The decade of greed has been replaced by the decade of need. We just don’t shop, garden or decorate like we did a few years ago.
American Homestyle magazine calls the change in attitude “The New Thrift”-saving money without sacrificing style. Lyn Peterson, interior designer and president of Motif Designs in New Rochelle, N.Y., describes it as “real-life decorating.”
No matter what you call it, the principle’s the same: The way a room looks is still important, but the way we feel when we sit on the sofa is even more important. The new fabrics are prewashed, comfortable and look as if they’ve been around for years. We have learned to recycle furniture as well as grass clippings. And “I did it myself” has become a battle cry as we paint our walls and sew our own slipcovers.
All this practicality, though, doesn’t mean we’re not occasionally investing in a new piece of furniture or spending a couple of hundred bucks for a great new gadget. But the experts say we’re shopping with more savvy these days.
So what things can make your home more comfortable this year? And where should you splurge? Here are some suggestions:
– Colors with courage. This is no time to be a color coward. Trade in your safe white or cream walls. The color wheel has spun to rich, saturated, unexpected hues.
Gold is back. Make it amber-done in several layers of paint to look like the textured walls of a Tuscan villa.
Or start with bold strokes in small areas. Paint a foyer an outrageous cinnabar red with bright white trim. Try magenta or eggplant on the dining room ceiling so the color casts an attractive glow on you and your guests. Or keep the walls peach and accent with woodwork in deep coral.
– Stamp collection. Love the look of stencils, but lack the confidence to decorate with them?
These days custom details have become easier even if you flunked Art 101. Trade the stencils for easy-to-use stamp-and-ink kits, and any klutz can decorate walls, floors, furniture, mirrors and metal.
Ballard Designs’ latest catalog (call 404-351-5099) offers the ink kits with gold, silver, black, blue, green or white ink for $24.50 each; a variety of stamps (stars, cherubs, pears, diamonds, crowns, Roman characters and silverware) cost $7 to $8.50 each.
– Painted finishes. One of the best ways to add a focal point to a dull room is with a painted chest or armoire.
The painted pieces fit in with any style decor. They range from simple folk art cabinets to elaborate bombe chests fit for a European king.
And you don’t have to pay a king’s ransom for custom pieces, as was the case in the past. Several furniture manufacturers, including Lexington, Simply Southern and Habersham Plantation, have unveiled painted pieces during recent furniture markets in High Point, N.C. They also can be found in small specialty stores and in home furnishings catalogs. Or, if you’re really on a tight budget, buy an old chest in a used furniture store and decorate it yourself with stencils.
– Safety valve. Europeans have been using temperature safety valves on bathtubs and showers for more than a dozen years, but they’ve just recently caught on in the United States.
These days new homes in most states are required to include safety valves. But building and safety experts also recommend installation for older homes with small children, the elderly or the physically infirm.
One option is the pressure balancing valve-a device that prevents scalding if someone flushes the toilet and changes the water pressure. It sells for about $200.
