Country Decorating

~Country Decorating Ideas~

In addition to designing and decorating webpages, I LOVE to decorate our home. My favourite way to decorate is country primitive. Our home could look just like the ones in Country Sampler, if only I didn't have this darn budget thingy to deal with! LOL!Today, there are so many wonderful resources available to help along the way, it is sometimes hard to know where to start! I find the best place to start is in your heart. I believe that your home should reflect yourself and your family. It should show your visitors a part of you. So, with that in mind, I have the following tips and tricks for you. I hope you enjoy them.

THE 3 P'S OF DECORATING: PAINT, PAPER, (wallpaper) AND PERSONAL TOUCHES. WHEN YOU DECORATE FROM YOUR HEART, YOU MAKE A HOUSE A HOME.

~THE MAGIC OF PAINT~

Paint is such a wonderful medium. Compared to other decorating tools, it is still relatively inexpensive. It can transform a room almost instantly and with all the different paint styles available today, it is giving wallpaper a pretty good run.

SPONGE PAINTING: Sponging creates a delicate "cloudy" effect. To sponge an area, apply a basecoat to the surface and let it dry completely. Choose another colour in the same family or a complimentary colour, this will be the topcoat you sponge on. Using a NATURAL sponge, blot the topcoat colour on top of your basecoat. Allow the area to dry and continue until you have achieved the look you desire. You may sponge as many layers and colours as you like.

RAG PAINTING: Ragging is similar to sponging. It creates a delicate look, but also gives a soft, uneven finish to walls and furniture. You should use a OIL-BASED,WATER-BASED paint, or GLAZE and thin it before use for best results. Apply the paint with a wide, soft brush. Soak a rag in the paint (old T-shirts make great rags, as do old cotton or poly/cotton pillowcases or sheets) and wring it out. Dab onto the area in a figure eight fashion. Try to keep the rag at the same consistency and wring it out when needed.

ANTIQUING: Making new appear old! Yes, it can be done! You will need 2-3 different colours/shades of WATER or OIL based paint. Apply 2 layers of basecoat to the surface and allow to dry completely. Thin and tint the other paint to the desired colour. Apply to the surface and allow to dry. Once this coat has dried, add a second coat in a similar but not identical shade. When the second coat is dry (now comes the fun part) gently, rub back the painted surface in areas with sandpaper ( you want about a medium grade sandpaper) so that the basecoat shows through.

Classic country colours you might like to try: Barn Red, Williamsburg Blue, Forest Green, or French country blue and yellow. Rideau Blue is also a nice shade. Homestead House Paints and Olde Century Paints manufacture only country colours. As well, the Home Depot now sells "Country Colours" which were created by Country Living Magazine.

~SPECIAL EFFECTS PAINT~

The following effects may be achieved with special paints and kits available at Home Depot, as well as other decorating retailers.

AGING FINISH: This translucent, slightly textured glaze may be used over either paint or wallpaper. This finish mellows the area displays the impression left by the special tools (contained in the kit) that you will use on it.

CRACKLE FINISH: This is one of my favourites!! Again, you will require 2 different shades/colours of LATEX paint, one for basecoat, the other for topcoat. Apply the basecoat and once dry, add your topcoat. Once you apply the crackle paint, it will crack the topcoat to reveal glimpses of the basecoat. A great casual country look! I just finished painting our powder room this way and it turned out quite nice. The basecoat is Liberty Blue and the topcoat is Wash Basin.

RALPH LAUREN, has a wonderful kit available that creates the look of fabric (denim,linen,chambray,antique leather) using paint. The kits include the necessary tools,instruction manual, and an instructional video. We hope to someday do our basement in the denim or chambray look. **WARNING** Due to their designer nature, these paints and kit run a little on the expensive side.

~STENCILS~

Stenciling is yet another great way to add pizzazz to your home. You may use stencils around windows and doors or to create a border around the entire room.

If you are really a lover of stencils, you can create an area rug on the floor using them.

Two other ways to use stencils are to stencil a design on your lamp shades or on roll down window shades.

~KITCHEN IDEAS~

A quick change for your kitchen is to paint or stain your cabinets. a great look is antiquing and other special faux finishes, both different from the usual. Or, try painting in classic country colours.

Another option for cabinets is to wallpaper the flat panels on the cabinet doors. To create the illusion of more space in your kitchen, wallpaper the entire cabinet so it will blend in more with the walls.

Stencil the centre of cabinets.

For a quick and inexpensive change, change the knobs on your cabinets. Currently, there is a wide assortment of hardware available. If you are really handy, purchase plain white knobs and stamp or stencil your own design.

Fill a 2" bundt pan with about a cup of your favourite potpourri and place a matching colour votive candle in the centre. You may even paint the bundt pan if you like. I like to sponge mine. These make a wonderful, yet inexpensive housewarming/hostess gift too. Especially, if you make it in their chosen colours.

~SHELVES AND COLLECTIONS~

I love shelves, especially the kind that have some type of cut out (cats and hearts being my favourites) or a picture painted on them. Shelves are a wonderful way to display your collections, and if you have little ones, they are great for keeping your fragile collectibles all in one piece. Plates are yet another collectable that are well suited to shelves and they don't have to be a shelf designed specifically for plates (it is nice if they are but they don't have to be)

Using your collections to decorate your home allows a true part of you to shine through in the process. Another idea is to decorate using themes. I have just started to do this. Our guest bathroom has a country cat theme.

~A POTPOURRI OF DECORATING IDEAS~

Trunks make great coffee tables and they provide you with extra storage space. Ours is currently used to store video tapes. It is a reeeeal good way to hide things in a hurry!!! *LOL*

Painted hat boxes are another way to obtain additional storage. You may even paint them yourself if you wish. They can double as a table and I think they are much prettier then the Rubbermaid storage containers!!

Use homespun fabric for curtain tiebacks. Simply use the fabric of your choice to form a bow and use it to tie the curtain back. Or, use wired ribbon to form a bow, add some silk flowers to it and you have a simple but different tieback. You can even layer the wired ribbon and add a tassel if you like.

I absolutely love candles, all shapes, sizes, colours and scents!!! Liquor glasses in varying heights or all the same, make a nice centerpiece. Place them closely together in a group of 3 and drop a votive or tealight in each glass. Once you have your close knit group assembled, a candle in each, and you have lit the candles (yes really, do this now) place a hurricane shade over the group and add a grapevine wreath or candle ring to complete the ensemble.***YOU WILL NEED A HURRICANE WITH A LARGE OPENING IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THE GLASSES.***

Want a true country planter this season? My husband goes through a pair of workboots each year, they don't look too bad on the outside, but on the inside, the padding is always long gone. I decided to try planting flowers in them. It works. First, punch some holes in the bottom to allow for drainage. Fill with potting mix and add the flowers of your choice. We set ours, as a pair, on the step of the back deck. They received many compliments and are all ready to go again this year!

~Quilts~

Quilts are a wonderful addition to any home and a great country decor item.

You may hang a quilt over just about anything. Fold and hang over a railing, over a chair, looks especially nice over a rocker, drape over an open door, stack on an open shelf.

It is a true sham to hide these beautiful items away where they can't be seen. They should be proudly displayed and enjoyed by all who visit your home.

~DECORATING LINKS~