Nature-Inspired DIY

nature-inspired DIY DESIGN

Words and Photos: Susan Snow

One of today’s hottest home design trends is the use of flowers, plants and greenery, including potted plants, wallpaper with floral motifs, fabrics with bold floral prints and up to the moment botanical prints.

Personalize your space with beautiful, nature inspired prints with the flick of a button. To do this exquisite DIY project all you need is a colour photocopier, some stems and leaves straight out of the garden and a frame.

Simply place your stems on your copier, close the lid and press copy. If your copier has image adjustments, I found the copies came out better when lightened up. Once you are happy with the outcome pop the prints into a single frame or a series of frames.

Tip: Uue stems that can be easily flattened like ferns and grasses for the best results.

TIPS FOR BATHROOMS

While bathrooms may be one of the smallest spaces in our homes, I also feel they are one of the most difficult spaces to get right. There are so many design elements that need to be considered and I am going to give you my simplified version of how I begin the design process!

1) Begin with your colour palette, keeping in mind that colours can have a profound impact on our moods: • Your colour palette can be determined by zeroing in on spaces that you tend to gravitate towards, by drawing inspiration from your surroundings (nature’s colour combinations will never let you down) or even objects. • Sticking to a maximum of three colours is a good rule of thumb.

2) Vary the size of your tile: • Using the same sized tile on your floors and shower walls can lead to a bathroom that falls flat and seems, dare I say…builder basic. • Don’t forget about your grout colour and even the width of your grout lines. Grout has the power to make a big statement or create the illusion of one large piece of tile.

3) If you can do it, invest in a custom vanity: • This alone will make your bathroom unique and more tailored to you.

Design has always been an escape for Sara Dykerman. “In all of my designs, my main goal is to ultimately change the way you feel about your home and how your home makes you feel when you are in it. At the end of my design processes, my hopes are that I have truly enhanced not only your home but your life,” says Dykerman.

Plank & Pine offers a wide variety of design services from E-design, which is entirely a digital approach, to services such as assistance with new builds, larger residential projects, renovations, in-home styling, and consultations. 4) Don’t be afraid to mix your metal finishes, this adds interest to our spaces: • Balance your tones (warm vs. cool). • Mixing two different metal finishes is pretty safe.

5) Scale, make sure your lighting and mirrors are portioned to the vignette below (most often we scale too small).

6) Finally, thoughtful and functional decor pieces are what will give your bathroom that polished and personal touch you are striving for (less is always more).