Pattern, Texture, Color & Shine: The Elements of Fresh Summer Décor

There are certain things in life that are hard. Like, really hard. Big life decisions that take weeks, months or years to commit to and execute. Things that change the course of your life and your family’s lives. 

Decorating is not one of those things. 

If you’re anything like me, you’re tempted to let decorating become one of those things. Something that feels like a real commitment. A chore or task that needs to be completed and once completed can’t or shouldn’t be changed – for outright fear of messing it all up. 

Well, I’m here to help you stop doing that – this summer, we’re going to be carefree decorators! 

We’re going to put decorating in its place, and put summer décor on our list. After a few hours of YouTube, Pinterest & Instagram research, I’ve decided that I’m going to be brave with my summer décor. Fortunately, I live at Redwood, so I don’t need to worry about outdoor décor; the grounds are always quite beautifully kept, but I do want the inside of my apartment to compliment my view of the landscaping.

Pattern, Texture, Color, Shine

The elements that are key to comprehensive, but simple interior design are also fundamental to your summer décor. Think about the patterns you’ll use, the textures you like, your favorite summer colors and how much bling you want to bring into your environment. 

During the summer, a few of these elements are already available to you…if you’re interested in using them. The most common summer pattern is stars and/or stripes – not necessarily the flag, but the idea of the flag. Summer in America is full of patriotic holidays, so there will be plenty of pillows, throws, vases, and picture frames with stars and/or stripes in their pattern available in stores and online. We’ve also been provided with an implied color palette – red, white & blue – or any variations of those three. Depending on the color of your furniture, you might be able to get away with adding a bit of red or white with some throw pillows or a set of candle holders in little vignettes around your apartment. 

Spicing up your décor for the summer isn’t about doing a full-out redesign, but it is about finding a few pieces that give you the summer vibe without turning your apartment into the Olympic Village (unless, of course, that’s your style. In which case, pile it on!). 

So, we’ve got the pattern and color figured out, how about that texture & shine? Fortunately for us, we’re talking summer décor – it’s the absolute perfect time of year to have fresh flowers in your home. Fresh cut flowers are an inexpensive way to bring in some unique textures – and the vases are an opportunity to bring in some shine. I’m going to let you in on a little secret…head over to your local thrift store to shop for vases. There are usually lots of fantastic finds waiting for you there; crystal vases, milk glass, Tiffany-style, or Pottery Barn cast-offs. All of them in different colors, shapes, sizes and with a variety of shine available, and for insanely affordable prices. The vases are also a great opportunity to add in some texture. 

My last little tip is to do your own YouTube, Pinterest & Instagram research. It’s amazing how quickly you’ll be able to find images that really resonate with you. If you’re struggling to find your style, remember to keep it simple and also remember that décor is not permanent. If you don’t like what you’ve put together, you can change it – go ahead and be carefree this with your décor this summer!

*Written by Lindsay S.

4 Steps To Decorating Your First Apartment

One of the absolute best things about getting your first place is shopping for your first place! It is such a fun and exciting time. And if you’re lucky enough for your first apartment to be bright, spacious, and well appointed (ehhmm, like Redwood apartments), you won’t have to worry about decorating to cover up flaws - like tiny windows that face brick walls. You can focus your time, energy and budget on finding items that fit your personal style and that you’ll be able to keep with you for years to come. So, how do you make the most of your first place?

1. A Budget:

Of course, when you’re getting started, the budget can be a significant obstacle. And even if it’s not, it’s a good idea to keep yourself to a pretty tight budget for your apartment purchases. It can be all too easy to go overboard, spending all of your time in furniture stores and the accessory department at Target. A real, concrete budget is a must-have for your first apartment. It will keep you from making some seriously expensive mistakes.

2. A Color Palette:

Color is all around us, and when beginning to decorate your first apartment, it should be at the top of your list of decisions. There are a few things other than “Blue has always been my favorite color” to consider when choosing a color palette for your first place. Unless you’re planning to go monochromatic, you’ll need to select more than one color and those colors will need to live with each other, so they should be complimentary. If all of this sounds like nonsense, don’t worry about complimentary, just think about creating a cozy little color family – a sister with 2 brothers. If you think of the sister as the star (which of course she’d be in a family with two brothers), you pick her first and she is your favorite. But, like any star, you give her too much room to shine and she’ll overshadow everything else in your life/apartment, so provide her with two neutral compliments (her brothers). For example, if your star is Pink, you might think of pairing her with white and grey as compliments. She still gets to shine, but she has a few grounding elements to keep her subdued.

3. Spatial Perspective:

With a defined budget and a color palette, your next step is to stop to gain some perspective. The absolute worst thing you can do when decorating your first place is to buy items that simply do not fit the space. Both pieces that are too large or too small are problematic, so let’s not fall into this trap. Pull out the tape measure, ruler and grid paper (or any scrap of paper) and get to drawing. Figure out what size furniture your room can hold and don’t forget to measure your doors – to make sure you can get said furniture into the apartment. Your grid will also help you with figuring out where you can place your furniture. Putting doorways, windows, and other stationary objects on the grid will give you placement ideas. You can also add electrical outlets to the grid, so you’ll know where you can place your lamps, television and stereo equipment. 

4. A Foundation Piece:

Oh, on to the best part, the furniture (and accessories). Since we’re going to be shopping on a budget, with a color palette in mind, and a template/spatial floor plan, finding the first foundation piece will be a snap. It might be obvious, but you should probably start with somewhere to sit/sleep. The seating/sleeping arrangement will determine where the other furniture goes. Choosing your couch and bed are a great place to start. Look for pieces that fit your personal style and try your best to go with neutral colors. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been called Rainbow Brite by more than a few people, I love color, but a big ol’ purple couch is difficult to decorate around (I know this from experience). And if/when your tastes change, getting a custom slip cover isn’t cheap.           

This list of must haves is probably less conventional than the standard “Start with a cute sofa” lists, but this will probably be more helpful than that. And, when you are making transitions from one style to the next and from one apartment to the next, you’ll be able to look back on these tips to help you continue to define your style and to build your most comfortable home. 

*Written by Lindsay S., proud writer and decorator.

5 Things You Might Believe About Working Out (That Aren't True)

It’s that time of year again…when I dig out the workout clothes, dust off those Piyo cds, and try to remember which gym I’ve been paying $10 per month to avoid visiting.

So, what’s been getting in my way? It’s these silly little myths that keep me from being realistic. Below is a list and my opinion of how I’m going to overcome them.

1)     Exercising is the only way to lose weight

Tropical Fruit Juice Recipe

Well, unfortunately for me (and you), this just isn’t true. You can’t outrun a bad diet. But, fortunately, you can eat your way to health…and depending on your goals, you won’t have to exercise at all. I’m no nutritionist, but I can tell you, from experience that you can modify your food intake to accomplish your weight loss goals without setting foot in a gym or turning on the DVD player. And you can do it in a healthy way. If you’re interested in learning how, head to your local library or open up your OverDrive (library) app and check out books on the Whole 30 or Carb Cycling diets. Both of these are lifestyle diets that will help you increase your healthy foods, while decreasing your calorie
count.

2)     There’s no such thing as “spot training”

Thank goodness this isn’t true! You can spot train, but you can’t spot lose. Weight loss is always a distributed process, but you can focus your training on the development of certain muscles or developing specific physical strength. On that note…

3)     Ab exercises give you six pack abs

You can’t exercise your way to a six pack. In the fitness model world, this is one of the myths they love busting! You can exercise your way to flat abs – your genes might help a little, but the exercise will do it; you just can’t exercise your way to a six pack. Fortunately…you can eat your way to a six pack! If you’re working your butt off (or abs off), you can modify your diet to take you those last few ounces. Once you’ve gotten into your six pack BMI range, you’ll need to wheedle out all of the fat, sugar & carbs from your diet…but you can’t stop eating, that’ll take you in the wrong direction.

4)     No Pain, No Gain

If it doesn’t hurt, then it’s not working…it sounds like nonsense, and fortunately it simply isn’t true. There are plenty of highly effective exercise routines and even weight lifting regimes that will not leave you feeling like a broken man or woman.

5)     You need weights and machines to build real strength

The truth is that you can lose weight and build strength without leaving your living room (and without turning said living room into a home gym). Of course, hitting the gym and doing cardio and hiring a personal trainer are useful methods for weight loss and strength training, but they aren’t necessary. I’m a huge fan of body weight training, such as Pilates and Yoga. I mean, I’m a girl…so there’s that, but the truth is that body weight resistance training has been around forever and it’s a proven effective method for weight loss and building strength.

So…myths blown, my plan is simple. I’m going to focus on getting back to what has worked for me in the past. Portion control and a routine of yoga and Pilates. My likely addition to this tried and true regimen will be some bicep workouts. Wish me luck!

*Written by Lindsay S.