Techorating - the new trend of combining design with technology

Computer stations, laptops, flat screen tvs... they are quickly becoming an integral part of any home's interior style and decor.

The latest thing in decorating is combing interior design with technology, being coined as “techorating.”

Doug Wilson, know by many for his roles on TLC’s “Moving Up” and “Trading Spaces”, as well as being a "techorator" for LG, offers tips on how to pull it the combination of technology and style.

He offers the following tips:

1. Stay focused. Don’t try to tackle a full house remodel all at once. Pick one or two rooms that you think would best benefit from an update and start there.

2. Pick a focal point and begin your efforts from there. If you are working with a larger living space, remember not to go overboard with one particular theme, pattern or technology. With just a few integral pieces, the room can be made to feel spacious, yet comfortable.

3. Consider the space. Remember, the size of your room matters, but bigger isn’t always better. The technology in your room should be in proportion to the room for the best aesthetic and functional fit. Look for the best integration over size.

4. Keep a clean design. With the TV, speakers, DVD players and more, people today need to practice cord control. New technology and a few easy steps make it easy to maintain a cleaner, more organized look. Go wireless to give your living space a crisp, modern feel.

5. Donate your old TV and bring in a new flat-screen for an instant style upgrade. Tabletop or wall-mounting for a flat screen can add space to your room and streamline the look and feel.

No longer does the piece of technology need to be the "odd man out" in a room's design. By using the principles of "techorating" these items can be seamlessly blended with a room's look and feel.

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tips for personalizing your decor

A few tips on adding personal touches to your home's decor.

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When in doubt, a metallic accent could save your day.

True to form, the runway has hit ironically close to home with its most desired form of accessorizing that easily crosses from your outfit to your decor, the pop of color.

The easiest way to emphasize something in a subtle yet direct way, is to throw an eye catching color on or around it. An example of this could be your tan couches emphasized with a couple not-quite neon green throw cushions.

The goal is to pair something everyday with something thought provoking and create your own retro haven. These ideas stay within your everyday levels of color tolerance while attracting your own eyes as well as your future guests eyes to your imaginative combinations.

The trend has also let our ideas expand themselves and have our rooms speak fearlessly. Our neutrals and brights are enjoying each others company and embracing the sophistication they can represent when paired properly.

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Five fabulously-easy decorating tips!

Who couldn't use some tips to make decorating a bit easier?

Let me share a few of my favorite easy "tricks" in the hopes that they will make you and your home a bit happier!

Here goes....

1. Find your center.

People tend to hand their pictures way too high on their walls. An ideal height for the center of your pictures (the ones you view while sitting vs. hallways where you view standing) is 54" high. That's about where the CENTER of the picture should fall. Not the top.

Here's the tip -- find YOUR center. Measure 54" up on your body and then when you hang (or rehang) your pictures you'll easily find their proper height. When hanging pictures in a walkway use 60" as your center guide. We're not talking hard and fast rules here, just guidelines. The reason for lowering your pictures is simple - so you can SEE them without straining your neck. Put your art in front of you eyes!

2. Make a wall.

Most newer houses have large living spaces that spread into dining spaces that open into kitchens. These open floor plans don't provide a lot of separation between spaces, which can make defining spaces and arranging some furniture difficult.

Here's an idea - make a wall! Hang fabric from a tension rod (via hooks from the ceiling, so it all but disappears) perpendicular to a long wall. This fabric "wall" will allow you to place items in the new "corner," creating new options for furniture arrangements.

3. Hang them high.

Along with hanging art too high, many people hang their window treatments too low. Take your curtain rods 8" or more above your window. For lower ceilings I often hang the rod as close to the ceiling as I can. This adds height to your room and creates a finished look.

4. Paint it.

Painting your walls is obvious, but many people overlook the many other things they can and should paint along with their walls. Painting your closet doors, trim, ceilings and other ill-place cabinets makes them disappear, or in the case of a ceiling, feel higher.

If you have a red room with two white bi-fold closet doors and you paint the doors and trim around them red too the doors no longer stand out; they suddenly blend in. Do you really want the focal pint of your room to be white bi-fold doors? Ceilings that are painted a lighter version of the color room they are in (blue room, lighter blue ceiling) automatically feel higher. You eliminate the sharp line of contrast between the wall and ceiling colors that make your ceiling feel lower.

5. Book it.

Books can be a great decorating tool. Of course their obvious job is just being books - sitting on a shelf and looking good - but they can be useful in other ways too. If you need a lamp on a table but the lamp you have isn't tall enough, place it on a few nice looking books and you add instant height to the lamp. Other accessories are benefit from this trick.

If you have colorful hardback books try arranging them by color -- creating color "blocks" on a shelf. Five red books together and 6 green books on the next shelf. And while you're at it pull those books to the front of your shelves, where you can SEE them! Another book idea - - take the jackets off of your books and see what solid colors are beneath. It's a great way to display them.

Happy decorating!

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