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Creativity, functionality both matter in playroom decor

By Kim Cook Associated Press Go bold. Stay practical. Think long-term. These are among the tips offered by interior decorators for creating a fresh, fun — even inspiring — playroom for kids. ——— FOSTER CREATIVITY “I love bold choices in a playroom,” says Mel Bean, a designer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In one client’s theater room, for example, “we used a high-contrast carpet as a real show-stopper,” she says. “Another space uses black and white walls and floors as a backdrop for colorful art supplies, chairs, books and paintings.” Yet another playroom she is ...

By Melissa Kossler Dutton Associated Press Storage pieces are not what they used to be. Changes in home design and technology mean that boxy, old-fashioned armoires, dressers and china hutches are being repurposed or are making room for cabinets, shelving and sideboards in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles. Today’s decor embraces an eclectic look, and rooms might serve more than one function. Walk-in closets and wall-mounted TVs are hot; formal dining rooms are not. All of these trends mean there’s more freedom in choosing storage pieces, including “wow pieces” ...

What will kitchens of the future look like?

By Kim Cook Associated Press Today’s home kitchen doesn’t look anything like it did a century ago. But for the most part, it doesn’t look a lot different than 50 years ago. Appliances are sleeker, materials are better, color palettes are broader. But the room is still the hard-working heart of the home. So what might the kitchen of the future be like? At the upcoming Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas and the Architectural Digest Design Show in New York, insiders will get a peek at where we’re headed. First, that open-plan layout. Here to stay? Not ...

Small home living: not `downsizing’ but `right-sizing’

By Katherine Roth Associated Press With the current trend toward de-cluttering and downsizing, there are plenty of books about how to winnow down possessions to the few that are truly necessary and loved. This book shows how you can live well once that’s done. In “Downsize: Living Large in a Small House” (2019, The Taunton Press), author Sheri Koones focuses on practical ways to live well at home once you’ve streamlined your belongings and are living more compactly. “It scares people to think of moving into a smaller space, but every single person I interviewed who has ...

Small touches create a great master bathroom

By Melissa Rayworth Associated Press It’s easy to design a gorgeous master bathroom if you have a huge budget. But with the right choices, says interior designer Gabriel Anderson, you can have an exceptional master bath without overspending. “Having huge expanses of marble is amazing and wonderful, but you don’t have to have that to have an amazing bathroom,” says Anderson, co-founder of the New York design firm Dean and Dahl. There are “little touches you can incorporate that really bring a master bath to life.” We’ve asked Anderson and two specialists in bath ...

Mix-and-match decor: In with the old … and in with the new

By Kim Cook Associated Press An early, painted Swedish sideboard next to a leather sectional. An ornate Italian walnut headboard on a bed dressed in featherweight linen. A collection of colorful 1930s Fiestaware pottery on a Lucite bookshelf. Mixing vintage and modern elements is one of the easier decorating techniques to employ. A little research can help with sourcing quality antiques, but combining old and new is mostly a matter of making sure the fun ``found” pieces or family heirlooms get along with the contemporary components. That introduction may take some tweaking so ...