Home Tree Atlas: Home Decor Ideas and Mood Boards

Home Decor and DIY Ideas: Using Driftwood

What is the appeal of drift wood? The dried out look makes it a lot less rustic. It is organic, and because of that each piece is different. It is stripped down, smooth, and artistic. Here are some driftwood art and decor ideas that can be used around the house.

Together With Nature

I like the idea of combining organic pieces with driftwood decor. This can be done with plants. In picture (1) a piece of driftwood is being used as a make shift planter for an air plant. Holes can be drilled to make a stand for test tube planters seen in picture (2). And how about a macrame wrapped, hanging drift wood planter (3).

Going Large

A really large piece of driftwood makes for bold decor item. Any furniture made out of driftwood will be a focal piece in the room. Just check out the driftwood coffee table in the living room in picture (4). The glass top tones down the rustic style of the driftwood underneath.

If you find yourself a long piece of driftwood, you can have yourself an elegant candle holder if you cut out a few grooves (5). And for those rustic chic homes, there is the driftwood hand railing in picture (6).

Large driftwood pieces really adds an artistic side to a room’s style. The room divider in picture (7) also looks like an art installation. There is always the option of having a large drift wood piece just leaning up against the wall decorating the room (8).

Art Pieces

Smaller driftwood branches can also be used as art pieces. Display some on a black stand (9). Or how about color block painting a piece that can be used as coffee table decor or as a centerpiece (10).

Simple Ideas

The kitchen in picture (11), with its minimalist design and subway tiles, makes great use of a driftwood branch as a kitchen hanger. This can also be done in the bathroom to hang up towels, or in the bedroom to hang up jewelry.

Some other driftwood crafts and projects include: cutting a groove in a piece of driftwood to create a photo stand (12), creating a base for a lamp, or drilling holes to create a little wooden pencil holder (13).

image credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13

More decor ideas posts:

March 1, 2016 in Decor, DIY

Vintage Paint Colors and Palette Home Style Guide

White would be the go to choice for a classic vintage wall paint color. White walls let you create a blank canvas for your room, from where you can style it with vintage decor and furniture. Some other vintage paint colors include:

Off white – a very light cream
Light grey
Dark blueish grey
Royal Blue
Light Green/Mint
Pastel blue

A muted and neutral vintage color palette would be ideal in the main living spaces (the living room and bedroom). Because these are meant to be relaxing spaces, washed out and toned down colors would help create that relaxing feeling. Whereas the kitchen, dining room and maybe even the bathroom can have a brighter color scheme. Check out the paint examples of vintage colors below.

Mint Wall Paint Color: Fresh Mint (closest match)

Teal Wall Paint Color: San Clemente Teal (closest match)

Peach Wall Paint Color: Intense Peach (closest match)

Royal Blue Wall Paint Color: Bold Blue (closest match)

Dark Grey Wall Paint Color: Newbury Port Blue HC-155 (closest match)

Light Grey Wall Paint Color: Gray Cloud 2126-60 (closest match)

Off White Wall Paint Color: Ivory Tusk 2153-70 closest match)

White Wall Paint Color: White Dove OC-17 (closest match)

Remember: To get a real feel of what a paint color would look like in your room, you have to test it. The colors of photos you see on your computer can look much different in real life because a) different computer monitors show colors differently, b) the lighting in the room of the picture can change the colors, and b) the way the room was photographed can distort the colors.

Get a sample of the vintage paint color you want and paint a small portion of the wall. Or an alternative is to prime and paint a sheet of wood, or cardboard and hang it up on the wall.

Decorative Elements

Here are some decorative elements you can add to your walls to create subtle vintage styling:

Vintage style crown molding (3 Unique Vintage Ceiling Design Ideas)
Decorative wainscoting
Paint over embossed antique styled Anaglypta wallpaper (Vintage Style Wallpaper Patterns and Designs)
Wall trim can create simple vintage style patterns on the wall (check out my shabby chic paint colors link below to see an example)

Have a look at my shabby chic paint color schemes post for more color inspiration and combinations: Room Styling: Shabby Chic Paint Colors.

image credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

More Vintage Home Style Posts:

February 29, 2016 in Color Palettes, Design Styles

Making Sleeping Arrangements: Creative Ideas for DIY Dog Beds

They’d be comfortable sleeping anywhere. But here are some creative ways on how to give our furry little friends a good night night sleep with these DIY dog bed ideas.

Converting Old Furniture Into a Dog Bed

Who wouldn’t want the best dog bed for their fur ball, but without spending a fortune. Here are some ideas that use old or thrifted furniture.

1. A suitcase dog bed

From Morenas Corner

2. A DIY pet bed made out of an old chair

From Home Remedies

3. Old crib DIY dog bed crate

From My Repurposed Life

4. Chew proof and indestructible tire dog bed DIY

From Practically Functional

5. How to make a side table and elevated dog bed combo

From DIY Network

How to Build a Dog Bed From Scratch – Plans and Ideas

6. DIY wooden large dog bed

From Ruggy DIY

7. Built in dog bed under the stairs

Built by Kay and her Father – see the step by step post here

And let’s finish this DIY post with some pictures of cute cute puppies sleeping

More pet posts:

Sleeping Arrangements: Creative Cat Bed Ideas

Puppy pictures 1/2

February 28, 2016 in DIY

Table Decor: Vintage Centerpiece Ideas

I found that the best place to look for stylish vintage centerpiece ideas is by looking through wedding photographs. There are a few wedding ideas below along with some normal home decor styling tips.

My favourite ideas are the ones where you don’t even need a centerpiece item, like the doily table runner idea.

Simple and Clutter Free

I like simplicity and avoiding using many decor pieces as this just clutters up a space.

Some simple ideas for a vintage centerpiece include a vintage style bottle used as a vase for flowers just like in picture (1). For some mood lighting use vintage style bottles, jars, or a bowl to hold candle sticks (2) or floating candles.

Other ways to house plants and flowers to create table centerpieces include using vintage tins (3), a vintage mini birdcage, or antique mercury style vessels/cake displays (4),

Some other simple ideas for vintage centerpieces include using:

Lanterns
Vintage tin candles
Wire baskets
Vintage bounded coffee books like an old atlas

Focusing on Design Details Instead of a Centerpiece Item

A doily table runner, like the one in picture (5) can help style a coffee table or dining table.

While an elegant vintage tray (galvanized, wicker, wooden, enamel) can help group clutter items (remotes, keys, coasters) together for a cleaner look on the table.

The Coffee Table Itself

If you were to get a statement piece of a coffee table, this could be enough to style the space and you wouldn’t need a centerpiece on the table. Some ideas for a vintage inspired coffee table include: