OMG - Like your house is totally 80s!

It's okay when your walls are adorned with ATARI wall graphics from blik!.

Want to know a great place to find art for your home?

Believe it or not but on the street and not some fancy shmancy art gallery! I pass by some beautiful works of art at Union Square, down in SoHo and many other street corners!

taken from my blackberry camera

soigne performanc and visual artist (unique character): view his myspace page: HERE

taken from my blackberry camera

unknown artist

um, look past the mushroom stand! Yes, there's a farmer's market there, too!

hernan hernandez picture

boston.com picture

Share comments your comments and experiences: Have you ever purchased art off the street?

Champagne taste on a beer budget.

While I was riding the train this morning into Manhattan, I couldn't help but overhear two woman having a conversation while flipping through a Pottery Barn catalogue. The first woman said to the other, "I would love for my house to look like this but I just can't afford it. That is why I have done nothing to my apartment!" As the conversation went on, I learned she really has nothing in her apartment but a bed, a beat up old dresser, couch and tv. WHAT? There is no excuse not to decorate your home just because you cannot afford your favorite store or high end designer furniture!!!

If you already own a good quality couch, is given one or if you find an inexpensive one in a consignment shop. One solution is reupholstering! (I mention this in a previous blog, click here to view). Or add a slipcover for a quick inexpensive update or new look.

Second hand stores, Good Will, auctions and consignment shops are great places to find good quality furniture and home accessories that you can spruce up with a can of paint or adding new fabric to.

Another great way to cut corners is to purchase already made items and altering them to give them a more custom made look. For curtains you can add embellishments., such as, a thick border, in a contrasting but complimentary color, at the bottom or add a tassel or beaded fringe on the edge. For bookshelves, swap out the original back panel with bead board and paint it to match or in a contrasting color. How about adding mirror to the back of the bookshelf? Why not!

Below are pictures of pieces found in the Pottery Barn catalog and my suggestions for an inexpensive solution. Now, I just looked in two stores for this blog but remember, there are flea markets, second hand shops, auctions and a thousand other places to look for great bargains.

PB $1,200

IKEA $300

PB $700

IKEA$350

PB $199

IKEA $50

PB $250

IKEA $50

PB $650

PIER1 $350

PB $70-$100

IKEA $50

Just because you have Champagne taste on a beer budget, that should not be your excuse to do nothing with your home. Once you have found your inspiration and know what you like, there are many ways to get that look on a budget. Don't have the knack? Contact me, here, to give your home the look you want.

Searsucker for the home!

It's SUMMERtime! Call me old FASHIONED but nothing reminds me more of summer than wearing SEARSUCKER shorts, pants or suits. Dress up your home in a summer wardrobe with searsucker accessories!!!

bedding

window treatments

table clothes

Contact DelBene Interiors if you want to add a summery look to your home!

dispelling a Bad Reputation!

No you didn't stumble onto an automotive blog! And YES, that is the Michilin Tire Man! What the heck is HE doing on a blog about home decor?

The recliner above reminds me of Mr. Man!.

I have to say, I am not a fan of the traditional overstuffed recliner and I'm sure most designers and decorators agree that it has to be the bane of our work at times. We understand, they are comfortable, it's your favorite seat in the house, you have had it for years! Well you don't have to sacrifice good looks for comfort anymore. THAT'S RIGHT, YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT, TOO! Replace old faithful with a new GOOD LOOKING recliner. Take a look at these handsome guys below!

Wouldn't this one look hot in a media room?

home office?

in a modern living room!

images from Design Within Reach and Chelsea's Little Darlings.

You get the idea! With so many styles of recliners to choose from, there is no reason to invite the Michilin Tire Man into your home ever again! Sorry bud!!!

Guess who's making an appearance?

Gray!!!

Apparently, GRAY IS THE NEW CHOLATE!!! Well, in paint color that is. I wouldn't recommend eating it!

Gray can be found EVERYWHERE in bedrooms, baths, living rooms, dining rooms and yes, even kitchens! Kitchens? Who'd have thunk?

What I like about gray is that it is a calming color. It can go from shabby to chic, from modern to country and can either be cool or warm. For those people afraid to add color to their walls, GRAY IS THE PERFECT COLOR TO START WITH. It's basically adding color without really adding color!

Check out these beautifully done rooms:

The kitchens above are from Building Green in Vermont

The above pictures courtesy of Benjamin Moore gallery on flicker!

Want to add the right color gray into your home? Contact DelBene Interiors by visiting our website: www.delbeneinteriors.com

What are your design needs?

You see all those do it yourself shows and they make it look so damn easy decorating a room. Trust me, you are not alone if you find it difficult. If you are like me, you are attracted to so many different styles how do you know which one is right for you? Mid Century Modern, Scandinavian, Traditional, Contemporary, Transitional, Country (American, Brittish, French…). Aaaahhh, I love them all!!!!!! Relax, there is no right or wrong style BUT does the style match your lifestyle? This is what I had to ask myself prior to decorating my home.

This is where a decorator can help. We sit down with you and discuss your tastes, your likes and dislikes. Most importantly, we discuss your lifestyle (how YOU really live), because, a design isn’t going to work if it is totally opposite of your natural lifestyle.

Take a look at the rooms above, it's a clean streamline look that can be bold or subtle. What do you think? Do you like it? Some o you may not. It might come across as cold. I like it!!! To me it’s calming. However, this would NEVER work in my house. When I get home from work, I put my messenger bag on the floor next to a chest of drawers that I have in my foyer and plop the mail down on top of the chest. My kids take off their sneakers and put them on the floor next to my messenger bag. Drape a coat on the back of that sofa, pile mail and newspapers on the dining room table, or put a tote bag or a laundry basket on the floor at the foot of the bed and you will have disturb the blance of the design! This pristine style works when everything is in place. I love these rooms…mm mmm, but it’s not for me and my family!

How do you really live? Be honest and don’t let outside forces sway you. We have been programmed since birth how a house should be decorated. Times have changed and so has lifestyles since Victorian times or even the 50s, so why do we cling onto these old fashioned decorating rules?

When was the last time you used your dining room? I can guarantee the holidays or maybe a family members birthday. After that, your table is abandoned to collect dust for the remaining days of the year. As you probably read in many blogs, people are turning their dining rooms into libraries. Why not? Go grab your laptop and now it’s a home office, too.

The spare room, designated for guests. All fine and dandy if you have out of town friends or family members from other countries constantly visiting. If you’re big on crafting, why not turn it into the ultimate crafting room. No more lugging items back and forth from storage bins every night.

Have a closet that you don’t use? (I know I don’t but I’m sure someone out there does), turn that into an office or sewing room. Believe it or not, I knew somebody who turned two double closets in her upstairs hallway into a spare room for her grandchildren. When the kids are not there and closet doors closed, it looks like a regular hallway closet, but open the doors and you will find bunk beds and storage drawers. Each bed with it’s own reading lamp. I thought it amazing.

Interior decorating is an art not a science and there are endless design possibilities in your home if you really just dig deep inside and see what you truly need and like.

If you have any design questions contact me or your local designer for help.