A coastal home decor is synonymous with light and breezy. A coastal style decor is the epitome of simplistic elegance. Each element of the coastal style rooms is geared towards creating a comfortable and calm haven from the busy pace of day-to-day life. One doesn’t have to live by the ocean to incorporate the coastal style. Since the light and breezy decor style is all about fun and reminders of the relaxing time at the beach, the decor style often reaches far inland.

Coastal style rooms share the of love of ocean hues, flow of abundant natural light, and incorporation of natural fabrics and materials. Throw in plenty of plush cushions, blankets and throw pillows to make the space welcoming. Coastal elements such as specimen coral and shells, coastal art, anchors or other maritime instruments are the perfect centerpieces or room accessories.

What makes a coastal home decor?

A soothing color palette
A coastal design has the ability to make you feel relaxed. To optimize the feeling of calmness, focus all your efforts in the direction of neutral base and muted tones. Off-whites, soft grays, sandy tans create an environment that is inviting and soothing. Even the accent wall shade needs to be a subdued one, and not the usual bold color pop. Pastel hues like coral and aquamarine have beachy connotations that would make your room the perfect backdrop for a coastal design. If you like a monochromatic theme for the walls, make sure to add some pastel colored wall accents to not make the walls appear too stark. The Fan Wall Sconce is a beautiful piece of coral colored lighting unit that is floral in shape but also looks like a shell.

A simple layout
Embracing a minimalistic approach in your layout conveys a sense of modern sleekness. Make your room furniture the focal point and leave a lot of negative space around it. A lot of negative space would allow people to move comfortably around the room and give it a feeling of being open and breezy. An example of an airy layout furniture piece is River Stones Pouf. These contemporary fun poufs make you think that they are made of river or beach stones. They are a perfect addition for a coastal style room.

Nautical style
Throw in some wall art to make sure that the place does not look stark or barren. Coastal or nautical images are perfect wall decorations for a coastal home. Nautical stripes, anchor pictures, closeups of rope, yachts, lighthouses are just a few examples of what would constitute a coastal wall art. Nautical theme can also be shown in striped chairs or rugs. Nourison Prismatic Seaglass Rug is a gorgeous piece of coastal style inspiration encompassing the stripes and a blue hue.

Embrace the travel bug and the love for cultures by infusing your home with patterns from around the world. Global patterns is the latest trend in decorating one’s house. Whether its block prints, animal prints, a tribal vibe or a natural bamboo infusion, its bound to add an aura of personality and culture to one’s rooms. Global style is an artful blend of exotic patterns, worldly finds, and earthy materials. Global style is often confused with boho or eclectic style. Let’s go over some basics to bring the world into your little safe haven.

Global style 101:
● Handcrafted and moulded artwork from around the world
● Earthy tones with a pop of color
● Carved wood decor elements
● Exotic patterns

Each country has its own cultures and traditions and they are a big part of the style of the particular region. The influence of the culture can be seen in everything you see around you – the layout, the patterns, the motifs.  To make global style decorating job easier, it’s best to pick one destination and incorporate its style into your own.

African style
To create a Saharan African feel, start with a neutral palette, add in some animal motifs and mud cloth fabric.

Morocco style
To reflect a Moroccan desert style, incorporate strong colors of blue, green, red and shimmering gold and silver, plush rugs with floor cushions, and glass lanterns.

Japanese style
To design a Japanese inspired space is all about paring things down. The aim is to create a simple, clean and uncluttered look. Start by adding bonsai or bamboo plants, natural wood elements and incorporating cherry blossom motifs.

Indian style
To embrace the Indian style, decorate with carved wood, elephant motifs, bold and bright textiles, and arched mirrors.

Chinese style
Chinese style is about working with pagoda style lamps, intricate hand painted patterns, a lot of red and open floor plans allowing the flow of natural light.

Blending of cultures is an element that makes a living space truly global. So go ahead and pull cues from multifaceted regions to transport yourself to far flung places from within the comfort of your home.

Minimalism is a popular design philosophy and a way of life aiming at simplicity. Minimalism is also about showing constraint and achieving a better home design through simplicity of space, form,material and details. A modern minimalist home gives out an impression of soberness. However, soberness should not be confused with boring and uninviting. A minimalist home can be extremely welcoming and comfortable when the right details and furniture are brought into the picture. Small colorful accent pieces and presence of wood are some of the ways to add cheerfulness to a modern minimalist home.

How to approach a minimalist design:

Let storage do its work
The first step in achieving a minimalist design is to declutter. Look around to check if there’s anything that is out of its original place or things that need to be eliminated like stacks of paperwork and ongoing projects. In order to keep the surface clear give everything a special spot. The American Leather Uno Ottoman is perfect to store random things out of sight and keeping the surface clear.  

Create a neutral base
Subdued hues are what makes a classic minimalistic interior. The neutral colors give out a feeling of freshness and a sense of calm amidst all the chaos. The minimalist designers are big fans of an all-white room however by adding a yellow undertone, it will give the white paint a creamier warmer appearance. Natural light also plays an important role in designing a modern minimalist home. If a space gets a lot of natural light, a cooler shade of white should be used on the walls to balance the illumination and feeling of warmth. If all white is not your thing, use color pigments that are easy on the eyes like earth-ones of tans, browns and greens.

Strategic use of different textures in similar tones
A modern minimalist room might feel bland or cold if it’s not complemented with the right accent pieces. Blankets, throw pillows, and rugs add a comfort factor to the otherwise monochromatic room. Make sure not to mix too many materials,colors and textures. Use the colors that blend well with the base color. Beige, tan and dove-gray go extremely well with a white base. The Erin Armchair in its beautiful tan color is the perfect example of minimalist furniture that goes well with an all-white layout.

A minimalist home is all about keeping it simple,decluttered,and toned down. Take one step at a time and create a space that is beautiful, warm and inviting.

At the end of a long day, there is nothing better than lying down on comfortable, plush and fresh bedding. We all know the importance of a good night’s sleep, but we do not realize how much the interior of the bedroom can impact this. It’s hard to design and decorate a bedroom that is stylish yet functional. Fortunately, it is not an unconquerable dilemma. A bedroom can be styled easily in three styles – modern, traditional and mid-century.

Modern

A modern bedroom encompasses functionality as its main element. Everything within a modern home should have a purpose to be there. A modern bedroom’s simplicity promotes a sense of calmness and tranquility, which is essential for a good night’s sleep. Accentuating a modern bedroom with modern accents and minimal furnishings like a neutral rug, matching night-stands etc. does the trick to making the room stylish yet comfortable. The Zoey Bench is a gorgeous example of a contoured silhouette which will be the perfect accent piece for the modern bedroom.

Traditional

A traditional bedroom style refers to a style that is firmly anchored in the past but is not boring or outdated. A traditional decorating style embraces classic design, rich color schemes, symmetry, comfortable yet formal vibe. A traditional style does not have to be entirely neutral or heavy. The classic style of the traditional setting and the symmetry provide an elegance that is sophisticated. Using drapes, artwork and window treatments add a touch of luxury to the traditional style. The Cristal Suspension Light is a beautiful and radiant piece of furniture that is traditional in its essence.

Mid-century

A mid-century bedroom refers to a style that is characterized by simple lines, muted tones and a lot of natural wood. A mid-century bedroom will take you back in time while providing all the comfort that your heart and body desires. The Cleo Chaise exemplifies the chic simplicity of a mid-century furniture unit with its clean lines and straight edges. Mid-century style also encompasses the use of stone and wood paneled walls, that add a touch of rustic yet polished look to the space.

Development of personal style and an eye for good design is always a gradual progression. As a grown up, you would want your home to be a place of comfort and your personality. Switching from a college dorm room to an adult haven doesn’t happen by magic. A conscious effort goes into making an adult home which has all the essentials – for comfort, for storage, for safety etc. If you’re looking for a makeover for your youthful home, consider these 5 things for elevating your contemporary home with a more grown-up style:

1. Area rugs
An area rug is like a frame for the furniture. Rugs add a sense of polish to a room making the room appear organized and stylish. Louis Area Rug s a beautiful example that incorporates an old-world charm into one’s room. Adding an area rug to one’s home does not come without some measurements and calculations. Optimally, the rug should be large enough to fit under the front legs of the chairs and sofas.

2. Coffee table
A living room is not complete without a coffee table. A coffee table is an investment piece that should not be an impulse buy but instead should require some thought. A glass top or a stone table in a dynamic shape will be a functional and a gorgeous accent to your home’s décor. The Tripod T Coffee Table is a sleek coffee table designed to perfectly accent any contemporary living room.

3. Love Seat
A love seat is one of the most versatile pieces of furniture that every grown-up needs to have in their homes. The tight back leather love seats appear chic and add an aura of classic style to the space. The seat has the ability to take on many different roles – from being a standalone seat to being used as an accent to the bed. A love seat can be used in a living room, or at the foot of the bed in the bedroom.

4. Bedroom bench
Like love seats the bedroom benches are also versatile pieces of furniture. The bedroom benches are extremely functional with the built in storage options and make for a comfortable extra place to sit. The benches usually match the bed in design, one can play around with patterns and colors.

5. A Bar Cart
A bar cart is a furniture unit where you can show off your decorating style, while using it for easy mobility during get-togethers. The Mojito Rolling Cart is a gorgeous example of bar cart as it comes with a variety of storage options for bottles, glasses, and dishware. You can personalize it by adding framed photos or flowers for color.

Pinterest and Instagram feeds are inundated with homes that look just as similar as the next. It seems like everyone’s living rooms follow a similar theme and aesthetics. There’s a lot more out there to experiment with and incorporate into our rooms, without seeming like we are all copying each other. It’s easy to follow someone’s design aesthetics, but that might not represent your personality. So, here are some ideas to create rooms with your personality:

1. Paint is your friend
Paint effects can transform your rooms like no other design element can. If you are cheerful and bright, paint those walls a bright yellow. A dark and moody personality will call for some navy colored walls. You don’t have to paint the entire room to give it an uplift. Try painting an accent wall with your favorite color or go for a wallpaper with a design/theme that resonates with your way of living. The endless color options for painting your rooms is a beautiful way to represent your personality.

2. The right amount of vintage
Vintage adds a dash of classic style to any room. However, sometimes vintage is confused for old-fashioned. The most beautiful vintage pieces are the ones that fit into a modern space and elevate it. The Orlando Sofa and Sectional is a great example of a contemporary furniture unit with the right amount of vintage feel. The sectional’s dash of vintage gives a sense of depth and character to a room.

3. Play with the pattern
Colors, textures and patterns can make a space feel more intriguing and inviting while affording you the ability to add your own touch of personality. A throw for your sofa or even patterned wallpaper all add dimension and substance to the room but a bold patterned rug like the Plasma Area Rug is particularly striking and will instantly add style to any room.

4. Create a gallery/art wall
Creating a gallery or art wall is a quick and easy way to make your rooms feel more like you. The gallery wall allows you to showcase who you are and add a touch of you to your home. Your art gallery might constitute photographs, mementos, travel souvenirs, keepsakes and even fine art. These pieces will tell your story and bring you comfort.

5. Play with Furniture
Select a furniture unit that is comfortable, visually appealing and practical to your living space. A furniture unit reflects an individual’s style. You cannot go wrong with something like the Jake Chair from American Leather. The Jake Chair adds a unique style and will enhance one’s home’s visual appeal.

Everyone loves the festive season, so why not spread the holiday cheer all over the house? There’s so much to celebrate between November and New Year’s – so many chances to enjoy the warming pleasures of sharing food, time and laughter with one another, and to sparkle wonder in the eyes of the young and the young at heart.

Enchant them from the moment they arrive at your doorstep with stylish lighting, like these Chrismy Tree lights from Vondom – a more modern take on outdoor and mantle-piece lighting, they’re designed to cast magical, moving lights that add sparkle and charm to any home.

Consider extra guests staying to share the season. Put them up in style with a contemporary sleeper sofa. Modern sleeper sofas are a study in comfort and style. Take the Comfort Sleeper range by American Leather, housing a high-end Tempur-Pedic^TM mattress and covered in supple leather or Ultrasuede upholstery, for a night’s sleep that’s sure to have your guests waking up refreshed and excited to join in the holiday fun.

Serve them in style

Adding decorative touches in shining brass, silver and festive colors can transform any room into a showcase of holiday style. Brass table lamps can create a cozy corner, and a gleaming silver tea tray or bar cart can add a welcoming and stylish touch, serving your guests in style. Brass mirrors bring in more light and bling, reflecting other holiday ornaments to dial up the décor and visually double the living or dining space.

Give red the green light

The color red adds interest and impact to any room. Red accent pillows, area rugs and ottomans bring warmth and cozy comfort to living rooms, dining rooms and guest bedrooms, unifying the holiday look throughout your home.

When every room glows with the magic of the season, it transforms your home into a showcase of style, and a place of comfort and joy – welcoming family and friends, and enthralling all who enter your abode – making all the care and attention you bestow on making your home look picture perfect for the holidays, all the more worthwhile.

Downsizing can sometimes seem daunting. But if you look at it as an opportunity to focus on showcasing everything that speaks most strongly to your personal style, it can be a liberating adventure.

Think of it as packing for a vacation: you go through your clothes and find the pieces that work best together. You plan how you will mix and match your wardrobe. And you don’t bring anything you know you won’t wear.

If we view our homes the way we do our wardrobes, downsizing can be a rewarding experience, and you may just find some things you love even more, that take up less real estate in your home!

Dynamic Duos

After you’ve identified your favorite furnishing pieces, think about how each room will be used. Are there rooms that will only be used for one function 10% of the time? A dining room can double as an office. A family room can serve as a guest bedroom. And there are so many exciting pieces of contemporary furniture that are as versatile as they are sophisticated.

The Thor Extendable Dining Table by Ozzio Italia brings together clean curves and straight lines to give your dining room a breathtaking look of style and modernity. For a table that works three ways, the Magnum Transformable Table has both adjustable telescopic legs and an extendable glass table top, so can serve as dining table, work table or even as an ultra-stylish coffee table.

Your Lucky Break

Want to play a game of pool after dinner? The Fusion Pool Dining Table is the perfect piece of modern furniture for those who want to have a pool table and a dining table and still save on space. Available in a myriad of finishes and fine woods, it fits beautifully into any modern décor, and even comes with optional game cloths for poker, blackjack or roulette. Now that’s acing entertaining in style!

Conquering Clutter

Consider consoles with drawers or a buffet in the entryway or dining area to provide storage. A dining room buffet or bench can also be used to store away a laptop and office gear, when you turn your home office into a holiday dining room.

The Elements Media Console has enough space for a complete media system, with cleverly concealed storage, while allowing sound, air, and remote control signals to pass through. Plus, its sexy textured finish in ebony or wood tone makes it a stand-out design piece.

The streamlined Edward Console & Desk from Huppé provides an ultra-modern table with innumerable possibilities. From entrance ways, to living rooms, to dens and dining rooms, the sleek lines and contemporary look makes it work in virtually any space – even turning the back of a modern sofa into a table leg to get a leg up on saving space.

Whichever treasured pieces you keep with you on your journey, there’s always a versatile, double-duty furnishing or accent piece that you’ll love just as much – creating a new look that celebrates your unique sense of style.

Nothing brightens up your home like beautiful, contemporary lighting. Especially after daylight savings time has ended and those long, dark nights begin, where we all long for a cozy place to read, work or cook up a warming meal.

Look around your home and take note of the areas that need light most – whether for function or to make a bold statement. The perfect light can dramatically change the tone of a room or add an impressive focal point that spotlights your personal style.

Start with the dining room. For fall and winter holiday celebrations, nothing says elegance, like a stunning chandelier. With chandeliers, as with all pendant lighting, size matters, but so does height. Look for fixtures that are available in a variety of sizes to fit the scale of your décor, and be sure to double check the length that you want the chain, to cast the best light without colliding with heads or furniture.

Here are three contemporary chandeliers that are designed to dazzle.

All chandeliers don’t have to be massive or oppressive. For a light, artistic statement, think glass and sparking sea shells, like the Mama Shells chandelier by international glass and stained glass artist Shimon Peleg. Whether you want to brighten up a small corner or create an impressive multi-story fixture, the Mama Shell design can be customized in an unlimited number of sizes and shades. Or make modern Zen statement with a glowing Muriel Chandelier with soft, Oriental-inspires glowing orbs. For a high-tech take on a traditional chandelier, the Cristal Suspension Light radiates luxury and modern style, with sparkling strings of crystal pendants in an elegant oval design.

Meet your match

For layered lighting that creates a unified look, try matching ceiling and table lights. The Cloud Ceiling and Table Light are glowing examples of unique lighting pieces that emanate modern style, glowing perfectly with modern furnishings.

Holiday lighting

Ditch the tinsel. Give your mantle or centerpiece a makeover this holiday season. The Vondom Chrismy Tree is a contemporary classic that beautifies both indoor and outdoor spaces. Try a grouping of several sizes, and watch them glow.

Whichever style you choose, lighting is one of the least expensive ways to showcase a room in a whole new light, and get ready to entertain in style.

Why not light up your home with a more fashionable take on tradition with some sculptural lighting from Borowski. Famous for their playful hand-blown glass creatures, Borowski is one of the leaders in glass art. Their playful lights and sculptures are imaginative works of art in beautiful glowing glass and metal that can enchant both indoor and outdoor spaces, and add a touch of eclectic glamour, wherever you find them.

These two playful creatures from the Studio Line and Outdoor Objects collections by Borowski are now available at Sklar, just in time for a howlingly stylish Halloween!

Light Up Their Smiles.

How could anyone be scared of this cute little fellow? The Vampy Outdoor Lamp Glass Art Sculpture from the Borowski Outdoor Objects collection is a hand-blown glass lamp and “spooky” sculpture, made of beautifully speckled hand-blown glass. Vampy is weatherproof and available in amber, rose or white glass. 

Add a sense of whimsy to your home, and adopt this adorable and eye-catching fellow who spreads lighthearted fun no matter where he spreads his wings.

Whether you place him indoors or outdoors, “Vampy” the vampire is sure to delight friends and neighbors alike. Vamp up your style – stand the Vampy Lamp on the porch or on the lawn, and turn an otherwise formal lawn into a magical, glowing garden.

Whoooo’s Ready for Halloween?

Not just on the lookout only at night, The Tawny Glass Owl Table Lamp from Borowski casts a welcoming glow any time of the day.

An adorable and creative version of a traditional table lamp, the tawny glass owl lamp is uniquely crafted and whimsically modern. Both fun and fashionable, and like all Borowski lighting fixtures, it’s a quality piece that will light up the night for many years to come.

The Borowski Family

Stanislaw Borowski was born in 1944 in Moutiers, France, and began crafting his hand-blown glass in a garage. Using virtually lost techniques for engraving on cameo glass, he made his own tools to create his compelling new concepts. His extraordinary engravings and sculptures soon received international acclaim, leading to exhibitions in Germany, the US, the Netherlands and Japan.

In 1990, together with his two eldest sons, Pawel and Wiktor, he founded the Glasstudio Borowski.
 Today many of the masterpieces created by the Borowski family are on display in renowned galleries and museums around the globe, such as the Corning Museum of Glass in New York – the most celebrated glass museum in the world.