Designer or not designer-made wallpaper...

Have you ever owned something you weren't aware of was designer made?
I have! This was over 4 years ago, and I only found out last week that it was a designer piece! So random!

When me and my boyfriend at the time moved in together back in late 2007 our apartment had this odd-looking wallpaper on one of the walls in the living room. All the other walls were simply white, but this one wall looked as if it came straight from the 1960's, with its odd looking flowers and plants on it. It was a black background with all sorts of coloured flowers, and me and my boyfriend both though it looked awful.
We thought "Who would ever put up an ugly looking wallpaper like this?" It just dominated the whole room, and it didn't go with any of our furniture. We simply couldn't stand looking at it, so after having lived in that apartment for no more than 2 weeks, we had it replaced.

Last week, over 4 years later, I browsed this interior decoration online magazine, and I saw this exact same wallpaper in one of their inspirational gallery images! They had written about this designer wallpaper, and I was just gobsmacked! Designer?!?
Apparently the design for this wallpaper is made by no one else than the late Josef Frank, who was an Austrian architect and artist who later in life moved to Sweden. Swedes are crazy about his retro designs, and decorating with his designed wallpapers is far from cheap.

I'm just laughing about this, cause even if I had known back then that I owned a designer piece I would still have ripped those horrible flower designs off my wall. Sorry Josef, but it really wasn't pleasant looking at it!

Be honest now... would you have kept this wallpaper even if you know it was designer made?

Transform your rooms with a few easy tricks

It is not always practical to redecorate your house, or even just one room in your house, as a complete overhaul can amount to hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Instead, I  have come up with a few ways that you might be able to apply to your furniture that, alongside a lick of paint on the walls, could see you with fresh décor with minimal amount of effort or money spent.

My first idea is to go vintage. A vintage bedroom also looks very feminine and appealing so to do this I would suggest simply going for a faded white effect on wooden furniture and even your bedstead. Simply apply paint and gently lift it off when dry with sandpaper. 

A few decorations such as bundles of dry flowers and clusters of antique ornaments with heaps of candles will help finish off an easy to create but new look. You could also apply this vintage look to a large dresser or a coffee table in your living room. A great way to get that extra vintage look to a room is to hang up some old fashioned curtains. This is not only inviting, but it adds a cosy feeling to a room.

Another inexpensive way of changing the look of a room is to use throws and slipcovers. You can change a dark sofa to a bright, light sofa that can change the whole dynamic of a room. Simply cover the sofa in its new colour and recover your cushions with a mixture of patterns and textures.

 

If you’re tired of your dining room, why not try reupholstering your seats for a quick and easy change. A new dinner set with place mats and gargantuan wine glasses all laid out like a show home also makes a dining room look impressive, although it might add to the amount of dusting you might need to do!

Simple accessorising furnishings can create a new style for a room; pick items carefully and ensure they are placed well. Some people tend to throw things down and hope that they look nice but attention to detail is key. Be imaginative!

What are my antiques worth?

I watched an antique show on TV the other day where they take unusual vintage finds to an auction, and I started thinking about whether I had something I would be able to auction off. I've got a few pieces of antique furniture, but I have no clue if they would be worth anything in an auction or not. I've got an amazing looking wooden mirror with swirly details that my dear grandpa left for me, a 1920's bureau that I bought myself in an antique shop, and I've also got this old Singer sewing machine that has been in the family since 1925. I was thinking of calling an expert antique dealer to find out what these items are worth, and whilst searching for one online I came across Value My Stuff. Perhaps I'll have a go and contact them. Who knows, I might make a fortune from my antique furniture. But the question is... would I really want to sell them?

The first inspiration for Spring

Believe it or not, but even though it's cold February, spring will soon be here!

I've had a look in one of my favourite Swedish decoration shops - Village - and their new Spring 2012 catalogue is just fantastic. It proper got me in a good mood when I looked through it this morning. The fact that the sun is shining today made it feel even more like Spring is actually around the corner. I've picked out some of my favourite spring collections from the catalogue - all with some sort of flowery things going on to get you all in the right Spring mood.

 The blue and green decorations in this hallway make a great addition to the contrasts of the white wall and black furniture.

Super cute dining room decorations in pink and purple hues. I love the matching of the tulip panel curtains and the table runner. 

 

 Green kitchen decorations with focus on flowers. The strip of wallpaper with the frames is a very creative and fun idea. Great that is matches the cushions as well - and the table cloth!

 Living room decorations in purple and yellow - gives you a strong Spring feeling, and makes you think about crocuses.

A nice and bright bedroom with antique inspired decorations in an old fashioned pink colour. A great match to the rustic white!

Turquoise Home Decorations

I'm starting off easy... I have simply made a little collage of home decorations that matches the theme of my blog - all turquoise! What do you think? I know some of these are a bit extreme, but would you for example be open to the idea of having a bright turquoise door to your bedroom? Style is to be daring enough! I, myself, would love to have that rustic door (picture no. 15), along with the shabby chic looking chest of drawers (pic no. 13) and the amazing turquoise decorated bathroom (pic no. 1). What would you go for?

From the top left: bathroom, painting, wall of mirrors, window, handmade ceramic bowls/plates, display cupboard, servingware, knitted cushion cover, dining room, picture frames, vases, arm chair, chest of drawers, bedroom curtains, door, mirror frame.

Home Decorista is born

New blog, and new challenges. 

What do you write about on a home design blog?

Let's start with the basics - those little things that make your house a home. These are topics you will most definitely get to read about here in the near future;

But there are so much more than fabrics, decorations, wallpaper and lighting that matters when it comes to home design. These are just tiny elements of interior decoration, and this blog will take up so much more than this! Keep an eye out for posts about inspirational homes and gardens, decoration tips, history and so much more. 

This first post is just Home Decorista saying hello to the world. 

I hope you'll enjoy!