Fabulous Home Decorating Ideas

Grand architectural elements set the tone in fabulous home decor.

Transform a plain Jane home into something special with fabulous decorating schemes. The key to creating gorgeous interior design is to incorporate what inspires you, so look through magazines, catalogs and showrooms to see what captures your attention. Avoid those matching furniture sets and textiles and aim for a look that has personality and style.

Indian Palace

Decorating interiors like an Indian palace lends the space an exotic aesthetic. Architectural features such as carved hardwood molding, arched walls and cathedral ceilings set the tone. Your palette should feature jewel tones such as ruby, amethyst, jade, turquoise and sapphire. Embellish paint with paisley stencils, gold stamping, rococo wallpaper trim or a tile mural. Drape fabric or mosquito netting around the bed or a reading area for a romantic retreat. Dark wooden furniture frames may feature artisan touches such as engraving, embossing or hand-painted trim. Hammered tin lanterns or a bouquet of brilliant paper lanterns provide ambient lighting.

Hollywood Glam

Evoke the golden era of Hollywood with retro glam home decor. Large windows, skylights and mirrors create a brilliant, glittering backdrop for walls painted in sophisticated stone gray or muted rose. Black, silver, gold and pink accents show up on upholstery, window treatments, Chinoiserie-style wallpaper, throw pillows and lampshades. Amp up the sex appeal in your Hollywood Regency interior by incorporating chairs, tables and desks with black lacquer frames and with skinny, curved legs. A drop crystal chandelier completes the glitzy look.

Bohemian Modern

The eclectic bohemian modern, or "bomo," decorating scheme combines refurbished flea market finds with family heirlooms, one-of-a-kind artisan pieces with do-it-yourself project. Begin with walls in saturated hues of periwinkle, mango orange, sunny yellow, turquoise or fuchsia. A wallpaper mural of an abstract design or an ethnic motif creates a focal point. Furnish interiors with pieces that inspire you rather than pieces that match. You might coordinate a background color or detail on upholstery or use a signature shade in various spots of a room to bring it together and avoid the market bazaar look. Stack artwork, framed and unframed, in tight groupings on walls, or vertically up a narrow wall, to emulate the aesthetic of a Parisian art salon.

References

• HGTV: Dazzling Draped Indian Dorm Room
• Apartment Therapy: Hollywood Regency
• "Architectural Digest": Bohemian By the Sea