When it comes to decorating the home I find that people tend to struggle with ways to tie everything together.
There are many elements to consider and many ways to embellish your existing spaces. Colour, pattern and texture are all key essentials to giving your space that designer touch. Stick with a theme, a colour palate and repeat prints and patterns with a subtle approach.
Decorative trim has become one of the latest and greatest ways to update your existing goods while keeping things chic and on a budget! Trim is a great way to tie it all in even though it was once considered old-fashioned and overdone. Today, trim has a new-found meaning to the world of design. Instead of overdoing it with passé heavy embellishments, trim is now sophisticated, modern and can be found in stylish hues.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Walsh Gorton from Reid & Lyons, a trim specialist who runs a lovely showroom in downtown Toronto. We collaborated on some design tips and she shared some of her trade secrets with me on how to make the most of trim and embellishments. So here is what we came up with:
1. No need to buy new furniture and pillows to update your interior; use trim on your existing pieces to create patterns and colour, especially contrasting colours. For example, use inexpensive braids to create your own pattern on a plain pillow or headboard. It will create a three-dimensional look and make your room pop. Gather ideas for the latest patterns from fashion and design magazines. Use trim to create these ‘hot’ patterns. If you don’t have plain pillows you can easily pick up some plain finds under $20 at retailers like Bouclair, Walmart and Home Sense. By adding creative trim embellishments you’ll make those bargain finds look like a $150 pillow! Tip: try to find down-filled pillows, they simply look better on a sofa.
2. Put your money where it counts! Add trim to inexpensive curtains and draperies to give it that ‘designer look.’ It takes more fabric to make curtains than it does to add trim and the overall effect will look like a million bucks.
3. Make your investment last a lifetime. Invest in solid fabrics for your main pieces such as sofas and curtains then keep up with the trends by adding trim with the times. Use trim on solid-coloured bedding, from duvet covers to bed skirts. The trim can easily be removed and interchanged if you choose to refresh your look after a few years.
4. Not your granny’s trim. Trims today can “contemporize” your look with many new materials such as leather, metal, crystal and linen. For that comfy cottage feel look for sea shell trim.
5. Reinvent grosgrain (grosgrain is a type of ribbon typically made of silk or rayon, with tightly woven ribs.) Think outside the box and use grosgrain on wall panels, headboards, shutters and shutter doors…the possibilities are endless!
6. Size Matters. With condo living and oversized two story windows, think about the size of your curtain tiebacks and whether the size of the tieback matches the scale of the room and window treatment. Today, tiebacks are available in 24″ lengths.
You can add trim yourself with delicate hand sewing; some trims can also be applied with specific spray adhesives. Make inquiries with the retailer or showroom where you are purchasing your trim; every type will require a different application method. If you are unsure, it is best to go to a local seamstress, this type of needlework will not be a costly ordeal.
