Decoration Archives - Page 5 of 6 - Kelley Astore Interiors

Five Unmissable Paint Trends of 2021

2021 is already going by quickly and now is the time to nail down any New Year trends before this year gets ahead of us. The color of a room is one of the most key parts of interior design and will make or break a room. Every year new colors start to trend, and all of the paint trends of this year have one thing in common. They’re all an attempt to bounce back and heal from the tumultuous 2020. Many of them pay homage to the home we all share: Earth. Very little is as grounding and calming as being in nature, so now we’re bringing those tones into our homes. So get out your paint roller and get ready to get painting with these five unmissable paint trends!

Restorative Neutrals

Up first are restorative neutrals. Neutral colored paints will always be in style, but this year sandy-beige tones are taking center stage. Painting your room a neutral color is a great way to create a calming and bright environment without opting for that hospital-like pure white. It creates a beautiful foundation to incorporate colors in other ways.

I recently remodeled a dining room for a client. They originally had a very bright red color that wasn’t right for the space. It made the room seem smaller and darker. As with many of my designs, I started with a beautiful oriental rug that had a lot of green and sandy shades in it. We decided to repaint the walls with Benjamin Moore HC-99 Abingdon Putty, a great neutral tone that blended with the rug beautifully, while still allowing the greens to shine. Just check out the before and after!

Grounded Earthy Tones

As stated above, many of the trends of this year pay homage to nature and grounded earthy tones are at the top of the list. Surrounding yourself and your family with earthy tones will create a calming and comforting atmosphere for everyone to slowly get back on their feet. We painted this entryway with Farrow & Ball’s Elephant’s Breath – a beautiful grounded neutral tone. It’s reminiscent of rocks and mountains, perfect for this gorgeous winding stairwell. It paired beautifully with a brilliant white for the trimming and provided a lovely contrast to the darker woods on the stairs. Once again, this shade creates a bright and serene environment which is just what you want to come home to.

Serene Greens & Olive

Serene Greens and olive tones strike a beautiful balance of color without being too bright. These shades of green are extremely welcoming and calming. Being in a room that’s painted with the right shade of green can make you feel like you’re walking along a forest path, surrounded by animals, plants, and sounds of nature. Serene Greens and Olive tones also make fantastic accent walls. It’s a perfect shade for houseplant-lovers, as the green will complement your plants and help them shine. Opting for a color like Sap Green or Olive from Farrow & Ball is perfect for feeling cozy and safe in this new year. Sap Green is even part of the Color by Nature palette, which was created in collaboration with the UK’s Natural History Museum to, “bring the true colors of nature into your home.”

Warming Reds & Mulberry Tones

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I absolutely love warming reds & mulberry tones. These are such comforting but invigorating colors that are perfect for all year round – not just the holidays! As discussed in our article about picking the perfect paint color for your home office, red can inspire passion and adventure, and evoke a sense of urgency. If there’s one trending color this year that is all about the bounce back, it’s the red tones. However, red has to be used in the correct way to have the right effect. Oftentimes when an entire room is painted red, it can feel overwhelming. I often choose red as an accent color, as seen here where I used a Benjamin Moore Mexicana to paint this built-in bookcase. It’s created such a lovely reading nook, energizing you to get all your reading done in 2021!

Calming & Smooth Blues

Calming and Smooth Blues are perfect for anyone who loves the ocean. Blue is known to stimulate the mind and increase productivity while maintaining a calm effect, which is exactly what a lot of people need in this new year. A shade like UltraMarine by Farrow & Ball is a perfect soothing blue with a slightly romantic and nostalgic edge. It’s also a part of the UK’s National History Museum’s Color by Nature Palette, officially deemed the ultimate ocean color! Once again, blues work as fantastic accent colors. I didn’t design the room below, but I love how they incorporated the gold with the smooth blue accent wall!

Need help choosing?

We want to help! Interior design can be intimidating if you’re just starting out. Let us take that stress away for you. We offer an array of services from painting to full renovations, and we always put our clients at the center of every design we do. Head to our services page to learn how we can help you today.

Want to learn more about paint? Check out our article on picking the perfect paint color, or how to choose the perfect paint for your home office.

A Look Inside My Home At Christmas

The Holiday Season is always hectic for businesses: preparing everything for the New Year, fitting in as many clients as possible, and getting all the work done in time to relax on Christmas day. One thing I always make sure to prioritize is decorating my own home. It brings me so much joy, and having the festive decorations to look at while I work is the perfect motivation to get the work done. We have Christmas to look forward to! I’m so excited to share how I’ve decorated this year, and my best tips for how you can do the same.

My Christmas Tree

Having a real tree is a detail I never miss out on. They’re more beautiful, and they come with a beautiful holiday pine scent to fill my home. We always make a day out of it, going to the farm and cutting the tree ourselves. It’s the perfect family bonding activity to get everyone excited for the Holidays! This year, I decorated the tree with warm lights to create a cozy atmosphere. I always believe that ornaments should be varied and personal for a special homey touch. I’ve been collecting ornaments for years, and every year I like to add one or two more decorations to the collection.

I’ve also brought out a little Christmas tray to help tie the room together. Using Tartan items is one of my favorite ways to decorate for the holidays. I pulled out a few red coffee-table and Christmas books, tied a little tartan bow around my ceramic pup, and filled a little vase with some fresh greens, using some of the trimmings from the Christmas Tree!

My Red Room

Red is one of my favorite colors to decorate with, holiday season or not. If you’ve been following us for awhile, you know how much I love my red library! I pulled out my Tartan throw blanket and stuffed dog to make the room feel extra festive. I added some fresh green plants for some color variety and placed them on the table, alongside my Christmas figurines, and favorite Red books. This room has become one of my favorite places to curl up with a warm drink and get some reading done. It’s just so cozy!

Adding Festive Touches to Decor Already In My Home

Of course making Fresh-Greens arrangements and placing them around the house is a trick I’ve been using for years. It allows you to make a space look festive without spending too much money. I always use trimmings from the Christmas Tree and my garden, so I don’t have to spend any money on these decorations. Additionally, it lets me spruce up a space without accumulating too much clutter. These greens won’t have to go into storage at the end of the season, they can simply go in my compost! Here, I’ve made a simple arrangement on this suspended shelf. The plate in the background provides a lovely frame, and I love the way the greens look in the wood vase. The little lion man is now looking ready to drink some eggnog and open presents!

Outside My Home

Of course the decorations aren’t just limited to inside. I always make sure to add some classy Christmas decoration at my door entrance to welcome any guests. And I simply love how they look covered in snow! I made this arrangement using the urns that live outside my door, and I love how they turned out. The pop of winter berry in the center provides just enough color. Using fresh greens and plants is such a simple way to decorate the exterior without looking too flashy or gaudy. Check out my article on how to make a Fresh Greens Arrangement.

Kelley's Home part 2

How Did You Decorate?

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook and send us pictures of your home this holiday season! We can’t wait to see what you have all done to prepare for Christmas.

Needless to say, this year has been long and hard on all of us. The Holiday Season is a perfect time to remember what matters most: family and love. Take time to relax and pause this season, reflecting on and remembering what’s important to you!

Decorating for the Holidays: 5 Ways to Incorporate Tartan

Tartan has been around for a couple hundred years. It originated in Scotland, used to wrap and make souvenirs. In recent years, tartan has made a comeback, especially around the holiday season. It’s traditional green and red colors lend a festive spirit. Today we’ll be showing you 5 ways to incorporate tartan into your holiday decorations!

1 – Tartan Christmas tree skirt

The first way to incorporate tartan into your Holiday decorations is to use it as your Christmas Tree skirt. The traditional deep green tones in tartan compliment the green of the tree beautifully. If you prefer, finding paler tones and shades of Tartan for under your tree provides an elegant and welcoming stage for all your gifts! Tartan Christmas skirts are available online. Alternatively, use a tartan throw blanket or, if you have some Tartan fabric on hand, don’t be afraid to make your Christmas tree skirt yourself! This allows you to tailor the skirt to the exact right size. There are plenty of online tutorials on how to easily make your own Christmas skirt. And remember to keep the fabric scraps!

2 – Tartan Wrapping Paper

If you’re not using a tree skirt, try wrapping your presents with Tartan instead. This is reminiscent of how tartan was traditionally used: as paper to cover souvenirs. You can easily order tartan wrapping paper online for a few dollars. Be sure to get other wrapping paper in different shades of tartan, as well as other complimenting patterns and colors. Once the gifts are wrapped, add a solid colored bow and place it under your tree! Having all the gifts under your tree coordinate with each other adds sophistication, is beautiful to look at, and will get everyone excited for the gift exchange!

3 – Make Tartan Bows and ribbons

If you’ve made your own Tartan Christmas tree skirt, use the fabric scraps to make bows! You can also purchase pre-made tartan ribbons and bows to use for decorating. The advantage of simple bows is that you can attach them to items already in your house to give them a festive style and to save money. Tying tartan bows around vases, pots, on the backs of chairs, and even hanging them on doors is sure to transform your house into a beautiful winter wonderful!

4 – Use Tartan Throw Blankets and Cushions

One of our favorite ways to use tartan during the holidays is switching out cushions and throw blankets with their tartan alternatives. There is nothing more welcoming than an armchair with a thick tartan blanket for curling up by the fire. Get Tartan cushion covers to avoid having to buy totally new cushions. Take this to the next level by using tartan bedding in your bedroom. Pairing a tartan duvet with some red and gold pillows will have you even more excited to take some time off for the holidays!

5 – Wear it

Our last tip for using tartan for the holidays is to use it on yourself! Tartan scarves are a mark of wintertime and a timeless piece to add to your wardrobe. Not only that, but they’ll keep you cosy! A tartan skirt paired with a black blouse is a classic holiday look. But if you’re afraid of looking like a schoolgirl, go bold and opt for other tartan statement pieces such as tartan pants, shirts, or blazers for your office holiday parties. The trick is to let the tartan take center stage. Pair it with solid complimenting colors to have it really stand out. If you’re unable to get these pieces, try getting a tartan hair bow, for a subtle holiday touch.

Love Tartan?

If you’re like us and love tartan all year round, check out our article on the history of tartan and ways to use it in your home, holiday season or not!

1 2 3 456