Home Décor—A Value of Beauty
By: Devi Titus and Marilyn Weiher
She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry…
Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own
works praise her in the gates of the city!
Proverbs 31:22
Something-from-Nothing Decorating
Interior Design is a comprehensive degree that takes four years of college plus certification by a national interior design association to complete  and to be recognized. While design has principles that can be learned, it also is an art form, making design both objective and subjective.
Anyone can have a beautifully decorated home if they can afford to hire a professional with a degree in Interior Design. But, hiring a professional does not always ensure that your home will be comfortable and wonderful. There are some things that no one else can do for you. Only you can mark your home with your signature and warm your home with your heart.
All creativity is inspired by creativity. Therefore, you will want to learn from other creative people. However, it is not a matter of copying what others have already done. Rather, it is the creative nature of God that He has formed within you which is released and expressed as others inspire you. It is then that you will begin creating as God intended. Try it! Remember that if you love what you do, that is all that matters.
Use-What-You-Have
Restoring the dignity of your home requires that you improve its appearance. The first step to improving the appearance of your home is to walk through it and evaluate the items you already own. You should maximize the use of what you have before thinking of buying new things. You can cause your home to come alive when you take a “new” view of your “old” stuff. In the end you may purchase very few new things and yet, give your home a completely new look.
Change Your Life-Style Instead of Your Furniture
If you buy new things and you are not taking care of what you already have, you will not take care of your new things either. If restoring the dignity and sanctity of the home were as easy as buying new furniture, we would all find a way to do that. But, there is a deeper principle. Consistency in caring for what you have can immensely improve your lifestyle.
Here are some examples of how you can improve your home by caring for what you already have.
• Free your home from confusion and chaos. Clear the clutter and keep it clear by finding a place for everything and putting things in their place after using them.
• Make your bed daily
• Fold the laundry
• Hang your clothing back in the closet each evening
• Set a beautiful table, even when you are alone
Master the mundane before you spend money to recreate your environment. You’ll be amazed at the difference!
Begin at the Beginning
Start with one room. Thoroughly clear the clutter and clean it. Now, rearrange as many things in the room as possible. Change the placement of the furniture if you can. You may want to borrow items from other rooms until you make this room look as good as it can with what you have. If you feel, at this point, that you really need something that you do not have—a silk plant, a lamp, a pillow, or a picture—create a “wish” list for that room. Make the list in order of priorities with an estimated cost of each item.
Maintain this new look and your new lifestyle in this room for at least one week before you tackle another room. Then, proceed to recreate another room until your entire home has been renewed.
Here are a few ideas of how to renew some of your rooms.
Bedroom
• Try turning your bed at an angle. Place something tall in the corner behind the bed like a tree or palm, a pedestal with a plant on it, or a decorative screen of some kind. Now, let everything else fall into place.
• If your bedroom is very small, do not use a headboard. Place the bed in the corner using lots of large pillows propped against the two walls. Add small pillows in front of those. This gives a “sofa” effect to your bed in your small room. This works best with a twin, double or queen bed.
• If you want a headboard, simply use a sheet of plywood or pressed board cut to fit your bed (do-it-yourself type hardware and lumber stores will cut it for you at no charge). Use a staple gun to cover it with sheet foam and fabric. Stand the padded headboard freely behind the bed. There is no need to try to attach it.
• Change how you have the top of your dresser arranged. If you have several small things, group them together on a tray (Polish up that tarnished silver tray that you got for a wedding gift!). Also, use trays to group cosmetics, colognes, and bottles of stuff. Add a small silk ivy plant and a candlestick borrowed from another part of the house. A similar effect can be achieved by grouping items on a doily instead of a tray.
Living Room
• Try angles. Pull your furniture from the walls.
• Place a narrow table behind your sofa.
• Set one chair with its back toward the TV.
• Clear your coffee table and put different things on it.
• Place your sofa and one or two chairs close to each other.
• Use an ottoman with a tray on it as a table in front of your sofa.
• Use seasonal live flowering plants for a long lasting “fresh flower” look.
• Group odd candleholders together. Gather them from other parts of the house.
• Group tabletop pictures in various sized frames together.
• Drape a table with a quilt.
• Roll magazines and tie with a ribbon or twine. Fill a basket with them.
• Paint a stepping stool a bright color and use it as a plant stand.
Bathroom
• Nothing is nicer than a clean bathroom. Keep basic bathroom cleaning supplies nearby. Cleaning one time per week is not often enough for a frequently used bathroom. “Clean-it-as-you-see-it” is my motto.
• Dye old towels all one color. You must wash them all together when you do this.
• Hot glue a new trim on decorative towels for display.
• Roll towels to be used and stand them in a large basket if you have floor space for the basket.
• Hang a small basket on the wall near the shower or tub and put washcloths in it.
• Utilize unique containers to hold frequently used items like toothpaste and toothbrushes or cosmetic brushes.
• Place a small lamp on the counter with a grouping of decorative items mixed with useful ones.
• Use a set of plastic hooks for the children’s used damp towels. Place the hooks at a level that can be reached, but be sure the draped towels do not reach the floor.
Kitchen
• Use lots of color—at least three different ones—to create a color scheme.
• Spray paint old pots and pans using the colors of your scheme, and hang them on the wall.
• Keep a tablecloth on your kitchen table and use mats to protect it.
• Place several candles in your kitchen - one each on the counter, the island, and the table.
• Use baskets to store potatoes, onions and other root vegetables. These can be stored under the counter or displayed, depending on your space.
• Pitchers make great flower containers.
• Place a small lamp on your counter top or in a grouping on a tray.
• Frequently used cream and sugar containers can be displayed on a small, flat wicker tray lined with a doily.
• Paint your old cupboard handles. Each one can be different. You can also replace them with different kinds that are unique. Collect them one at a time.
• Drape old linen tea towels over a curtain rod for your valance window treatment.
• Always clear your counters of dirty dishes. If you must leave the kitchen before washing and drying them, stack them in the sink, place a sink suspended cutting board over them and top with a clean dishtowel and a centerpiece. This camouflages your mess until you can clean it. This technique must not become a habit. Use it only in emergencies.
• After using the kitchen sink, dry it with a towel.
...Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge over many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!
Matthew 25:21
These are just a few ideas to get you started. I know that you are going to experience new joy as you look at your home differently and begin to use simple creativity to improve the environment where you live. You will be embracing the Use-What-You-Have principle.
Enhance With Lighting
Lighting is important to the mood that you want to create in your home. At times you will want brightly lit rooms and other times you will want to use indirect lighting. Don’t forget candles. In all atmospheres, a lit candle adds warmth, serenity, fragrance, and friendliness. Consider a few creative ways to light your mansion.
• Place tiny lamps in unexpected places such as bathroom counters, bookcases, wall shelves, and kitchen counters. These are great spots and usually have outlets nearby. Add the lamp to a grouping and conceal the cord as much as possible. Keep these lamps on at all times. The small amount of electricity that they use is worth the enjoyment they bring.
• Light your entryways. If you enter your home from the back door or the garage, look for a way you can add a small lamp so you do not have to enter in the dark. Add a shelf or small table if needed. For your front entrance, keep a light on at all times. It says, “Come in!” to anyone who rings the bell at any time of the day.
• Most comfortable seating areas should have a lamp nearby. I like to use standing floor lamps and apothecary styled lamps beside comfy chairs so anyone sitting has adequate light for reading. Table lamps, although they are usually more decorative, are often not functional for reading.
• All bathrooms and hallways should have night-lights.
• Add small shades to soften the sometimes-glaring light of chandeliers.
• Paint old lamps and add new shades to update their look.
• Candles are essential. Use container candles for your everyday use. They do not have to be attended and are safe to leave burning while you are in another room. Never burn taper candles unless you are present in the room.
• Use candles for special effects. Line a staircase with glass contained votive candles for a special evening of entertainment. Fill a fireplace with wood logs and carefully place various sizes of candles on the logs. This effect is especially great when it is not the season to light the fireplace.
• Group several sizes, shapes, and colors of candles on a tray and use them for a centerpiece on a coffee table or on the dining table.
• Light a candle in your kitchen while you are preparing a meal.
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Smart Tip: How to Remove Candle Wax from Tablecloths and Carpet
• Remove chunks of wax by peeling off with your hands. On an ironing board, place a large sheet from a brown paper bag. Lay the waxed area of the cloth on the bag. Place another sheet of brown paper on top of the soiled area.
• Press with a warm iron on top of the brown paper. Move the paper around as the wax is absorbed into the paper. Continue until when pressing, there is no melted wax appearing on the brown paper.
• On Carpet: Remove all large chunks of wax with your hands. Place brown paper on top of the waxed spot and place a warm iron over the paper. Move paper back and forth until the paper absorbs the wax. Use several pieces of paper if necessary.
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The Moods of Lighting
Lighting should be adjusted depending on the function of the room. Consider the following lighting tips for the several moods and activities in your home.
Party
An environment of laughter and fun should have bright lights. Utilize all available lighting including overhead lights, lamps, and candles. Open window shades and blinds, even in the evening. Utilize outdoor lighting. If you are hosting a party in the evening, light your walkway with luminaries. You can make luminaries from a lunch-sized brown or white paper bag. Weight the bag by pouring about one inch of sand or sugar in the bottom (sugar can be reused to avoid waste). Place a tea-light candle on the sand or sugar and light. Always have your porch well lighted as guests arrive.
Study
A productive studious environment requires a well-lit room with direct lighting added to the table or desk being used. Blinds should be closed and distractions eliminated.
Relax
The dim, indirect lighting of your small decorative lamps brings a person’s mood into a calm peaceful place. Zone your lighting by turning off all lights in the room other than where you want to relax. Close the blinds, light fragrant candles, and play soft music.
Read
Read with proper reading light. It should shine over your shoulder and directly onto your reading material. Direct is more important than bright. The surrounding area can be dimly lit.
Conversation
Soft surround lighting, using lamps and candles, is a great atmosphere for intimate or casual conversation.
Mealtime
Light your table and dim all other lights in the room. Don’t forget a candle. It makes any table setting special.
Games
A well-lit room makes game playing more exciting. Turn on everything.
Cozy
Indirect lighting with a few lamps (on low) makes a room feel cozy. The use of flames, whether from the fireplace or candles, gives warmth to the atmosphere.
Movies or Television
Turn on your porch light and your entry light. Turn off all other lights except for your tiny decorative lamps in your bathrooms, kitchen or hallways. Turn on one lamp in the room opposite your screen. Light a fragrant candle and be entertained. Turn on the hood light over your stove so you can quickly pop microwave popcorn without spoiling your theater environment.
Prayer
Soft-to-dim indirect lighting soothes the spirit and helps one to focus on prayer. Light a candle and relax as you meditate on the Word and begin praying with a grateful heart. Brighter lights are great when rejoicing and praising. Appropriate music in the background directs one’s spirit.
Tips to Keep Your Candles Burning Brightly
• Burn pillar candles no longer than one hour at a time for each inch of the candle’s diameter. This will prevent tunneling.
• Trim wicks to a quarter inch before lighting. Trimming minimizes the size of the flame, which reduces soot and allows candles to burn more evenly.
• When buying candles, look for wicks that are well centered.
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