Simple Ways to Turn Your Bathroom Into a Spa

(A big “thank you” to our friends at TheBathOutlet.com for sponsoring this post!)

Here are a few simple tips and ideas to give your bathroom the relaxing atmosphere of a day spa.

• Declutter and simplify. It’s easy to let excess products and grooming tools take over your vanity, shower, and tub. Toss anything you no longer use, store anything only used occasionally, and find attractive storage containers for daily essentials.
• Utilize the right storage. If you have a medicine cabinet, use it to store everyday items like toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, toiletries, and other essentials. If your bathroom lacks storage try incorporating jars for small items and baskets for larger things, like towels.
  
• Choose calming colors. Light shades have a soothing effect. When choosing colors for décor and paint try shades of white, light blue, and neutral tones such as tan and beige. Also, see if you can incorporate natural elements including potted plants, flowers, and fragrance.
• Luxurious Final Touches. Finish off the transformation with luxury bathroom accessories such as soft towels and aromatherapy.

With a bit of work and creativity you can experience a spa-like setting on a daily basis—and likely for less than the cost of a single visit to your favorite day spa.

When Your Bathroom Needs More Help

Are you struggling to image a spa-like atmosphere in your outdated bathroom? Even if you’re not ready for a serious renovation project, it may be worthwhile to budget for a mini-facelift.

• Remove all clutter and clean the bathroom.
• Identify eyesores. Are there stains? Damaged paint, worn countertops, or chipped sinks? How about outdated faucets, hardware, or colors you can’t stand?
• Try cleaning things that look like they need to be replaced. Barkeepers Friend is an amazing inexpensive product that can remove hard-water buildup and stains on counters that look like they need to be replaced. (Be sure to follow all product instructions, including using gloves.) Even a chipped porcelain sink may look like new when thoroughly cleaned.
• Make a list of priorities and budget for minor repairs. A new faucet and cabinet hardware can make a huge difference. Also, don’t forget about the little things. A classy toilet bowl brush holder or a container to store extra rolls of toilet paper can also help.

Investing in a Bathroom Facelift

Choosing to spend some time, creativity, and a little money on an inexpensive bathroom facelift can be a great investment. After all, you’ll get an opportunity to enjoy that part of your home on a daily basis. And if you ever decide to sell your home having a great looking, well-staged, bathroom will be a huge asset.

How to Paint an Eye-Catching Ombre Wall

Image via: Etsy Shop Love ColorRay – Ombre Wall

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Follow these steps to achieve the perfect ombre wall in your home:

Select Colors for your Paint Project:

The first thing you’ll have to decide is if you want a single color ombre wall (aka, one color that gradually fades to white), or a multicolor ombre wall (a dark shade, medium shade, and light shade). For multicolor, you can either choose three shades from the same color family or slightly different colors that blend together well. Digs Digs has some great tips and ombre inspiration for your decorating.

Gather Paint Supplies:

Purchase the paint in the color(s) that you’ve selected for your wall. You will also need a primer, painter’s tape, a tray, roller, paint brushes, and sponge.

Painting Preparation Tips:

While you’re certainly excited to jump into your project, you won’t be satisfied with the results unless you prep the walls properly. Begin by wiping down the walls to remove any excess dust/debris, sanding down any rough spots, and if necessary, patching any holes. Make sure to also apply a coat of primer to create an even, solid base for the paint to adhere to. HGTV gives some ideas and inspiration for painting your ombre wall.

Creating the Ombre Effect with the Paint:

Use a roller to paint the entire wall with the lightest of the shades you have selected. Paint the bottom quarter of the wall with the darkest shade, and mix the medium and dark shade together to create the color for the section of the wall immediately above that. Paint the final section using just the middle shade. Blend the colors together using a dry paintbrush or sponge until the lines seamlessly blend together.

You don’t have to be a gifted artist to paint the perfect wall! – it just takes the right tools and some time and effort.

Try this Glitter Wall tutorial in your home for another cool effect!

Summer Colors – How To Use Pastels Beautifully

Solid Pastels

The evergreen, unostentatious solid tones of pastels provide a clean slate for you to paint your ideas on. Solid pastels look very debonair when used as wall backdrops, kitchen themes or when used to adorn old furniture lending a feel of country vintage. Apart from creating a pleasant and cheerful ambience, solid tones give you an opportunity to experiment with bold colors in the forefront.

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Pleasing Stripes

Stripes have never gone out of fashion and look very smart when used in pastel tones as wall papers, floor coverings, cushion covers, pillow cases etc. Engendering a high-class, sophisticated look to your space, stripes also add a sense of calm and repose when used in shades of pastels. With an additional layer of solid toned furniture or an elegant indoor plant, strips result in binding up your space and enhancing your summer decor.

The crisp, invigorating  Zig-Zag or Chevron is a pattern that blends flawlessly with both traditional and contemporary decors. When used in shades of pastels, Zig Zag adds an interesting zing , in addition to lending  energy, life and excitement to your summer decor. The classic herringbone patterns looks breathtaking when used in rugs, cushion covers, throws and wall murals too. After all, the staining draining outdoor environs need to be forgotten sometimes.

Gorgeous Diamonds

Pastels echoed as diamonds suggest subtle movement, revitalizing energy, and action, all much in demand during the searing hot summers. When used as indoor and outdoor rugs, bedspreads, upholstery and wall decor, diamonds tend to revitalize your space with vigor, motion and activity. Pastels expressed as diamonds tend to maintain the interest of an onlooker, in your summer decor.

Splendid Florals

What is more refreshing than fresh summer blooms! Bringing the flowers into the interiors of your home in the form of floral patterns bedecking your wallpapers, living room upholstery, bedroom linen, bed headboards, drapery etc can result in a space that is fresh, crisp and revitalizing.

Traditional Motifs

An interior decor is so incomplete without a dash of traditional motifs and motifs expressed in pastels enliven the decor in a very pleasing way. Motifs like Paisley pattern, Pointed star, Victorian symbols and African patterns expressed in soft tones of blues, greens, pinks and purples and add interest to your space and make your summer decor as pretty as a picture.

All these patterns, both simple and intricate are an interesting way to express the colors of summers. In addition to the refreshing, pleasing and soothing qualities of the pastels hues themselves, these patterns add the necessary qualities of vigor, movement and activity to pull you up from the energy draining summer heat. Go adorn your homes in pastels this summer. For more summer colors ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Home Decor: Splendid Summer Colors For Your Living Room

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Oranges & Tangerines

Oranges or tangerines when used in contrast with shades of blues, grays and whites can add a beautiful charm to your living space. The lighter base color will ensure a summery feel and the orange tangerine highlights will ensure that the room gets enough perk to liven things up in the hot, tiring summer days. You can use orange highlights in the form of wall art, accent furniture , fresh flowers etc.

Image Via:Decoist

The Blue Green Magic

This one has been an eternal summer favorite. The blue as mentioned brings on the perfect canvas to work on and greens in their varying shades and hues bring out life in the living room. The overall effect is of a very pleasant and welcoming one. You can also bring in earthly tones like browns and beiges in smaller quantities if you feels things are getting too bright for your taste. This is one color scheme that I feel you can confidently carry on with, even during winters.

Image Via: Ideal Home Interior

Fuchsia Accents

Summer home decors calls in for brightness. Too much of it though can be blinding. That is why working with bright accent pieces always works well. Again carrying on with todays theme of a blue gray base, bring out accent pieces in shades of pinks, magentas and fuchsias. Darker shades of pink can be very bold and striking so you need to take care and not go overboard. A couple of bright cushion covers, a flower vase or just a few bright blooms from you backyard might be sufficient for the fuchsia punch.

Image Via: By Koket

I can’t emphasize enough that how summer as a season can beautifully inspire our home decor ideas. With nature in its full bloom, displaying rich vivid colors its hard to ignore the importance of colors in our life. This summer let the colors of nature decorate your living room in the most stylish and elegant way. We would love to hear about your favorite summer color schemes with blue or gray as their base. Please do share your thoughts with us.

Click here for more Summer Color Ideas on Stagetecture!

Innovative Wall Finish – Precioustone By Antolini

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Precioustone by Antolini is the Next Big Thing in Interior Design

The exotic and exceptional slabs augment the look and feel of interiors. They are handmade in Italy by skilled craftsmen and are ideal for both residential and commercial spaces. Some of the precious stones used to make the slabs boast rare colors, others are hard as steel, while others are naturally translucent. But all the stones have one thing in common: they are amazingly beautiful.

Most of the products in the Precioustone collection come with inlaid ammonite fossils. But that’s not all, the slabs can be used for backlighting, adding exquisiteness and design versatility to spaces. Experiment with various colored lights to turn your wall finish into a show-stopping creation. The slabs can be used on walls, fireplaces, bathroom and kitchen countertops, and many other surfaces. They can also be used as art in contemporary homes and offices. The applications are unlimited and you can get as creative as you want!

About Antolini

Antolini is a family-owned business with extensive experience working with precious stones. The company has an inborn passion for stone and uses technology and expertise to showcase the full potential of raw earth. Each slab is meticulously designed to ensure the end product is perfectly elegant.

Throughout the production chain, Antolini controls even the tiniest of details, ensuring unmatched quality, durability, and beauty. This dedication has paid off and today the company is a global powerhouse. Its clients include celebrities, kings, and sheikhs.

Wouldn’t you love to have an innovative wall finish in your home?

Summer Home: Best Summer Color Palettes

Image Via: Highgate House

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Tangerines And Corals With Sea Shades

Sea is the ‘In Thing’ during summers. There is a reason why we flock by the sea-side and organize summer beach themed picnics. Sea, water, pools,etc. stand synonymous with the feelings of freshness and cool and so does aquatic life. Beautifully shaded corals standing besides the varying shades of sea blues and azures probably translate into the most beautiful and dramatic of summer color palettes. When used in your summer home this sea inspired palette is only going to add oodles of beauty. I would suggest using coral or tangerine accents against the base of blue for the best effects.

Image Via: Betsy Burnham

Shades Of Lemon & Lime

All things lime and lemony bring along freshness, energy and life and so the shades of lemon and lime transcend well into summer homes. These shades of earthy yet bright yellows and greens do amazingly well with neutral walls and wooden furniture. You can use this color palette in your room accent pieces, linen, pillow covers, sheets, curtains etc.

Image Via: Amy Lau Design

Apple Green And Reds

Apple green is another perky color. When used against red it creates a very energetic ambience in your summer home. This color palette works the best when used with beige or its hues in the backdrop. If your decor has a touch of mid-century modern, then is color palette is just the right one for you as it works really well with the curvy pointy language of that era. A word of caution though – Do not overdo!

Image Via: Kristen Rivoli Interior Design

A Rainbow Mix

Summer is a season where you can splash colors uninhibitedly. A mixed rainbow themed palette with all colors bright and nice can be used very effectively in your summer home. Fresh flower arrangements, lampshades, cushion covers and wall art are a few places where you can experiment with the rainbow mix.

Image Via: Nest Designs

Using a particular color palette for a season should not be an expensive affair. You just need use the already existent stuff in a more innovative way. Maybe you could paint some old chinaware tangerine or ask your kids to paint a rainbow mix painting for the walls. Fresh summer blooms will help you a lot with bringing in color too. Anyways, we do keep on changing our bedroom linen and cushion covers on a regular basis, so why not tune them to the season? Do share your views on our summer palette picks and share yours!

Click here for more Summer Home Ideas on Stagetecture!

]]> https://stagetecture.com/summer-home-best-summer-color-palettes/feed/ 0 75929 https://stagetecture.com/summer-home-patterns-textures-season/ https://stagetecture.com/summer-home-patterns-textures-season/#comments Wed, 13 May 2015 11:38:15 +0000 https://stagetecture.com/?p=75817 Summer months are hot and sweaty. Naturally when one comes home the expectation is to find a refreshing and cool ambience. Colors, patterns and textures play a very important role to give a character to a space. As for summers, I would love to use patterns that add a degree of freshness, color and life – some qualities that are going to be missing in the ‘devitalized’ outsides. So here is bringing a pick of patterns and textures that will make your summer home cool, breezy and refreshing.

Summer Home: Patterns And Textures For The Season

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Sea-Life Inspired Patterns That Cool

There is something about the sea and the beach that attracts us more in the summers than in any other season. Most of you would agree with me when I say, that water has a freshness about it and we find solace in its cool surrounds. Sea-life inspired patterns carry that doze of freshness right into your summer home. Use patterns like sea shells, ocean vegetation, sea horses, fish and waves in your home. You can carefully incorporate these in the form of cushion covers, bedroom linen, curtains etc. Go nautical this summer!

Small Flower Prints That Bring Life

Summer heat also finds respite in the freshness and life of a garden. Tiny blooms that symbolize life pop up despite the soaring heat. Find inspiration in these tiny flowers and use small flower patterns lavishly in your summer home. Floral prints look stunning in the form of table cloths, napkins and kitchen linen. If they do find resonance with your personality splash them extravagantly in your entire home.

Bright Bold Prints That Add Color

Summers also encourage vibrant bursts of colors. The heat outside makes outdoor life dull, boring and tiring. So when one encounters bursts of color in ones home, it brings back the promise of life and color. I would suggest the use of bold colorful prints in your summer home as they add color and vibrance to everything around. Bold patterns can be used sparsely in living spaces and extravagantly in children spaces. Your kids will just love the beautiful bold colors.

Ethnic Patterns

Ethnic prints are very dynamic. They can be moulded to beautify your summer home very effectively. Use patterns like paisley, chevrons, shells, etc., in bright, vibrant shades to bring in the freshness. You could also use block prints and tribal motifs. The overall look will be the kinds that will allow you to sit back, loosen up and revitalize.

Summer is a season where you can experiment freely with patterns and textures. Just keep in mind that the colors used must be bright and vibrant and there isn’t a chance that you will go wrong. Use these patterns in areas that are changeable and temporary like cushion covers, bedroom linen, tablecloths etc. This shall ensure that once the season is gone and another one comes forth you can change the decor accordingly without much effort and cost. Do share with us your views on summer patterns and of ways you think might be apt to use them.

Click here for more Summer Home Ideas on Stagetecture!

]]> https://stagetecture.com/summer-home-patterns-textures-season/feed/ 4 75817 https://stagetecture.com/wellness-therapeutic-colors-homes-interiors/ https://stagetecture.com/wellness-therapeutic-colors-homes-interiors/#respond Mon, 04 May 2015 11:40:13 +0000 https://stagetecture.com/?p=75651 Colors are an intrinsic part of our life. If everything were to be colorless and dull imagine how boring and uninteresting our lives would be. But it is wrong to think that colors are limited to adding a factor of fun and dynamism in our lives. Colors have a therapeutic role too. When used correctly, each color in coherence with its innate nature, will result is a home full of positivity. Therapeutic colors alone cannot achieve results though! The kind of lighting that goes with them plays an important role. Hence, it is the color and lighting together that generate a mood or an ambience in a particular space. Hence, when you say your room is peach, it should be peach as a result of room color plus the lighting. Here is a list of colors and their therapeutic qualities. Lets use therapeutic colors to their best:)

Wellness: Therapeutic Colors For Your Home’s Interiors

Image Via: As You See It

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Pink Hues for your Interiors

Pink is a soothing color that stimulates unconditional love. No wonder it finds a perfect fit in your child’s bedroom. It is a nurturing color, the one that dissolves anger and promotes love, no wonder it is the choice to make for children spaces.

Image Via: SWAT Design Team

Turquoise Give Hints of the Sea

Turquoise is a color that cools. It basically calms down your nervous system. It’s apt for most spaces but don’t use it in areas that require a lot of activity, like game rooms, because of it’s settling down properties.

Image Via: Marie Burgos Design

Violet

Violet is a color that has a calming effect on mind. It is healing in the sense that it purifies the surroundings and your mind. Best used in mediative spaces, it is one of those therapeutic colors that enhance the bigger purpose behind things. So, if you have a little meditation space in your house, violet in its pastel tone is the best color to use.

Indigo

Indigo is the color of divine knowledge and intuition. One might also add that it has a sort of sedative effect on mind. It’s pastel tones hence, might find a good place in bedrooms and the quiet parts of your home. The color indigo and its shades are also very effective in treatment spaces, libraries and study rooms, well not for its sedative qualities but for the fact that it promotes the yearning for knowledge and puts your intuition to a good use in that respect.

Peach Hues Can be Feminine & Light

Peach, which one may classify as a pastel tone of red, is the one that promotes activity. It’s an energizing color that excites emotions and stimulates appetite. No wonder there are so many peach dining rooms around.

Image Via: S.B Long Interiors

Yellow

Yellow stimulates mental activity and keeps the mind alert. It also symbolizes confidence. It’s a good color choice for high activity areas of your house like entrances or entertaining areas, however, keep it away from bedrooms as too much yellow can create mental restlessness.

Image Via: Homes & Ideas

Green Gives Balance of Nature

Green is a harmonizing color. It’s qualities include balancing, promoting understanding and hospitality. It can be used almost anywhere. Its pastel tones find a good use in any part of your home.

Image Via: Rachel Reider Interiors

Blue Sends a Tranquil Feeling

Blue calms, relaxes and heals minus the sedative effects of indigo. Its a also a color that promotes communication and socializing. Try not to use it in the high activity areas. Anywhere else, it’s a perfect hit:)

Image Via: TEA2 Architects

White

White is a result of putting all colors together. As a color it symbolizes simplicity, purity and clarity. It forms a good base to work upon. You can use as much white as you want anywhere, but to some it might become boring, so it’s wise to have some interludes of colors.

Image Via: Jeanette Lunde

Black Doesn’t Have to Feel Dark

Black symbolizes energy. It also symbolizes a strong state of self reflection and self contemplation. It’s advisable to use this color sparsely and not to paint your entire room black. This color actually has a very strong effect on ones psyche and mind.

Image Via: Erika Beirman Photography

Therapeutic colors, have big role to play in our home decor as they have a pronounced effect on our moods and being. I would suggest that if you are using any of the above mentioned colors in your home, then try to go in for a pastel tone of that color. Dark colors can have an overwhelming effect on you and might cause a lot of anxiety in the longer run. Of course you can have dark feature walls and use these colors as accent colors but don’t go overboard. Do share what you think about the use of therapeutic colors in your home:)

Click here for more Color Ideas on Stagetecture!

Spring Color: Liven Up your Home with Spring Textiles

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Go Bold or Go Home

One thing that spring is known for is for the light and bright colors.  Great thing is that how you want to display those colors is completely up to you.  You may prefer to go bold, which you could select a dynamic color like a vibrant red or yellow or different gradients of green and place them where it will be the focal point.  Such as if the area is the living room then perhaps a few of the  furniture pieces would hold the bold hues, like having a vibrant red love seat, sofa and reading chair.

Image via: Home Ideas

Patterns if you Please

Patterns are great for adding movement, variety and emotion within a space however with all of the bonuses they can add to the interiors use them with some caution. Patterns are or can be very strong if they are overly used then they can be overwhelming within the space.  Use patterned textures on your comforter and shams, throw cover or pillows, accent pillow, towels, or area rugs.  These areas can seem insignificant but with a pattern can make the space pop, but not over due it. Even try mixing and matching certain patterns, like a paisley print with dull colors on throw pillows mixed with stripped pillow on a solid color sofa.

Image via: Traditional Interiors

Subtlety is the Charm

Maybe you like color but not everywhere.  That’s fine for your spring organization!  This is where a palette of warm neutrals or even greige (grey-beige) will come into play.  So basically take the idea of the “Go Bold…” concept but instead of a vibrant color substitute it for a neutral, and pulling from the patterns idea place the color where you would put the pattern.  For example, if you decided to get your kitchen into the spring fever with some subtle charm, then have the counter tops, and kitchen furniture be a neutral and have the backsplash, seat cushions, and table accents to have the color.

Image via:  Trisha Troutz

Spring is a wonderful season of the year.  Invite spring into your interiors with some great textiles. Textiles are very simple to use and easier to manipulate within the space, plus you get a whole lot from them with very little effort.  You have the opportunity to make it as extravagant or as minute as you would like, don’t limit yourself for your spring organization.  Take a look at some home decor magazines to get ideas and inspirations.  See where they take you.  Also, Stagetecture readers do you have any suggestions on bringing the spring season in with textiles?

For more spring ideas, click here.

Winter Decor: Spice Up your Kitchen Colors

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Let the Walls do the Talking

One extremely influential and dynamic area to add color to your kitchen is by utilizing the walls.  You can go with the ever popular and cost effective painting the walls.  Go as bold as you would like with a vibrant red or as subtle as soft tints of green, just be aware of the color palette you choose because some colors can be overwhelming or induce certain emotions within the space.  Or you can decide to use colorful backsplash for hints of color instead of coloring the entire space.

Image via:  Southern Living

Pops of Color

Again, say you just want hints of color not so much an entire area of color then select certain parts of the kitchen.  Add color to the cabinetry, countertops, seat cushions or even kitchen appliances.  You can opt for one main color or mix and match or even go with a color scheme to help with the winter decor of your kitchen.  Try add a vibrant dynamic color then balancing it with a neutral.  Check some home magazine, they might even help with getting colorful designs for the hints f colors within your space.

Image via:  Get Twinspired

Creating Focal Points

So you don’t want a whole entire colored kitchen or spots of color around then how about just one main area with color?  Try having an accent wall with tiled backsplash or a draped cloth on the wall, or with artwork or even paint an illusion with paint the counter tops and a run of cabinets to give the illusion of a free standing hutch.  That way you can still have the color and not have your eyes bounce around the space.

Image via:  Houzz

Fight off the winter blues by spicing up your winter decor with a splash of color in your winter decor.  there are a plethora of options.  Opt to paint the entire kitchen, or just hints of color with the accents within the space or try just a focal point with the walls.  Well whatever you choose just make it bring the life back into your home.  Also, stagetecture readers do you have any ways you bring color into your kitchen?

For more kitchen color ideas on Stagetecture, click here.