love this interactive use of a map in a home! And I admire Kimpossible's artful arrangements of these precious souvenirs and inherited accents. Just lovely.

Have you entered your home in my January Su Casa Challenge? For this month's contest, I want you to photograph and describe a bright and happy corner of your casa. Winter may be dreary, but I know that your homes are cheery! Show them off and you might win some CasaSugar swag of your choice. Intrigued? Read all about the January challenge here.

Su Casa: Anti Curl's Bright and Refreshing Kitchen Nook

CasaSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:15:41 -0800

Su Casa member Anti Curl responded to my January Su Casa Challenge and posted photos of a cheerful little nook in her home.

Anti Curl writes, "One of my favorite spots in my home is the kitchen nook corner. I feel it conveys a simple and quaint impression. Its original pushed-out corner creates a nice seating area. My husband and I decided to paint the inner space along with a small border on the outer walls in order to define the area. I had a difficult time finding curtains with the appropriate dimensions, so I decided to nix that idea and ended up making the curtains myself. It really is the perfect spot to be in on a warm Sunday morning while drinking your coffee and reading the paper. It's my refreshing corner and I love it!"

I'm impressed with what Anti Curl was able to accomplish with a little DIY knowledge and a good eye. That color is divine, and her curtains are well balanced in the space. Nice work!

Make sure to enter your home in my January Su Casa Challenge. For this month's contest, I want you to photograph and describe a bright and happy corner of your casa. Winter may be dreary, but I know that your homes are cheery! Show them off and you might win some CasaSugar swag of your choice. Intrigued? Read all about the January challenge here.

Show Me Your Bright and Cheerful Casa

CasaSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0800

Since we're in the middle of Winter, I thought it would be the perfect time to indulge in a little home-decorating cheerfulness. And given the great response I got from readers last month for my holiday decorating challenge, I thought that I'd take advantage of your enthusiasm by asking you to send even more photos of your beautiful homes.

For this month's Su Casa challenge, I'd like you to share photos of your own bright and cheerful decorating with the rest of us in the Su Casa Group. You have all month to get your photos in, and feel free to add a caption. I'd love to hear why you decorated a particular corner in your home the way you did, and what about it makes you happy. Two lucky participants will win the CasaSugar swag of their choice, so it's definitely worth taking a snapshot or two of your home! I'm looking forward to seeing all of your inspired decor! Oh, and definitely check out my Su Casa post to hear about why this is one of my favorite corners in my home right now.

Ask Casa: A Color Palette Query

CasaSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:00:47 -0800

Hi Casa,

I am moving into an apartment soon with roommates and want some help decorating. I get my own room and can style it any way I want but can't decide on the color palette.

I love dark moody lounge type colors (dark grays, reds, purples, etc.) and bright bold colors for furniture, but the room is not that big. I'm scared the dark colors would shrink it even more. Not a big fan of light pastel colors since most of my rooms in the past has been light blues and such but I love different shades of white. I'm aiming for a space where I can dim the lights and put on some music and chill but at the same time can transition into a workspace. Any suggestions? Thanks, Tiffany

To see my suggestions for Tiffany, read more.

Hi Tiffany,

What a great question for Color Theory month! If you remember my post on cool colors, the hues that range from blue-green to blue-violet, including gray, you know that cool colors tend to recede, which has a calm and relaxing effect. Warm colors, the hues from red through yellow, browns and tans included, on the other hand, advance, with a more stimulating effect. So to achieve the effect you're looking for, you should paint your walls in cool colors.

Take note, cool vs. warm is not the same as light vs. dark - it's about the actual hue. That's not to say you can't use dark colors. But if you do, just pick one that's more blue, green, or gray, or a purple that's more violet, instead of a dark red or brown.

Then, you can use lighting to turn your dark and moody bedroom into a stimulating workspace. Obviously your workspace should be bright, whether your set your desk near a window or just have proper overhead lighting. But you can actually purchase tinted bulbs, for instance soft pink, to bring warm colored (stimulating) tones to your workspace.

I like your concept of using bright bold colors on furniture. Whatever dark moody wall color you choose, just choose complementary colors (on the opposite side of the color wheel) for your bold furniture pieces.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Casa

Source and Source

Ask Casa: Help With My New Living Room

CasaSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0800

Hi Casa,

I recently rented my first apartment and now I have to furnish and make it my own space. Eeek! I feel like I need some serious help. The apartment is not very big and I'm not allowed to paint the walls so they must remain white. Right now I'm focused on the living area. As of right now I have a couch, chair, and an accent table. I'm need of a coffee table, but I was thinking instead of going the table route, of doing a cocktail ottoman. I found one at Target, the Kerry Rectangle Ottoman, I thought might work well. If you could give me some pointers I would be truly grateful. I've included a picture so you can get some idea of what I'm working with. Thanks, xnieves

To hear my suggestions for xnieves, read more.

Hi xnieves,

Thanks for writing in! How fun? Your first apartment! The space looks great. Your parquet floors are gorgeous, and that fireplace nook is great.

It's too bad you can't paint the walls, but you do have some alternatives. If you're allowed to, hang large-scale artwork to instantly bring color to the space. The wall above that fireplace is just begging for a big, bright painting. You can also hang textiles, tapestries, or curtains to bring in color. Another great trick is to wallpaper boards of plywood and just lean them against your walls - see what I mean here.

While I do like the idea of using an ottoman instead of a coffee table, I'm afraid it will be too hefty for this small space, especially in that dark brown color of the Kerry ottoman. If you really want one, I'd recommend getting two small ottoman cubes instead - something more like this. But honestly, I think the space would really benefit from a coffee table that's much lighter visually, such as a glass or Lucite one. For instance, the CB2 Smart Coffee Table ($199) would look great (and let those parquet floors peek through).

The biggest problem I see already here though is that you're headed in a very beige and brown direction, which is not very inspiring or intriguing. You need color in this space. I recommend adding colorful throw pillows to the couch, and maybe a small one to the chair as well. Since you can't paint the walls, your furnishings should take the lead on adding color and personality. You should also dress up that fireplace nook; read my post on Decorating a Nonworking Fireplace for ideas. Bring in color with accessories, too, such a candlesticks, books, vases, etc.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Casa

Show Me Your Bright and Cheerful Casa!

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:00:55 -0800

So what makes you happy and cheerful in a Winter home? For me, some pink martini glasses definitely do the trick. But what's your go-to accent for cheerful Winter living?

For this month's Su Casa challenge, I'd like you to share photos of your own bright and cheerful decorating with the rest of us in the Su Casa Group. You have all month to get your photos in, and feel free to add a caption. I'd love to hear why you decorated a particular corner in your home the way you did and what about it makes you happy. Two lucky participants will win the CasaSugar swag of their choice, so it's definitely worth taking a snapshot or two of your home! I'm looking forward to seeing all of your inspired decor!

Show Me Your Bright and Cheerful Casa

CasaSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:30:58 -0800

So what makes you happy and cheerful in a Winter home? For me, some pink martini glasses definitely do the trick. But what's your go-to accent for cheerful Winter living?

For this month's Su Casa challenge, I'd like you to share photos of your own bright and cheerful decorating with the rest of us in the Su Casa Group. You have all month to get your photos in, and feel free to add a caption. I'd love to hear why you decorated a particular corner in your home the way you did and what about it makes you happy. Two lucky participants will win the CasaSugar swag of their choice, so it's definitely worth taking a snapshot or two of your home! I'm looking forward to seeing all of your inspired decor!

Show Me Your Bright and Cheerful Casa

CasaSugar — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 10:30:56 -0800

Ask Casa: Framing Fine Photography

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:13 -0800

Hi Casa,

I am adding, for the first time ever, fine photography to my apartment. However I am at a loss when it comes to framing styles and arrangement.

One set of four photographs is horizontally-oriented and black-and-white. I'd like this set in my bedroom but don't know how to arrange them so they look more interesting seeing that they're all horizontal. Tips? Regarding framing them, I'd like to know which types of frames (color, matting, etc.) you recommend for my room seeing that the walls are white but most of the accessory pieces in my room are either antique brown wood or a few wood pieces I've painted bright coral and Yves Klein blue. Are white frames my best bet? Can you frame b&w photographs in brown wood?

The other set of photographs are two color photographs, also horizontally-oriented, that will be nearly facing each other on opposite walls. Tips on framing, matting, and color? They need not match, do they?

I appreciate any tips you might be able to offer me!

Best,
Daniela

To see my suggestions for Daniela, read more.

Hi Daniela,

How exciting! First of all, I wouldn't worry too much about making them "look more interesting" - adding fine art to your home will instantly give it a face-lift regardless of how it's arranged! But, I'll give you a few tips.

As for color, I do think white frames are your best bet. They won't compete with the artwork, and they go with everything. But, you can also go with silver or stainless steel for a more contemporary look. And yes, you can definitely frame black and white photography in brown wood. Another option is to use frameless glass clip frames, which have a more contemporary, minimal look.

I'd say for the set of four photographs, keep the frames cohesive. If you want to choose two different mat colors for the set, you can do that to give it a little edge. But don't get too crazy, maybe go with a gray mat.

For the set of two color photographs, go with a white or off-white mat. For the frames themselves, you can do two different colors or finishes if you like seeing as they'll be on different walls. Select colors that will make the images pop. But make sure the two colors don't clash.

As for arrangements, one option is to use picture ledges. This style allows you to easily move around your photography when it's feeling stale. You can also add a smaller piece of artwork, or even a knickknack, to play with scale. A layering effect (setting one frame slightly in front of the other) is nice, too.

You can't go wrong with a box-shaped arrangement. Just make sure you keep them evenly spaced.

You can also hang two rows of frames a bit off-kilter from one another. It should be enough that the arrangement doesn't look like a mistake, but not too much that the bottom frame is hung between the top two. If you choose an off-kilter arrangement, make sure the distance between the top two frames and between the bottom two frames is the same.

Or, if you happen to have a really long wall, you can hang the four of them side by side. This will give you more of an art gallery effect.

Hope that helps!
Cheers, Casa

Source and Source

Su Casa: Bright and Cheerful Home

CasaSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:00:14 -0700

Su Casa member Deemurph recently posted some photos of her home, and the photos she shared have me eager to see more of her home! I love her use of color and pattern. She writes, "I love color! I recently just made my spare bedroom into an office and painted it pink, which my husband was terrified of but has now grown to love (he says it's both soothing and energizing). I am posting some pics of my favorite rooms and pops of color just for fun. The lamp in the dining room hasn't found a home yet, but I know just the piece of furniture I'm hoping to buy to give the lamp a home!"

To see the photo of Demurph's pink office, read more.

I adore this office, don't you? And how refreshing and inspiring to hear of a husband who allows pink in a home.