Check out our favorite our favorite canvas prints from Inhabit below:

Check out more canvas wall art:

Image courtesy of Southernhospitality.blog.com

Frame Your Mirror
One of the least expensive options is adding a frame to your current mirror. This DIY bathroom project will have a major impact on the overall look of your bathroom vanity.

Decorative Mirrors

Image courtesy of trend-bathroom-designs.info

If a DIY project is over your head, consider a decorative mirror. We have all seen the beautiful mirrors in housewares. Who says these mirrors cannot be used in the bathroom? Select a sizable mirror that would allow for application of makeup and other personal grooming activities. The results just may take your breath away.

image courtesy of allaboutmirrors.com

Floating Mirrors
I love anything that floats…this includes floating mirrors. These unique and eye catching mirrors are perfect for contemporary or modern bathrooms. I love the chic and clean design of floating mirrors.

Ottoman Coffee Table
In recent years, the ottoman has been used more and more as a coffee table. Initially, ottomans were used with a sofa or chair to recline and relax. However, more and more, designers are starting to skip a wood table and opt for an ottoman table. This is a very stylish option when decorating with a sofa that features a matching ottoman.
 

Acrylic Coffee Tables
As mentioned in earlier posts, contemporary home décor encourages open space. Anacrylic coffee table is perfect for contemporary living rooms. Acrylic tables are usually clear and see through. In addition, acrylic tables are very stylish and instantly adds style your space.

Storage Coffee Tables

Contemporary interior design leaves no room for clutter. Many rooms decorated in contemporary home décor feature dual purpose furniture. A storage coffee table would offer a space for coasters, magazines and remotes. It would also serve as a decorative piece for your living room. Storage tables also open to offer additional storage space for perhaps a sofa throw or books.

The days of wooden coffee tables are over. If you are looking for a contemporary coffee table, your options are plentiful. If the tables we have shared do not quite fit the ticket, consider creating a custom coffee table.

See Through Fireplace Pictures:

If you are unsure of the placement for your new see through fireplace, check out these fireplace designs for inspiration:

Image courtesy of Houzz.com

Image courtesy of Houzz.com

Image courtesy of Houzz.comImage

Image courtesy of Slodive.com

 

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of heatnglo.com

Image courtesy of designwagen.com

Open Shelving

Image courtesy of flor.com

If looking to give your kitchen a makeover, consider using open shelves in place of traditional kitchen cabinets. Open shelves are becoming more and more popular in modern and contemporary kitchens. Shelves are a great option for smaller kitchens as it gives the illusion of more open space. Open shelves also place attention on the backsplash. If you have invested in a contemporary kitchen backsplash, open shelves in your kitchen are perfect for showcasing your investment.

Glass front cabinets

image courtesy of airlase.com

Glass Front cabinets are another popular trend in modern kitchen design. This design allows designers to add color by painting the inside of the cabinets or incorporating under cabinet lighting to create a unique look. Some other options for creating a creative design with glass front cabinets is incorporating color via painting the background or using colored or patterned dishes. If you like the concept of glass front cabinets but want to hide the clutter in your cabinets, consider frosted glass or textured glass.

Small Kitchen Cabinet Updates

Image courtesy of homeimprovement8.com

If your kitchen renovation budget is smaller, perhaps start with a few smaller projects. Although these projects are on a smaller scale, the impact can be great. Some inexpensive and basic options to upgrade your current kitchen cabinets are:

Change hardware: Swap out the old knobs and hands for newer, stylish hardware

Paint cabinets: Give your kitchen cabinets a face lift by painting your cabinets a new color

Remove doors: If you like the look of open shelves in kitchens yet are limited due to your budget, removing the doors on your cabinets can create a similar look

Consider molding: Adding a molding to create design on your current cabinets can instantly enhance the look of your kitchen cabinets.

Glossy finish: A popular trend in modern kitchens is adding a glossy finish to kitchen cabinets. The result is very sleek and modern look.

Bold colors and Accent Walls

Accent walls are becoming more and more popular in interior design.  If your room is white, beige or even brown, add personality and style to your room by simply painting one wall.  Preferably, select an accent wall that will be in plain view.  For instance, if decorating a living room, opt for the wall behind the television or the wall beside the television and not the wall behind the sofa when selecting an accent wall.  This is not to say both walls would not work well for the overall decor of your room, but why not make the best of it and select a wall that is visible to guests while visiting.

Bright and bold colors are becoming very popular in contemporary and modern home decor.  If you have following our site, you are aware of the elements of contemporary interior design.  One of the key factors of contemporary interior design is decorating with neutral colors.  With this in mind, if you are decorating and want to add a splash of color, consider a bright accent wall.  However, we are starting to notice a trend of bright colorful rooms.  Check out some examples and decide which works best for your style of decorating.

 
Sources:
Turqouise Walls: bhg.com
yellow: bhg.com
black wall:pejorativejinx.blogspot.com
pink wall: blog.drummondhouseplans.com
orange wall: chicagohomemag.com
green wall: handycrafuniqe.com

Painting with Stripes and Other Designs

Another creative painting idea for your room is painting with stripes, stencils or creating designs with paint.  Designers that are willing to take more risks are creating bedrooms with pink and orange stripes, pink damask and more! There are so many possibilities.  Painting with stripes can also create the illusion of a bigger  or wider room. 

If stripes are a bit much and wall paper cramps your style, create a unique style with a wall stencil.  Although the stencil provides a pattern, the placement is totally up to the individual.  Take a look at these rooms decorated with stripes and stencils for more ideas!

 
Stripes: houseandhome via Porterhousedesigns.com
Pink Damask: breathlessboudoir.wordpress.com
Red and Gray Stripes: hgtv.com
Gray Chevron: casacullen.com
Green Stripes: aprilinteriors.blogspot.com
Green and Black Stripes: shelterness.com
Colorful Stripes Accent Wall: corbisimages via porterhousedesigns.com

Image courtesy of HGTV.com

The first step in your basement design project is determining how you will use your basement. If your home has a large basement, your basement may serve many functions.  Basements are commonly transformed into home theaters, family rooms or extended living spaces. 

Quick Ideas to Upgrade Your Basement:

Decorating or renovation an entire basement at once can quickly overwhelm even the best interior designer.  In an effort to keep the stress of your project, let’s identify a few areas that can make the biggest impact.

Basement Wall Ideas:

The walls in a room have a huge effect on a room.  Many basements are unfinished or if finished have exposed or brick walls.  Leaving one wall of your basement “exposed” would add a masculine touch if decorating a “man cave” or desire an urban feel.

If your walls are unfinished, finish them.  Tile is a stylish option for basement lighting. Tile also offers versatility and flexibility because tile in available in a number of textures and colors.

Image courtesy of BHG.com

BHG.com featured this simple basement laundry room.  The brick walls of this basement were painted white.  After painting the walls, curtains were adding to give the room more personality.  This is a great option if your budget for your basement project is limited.

Basement Flooring Ideas:

Along with the walls of the basement, the floor also has a large impact on the room. The flooring options would vary dependent on the intended use of the basement. Some of the better basement flooring options are: concrete, carpet tile and vinyl flooring.

 
Concrete Flooring

For thrifty decorators, concrete flooring is the best basement flooring option. Concrete floors are considered very inexpensive when compared to other flooring options. Under the carpet and tile of many homes, you will find concrete.  However, there are a various styles of concrete floors and some of the floors that feature various designs and textures cost a little more.  Designers that desire more bang for their buck opt for painted concrete floors.  It is truly amazing the effect of a few coats of paint.

Carpet Tiles

Image courtesy of Trendir.com

Carpet tile offers your basement style and comfort. It provides a traditional familiar style but leaves the option for creativity through the placement of the tiles.  Many DIY home decorators turn to carpet tiles because of the easy installation which eliminates installation fees.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring is another thrifty basement flooring option.  Vinyl flooring is no stranger to home flooring options.  It is usually seen in kitchens and laundry rooms.  Vinyl flooring is available in a number of styles, colors and patterns.  There are some vinyl patterns and styles that somewhat resemble other flooring materials.

Finishing the basement of your home is a huge task.  There are several steps in a basement renovation or finishing project.  We have provided a few ideas relating to enhancing your basement starting with the walls and the flooring selected.  Hopefully these ideas help get your basement design project on track.

Decorating with animal print is not difficult.  There are two options when using this style, a large piece of animal print furniture in a neutral room or small animal print accents throughout a room.  The boldness of animal prints can quickly become overwhelming.  As a result, it is important to consider the overall look in the room while planning the furniture and accessories used in your decorating project.

Reupholster your couches. New couches can cost a pretty penny. Why spend on new ones when you can simply reupholster? If the wood is still good then don’t put those old chairs to waste. Change the fabric and make them look like new once more.

Repaint the walls. Are your walls looking a bit drab? Is the paint peeling off it? Then perhaps it’s time to repaint. Paint comes in many colors. Choose the color that will work best with your home. In choosing paint color, take the existing home décor you have into consideration.

Add artwork. What better way to add spice to your house than by adding a bit of artwork? You don’t have to buy expensive paintings or foreign sculptures. You can use what you have at home. Do you have a child who enjoys painting? Display his work in your living room. You can even display old family heirlooms. Put them in a pretty silver case and mount them over the fireplace.

Organize your home. A messy home is not nice to look at. Make it neat and clean by putting things where they belong. Make your home functional so that people living in it won’t mess it up easily.

Use fresh flowers. Flowers have the ability to brighten up any room in an instant. Learn to beautify your home the natural way – use fresh flowers. You don’t have to buy expensive flower arrangements from florists. You can pick wild flowers growing on your backyard, put them in a vase and pour water into it.

Our guest writer today is Chris Zuckerman.

Chris Zuckerman is the President at his b deck and steel deck fabrication facility located in Atlanta GA. He loves to play golf and travel around the world with his wife and 3 kids.

• Clean Lines
• Minimalist Look
• Various Shapes and Designs
• Neutral colors with bold or bright accents

 
 
Some decorators may face challenges when incorporating a couple of these elements in their living room decorating projects.  The “minimalist” or simple design of contemporary living spaces can present a challenge to some decorators. The key to creating a minimalist look in your spaces is to select furniture that serves dual or multiple purposes.  One option for your living room is a contemporary ottoman.

Contemporary Ottomans: Multi-purpose Living Room Furniture

Image courtesy of interiorideaz.com

In earlier times, an ottoman was generally used to “recline” in sofas or chairs that were not designed with this option.  Typically, these ottomans were small and square and coordinated with the chair or sofa with which it was used.  Modern ottomans are designed to serve several purposes.

Storage Ottomans

Storage ottomans are perfect for creating space in the living room.  This is a great option for all living rooms decorated in contemporary style décor.  Storage ottomans are a great option for freeing spacing in a smaller living room.

Round Ottomans

Round ottomans have become very popular in recent years. This style ottoman is very stylish and instantly adds to the décor of any room.  Round ottomans really compliment sectional sofas or rooms with an unusual floor plan.

Cubes and Benches

If you desire a smaller ottoman, cubes and benches can also be used similar to ottomans.  Many cubes and benches are designed with or without storage space.  If considering a bench for your living room, carefully select a bench that compliments your living room furniture.

Home accents can have a great effect on a space when used properly.  If you find decorating to create a minimalist look challenging, consider using home accents to make the best of your space.  A contemporary storage ottoman or storage bench is a great option to consider as you begin your journey.