Prepare Your Dining Room for Entertaining

The Holidays are coming, the Holidays are coming! That's right. It's Dining Room season in the world of Interior Designers. It's time to think about that new dining room design if you want to have it ready to go for your holiday dinners, parties and lots of entertaining. Whether you are in need of a full blown make-over, or just a little refresh, I've got some tips for you to consider for your Dining Room Design.

via Pinterest

Table

The foundation of your dining room is the table. I prefer a pedestal table to a traditional table with four legs. The pedestal provides more flexibility when entertaining larger parties.

via New England Home

Don't forget to top your table with a fabulous table setting to welcome guests and set the mood.  

Upholstery

Notice, I said "upholstery", not just "chairs". Dining chairs should be upholstered, whether just the seat, or the whole chair. Dining chairs should be comfortable and invite guest to linger long after dinner has been served.

via House of Turquoise

  

via Pinterest

Lighting

Dining Rooms deserve fabulous lighting and it must be on a dimmer! If you've got a larger dining room or table, don't do a round chandelier in the center or your host and hostess will be in the dark. Take a cue from this Red dining room below - two lights are better than one.

via Colorado Homes & Lifestyles

via aesthetically-thinking

Display/Serving

Do you have a large dining room? Lucky you. This is a great opportunity to beautifully display your pieces, or to set up additional surfaces for meal serving.
 

via Beautiful Habitat

Drapery

If you are fortunate enough to have a window in your dining room, dress it up!

via Pinterest

Wall Treatments

Create a stunning focal point with dramatic wall treatments or artwork.

via Pinterest

via Houzz

 

Don't forget the Ceiling

I love a ceiling with something other than white paint. (see previous posts) Your Dining Room is a great room to add pizazz on the ceiling.

via Marcus Design

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Designing with Bed Draperies | Half Testers and Coronas

My last post was all about bed drapery, specifically canopies with and without four poster beds. Today is all about 2 other looks - half testers and coronas, with can be achieved through hardware (an actual half tester bed or corona) or "faked" through clever drapery. Are you a bed drapery person? Which look is your favorite?

Half Testers

Half Testers have a similar relationship the the four-poster and canopy relationship in my last post. A half tester is a type of bed which has a low foot board and a canopy that projects from the head of the bed.

via fourposterbeds.com

These half tester beds are not common unless you've got some serious European antiques. However, the "look" is one often created by mounting drapery from the wall or ceiling above a standard bed as in these examples.

via House Beautiful

 

via Meghan-Blum Blog

 

via Veranda

via Centsational Girl

Coronas

Corona is a super beer and reminds me of summer. It's also the Latin word for "Crown" and in bedding and draperies, that is exactly what it means. A Corona is a crown for your bed. Coronas can be wall mounted or ceiling mounted and can be circular, oval, or half circles. Coronas can also be an elaborate pre-made wood or metal piece to which the fabric is attached, or it can be created through fabric as in the House Beautiful example below.

via House Beautiful

 

via ZsaZsaBellagio

via Splendid Sass

via Architectural Digest

Other Creative Bed Drapery

I couldn't help but include this bed project. It's very much like a half tester, but the box and molding are built in to the room and simple fabric panels are installed inside of the box. It's clever and a very dramatic look.
 

via Home Depot

  Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Designing with Bed Drapery | Canopies

Bed Drapery has been around for a long time. It was essential in Northern Europe during the cold winters in drafty homes. Beds were draped in fabrics and woven tapestries to create warmth and privacy. Kings and Queens would receive courtiers at their bed, so the beds were of importance and were lavishly decorated. Just think of the beds in the Palace of Versailles and you'll get the picture. Today, Bed Drapery is a fun way to customize your bedroom design, add more color and pattern, or create a cozy cocoon for yourself and your loved one. And they don't necessarily have to be elaborate or expensive. There are several ways to incorporate bedding treatments into your own dream Master Suite. Today, I'll discuss canopies, both with a four-poster bed and without.

Canopies and Drapery on a Four-poster Bed

The first way to achieve Bed Drapery is with a proper four-poster or canopy bed. Using the bed as the base, drapery can be added in many creative ways.

via Abode Love

via Pinterest

 

via Elle Decor

via The Enchanted Home

via House Beautiful

Faux Canopy

A second way to add Bed Drapery, is to fake a a four-poster bed by adding a drapery at the wall, ceiling, or both. One of the easiest ways to do this is hang drapery rods from the ceiling and drapery at the corners make a convincing look of a four-poster bed.

Via Tobi Fairley

source unknown

A second way to create the look is adding Drapery at the ceiling that falls behind the bed as in these bedrooms featured below.
 

via Splendid Sass

via Design Tripper

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

Next time I'll cover 2 other types of Bed Draperies: Half Tester and Corona. More inspiration for your own beautiful master suite design. Are you inspired to add bed drapery to your bedroom design?

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Exciting Patterns for Every Room | Guest Post

Hi all! I’m Susi and I write as a guest blogger for DesignShuffle.com, a fabulous social media site that promotes interior designers from around the world and their work. My writing focuses on things I'm passionate about: interior design, home furnishings, gardening and art. I'm lucky enough to have a background in art history, auctions, and antiques, and a passion for decorating ideas. Plus, I get to look at gorgeous things all day and write about them. What a fantastic job!

This week I'll be looking at ways to add exciting patterns for every room in the home. From bold patterned tiles to graphic towels and linens, don't be afraid to bring patterns into your home. Patterns add interest and style to any space. Be bold, mix and match, and have fun with pattern!

 

DE Design Coop via

Patterned floors in the kitchen, bath or entry add an extra style element to these rooms. Tile layed out in interesting patterns or a herringbone wood floor are interesting twists on these traditional materials.

 

Coco Cozy via

Patterned tiles... for the bath or kitchen add color as well as pattern to these spaces. Use them on the floor or as a backsplash. Moroccan style tiles are very popular now.

Bedding Chic via

Bold patterned bedding is a smart way to add pattern to the bedroom design. Mix and match it with solids to break up the pattern, or choose a patterned coverlet or duvet.

 

Design Sponge via

A bold pattern area rug is a smart choice for adding pattern to a dining room, entry, living room, bedroom or even a bathroom design. Indoor/outdoor rugs can add pattern to your porch or deck.

 

Apartment Therapy via

Wallpaper is the big trend for adding pattern to walls today. Available in a range of patterns, colors and sheens, wallpaper can work in small spaces, like powder rooms, and larger rooms like dining rooms.

 

Shore Dreams and Beautiful Things via

Colorful patterned bath towels, like these from Amy Butler, can liven up your bath or guest bathroom. Patterned tea towels for the kitchen are a hot trend right now. Other interior design ideas to think about, might include colorful tea towels as guest towels in a powder room.

 

Rent the Runway via

Curtains in the living room, dining room or bedroom can be the perfect place to add pattern. And they are easily changed if you decide you don't like the pattern anymore.

 

Pepper Design via

Pillows, like these ikat patterned pillows from Fabricadabra, are the easiest way to add patterns to any room.
Pattern will add excitement to your décor and your life, start adding it today!
Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com