Decorating With Class

New Stencil Designs

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website today for exciting new stencil designs, ornamental plaster molds for walls and ceilings and great ideas that will have your home looking spectacular before holiday guests arrive!

New Stencil Designs

It's October already? REALLY? Typically, this is the time I really deep clean my home and begin to doll it up before the holidays. (Do you realize it's just 6 weeks to Thanksgiving?...YIKES!). I'd better get busy!

I'm in the process of creating brand new designs to help inspire you to do something wonderful in your home to make it special for the upcoming holiday season.

My new Raised Plaster Lady of Hope Stencil is going to be used with glass etching cream on slider doors in my girlfriend's very feminine bath. But I want to use her in my dressing room as a low relief, slightly tinted wallpaper design....how elegant!

For something really cheery and exciting, imagine using my new Oriental Poppies Stencil to do brilliant poppies over softly faux finished walls. Then add it as a central design on cabinet doors. Don't forget that stencils can be used on matching towels and area rugs as well for a truly "designer" room to be proud of.

The Decorating Talents of The Lovely Sarah Low

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for exciting decorating ideas, the coolest stencil designs for painting and raised plaster stenciling and the most unique line of ornamental plaster molds for wall decorating, plaster ceiling medallions and plaster crafts.

The Decorating Talents of the Lovely Sarah Low

OK, I'm just a tich prejudice because Sarah Low happens to be my niece...but she is lovely and she is talented and I want to boast and share a bit.

Now I don't know just where Sarah got her decorating skills, maybe from her Mother Lynn, Maybe a bit from Grandma Fay or maybe even a little bit of me rubbed off on her when she was little... or maybe, just maybe, Sarah got the decorating bug and just developed her own unique style. Who knows...but the fact is that Sarah has a talent that seems to come naturally.

In her early 20's, Sarah has already owned her own quite lovely home in Albuquerque, NM for the past couple of years. When I first visited her new abode, I was literally shocked at her decorating abilities! It was like stepping in to a furniture show room somehow!

Sarah is a bit of a theme decorator which I thought was fun. Now you know me, I'm not in to "cutsey" and it seems that most "themed" decorating seems to be just that. But not when Sarah decorates!

In this blog, I'm going to show you Sarah's guest room. Like me, Sarah loves vintage and she loves the bygone era of glamour once found in 30's and 40's hollywood. With that love in mind, she decorated her guest room to incorporate just a little of that glamour.

I fell in love with Sarah's wall treatment and choice of colors. Rich gold walls that she taped off in to tall diamond panels, then faux finished in two tones of gold and then burgundy accents that really brought life to the room.

Accents such as vintage style artwork on the walls to her adorable vanity give the room a feminine flair that any glamour girl would love!

The wrought iron bed frame was painted pale cream to coordinate with the wall color and fluffy bedding makes it absolutely inviting.


She even accessorises with vintage purses on the white dresser!
















Further bringing the burgundy accent in to the room, she chooses a deep, rich area rug to draw the eye right to the floor. It's a perfect match to the burgundy window treatments.

Visiting this room is like taking a step back in time. Comfy, sweet, soothing and exciting all at the same time.

Sarah surely has an eye for decorating which I will share more of with you soon.

Creative Artwork Display Ideas

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for Ornamental Plaster Molds, Raised Plaster and Painting Stencils and scads of ideas, techniques and inspiration.

Creative Artwork Display Ideas

Art is such a strong part of my life that I see it in everything that comes in to my field of vision. Framed or un-framed, artwork can set the mood of a room instantly, and creative lay outs can be fun!

First, lay your photo or art collection on the floor. I try to match frames and frame colors as much as possible to keep a uniform look. The montage of art then appears to be a collection rather than just a hodgepodge of mismatched pieces.

By laying them all out on the floor, you have the option of playing with your lay out before hanging it.

A very contemporary look is to simply hang pictures in a single row, evenly spaced apart.

More stylish layouts can include frames of various sizes laid out in to a square or rectangle.

If you have a large space to cover and have tall ceilings and little artwork, try purchasing a long length of wide velvet ribbon in a color that coordinates with your room.
Two to three feet above where you want the artwork to hang, attach a decorative curtain tie back. Fold the ribbon exactly in half. Tie the ribbon around the tie back at the half way point.

Hang the artwork and allow the ribbon to drape around the edge of the frame or pin slightly back with thumb tacks and let the frame cover the tacks.

This is a great way to take up space, shorten the height of the wall and eliminate the need for lots of artwork to cover a space.

I also love displaying paintings or large, framed photographs on easels in large rooms. Set it up in a corner or next to the fireplace. It serves to act as yet another piece of furniture in some instances.

More creative display ideas can be found at ehow.com

My Favorite Blue Color is Back!

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for Ornamental Plaster Molds, Raised Plaster and Painting Stencils and scads of ideas, techniques and inspiration.

My Favorite Blue Color is Back!

It's rare that you ever see me decorate in the color blue. But there is one version of blue that just knocks my socks off and has ever since the first time I saw it as a child.

I remember seeing it in the Bidwell Mansion in Chico, California as my fifth grade class toured the mansion one sunny afternoon. I can't remember if it was on a pillow, in a tapestry or just where it was that I saw it, I only remember that is struck me as being so elegant and beautiful.

It wasn't a standard blue.... it had just a hint of green, just a touch of gray and just the right amount of brilliance to set my soul on fire!
Not a turquoise, not really blue, not really green, but a color so nondescript, so inexact that it just jumped out at me!




In the last few years, I've seen this color come in to fashion. And I instantly gravitated toward it.
I thought of bedroom furniture painted this color then trimmed out in antique gold metallic paint with gold stenciled designs here and there...
I image the walls being painted in the palest version of this color and then trimmed out with light cream on the woodwork. How elegant!

I tried to find a sample of this color on line to no avail so I created these samples in Corel Draw. If you love them, save the sample to your computer, print it out and take it to your local Home Depot or Lowe's store and ask them to scan the color for you.

A fun and fascinating tool for choosing paint colors for your room is at:

http://www.sherwin-williams.com

Not only do they let you see what different rooms would look like if they were painted in the colors you choose, but also offer accent color suggestions as well! Way fun. Give it a try.

The Tuscan Decorating You have Always Wanted

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for lots of Tuscan styled stencils than range from Raised Plaster Column Stencils to beautiful design for walls, back splashes, bathrooms and more.

The Tuscan Decorating You Have Always Wanted

Every now and then I will read a post where some designer says Tuscan decorating is going out of style. I say; "Hogwash!". If that were so, why am I still seeing prominent features of the beautiful style in today's top decorating magazines, in "Street of Dreams Homes", and why is it still being used by many of today's top interior decorators?

One of my favorite websites for Tuscan decorating is TuscanHome101.

What's so great about TuscanHome101? The entire website is not only filled with great Tuscan ideas, but explains in detail the elements used in common Tuscan decorating so that you can re-create those beautiful look in your own home yourself.

Sure, they "sell" on their site, but the focus seems to be more about teaching you about Tuscan Decorating and what sets it apart from other styles of decorating. They also feature Tuscan "life" which is cool.

The site features Tuscan Architecture, Tuscan Getaways, Tuscan Wines and so on.

It's an adventure all in itself with everything "Under the Tuscan Sun".

So visit today and enjoy a trip to Italy via this wonderful site, all while learning a great deal you might have never known!

And remember that we can help you with some of the elements you might want or need to give your Tuscan theme true beauty! Visit VictoriaLarsen.com today

Christopher Lowell's New Home

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for innovative and fabulous ideas to decorate your home with NO experience and very little expense.

Christopher Lowells New Home

For the longest time, one of my favorite television decorators seemed to just disappear. I'm speaking of course about Christopher Lowell.

Christopher's new show is called "Work that room" and airs every Saturday evening at 6 pm on the "Fine Living" Network (FLN on your channel listings).

I was an avid watcher of the "Christopher Lowell Show" on discovery some time ago and was disappointed when the show no longer aired.

Christopher's principals using the "7 layers of design" are something I use regularly when considering the re-decoration of any room and my personal design library features many of his books.

Check out Amazon.com for special pricing on this terrific book starting at just $5.77 and only $1.17 for the video!

A visit to his website will enlighten you with page after page of tips, tricks and projects to whet your appetite for re-doing your own decor on a budget and all by yourself!

I must say that I'm glad to see Christopher with a new home and back in the swing of showing us upscale decor on a budget!

Successfully Decorating in Contrasting Colors

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for fabulous ideas to decorate your home with NO experience and very little expense.

Successfully Decorating in Contrasting Colors

OK, so I'm not real big on bright colors on walls (unless it's a single focal wall) but many are. It makes them feel a bit more "alive", a bit more "excited" and certainly more "cheerful". And with the economy worrying us all, what easier way to find a bit of cheer than to re-decorate a room.

On my last trip to see my family in Albuquerque, my Mother, Fay Forsythe, told me before I arrived that she'd painted her bathroom in purple and green. She didn't hear my inner thoughts as I said to myself: "Good grief Mother, what are you thinking!".

Once I arrived and she'd shown me what she did, I felt differently about it, nearly ashamed of myself for my instant judgment of her achievement merely because bright colors aren't my style.

I actually fell in love with her re-decorating because of "how" she did it. It wasn't the colors, it was the combination of them (soft with harsh) and her merchandising (her choice and display of decorative items). It was these things that really made the room come together elegantly.

Like "sweet and salty" together, she combined a very soft sage green with a brilliant and harsh deep purple.

Accents in gold and purple on opposing paint colors really draws you to the over all coordination of the room.

Pale cream paint on the wood work further contrasts yet helps to bring the color of the porcelain in to the over all decorating picture.


I didn't expect it to be so lovely....like a garden blooming in the midst of summer sun....it actually made me feel "good" in that room.

Simple coordinating touches like deep purple candle holders clustered together on an ornate gold shelf made the two colors seem to coordinate, rather than contrast.

OK Mom, I'm impressed......

So if you are considering contrasting colors in your decorating scheme, remember to accent only a little with the same colors on the contrasting painted wall, and to bring in a third or fourth accent color (gold, silver, bronze metalics are wonderful to add that feeling of elegance without having to match the existing colors) and to remember to include colors sparingly in your display items.

On Going Kitchen Re-Decoration Project

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for inexpensive ways to give your home a fresh, new look all by your little lonesome!

On Going Kitchen Re-Decoration Project

With heavy snow storms hitting both Seattle and Northern Idaho, we are still going to brave a car trip over to our forest home outside of Sandpoint for the holidays.

Christmas time there is like being in a postcard with everything covered in white and the only sound you hear is snow falling from the tree branches.

The scenery itself tends to cause a time of reflection and planning. Your mind feels so at ease and free and the thoughts flow like maple syrup over hot pancakes.

Each trip, we make progress on turning this 4,000 sq. foot home in to the home of our dreams. Projects we mostly do ourselves.



This past fall, we finally got the granite installed on the kitchen counter tops. It was amazing to watch. And disheartening to watch the installers drop the largest piece and to hear a large crash, resulting in that beautiful granite in a dust pile on the floor. Ah, but it was replaced with an even more luscious piece.

The kitchen cupboard doors that I re-did will get installed this trip and the new corbels mounted under the granite on the island.





The hard wood floors were installed in May. I was so surprised at how easy it was! In just one day, the old, cheap, "printed" laminate was out the door and the new oak, real wood laminate floor was ready to walk on!



The large kitchen floor priced out at only $700.00 including the tools to do it and is real oak that can be re-finished in the future if necessary.

This trip I am tackling the 8'x8' guest bath downstairs. Man, if you would have seen those walls when we moved in! They were horrible and painted bright colors with gaudy hand painted trees over rough plaster. They are nice and smooth now, all painted and waiting for whatever embelishment I decide to do to them.

The bath cabinet is currently painted purple, (you heard me right...PURPLE!) with a purple formica counter top. Well, our Faux Granite Stencil is coming to the rescue! I plan to add ornamental detail to the cabinet fronts, paint it a neutral color and then give the top a rich, brown faux granite finish.

I actually love projects like this. Projects where what you do makes the hugest difference. It's a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that I can't begin to describe.

So other than spending a very romantic Christmas morning with my husband, and maybe a trip or two in to town for supplies, I'll be spending the rest of the trip gleefully listening to Christmas music and working on the house.

Christmas is always a very busy time for all of us. But it's also the time that I take stock of what I want to change in my home come the new year.

For all of you, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Elegance of Black and Gold Decor Colors

You might think of the color black (which really isn't a color at all) as being a depressing, dark, dull color to decorate with. But combine it with gold tones and you have more elegance than you ever imagined!

Easy Fall Foliage Arrangements

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for more great decorating ideas, fabulous stencils and ornamental wall molds to make your home simply spectacular with little expense and NO experience!

EASY FALL FOLIAGE ARRANGEMENTS ADD INSTANT BEAUTY TO YOUR HOME

To me, fall is just as beautiful as spring time. The colors can be brilliant and amazing and don't necessarily only involve yellow and orange.
In my own yard I now find deep blues, rich dark purples, vivid burgundy and hot pink in the leaves of various bushes and trees.

One of my favorite things is to venture outside, clippers in hand and do a bit of pruning to bring color inside.

Dashing out just now to find treasures for an arrangement for my office, I found beautiful mock cherry branches, fading hydrangea with blues and purples, ferns, bright yellow birch and other branches that created the most beautiful arrangement.

Think "texture' as you peruse your yard. Especially if you don't have many colorful plants. Different greens and even gray, in varied textures can also create a very dramatic arrangement.

Still want more color? Add a sprig or two of silk flowers to your arrangement of greens.