Ruthie Staalsen wins Best of Houzz 2017

 

DecRenew Interiors by Ruthie Staalsen is so honored to have been awarded "Best of Houzz" once again this year.

Houzz.com is definitely a growing website with millions of photos of  homes across the world.  Designers and contractors add photos to their galleries and we get to be inspired by them.

I have found this website a  great way for designers to work with clients when trying to determine what their style is.  The client can save photos of their favorite interiors to ideabooks so we can sit down together and identify their wants, needs and desires for their projects.

Check out my design profile http://www.houzz.com/pro/decrenew/__public to see my design galleries as well as our Rave reviews.  Thank you to all my wonderful clients that have written these reviews and have supported me since I started in 2002.

Thank you Houzz.com for this honor.

Decorating ideas for a cozy winter home!

I'm back at it after a wonderful holiday break.

 My girls just drove off to go back to college and I'm reminiscing about the time we had over the break.

We sat around the fire, read books and took long naps. My house was filled with laughter, long conversations, cooking, shopping and lots of the Gilmore girls series.

Now that they are gone, I've been thinking about what makes us want to hang out at home. What is it about the environment that we like?   Of course, its the people that make it home but it really does have a lot to do with the environment we create in the home.  It's about our collections and the overall feel that has evolved that makes us want to hang out in the space.

I thought I'd share with you what I've come up with that makes us feel warm and cozy during the winter months.

So here goes......

Incorporate warm blankets that feel soft to the touch.

In our house, we fight over who gets the best blankets. We love to snuggle up underneath them while watching our favorite shows. We all have our favorite one.  I have stacks all over the house and it is first come first serve!

My favorite are the fur ones. Arhaus.com (click photo for link) has these that look so cozy. That black and white one catches my eye and looks nice and large, great for snuggling with two on a couch or comfy sectional.

Blankets look so glorious and romantic on a master bed or guest bed and makes you want to curl up with a cuppa tea. There are evenings all four of us are in our master suite watching a movie together because it is comfy!

Add trays with texture and pattern.

They can be added to a coffee table, under a lamp, on your bedside table with a lamp on it, or on your kitchen or bathroom counter top with a variety of candles.

The more interesting, the better. The trays I use are all so very different.

Nail heads on trays are cool too.

A black tray works great for layering accessories because the items pop nicely, especially when you layer with a black and white book.

Leather trays add warmth. This leather one is so perfect for next to a guys bed.  Mixing feminine with masculine is how I love to decorate my spaces.

This slate tray works beautifully in the kitchen to hold your salt and pepper, olive oil and maybe a floral arrangement.

Layer rugs

It is an easy way to add color, texture and character to a room.

This warm and inviting rug from Arhaus.com would be beautiful layered with their gray sheepskin rug.  Of course, you want to make sure if you have a sheepskin rug, you probably shouldn't have a blanket that looks similar to it.  That would be too much of a good thing! It's all about balance, choose one or the other.

Cow hides do well for layering too. I especially love them paired with black rugs.

Add baskets throughout your home.

It's amazing how texture can add a drastic change to the feel of a room.  These baskets on the wall in the hallway are a bit of the unexpected.

 This fun basket can be found at Target!

Add plants and they don't have to be real.

Plants add life during the winter months.  The pop of green this fig tree adds, makes things feel alive inside the home, especially since everything outside looks brown and dead (here in Texas at least).

Add something as small as a terranium with succulent plants in it. This touch of life from the outdoors makes us think of warm summer days.

Change out a lamp or lampshade.

Adding a black shade to a lamp dresses is up a little and changes the ambiance. It feels a little more moody.

Add a lamp with a touch of brass.

Brass adds a classy, sophisticated touch.

Change up your bookshelves.

Add warm color books to your collection. Colors like navy and orange work beautifully.

Ruthie tip:  Collect books that tell people about you. I have books about Safari's, Africa life, Australian life, old bibles, travels, glamping, fashion, architecture, entertaining, parties, etc. These are all books that say something about our history and what we are all about.

Paint or wallpaper behind your bookshelves with a warm/darker color.

Set up a drink cart and have it ready to go at all times.

You can even add your Keurig coffee maker to the cart so coffee and hot chocolate is available whenever.

Add a small or large trunk for blankets.

Trunks give a collected look.  If you know my style, you know I strive to achieve that look.

 Add some plaid.

  Add jewel tones.

A grouping of jewel tone candle holders look so awesome on a mantel or on a coffee table.

 Add a touch of animal print (always, because I'm an Africa girl)

You know I love a touch of animal print in my home! It is part of my brand for sure.  It adds so much warmth for sure,

This is my living room with my jewel tone pillow and my zebra print pillow from one of my trips to Africa.

Add some gold accessories.

Add poufs.

They are perfect for putting under your head while laying on the floor when you have a house full of teens.

Add floor lamps

Having floor lamps in a room for evening light is something most people don't think about. We love to turn all the lights out in a room and just have a few lamps on. This creates a nice comfortable mood for conversation and entertaining. Choose interesting lamps and don't choose ones that are too short for the space.

Add colorful rugs to your kitchen.

The above kitchen is one we finished several months ago.  When you add a rug to a kitchen, it instantly makes it have personality and unites all the colors in the adjoining spaces.

If you scroll up and look at all these photos again, you will see the consistency of warmth that they all have.  I hope this post gave you some ideas for making your home feel cozy during these cold winter months.

Keep warm!

Connecting Life and Home in our "Home away from Home"

It has been a busy few weeks here at the Staalsen home and I've had a wonderful vacation.  I'm back to work, but thought I'd give you a little glimpse of what life has looked like over the past month.

We had a special Christmas together with our family! We hosted 18  for dinner on Christmas Day, which  was a ton  of work but so much fun. Getting all the food on the table hot was a chaotic challenge, but we did it.

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Because there were so many of us, I opted to use paper plates which made all the teen dishwashers happy.  I found these gorgeous paper gold chargers. I used clear plastic plates for the food and it looked amazing.

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My favorite part of hosting is setting up the main table and the buffet tables.  This year I used one of my sari's from India on the dessert table.

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 For bringing in the New Year, we  took 20 college kids camping. We were the cooks! I was glad to be in our "home away from home " with my heater, Keurig and shower.

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 The kids were brave and slept in their hammocks. Brrrrrrrr

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Thanks to Kennedy with Perspectives Photography for the pictures below.https://www.facebook.com/perspectivepics/

We brought the New Year in around the fire with sparklers and lots of loud fun.

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We made memories and continued our tradition from last year.

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Life is about these moments!  Community with those we love, even the crazy ones.

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There is something about being around a roaring fire that makes us bring life back to the basics. It is the  imple things in life that makes it so rich.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH AND EVERY OF YOU.

My 2 words for this year are BE PRESENT.

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Life is too short to not be in the moment with those we love. I challenge you to think on these words as you continue with your goals for the year.

Be present and be connected!

I have lots of fun things to announce in the next few weeks so stay tuned!

Modern Style Spanish Home

IMG_7650 We recently completed decorating a home for a client that built their home several years ago.  They were tired of living in the space without the details. We came in and added accessories, lighting, rugs and some furniture to complete the home.

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We had the dining room chairs upholstered in this colorful pattern outlined in the blue velvet that matches the couch.

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The client had a couch that they LOVED because of comfort and quality but the style was outdated.  We had the entire couch redone and reshaped into something much more stylish with modern lines.

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Custom swivel chairs with a geometric pattern, paired with a vintage style rug and round ottoman.  As you can see, the fireplace with the Spanish tile was definitely our inspiration for the colors in the room.  Don't you just love the gold ship that my client already had in their closet.

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Grandma's old stool looks great with an antique embroidered pillow and newly made round ottoman.

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This drum was in their entryway but I thought it looked better as a side table.  I found the pottery scattered on bookshelves and picked a few that I thought looked nice paired together.

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Pillows really made the couch pop!

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She still needs a grouping of artwork above the TV but she is waiting for something that really captivates her.

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This home sits on a beautiful treed lot and is so peaceful and quiet. Their pool is absolutely stunning and can be seen from most of the rooms.

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I'll be posting another job we finished this week soon.

Blessings to you! XOXO

Two Lion Master Bedroom Makeover

We recently finished a two day install for a client.  We decorated their dining room, kitchen, family room, entry, library and master bedroom.

We broke it up into 2 days and worked so very hard!  Over a 3 month period, I had things repurposed, reupholstered, repainted, reworked, etc.   We used the homeowners furniture mixed with old and new items.  I incorporated thrift store finds, high end custom furniture, lower end and high end accessories, custom artwork, kids artwork, antiques and many meaningful treasures the client already had.  This home now feels very "collected, not decorated" and that is my trademark. All these things mixed together makes for a FABOULOUS end result!

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I had the second day of the professionally shot by an EXTREMLY TALENTED videographer who is putting together a video of the entire day so stay tuned.  The reveal with the clients is AWESOME!

I call this the Two Lion Home because there are two great big lion statues that greet you at the door!

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In the meantime, I thought you might like to see some before and after shots of the master bedroom.

I absolutely LOVED this cove in the master bedroom when I first saw it.   When I walked into the room, I immediately thought that this could be a great feature wall.  My wheels where turning all night after that consultation.  It seems I do most of my creative thinking when I should be sleeping, Urggggg

I finally came up with this idea below and it turned out beautiful!  I could not have done it without my fabulous workroom!

BEFORE

DecRenew Interiors Before

AFTER

New light fixture, draperies, headboard, bedding, side tables, lamps, accessories, artwork and sitting area.

Photography by T. Lamar Photography

 

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DecRenew Interiors Master After

This room is filled with light that a camera cannot capture.  It is so beautiful.

I found the side tables and didn't like the knobs that they came with.  We installed new knobs from Anthropologie.com and it instantly transformed them.

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You can see the pattern of the fabric on the headboard, isn't it spectacular?

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The bed skirt and the draperies were custom made.

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I found this bust and it was an ugly white and needed a makeover. Logan, one of the teenagers that is helping us, spray painted it for me and it looks perfect on the bedside table.

The client had these chairs below.  We had them reupholstered in a soft velvet.  We found some artwork done by their kids and hung them above the chairs.

BEFORE

WING BACK CHAIRS

AFTER

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So personal and PERFECT for a master bedroom.  The colors were perfect too!

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MASTER CHAIRS

I found two of these chairs at a resale store.   Really comfy, great shape and fun curves but outdated.  We reupholstered without the fringe and added swivels to them for good TV watching. Perfect now.

AFTER

DecRenew Interiors Master Final

Hope you enjoyed the tour.  I'd love to hear what you think!

I'll be posting more about this home later on.

You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest (DecRenew Interiors).  I am also on Periscope where you can watch me live as we decorate behind the scenes and give you tips and inspiration for decorating your home.  Click on the icons on the right if you would like to follow us!

Have a beautiful weekend in your HOME!