Innovative Design

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INNOVATIVE DE SIGN Unique Homes

HOW TO Eight practical ways to organize your home page 4

design with a splash

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$9.99 USA $13.99 CANADA

Jan./Feb. 2010

reasonable Rooms Michelle Paulino’s, “Thrifty Abodes” page 7

E D I T O R S NOTE The new year has begun and resolutions are currently in the works With the hope to implement changes to your personal life comes the need for revamping the aesthetics of your home life as well. In the approach to make fresh changes to the content available to our prescribers, we are pleased to present this year’s first issue with new innovative ideas and creative design both practical and unique.

Due to the current state of the economy and the need to be tighter with money and spend wisely, we want to provide you with ways to make changes to your home that are doable and easy. In fact, one of our columns highlights local stores and thrifty ways to do a room revamp that is easy and fun.

Furthermore, aside from decorating a room that is reasonably priced and easy to re-create, this month’s issue will key into simple yet inventive ways to make your space functional for your daily routine and busy schedule. Be sure to tap into the various tips for theming your home and making it colorful as well.

Stephanie Valencia Editorial Assistant sevalencia@seuniversity.edu

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16 Design with a splash Creating a room that pops 7 Thrifty Abodes by Michelle Paulino

4 Eight Practical ways to organize your home

10 Vintage Perspective by Stephanie Valencia

13 Theme your home

18 Mix & Match by Stephanie Valencia

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TIPS & POINTERS

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Practical ways to with furniture from Ikea

Large divided shelving This enables you to fill a large space with smaller diverse items such as books, pictures, vases, and other various house items that can be combined into one large peice of furniture.

$159.99

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Ottoman with inside storage

This creates a cozy way to prop of your feet and relax in the home setting, while still finding practicality within the inside storage that can be used to for magazines, books, or any other item of your choice.

$149.99

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Tall and narrow shelving This type of shelving is great for small spaces that seem useless but need to be filled for sake of utilizing every corner. Not only does this fill a small space but this allows you to store things up higher and in an organized manner.

$59.99

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organize your home

By Stephanie Valencia

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Coffee table with shelf underneath Coffee tables are great, especially when having company over and wanting to sit around and eat desert or prop your feet up and relax. However, when purchasing a coffee table, it’s wise to choose one with shelving underneath to provide storage for books and magazines. $19.99

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Decorative coat rack All too often all of the coats get stuffed in the hall closet and are nearly impossible to dig through and find your own. By having a decorative coat rack out in the open, not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it also opens up the hall closet for other items that need to be stored and are less presentable to put out in the open space of your home.

$29.99

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Bedside table By having a beside table, you allow yourself more storage outside of just having a dresser for clothing.

This type of table is great because it has storage inside for books and various reading material that may be used at night rather than having to get out of bed and find something on the bookshelf in the living room, you have access to it right there.

$39.99

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Armoire An armoire is perfect for stuffing all of your close into one storage unit but still allowing it to be presentable.

$100

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TV unit with shelving When purchasing a TV unit, make sure and find one with plenty of shelving so that it is not only serving the purpose of holding your TV but also provides space for DVDs and many other electronic items in your home.

$160.00 6

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hrifty Abodes

Michelle Paulino ecorating an empty space in your home can become a enjoyable experience when you know what your doing. The truth of the matter is, most of us don’t know where to start. I am here to get you started and helping you discover the joy of interior designing on a budget.

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You are probably asking yourself, “What’s first?” The first task is to sit down and create a budget for your expenses. An estimation of what you are willing to spend and what you need to buy is important, because you need a guideline when you are shopping.

Many shoppers tend to get overwhelmed and over spend when they do not take the time to create a guideline for themselves.

Once you have created a guideline, the 7

second step is to find the furniture that best suits your home. This task can be daunting, so it is important to clear your schedule and devote some time and thought to your search. There are many stores that can offer you good quality furniture at a reasonable price.

“Many shoppers tend to get overwhelmed and over spend when they do not take the time to create a guideline for themselves.”

Places such as the Goodwill, flea markets, and garage sales are good places to find cheap furniture. You can add some flair with antique pieces found in these places.

Places that should be on your list: Target Wal-Mart Ikea Goodwill Flea markets Garage sales Criegslist Ebay One stop stores like Wal-Mart and Target are great places to find good prices on furniture and household items.

These stores are able to sell furniture at a lower cost because they are not specialty stores.

Pros: Can haggle to lower prices and extremely cheap items.

Cons: Time consuming and

“One stop stores like Wal-Mart and Target are great places to find good prices on furniture and household items.�

Pros: Easy on the wallet, one stop shop and sales.

Cons: Limited enough variety of house hold items.

Ikea on the other hand, is a specialty store that sells furniture and household items. Unlike expensive brand-name stores they keep their prices low for their customers. They also have sales year round.

Pros: A good variety of items and good quality furniture.

Cons: You have to assemble the furniture yourself.

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Buying online has become one of the number one ways consumers buy products. Crigslist and Ebay are great websites to buy furniture from. Even though most of the items are used, you can find good quality furniture.

Pros: You can find one of a kind items and can shop from your home.

Cons: Returning items can be difficult.

Now that you know where to start, your next step is to get out there and shop. Take the knowledge that I have shared with you and put it to work. Most importantly have fun. Good Luck.

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Vintage

Perspective

The art of making the old look new

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Although it’s fun to buy new items and look up to par with the current trends, there can also be a lot of joy found in digging through old house items, shopping at thrift stores, and turning trash into treasure if you will.

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ost of the mistakes we make when decorating a room, are common assumptions of having to fit a particular mold. A lot of what we see in stores now is new and fresh trendy items that are up with the latest and the best of the best.

However, sometimes when creating a space that’s unique and less likely to be a cookie cutter room, it’s good to think outside of the box and look beyond the typical stores that most would go running to.

So what exactly does this mean? Just like pulling an old jacket from the nineties out of your closet and fearful that you’ll look outdated or foolish, stepping foot into a new

decorating project can be the same way. Although it’s fun to buy new items and look up to par with the current trends, there can also be a lot of joy found in digging through old house items, shopping at thrift stores, and turning trash into treasure if you will.

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The hope is that you would no longer look through the goggles of the home decor police in fear of something being perfectly spotless and not worn in whatsoever. In fact, what’s a home without furniture that’s a little bit lived in? Instead of being so careful that everything is perfectly in place and lacking flaw, why not try gaining a little bit of vintage perspective?

Take a trip to a thrift store and pick up some old picture frames or vases. Go to an antique store and purchase an old sofa or chair. Or dig into your messy storage closet and use those old pillows to add a little bit of vintage flare.

If among all of these items, you’re not fully satisfied, don’t be afraid to refurbish and add your own personal pizazz to make it unique and fun.

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3 easy steps

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Allow yourself to think outside of the box ; never run from a unique and random piece.

Venture out and take a trip to a thrift store or consignment shop.

Explore in your messy closet; you may end up finding a great treasure.

Rustic

Theme your home .................................................

A rustic themed room enables you to design with old vintage items and worn in furniture using a lot of neutral earth tones with a pop of a bright color such as the green in the picture.

Rustic pieces: 1. Old wooden trunk 2. Vintage chair 3. Shutters with chipped paint (wall decoration)

Exotic

Many of these items can be found at an antique shop, consignment shop, garage sale, or possibly even a thrift

An exotic themed room brings color, zest and excitement to a home. This type of room is a bit more daring than a rustic room but displays the spontaneity and edgy side of the homeowner. An exotic themed room is a great room for kicking back and having a good time with family and friends.

Exotic pieces: 1. Leopard print ottoman 2. Vase with peacock feathers inside 3. Pictures of animals framed on wall

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Serene

Inspirational peices A serene themed room is one of calm and relaxation. A lot of what you use to create your serene room could be based off water, palm trees, sand, and the cool crisp air. This type of room is usually created best with lighter pastel colors of tan, teal, and shades of blue.

Crisp

Serene pieces: 1. Light blue and tan pillows 2. Sea shell candles 3. Beach photos (framed)

A crisp themed room is a room of clean lines and minimal table top decorations and pictures on the wall. This is a trendy and simplistic room that would be done well in a black and white color scheme. Some of the pieces used in a crisp room could bring out the simplistic nature with abstract art.

Crisp pieces: 1. Chinese lantern light 2. White/off-white sofa 3. Black picture frames on white wall Many of these items can be found at Ikea and Target.

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Design with a

SPLASH

Innovative ways to help you create a room that pops Stephanie Valencia hen starting the first initial steps of decorating a room, many are afraid to think big and be bold in regards to color scheme. It’s easy to shy away from loud colors and a somewhat strange palette of color combination thus resorting to dull browns and earth tones, or better yet white which of course goes with everything. However when jumping into a new renovation project, try leaning more toward adventurous colors as oppose to bland ones.

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Many make the mistake of assuming that designing with bright colors means you have to have everything matching as if the room were to vomit up a blueberry, orange or other bright fruit color. However, what most don’t realize is that decorating with bright colors can be accompanied by more neutral shades and compliment one another very nicely.

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One way to incorporate color in a tasteful manner within your home decor, is to create contrast. A bright red curtain against a

stark white wall makes for a pop of color with just enough subtle things within the space to not overwhelm those entering into your home.

Contrast can also be implemented by purchasing patterned pillows with both bright colors and neutral shades mixed in.

Color however doesn’t always have to be portrayed through contrast.

“It’s easy to shy away from loud colors and a somewhat strange palette of color combination thus resorting to dull browns and earth tones, or better yet white which of course goes with everything.”

Another great way to tackle your fear of bright colors in your home is to find great key pieces to focus the room around. For instance, a great painting with bright colors, a lamp with a colorful lampshade, or perhaps even a few solid bright pillows.

Although contrast and key pieces within your home can be a great way to spice up a space with color, another really fun way to do this is to explore bright paint colors. To paint the main focal wall of your room bright orange may seem daring and a bit insane, but you’d be surprised what one colorful wall could do to a space. Even if painting a wall a bright color is the only way you implement bold shades, it is enough to receive a “wow” response from any guest in your home and make them longing to come back for more home decor inspiration.

“However, what most don’t realize is that decorationg with bright colors can be accompanied by more neutral shades and compliment one another very nicely.”

Whether in the contrast of bright and neutral shades, the implementation of a few key bright pieces in the space, or going out on a limb and painting one wall a funky and fun shade of bright orange, adding color to your home can make a world of difference. Don’t be afraid to try new things and test the waters a bit. You’d be surprised what a little color might do to you and those who enter your home.

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Lime

Tangerine

Cotton Candy Blue

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Candy Apple Red

Mi X When attempting to dive into a new home decoration project, there is always the temptation to feel as though every single item from the same store so that each pillow, lamp shade, area rug, picture and table matches perfectly. The biggest mistake you can make when first starting out is to not take risks.

Rather than be so worried about this pattern matching that pattern and this shade of green matching another shade of green, dry diving out into the deep end a bit and trying new things. Rather than having to always shop at your local Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Peir 1 Imports, or even Walmart, try going to thrift stores, consignment shops and antique shops as well. Once you are able to shop at various places as oppose to trying to match everything from one store, you get a wide spectrum of decorating tools and items as well as perspective from various different design platforms.

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The first way to start your project is to think of two of your favorite colors that you wouldn’t normally match together and start looking for staple items in that color. Some of these items could be pillows, throws, area rugs and even some furniture. Then once you have that in place, start to think about a few of your favorite patterns that you also wouldn’t normally place together and start looking for home items in that as well.

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Once you have these items, start finding different ways to tie them in by looking for inspiration from various magazine photographs or even store advertisements on how those particular pieces of merchandise were used.

Perhaps find a painting with one of the colors you chose, or look for a vase with the pattern that you picked. Also, when you go searching in stores like thrift stores, consignment shops and antique shops, remember to keep an opened mind.

If you find a piece or item that you just can’t live without, as yourself if the price is worth it and if you chose to purchase it, you’d be surprised how nicely it could fit into your room. Don’t let a random object ever discourage you from making a fun and spontaneous purchase that could most likely turn out to be the best item in your room.

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Helpful tips to get you started

1. Never limit yourself to one store. Shop around and expect to make purchases at various different locations.

2. Allow yourself time to linger and make decisions that are not rushed but somewhat thought through.

3. Find one item that you can’t live without and start basing your design around that.

4. Find inspiration from different magazines and advertisements.

5. HAVE FUN!

MAT Ch 19

IKEA

Where one item could change your world.