Starting from scratch? Here are some tips from Frank Lazzaro on getting the decor just right.
I've been working in the home decor arena for many years (OK, fifthteen years online selling home accessaries), and I couldn't begin to count the amount of times that family members, friends, friends-of-friends and restaurant delivery guys have asked me for decorating advice. I'm happy to help because frankly there's nothing I love more! I appreciate how overwhelming it can be to design a space.
1. When you're overwhelmed by a large project, start small. Focus on one room at a time. Once you tackle one small space, it'll motivate you to move onto the next. I opted to start with the dining room, a small but important space to entertain friends and family. The small dining room table comes from our affiliated retailer and is sold through my website in the furniture department.
2.Don't feel pigeonholed by current pieces of furniture -- or fixtures. Having an oriental rug and floral still-life artwork doesn't mean you have to decorate the entire room with the same scheme. Shop for items that you love and don't limit yourself to one design genre -- there's always a way to make it work.
3.When it comes to selecting furnishings, lean over on the side of neutral. Paint, textiles and accessories can always add the extra color or pattern that you desire. When you tire of them or want a new look, they're much easier to swap out than a 400 pound dining table or an expensive set of chairs. I love to add small and medium size pieces of furniture to a room. Here are some lovely samples of tables that I have selected from our affiliated retailers nationwide that I sell here at Lazzaro's.com. These lovely pieces are affordable, elegant in style and has a touch of the American look of country, a period of time that will never go out of style and is very close to my heart. I love the all American Country look. If you want to purchase any of these fine tables from my affiliated retailers just click on the image that you are interested in and it will guide you to their shopping cart.
4. In a dining room, never have a full set of the same chairs. Make a room look more thoughtful by adding a couple of chairs with a contrasting shape and/or upholstery, and place them at the heads of the table. The formality contrasts in such a cool way with the side chairs. It's always great to add in two arm chairs to break up the monotony of all those side chairs (the middle chair is another option), but you could also bring in pops of color, such as the red slipper chair shown. 5.Space plan before you shop! Too often I hear of people heading out blindly to their local home goods store and purchasing what they think they need. ("Dining table; check. Chairs; check. China cabinet; check.") There's no such thing as a universal prescription for each room; decide first what you need and second what you have space for. You can always find something to improvise with if the "prescribed" item (such as a china cabinet) a large dining table doesn't leave too much extra space for a hefty china cabinet or full-sized buffet table, so I found a double-shelf console table that could double as a buffet It has extra shelves for fancy glassware and drawers for special-occasion flatware. With an appealing design and attractive coloring, this handy table keeps you organized in style! (see image lower right). This table is birch veneer; has alder legs with some assembly required. It measures 28 3/8" x 14 1/4" x 30" high. This lovely console table is one of our best sellers in our home decor department and can be ordered below by clicking the "Add To Cart" button. 6. Plan, paint, then purchase. It's always easiest to paint without any furnishings in your way -- but you don't want to select a random paint color; it's better to know exactly what will furnish the space and then choose a color accordingly. This is when starting from scratch gives you the upper hand in achieving the perfectly pulled together space. Plan your shopping list, select and paint your walls, then move in all your furnishings. Take a deep breath and continue on to the next room...
Below are other recommended accent furnishings for an empty room:
#12516 Rustic Baker's Rack Shelf $179.95 - Baker's rack has just the right mix of rustic romance and roomy shelving! An attractive showcase for decorative treasures, or an ample storage spot for everyday items; blends perfectly into your decor. Weight 21 lbs. Wood and metal. Contents not included. May require additional freight charge. 23 3/8" x 12 3/4" x 49" high.
Distressed White Mini Shelves $59.95 Pretty with plants or as shelves for small items, this ladder-style unit is functional fun! Wood with distressed white finish. Some assembly required. Items on shelves not included. 23 1/2" x 16" x 38" high. Item #34710. A Lazzaro exclusive.
Eagle Table is Located on the Main Floor
#13001 Cape Cod Storage Console $164.95
Lazzaro's has been in business since 1979 - starting as a florist shop and selling fine home and garden merchandise shipped from our warehouse in Southern California. Online since 1995 our affiliated retailers that has joined this website marketplace to bring our customers the very best of products to your home. We do not have a "brick and mortar" retail outlet any longer. The main operation of this online store and company's executive office is based in Levittown, N.Y. All Lazzaro merchandise has the "add to cart" icon below its image, with a simple paypal shopping cart. Lazzaro products are drop-shipped directly to our customer's requested destination address via UPS ground. To contact us, please click on our Customer Service department link above.
