Styling your Bookshelves

Bookcases and shelving can display more than just a personal library; well-styled cabinets and shelves add effortless style and interest to any room.  Seasonal decorations such as a vase of spring flowers bring life into your home by adding visual interest and texture.

Bookends help create space on a shelf and can be as beautiful and exciting as they are functional.  Framed photos or artwork are an instant way to personalize your shelving.
 

Create height and dimension by placing books in different directions. By adding beautiful and personal items, shelving transforms from utilitarian to an impressive display of your personality.

Sarah Barnard designs healthy, happy, personalized spaces that are deeply connected to nature and art.

To learn more about Sarah Barnard Design, please visit www.SarahBarnard.com.

Party Planning With Style

Dinner parties or other home gatherings can be remarkable when a keen eye for detail and that special finishing touch are involved. When first starting the party planning process, scope out the locations in the home that will provide the space for the event. What appropriate accessories do you already own? How is the lighting? What tasks need completing before space can function? Consider rearranging furniture to create a fresh new look for the room and to open up the space to accommodate guests.

For a Christmas party, your decorated Christmas tree can provide a terrific backdrop. As most holiday accessories are collected over the years, using them to decorate your space is a nice personal touch and can be a conversation starter. Furniture can be rearranged around the tree to create a new lounge-like seating area for guests to occupy before or after dinner.

Small accessories used as accents are great for decorating any space and can help with the theme of your party. Here, a silver-leafed sea shell and starfish can serve a summertime, beach themed soiree.

For the dinner table, centerpieces and table settings genuinely add to the ambiance of the room. In this modern dining room, the pink tinted china adds a pop of color and compliments the nature-inspired centerpiece. Additionally, to set a table correctly can impress guests while adding dimension to the table as the glassware in the photo does.

Lighting can play a significant role home design and in the general atmosphere of your party. Here, a candlelit chandelier gives cozy warmth to the room.  Consider having lit candles throughout the rest of the house to continue this warm feel for your party. Natural lighting can also work for your event.  In this ocean view penthouse, the floor to ceiling window lights up this entertaining area. For your house, open up those curtains before the sun goes down to enhance any room.

Interiors by: Sarah Barnard

Sarah Barnard designs healthy, happy, personalized spaces that are deeply connected to nature and art.

To learn more about Sarah Barnard Design, please visit www.SarahBarnard.com.

Best and Blue-est Blues for Home Design

Blue is a versatile color that looks great in any room.  Often used in home design, blue can be calming, peaceful, and charming.  Check out these great blue rooms by Sarah Barnard Design.

The existing antique brick and the chosen cool blue tones of the locally made cabinetry make for a delightful collection of old and new in this Scandifornian style home. Founded in a Scandinavian aesthetic with an appreciation of natural materials, light and bright spaces and a California cozy style all it’s own makes this eco-friendly kitchen one of them most loved rooms in the house.

Refreshing blue tiles offset a limestone niche and give the serene primary bath a splash of color.
 

Blue, a predictable choice for a boy's bedroom, transforms this 'little man's' room with the warmth of traditional design elements and cutting edge details to create a youthful, contemporary space.

This mural, featuring a vintage Aston Martin inspired by the classic James Bond film 'Goldfinger,' is paired with blue wainscoting.

The soaking tub echoes the oval forms present elsewhere in the space and allows for a feeling of lightness overall.

 A sea of blue ceramic tile paired with organic form glass floor tiles and an orb-like wall sconce create a fresh aesthetic for a child's bathroom.

Quarts countertops infused with real seashells pair nicely with the seaside location of the residence.

Sarah Barnard designs healthy, happy, personalized spaces that are deeply connected to nature and art.

To learn more about Sarah Barnard Design, please visit www.SarahBarnard.com.