A warm shade of orange, whichever name you choose to call the cheerful hue, is the perfect color for accents like shutters or drapes. Although orange is bright and dominant, it’s not too heavy in appearance to weigh down window treatments. It’s the opposite actually- shades, shutters, blinds and drapes call for a little attention and if you choose a vibrant orange, the color gives an exciting WOW factor!

Inspiration photo from the blog, House Project Progress by Catherine and Brooke

Try this: Pair a bold color with neutrals.

When using a bold color in your room, choose neutrals to provide contrast. Contrast is known for creating interest by using a variety of dark and light, or neutral colors. Both black and white are elegant neutrals to help balance the color in a space. White represents purity and kindness, and black gives a sense of strength and class. Tangerine paired with either black or white, can really show a bold statement in a room.

Other colors to use with orange:

• Blue- Since orange and blue are complimentary colors, all shades of blue should coordinate.
• Tan and brown- These warm, fall colors contrast the bright orange for a balanced space.
• Green and yellow- Tropical colors are bright and citrusy, they work well together in bringing life to any room!

1. Vintage Appeal- Shutters have a vintage feel. They hearken back to days when shutters were the thing to have, and take your room back in time to a different world.

2. Back to Basics- Shutters are great for basic window dressing needs. They keep out or let in exactly the amount of light that the homeowner wants, they are more solid and sturdy than blinds, and they are very easy to clean.

3. They can be used for things other than windows. You could hang it on the wall and transform it into a coat rack or a great magazine rack. You could distress it and put it on the wall as art, you could use it to cover up a cork bulletin board as if it was a window, or you could use tall shutters as a movable screen in your home, backyard, or garden.

Shutters need to make a comeback, and hopefully these three reasons to love them inspire you to get some in your home!

If you want a big desk with a lot of shelves and drawers, go with the desk. Put some knick knacks and paintings up around the office, but make the window treatment a simple pair of shutters or simple pair of blinds. If you decorate one aspect only, your office won’t bore you, but it also won’t distract you from your important work!

Susan Bassal

Brian & Deanna Dueling

To make your home look like one of their homes, pick a style and put touches of it everywhere, but don’t overwhelm the room, otherwise it will look like a TV show set instead of a house. Drapes are a great place to start. Good colors for this time period’s style are blue, dark green, white, chocolate brown, or burnt orange. If you want to go with a pattern, plaid is the best option, unless it’s a kitchen you’re decorating, then florals are a great choice.

After the drapes are chosen, other accents that remind you of the 60’s are all you really need. A graphic wall sculpture or painting, boldly printed pillows or duvets, a sculptural partition, or white knick knacks (see our previous post about White-on-White decorating for some ideas on the use of white) will look great! And remember, you don’t want to overwhelm the room, and you want it to feel like it’s vintage, so keep the furniture simple and unornamented, like it was back then.

1. A plant or two: Pick your favorite plant or a plant that goes with your décor. If your room is modern, bamboo or an orchid would look great. If your room is more traditional, a planter full of wildflowers that go with your color scheme would look awesome. Not a green thumb? No worries! Although real plants circulate more oxygen throughout the room, fake plants are just as pretty.

2. An interesting nightstand: Everyone needs a nightstand next to their bed. It’s a place to put the book you’re reading, a candle, a lamp, various knick knacks, or the emergency flashlight during power outages. But if you need to have one, why make it a boring one, make it interesting! A sleek mirror topped set of drawers, a stack of vintage suitcases with a tray on top, or a shellacked tree trunk are all great options.

3. A Headboard: When you have an actual bed, instead of just a mattress, box spring, and frame, it helps to define the style of your décor. You can buy a ready-made bed, or you can get handy and build yourself a headboard. There are tons of websites that will show you how to make a stylish one.

4. Awesome window treatment: Window treatments are what finish a room, they make it complete. Whether it’s a set of shutters, colorful drapes, or bamboo shades, as long as it’s complementary, your room will be complete.

When picking out your tasseled curtains, there is one rule that you should follow: Contrast. Whatever color is the main color of your desired curtain, the tassels should be contrasting and complementary. For example, white curtains should have dark tassels, a navy or black perhaps. Fancy red curtains with florals and a touch of gold should have gold tassels. They are matched to the minimal gold in the actual drape, but they still contrast with the red. The contrasting colors make the tassels pop and show them off.

Nancy & Richard Motzer

Gail Vanko