Page 14 - 2018 Your Home Your Way

14 THE BRANDON SUN • YOUR HOME YOUR WAY • 2018

Ray Poole from Ray’s Fireplaces in Brandon said the right fireplace can look like fine art in the right space. (Submitted)
» Continued from Page 13 Table and console lamps are a TRY NEW ACCESSORIES too big a commitment, try
great choice because they’re less All three designers mentioned painting the back wall inside a
At Ray’s Fireplaces in Bran- expensive than ceiling fixtures bookcase. Even better, line the
don, fireplaces come in wood, and “add a unique cheerfulness that new throw pillows can eas- back wall of a bookcase with a
ily change the look of a living
gas or electric varieties, while and a functionality,” Martin says. room sofa. high-end wall covering in a rich,
stoves heated through gas, wood “They’re stylish and effective.” “They bring in a pop of textured fabric, perhaps with a
and pellet are also available for Candles can also brighten up colour and pattern, but don’t light-catching sheen.
sale. a room and can boost your overwhelm the space,” Martin
While the kinds of heating mood if you choose the right says. And because they can be PLUNDER YOUR OWN
instruments may differ, they’re scent. inexpensive, pillows let you take
alike in their push toward en- risks with unexpected colours. THINGS
ergy-efficiency. GET SOME GREENERY “Sometimes I’ll pick a colour Items that are getting little at-
Consider wood fireplaces, tention in one room can some-
If you flip through decor
which co-owner Ray Poole say magazines, Howard says, you’ll that’s not even in the room, but times take on new life if you
somehow it works,” she says,
can be just as efficient as a wood see “plants and living things on “because you’re introducing an relocate them. Try swapping a
stove. every surface.” element that kind of adds an framed piece of art from one
Design-wise, fireplaces can room with one from another. Or
He recommends adding a few
look more like fine art than a new plants or even “clipping imperfection.” easy accessory: give a second chance to a framed
Another
bulky addition against the wall something from your backyard Howard suggests swapping out item you put away in a closet
where the fire is crackling. or from a wooded area near your the books on your coffee table years ago.
No matter the accessory, an “We never have enough walls
artful arrangement can make a house.” Living in Florida, for new ones with beautifully for everything we love,” Martin
designed covers.
Howard often will “clip a palm
difference in any room of your and put it in a vase on a con- “I like to have my coffee table says.
home. sole,” he says, to brighten up his full of books,” he says. Buying Another option: Take smaller
Here, Florida-based interior items out of their frames and
designer Andrew Howard and home’s entrance when guests are new ones changes the look a lit- swap in something else, such as
tle, leaves you excited about
coming over.
two other interior design experts Martin feels the same way reading something new and postcards or small prints you’ve
— Deborah Martin and Jenny about vases of fresh flowers, and provides conversation starters collected but never framed.
Dina Kirschner, both designers suggests you don’t wait for with guests. When Howard wants to
based in New York — offer ad- guests. make a change to a room in his
vice on small but powerful dec- To keep costs down, she rec- own home, he often searches
orating moves that can bring ommends choosing flowers with EMBRACE BRIGHT COLORS through items he hasn’t used
fresh style. In many hotels and restau- lately. Don’t be afraid, he says, to
a long shelf life and adding rants while visiting Scotland, give a second chance to decora-
plenty of less expensive greenery
WARM UP YOUR LIGHTING to the vase. she noticed “the unapologetic tive pieces that you once dis-
Decorative lighting is an ef- Kirschner agrees that flowers use of colour — colour every- missed as outdated.
“Decorating cycles so much
fective decor pick-me-up, says and plants, especially in a color- where.” Even tartan plaid now,” he says. “You’re seeing
throws in neon colours, not nor-
Martin, because it adds the ful planter, can change a room. mally her style, struck her as trends from so many other years
warmth and light we’re all crav- Even a big bowl of citrus fruit beautiful and mood-boosting. come back.”
ing. on a dining table or coffee table Add colour with a bright
“A lamp in the window when can bring a hint of spring, with throw blanket, she suggests, and
you come home at the end of a bright colours and fresh scents, consider painting a focal wall in » ifroese@brandonsun.com, with
files from the Associated Press
long day,” she says, “signals she says. a rich, energizing colour. If that’s
home. It signals cozy.” » Twitter: @ianfroese