Decorating Tips with Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Hello to Rhoda’s friends! I just love Rhoda, don’t you? I have gotten to know her mostly online like many of you, and yet it’s amazing how much of her warm personality comes through my computer screen. I was so excited when Rhoda asked me to fill in for her today. As a way of introduction, I’m Anita Joyce. That’s me in the photo. I’m waving at you with my eyes (but it may be hard to tell.)

I’m the author of the blog CEDAR HILL FARMHOUSE

and the book, FRENCH ACCENTS, FARMHOUSE FRENCH STYLE FOR TODAY’S HOME.

Enough about me, I know you’re here to see Rhoda’s gorgeous house, great ideas, and warm heart, and you got me instead. *sigh*

But what if I had some tips for you? Would that make it okay? (Please say ‘yes’!)

Here are my top 5 decorating tips.

 

TIP 1 Use at least one wow piece per room.

Well you can certainly have more than one, but I like to have at least one piece that is truly unique in each room of my house. I like to spread ‘the love’ in each and every room. For my porch, I added this French crib that I converted to a settee. It sets the tone for the space. That’s my statement piece, so I don’t need much else on the porch to make it feel special. Well I also have these wonderful views too.

It’s my special place, that back porch.

TIP 2 If you can’t remove something you don’t like – disguise it.

For a long time I had a table in my dining room that I didn’t want any more. We had paid a lot of money for it, and so it was difficult to get rid of it. But the dark wood wasn’t working in my room, so I covered the table with a white table cloth. I didn’t want to paint it, and I didn’t want to spend money on it. Using a tablecloth I already had on hand was the perfect solution (and free.)

TIP 3 Minimize patterns to save money.

I know that sounds odd that patterns cost money, but sometimes they really can be more expensive in the long run. If you buy furniture covered in trendy patterns, it will look dated down the road, and you will probably want to replace it before the chair or sofa actually wears out. If you buy furniture that is a solid color, you probably won’t feel that the piece looks dated so soon. The same thing goes for bedding. This linen bedspread is a classic, timeless look. Hopefully it will look just as fresh and elegant 10 years from now. Because there is no pattern to the bedspread, it is difficult to determine when exactly it was made.

TIP 4 Declutter bookcases or shelves

When Country French magazine came to photograph my home, they looked at my shelves and started pulling things out. They removed and removed and removed. I stood there with my mouth open. I watched in horror as they moved pile after pile to my kitchen. Soon my counter-tops were covered in… stuff. It was awful and yes awesome at the same time. I was horrified, but in the end, I had to admit it looked better. I try to keep the things in my cabinets pared down as much as possible.

TIP 5 Photograph your house.

That’s right, take pictures of your home. That is one of the biggest secrets of the blogging world. Bloggers have typically beautiful homes because they are constantly photographing them. I think it’s looking at the photos that helps them to really improve how they have decorated the room. It’s one thing to see it in person, but when it’s a photo, certain issues are hard to ignore. I usually decide to lose weight after seeing photos of myself. When I had a very dated wall color, I was able to ignore it until I saw it in a photo. For this room, after I saw the photos, I decided I wanted curtains in the room.

A big thank you to Rhoda for the invite!!!

You can find me at CEDAR HILL FARMHOUSE.

Don't Miss a Post, join my list!