One Day Refresh: Breathe New Life into Your Space

When was the last time your space got a makeover? Perhaps you’re longing for a new look, but lack the time to create and implement a complete overhaul of your room(s). Take a deep breath and listen to this. You can update any room in your home in a single day with these tips. 

Paint an accent wall.

Painting a full room takes time. There’s identifying a color you can live with, taping off the trim, coat one, coat two. You get the idea. Painting an accent wall, however, can be relatively quick and painless. Pick one wall you want to highlight. Look at your existing décor for the right pop of color to complement your primary wall hue. What colors show up often in your accessories? Use your favorite as a guide for your accent wall color. 

Add a rug.

Another easy update lies just beneath your feet: your floor. Whether you’ve got hardwood floors or wall to wall carpet, adding an area rug can update the look and feel of your space. Even changing out a rug that’s already there for something new will refresh the room. Here’s a hint: placing an area rug down and arranging your furniture around it can delineate a seating space. Or you can define a cozy reading nook in a corner of your room. Remember, the rug’s texture, color, and pattern can also help create a mood for the space.

Update your lighting.

How about a simple, often overlooked change that can yield dramatic results? Updating your light fixtures can be impactful! Something as simple as changing the light bulb to one with a soft, warmer glow can influence the ambiance of your room. Swapping out the lampshades on your existing fixtures can change the entire look and feel, too. If you really want to step things up, invest in a can of spray paint to bring a new look to your old lamp base. Or shop for a brand new, fabulous fixture that can be the centerpiece of the room.

Change up your accessories.

Odds are you’ve already thought about trading out your throw pillows and other accent pieces. You may even have considered updating your window treatments (great ideas, by the way!). Don’t overlook the difference that updating smaller accessories can make too. Pick up new drawer pulls to change up your dresser and end tables. Swap out door knobs and light switch/outlet plates for something new. In the bathroom, a new soap tray and toothbrush holder can be a good start. Changing up the towel rack (and the towels that hang on it!) can alter the room.

Pay attention to the details of your space and change what you can. All those little bits add up to dramatic impact!

by Anjie Cho


3 Tips on Color in Your Home, With About.com's Diana Hathaway Timmons

We've proudly been featured more than once in About.com Home's excellent articles on color and interior design tips, and we're huge fans of Diana Hathaway Timmons, About.com's Color Expert. Since Diana's got such a keen eye for color, and feng shui is so intimately linked, we thought we'd ask her a few questions and feature her!

AC: What are three key tips one should consider when painting a color for their home?

DHT: Choosing paint color for your home is such a personal decision, but everyone can benefit from a few tips to make it stress-free. 

1. Don't get overwhelmed by your color choices. Narrow down your color choices as quickly as possible so that you're working with the smallest number of options. Look to your favorite paint brand for special palettes that were curated into smaller collections. These collections can help you narrow down your choices so that you're not trying to choose between 200 shades of blue. 

2. Study the trends, but choose the colors you love. Color inspiration from the latest trends can help you get ideas for your color palette, but they're just a starting point. The paint colors you choose will be with you 24/7, so choose what you love, (even if it's not trendy.) If you love some of the on-trend colors but don't want to commit them to your walls, you can always go neutral or white with your paint and add color accents with decorative accessories.

3. This tip isn't really glamorous, but it's such a necessity when you're choosing paint color. Be sure to sample and test wall colors before committing. Factors like lighting and sunlight can affect how your paint color looks. Even your flooring or cabinets can completely derail a color scheme, so take the time to sample your paint color. 

What colors do you have in your home and workspace, and why?

My walls at home and in my workspace are pretty neutral in Sherwin-Williams Honied White. A neutral color flowing through the house gives me more freedom to play with color in furnishings and decor. My workspace is also neutral because I work so much with color that there is always something colorful on a shelf or hung on the wall, and some of my own artwork and photography.

The master bedroom has a fabulous accent wall that I just added in Farrow & Ball Dix Blue. The room is pretty plain and boxy, so an accent wall was essential. Dix Blue works perfectly with the whole-house color palette of aqua, gold, and brown. I love this color palette because it reminds me of the beaches in Southern California, where I grew up. 

How have you created a holistic space for yourself?

My holistic space is my living room. It's an open space with high ceilings and three large windows looking out at a Japanese maple and flowering plum tree. There are no electronics in the room, just cozy furniture. I use the living room as a quiet space where I plan and daydream. The room's afternoon light streams in from the west. Though I'm from California, I live near Seattle now, so every little bit of sunshine is a relaxing luxury for me.

by Anjie Cho


Diana Hathaway Timmons

Diana Hathaway Timmons is the color expert for Color.About.com, a lifestyle writer, and designer. Color is her passion, reaching millions of people with her color expertise. Diana's has contributed to publications and websites that include Huffington Post, MSN, BHG, and Reader's Digest, and she has authored the book, "Sell Your Home Without Losing Your Zen." 


Your Guide to Spring Flowers

Spring is in full swing, and we're finally starting to see pops of color in nature. In fact, spring's various flowers may be one of the best parts of the season! Whether you're fortunate enough to have an outdoor garden, looking to add some new houseplants or just searching for the perfect fresh bouquet to bring a little nature indoors, spring flowers are the perfect way to welcome the change in weather and spend some time with nature. 

Of course, there are tons of blooms that make their appearances in spring, so how is one to choose which beautiful blossoms to add to a holistic space? These are a few of our favorite options for getting your hands dirty or bringing that perfect cutting to the dining room table. 

Peonies

Peonies are perennials that bloom primarily in spring, last through summer, and are able to survive the winter as well. In Chinese culture, the peony is known as the "King of Flowers" and represents richness and honor. Peonies are hardy flowers that can be found in shades of red, white and yellow, and they can be grown outside in sunlight and well-drained soil or coaxed to grow indoors in clay pots near sunny windows. 

Tulips

Tulips are one of the most popular symbols of spring, as they represent new and eternal life. They made our Mother's Day list too! Tulips are mid-spring blooms, primarily from April to May, and come in a range of different colors and styles. There are over 3,000 registered varieties of tulips, all of which make beautiful fresh flower arrangements! Whether you're planting outdoors or in your apartment with clay pots, tulips do need a "winter" season, so be sure to plant before winter or use a chilling treatment inside.

Lilies of the Valley

This white, bell-shaped flower is a late-spring, highly fragrant bloom that makes a lovely addition to a fresh flower bouquet or a beautiful potted plant. As a note, Lily of the Valley is poisonous, so keep out of reach of children and pets (especially adorable chihuahuas!). Outdoors or inside, lilies of the valley need well-draining soil and light to moderate shade. Or you can bring nature indoors as cuttings and show them off in a beautiful vase! 

Daffodils

Another mid-spring bloom that grows in many colors (yellow, white, orange, pink), daffodils are a spring staple for bringing in the season. These common flowers are often the first sign to many that spring has sprung, and they're beautiful outdoors, potted indoors or cut for bouquets and posies. Plant them outdoors before winter, spaced apart with moist, but well-drained soil, or coax them out indoors in a deep pot with cold treatment. 

Hyacinth

Let's not forget the beautiful hyacinth and grape hyacinth, early-spring blooms that also symbolize the birth of a new season. Greek legend has that hyacinth first grew from the blood of a Greek named Hyakinthos. Jealous that Apollo was teaching Hyakinthos, whom they both admired, to throw a discus, Zephyr blew the discus back at Hyakinthos, killing him. Even with a deadly story, these flowers bloom beautifully in shades of white, peach, salmon, orange, yellow, pink, red, purple, lavender and blue. Plant them outdoors in the fall or bring indoors as coaxed houseplants or gorgeous flower arrangements

There are, naturally, almost as many spring flowers as there are regions of the world. If our favorites don't spark joy for you, also try pansies, anemones, hibiscus, hydrangea, birds of paradise, freesias, amaryllis or any other flower that makes an appearance during the spring season. No matter which blossoms you choose, remember to bring a little nature, and a pop of color, into your holistic space this spring!

by Anjie Cho