Spruce up decor, improve organization

amother

Salmon

Wed, Feb 03 2016, 7:45 pm

I have gift cards to BBB, TJMaxx, possibly Macy's.
Even though it's gift cards I would like to do it budget-consciously to maximize the value.

What do you suggest can be purchased to improve decor, organization in a rented dwelling?
I don't want to get stuff that is permanently attached to the place or may not be possible to use if or when I move to the next place.

Kitchen gadgets, small appliances and some shabbos dishes could also be considered. Especially shabbos tabletop stuff, I really have been able to build up a somewhat minimal serveware for Shabbos. I'd like to hear which serving items you have found useful. For instance, for me it has been a sectional dish that can be used for anything from cut up vegetables to pickles and olives to fruits to deserts. What are your go-to pieces for setting the table?
Also, which dishes have you found pretty yet practical in the households with little kids?
I don't want to have to "protect" the dishes from the kids, and giving proper dishes to only old-enough eaters will not work by me. Is Corelle the only practical option?

For house decor, my place is very plain. I am not a fan of a useless tchachkas or "love-live-whatever" artwork but would like to add some tasteful touches to make the house look somewhat warmer and cozier.

What do you think can be used to improve the overall organization of the house? Replacing worn out linens and towels is the only thing that comes to my mind now.

Any quick organization tips? Like which areas could be targeted? Bathrooms, tops of dressers? What else.

Keep ideas coming!!

ra_mom

Wed, Feb 03 2016, 9:32 pm

Some ideas. Maybe one will speak to you.

A nice painting for a focal point like above a couch or between curios. (Don't choose something too heavy which can be an issue when putting up.)
A big beautiful clock above a dinette table.
An urn with or without flowers on top of a server, table or countertop.
A unique storage bench near a sofa or foot of the bed. Used for decorating purposes, seating and hidden storage.
A tapestry shower curtain.

Choose one or two awesome pieces. No point in clutter.

Check out their storage containers/woven baskets/jars etc for aesthetic appeal and straightforward organizational purposes.

And look out for over the door and over cabinet door organizers that can really help maximize space and keep everything organized.

FYI, heard you can use bed bath and beyond 20% off coupons at bye bye baby and/or order bye bye baby items through bed bath and beyond.

seeker

Wed, Feb 03 2016, 9:49 pm

Dishes - I am very happy with our Corelle. There are some nice choices of designs. Look at them in person rather than ordering online because I found that some of the patterns looked nice in theory but not as much in person, while others were executed better. The value is great for the money, they are real dishes but very durable. They pretty much don't chip. We've had ours for over 6 years and I just broke my first piece (alas, my one and only matched serving bowl that I really liked. It fell quite hard and from quite high up, to give you an idea of how to break a Corelle.)

Decor - what I have observed from visiting numerous houses and noticing what I like, is that the key to making a house look well decorated and not full of tchatchkas is having things coordinate, especially with colors. I look at people's rooms and notice the touches that probably didn't cost much but make the whole place look so much more well-done, and that seems to me to be the theme. No extra tchatchkas but whatever you do have should coordinate. So for example if your bathroom color scheme is going to be your basic white fixtures with green and brown accents, you'll want (for example) all the big towels brown, all the hand towels green, a brown toothbrush holder, a green bathmat, a shower curtain with some plant/flower design that's mostly or all brown and green with a white background, a clock with a green or brown frame, you get the idea, and anything you buy for the bathroom should go with that. And you can paint a single green and brown stripe about halfway up the wall going around the room which makes it look totally like a designed space without spending much or needing professional help.
In a living room this could mean adding accent pillows to the couch in the same color as the kids' toybox or the carpet or the curtains or whatever you have in there. seeing the same colors in more than one part of the room pulls it all together.

Organization - keep as much as you can off surfaces and covered. So if you have a lot of open shelves, a good thing to invest in would be nice-looking boxes or baskets that can go on the shelves so your eyes are not attacked by all the things on the shelves when you walk into a room, and instead you have a neat row of boxes/baskets (color coordinated of course Wink

facing you. I recently read a tip in one of the magazines - was it Binah? - that advised using something similar to contain random clutter as well - like if you have a certain counter or a table near your door or whatever that tends to accumulate random things that people put down there, put a decorative (color-coordiated Wink

) basket there - you will still have the junk to sift through, but again it's not assaulting your eyes every time you walk past. The room will look nicer meanwhile until you get around to dealing with the junk.

As for serving dishes, I personally prefer separate smaller to a sectional plate because it's easier to pass around and get exactly what you want. Like in the decor, having a bunch of things that are all the same type is nice. But not as necessary, I think. They probably stack and store more easily if they're the same though.
And kitchen gadgets are *mostly* overrated. If your peelers and knives are getting tired, investing in a better one is a great idea. Other than that I find that most gadgets don't get enough use to justify their existence. Unless you're really into your food and food presentation and care a whole lot about the difference between melon cubes and melon balls or things like that.

If you think that I have taken ANY of my own advice, besides the Corelle you're sadly mistaken. But I have good intentions and as I said I collect observations of what I've seen works for other people. Maybe if I had a handful of gift cards...