I wrote about coat hooks last time, and to be honest, I got kind of hooked on hooks. So forgive me if I’m starting to get a bit repetitive, but I’m going to keep focusing on that theme, and write a bit about towel hooks.

First of all, I have to say, one of my favorite rooms in the house to decorate is the bathroom. It’s my throne, my personal space, my little piece of peace and quiet in the middle of a hectic day. So of course, I want it took look great. There are many things you can do to add some personality to your bathroom, including unique color schemes, shower doors and curtains, lighting, etc. Towel hooks are just one option among a large range, but they too can make  huge difference.

Just like I suggested using coat hooks last time to add some decoration in an unconventional spot, I think one great idea is to place towel and robe hooks where you wouldn’t necessarily expect them. Try veering away from the back of the door, and go to the wall. Try placing the asymmetrically rather than in a straight line. Be careful not to over-clutter with too many. Two or three should do the trick, and you can even purchase the types that come in couplets. You might also want to install a smaller hand towel hook next to the sink, which can match your larger bathroom towel hooks.

Installing towel hooks is not the easiest thing in the world. You often have to deal with hard tile walls, as well as having to worry about the moisture in the bathroom. You can look up instructions online, or you may just want to speak to a professional about it. The worst thing is to drill through tile by mistake: it’s not fun to replace tile, trust me.

I think I will continue to write about bathrooms for the next few posts, so be on the lookout for those. Bye for now!

Usually, when you think of coat hooks, you think of the front hall and the closets. You never really consider them as decorative, nor do you ever think of placing them in prime spots such as the bedroom or living room. Well, in the spirit of thinking outside the design box, I’m here to set you free when it comes to coat hooks.

I got this idea the other day on a visit to a friend’s place in Soho, New York City. All the artistic types live down there, and their decorating techniques are the envy of us suburbanites. As soon as I walked into his oversized living room, I noticed them there on the wall: 10 coat hooks, in various spots, various finishes, and various styles. At first I thought: what a weirdo. But then I reconsidered. These coat hooks were actually quite beautiful. He had silver ones, bronze ones, brass ones, modern ones, classic ones, large ones, and small ones. Some had things hanging on them, like a scarf, hat, or coat, and some were just empty, there for the sole purpose of whimsical design. I decided I really loved the idea. And while I’m not going to go that far with it, I do think that coat hooks are unique options for home decorating that often go unexplored.

For instance, why not place a gorgeous Victorian coat hook at the entrance to your bedroom? Sure, the winter coat is hanging in the closet already, but what about those silk scarves your wife hates to keep tucked away in a drawer all the time? Or that smart hat you bought to wear on fine evenings on the town when you are feeling old-school? Coat hooks don’t have to hide away, as they can be beautifully crafted pieces of hardware, as well as extremely useful within your home.

I hope this wasn’t too unconventional for my regular readers, but I thought I’d try shaking things up a bit this time. Let me know if you come up with any of your own coat hook ideas, I’d love to hear them.

I think this time I’ll veer away from bedroom furniture to something we all could use a little bit more of in life: Light.

Lighting is probably the most important element of any home décor or interior design. It accentuates the colors and shapes of your furniture, as well as sets the mood for the whole room. Honestly, I think if every hospital would switch from fluorescent bulbs to chandeliers, recovery rates would shoot up.

So this post is dedicated to all things lighting. I’ve compiled a list of tips, hopefully some of it will be helpful to you.

• More is more: I am definitely a fan of more light in any room. I think that setting a mood is a nice idea, but who needs to be in a dark and dreary mood? Anytime you have a bright room, you have happy people. It’s a fact. So definitely err on the side of too much light, if you’re unsure.

• Accentuate: Like I said above, light can accentuate the colors and shapes of your furniture. So why not focus it in on the things you want to highlight? Putting a random lamp in the corner of the living room wont do you much good, but a bright chandelier over the entrance hall – now that makes sense.  Or how about a light on that great piece of artwork? Another great way to focus lighting is through track lighting. Track lights can be adjusted and customized along your ceiling, so as to focus it on specific areas of the room. They have a more modern feel to them, and probably work best in an office or bedroom setting, but they have definitely been a lifesaver for me in the past.

• Conserve: As often as possible, try and purchase energy-saving light bulbs. They appear to cost more, but in the end they will save you lots of money, since they last much longer. Also, they help the environment!

• Keep it Simple: I hate lamps and lights that look too over-designed. Light is beautiful all by itself, and there’s no need to dress it up with fancy patterns. Let the light create the design, rather than the lamp. There are those who would disagree with me, I’m sure, but in a world where we have so much clutter already, why add to it? Leave the design to the furniture and artwork, in my opinion.

Those are all my thoughts on lighting for the moment! Enjoy!

For my last couple of posts, I’ve focused on some bigger elements and additions to your home, such as jewelry armoires and loft beds. This time, I wanted to take it down a notch, and discuss something that can really make a huge difference in your décor and organization, without costing a lot of money, time, or space. I’m referring to cabinet knobs.

Cabinet knobs are like jewelry for your cabinets. Imagine walking into somebody’s kitchen and noticing that all their cabinet knobs are shaped like horses. Or cats. Or leaves. Or any other theme. If nothing else, the experience will be memorable. That’s why this post isn’t just about any old knobs; rather it’s about themed knobs.

I found a website where they sell knobs according to any theme you want, and they are all in a really nice pewter finish. They’re called Anne at Home Hardware knobs, and I’ve already ordered a bunch for my own home. I know, I sound like a salesman or something, and I usually try not to plug for any specific company, but I just really like these knobs, what can I say?

I like to fish, so I got all different kinds of fish knobs for my study. My wife likes her nature walks, so she got leaves and nuts for the kitchen. We got our kids cute little animal knobs for their bedrooms. They actually haven’t even arrived yet, but we are all very excited for the change. So far, our knobs and handles are the same as they always have been, which is basically whatever the furniture originally cae with. And since getting whole new furniture is not within our budget, we felt that new knobs might do the trick. I’ve seen it done in friend’s homes, and it really does work.

So that’s my little tip for you this time around. Try replacing your knobs, and try going with themes. It’s way more fun that your run of the mill brass knob, and it’ll keep your whole home unique and fresh.

Thanks for reading!

I’m a man. And like most men, I don’t own much jewelry, other than my father’s watch and a few pairs of cufflinks I’ve received as gifts over the years. But, like many of you, I am also a married man, which means I have a wife who LOVES jewelry. As a result, I have bought her jewelry for pretty much every anniversary, birthday, and gift-giving occasion. I know, not very creative, but she gets just as excited every time, so I figure I should stick with what works.

Anyway, over time, we both realized that her jewelry collection was causing some major problems in the bedroom. As you know, I love keeping things organized and neat, and her necklaces and earrings were always scattered about on various dresser and desk surfaces. She tried keeping them in a drawer for a while, but never stuck to that, since she said they would get all tangled. Finally, I decided to put my bedroom organizing skills to use, and began a search for the perfect jewelry storage unit. That’s when I found this incredible piece of furniture called jewelry armoires.

Now, being a man, I had no clue what jewelry armoires were. But now that I’ve discovered them, I have to recommend them to all of my readers, at the risk of sounding somewhat feminine. Jewelry armoires are exactly what they sound like: armoires for jewelry. They come with several drawers and places to hang earrings and necklaces, so they can keep your expensive gems and chains clean, organized, and easily accessible. And the best part, to me, is that they look like another piece of gorgeous furniture in your bedroom, or even your living room. You can even get one with a large mirror on top, and we all know that mirrors add the illusion of space to any room.

I bought my wife a cherry jewelry armoire - that was one gift that wasn’t actually jewelry…but I suppose it was still in the general category. I am a big fan of cherry wood. I just find it has a certain sophistication about it. They also sell hand-painted ones, oak, white, black, and more. You can also get a wall-mounted or free standing one. I prefer free standing, since it looks more like its own separate piece in the room.

Definitely consider checking out these great organizers, space-savers, and decorative pieces.

‘Till next time…

I know it’s been a while since I last posted, but I decided to revisit the blogosphere with more bedroom furniture and design tips. Like I said in my last post, my wife and I have had our design debacles in the past, and since then I’ve really taken a liking to being more involved with decorating our home, from our own bedroom to our kids’ rooms, to other rooms like the liveingroom and kitchen. I mostly want to talk about bedroom decorating here, particularly decorating on a budget, since we’re all hitting some pretty hard financial times right now. Believe it or not, a tight budget can actually lead to even greater creativity when it comes to decorating.

In this post, I wanted to talk a bit about how to decorate the kids’ rooms. This can be an even trickier process than odult bedrooms, since kids can often get picky or downright stubborn about the look of their space, and while they have every right to give input, you have to make sure to not let them get too carried away. For instance, my son wanted neon-green walls, and a life-sized horse stuffed animal in the corner. We compromised on normal green, and a western theme. It really is all about compromise with the kids; let them feel involved, but remember to remain the parent.

Another problem you can run into is space. The kids’ bedrooms are often smaller, and you want to try and fit in the right amount of furniture and design elements, without making them feel claustrophobic. We used loft bed furniture in my son’s room, and it looks GREAT. Basically, a loft bed is a bed that is raised up high, with room for a desk and drawers underneath it. This really uses the vertical space well, and adds a funky element to the look of the room. My son loves climbing up to go to sleep, and my wife and I love how much more space he has to hang out on the floor. Also, as he gets older, he will definitely appreciate having desk space (hopefully he’ll do his homework on it!).  We got him a twin loft bed, but they actually come in larger sizes as well, and they’re not just for young children, either. Our teenage daughter was thinking of getting one as well. We’re still in the middle of furnishing her room, so I’ll let you know how that goes.

As far as budget goes, make sure to keep track of what you’re spending, and don’t over-buy. What I mean by that is, take it slow. Get one furniture piece at a time, see how they like it, and move on from there. Otherwise, you could end up getting stuck with things they don’t really want in the end (as in the mirror we tried to return 2 days later but to no avail).  Also, use the internet - it’s a great tool for comparing prices and looks.

In the end, the most important thing is that your kids enjoy the space they live in. Make it a fun environment, and one they can thrive in. Give them space, warmth, and something that will keep them smiling. That’s my best advice.

Hope this was helpful. I’ll be back soon with more thoughts on bedroom and home furnishing. Thanks for reading.

I made that mistake last time. Had I taken on a different personality, perhaps the scatterbrained me could have had less influence on the process. Unfortunately, I failed to foresee the adverse effect of this omission on the process, and boy, did it cost us.

First of all, my wife and I never completely settled our differences regarding the layout of the room. Then, of course, we each assumed the other had no opinion on certain features, simply because neither of us bothered to mention them specifically. As you can imagine, these two factors combined to produce one of the most inefficient, stressful and acrimonious redecorating projects in the history of Western civilization.

You think I exaggerate. I do not. To this day, neither of us can look at the compromise color scheme that festoons our room without thinking “divorce.”

It did not help, of course, that I failed to make sufficient note of my preferences before entering into discussions or making actual decisions, such that each visit with a subcontractor became an exercise in redundancy, not to mention self-contradiction.

So if at all possible, be someone other than me as you plan to redesign your bedroom, preferably Martha Stewart.

Next time we’ll examine what happens when two otherwise sane, reasonable people spend all too much time examining paint shades.

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