Pretty decorative shelf
This pretty decorative shelf would be the ideal place to display all your treasures and collectables, or to serve as a more practical storage solution in any room of your home.
The two painted shelves are lined with a blue/green damask, which works very well as a background, and it’s quite shabby chic in design.
The decorative shelf is available from Camel and Yak on Not On The High Street.
Metal housekeepers box
I love this metal housekeepers box from Leekes. It’s the perfect storage solution for all my cleaning products and cloths and would make carrying them around the house so much easier.
It may even encourage me to do a bit more cleaning….
The spotty house keepers box has a removable tray on the top and is available from Leekes.
Walls are not just for painting or wallpapering – they can be decorated and enhanced in numerous ways. If you’d like to become more creative with what you put on your walls, then here are 14 different types of wall décor that you can use to pep up your home, add individuality and make it a cosy, welcoming space.
Is your home space lacking something? Why not try and pull your room together with finesse by using wall art.
Home decor has gone beyond just having a few pictures hung on the wall. Savvy decorators are now using interesting sculpture type art, wall art with moving parts and pieces that match other components in the room. In fact, wall art can be like another piece of furniture.
Ideally, wall art should be interesting, colourful and well made and something that you’ll enjoy. A good piece of art will keep you happy for years to come.
Product idea: Blue mist triptych from John Lewis.
Metal wall decor is not just for neutral coloured rooms. Newer metal wall decor features bright splashes of colour and makes a statement.
Other types of metal wall decor are made into interesting shapes or panels. Hammering the surface of the metal or treating the metal with different chemicals gives it texture.
When used appropriately, metal can make a room look warm and inviting. Rectangular and square metal wall pieces can be mixed and matched throughout your living space to create a uniform look. Circular shapes grouped together bring a feeling of peace to any room.
Product idea: Daisy bunch bronze wall art from Artisanti.
A well placed wall sconce can lighten the layout of your living space. Federal style and Asian influenced wall sconces will make your home sizzle with style. You can have your wall sconce wired for electricity or use pillared candles to brighten any wall with warm light.
Product idea: Pair of candle wall sconces from Cox and Cox.
Mirror tricks are important to know! Wall mirrors can brighten dark corners, make a room seem bigger or a hallway seem longer. Add a wall mirror next to a piece of art or let it hang by itself.
Wall mirrors can come in a variety of frames. Beautiful wood grains or even painted wood makes a lovely finish to a mirror. Mirrors can be framed with ornate metal workings. Pairing mirrors together, even small wall mirrors creates a reflective mood throughout your room.
Product idea: Octaganol wall mirror from Graham and Green.
No matter what style your home is, a wall clock will fit in to your decor. Traditional train station clocks, whimsical noise making clocks or odd shaped wall clocks are a beautiful necessity.
Most wall clocks run on batteries and will last you forever. Metal wall clocks are beautiful when they feature unique cut-outs along the frame.
Product idea: Black gallery wall clock fromDebenhams
A wall fireplace is perfect for creating drama in a room. These fireplaces reflect the flames off the metal and bounce light and warm feelings throughout the room.
Varying in size but equal in the ‘wow’ factor, wall fireplaces are a great choice for any decorator.
Product idea: Mercury wall fireplace from West Country Fires.
Looking to spark some interest in a drab room? Add architectural elements to your decor.
Antique pieces or faux antique pieces are a fabulous choice. Whether you choose medallions, wood panelling or crown molding, they can work together to bring a traditional feel into a room. Just add one or two of these touches for instant home transformation.
Product idea: Oak waxed floral panels from Antiques, Furniture, Collectables and Interiors.
Big or small, wall mounted or free-standing, a bookcase is something you just can’t live without. Bookcases with glass doors or even open faced bookcases are a smart, thoughtful touch to a room.
Wood finishes in a variety of stains bring richness and depth. Go shabby chic with painted wood bookcases. Keep your books and knick knacks safe in your bookcase.
Product idea: Shabby chic white painted bookcase with drawers, from Dooleys Furniture.
Tuck your goodies into your cabinets. A cabinet hanging on a wall or standing alone could be just the space solution you are looking for.
This dual purpose home furnishing can be used as a table as well as storage. Hanging cabinets give a room a feeling of cosiness.
Product idea: Monterey display cabinet from John Lewis.
Tapestries and cross stitch samplers have made a comeback! Tapestries from around the globe vary from ornate pieces with hundreds of different coloured threads to simple two toned pieces and memorable statements.
Tapestries and cross stitch samplers come in a variety of sizes and are a great alternative to a plain hanging picture. If you feel creative, you could even make your own!
Product idea: Keep Calm and Carry On cross stitch sampler from Miso Funky.
Personalize your home with a grouping of picture vignettes. Portraits of your family placed in matching or similar frames will make your wall interesting.
Mix different frame shapes, like round, oval, square and rectangular ones. Also add a collage of frames that allow you to pull several pictures into one large frame. Picture vignettes make a room personal and bring your loved ones to a place of honour on your walls.
Product idea: Set of three antiqued photo frames from Cox and Cox.
Wall stickers are a fantastic invention that allows you to put intricate or funky designs on your wall, with minimum effort.
A wide variety of design ideas are available, suitable for all styles and rooms. Be creative and choose a stunning bold design, or add subtle touches here and there.
Best of all, if you change your mind, colour scheme or style of decor, the sticker can be easily removed and you can start again.
Product idea: Lush swirl wall sticker from Aijographics on Not On The High Street.
Nothing says tranquillity quite like the sound of tinkling water. A wall fountain could quickly become your favourite piece of luxury. Some wall fountains also come with their own light. On an interior wall or an exterior one, it doesn’t matter. Either way it’s a soothing addition.
Product idea: Bronze effect flower wall fountain from Crocus.
Bring the feeling of elegance to your home with a wreath, swag or garland. Bay leaf swags or garlands, magnolia swags and even roses make a lovely way to accent the corner of a picture. Or simply lay a swag on a shelf or double it up and hang it on your wall.
Wreaths are the perfect way to greet guests. Hang one in your entryway or on a front door. Stay seasonal and use a wreath that celebrates whatever time of year it may be!
Product idea: Rose flower garland from Anusha on Not On The High Street.
Shabby chic toy box
Begone, plastic boxes!
Make way for this rather fabby caravan toybox made from raffia and available in turquoise and stitched with pretty fabrics.
It’s far too pretty to be confined to the children’s room and we think it would make a great talking point in the lounge.
Prices start at £40 and there are other styles available.
Find it at Pinks and Green.
Shabby chic goes Danish
Why have plain glass when you can have an explosion of colour on your breakfast table?
Danish brand GreenGate is perfect for shabby chic fans that want their homewares to combine with modern living, so this 1 litre stoneware Mimi jug is dishwasher safe and handpainted.
Move over polka dots, hello flowers
It’s not hard to whip up a long list of wants when browsing Cath Kidston, the queen of shabby chic. We’d love to see this electric flowers cushion on someone’s sofa.
It would make a fab gift and aren’t the delightful pink, blue and yellow colours just pulling you towards spring?
Snap it up for £18 here.
Perfect for afternoon tea
We love the idea of afternoon tea and you can’t possibly have one without a cake stand. Amongst all the pretty pink and cream offerings, we spyed this three tiered blue stand handpainted with dots and stripes which we think will do the trick.
It’s £25 from Laura Ashley where we found it in the 3 for 2 section, so you may as well purchase another gift and then a little something for yourself thrown in for free. Marvellous. Now, what cakes shall we have?
Pretty fragranced candlesOnline boutique, Patchwork Harmony, is bursting with lovely home accessories and, this week, you could save money on all orders.
Over on Fresh Design Blog, they’ve negotiated a special discount offer for all products purchased at Patchwork Harmony from now until Monday 31st August 2009. To get 10% off your order, all you have to do is enter the code, “FRESH” at the checkout.
They come with a pretty doily on the top and a jam recipe – so when you’ve finished the candle, you can reuse the ceramic jar for jam. The fragranced candles are £15 each.
There are lots more highly tempting home accessories for sale on the Patchwork Harmony website, including this vintage-style soap tin with a rose scented soap (£7.50), unusual stacking egg cups (£7.25), a vintage style white wooden letter rack (£14.25) and useful fabric doorstops in a variety of fabrics (£5.25 each).
Patchwork cushion
This delicate patchwork cushion features an array of shabby chic style fabrics, in traditional rose prints, gingham and stripes.
The main colours are blue, red/pink and white and it would make a lovely addition to a shabby chic styled room, especially as patchwork is very on trend at the moment.
The cushion measures 50cm square and comes complete with the inner cushion pad (so often they don’t, these days).
The Provence patchwork cushion is on sale from Cape Henley for £20.
Green bird wall art
If you’re looking for some wall art for your home, then Homes and Dreams, an online boutique specialising in country style home accessories, has some nice pieces that are definitely worth a look.
Made from recycled wood, the art panels feature a variety of different prints, including birds, floral themes and some nice old scripts, and would look lovely hung on their own or in a group.
Script wall art panel
The art panels are £17.50 each from Home and Dreams.
