How-To Decorate with Turquoise

You may think of decorating with turquoise only in the summer months, but it is a great accent color for fall too.  Most people think of only using it in the summer because the bright, cheery color reminds us of the ocean and the beach.  But darker shades of turquoise and teal are perfect accent colors in the fall paired with neutrals like gray, brown, or black.  You will see this color every where right now from West Elm and Target in their new fall home decor.  It is even a hot color trend in accent furniture with refinished antique pieces.

This neutral chair gets a punch of color with a turquoise and cream rug underfoot, a turquoise pillow with a gray and white patterned pillow, and turquoise accents on the rattan side table.

With this client, we started with a very neutral space -- dark hardwood floors, grayish/brown leather sofa, light tan accent chair, and gray walls.  My plan was to bring in lots of color and vibrancy to the room with the accents.  So we picked one color - turquoise - and all of the accents in the room are now in shades of turquoise!

Did you notice that amazing chandelier!!  The homeowners chose this during their home renovation to add some industrial style to the space!  It is really gorgeous!!!

Even though it felt like I was purchasing a lot of turquoise items, once they are all together in the space, the turquoise is not overwhelming at all!

When it comes to choosing objects and accessories for a room or bookcase in just one color, don't be afraid to mix different shades of that color.  For example, we chose turquoise for this space.  But I selected items in all shades of turquoise.  Turquoise can be a tricky color because it can lean towards green or more bright blue.  Instead of picking one or the other, I chose to do a mix of shades.  This gives the space more interest and a more sophisticated, collected look.  I also added in white and silver pieces to break up all the turquoise and add some dimension in the bookshelves.

I've said it time and time again, one of the easiest and least expensive things to add to a bookcase for color are BOOKS!  Who would have thought.  But some people completely forget to add books when styling bookshelves!  Go straight to Goodwill, look under the paper sleeves of the books, and pick your book based on the colors! Now throw the sleeves of the books away and display the beautiful books naked.   I chose books in shades of blue, turquoise, and teal for these shelves.

I shop everywhere when gathering items for bookshelves.  It gives it a more collected look than everything being so matchy-matchy!

Picture Frames -- Home Goods

Bird - West Elm

Clock - World Market Cost Plus

Cloche - Home Goods

Blue Paper Wight - Home Goods

Turquoise Vase - Home Goods

Dark Teal Vase - West Elm

Clear Lantern with Candle - World Market Cost Plus

Books - Goodwill

A good tip when decorating bookshelves like this -- buy more than you will use!  It really helps to have options when styling a space like this.  You may think something will work when you see it in the store, but once you get it home, you may not like it!  So, buy about 5-7 extra pieces to have on hand!

Dark Teal Vase - West Elm

White Vase - West Elm

Picture Frames - Home Goods

Turquoise Vase - Home Goods

Head Statue - Home Goods

Clear Lantern with Candle - World Market Cost Plus

Silver Sphere - Home Goods

 Between the rug, the barstools, the big comfy chair with turquoise accents, and all the turquoise in the bookshelves, I think this space has just the right amount of turquoise to make it bright and colorful with just the right amount of neutrals for the rustic, industrial style!  Do you have any turquoise in your home?  How have you used this color?

How to Decorate and Style Bookshelves

With a recent remodel to her fireplace, this client was ready for an update not only on the outside of her fireplace, but inside the bookshelves.  She was driving herself crazy trying to decorate the shelves, and eventually getting frustrated when she wasn't satisfied with the outcome.  Like a lot of us, she spent a lot of time buying items for the shelves, and then eventually returning the items because they just weren't right.  It is so hard to decorate a space like this when you don't really know what to do with it or what to buy.  So she called me up to decorate them for her.  Now she can stop worrying about this area of her home and just sit back and enjoy the completed space! 

She had a great start on the bookshelves, and had some amazing pieces to work with.  She knew exactly the style and look she was after, just didn't know how to get it there.  I came in and added in a few more pieces to really fill the shelves and give both sides of the fireplace a more cohesive look.  I put together a plan of action for her and together we sourced out the materials.  Once we gathered all of the accessories, I came in and styled the bookcases for her.

When you are working with bookcases on either side of a fireplace like this, it is really important to keep the look cohesive from the left to the right side.  By adding in the same or similar items on both sides, there is now pattern and flow from left to right.  This allows the eye to see a more calming space, rather than not knowing what to focus on first with a hodge podge of different items of all random heights and placements.  You will see below the items that are the same from left to right.  I added height to the items by including a stack of books.  And kept a fairly pleasing neutral color palette on both sides with white, cream, green and just a touch of red.  All of these tricks leads to a sophisticated, styled bookcase. 

As you can see, no decorating dilemma is too small for me.  Contact me today for any small area that you are having trouble with and would like some help on today! 

Styling Bookcases

Styling Bookcases are one of my favorite things to do!  However, I've found it is one of the hardest things for my clients.  It's all in the details, the personal touches, and sticking to the design basics. 

For this client, I really needed to pull out all the stops to stretch the dollar as far as possible.  There was a lot to conquer on a small budget.  So for the bookcases, I kept it really simple and easy.  Using the basics, plants, books, pictures, vases, and baskets.  Typically, I would gather a bunch of accessories from lots of different stores to give the shelves a collected, gathered look.  But here, I kept it simple with basic items from Target and Ikea. 

 

 

1.  Start with a basic bookcase!! 

For this client, I decided to start with a basic black Oxford Bookcase from Home Decorators Collection.  I was looking for something sturdy and solid, yet low priced to fit in our budget since we had to purchase two of these.  These were the perfect fit because they were wide, tall, and came with adjustable shelves.  Check the height!  Measure them out in your space and make sure they are the correct scale for the wall.  Bookcases come in lots of different sizes, so make sure they are right for your space.  This bookcase was originally a six-shelf bookcase, but I removed one of the shelves to have more space for the baskets. 

Oxford Bookcase from Home Decorators Collection

2.  Add in Books from Goodwill.

I always start the styling with a stack of books.  Any and every bookshelf needs books.  Don't have any?  Even better.  I like to use decorative books when styling a bookcase.  I start by shopping at my local Goodwill store.  If you can pick up some books at Goodwill the first Saturday of the month, then you can get them half price!  Even better!! When buying the books at Goodwill, look behind the paper sleeve and see the color of the book binding.  This is what you are looking for.  I pick all of the books based on the color of the binding that matches the room decor.  For this space I chose books with a bright turquoise and blue colored binding for a pop of color against the black bookcases.  Buy more than you think.  Unless you plan it out exactly for each shelf, I always seem to use more books than I originally think I will.   

 

3.  Faux plants are the perfect accessory.

These faux plants from Ikea are my go-to item for decorating bookshelves.  You can pick any container to put the plants in to coordinate with your decor and they come in lots of different shapes and sizes.  They are really inexpensive too, so they make for a great accessory for any bookshelf.

4.  The "Power of Three"

For a really easy rule of thumb when styling a shelf in a bookcase, just remember the "Power of Three" when placing items.  Use only 3 books as a stack, with a small object set on top of the books.  Arrange items in groups of 3.  For a simple, clean look, keep it to 3 items per shelf.  As you can see below, I used the "Power of Three" when decorating each shelf.  The top shelf has a plant, a large picture frame, and 3 books stacked with a small vase on top.  The middle shelf is simple with just 3 larger items.  The bottom shelf is basically a flipped version of the top shelf moving the plant to the center so that none of the plants are directly lined up within the bookcase.

5.  Storage

A bookcase is a great place for added storage.  It doesn't have to be just for pretty objects or displaying accessories.  Bookcases can be functional as well.  With two small kids, this client needed some extra storage in their family room for toys, games, diapers, whatever....So I added 4 black woven baskets from Ikea to each bookcase.  Now they have lots of storage for a quick clean-up!

6.  Coordinate Accessories

Other than books, plants, picture frames, and baskets, the styling of these bookcases are really pretty simple.  So to keep it simple, yet still all coordinating, I bought all of the vases from the same place.  By purchasing all of the same vase, just different sizes and colors, it keeps the styling very simple and stylized. 

Styling bookcases doesn't have to be that difficult if you stick to the simple design rules and just have fun with it!!

Other design projects I've done with bookcase styling.  A Home Office Makeover with custom bookcases styled with vintage pieces in navy and golds.  And a Home Office decorated in a yellow and gray color scheme. 

{CLIENT} Making a New House, A Home.

A new house for this client, meant making it their own!  I came in to help them use pieces of their own, and then added in some new to make it their home!   

We started with basically a blank slate.  Added in some new paint colors, wallpaper (yes, wallpaper, love!), new drapery, artwork, accessories, and now this young family is ready to grow into their new home.

York Wallcovering in a chocolate brown added to the back of the bookcases for a little added interest! 

I kept the styling in the bookcases minimal, so that the beautiful wallpaper wouldn't get hidden.

I also kept the items in the bookcases large, all similar in color  and not too fussy to keep the overall look bold and graphic instead of busy and cluttered. 

Some extra seating in the corner for additional guests when entertaining friends and family.  Chairs are from Target. 

If you have great family photos and don't know what to do with them, turn them into artwork!  It is also a great way to decorate around the tv.  

Even though Chevron can be a bit too trendy at times, this classic take on Chevron really works in this space because it is such a neutral color palette in the curtains.  Drapes are from Crate & Barrel. 

I love this rug from from www.rugsusa.com!  It pulled it the colors erfectly, and the darker background is so forgiving for those dining room spills you may have.  

My client owned some beautiful China from her grandmother and wanted it displayed in the dining room somewhere.  So I mixed the old with some new and hung the China on the wall as art!

 

 The spaces were completed just in time for hosting their first big Thanksgiving dinner in their new home!

 I hope Jessica Stout Design's inspires you to do something new with your home today!