March 01, 2010
... to your new (or your first!) issue of Dream Home Decorating News.
This month, it’s all about giving your home a fresh look for little (or no) money - with fabric, scissors, and a simple pattern.
If you like this newsletter, please forward it to share it with your friends.
If you received this issue from a friend, please subscribe so you won't miss out on all the creative home decorating info, ideas and news in upcoming issues.
Thanks for joining me today, and enjoy this issue!
Renate Hering-Shepherd
PS) If the newsletter is difficult to read as an e-mail,
read this issue online.
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Publisher’s Note
- Featured Article: 'Slip' Into Spring!
- Legal Stuff
Publisher's Note
Spring is peeking out from under the snow ... and Dream Home Decorating is finally getting its long-awaited new look & layout! The transition is still under way, and pages can get a little wobbly in the process, but I do hope you
a) like the new look,
b) enjoy the new color articles (more's on the way!), and
c) don't come across any broken links during the transition process (please let me know if you do)!
Your feedback is, of course, very welcome - whether 'negative' or positive, it's all good. Your contribution will make this site more useful and inspiring for everyone in the future.
Enjoy!
All the Best,
'Slip' Into Spring!
Paint and fabric are your best friends if you're hankering after a new look for your home but don't want to spend a lot of money.
Just two or three chairs in new 'dress' can change the face of a whole room. Add a lick of fresh wall paint, and your home's more than ready for spring!
No need to stop at the seating, either - you can rejuvenate, disappear, or re-purpose almost anything with the help of a length of fabric:
- chairs (& parts of chairs)
- stools, benches & garden furniture
- sofas
- cushions, pillows & bolsters
- headboards and bed ends
- (side) tables
- shelving
- containers of almost any size
- organizers, folders & books ...
Slipcovering is only one of many options. Here's a list of things to try:
- hide a cluttered shelf behind a sleek roller blind
- 'cloak' a simple table in a box-pleated, floor-length custom cover
- turn a wooden crate into a coffee/bedside table, or into a footstool (for the footstool, add a cushion in the same fabric!)
- present family snapshots in oversized, fabric-covered photo mats
- turn an old cigar box into a velvet-lined jewelry case
- hide your magazines in fabric-covered organizers
- turn shoebox lids into offbeat, crafty picture frames
- dress up a less-than-amazing table with a pretty fabric print, tucked and stapled into place underneath the tabletop, and covered with a pane of glass (cut to fit the table).
Sitting Pretty:
How To Dress A Chair
Let's assume you want to give a perfectly functional (and not necessarily pretty) chair a new look. What are your options?
- If the room is small, you need 'leggy' furniture that allows the eye to see as much floor space as possible. In this case, it's better to slipcover the seat and/or back only, and leave the legs free. Consider painting the legs to match the color of the slipcover (or, use a contrasting color for effect).
- If the chair has good 'bones', create a tight-fitting slipcover that models the chair's lines to best effect. For this, you need to be (or know someone who is) a dab hand with a Singer. Nowadays, there are more and more of these people around.
- If you need elegant seating, go to town with fine fabrics, and add a bit of a flourish - piping, a big bow, a monogram, tassels or glitzy buttons down the back. (For a 'feminine' room, you could lace your chairs up like a modern-day corsets.)
- To make a statement, try unusual fabrics: tweed, bouclé wool, tartan, real nettle, the good bits of an old quilt, a patchwork of used work shirts, or a strip of antique fabric.
- To create a distinct style, try eye-catching patterns or interesting hemlines: a scalloped or picot edge, asymmetric overlapping layers in different fabrics, translucent or transparent fabrics. The latter can look great (with the right chair underneath), but most transparent fabrics are a bit too fragile for everyday use.
- For a girly look, try ruffles: for example, make a fluffy tulle 'underskirt' for a short slipcover, or an elegant 'bustle' at the back of a floor-length cover. If you have plain slipcovers, add playful detail with pom-pom trims or beaded fringes.
- To combine a set of 'odd' chairs, use the same fabric/color/pattern for all of them and adjust the shape of the slipcovers to each individual chair.
- For a bit of variety, dress chairs of the same style & shape in different colors. (You'll find lots of color combination ideas in the September '09, November '09, and January '10 issues of Dream Home News.)
Get Answers:
Looking for specific home decorating information, or want a question answered? Search Dream Home Decorating and the 'net here!
Legal Stuff
How did you get on this list? You subscribed to Dream Home Decorating News through a double opt-in feature. I never add names to my mailing list except by request. I hate ‘spam’ and would not dream of subjecting others to it.
If you need to make changes in your subscription or wish to unsubscribe, click the link at the bottom of this newsletter. This only takes a minute, and by making these changes yourself, you can be sure the information I receive is correct.
I never rent, trade or sell my e-mail list to anyone for any reason whatsoever. You’ll never get an unsolicited email from a stranger by joining this list.
Please feel free to pass on this issue to friends and associates - just keep the entire message intact and unaltered.
Here's to a gorgeous home – yours!
"See" you again on May 1, 2010 -
Renate Hering-Shepherd
www.dreamhomedecorating.com