Innovative Home Decorating

To infuse your decorating with a note of surprise that will mark your home with individuality, try thinking outside the box. According to Webster, the word, "novelty," means "something new, fresh and unusual."

It means exactly the same thing in a decorating context. Think outside the box!

Did you ever consider using something meant for a completely different purpose as home decor? Oh come on! Didn't you decorate your college dorm or your first apartment with concrete blocks as tables? Well, just because you're a grownup doesn't mean you can't stop finding whimsical, unusual uses for materials.

My first apartment sported an outdoor picnic table set complete with tropical umbrella as a dining table. Mini white lights strung inside the umbrella lent a cozy romantic setting. I can tell you that my decor was the talk of my circle of friends. (I noticed a few copy cats eventually) Besides the smiles it evoked, it was CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!

I also have an unusual taste in wallpaper. Why spend all that money for something that looks like paint? If you're going to do it....DO IT UP! Novelty prints on wallpaper, borders and fabric typically consist of themes that are unusual as decorative references. Why? Because they add a unique touch to a room's landscape. They may elicit humor, for example, or even introduce a topic of conversation. Above all, they get noticed and bring pleasure.

A row of gossiping women in a beauty parlor, their hair toweled, rolled in curlers, or concealed under a drier, is sure to raise a giggle in a teenager's bedroom or a grown girl's dressing area. Borders of high-heeled shoes above a dressing table is sure to bring a smile. Or a novelty print wallpaper in a game room, such as playing cards, billiard balls, a dartboard and other familiar game references, would make the man in your life happy to bring the guys to YOUR house!

Hey! Why not wallpaper the CEILING!!! Take a look at how attractive that can be.. Click on the picture for a close up.

Try using a wallpaper border on the risers of your stairs! It is interesting and prevents those scuff marks on painted risers. It can also tie the upstairs to the lower level.

Need a novel look for a nightstand? How about an attractive shelf hung on the wall at the right height?

Try using an antique door as a dining table. An old 'ice box' or pie cupboard as an entertainment center? Yes!!