Poorhouse Road
Sports memorabilia display
Sports memorabilia displays
Paint furniture a shade darker than warm wall color
Warm up with copper fixtures
Warm wall color
Warm up with brass fixtures
Warm it up by adding more and more wood tones
TV Cabinet
Warm wall color
Warm wall color
Paint window trim
Wood tile backsplash
Wood tile backsplash
Wood tile backsplash
Paneling. As opposed to reclaimed boards, paneling adds texture but comes in sheets — installation is straightforward and easier than milling, cutting, de-nailing and composing used boards. In this room, board and batten paneling adds texture and a country cottage feel.
Ceiling tiles. This unique wall is a mix of several tin ceiling tile styles, all custom painted and carefully arranged to create a striking composition on the headboard wall. She purchased unfinished tin tiles from The American Tin Ceiling Company. (They run about $7 to $10 each.) From there, she had a painter finish each tile. The tiles are affixed to the wall with tin tile glue. Tiles: American Tin Ceiling Co. http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/42771964/list/idea-of-the-day-tin-tiles-create-a-striking-accent-wall
Decals. While this looks like a wallcovering, the medallions are less permanent — they’re carefully spaced and applied wall decals. Decals: byrdie graphics, Etsy
Grass cloth. This natural fiber adds wonderful depth, texture and interest to a wall. Charcoal designates the sleeping area of this room, while lighter walls serve as a backdrop for artwork nearby.
Mural. An arboreal mural brings the edge of a forest into this bedroom. This wallcovering is easy to apply. Mural wallcovering: Bellewood, Greenhouse Collection, Rebel Walls
Craft island or peninsula?
Think like an architect. As anyone who’s attended architecture school knows, drafting tables give you great options for standing and sitting. Alt: Credenza height? Go for a mad-professor look. The mix of wood and iron on the tall French table, the anatomical chart, the lamp and the other accessories all give this home workspace vintage academia-style appeal. No doubt the discomfort of sitting on that stool boosts the user right out of his or her seat and into a standing position.
Choose wisely for kitchens and bathrooms. A washable vinyl wallpaper is best in rooms that are regularly exposed to steam. “It’s easy to clean, and stains don’t usually soak into vinyl wallpaper,” says Nigel Poole of GoWallpaper. “It’s thicker than other wallpapers, and it will hide imperfections and cracks. Plus, it’s durable and user-friendly, so you can use it in other rooms too.”
Provide a place for stuff to land. A dresser, chest or console table with drawers will help you keep the entry from becoming cluttered whether you need to ditch mail, keys or gloves.
Brick Recycled or old bricks have character and warmth, and work beautifully with other materials such as gravel or concrete and plantings. Pros: They can be used in a variety of patterns, are available in a wide range of colors, have a nonslip surface and aren’t as expensive as stone paving. Cons: Bricks aren’t always easy to obtain, and large bricked areas can look too busy for most contemporary styles. A reasonable level of skill is also needed to install them.
Gallery walls are an enduring trend, so why not take advantage of this style and hide your TV in plain sight among a crowd of paintings or framed photos? Use artwork with black frames, and even consider mixing in some other items (such as plaques or busts) to create a full-on mixed-media installation. This works especially well if some of the pieces are as large or even larger than the TV. The unusual square piece in the upper left draws attention away from the TV, and the other little pieces keep the eye moving around. You can also simply lean a few pieces against the wall on top of a TV unit, which can be a great way to try out the look if you aren’t ready to commit yet. It carries a relaxed appeal that works with modern or traditional spaces — especially a casual cottage.
While it may not seem practical to place items in front of the TV to block it (after all, it is meant to be seen at least some of the time), keep in mind that the TV doesn’t necessarily need to be hidden from all angles. A chair placed between you and the TV will hide it (at least partially) when people are traversing the hallways and passing by, so the screen is at least hidden when you aren’t plopped down on the sofa.
Don’t forget that we see rooms in 3D, and not just as a series of separate walls. Sometimes the best way to balance out a TV is by putting something with a similar visual weight on the opposite side of the room, like this dark bookshelf.
Competing Focal Points Whether a TV is placed in the center of a wall or not, it will still be a large punch of black in your color scheme. You can try to ignore it (which won’t make it go away), or you can embrace it, adding black in other items to help balance out the look. This room includes some sizable black artwork, a black chest of drawers and the dark fireplace, which helps keep the TV from being a visual standout.
In this fairly compact laundry room, a skirted sink provides a hidden spot for the cat box underneath. If you use a solution like this, make sure the skirt is easy to remove and washable so that you can keep it clean and fresh.
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