Fall Decorating Ideas

Fall is officially here people and this is my most favorite time of year!!! This is will be a short and sweet post of some ideas and inspiration photo’s found via web and magazines to get your decorating muscles in shape for the holidays.

I decorate from mid September thru the end of November.  I really like to use a lot of foliage, mum’s, hydrangea, jute, and pumpkins of all kinds!!!! Doing it this way serves as a base for fall decorating.

Then, when it come’s time to transition into Halloween and Thanksgiving simply change out a few accessories to sway to the mood of the holiday.

BOOM, you’re done!

From now until the end of the year I will post something about what I believe to be great ideas for holiday decor starting with September. This is a celebration of the beautiful fall color’s inspired by mother nature her self. It is her last ” Who-Rah” after all before she hibernates for the winter. Happy Decorating!

The color’s of FALL

Make a statement at the front door

Pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins

Table scape

Dressing the mantel

Shopping Sources:

Hobby Lobby

Michaels

Garden Ridge

Target

Online:  ( for those of ya’ll who are not in my neck of the woods)

Trendy Tree

Frontgate

Grand In Road

Images Sources:

Analog Girl In A Digital World

Gotta Pixel.net

Decor Made Simple

High Street Market

Kristy Masterandonas

Pinterest

Southern Living Magazine

Glamours Wall Treatment

How to take your walls from builder beige to designer dazzling!

What you will need:

The paint colors specified is what’s shown in the photo, but feel free to use your own color scheme.

* Valspar’s Metallic paint in Aged Brass (shown) this is a two-step process. Other metallic’s may come as a single application like Ralph Lauren’s, but is now sold in boutique stores look on on-line for more details.

* Sherwin Williams in Haze in a Flat finish (show)

* 3 different sizes of blue painters tape: 2”, 1.5”, and 1”

* Painter’s treys

* Rollers if you’re doing this on a texture surface you will have bleeding and will need to go back with a clean angel edged brush to clean up the bleeding by hand.

1. Apply coast of Valspar base cost and let dry per directions typically 4 hours or until dry.

2. Next apply the gold Valspar Metallic: Aged Brass coat all over the base coat. Let this dry at least over night before adding the tape.

Note: The top coat is the second coat of the metallic and the bottom is the first cost of the base.

3. Now it’s time to get creative with your design. Start with the largest tape width first 2”, then go with the second largest 1.5”, and finish with the smallest one last 1”. It’s good to have a concept in mind or stand back in between tape applications to see how your design is coming out. At this point you can edit your design as needed.

4. Once you have completed your design now you need to apply the Sherwin Williams: Haze color all over the entire wall tape included! If you need to apply a second coat now is the time to do so. Before you pull the tape off.

5. Once the blue has been applied and still a little wet gently pull the tape slowly off. Starting with the smallest one first 1”, medium 1.5” second and the largest last 2”. See… there is a reason for my madness. I know because I learned the hard way!

6. If your walls are flat then you can stand back and look in amazement and dance for joy! However, if you have textured walls like most us.  You will need to go back with an angled brush and clean up the bleeding by hand. I was so excited at the way it turned out I was still busting a move anyway!

This design took me a weekend to do, and cost me around $170 in materials. This decorative paint treatment was inspired by a china pattern that took my walls from builder beige to designer dazzling and has packs a real “WOW” factor! A little goes a long way.

Need a little more help?  Watch me explain it in on television in the second segment of Daytime @ Nine KABB, San Antonio. Link: KABB Fox San Antonio :: Daytime @ Nine – S.A. Magazine: Do It Yourself Home Decor

If this is to daring for you here are some other of my personal favorite decorative treatments below.

Geometric Patterns: See paint images for more info.

* Gingham Wall: I’m getting ready to do this for a client we (Interiors by Design the design studio I’m currently contracting at) are working with in nursery next weekend

* Harlequin Patterns: I did this in my family room in our first home with help of my father, thanks dad.

* Stripes horizontal or vertical, and graduated: I have done this again through the years for client’s and myself it’s always a graphic statement that stays fresh.

* Chevrons: Again a very classic pattern that can be really eye-catching in a large-scale in hallway or in a guest bathroom.

Notes from the designer’s desk: Other tips for selecting paint

* When picking a paint color. Go BIG! Paint a good 8’” x 10” sample on all 4 walls in the room you plan on painting. Label them and watch them trough out the day in different light.  Anytime you’re doing this on white or any other color the new colors will look very stark. This why my clients have such a hard time selecting more saturated or darker colors.

* With the “open floor plans” it can be hard selecting a color palette. You have to consider how you want your home to feel: calm serene, energizing, warm and cozy etc. Then, pick a pallet that reflects that feeling and think of how you want the colors to upfold from on room to the other. It never hurts to get a professional’s opinion and pay for a design consultation. A couple hundred bucks can save you a lot time and money in the end, remember we do this for living! Check ASID and IIDA for local designers in your area.

* Don’t forget the ceiling, it’s the 5th wall!

A Modern Traditionalist way to a Glamorous Dining Room

Okay, so late week I had mention that my formal dining room was published in the September issue of San Antonio Magazine. Well, it’s now out on the news stands, airports and books stores etc. I thought I would give you my personal thoughts on how I came up my overall design concept for my modern traditional glamorous dining room. I designed it in my head over several months and pulled from multiple inspirations.

P.S. I made the cover! This is my entry way buffet I re-vamped. It was a consignment find at $150.00

Sampson, my dog he loves to take pictures!

First I started with trip to an antique market where I stumbled upon a pair of paint by numbers art pieces in these sad little frames. They had a beautiful color story and I loved the chinoiserie scene with cherry blossom trees and swans. Very Oriental in its content which is what chinoiserie is all about. It was commonly used during the French Baroque and Early French Neo Classic: 1600-1789 time periods. This is a traditional design theme that I have always loved and will never go out of style.

Next I made trip to a very large store in my home town of Houston, Texas baby! At the High Fashion Home where I found the perfect fabric for my stationary drapery that I had made there at the store. I know it’s awesome; especially if you’re a regular Joe and don’t have access to trade stores like I do. (At the time I was not working at a design firm and new to the area)

I had already started with the staple pieces like my dining table that  is very clean lined and made out of reclaimed teak wood. It’s wonderful to have something that has a history but is very modern in its shape. This is what I call modern traditionalism mixing old and new. I purchased the Drexel Heritage style formal dining chairs from an antique dealer out in San Diego before we moved. They where in desperate need of a make over with a tired palm tree fabric seat covers and where in their natural wood state that made them look dated.

The Staples:

Create and Barrel : Terravida 87″ $999.00

My walls were builder beige and since are a military family I  know our time here in this house is limited. I contemplated a lot on what to paint, what not to paint ect… I happen to watch one of my favorite designers show by Sara Richardson who did this dining with this gorgeous wallpaper in this blue and gold color scheme. Again, temporary living situation wallpaper is not so temporary! What is a designer to do…?

Inspiration:

I let it go for a few months. Sometimes you just need to let the design come to you and not push it. I know that it will hit me like a tun of bricks and keep me up at night with my creative thoughts once I’m in the design phase.

Tick, tick, tick….

Fist while having wine and the best brie cheese ever Saint Andre you gotta try it with Carrs crackers. We where in the middle of our Mad Men Marathon and I could not stop looking at the set behind the handsome Jon Hamm in the California, San Pedro house. The walls were this light blue with this lattice tan drapes it just looked great to me. The wheels started turning in my head and I began to look over at my builder beige walls. My husband saw my face and he knew.

Inspiration:

Uhh, he’s so cute!…okay back on topic.

A few weeks later while on Lonny Magazine during my lunch break.  I was reading about Kelly Wearstler’s  new store our LA. Somehow I stumbled upon her plates that she had designed for one the high-end department stores that really inspired me for my walls and I was on a roll and ready for my weekend paint project!

Inspiration:

With my design in my head I knew that I was making the right choice for my walls.  It was the best way to get big impact without a huge investment of doing wallpaper. My walls are not ready for wallpaper they have a texture on them like most homes in the area around here do. This treatment took me a weekend to do and I was able to do it alone. However, my dad did stop by to lend a hand it was nice to just have him around for the company.

I used 3 colors: Gold metallic, darker blue, then a lighter blue all over the dining room walls. 3 different widths of tape starting with widest one first, medium second, and the tiniest last. This makes it easy for when you go back to pull the tape off. I will post later on how I did this. Better yet, I was asked to do a demo on Day Time at Nine September 4th on local Fox here San Antonio, Texas. If I’m able to get a video feed I’ll post it!

What I came up with to inspire myself and others:

Lastly, when the magazine called their where a few things that I wanted to change like the builder grade light fixture. A designer’s work is never done we are extremely detailed oriented! The one I originally wanted was way to expensive and had mother of pearl inlay with crystals at $1600.00. But, I found this one that seamed to fit the bill with its European rustic glamor for only $450.00  It all seemed  to come together in the end and we totally happy it now. I hope that this inspires your next space and remember you don’t have to try so hard and it takes time.

Photography by: Phillip Esparza “thank you” for such awesome photos!

Thanks to Rebecca, Veronica, Laura and everyone at San Antonio Magazine for such a great experience for my first publication and for honoring me with the cover I am truly blessed and I “thank you”!

Special thanks to : Brandon Gambrell and Dawn Swisher two other creative artist who are always supportive and have amazing talents all their own. “Thanks” 😉