Euro Style Home

Image from The Glitter Guide

We want to wish you all a very Happy New Year!!

We can't wait to share more modern design with you in 2014...!

Image: The Glitter Guide

Image from Rimadesio

Let's face it: we spend the entire year shoving stuff in the closet. Re-giftables, donatables, just-before-guests-arrive-junkables. When organizing your closet, toss all these skeletons out and follow these three steps to a bright and clean new look for the new year. 

1. Downsize...relentlessly

Image from AFF on Houzz

If there isn't room for something, get rid of it. If there is room for something but you rarely use it, get rid of it. If you're even questioning something, get rid of it. It's that simple.

2. Make Space...and stick to it

Image from Trendzona

Designate a space for everything. Follow the one-hand rule: if it takes two hands to either access or put something away, it's too difficult to reach. Your closet is likely overstuffed and will eventually fall into disorganization.

3. Say Hello to the Bright Lights

Everything looks better under the bright lights. So let's take them to the closet. For wide or deep closet spaces, add a modern rectangle chandelier for a luxurious feel.

Image from Frashii

Clear Crystal 48 Inch Wide Luminous Chandelier

Use upscale drum shade chandelier designs for a tight yet elegant touch to the space. 

Image from Home Design Lover

George Kovacs Hilary Pendant Chandelier

Think an organized closet isn't important? Consider this: it's where you brainstorm your outfit first thing in the morning. And it's possibly even the last light you turn off before turning in. Instead of creating a skeleton graveyard, follow these three simple steps and turn your closet into a cool, calm and collected space. 

Images: Rimadesio, Houzz, Trendzona, Frashii, Home Design Lover

Image from The Marion House Book

Mirrors have been a staple in the house for centuries now. They are perfect art replacements, they bring in extra natural light and can be beautiful architectural statement pieces. My favorite benefit of a mirror is that it visually makes a space look bigger and deeper. It tricks the eye into thinking that a room goes farther. Mirrors are perfect for small spaces and spaces that need extra light.

The entryway above has been enlarged just by simply adding a big, natural mirror. The grey wood pops against the neutral walls and complements the amazing flooring.

Image from La Maison D’ Anna G

Round modern mirrors placed in a grouping make a wall seem larger. The metal mixed with the wooden furniture pieces create a good juxtaposition.

Image from The Designer Pad

These grand black mirrors are a perfect choice for this classic, yet minimal space. Ultrasophisticated large modern mirrors compliment classic molding and fireplaces perfectly.

They also are a good addition for the modern chairs and tables.

Image from Black White Yellow

If you don’t have any metallic options already in your space, add some by finding a silver or gold mirror. Two gold mirrors add the perfect amount of bling to any space.

Images: The Marion House Book, La Maison D’ Anna G, The Designer Pad, Black White Yellow

Image from Trendland

For all the talk of square footage, bedrooms, baths and multi-car garages, perhaps nothing is as impressive in a home as a great room. These ultimate family rooms combine living, dining and cooking in a single space. With high ceilings and lively acoustics, these open spaces seem to induce families and guests to spend more time together.

And no matter what the style, these spaces pair well with decor elements such as designer floor lamps and mini pendant lights with smokey glass, Edison bulbs and more. With that in mind, let's look at a few great room types:

The Farmhouse

Image from Architectural Digest

Farmhouses and barns historically have been built around great rooms, and so are their modern brethren. Rustic decor elements? Check. Open space to feed the family with fresh bounty from the fields? Check. Clear the furniture and cue the music for a hoedown? Check!

The Loft

Image from Trendland

Literally speaking, a loft (which is typically a single raw space with bathroom built-in) is a great room by definition. Theses converted commercial spaces are retrofitted with modern kitchen appliances and boast urban elements like ample glass and cement.

The Industrial

Photo by Jacob Reinwand

The industrial great room is often a subset of the loft, albeit with industrial decor items such as hanging work lights and raw materials and finishes.

The Ultra-Modern

Image from Abduzeedo

Ultra-modern homes offer architects and designers a chance to flex their muscle, with features like cantilevered staircases, discreet storage areas and unorthodox floor-plans. We love the look of clustered black pendant lights:

Left to right: Eurofase Bronx Black Pendant Light, Sliver Medium Black Pendant Light, Piquito Black Mini Contemporary Pendant Light

In all its mixed use, multi-tasking, communal glory, the great room represents a return to a time when families spent more time together. It represents the ultimate return to basics, and for that reason, we also see the great room as 100% in keeping with modernism and the modern lifestyle.

Images: Trendland, Architectural Digest, North Carolina Modernist Houses, Aduzeedo

Image from Décor Pad

In order for your guests to see and enjoy your home decor, it's important to have a well-lit home. There are many options to choose from, but my favorite options are crystal table lamps.

Ambient light is a must in any home! Your home probably has a few different surfaces that call for different styles of table lamps, today I'm showing you my favorite choices for innovative crystal table lamp designs: a desk lamp, entry way lamp, a pair of living room side table lamps, and a lamp for a dining room buffet or console.

Contemporary Clear GlassTable Lamp, Vienna Full Spectrum Stacked Chain 26-1/2-Inch-H Table Lamp, Quad Stacked Crystal 29 1/4-Inch-H Set of 2 Table Lamps, Murray Feiss Metallic Moondust Modern Table Lamp

If you live in a small apartment or house, these contemporary crystal table lamp styles are a wonderful option for you! With little space, lack of natural light and the desire to still have a bright and stylish house, table lamps become even more important.

The crystal lamp allows you to decorate with a beautiful piece, light your home, and not take up too much visual space (since the base is clear). These crystal bases are beautiful and simple, making it the perfect finishing touch for your space.

Image: Décor Pad