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Faux Finishes Mimic Nature

It all began the moment you settled in to read the latest thriller from your favorite author and draped a faux sable blanket across your lap. Since then, your love affair with all things organic and lush has grown in intensity. Now it’s time to invite other faux finishes into your home to drive your interior design choices. From rugs to ceiling aesthetics and everything in between, here’s your guide to using budget-friendly faux finishes to make everything look a bit more luxe.

Mesmerize with Marble

The faux finishing technique of marbleizing replicates the intricate, variegated veins of real marble. This countertop and back splash is made of natural quartz designed to appear like marble.

Chameleon Design

Get the Look of Ancient Stone

Stone stands up to the test of time, but the cost can be prohibitive. That’s where artisan finishes on drywall or wood come in. The look of a faux stone finish is organic – even responsive to fluctuations in lighting.

Popular Mechanics

Nature at Your Feet

If you love the appearance of real wood flooring but loathe to undertake the upkeep or cost, tile that mimics the raw wonder of wood is easy to care. Faux wood tile flooring bears details once found only in nature, such as varying grains, concentric rings and knots, as well as a range of hues.

Chameleon Design

Wood Grain Craze

Enveloping cabinets or even walls in faux wood gain can mimic a range of looks from rustic to refined to exotic. The secret to trying this trend is to varying the direction of the grain to create the illusion of spaciousness in tight spaces.

Kelly Wearstler

Pantone’s Color of the Year Soothes the Soul

Does the pace of modern life have you yearning for the natural world? The Pantone Color Institute offers weary souls an antidote with its 2017 Color of the Year, called Greenery. The yellow-green minimalistic hue invites you to stop and breathe, disconnect from technology and reconnect with nature. Greenery is all about unity and community – and we can’t think of a better purpose for design.

Designing a Room from Scratch

Designing a room from a completely blank slate can be quite a daunting task! It can be difficult to know where to start and once you get going you need to be aware of the order you’re doing things to get the best results possible. There are also some basic design rules that are always good to keep in mind to give you that well-designed look that you’re hoping for. Whether it’s one room or your entire home, we’ve compiled some tips to help get you started:

Define Your Personal Style

When designing a room don’t just jump in, take your time to think about your personal style and the overall look you want to go for. Maybe you love mid-century modern or maybe it’s a more traditional look that excites you. Either way, making this determination from the get-go will guide every choice you make going forward and help you to put together a more cohesive look.

Photo: Amber Interiors

Mix It Up

Another way to think of this is to avoid being too matchy-matchy. If you decide you want to go with a modern look and purchase everything from the same store your space is going to be boring and you won’t be in love with the results. Have fun with the process and shop for items from various sources. The large commercial stores like West Elm are great to mix with custom items and even flea market finds.

Photo: C Magazine

Plan Your Space

Measure, measure, measure! Before shopping for your pieces it’s best that you measure and plan out your space on paper. This will ensure that everything you place will fit nicely in the room and not be too crowded or too empty. Another trick is to use painters tape to actually tape out dimensions in a room where you’re thinking of placing a sofa or bed. Do this before you buy so you don’t get stuck with anything that’s not a perfect fit!

Photo: Chameleon Design

Start with the Rug

If you select a rug you love for each room and build from there, you can’t go wrong. The rug will ground the space and with an endless array of fabrics, colors and patterns it will organically dictate how the rest of the room comes together. If you’re working with a carpeted room or don’t want to include a rug for whatever reason, start with the largest furniture piece and build from there. So for the bedroom it would be the bed and for the den it would be the sofa or entertainment center.

Photo: My Domain