An Extension, Retreat or Enhancement

There are two main themes often used when decorating. The first is to view your home as an extension of the environment around you. So if you lived in the mountains, your home would reflect that landscape in the decor. But not everyone lives in the mountains, at the beach or on a beautiful vineyard in Italy, which is why the second way of decorating emerged: to decorate your home as a beautiful retreat. When you do that, your home becomes an escape from your environment. So if you live in a busy city, your apartment might be decorated to feel as if you live in a quaint farmhouse in Nebraska.

Both of those methods of decorating are wonderful. They allow those with a perfect view to exploit it and those with a horrible view to escape it. But what about the people with an okay view?

I believe there is a third option, which I've deemed enhancement. Your home can be an enhancement of your natural surroundings. Think of the décor in your room as makeup, and your view as your eyes. Your eyes may be beautiful on their own. But every woman (and man -- we know you like how it looks) knows the magic of an eyelash curler, a coat of mascara and a hint of eye shadow. When applied, the mascara and eye shadow don't cover your eyes - they enhance your eyes' natural beauty.  

Your home decor can do the same thing. Rather than covering or hiding your view, if you choose wisely, the decor in your room can enhance your view. All you need to do is employ a bit of imagination.

Pretend your window is not a window, but a famous painting on your wall. It's not much of a stretch. I've seen gates, rows of houses, suburban scenes, even skulls painted and considered beautiful. So the view in your window must have some potential. The trick is knowing what to look for and how to make it shine.

For starters, look at your view and make a list of the textures you see. Maybe a house across the street has a cast iron railing your tree has wonderful bark. Whatever those textures are write them down. Next write down the colors you see.

Once you have those two lists, you're halfway there. You'll want to incorporate some of the textures you see outside your window into your view - but rather than choosing something similar, choose something more beautiful. So lets use the cast iron railing as an example. Rather than getting a boring piece of cast iron, choose something gorgeous. Maybe a beautiful cast iron table, a striking cast iron mirror. Use the cast iron in an unexpected way. The same goes for the colors. Don't use the exact colors from your view. Use similar colors that are more beautiful. In some cases that might mean more vibrant colors, in others that may mean duller colors.

When you're finished, the painting on your wall, your window, will look like a glimpse at an exotic retreat - an enhancement of your reality.

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