Embrace the Bold: A Guide to Maximalist Decor

 How To Go Big In Your Home And Bring In Color, Pattern, And Texture 

This week, we’re going big, we’re going bold, we’re going maximalist. If you’re tired of coloring inside the lines or always being told only keep what you need, this decor style might be for you. Learn what maximalism is, what the elements are that make it up, and how you can bring it into your home. 

Courtesy of decoredoo.

Courtesy of ksenia-chernaya

What is Maximalist Decor

Maximalist decor is a style that’s best summed up by “Be vivid, be bold, and show off your passions! ” It’s the dead opposite of minimalism. It’s about pattern and texture, color and light, and most of all, it’s about showing off the interests of the homeowner. It’s about taking what you love and showing it off, making it the highlight of the room or your home rather than just on a shelf here and there.  

Maximalism can be said to have started in the Victorian era, although people argue about when and where exactly. Although it wasn’t called maximalism at the time, it was all about showing off your wealth by displaying treasures, luxurious fabrics, textures, and your collections. What’s important to understand is that although it was initially a way to show off just how rich you were, it has evolved beyond that point. It’s a fluid, individualistic style that focuses on your joy.  It’s about making bold decisions on color, pattern, texture, and form when it comes to your space, blending them together into something that represents you and is striking and playful. 

Some of the people most known for maximalism today are Kelly Wearstler, Martin Brudnizki, and Dorothy Draper.  All of them get that maximalism isn’t just about showing off something impressive and enviable but about creating a space that is fun and brings joy. 

What are some specific elements of Maximalist Decor?

- It’s clean and curated

Maximalism walks a thin line between showing off what you love and being a chaotic clutter.  It’s not about filling every available space, and it’s actually better if you keep working areas like coffee tables, desks, etc., relatively clear. This bit of practicality makes the space more practical to live in rather than just look at. Part of the joy of the style is the intentional curation, after all. 

- Having one or two leading features that will shape the rest of the room. These are the pieces that are going to catch the viewer’s eye. Whether it’s vivid furniture, ornate carpentry, a statement light fixture, or plant life, pick one or two to be the highlight of the room. 

- Coordinating layers. Layer in the things that you love around those fixture pieces so that they echo it.  It’s all about curation at this stage, so feel free to go slowly. 

-Go bold in your color choices. When it comes to colors and maximalism, it’s all about being bold. This doesn’t necessarily mean neons; instead, it’s about choosing rich and sumptuous colors. Patterns are also always a plus, especially if you can coordinate patterns. 

How can YOU bring Maximalist Decor into your home?

If you want to redo your home with maximalist decor, we suggest taking a 5 step process. 

- Stop and think about it. Look at the different inspiration pictures you’ve saved and consider if you would be okay with the entirety of your home being done that way. If the answer is no? Or you’re thinking you can just do a little bit in that direction? We suggest looking at a similar style but not maximalism. Maximalism doesn’t have a ‘light’ setting. It’s all or nothing, which is sort of the point. 

- Do you want each room to be a separate theme, or do you want everything to connect together? If it’s the latter, consider what your thread will be; what is going to be the same throughout every room? 

Courtesy of decoredoo.

- Pick out central colors and sort things accordingly. Whether you decide to have each room be different or have a common thread, you want the rooms to be cohesive, rather than dizzying or overwhelming. We know it’s a fine line to walk, but it can be done, and part of that is picking out your united colors or color palette. 

- Focus on comfort before anything else. You’re the one living here, you need to be happy with it. 

-Be vivid, be bold, and show off your passions!

What about you? Do you think you could go with the maximalist look in your home? Let us know why or why not on our Facebook page! 

If you wound up here because you need help with your appliances and not your interior decor, you’re still in the right space. Appliance Rescue Service serves the DFW area from Dallas to McKinney, from Coppell to Garland and everywhere in between. You can reach us by calling ((214) 599-0055) or by going to our contact page. 

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The Charm of French Riviera Decor

Channeling the Coastal Elegance Into Your Home

If you want to bring a touch of five-star elegance to your home, look no further than the French Riviera. From Saint Tropez to Cannes and Nice, the Riviera has inspired interior design for over a century. Imagine the wind in your hair stretched out under a white linen tent and a glass of chilled wine in hand. The Riviera has been a resort area since Roman times and has developed a style that reaches deep into the past while still being unique and modern.

What are some color schemes that work well with French Riviera decor? 

On your walls white is the only thing you need. Wherever you go on the Riviera, your walls are largely uninterrupted White. Whether you want to go plaster or whitewash, you want to go with crisp linen to add movement; as long as it's white, you're on the right track. 

Not only does white allow light to be bounced back and thus heat to be bounced back, it also keeps rooms that might otherwise feel small and cramped feeling much more open and airy. You'll choose your white depending on the intention of the room and how much natural light you've got coming in, but you're looking for something very bright and pure.

Courtesy of quark-studio

When you start wanting to add color, look to blue first. Whether that is a pale and light Wedgewood blue from old English china or the brilliant and stunning blue of lapis, it's still your first go-to color. The Riviera is known for its blue skies in all shades, and that's what you're recreating here. Pair it with the rich earthy tones of terracotta, and you'll have a very good recreation of the sky and the sand of the Riviera. Bring in some gold and pale pinks for details and accessories, and you can bring in an upscale and modern atmosphere. Golds and rich deep coffees are also wonderful for layering in depth and accentuating the luxurious surroundings.

What are the key elements of French Riviera decor, and how can you incorporate them into your home? 

Natural Fibers 

Courtesy of dương-nhân

Now that you've chosen your color palette and chosen the specific white for your walls, it's time to look at filling your home with the different furniture that you need. Although you can make French Riviera Decor very modern, it's also a very old style. 

Start with looking to natural fibers. Cool crisp linens, hide, leather, cotton, and short-pile wool are all ideal for the furniture and rugs that you want around your home. Opt for white textiles with white work embroidery to bring in a more upscale and suite-like feeling.

Courtesy of maria-orlova

Think of furniture also made from natural materials like cane or willows in small doses around the room. 

Look To The Past

For more statement pieces, we're looking at a period-informed style. French interiors have never really recovered from the impact of Napoleon the First's neoclassical style, and that is obvious in the way many decors are layered with inherited furniture, art collections, and various gilded bits and bobs. The French Riviera look is actually a carefully curated mix of French history and culture, with Roman and Greek smashed together with coastal light drifting throughout. It is a very light, soft, and floaty design. In terms of furniture, you only need a few well-spaced upscale pieces. It must be in shades of either mahogany or ebony and when balanced against the space and whiteness of the room, allows it to act as an anchor. You wouldn't necessarily load up your wall and go high Victorian or cottage core. When you're dealing with the heat of the Riviera, you want air to be able to move, which inside means as much space as you can have. 

Windows 

A quick note on windows and window treatments, white, white, more white. You don't want creams or grays, you might go for some blues in tiny details, but for the most part, it's more white. Reach for linens and cotton for your curtains, and if you can use or install floor-to-ceiling windows, do it.

Feeling the Seaside Vibe

If you're looking to bring some more beach-y looks to your new decore, look for whether you can add in stripes. You'll want to go with either tans or marine blue for the oh-so-classic deck chair. You can even go for some windswept pieces scattered around as decor but don't go so far that you end up with a rustic or beach-shack look. 

Let Yourself Be Flashy 

Courtesy of pavel-danilyuk

Crystal is a wonderful way to evoke the jet set of the Riviera when used in restrained doses. Swaying in long chains to create a chandelier or used on a candelabra here or there, the beautiful prisms that they create add to the room without overpowering it. 

With that, we'll close out another monthly decor series. What do you think? Where does French Riviera decor rate on your scale? Let us know over on our Facebook! As always, we want to hear from you. 

If you're daydreaming about getting away to the French Riviera because your appliances have been up and quit because of the heat, we can help. Reach out to us at our offices ((214) 599-0055) or by going over to our contact page. So long as you're within our area of Texas, we would love to help get your home running smoothly again. 

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Bring a Touch of the Mediterranean to Your Living Space: A Guide

Mediterranean style is something of a catch-all term in the United States and beyond when it comes to architecture interior design and decorating. However the concept comes not just from Greece Italy or Spain but instead from all of the 21 countries that surround the Mediterranean Sea. So you can look to Portugal or turkey, Egypt or Morocco just as easily. So although we are boiling down the design elements to their most key components we highly advise you to look to these other countries when it comes to adding your own twist and making it yours. 

Indoor Outdoor Living 

Courtesy of Albrecht Fietz

One of the key elements, if not the key elements of Mediterranean style is a blend of indoor outdoor living. The people surrounding the Mediterranean Sea have a focus on being connected to nature and their home is just as much outdoors as it is indoors. So you'll want to start looking at ways you can reflect that in your own home. This can mean everything from building and outdoor kitchen and dining room, to making sure you have large windows to let the breeze move through your home easily, or bringing some of your garden indoors. Almost every aspect of what makes this decor style, ties back to this.

Natural Colors 

 For Mediterranean decor you will be drawing primarily from natural colors look to put together a portfolio that reflects the sea and the sky and the earth in these areas. While it doesn't matter where you use these, these are what will make up your color palettes.  

Spaces Focused On Community

Courtesty of Kerstin Riemer

Many of the countries and cultures which surround the Mediterranean see have a very strong focus on family and family ties and community. For this reason the home is typically organized around either a central courtyard or the kitchen depending on where you are. This is because it's not your bedroom or office that are the heart of the home it is where you can gather with friends and family. So when designing your home make sure that your focus is on these communal spaces ensuring that where people will be is the most comfortable.

Using Natural Materials

Stone, marble, terracotta all of these are go to materials for your floors. Not only do they help in keeping your home cool during warm summer months always a bonus in Texas, but additionally they continue the feeling of bringing the outside in. They also stick mostly to the natural color palettes.

Patterned Tiles

Courtesy of Jason Goh

When you want to bring in a splash of color there are tons of places to hide patterned tiles. These can be used on your floor, on walls, in alcoves, sterilizers the possibilities are as boundless as your creativity. You can also mix and match textures and patterns to bring in your personality. 

Make Sure To Look Up

Exposed beams call back to older building styles and very reflective of Mediterranean style. They are wonderful for adding warmth and a cozy feeling to any room. Best of all if your home doesn't have these naturally you can fake them. With a bit of searching online there are several different ways to fake this look depending on what your budget and skill level is.

Courtesy of Tatiana Syrikova

Start From A Neutral Background 

Courtesy of Moy Caro

When it comes to the base layer of your room, the floors, the walls, the ceilings, start from neutral. Give your walls of whitewashed look or use stucco to add texture but you'll want to stick to light neutrals in order to keep the temperature down. Also don't be afraid of imperfections on your walls or your floors. Whether that's a scuff mark from when moving furniture or a ding that got put in the floor it's part of what makes the home and it adds a certain age especially if you wash over it with glazes or whitewash

Furnishing Done Right 

Furniture is most often made from wood while it doesn't have to be big heavy pieces they are common to the style. Furniture can range from the functional to the formal with big heavy pieces to thin highly carved details. Your hardware and other metal work is most often going to be made of wrought iron. You'll also want to look for natural materials like linen, cotton, or jute. Then for wall hangings or storage, look to rattan, wicker, and sea grass. 

That's our breakdown on Mediterranean Style, let us know what you thought over on our Facebook page! 

If you're here because your washer has leaked all over and precipitated this drastic change in style, we can help. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at (). We'll work with you to get your home running smoothly again. Whether you live in McKinney, Frisco or Allen, we'll work out a time that fits your needs to send one of our technicians out to your home to find and solve the problem with your appliances. 

So? What do you think? Are you going to be doing a Mediterranean staycation? Or is this just not for you? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.

If you wound up here because you're needing help with your appliances, however, I'm not your decorating, we can still help. Reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). Appliance rescue service we want to get your home running smoothly again. We will work with you wherever you live in the Dallas metro area.

A Few Key Elements And Your Home Will Be Your Own Mediterranean Getaway! 

Industrial Chic: Transforming Your Space with Rustic Elements

Maybe there’s another way to look at old spaces?

Industrial Decor comes from the '90s as many City centers in North America started transitioning their shut-down warehouses and manufacturing plants into condos or apartment buildings. Instead of trying to pretend that the building hadn't previously been a warehouse, they would feature the details. Industrial Decor became known for preserving that grungy open and exposed feeling. This type of design is mostly about obtaining a cold, eerie look. Rather than something to gentrify, this became the selling point for many of these new homes.

The great thing about industrial decor is that you don't need to have purchased a warehouse to achieve the look. With a bit of outside-of-the-box thinking, you can manage this even in the middle of suburbia. 

 The key elements of industrial interior design include:

A Mix Of Grays, Neutrals, And Rustic Colors 

As is with many different styles, you'll want to start by building up your color palette. While heading straight to Black or White might seem the obvious choice, more natural and worn colors are really what you should look at. If your space has a lot of room, go ahead and utilize an accent wall in some of the darker tones like charcoal gray, or a deep brick, or umber. If on the other hand your space is a little smaller or maybe the ceiling isn't particularly high, go ahead and use something like a light gray rather than straight white. This will give it the open effect, but it won't detract from the look you're trying to gain. You would also be surprised by the amount of blues, charcoals, and brick tones that you can bring in with this decor style.

An example of some options for an industrial design.

A Raw And Unfinished Look 

Courtesy of Abo Adam

Now that you've got your color decided on, let's make the room look unfinished in order to eventually give it a finished cohesive look (haha). What we mean by this is if your room has molding or baseboards? Get rid of them. If you've got a brick or stone fireplace that maybe was painted at some point, strip it down. If you've got wall to wall carpeting and you know you've got wood floors underneath it, rip it out and it was a little bit of oil you'll have an amazing floor. As with many things in our Decor series, these are options. All of these add to the look of a piece being unfinished, but it's up to you decide what you want to go with.

 Concrete Flooring 

Courtesy of Max Rahuboviskiy - Check out the concrete floor!

Given how many of the original industrial buildings would have been floored in concrete, this is a staple of the look. However if you cannot or do not want to rip your house down to concrete floors, there are other ways to achieve the look without having to destroy your house. You can instead get tiles that look like concrete. You can get peel-and-stick flooring for the same look. You can even lay down a vinyl wrap to achieve what you want. Each of these gives you different amounts of flexibility and ingenuity based on your budget and needs.

 Utilitarian Objects 

   Utilitarian objects are ones which serve their purpose without a lot of extraneous detail or ‘fluff’. There is still a sort of austere beauty to pieces that are simple. They bring joy in their simplicity or in how well they do their job. You can balance this by bringing in pop or abstract art and plant life to bring color and detail to a room. 

 A Use Of Old Vintage Factory And Lab Pieces

Courtesy of Farida Najafguliyeva

 If you want to bring in something special, you might look at incorporating antique or vintage factory and lab pieces. You can often pick them up from sales or thrift stores if you happen to live in the city.  Additionally, you can often find some of the classic fixtures and "Edison bulbs" at hardware stores that carry interior lighting. Cogs and gears are often thought of, but you should look beyond that. Look for pieces that can serve a purpose in your home now, such as repurposing an old chain to hold plants or a table top to act as the backing for a mirror. (Of course there are many more options that we could come up with right now, but these are ones we’ve seen.) 

 Large Sectionals 

Courtesy of Olena Bohovyk

Because of the large amounts of space within many transformed warehouses, bigger furniture was better. Being a sectional just means that you can easily take it apart and move it how you want, whether that’s several small seats or one giant couch for everyone to pile onto. 

 Wood And Metal Surfaces 

Courtesy of My walking Diary

Just like the floors and walls were often left bare, you might want to bring in very simple furniture to reflect the same. This is also a good choice if you’re not living in a converted warehouse and want to get the look anyway. Using reclaimed or recycled wood paired with metal piping to construct tables and shelving is a good example of how this can be achieved.  Using antique light fixtures with metal finishes is also something that is very common and fits well with the look. 

As always, we hope that you enjoyed our take on this aspect of home decor. Will you take on an industrial design at some point? Let us know why or why not over on our Facebook page.

If it is not your love of decor but instead your hatred of your malfunctioning dishwasher that has brought you to us today, you're still in the right place. At Appliance Rescue Service, we take care of all major appliances and work with you to get your home running smoothly again. When you reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055), we'll work with you to set up a time and date that works with your schedule to send out one of our experienced technicians. Whether you live in Plano, Carrollton, or Garland, we want to help.

Modern Victorian: How To Achieve the Look In Your Home

Bringing the Historical To Your Home

Did you ever dream of the Victorian period's lavish balls and parlor rooms? Or watch a show or movie set in the time and wish you could decorate your home the same way? Well, you absolutely can. 

The Victorian period stretched from 1837 to 1901 roughly. You saw a certain style within the homes of the well-to-do, the aristocracy, and the nobles. It was easy to identify by an exuberance of ornamentation influences from throughout history and handicrafts. It was also often compartmentalized, breaking rooms into smaller pieces and rather dark, given the shape and space allowed for homes in England. Although the Victorian period has ended, our love of it hasn't. Victorian style has been mixed, remixed, and adapted in various ways, which is why it's still so popular.

Remember that you can still pull off a Victorian style even if you don't have a large Victorian manner or an old home. All you need is a few of these tips.

Highlight Good Bones, Don't Hide Them 

 Rather than hiding the bones of your home, bring attention to them. Do you have wood flooring, any marble, or dark framework? Great! And if you don't naturally have this, there's a decent way you can imitate it. You can also refurbish and draw attention to old brickwork fireplaces, radiators, and mantles.

Pair Ornamentation With Simplicity 

Victorian homes were packed to the brim with detail, which can be very overwhelming to modern comfort. Instead, try allowing room for each. Put a heavily detailed piece in the middle of an open wall.

Imitate The Look Of Bay Windows 

 Even if your home doesn't come naturally with bay windows, you can still have the look of these beautiful Victorian features. You can use a pair of double-door Shutters to frame an entryway, such as a solarium or orangery.

Yes, Your Lighting Does Matter 

As we said up top Victorian homes were often dark. This came from the time of the industrial revolution, at least if they were in London. The fog at the time was so thick that lamps would be lit by mid-afternoon. Add to that that most lamps were not electric yet but were instead still powered by gas. So lighting was either what little natural lighting you could get through your windows or provided by lamplight and candles. For the modern reader, though, you want something else. Instead, when choosing your lighting, think of each piece as part of the whole room. They can all be bold, sumptuous, and intricate but they should also work together. Choose pieces that mimic one another, even if it is in subtle ways.

Juxtapose Scales

 Victorian homes were often private collections of The eclectic and strange. If you're not interested in building your own cabinet of curiosities (if you are, we'll get to that further down), consider instead using scale. Pair large patterns with smaller paintings or oversized bookshelves in a small room. It gives you the same feeling of drama that the Victorians loved without needing your home to be so cluttered.

Work In The Natural

Victorians loved nature from their perspective of manicured gardens to their floor arrangements to their decor. If they could bring in the natural world, they did. It makes sense to find places you can do the same. Can you bring in accessories made from natural fibers? Can you bring in furniture made of wicker or rattan? Do you have a love for botanical drawings that you can frame and hang?

Carefully Curate Your Clutter

Remember how we were talking about curio cabinets? This is that concept. In a Victorian home, you curate what gets displayed, and the rest gets hidden in stylish cabinets. Feature finds from your latest vacation, favored books, or strange things you've discovered over time. 

Go For Bold

On a final note, don't be afraid to go big and bold. Victorian decor was much more colorful than today's styles. Bring in jewel tones and huge patterns; there's no limit. What matters is how you balance these things. 

Are you as in love with Modern Victorian as we are? Let us know over on our Facebook page! 

If you're here because "redoing your home" started because of a flood thanks to your washer, we can help. Reach out to us via phone at ((214) 599-0055) or our contact page, and we will work with you to find a date and time to send one of our expert technicians over. At Appliance Rescue Service, our goal is to help you and get your home running smoothly again.