(ARA) - Gone are the days when a stylish home and a busy family have to be mutually exclusive. Home decorating is hotter than ever and everyone is getting in on the trend.
With an ever-increasing focus on DIY design projects, resources such as shelter magazines, design blogs, TV shows and online home decor retailers are making high design accessible to any homeowner. If your budget doesn't include hiring an interior decorator to update your decor, a few tips from the experts will go a long way.
Design duo Robert and Cortney Novogratz are the stars of HGTV's "Home by Novogratz" and parents to seven children. Known for using vintage and eclectic items to create fun and stylish interiors that are also family-friendly, they point out that selecting unique pieces for your home is an easy way to make your style stand out.
"Having vintage pieces in your home is very important," Robert Novogratz says. "Our world is becoming more and more homogenized and a vintage piece really sets your space apart from anywhere else. Vintage pieces add a sense of history, tell a story, and make your space unique. It could be a family heirloom or something from a flea market."
Still, many people shy away from antique decor, associating it with hunting through flea markets and excessive spending on one-of-a-kind items. With all of the resources available on the Internet, you do not need to be a world traveler or an avid "antiquer" to create an eclectic look and feel in your home.
The leading online curated sales destination for the home, One Kings Lane, recently launched Vintage and Market Finds, which is a permanent online marketplace featuring curated premium antique and vintage treasures. The marketplace is comprised of items from the country's top vintage and antique dealers, offering remarkable prices and tremendous value to shoppers looking to update their homes with timeless decor.
To help you get in on the vintage trend, Cortney and Robert Novogratz are sharing their secrets for creating unique and family-friendly spaces that fuse style with purpose:
* Embrace the possibilities. When you're shopping for vintage pieces, consider how they can be repurposed and reimagined for your home. You can use an antique chest as a coffee table that doubles as stylish storage for blankets, pillows and toys. You will find new ways to incorporate pieces you're drawn to by keeping an open mind.
* Add history to your home. Vintage items, from coffee table books to maps and globes, can be incorporated into lively gathering spaces - or even your kids' bedrooms. Parents with an eye for style shouldn't be concerned about adding unique items to their home. While you do not want to not put the most expensive pieces in your kids' bedrooms, collectables like classic books and vintage maps make perfect decorative learning tools.
* Mix it up. A mix-and-match approach can give a home an eclectic yet comfortable style, adding a touch of livability to ultramodern spaces and pops of personality to more traditional decor. This works well for a dining room table. Balance a traditional mid-century candelabra with bright-colored modern candles for a centerpiece. Using mismatched vintage plates when entertaining guests is a fun way to add eclectic style to a dinner party.
* Play up your story. Your home is your castle, and it should reflect who you are. A personal element, like your initials or a lucky number, can provide inspiration as well as a starting point for looking for vintage elements for your home. Start small and build as you go, keeping an eye out for items like chests, boxes, lighting, books, art and furniture.
Stylish home decor is more accessible now than ever, and with all of the resources available, decorating your space is not only easy, but fun. Using vintage pieces makes a chic statement about who you and your family are and how you live.