'Sporty Red'

Red can be Sexy and Elegant in fashion but my favorite is, as I call it, 'Sporty Red' :) I absolutely adore casual, leisurely looking clothing in red. I feel very comfortable wearing them and I think they have this kind of cute charm. Here are my pics for 'Sporty Red':

Hunter Rain Boots

Forzieri Leather Bomber Jacket

Old Navy Striped French-Terry Shift Dress

Marc By Marc Jacobs 'Rock' Chronograph Silicone Bracelet Watch

Puma Ferrari LS Handbags in White and Red

House with a Red Wall

Modern hilltop home designed by Ulisses Morato situated on the top of a hill in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Sensational Color Red!

 Happy Valentine's Day! I decided this color is the most appropriate to talk about since Red is is all about love and passion. Red is intense and very powerful. It intensifies our physical reactions; stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing according to Color Psychology studies. Seeing Red causes people to react faster and more forcefully. Red is the warmest of all colors and is chosen the most by extroverts and one of the top pics of males:) So now you know what to wear ladies for your first date;)
         In decorating, Red is usually used as an accent and is definitely attention grabber. The color Red can have a dramatic effect in a room, whether used on the walls or furniture. You can subtly add warmth with Red or complement existing cool colors with it, or just add drama to a room.
      Let's not forget Red is Energy! with big "E"! I wouldn't recommend Red in a bedroom or a child's room as it was proven to increase respiratory rate and stimulate, and what you usually want to do in your bedroom is to relax and sleep. Well, at least most people do, right?!
     However I would say Red would be a great choice of color to an office since it can help to increase your energy level and maybe help you to accomplish a task or two faster then you think;)
So let's have a look on some of my favorite rooms with red.

Four pictures below show Red on accent walls.

Personally my favorite idea for use of color Red in a room.

Now notice how Red can transform a spaces with just addition of this color for example in curtains or pillows; or in furniture pieces, like red chair or sofa

Some can opt to use Red more in their room...

and this I think would be one of my best choices to complement neutral room 

with different shades of Red

Red accessories are the best to make the room become noticeable! 

Few examples:

 Jonathan Adler Letter pillows

Zuo Anime chairs

Perfect for Valentine's Day;)

triumph red lounge chair by CB2

red chest by CB2

Design your own lamp shade at Alluminare

Accessorizing - part 2

This weekend I was moving some of my accessories around the house and trying to redecorate some of my spaces in different ways. I recommend to anyone doing it in your own place. It's so much fun! Just gather things you have around your house like pillows, vases, pictures, candle holders maybe mirrors or some sculptures also small pieces of furniture like end tables, lamps etc. play with it rearranging them around. You can transform your room so easily without even buying anything. By doing it you might get some interesting ideas and get inspired. Here are some of my pics:

This is how it looks right now

and this is after adding a splash of red

trying with a lamp and pictures

I created a new accessory to my house by buying recently these decorative pebble rocks in a craft store and these three gorgeous artificial leaves looking like real ones. I put rocks at the bottom of a cylinder glass vase and inserted  leaves in the middle. It can not get any easier than this;) Two of pictures below show the final result.

 I tried to add some color, design and texture to my living room. I used my bedroom reversible pillows in yellow, a vase and couple yellow picture frames. What a change!

before

after

notice my leaves are now in yellow vase;)

then I tried something else...

stayed in the same color shade but added blanket, my vase with leaves...

... and few more decorative spheres

I have a bunch of different decorative spheres around my house. I use them a lot to accessorize. They can be so interesting looking and add some desirable color or design. You probably noticed already my big silver one on the table in the living room;) here are a few more:

in my kitchen

tried them on my kitchen stacking side tables too:)

Few other sphere suggestions from Pier1 Imports:

 

Vases are another great accessory. I have a nice collection of them already and can't stop buying them. Try to look always for different shapes and heights so later you can group them together. You can always find some great buys in TJMaxx and Marshall's. Few from my collection:)

In my kitchen and kitchen sitting area  my accent color is green. I love the combination of bright green, brown and white. Have a look how pillows and just a few other pieces can transform a boring look of the room.

Just a plain look...

... after adding pillows and throwing few other things on the table - What a difference! 

Once you choose your accessory color, which in my case was inspiration from the picture above the couch, I suggest to distribute it evenly around the space trying not to overdo it. In my case it was adding a green pillow and grass decor on coffee table. Notice also I tried to continue on the motif of the picture, which is related to nature. My green pillow has some flowers, other pillows have some leaf designs and again grass decor on coffee table. I choose rug to be more neutral, kind of earthy colors, reminding me of the ground colors and so is the color of my wall.

I continued adding green throughout the room:

my leaves again;)

my Ikea green boxes add a repetitive motif to the shelf

 Accessorizing is like putting on the jewelry, earrings, necklace, and so on to pull an outfit together. It's the finishing touch that's finalizes the look. We should try to accessorize any room in our house. It includes bathrooms, hallways or even walk in closets. For example I had a boring small hallway wall leading to my bedroom. I didn't want to hang another picture in there and what I found were these mirror looking like metal squares adding just right amount of interest to the wall once hanged.

Glass accessories can add some disarable sparkle. I always try to incorportae them around my house

Mix it up:)

My favorite glass mosaic plate

Elevate your accessories! You might have one of this amazing sculpture or a vase you just don't want to throw again on a shelf. You can show it off by placing it on a high decorative accent table or stool and expose it like a piece of art

  My pics for accent tables from Target:

Mirrored Pyramid Living Room Accent Side or End Table

Mirrored Round Living Room Accent Side or End Table

And here is my last suggestion. DIY decorative vase which I named submerged flower. I got inspired while visiting Las Vegas newer hotel Vdara. They had in their lobby and throughout the hotel these amazing flowers inside glass vases of different shapes and sizes. Their flowers were real tropical ones and were changed every so often as needed.
What you need is an interesting glass - see through vase, some decorative marbles and your choice of an artificial flower you will put inside the vase upside down after cutting off the stem.

Voilà ;)