Transforming your indoor and outdoor spaces By Joshua Nishimoto
When thinking about updating your home or yard, look to the most popular places in and around your home for hosting. Whether you are looking improve upon a small seating area/nook in your living room, or you are looking to purchase a firepit for your friends and family to huddle around for warmth during cool spring nights, it can be a worthwhile endeavor to not only play off current trends, but also to find your own style as you mix and match colors in your quest to find the latest innovations to transform your spaces.
2022 is all about crisp and contemporary colors. Shades of grey are popular living room colors. Consider painting your living room walls a light gray. A light grey will match other cool tones, like the neutrals, greens, and other shades of gray and can really set the mood for an inviting living room space.
Adding grey and yellow couches, sectionals with longer lounge pieces and/or recliners with dark wooden side tables will add a splash of color while keeping your living spaces rustic. Purchasing a coffee table with hideaway storage can help minimize clutter and stow away seasonal décor when not in use. Feel free to add wood, leather and/or cloth footstools as needed, or as your space allows, for a relaxed and cozy environment.
Purchasing pillows for your living room space are generally the cheapest and most flexible way to take a plain space and add some color and comfort. Selecting the right pillows for your space can make your home not only look like a comfortable place to spend some time, but it can also highlight textures with complementary tones and hues.
As we move from the living room to the kitchen, consider light or mint green paint coupled with cobalt colored paint. Also, consider classic dark wooden cabinets and marble countertops to give your kitchen a sense of balance and class. You can also mix it up by having marble countertops and wooden cabinets with yellow highlights for warmth.
Whether in the kitchen, the living room, or outside, any time you are adding styling elements like candles, sculptures and other knickknacks to your space, be sure to style them in groups of three. You can include one large, one medium and one small object to your space for a dynamic and pleasing look. Adding in three elements shows intention and direction to your design.
When hanging wall art, be sure to hang them at 57 inches, which is the average human eye height. Hanging your wall art any higher makes it feel as though your art is floating. Hanging your wall art any lower gives it that giant-in-a-tiny-house effect. This also works for gallery walls. When hanging art in a gallery wall setting, start at the 57-inch mark as the midpoint and slowly spread out your artwork with minor space in between. It’s all about making your wall space feel natural free-flowing space, like a pattern.
When styling with patterns, it can be intimidating and sometimes comes off as messy. When decorating your indoor space with patterns, it’s important to consider scale and type of pattern. Scale is about pulling in a large-scale pattern and incorporating two small-scale patterns. Bringing in multiple patterns of varying sizes can disorient the eye. Focus on the main pattern as a highlight and mix in some smaller scale patterns to add balance and texture.
Moving on to outfitting your backyard with stylish appliances, consider purchasing a large barbecue or smoker that fits your decorating style and bring the kitchen-like feel into your yard. Consider purchasing a magnetic knife block to keep your knives and other accessories securely fastened and accessible at a moment’s notice.
When adding furniture to your yard, wooden benches, tables and folding chairs can transform your plain old backyard into a woodland escape. Consider purchasing an outdoor sectional couch and coffee table to really give your yard that living room feel. Or switch out the coffee table for a smokeless fire pit for lightweight and nearly smoke-free burn.
Incorporating a kitchen island can add space for your cooking spices, pots and pans. You can also store any glasses, cups, plates and cutlery when not in use. You can use the top of your island to prep and prepare foods prior to throwing them on the grill or simply dress a summer salad. This also prevents you from having to go back and forth from your backyard to your indoor kitchen while your guests wait, because gathering everyone in a single space is what hosting is really about.
Adding accessory items like LED lights and citronella tiki torches can help light up the night and make your backyard feel like a party while keeping the mosquitos away. Adding vases, metal and/or glass candle holders, sculptures, and other personal items to the tops of your island table, side tabletops and other unused spaces can complement your lights and pull your backyard together in a unique way.
Whether you are hosting inside or outside, it’s important to do your research and discover what colors and items make you happy, and dress your spaces according to how you like them. Add furniture that fits your space and your needs. Remember to have fun with your spaces and try different things until you find the right style, décor and items that fit you.