How to Style Your Home Like a Designer with Accessories

Your home is your personal oasis and you should love being there. Comfortable furniture, soothing natural light, and accessories can make an empty shell feel like the most cozy and inviting place to ever exist. With just a few simple steps, your home will look professionally designed and you’ll love spending time there and inviting guests over. Let’s take a look at how you can style your home like a designer with accessories.

Types of Accessories

 The first step to accessorizing your home is becoming knowledgeable about the different types of accessories there are. The possibilities are endless and if you’re able to choose some that suit your personality and natural vibe, you’re well on your way to having a gorgeous home. Mixing and matching different accessory types will help you to achieve an absolutely stunning look.

Let’s take a look at a few of the most popular home accessories that designers use:

 ●     Artwork

●     Sculptures

●     Vases

●     Area rugs

●     Plants

 

How to Choose

 When selecting your home accessories remember the golden rule: “quality over quantity.” Unless it’s the look you’re going for, you really don’t need a million little items to make a statement. Having too many accessories can easily make your home look overwhelming and cluttered to both you and your guests.

 You can avoid a cluttered and unorganized look by choosing one or two key pieces that make a bold or sentimental statement. To decide on a key piece, you may want to choose:

 ●     An item you got while traveling

●     A handmade piece

●     A woven basket from a local street vendor

●     An heirloom

●     Framed photos

●     A mirror with a unique frame and shape

 If you select just one or two key pieces and decorate around them, you’ll have such a successful housewarming party, your guests won’t want to leave. While we recommended keeping modern and traditional styles separated, we also recommended using your discretion. Make your space yours by using a little here and a little therex wherever you see fit.

Decorating

 Now that you know the different types of accessories and how to choose your key pieces, let’s talk about the most important step: actually decorating your space. An important factor for ensuring you have cohesive design across your entire space is thinking about your color scheme. For example, if you’re aiming for a teal, gray, and white color scheme, avoid selecting a bright orange key piece. While your home does not have to be obnoxiously matched to a tee, try to keep your accessories and decor within one color palette.

 Lamps, fireplace hearths, and quality frames can serve as decor pieces and functional tools for your home. Tie rooms together and complete themes by selecting a lamp or fireplace heart that seamlessly compliments your key piece.

Versatility

 The best home decor is versatile home decor. If you like to change the look of your home with the seasons, choose accessories that are easy to swap out. This way, you’ll be able to get creative and make changes as often as you’d like. Tap into your artistic side and try different colors, styles, and textures throughout your home to give it a unique pop.

Be Inspired

 When you enter the home decor section of a store, you may get overwhelmed. With aisles and aisles of options, you might not know where to start. Long before your arrival at the store, you need to:

 ●     Find inspiration

●     Decide on a color scheme

●     Understand your unique style

●     Make a list

 By following these four simple steps, you’ll be able to shop with confidence and avoid having to make any returns. Choose to shop for your home accessories on a free day when you’re not pressed for time. Take time to walk through each aisle and compare items before making a purchase.

Have Fun

 Yes, you want your home to be picture perfect — but there’s no need for your accessorizing process to be stressful or strenuous. If you need to, ask a friend or family member to help you out. What’s most important is that you have fun and enjoy your hard work at the end of the day. Pour a glass of your favorite beverage, whip up some yummy snacks, and ‘decor’ the night away. Good luck and cheers to having a beautifully decorated home!

 *Go To Beasley & Henley Interior Design For More Design Ideas & Inspirations For Your Home*

Bring Nature Inside Your Home with an Indoor Plant Wall

Whether you live in an area surrounded by nature or you’re in the midst of a major city, it’s important to connect with nature as much as possible to boost your mood and lower stress levels. Even if you don’t have access to a lush botanical landscape, you can still enjoy everything nature has to offer in your own home. An indoor plant wall gives you the opportunity to connect with the natural world without ever having to set foot outside the home. This fun project will not only add beauty to your space, but will also cultivate a love and appreciation for caring for plants, and for the environment.

Why we should connect to nature

It’s not just important to connect to nature because we live in it. Spending time in nature has a positive impact on our mental and physical health. Here are some reasons why it’s so vital to stay connected with the outside world

Better health. Nature has positive impacts on health in many different ways. Connecting to the natural world can actually have healing effects on the mind, body, and spirit. When you spend time in a natural environment, it may lower your blood pressure and heart rate, creating a calming effect on both the body and the mind. Going outdoors promotes healthy exercise, which can increase muscle mass and lower body weight over time. It may also help to boost your immune system by providing your body with a natural source of vitamin D.

Greater spirituality. In addition to the physical benefits, connecting to nature also promotes spiritual enhancement. Just taking a walk amongst plants and animals can remind you how we all play a vital role in the world, and how we connect together as one. When you’re outdoors, take a moment to soak in the sights, smells, and sounds of nature. This is a wonderful way to appreciate nature’s many meditative properties and give yourself a spiritual cleanse. You’ll also gain a new appreciation for the world and all that it has to offer.

Higher sense of wellbeing. Spending just a few minutes each day outdoors or around nature can help you “reset,” giving you a fresh and new sense of optimism to take on your day. Taking in the environment around you will improve your psychological well-being and help you to de-stress. Studies have shown that connecting with nature can help with conditions like depression and improve cognition. You’ll start to develop a positive outlook and feel calmer as you make and strengthen your connection to nature.

The Human-Nature Connection Relationship


In many ways, the modern world has altered the human-nature connection. However, by developing a deep appreciation for nature, humans can restore the respect that the environment deserves. By fostering a healthy relationship with nature, you’ll also develop a better understanding of how plants and animals live, and how they depend on humans to protect their safety and well-being. From humans’ evolutionary biology and psychology to the economy, everything is directly connected to the natural world. Developing a strong bond with nature will give you an opportunity to appreciate just how deeply everything is connected together.

Benefits of a living wall

Ornamental plant decoration for vertical garden

There are many benefits to designing a living wall or vertical garden in your home

• Living walls can make you happier. When you see greenery or flowers inside your home, it will instantly boost serotonin levels, making you feel happier within just a few minutes.

• Plants absorb carbon dioxide, which can help to clean and purify the air inside your home. Add a lush green wall indoors and you’ll get better air quality and cleaner, safer indoor air.

• A plant wall can reduce the temperature in your home, creating a cooler climate that may even lower your energy bill. Since plants absorb sunlight, it can make the room feel cooler while reducing the need for your air conditioner to run constantly.

• Place your living wall where you need a little more peace and quiet. Your houseplants can absorb the noise, giving you a much quieter, calmer place to relax.

• Just looking at your plants can reduce stress. Fill your plant wall with your favorites so you’ll feel calm and happy every single day.

• Since plants have a positive psychological impact, they can also boost your productivity. Add a living wall to your home office and watch your productivity levels increase.

• A lush plant wall adds value to your home. Consider adding one to the inside and outside to improve curb appeal, reduce energy costs, and make your home more visually appealing.

How to create a green wall

Here are the steps needed to create your very own living plant wall at home.

Plant selection. Start by choosing a variety of plants for your living wall. The type of plants you choose may vary depending on your local climate, how much sunlight they’ll get, and how difficult they are to care for. Research a variety of indoor plants to help you find the right ones for your indoor vertical garden. You may go through some trial and error until you find the right combination of plants for you.

Location. Choosing the right location for your green wall is key to a healthy and lush indoor vertical garden. Place your living wall in a part of the home that will get ample natural light. If your home doesn’t have a lot of sunlight, you may need to supplement with grow lights to keep your plants happy and healthy.

Maintenance. Make sure you understand how to care for all of the plants in your green wall. Ideally, they should all have the same or similar amount of sunlight and watering requirements. If the plant’s needs vary too much, some plants may not be healthy, while others will thrive based on how much light they get and other factors. Look into the care of your plants to make sure that the living wall is something you can easily maintain.

Display options. Think about how you want to display your living wall, whether it’s a tall shelf with a lot of pots or a sturdy tall frame that holds several containers of dirt. Some green walls become permanent fixtures, while others can be moved around as needed. Explore a few options before you decide which one will work for you so that it’s easy to care for and cultivate your plants while adding an attractive aesthetic to the room.

Lighting. Some plants require full sun, while others only need partial or dappled sunlight. Check where the light comes into your home, and place the green wall in a part of the room that will get enough of it throughout the day. Low-light plants (like pothos or snake plants) can thrive without a ton of sunlight, so these may be best if you live in an apartment or a place without a lot of windows.

Irrigation. Your plants need water to stay healthy, so make sure you have a good irrigation system in place. Self-watering planters can be helpful, but you may also need to soak your plants from time to time. Just be sure that your irrigation system won’t create a mess of water and soil all over your floors. A watering can make it easy to do some quick watering of the topsoil, while a small tube irrigation system can help you water all of the plants’ root systems at once.

These are pretty easy tasks you can do yourself and even make it a fun family activity, remember you can always choose the have the professional service of a handyman to help you install hanging shelves or lighting to build your perfect plant wall.

 Reasons to add a plant wall to your home

Whether you want to lower stress levels or just add a striking new feature to your decor, here are some important reasons to add a beautiful plant wall to your indoor space

Increase curb appeal. An outdoor plant wall is an attractive feature for buyers if you’re planning to sell your home. It can also create interest indoors by boosting your home’s resale value and curb appeal.

Break up a white wall. Beautiful greenery and colorful flowers add texture and visual interest to a bland and boring white wall. Use your green wall to enhance a living room or den so it helps to visually “break up” the space.

Create living art. Having a variety of plants is a wonderful way to create your very own living work of art. As the plants grow and change, your art will change to create a unique accent piece in your home.

Add a garden without losing floor space. Designing a vertical garden gives you the opportunity to enjoy gardening without taking up too much floor space. This can be especially beneficial if you live in a small home, condo, or apartment and want to reap the benefits of gardening without taking up too much precious room.

Create a space for calm. Your green wall will give you a peaceful vibe that promotes feelings of calm. Use your green wall to enjoy the benefits of plants and nature inside and make this part of your home a space for calmness, meditation, and reflection.

Add an accent wall A feature wall or accent wall can give any room a fun touch. Use your green wall to create a cool accent wall that’s sure to be a conversation starter whenever you have guests over.

Add life to your home Plants will add vibrancy and life to your home that standard wall art simply can’t replicate. If you live in a place where you can’t have pets, a living wall is a wonderful way to care for another living thing as you watch it flourish and grow.

 As you can see, building a plant wall has a wide range of benefits not just for your home, but also for your health and well-being. Plants clean the air, add beauty, and promote feelings of rest and calm in the home. With a living green wall, you can cultivate your connection with nature while enjoying a new and beneficial hobby that will enhance your life.

Guest Blog Post By: Rocio Espinoza with Porch | Find the Best Rated Local Home Improvement Professionals

Top Five Luxurious Ways to Decorate Your Home

Whether you’ve just recently moved in or you’ve called the same house a home for decades, occasionally a change of pace is needed to liven up a space, or more importantly, your own frame of mind. The environments in which we live and work have a profound effect on our mood, energy, and creativity. Adding intentional, luxurious decorative touches can help elevate and modernize your space and breathe new life into your home.

 Plus, there’s no need to plan a massive remodel—read on to discover our top 5 decorating tips to help create a luxurious interior aesthetic for your home.

1.  Pare Down

The first, most important way to make a space feel more luxurious is to pare down excess belongings. Interior rooms have a tendency to become cluttered and chaotic over time, especially in high-traffic areas of the home. Clearing away unnecessary items not only creates psychological space to breathe but also exposes the aesthetic potential of a room and the relative value and importance of the objects that you do keep. The first rule of luxury isn’t expensive at all—start with a clean slate by paring down and keeping only the best décor items that you already have.

2.  Rugs, Textiles & Textures

 Truly high-end residential interiors beg for the inclusion of luxurious rugs. Rugs can serve as a focal point for a room, defining its function and tying all the design elements together. Additionally, in the case of either antique or new Persian and Oriental rugs, they can also serve as an investment-worthy collectible. In addition to rugs, beautiful pillows, window treatments, and textiles can all bring compelling elements of pattern, texture, and comfort to a room. 

 Bedrooms, in particular, can be great places to add decorative interest through rugs and textiles. Fit your bed with luxury microfiber bed sheets for a subtle but impactful final touch. 

 1.  Color

One of the most immediate ways to provide a sophisticated update to an interior is by painting. But keep one caveat in mind: stick with neutral and near-neutral colors. This doesn’t mean that every wall in your home must be a shade of cream. Neutral colors are essentially muted shades that include an undertone of white, cream, beige, taupe, black, or brown. Furthermore, you can also opt for near-neutrals that add a primary color (red, green, and blue) to a pure neutral color. The end result can be quite unique and arresting. At the same time, both neutrals and near-neutrals will provide a luxurious canvas upon which to add more intense color interest by way of furniture, artwork, rugs, lamps, and textiles of all sorts. 

Most of the room’s color should come from items you place in the space rather than the walls themselves. That way, you can update the space more readily by swapping out artwork, lighting, fabrics, textiles, and personal effects to refresh the look of a room over time.

1.  Lighting

As all cinematographers know, a great filmmaker simultaneously sculpts and tells stories with light. Interior designers are also aware of this dynamic and can use these principles to the same effect. Use light to carve space and direct the attention of those who live in or merely visit your home through the artful use of general, task, and accent lighting. Interior lighting is also an ideal way to add luxurious decorative elements that also have a lot of utility and don’t add unnecessary clutter to your space.

 2.  Bring Nature In

In certain climates, bringing nature inside can mean the creation of hybrid inside/outside living spaces that can provide a spa-like feel to a home for much of the year.

 For those who aren’t lucky enough to live in a climate where the boundaries between inside and outside living spaces can be easily blurred, there are plenty of other options that simply place an emphasis on including botanical aesthetics into the design of a room.

You don’t need to create a year-round, majestic, interior courtyard to use plant life to stunning effect. Warm your space with climate-appropriate and well-kept trees and plants in your home. No green thumb? Opt for botanical prints or watercolors, or even bouquets of dried flowers. These small design touches can still bring an elevated yet minimalist appeal to any space.

In addition, there’s no need to stop with plants. Aquariums that feature exotic plant and fish life can stand alone or be integrated into walls, creating a visually dynamic and supremely relaxing effect to rival the best fireplace or woodstove.

For Design Inspirations & Ideas Go To Beasley & Henley.com!

Tips On Selecting The Perfect Dining Room Chandelier

Good lighting gives your dining room a sense of interest, warmth, light, enhances color and enables great conversation. Adding the right light fixture can alter the mood in the most sophisticated way. Your chandelier can act as eye candy to the most discerning guest bringing a bit of fashion and merriment. A few key points in selecting the perfect light fixture to your dining room is to think of comfort and flexibility. You want the space to give you an opulent pleasure that compliments any meal relished. The dining room is a fantastic place to play with an unexpected chandelier design. If you are looking for a great conversation starter go ahead and be a little daring with your piece.One of the first things you should consider when selecting a fixture is the size. Choosing the wrong sized light fixture can seriously disrupt the design of the space. We recommend a happy medium between too small and too big. The chandelier should be harmonious with the scale of the space without overpowering it. Make sure the chandelier is one-half to three-quarters the width of your table. If you table is 40" wide and 60" long we recommend a 24" - 36" diameter  chandelier. For the right hanging height the bottom of the chandelier should be around 30" above the table. If your ceilings are taller than 8', than an additional 3" for every foot taller. This will ensure that you have the clearance to hang your chandelier, and that it won't either get lost in the room by being too small, or overwhelm the space.  Small dining tables are beautifully complemented by similarly delicate chandeliers. As a general rule avoid pairing round and square with rectangular fixtures. Rectangular tables can handle slightly wider fixtures as well.   The amount of light is very important. Consider the size of the room and how much natural light is coming in. When you walk into the room and gaze at the scintillating halo of unparalleled perfection, you want the chandelier to have the right amount of light. Keep in mind that lighting from a chandelier that beams directly onto a person from above is neither flattering or comfortable. Avoid high wattage bulbs and try adding shades to candelabra bulbs if you like. For most interiors, 2700K warm light LED bulbs should be sufficient. If you have a space with lots of crisp whites, blues and grays then consider 3000K.  A wall dimmer will also help you control the light and set a more flattering mood. Now the fun part begins!! It's time to start selecting your chandelier! Think about a light fixture that will complement the color palette and materials of the space. Because your chandelier should feel like an extension of the style of the particular room, think about the hues and materials that are in the room already. Do you lean towards a more neutral color palette, or are you a little more daring with colors. Are you comfortable mixing metals, which I am a big fan of? Do you want a crystal, metal or beaded chandelier? When it comes to style, are you a little more eclectic? You can choose to display a retro chandelier in a modern dining room if you are looking for a little more contrast and attention. Ultimately, be sure that the chandelier you pick is something you love and is a representative of your style while creating a beautiful balance in the space.Today's contemporary, modern and transitional styles offer an ever expanding array of fixture designs and here are a few of our favorites I would like to share with you.

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The Hottest Trends In Home Decor~ Summer 2018

From glamour to natural tones, this time Beasley & Henley presents to you the summer trends for 2018. Summer is the time to give your home a face lift and a leap into creating something beautiful. Last year we saw a lot of metallics, tropical prints and embracing your inner bohemian. This summer we are going to see ceiling that pop, ice-cream pastels, the perfect imperfect effects of Terrazzo and more! Long gone is the need for a space to feel thematic and matchy. You want rooms that have a variety of textures, prints and materials that work together and are cohesive. May the warmth of the summers rays bring a more carefree, eclectic and stylish home to all. Here are a few of our favorite home decor trends of Summer 2018!GEN Z YellowThis summer we say goodbye to millennial pink, there is a new hue in town. Let's take a moment and give a gracious bow to Gen Z Yellow. She's a little more carefree, outgoing and bold. She wants to be noticed in an effortless way. She's multifaceted and not afraid to tailor her shade to match ones personality.  You can achieve her glow with textiles, accessories, lighting or furniture. Gen Z Yellow can make a glowing appearance through a light fixture, flower arrangement, artwork, throw or as simple as bath towels.         TerrazzoTerrazzo may not be for everyone, but for those who just love the look of  mid-century styles, you will be ecstatic by its resurrection. This summer you will see it reworking into different colors and more creative applications. The perfectly imperfect terrazzo consists of materials such as granite, quartz, glass and marble. It's an undoubtedly bold look with a sea of versatility. If your not looking to replace your flooring or counter tops no worries. You can apply this pattern into a kitchen backsplash, wallpaper or home accessory.    Bone InlayBone inlay of one of this summer's hottest trends. It is a decorative technique that consists of inserting small pieces of bone, shell or ivory into a pattern. The variation gives every accessory and piece of furniture it's striking character. It can be the perfect conversational piece providing your home with design and interest. The intricate patterns create striking textural contrasts that we love to see in homes.    Decorative CeilingsCeilings that pop will be all the rage this summer! This are looking up in the world of ceiling designs and we are all in! We love the wow factor in a home and the 5th wall can be the way to achieve that!  Whether painted a bold hue, applied moldings, plaster work,  shiplap or exposed beams ceilings are as hot as a summers day on Miami Beach.   TextureTexture is such a big thing this summer. You will see furniture that has a more natural handmade feel such as rattan and wicker. Textiles with lots of embellishments will be irresistible to the touch.  From textural wall patterns to baskets texture is everything! Woven furniture, lighting and accessories offer a visual interest without being impactful in color. I feel texture makes a home warmer, lived in and welcoming.