Simple Ways to Nourish Yourself with Nature's Magic

Decorating Your Home is Serious Business...or is it?

It seems to me that decorating and design trends are leaning towards a muted and minimal palette. I kinda love that look, it's very clean and serene. A home should feel safe and secure, a personal sanctuary. What? No no no....unless all you do there is sleep, meditate, and eat very sparse designer meals, you need a little personality in your space. 

What if you injected a little playfulness into your decor along with your usual stuff. Wouldn't it be great if, as your eye travels around a room, there is a little surprise. Something that catches the eye and makes you want to take a closer look.

Here are Some Starter Ideas to Fuel Your own Design Genius:

Old Toys...

proudly displayed say "the child in me is alive and well". We all grew up with favourite toys, your visitors will find themselves delightfully amused.

Kept your favourite Barbie doll? Put her in an unexpected place. Leaning against a beautiful lamp in her designer gown?

Metal lunch boxes, the kind with printed images. Bonus on this one for hiding the inevitable loose pens, sewing stuff and bits of paper.

Lego! Who says a Star Wars ship isn't the coolest thing ever? 

That's a lego pirate ship perched on a cabinet.

Display the Things you Love Most

Have a big chunky necklace you never wear but still love? On the wall! Imagine a row of gorgeous necklaces hanging from a minimalist row of hooks. Colour and sparkle...yes please.

Clothing works too. How about a baby's christening dress...on a tiny hanger, mounted on the wall. Can you see your wedding dress mounted on a dress form and used as a sculpture? Maybe beside your grand piano. I sometimes have the urge to mount the jeans I will probably never fit into again. Pants on the wall? uh..yes!

Basically think about all the stuff that you just adore stored away in closets and drawers. 

A more understated hook would bring a whole different aesthetic.

The "What is That?" Factor...

This area might also be called oldey timey stuff nobody uses anymore. 

Tools used to be beautifully crafted items in themselves, and the old ones can be found at flea markets everywhere. 

The same goes for old kitchen utensils and tools. I have a soft spot for scales...think mid-century modern. Cool kitchen stuff displayed in the living room!

Chemistry equipment makes fantastic sculptural elements. Rounded beakers, thick glass flasks...oh my!

An old lock and plumbobs suspended from a shelf. Definitely fits the mysterious category of decor. Plus they are totally cool looking, in my humble opinion.

Get Funky With It...

This is where we become rule breakers.

Pair things that don't usually go together. Use a garbage bin for flowers, or tie a scarf around the neck of an angel sculpture. You get the idea....be irreverent. The flower farting chicken never fails to amuse.

Weird serving dishes can be found at second hand stores everywhere. A bright green soup tureen shaped like a cabbage, bowls and tureens come in all manner of crazy shapes. You'll discover dishes shaped like animals and vegetables and most are brightly coloured for that extra pop. 

Big wooden salad bowls can be filled with marbles or small toys or  books. Pretty much anything that doesn't belong in a salad is fair game. Your pompom salad on the coffee table will be a big hit.

Wooden puzzle on an art easel and a ceramic cauliflower tucked between books on a shelf.

Rules of the Game

The rule is...there are no rules, only fun and mystifying decor for a truly enchanting home. Got a great idea? Let me know in the comments and I'll add it to the list.

Cheers,

Laura

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