Home Tree Atlas: Home Decor Ideas and Mood Boards

Home Decor Ideas: Creative Ways of Using String Lights Outdoors

This post is all about ways of using string lights to decorate your outdoor spaces. There is no better light fixture to use, as outdoor string lights are pretty inexpensive and are really versatile to use – as you’ll see from the ideas below. I have another mood board post that goes over the ideas for decorating indoor spaces with string lights here: (Home Decor Ideas: Beautiful Ways to Use String Lights Indoors).

DIY Lanterns and Chandeliers

All you need to do to create some hanging lanterns or a chandelier is to find a sturdy base to wrap the string lights around. In picture (1) Robin from From The Blue Shed used a wire hanging basket to create a hanging fairy light globe. The same thing was done with wicker flower baskets in picture (2) – from Apartment Therapy.

A hula hoop can also be used as a base, this time to create a hanging chandelier (3).

Glowing Orbs

Over at The Art of Doing Stuff, you can check out how the glowing orbs in picture (4) were made – just by using old abandoned glass shades and stuffing them with string lights (total cost $3)

All Around The Garden

String lights can be hung up in so many different places around the garden. If you get solar powered string lights, or battery operated, you can put them up in even more places.

They can be wrapped around trees, just like in picture (5), wrapped around railings (6), wrapped around the frame of a patio umbrella (7), or pergola beams (Simple Outdoor Pergola Lighting Ideas).

If you have an overhead beam anywhere in your garden or patio, hang a number of sting lights side by side to create a curtain of lighting. Or by hanging them in rows overhead you can recreate a starry night effect. Another design style is to hang the string lights from a point and fan them out to create a canopy effect as seen in picture (8) – ideal for a garden wedding.

If you have an artistic side, why not create a sculpture out of wire, like the deer head in picture (9), and wrap string lights around it to create a night time light sculpture.

A Light With Many Styles

Don’t forget that string lights come in a whole bunch of different styles. For a more classic look, check out the vintage string lights which have Edison style light bulbs (10) – available from Ballard Designs. Or string lights with globe bulbs.

For a more festive, wedding feel, check out the paper lanterns that you can wire together with string lights.

Restoration Hardware sells modern looking firefly string lights (11). These lights are connected by a metal wire, making them easier to wrap around different objects, plus they give the lights a classier look.

Bedroom Color Ideas: Paint Schemes and Palette Mood Board

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Steel Wool 2121-20.

For more grey bedroom design ideas have a look at my mood board here: Grey Bedroom Ideas, Decorating Tips, and Pictures

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Hampshire Taupe 990 (some people say this modern color ends up a bit darker than in the photo)

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Brandon Beige 977

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Southwest Pottery 048

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Templeton Grey HC-161

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue HC-147

For a Bohemian style bedroom, go with a dark hue like the Newburg Green HC-158 seen above – or go with white/cream walls. For design ideas have a look at my mood board here: The Free Spirit: Bohemian Bedroom Ideas.

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Steel Wool 2121-20 (The photo makes the walls look blue, when the paint is more grey)

A really popular bedroom color choice is black and white. For more design ideas have a look at my post here: Black and White Bedroom Designs and Decor Ideas.

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Linen White 912

For purple bedroom designs and ideas have a look at my mood board here.

For orange bedroom ideas, check out this mood board.

For pure black bedroom design ideas, check out this mood board.

For black and gold bedroom ideas, have a look here.

For all white bedroom room designs and ideas, have a look here.

For red bedroom design and ideas, have a look here.

For red and black bedroom ideas, look at my mood board here.

For green ideas, have a look here.

For blue bedroom ideas, have a look here.

For pink ideas, have a look here.

And for teal bedrooms, check out this mood board.

In the color palettes above, you can see that the color scheme of the room is not just made up of the paint color on the walls. Everything, from the furniture and floors to the art pieces and bedding, is taken when creating the color palette. So think about this when choosing the color of your room. Will the color of the furniture clash with the new color of your walls. If you really want to style your bedroom with one main color, say blue, then will you need to take out decor pieces that go against this (like an orange pillow, or red art piece)?

Dark vs Light

Choosing between dark or light bedroom color ideas will really make a difference in how the room feels. A dark wall color will make the space feel intimate, romantic, secluded and cozy – which is ideal for a bedroom. A light color choice will make the bedroom feel bright and spacious – ideal for a small bedroom. It is all a matter of personal taste.

Wall Choices

Another thing that is a matter of personal taste is how much color you want in a bedroom. Some people would love to have all of their walls painted in purple. For others, they might find it overwhelming. Here are some options you have when painting and styling a bedroom with a color:

Paint all the wall in the color you want
Paint only one wall with the color you want. This will be your feature wall. In the bedroom this is usually where the headboard is. The rest of the walls are then painted in a neutral color (white, off white, cream, grey)
Have all the walls painted in white or a neutral color. This creates a blank canvas for you to decorate the bedroom with the color you want (through the bedding, pillows, curtains, area rugs, paintings, etc.)

Master Bedroom Color Ideas

There is no right or wrong color when it comes to master bedrooms – it is all a matter of personal taste. If you have a small room and want to make it feel large, then go with a light color. If you want a more luxurious feel to the room – then a darker color will work best. Have a look at my mood board here for other design ideas: Room Guide: Master Bedroom Ideas and Designs.

Guest Bedroom Paint Colors

For a guest bedroom, sticking to a light color would be a good way to go. It’ll make the space feel bright and welcoming.

Bedroom Paint Ideas for Kids

For a boys bedroom, a dark color works well. Just like the deep blue in the picture below. Remember you have the painting options mentioned above. If you think having all of the walls in a deep shade will be overwhelming, then paint one feature wall and have the rest in a more neutral color like white.

Wall Paint Color: Adriatic Sea CSP-660

For a girls bedroom, bright pastel shades will look good. Think shabby chic – mint, pastel yellow/orange, or pink. The same applies here too – paint all of the walls in a color or create a feature wall.

Wall Paint Color: Turquoise Mist 695

For more kids bedroom color scheme ideas, have a look at my post here: Color Schemes: Kids Room Paint Ideas.

In The Real World
Be carefully when choosing your bedroom wall colors. The pictures you see above, and anywhere else online, are great for inspiration. But solely relying on the images and paint colors online can be a big mistake. For starters, different computer screens show colors differently. Also a paint color will look different on different surfaces and in different light. So it is best to go out and get paint samples of the colors you like and see online. Take them home and see how they look in your bedroom. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12

January 26, 2014 in Bedroom

Color Palette: Bright Shabby Chic Macaroons

A bright color palette of shabby chic hues. Have a look at these mood boards for room specific shabby chic ideas:

January 22, 2014 in Color Palettes

Romance at Home: Shabby Chic Furniture Ideas

The Shabby Chic Furniture Style

The shabby chic style is formal and informal at the same time. The furniture design style is formal by it being classical, and decorative – much like French or Vintage style furniture. You won’t see clean angles. You’ll see twists and turns if it is made out of metal, or decorative carved parts if it is made out of wood.

What makes shabby chic furniture informal, is that the classical looking furniture piece is usually painted in white or a pastel color (mint, baby blue, pink). One step further is to have the paint chipped. Whitewashed is another paint style to go for.

An alternative to painted furniture is to leave it all unpainted seen in picture (2). Keep the furniture in it’s natural classical French style, and then decorate the rest of the room with white and pastel shaded decor.

Also, go for reclaimed/upcycled furniture pieces. Give it a fresh coat of paint. The dings and dents add character to the furniture piece and to the room it is in.

Furniture Ideas Around the House

When it comes to the living room, a creative idea is to use a trunk as a coffee table. To create a romantic shabby chic vibe in the bedroom, have a canopy or four post bed. Drape fabric over it to create a whimsical feel. A large standing mirror not only makes for a great decorative piece, but makes the room feel larger (3). And have a look at the shabby chic kitchens in pictures (4) and (5).

The Art of Reclaimed

Reclaimed windows and doors make for great shabby chic decor pieces. Windows can be turned into room dividers, mirrors, picture frames, and even coffee tables. Have a look at my post here for a mood board and more ideas: Home Decor Ideas: Using Reclaimed Old Windows. Old doors can also be used to make coffee tables, shelves – or just lean one up against a wall and use it as a decor piece (6).

An old ladder makes for informal shabby chic style storage (7). This can be used in the living room to hang up magazines and blankets. It can be used to hang up towels in the bathroom, and clothes in the bedroom.

Shabby Chic Furniture Hacks

Here are some ideas on how to creatively create the shabby chic style with your existing furniture:

Drape fabric over it. This applies to your couch, even coffee table, or bed. Find a quilt like the one in picture (8) or pastel colored fabric, and drape it over your existing furniture to create that shabby chic look.
If you can’t get a shabby chic style couch – then use a more neutral looking one and decorate it with shabby chic styled pillows – pillows with ruffled edges, in pastel shades, you can even use burlap pillows with printed graphics on them.
A cheap way to get that shabby chic style is to distress paint your own furniture (if it’s the right style) (9). Follow along with the tutorial here on ‘how to shabby chic your furniture’.
A chandelier instantly creates shabby chic appeal in any room. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

Have a look at my posts here for more shabby chic mood boards and ideas (like what to do with the walls, the curtains, and room specific decor pieces):