Decorating tips from a lazy decorator

Decorating tips and tricks for lazy decorators.

 

Today is a special day, because I am part of this awesome blog hop. In this series 25 awesome bloggers share there best decorating tips with you, and I am one of them. Wowza!

I am Marianne, otherwise known as Songbird, and I was so pleased and proud to be asked to be a part of this series. So when Beth asked I immediately said “yes”, of course. And then panic set in….

“What do I know about decorating?”  ……………….. aaargh not much.
What rules or guidelines do I follow when I decorate? ………….. Hmmm, none, I hate rules.
What have I learned about decorating? …………………. hmm plenty, but I always forget it immediately.

So in preparation of this post I started browsing my own Decorating Project Gallery.

Because one thing is sure.

I Love to Decorate!

And I do it a lot!

So there must be something in all of those years of creating vignettes, mantel decorations and pretty corners in my home that I can share.

Well going through all of those images, showed me one thing  – that I kind of knew before – , I am lazy….

So there is it, my confession to the decorating blog crowd:

“Hello group, I am Marianne, and I am a lazy decorator”.

There are always exceptions of course, and sometimes I like to go all-out and make a big fuss, but most of the time my pretty vignettes take me 15 minutes at most.And a lot of that time is spent hunting down that vase or candle stick I know I have but can’t find anymore.

Let me show you how I do it: create displays and vignettes that look pretty, but are so easy and quick to do, anyone can do it. First tip:

All it takes is one!

Sometimes all it takes to make a big and beautiful statement is one thing, one object, or in my case that would most likely be one bouquet of flowers.

Mini Lilacs from my garden

Pink tulips

Mini flowers in a mini vase

Yellow tulips in a glass vase

 Basically the power of one comes down to allowing one thing to be the center of attention and the star in the room, To make this work I prefer to stick to one kind of flower, one color, one bouquet. I do not add any objects that draw away attention from the main star.
I might add some glass candle holders or an odd shell ball, but most of the time I edit them back out.
You will need to clear a surface for this. A star doesn’t compete, so take away the stacks of books, the dishes and bowls and all the other things that distract from the statement you want to make.
And keep your vases neutral and rather plain. And then, the humblest bouquet of grocery store flowers can be the prettiest decoration.

It takes two

One is a good thing, but sometimes two is better…….

Fall mantel

White Mantel

Spring twig wreath

There is something comforting to making pairs, to working with symmetry and to keeping things very simple and laid back. When I buy a knew decorating thingy I often buy two, because I know that the simplest of Ikea candle stick or dollar store lantern will look better and more purposeful when it is part of a duo. If you have a pretty mirror hanging above a dresser, or a wreath on your mantel. All it takes is flanking it with a set of two and it instantly becomes a focal point with a special something extra. And the variation of this is of course the mini and maxi you could see above. Another kind of duo that always seems to work.

The Power of three

The power of three will set us free….

This is indeed something of a decorating rule, and that is that groupings of three simply work. If you are struggling to make the duet work, than simply try to add a third element, and most of the time that does the trick.

I bought two white wooden candle sticks (as I always do, in this case in a mini and maxi variety), but I found I was always looking for that third one. So I made another wood candlestick from a lamp base to complete the trio. And now they look good together no matter what I do with them.

Beach Lanterns

I initially set out to make one quick beach lantern. But it was so quick and so easy I made another one. And then I just had to make the third one because there is power in three.

Juju hat 

In this mantel my homemade Juju hat knock off is the star. But you can see I used not one but two sets of three to finish off the mantel: three white vases with similar shapes, and two candles sticks with a piece of coral. And I guess that even the lantern on top of a book and paired with a sea star is a trio too. As you can see it doesn’t have to be three identical items, but they do need something in common, like shape, color or style (and the lantern isn’t that familiar with the book or sea star which is why those three items are not a very good trio).

White and brown mantel

And even if you add something else in the mix, if the trio is strong enough it will still shine through. Like these three white vases who are most definitely the main grouping, making the feather ball look casual and only emphasizing the trio.

Go for the line up

This is so easy, and it makes such a lovely statement, it is one of my favorite ways to decorate. If you have a small ledge, a window sill, a mantel, a table or a long dresser than this is the easiest way to decorate it with a bit of oomph.

Decorating with blue mason jar

  Line up some pretty mason jars with simple flowers and you make the prettiest and easiest statement.

Pink tulips line up

Mini succulents in numbered pots

Easy and Quick Fall decorating

  And it works for Christmas too:

Christmas Bottles

As you can see I usually use simple jars and bottles for this, or some small terracotta pots I have painted and numbered. Simply save some beer bottles from the recycling station and use them in your decorating instead.

Group it

Sometimes a line up just won’t cut it (or your window sill is not long enough). Then applying the same principle to a grouping is the way to go.

Green Bottles

Group like colored bottles together, add a string of Christmas lights and be happy with your pretty window sill.

Midwinter Mantel

Or split up one bouquet in several vases in different shapes but all in the same color, place them in front of a mirror and go make yourself a cup of tea.

Grab a Crate

And if all else fails. Grab a crate and dump all your seasonal items in there and call it a day.

Beach Vignette

Shells, sea stars and a candle dumped in a simple white crate simply look good together.

Beach in a crate

 

Summer Home Tour

And it works for Fall……

Fall Mantel

And for Christmas….

Easy Christmas vignettes

Happy decorating!!

Next up…

Visit  Tatertots and Jello

Visit them ALL below…

 Monday, June 23rd
1. Beth Hunter, Home Stories A to Z: How to find your decorating style
2. Courtney Fernan, A Thoughtful Place: How to create a gallery wall
3. Stacy Risenmay, Not Just A Housewife: How to decorate with plants/nature
4. Myquillyn Smith, Nesting Place: Secrets to shopping second hand
5. Donna, Funky Junk Interiors: How to turn worthless junk to home decor must haves