Kari's Korner!

So, I've been asking for some design challenges from some of my friends and readers and here's the top two:

1. What to do with junk on your nightstand..., and

2. Large and Empty Walls

Problem#1 - What to do with your nightstand

One of my coworkers says that she doesn't know what to do with her books, rings and other jewelry, and storage on/in her nightstand.  I struggled with this too.

First thing I did, was get a nightstand with a drawer.  This will help you contain the inevitable mess.  I bought mine at Target and LOVE them, plus they were inexpensive.  Here is sort of what they look like:

They have one drawer and a shelf underneath.  So, i keep all of my ugly stuff in the drawer (remotes, pens, lotion, manicure kit, paper, and my scriptures - not that those are ugly, I just don't have room for them on the top of my nightstand.)  I keep a lamp, a coaster (for my nightly glass of whatever) and a little orange dish I use for my jewelry/hair clips or whatever on the top of my nightstand:

You can use whatever you'd like.  Just make sure to pick something small, and something that fits with your bedroom decor.  Here are some other options:

For the Romantic

For the Beachy Gal

For the very feminine girly-girl.
(They are actually candle holders, but would work well on a nightstand for small jewelry)

On a side note, I asked my husband to bring me an orange dish or bowl, and he brought me this:

He's a funny guy :)

As far as other unattractive stuff like books, nail polish, extra cords, etc, the best thing to do is either put them in your drawer or get a really pretty box or basket to put on the lower shelf to house all of those things.  Here are some ideas:

I am in LOVE with that metal chest!  And all of these items are less than $15 at Tai Pan Trading Co.  

(I could seriously live there)

It's all about marrying function with form.  Why can't we have both??

Problem #2: The Great [Empty] Wall

My other female co-worker just got married this summer and, as those of us who have been married for a while will probably remember, has a large amount of wall space, nothing to fill that space, and little funds to change that. 

One way is scale.  If you have a large wall space, fill it with large things. If you have a small wall space, fill it with smaller things.  The other way is repetition.  This can make a huge impact in your space.  Either one can be used successfully - it just depends on your design preference.

This wall presents a unique problem because there needs to be separation, without feeling like it's simply divided.  This can be done with furniture and art to make the wall seem less endless.

Here is the room so y'all can see it:

The other side

And look - a CUTE photo collection!
 From the post The Photo Wall

To scale down a big wall, you need BIG artwork. But, big artwork doesn't have to be expensive.  We have a HUGE mirror in our bedroom (post coming in 2014) that cost less than $50.  You could also get a canvas from the craft store and make your own art.  My hubby did this for a class and he had SO much fun:

From the post Bookshelves

You can also stretch a beautiful piece of fabric over a large canvas or wooden frame:

Use coordinating fabrics, or
different parts of the pattern on the fabric to really get some impact!

You can also hang a beautiful rug on the wall. This is slowly making a come-back and looks really cool:

 Now, as far as dividing the room, that can be done with a tall bookshelf against the wall to create two spaces, or you can use a tall floor lamp to visually break up the space.  

Another idea is to change color schemes with the art as you decorate room to room.  This will give the illusion of different spaces, without doing major construction or spending a lot of unnecessary money.

Repetition can be really cool if done well.  Here are a few examples of repetition done right:

For the artist

For the music-lover

Well I hope these helped all of you with some interior design questions!

Keep those questions coming!

(mocklidesigns@gmail.com)

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Happy Decorating!