Designers offer tips for holiday home decor

Even though designers promote new color schemes for Christmas decorating each year, William J. “Buzzy” Heroman says people in Baton Rouge generally prefer the traditional.

“Most of the people we see go for red and gold or red, green and gold,” says Heroman, owner of Billy Heroman’s and the fourth generation of his family in the florist business.

That’s not to say there aren’t those who want a tree decorated in apple green and white or even one with an LSU theme.

Every family has its own tradition when it comes to decorating the Christmas tree. Some prefer the monochromatic look with ornaments all in the same color or theme.

“Some people have trees with every homemade ornament their children ever made,” says Heroman.

The first choice people have to make is whether to get an artificial tree.

“So many men want an artificial tree, but the wife wants the live tree,” says Heroman, who has the perfect solution.

Get the artificial tree and a Fraser fir-scented candle that smells exactly like a fresh tree.

“Everybody is happy,” he says.

Buying an artificial tree or any artificial greenery is an important purchase that requires some study, Heroman says.

He recommends items made of a combination of silk and polyvinyl.

“The harder plastic doesn’t look as nice as you want,” he says. “The better stuff is a blend — a blend of five or six different textures. With proper care and storage, these trees can last for many years.”

Sometimes, when the children are grown and families downsize or move to smaller homes, they no longer want to decorate as elaborately as they did in the past.

“Put a small tree on a box or crate and skirt it down,” recommends Heroman. “Or take a lamp off a table and put up a three- or four-foot tree. You don’t have to have a seven-foot tree.”

One of the biggest trends in Christmas decorating over the past decades has been the rise of Christmas collectibles.

Santas, elves, religious figures and angels are among the most popular items. This year, Heroman’s has a new collection of porcelain carolers.

“People still love the Annalee Christmas dolls that have been hand-painted in New Jersey for 75 years,” he says.

His advice when considering collectibles is to go for the best quality.

“Buy one nice item a year,” he said. “That way you will acquire a really fine collection.”

If you have only one piece, put it on the mantel or on a small table.

Over the years, as you acquire more pieces, you can create the display on a larger surface.

Heroman traces his family’s business to his great-grandfather, Fred Heroman, who had a shop across from St. Joseph Catholic Church, now St. Joseph Cathedral.

“He started selling religious articles,” Heroman recalls. “The story is that he knew a man who knew a man who sold mums (chrysanthemums). They asked him to decorate the altar at the church for All Saint’s.”

That led to other holidays and what is now “the oldest business as a family in Baton Rouge,” he says.

Heroman and his wife, Susie, are already planning for Christmas 2014.

In January, they will go with at least seven family members and employees to market to purchase items that will be delivered in early summer.

“We walk a million different miles,” he said. “We don’t miss a showroom. We don’t want to miss a thing.

Home: no place like it

I was on the road a lot, for a few years, selling books like a salesman sells brushes (except these, of course, are magic brushes), and one of the great pleasures of being a writer on the move is that you can talk to anyone. People tell you things.

Sometimes, at a foreign book festival, it would be my job to talk to the money, which is how I found myself, in the years after the crash, sitting beside one or other jet-lagged Master of the Financial Universe and keeping the conversation going, which is to say talking about him.

These men have their problems too. One guy is living in Hong Kong, the tax rate is 16 per cent but he can’t let his children outdoors because of the smog. Another is based in Singapore, where real-estate prices are through the roof. He has an enthusiastic number of children who have to be educated in three or four countries, with all the attendant expenses, whether Oxbridge, or Ivy League, or some liberal-arts place in Pennsylvania that no no one has ever heard of.

It is clear this man feels guilty about the amount of money he earns, and trapped by the amount of money he needs to earn. He lives in an international space. He wakes up in the middle of the night and does not know which hotel he is in or whether the bathroom is to the left or the right. So I say, “Why don’t you go home?”

“Home?” he says. Home is New Zealand. It is a beautiful place. The schools, he agrees, are mostly free and mostly fine. But no, he cannot go home. His brother is there – an architect. An out-of-work architect. There is nothing for him to do in New Zealand. He cannot go home.

I might have pointed out that it was men like him who put men like his brother out of work, but I am struck by his melancholy, the way he lifts his eyes and sees New Zealand, somewhere on the white tablecloth between the floral display and the bottle of red wine. He looks like Odysseus remembering Ithaca, or Dorothy Kansas: he is pining for a place he is too rich to live in any more.

Of course Penelope is faithfully waiting for Odysseus to return, and Auntie Em could never stop worrying about Dorothy. Home is the place where a woman loves you from. But although it is my all-time favourite thing to do to a man, I do not ask this very rich, slightly disoriented man about his mother. He has problems enough as it is.

You see them at the front of the plane, a global community of money men, tethered to the planet at one or other tax point, effectively stateless. As the money washes over and the money washes back, they move with it, and all of them are going to retire some day to a place they can call their own. As opposed to one of the many places they just own.

At least that is what they say they want to do, but I have my doubts: I don’t think they are ever going to make it back to Kansas.

At another one of these festivals, in Germany, I meet a young woman called Alice, who is studying transnational fiction. This is a very trendy academic area – a friend in the United States says that Irish studies are in decline there, it’s all transnational studies now: migrants, emigrants; it is all about the intercultural experience; exile, alienation, flow.

Alice says this is all very well, but it suits people to say that we are free to move around now. Information moves across borders and money moves across borders and we think that people move too, but if you are, say, a Somali refugee in Dadaab refugee camp (population nearly 400,000) then a border is a very real thing and being “stateless” is very far from being trendy or unfettered.

Spice up your home with orange decor

Editor's note: Welcome to CNN's Open House, an interactive, online tour of iReporters' houses that showcases incredible decor. Space by space, we'll feature beautiful design moments and learn from decorators' experience.

(CNN) -- It wasn't so long ago that orange fell off the home decor color wheel. After a decade of being associated with popular appliance colors like "avocado green" and "harvest gold" (ah, the '70s), orange became outdated and was quietly dropped from the roster.

But, as Mark Woodman, the president of the Color Marketing Group points out, a color as bold as orange is never gone for good. (He should know. The Color Marketing Group forecasts the colors major industries, manufacturers and services will use one to three years in advance.)

In recent home decor trends such as "modern global" and the Chinoiserie revival, orange has been a key player in shades of pumpkin, cinnabar, terra cotta, vermillion and coral.

"The beauty of orange is its energetic appeal in almost all of its values," Woodman said. Especially in its brighter spectrum, orange is considered fun, upbeat and unique, he said.

But even as colors come and go in popular use (orange is already beginning to cycle down in popularity, with cooler blues taking the forefront in design and color news), orange always comes to mind as the weather cools down.

"Fall decorating will often take its clues from the natural world," Woodman said. "As leaves change color, we are introduced to a collection of reds, browns, golds and, of course, oranges. Of them all, the orange seems most to be the last vestige of summer joy. So it becomes a bridge color, hovering between the golds and browns with a hint of the past season marrying the coming season."

Perhaps it won't be so easy to let go of our orange decor as fabric and furniture trends continue to evolve, Woodman said.

While orange is the natural complement to the brand new blues soon to be seen in the home furnishing aisles of major retailers, the real future of the hue, Woodman said, is metallic: Think "copper."

"It is poised to be the metal to embrace in coming years and will keep orange alive," he said.

"In the end, orange has been embraced by so many that we won't want to see it go," Woodman said. "It may step back for a bit and become more subtle, but we will always want its bit of fun and energy."

Want to add orange to your home's color palette? Here are anecdotes and advice from this week's Open House contributors:

Take inexpensive risks
Don't miss out on the conversation we're having at CNN Schools of Thought. Follow us on Twitter @CNNschools or on CNN Living on Facebook for the latest stories and to share your perspective.

"If you're afraid to use color in your home, choose an inexpensive way to add color like pillows or bedding. These things can be replaced (more) easily and effortlessly than, say, an expensive orange couch or chair. Using neutral elements like gray curtains and white walls gives a bold color a resting place so that the room isn't too overwhelming. It also keeps the look fresh." -- Holly Modica, Old Lyme, Connecticut

Less is more

"Pair orange with cooler colors, and use it more as an accent to add a small dose. It also works well with metals: copper, gold and brass. With black or darker colors, orange can be a bit too 'heavy.' " -- Emily Clark, Charlotte, North Carolina

Mix it up

"My husband loves bright orange, not the muted fall orange, because bright orange is represented in his school colors. I fell in love with the color, too, and wanted it somewhere else in our home. I love the combo of pink, gold and orange, and that's what inspired me to paint the little box under our coffee table in that color combination. It is eye catching to say the least. While it's not for everyone, I have to say that I love it." -- Julie Konya

Bed-Stuy Couple Brings New Home Decor Shop to Former True South Storefront

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A new home decor and gift shop is opening just in time for the holidays in Bed-Stuy, occupying a storefront that fomerly housed an independent black history bookstore.

Peace & Riot Pop-Up is owned by longtime Bed-Stuy resident and business owner Achuziam Maha and husband Lionel Sanchez, who say they're trying to fill a void for everyday gifts like greeting cards, candles and bath and beauty products.

"We're really trying to fill a lot of holes I think are in this neighborhood," said Maha, who previously owned the African home decor shop Ibo Landing. "We can't fill everything, but I definitely want to fill some of them."

The shop opens on Black Friday at 492 Nostrand Ave., the former home of the True South bookstore. The independent book seller, which focused on black history and culture, was threatened with eviction shortly after shop owner Monroe Brown was sent to the hospital with a stroke and brain anuerysm.

Brown's son, Ajamu Brown, tried to save the shop by holding a fundraiser, but ultimately couldn't afford the newly-raised rent. It closed in late September.

Now Maha and Sanchez hope they can bring a new sense of community to the area. In addition to selling gifts and furniture, the two plan to hold events in the space, including Easter egg hunts and concerts for kids, as well as art exhibitions.

Maha said she was inspired to create a more community-focused space by her grandmother, who lived just a block away in the house the couple now shares, and who every week opened her doors for community members to share her meals.

"I feel like it's my job to continue some of the stuff she was trying to do," Maha said of her grandmother. "[Making] sure we're tied to the community is important."

The two owners met at a concert 13 years ago and "haven't stopped talking since," Maha said. They were bandmates, started dating and were married four years ago.

Maha, an interior designer by trade, began looking for a location to open her new shop last year, and she jumped at the opportunity when the Nostrand Avenue location opened up.

Sanchez, who was laid off from Universal Music last year, decided to bring his social media and design skills to help the shop grow.

"I was always helping her whenever I could anyway," Sanchez said. "It was her vision that brought us to this place. I wanted to support it.'"

Now the two are each bringing their own spin to the shop, using the message in the store's name — Peace & Riot — to focus on the contrast in the items they sell: Maha focuses on more traditional items like furniture and candles, while Sanchez will stock the store with useful knick-knacks like novelty USB hubs and cooking equipment.

"We collaborate in everything," the Bronx-born Sanchez said. "We collaborate in life, we've collaborated in music— we just know how to work together."

Simple Internal Design Guidelines for Your Home

The style in which your house seems to be declares a lot about your individualities, that's why the way in which you set up your house decorations are really important in how you carry on. We are available in a fast operating world where we are pelted with what we should put on, eat and set up our houses simply rarely do we have enough a chance to spend thought to the facts that perhaps how we set up our bedrooms only may have an impact on our emotions, creativity, energy and who knows what more. Perhaps, this is enough a chance to hindsight on both - our house and our options for internal design.

There are a couple of straightforward techniques in which you will be able to smarten up your house lifestyle and our house internal design by working on several guidelines that are really crucial:

Concord - each of the bedrooms in our house require retaining a strong experience of balance.

Focusing Factors - Rooms that have a primary centerpiece that draws your attention will flow better. Issues like your excellent art demonstrations, an structural walls item or even statuettes are effective recommendations.

Poise - This is efficiently managed by controlling the rooms' noticeable pressure and slightly scattering it out to the staying segments of the space.

Color - using positive shades may mix efforts around and make a lot of distinction. A candlestick may be used for a amazing result.

Symmetry and Range - Furnishings and knick knacks should be in balance of the size of space. Nothing too big or too small.

Rhythm - Develop the fraud of noticeable activation by movement through agreement of the space in such a way that the looker's eye goes on journeying from factor to factor. This shouldn't be messy with growing out things completely.

Home internal design and developing is an extremely sensitive area of interest as a lot of people think that they actually know what they are performing only the result is rather reverse. Specifics that you already have like candlestick lights and statuettes may be easily re-arranged and put on platforms and sides to make amazing amazing results and as well better mild in places that are regularly ignored due to challenges or whatever.

The right use of mild in the property has the prospective to almost convert any old lounge or research into a energetic and interesting space, only try it and consider.

Experimentation is the keystone and you will not recognize if you do not try out.

If you would like to try out and mime common styles then turn over considering a few non-traditional concepts for house decorations motivation. A few of the most stylish house internal design styles include; asian, arty internal, ancient, traditional, Mediterranean sea, exotic and of course modern internal design.

5 House Design Guidelines Anyone Can Follow

Embellishing your home might be exceptionally animating yet in the meantime it is a test as more often than not we don't even know how to start. Not everybody has engage or even talent to make a fantastic and charming environment for their homes.

The great news is that home décor is not just for experts or self reliant outline gurus. Assuming that you accompany some essential advices you can change your spot and even astound your most fussy loved ones parts.

1 -Choose a Main Feature

At the time you drop into a front room or even a cot room that is generally enlivened you dependably discover a focal focus or a principle characteristic that emerges from whatever is left of the different components. So a great thought before enriching is picking an item or assembly of articles draws consideration. Case in point, an oriental mat on a medium estimated lounge could be an exceptional choice. Focal focuses could be characteristics that as of recently exist in your house for example a chimney or a huge window confronting the enclosure.

2 -Create Enough Storage Space

Unorganized and muddled rooms might be a blemish and a fast path to settle this is to be innovative about utilizing space. Little bureaus sitting by the side of a couch could be an incredible place to stow away Dvds, remote controls, magazines and other little protests. Fabrics might be tossed over a étagère to stow away instruments or stationary. Use great planned boxes and fit them decently in your racks or wardrobes to make more space or simply to look exceptional.

3 -The Right Paint Color

The color you decide to paint dividers or a whole bunk can influence your inclination for months and years. Envision dealing with your home office with dark dividers. You won't presumably invest a mess of time there. Picking the right shade could be fun. Consider places you like and fell agreeable around. How do they look like? What's the prevalent shade? It's everything about you and your emotions. Do you feel agreeable around green or blue? This is an exceptional begin.

4 -Think Before You Buy Furniture

Furniture unequivocally takes a ton of space in your house. Furthermore provided that you make the wrong choice about furniture it could be pricey and consume unnecessary room around. The principle angle you need to recognize before getting any furniture is you shouldn't blend styles. Having an up to date looking bureau as well as a vintage looking wood table can look unbalanced. A different exceptional tip is making an itemized plan so when you are having a ton of fun picking your furniture you don't speed all your cash on only one thing.

5 -Small Things Make a Big Difference

You can make a room look new simply by evolving pads, a lighting characteristic, photos and blooms. This is particularly accurate assuming that you want to give your house a crisp look each new time of year. Fabrics and blooms color progressions can have imperative impact of your enrichment.

Home design ought to be fun and animating and by taking after the aforementioned tips you'll have considerably more victory afterward you wander as a decorator. Maybe the best tip is to make it basic and don't mess your house.

Organize Pillows, Curtains and Brings With Fabric

Your house is where your heart is. We always want to create an atmosphere and atmosphere that cheers our house. Many individuals are a little casual in modifying their furniture and components, just because they think it would cost them a lot. Therefore, they adhere to their collectibles. On the opposite, providing in changes to your house atmosphere is not a very expensive job if done smartly.

There is a wide range of house components to choose from, which range from house pillows to doormats. Accessories that are created of material can add to color, elegance and trendiness of your house. Carry changes that have large effects, as it is better to spend money on pillows, drapes and brings. This way, you will be able to take a large effect by investing only a few weights. Cushions, drapes and brings come in a wide range of styles, material designs and colors.

Cushions

One factor we all get when we are getting to sleep, viewing tv or studying a book is a support. Cushions add to the flexibility and trendiness of your house. Cushions are available in all materials, forms, colors, designs.

People love including pillows to their couches and sitting, but they usually forget that they can add them at other sides of their house as well. Though we do not use too many pillows, but a few that we have, we really need to create them wonderful to improve the weather of our house.

Curtains

Without the drapes, your house looks imperfect. There are many different layer styles available to choose from; therefore, it is practical to do some analysis before selecting one out. Most individuals like light and portable drapes, instead of large ones. In the same way, you can use roman shades, curler shades, venetians, board slide shades, double wheels and shades, in place of drapes.

Four things that are very important before selecting drapes for your house are large, design, structure and material of your drapes. Modern layer materials are fashionable, exclusive and available. One factor you need to remember is that each space needs to have drapes according to its specifications. You’re bathing room and kitchen drapes need to be simple, shiny and should be created from pure cotton.

Throws

Just like drapes and pillows, brings are also used for accessorizing houses. You can use them on your stone surfaces and on your couches. They come in a wide range of printed styles and colors. Your outdated sitting can be hidden and can be modernized by enhancing them with wonderful woolen, velvety, sheets and pillowcases or pure cotton material brings.

Coordinating pillows, drapes and brings with material is not a trial at all if you have done the study beforehand. Simply buying developers things will not be of any advantage; instead, try to create hand crafted pillows, drapes and brings. This way, you will be able to get the product created to your actual specifications, and will give your space a touch of logo. We all have our different preferences; therefore, it is best to personalize house drapes, pillows and brings to illustrate our personality.

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Tips To Fresh Screen Drapes and Eliminate Stains

Drapes add beauty to the property decorating as it is one of the most essential equipment used in homes and offices. The overall look of a house depends on the color and the components used for the drapes. Many unclean and unclean curtains usually mess up the entire overall look of a house. Most of the drapes are made of components so it tends to entice dirt and dirt. So it is very essential to fresh them often so that it remains neat and wonderful.

It is quite easy to fresh the drapes if you follow the right guidelines. Different components require different washing procedures and techniques.

Fabrics without lining can be damaged quickly while washing or washing them. So it is wise to dry fresh these drapes so that it continues longer.

Large drapes should never be cleaned in a washer as the metal hook varieties can damage the units. The weight of the components may be a pressure on the model. It can be cleaned quickly in bath with the use of cleansers or cleansers. Material softeners can be used to ease the information. It can then be installed to dry.

Dirty screen curtains can also be cleaned every week by using a device. A device will take out the dirt and keep it totally exempt from imperfections. However, it should be used at a low setting so that the information is less affected. Fixed feather dusters or fabric feather dusters can also be used to eliminate the dirt which builds up on the curtains. Cleaning solutions can be used every week to fresh and dirt the components as regular washing tend to damage the smooth of the material.

At times, screen curtains have spots or blots on it such as coffee or tea spots, ink marks and so forth. Drink spots can be removed quickly by using bowl wash cleansers. Use a soft fabric to fresh the area with the bowl washing soap so as to eliminate the spots.

There are many other options for washing screen curtains. A convenient vapor vapor better is a device which can be used to fresh components and components. A convenient vapor vapor better is quite efficient and affordable. It can be used to fresh curtains quickly and quickly. But it is essential know if your drapes can be cleaned using such devices. Some components can be cleaned using convenient vapor vapor cleaners where as some cannot be cleaned according to the information care label.

It is quite challenging to prevent furniture from gathering dirt. So it needs washing and cleaning regularly along with the other furniture at house. Light shaded drapes usually become soiled quickly but yet it contributes a unique beauty to a house. Heavy and black shaded drapes are beautiful but challenging to keep fresh and maintain. Cotton drapes need to be ironed so that it appears elegant and wonderful. It should be dry in the sun so that it is totally without any viruses.

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