Having a focal point is important if you want to create a room that feels both comfortable and useable. Also, when selling your house, you’ll make the room more attractive to buyers.

Some rooms have natural focal points, such as a fireplace, architectural details or a picture window with a view. If the fireplace is your focal point you can add an accent painting or a mirror above the hearth.

If your room has none of these, you could gry placing a large piece of furniture such as an armoire or a tall bookcase along one wall or adding a table with your favorite ornaments or mementos on it.

The focal point doesn’t have to be on the wall, a large area rug placed under a coffee table can also work well.

All furniture in a room should be arranged around the focal point, helping draw your eyes to the right place.

Style On a Shoestring is proud to announce their involvement in a new Home Ideas Center in San Diego.  The center is located at 7081 Consolidated Way, and will give homeowners a place to visit and possibly choose contractors and designers for their home projects.

The center will house 170 spaces in 80 categories for contractors installing windows, doors, outdoor spaces, home theatres and even those offering home additions. Style On a Shoestring will have an information booth and will offer a slide show featuring before and after pictures on past design and remodeling projects.

The new showroom is free to the public and opened Monday through Saturday. For information call 858.549.1700 or go to info@Homeideascenter.com

You’d probably be surprised to know that interior-decorating your office space can be just as important as designing the rest of your house, maybe even more important. A well laid out office space can improve your productivity and your happiness.

 Your home office should be some place where you will have privacy. A spare bedroom or an out of the way alcove will work great. You still want to be part of the house, but you also need your privacy for those phone calls and business client visits.

Natural lighting also should be a significant part of your design plan. A window gives you something to look at when you get stressed out and some fresh air when you feel cramped. Speaking of lighting, try to avoid glaring overhead lights like you find in a regular office. Go for more diffused lighting. A good lamp may be all you need.

 You shouldn’t paint your office in drab gray or black nor should it be too gaudy. You want your new office to be a pleasant and comfortable place to be.Neutral colors work best. But, if you really want to add some personality to your walls, add artwork.

Plants also are wonderful additions to home offices. They, too, will add color and personality to your space. When they bloom, it’s like adding a whole different element to the room.

While you may not think of storage as an “design element”, it’s actually a very critical part of your home-office design plan. Storage can be anything: a built-in wall unit, unique shelving or even something your own creation. Be artistic. It’s your space.  Make sure you do account for storage. A cluttered desk and work area can be distracting. Another item that can greatly reduce clutter is a multifuction printer. As a home office worker, you have necessities: printer, fax and copier. Yet, these can come in one neat package.   

 Do you have twin beds in one room? You can custom design these headboards with fabric to suit individual tastes and spruce up the room. All you need is fabric, measuring tape and a staple gun.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Lay your fabric out on the floor with the front facing down and lay the headboard on top of it, also face down.

2. Trim the fabric so that it extends 10-12 inches beyond the headboard on all sides.

3. Starting at the middle of the top edge, pull the fabric over to the back of the headboard and staple down using your staple gun. Repeat at the middle of the bottom edge, pulling fabric so it’s taut but not stretched.

4. Do the same for the side edges, stapling the fabric at the center point.

5. Working out from the center toward the corners, staple the fabric to the back of the headboard every 6-8 inches along all four sides.

6. At the corners, fold the fabric as though you are wrapping a present, then staple down creating one folded seam at each corner of the headboard.

Decorating a small space can be a real challenge. If you use the design tips below,  small spaces don’t have to be a liability when decorating your home. 
1. Use light colors on upholstery, walls and all major furniture pieces, including entertainment units.  Use a monochromatic color scheme so that the space appears to visually flow without being obstructed.
2. Use glass top tables or acrylics instead of solid woods. Since the glass is “see-thru” it will give the appearance of space.
3. Opt for furniture that “floats” it will create the illusion of more floor space. No toe kicks, no sofa skirts or blank space at foot. Look for furniture keep in mind that size does matter. Small spaces will feel cluttered and overwhelmed with standard size furniture. Look for apartment size sofas, tables and other furniture. This will make it so easy to decorate small spaces.  Remember to take along a tape measure because what looks small in the showroom may be way too large for their home.  Know in advance the size of the space you have to work with.

4. Floating wall shelves are attractive and do not take up precious floor space.
5. Keep the space well lit because darkness makes rooms appear smaller than they really are. Use mirrors to bounce light around small rooms. The mirrors also multi-task as they create the illusion of more space by visually enlarging the room.
6. Plan for multi-purpose furniture such as storage ottomans that serve as seating, storage and as a table top. By purchasing the multiple use ottoman you have essentially freed up the space it would take for a small table with storage capability.

 A full-mirrored wall will optically expand and add glamour to a room. There are some some things to look out for, though. A mirror is there to reflect what is in front of it, so be careful what you reflect. A mirror on a dining-room wall might be wonderful, but not so if it reflects dirty dishes in the adjacent kitchen. A mirror in a hallway might open it up a bit, but not a nice view if placed across from a bathroom door.

Mirrors spread light in a room and add sparkle to dark corners. Cut up strips of mirror placed adjacent to each other give a festive effect to the room as objects dance off the mirrors in interesting ways akin to a kaleidoscope.

A collection of small mirrors can add great interest to a wall. They can be of several shapes and sizes and, if framed, the frames can carry a theme such as sun, moon and stars. All silver frames of various shapes or all wood frames of different sizes could be another unifying theme for framed mirrors on a wall.

A mirror on a mirror in a bathroom adds a feeling of creativity to the standard mirror-over-the-sink idea.

Decorating on a Budget: It Can be Done!

by Phoebe Chongchua

Whether you’re getting ready to sell your home or you’re just in the mood for a spring spruce-up, learning to decorate on a shoestring budget can be rewarding both for your pocketbook and the aesthetics of your home.

Tracy Lynn, owner of Style On A Shoestring says that decorating on a budget is not only possible but also very doable. No matter what theme or décor you choose, Lynn says there are three important considerations.

“Organization and functionality are just as important these days as is being attractive. Most people are not into the big fancy living rooms and dining rooms anymore but they want the space to be nice and they want to [decorate] it reasonably,” says Lynn.

Lynn launched her company after she gutted a home and redecorated it on a shoestring budget. She received so many compliments that she decided to start her business in San Diego, California. But she understands that decorating is a luxury.

“I think it’s definitely an extra in life. Most of the time people want to be proud of their homes. They want to enjoy having people over and they want to be organized. They also want it to function well,” says Lynn.

So keeping costs down is always a top priority. But when you flip through catalogues featuring furniture and decor and you pick items you like, the prices just seem to quickly compound. That’s when you need a decorating shoestring-budget strategy. It starts with taking inventory of the things you have. Which items need to go and which items can stay? Redecorating doesn’t mean you have to throw out everything. In fact, Lynn’s company offers a re-design service that helps you learn to use what you have. The key is getting fresh eyes on your home. When you bring in experts, they can offer a new perspective.

“Taking the things that consumers already own and just re-arranging it or de-cluttering it — moving art around or possibly adding a few pieces to what they already have. We have done this many times in various homes, says Mary Wadstrom, designer at Style On A Shoestring. She adds, “It makes the husbands really happy because we haven’t purchased anything; we haven’t done any shopping — we’ve just switched their things up a little bit.”

Here are a few more tips to getting a quality look on a lean decor diet. Just like anything, investing in the preparation time and research can reap outstanding results.

Set a personal financial limit and then stick to it. Decide what you can afford without breaking the bank. Then call in the experts. You don’t have to hire them to do the overall decorating. You can actually do many things on your own but, again, getting some new opinions will allow you to see things in your own home from a different view.

Use professionals to gain valuable advice. Lynn cautions that you carefully think about each purchase because often people end up with items that just don’t work. She says she hears this complaint frequently “I went out and I bought this couch and now I need you because I can’t return it and it doesn’t fit. I blew all this money.” Getting expert help doesn’t have to be expensive. You can receive free consultations and research expert advice in online publications.

Space-plan before you buy. Don’t impulse-buy or you might end up with furniture and décor that doesn’t ultimately match the room. Before you buy anything you should map out the look and style of what you’re trying to create. “You don’t want to buy anything until you understand what everything is going to cost,” says Lynn. She says go through and decide how much each item will cost “because that will help you stay in the budget,” explains Lynn. You can choose to splurge on one item but then scrimp a little in other areas.

If you’ve decided on a theme or a particular look but just don’t know quite how to make it come alive, try creating a color board. It’s really easy. You start by gathering anything that catches your eye.  These can include magazine cutouts, fabric and floor samples and paint chips. Make sure to look at everything in a different light and at different times of the day. Some colors can look dramatically different throughout the day. 

The internet is also a great place to find and print out  color images of furniture, artwork and accessories. Try to stick to the items that reflect the theme you’re already leaning toward. Pay attention to textures, finishes and intricate details as those will play a significant role in the finished design. Once you’ve gathered your pieces, attach them to ribbon board or piece of foam core board (available at art supply stores). Keep it somewhere where you’ll see it everyday and add or remove pieces as the spirit moves you. Live with this board until you’re ready to start shopping and carry it with you when you do. This will aid you in making both color, and design choices as you’re shopping for your new look.

Mother’s Day is coming soon.

Treat your mother to a paint consultation or design plan with Style on a Shoestring! She will be the happiest mother in the world. Everyone could use a little design help here and there. Our team of designers is ready to assist with all design styles. Please contact Style on a Shoestring for more info.

Craft rooms can be very fun to design and to spend time in. If you are a crafter and would like to have a room turned into the perfect sewing room or scrapbooking room Style On a Shoestring can help. I myself am a fellow crafter and to me this is the most important room in my home.

The most important part of a craft room is that it is organized and STAYS organized. The key to organization success for most people is to hire a professional organizer. We work with many great organizer that we would love to refer. Here are some great organizational tips for room:

Group like items, throw out anything that is trash, give away items you know you will never use (even though it is so hard to do!), then decide what items are most important to you. If you like to sew then probably need a nice comfortable chair and sewing table that is easy to use with your sewing accessories close by and not hidden away in the back of the closet.

If you tend to have multiple craft projects that are in the works then create a storage system that is easy to use. This way you will not forget about these projects and they will actually get done.