:: Highlight Those Blue Hues ::

What’s Trending Wednesday

We all know blue and white compliment each other extremely well. There’s no questioning that color combination when it comes to decor. However, one other color, more of a material, accents blue hues just as well and that’s wood.

Wood is a great material to pair with the color blue. You can decorate with light or dark wood and find a blue hue that matches flawlessly. Pair a strong navy blue with a deep walnut to bring out the rich hues of each color. If you’re decorating with a lighter palette you can compliment a light blue with an ash or white oak.

Mix and match hues to find the perfect color combination for your home! Check out how these designers have paired blue with different types and hues of wood!

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:: Design The Space ::

Tuesday Tips

Scale is one of the most important factors when it comes to design. It can set the tone for the entire space. It can make a room feel full, empty, right and wrong. When you’re designing a space you need to keep everything to the scale of the room. When you start buying without considering scale you’ll be in for a big surprise when it comes to the install.

Without knowing measurements of the space, furniture and accessories they potentially won’t fit which can cause a headache or two. You want to know what will fit in the space before you head off hunting for it. Knowing the measurements of your space will also allow you to use it to its full potential as well as show you were you can take design risks with scale. So do your homework, know your space and pick pieces that will not only look great in your space, but will actually fit!

:: 3 Easy Tips To Help You Design A Beachy Bedroom ::

Tuesday Tips

We’ve got 3 easy tips to help you create a wonderful beachy bedroom. These aren’t going to transform your bedroom into a coastal, getaway destination or anything of that sorts. That would be nice though, right? These tips are to help everyone with their bedroom, no matter what shape the room is in. Whether you’re just moving in or looking to change things up, these 3 tips will help you get started.

1. Let there be light!

Open up those windows and let that space breathe! Most coastal spaces have a light, airy feeling to them and how do you think they accomplish that? By letting the light in! So don’t hide the inside of you home from the world! Let it see what’s going on out there!

2. Keep it simple.

There’s no secret that less is more. There’s no need to go crazy in a coastal bedroom which makes your job easier. All you need to do is pick out your fabrics, a little art for the walls, a nice bed frame and one or two extra furniture pieces to decorate your room with. It will go a lot further then you think while leaving the space feeling open.

3. Decorate with white.

Decorating with white creates the feeling of peacefulness and relaxation. Who wouldn’t want to come home to a bedroom that invokes that every time they set foot in it? We know we wouldn’t hate that! So if you aren’t sure what color to use in your bedroom, you can never go wrong with white.

:: You Need More Than Photos In Your Gallery Wall ::

Tuesday Tips

A gallery wall is an easy way to fill empty wall space. Slap up a couple pictures in frames and you’re done, or are you? There’s no doubt that using framed images with give you a great looking gallery wall. Using fun, unique and interesting frames of different sizes with give you an even better looking and more interesting gallery wall. But why stop there?

One thing you can incorporate is art. That doesn’t mean you just have to limit yourself to only framed art though and it doesn’t just have to be art. It can be an antique sign or piece you found hunting in the flea markets. These pieces can be worked into the gallery to make the wall look even more dynamic. Adding more than the just frame images brings a new depth and eye catching element to the wall.

Check out how these designers have used more than just images in their gallery  walls. Get inspired and start to think what you could add to your walls to make them that much better!

:: New Year, New Bookcase ::

Tuesday Tips

Get ready for a new year, a new you, a new project, a new makeover and everything else new! If you want to start will something small your bookcase is a great place to start! We have a couple little tips to help liven it up and get your new year under way. We’re talking fast and easy things that anyone can do. You don’t need to be a professional interior designer (it doesn’t hurt if you are) or need to spend tons of money to create a beautiful bookcase. All you need are a few of these quick tips incorporated into your bookcase and you’re on your way. So here we go:

• Start with color – A little color in your bookcase never hurts. This means painting the backs of your bookcase or only painting a square, or rectangle, to make it stand out. Another option is wallpaper. You can bring in patterns or textures if wanted.
• Display art – Your bookcase doesn’t need to only showcase books or small accessories. Use it to show off some art too! Incorporating art into your bookcase will give it some life and grab the attention of the eye.
• Add those accessories – Like the art, accessories give you the ability to have fun decorating the bookcase. They can be scattered around to give the bookcase a fresh look. These pieces will give the eye more to look at while scanning over the books on display.
• Don’t forget the books – Your bookcase obviously needs books, but what it doesn’t need is a uniform, linear placement of them. Your books don’t have to boring! You can have fun with your books and display them in multiple ways. Laying them down, or leaning a book, will bring new space to the bookcase that also allows you to decorate with your art or accessories.

We’ve got a few examples of some great looking bookcases for you to use for inspiration to welcome in the new year. Remember to play around with your bookcase until you find what looks best. Good luck decorating!

:: Take Notes From The Cabin ::

Tuesday Tips

It’s winter time and we know what that means! It means playing in the snow, gathering around the fireplace, and getting cozy in the cabin! At least that’s what we like to dream of because we really don’t have winter here in Southern California. Maybe some rain, but that’s about as winter as it gets for us. Since there isn’t much snow and winter is rather tame here, all we can do is dream of it! It does get cold for us Californians and that brings up one design tip that is directly inspired by cabins. Decorate and prepare for the cold!

That means extra blankets, cozy pillows and all the cottage feels you find in a cabin! Cabins always have extra ways to keep you warm. Whether it be a cute nook that gets direct sunlight or a sofa with blankets ready to battle the cold, you’re always prepared. Take this idea and use it in your home this winter! It doesn’t have to snow where you are to be influenced by the cabin life, but if it does than that’s one more reason to be prepared!

Take a look at beautiful cabin spaces! Do you have any pictures you’d like to share with us? Post a comment with a link, post it on our facebook page or just email us! We’d love to see some cabins you really adore!

:: Get That Christmas Tree Up! ::

Tuesday Tips

It’s officially time for Christmas! December means two things: Christmas and more Christmas! We love Christmas here at Tuvalu Home and we’re so excited for it to finally be here! That’s why the Christmas trees are out and decorated for a month of festive love.

Take a look at some these Christmas trees and get inspired to get into the holiday spirit! These coastal themed trees are beautiful examples of what your Christmas tree can look like this season. Decorate your tree with starfish, shells, lights and other festive coastal ornaments! Go get that tree and start decorating!

:: 3 Quick Tips For The Holiday Kitchen ::

Tuesday Tips

It’s the season of the kitchen and we’re spending a good chunk of time in our beloved space. When we’re whirling around conducting a spiced filled symphony in our kitchens, we want to make sure all is in harmony and on cue. There’s no need to make your life more difficult, that’s why we’ve come up with these 3 quick tips to get your kitchen ready for the holidays. Get those aprons ready, heat up those ovens and get ready for the holiday season!

1. Cut The Clutter

If it doesn’t need to be in the kitchen get rid of it. Seriously, the last thing we need is to be tripping over things or frantically searching for counter space. The holidays are stressful enough, the last thing we need to add to it is mess and clutter.

2. Check The Kitchen Tools

Is everything good to go? Are those whisks still, well, whisky? Make sure the wine is ready while you’re at it. Do those pots and pans have another season in them? Are those mixers still mixing? Check and make sure everything you need is actually going to work. We don’t want a meltdown while that souffle is melting down.

3. Carry A Stockpile

We’re not saying you need all Costco this holiday season, but you definitely want to make sure you have plenty of goods. Running out mid-meal to grab ingredients is completely avoidable these holidays. Also the holidays are always faster and demand more time for everything. That being said, make sure you have some quick, healthy and easy meals ready to go.

Got all that ladies and gentlemen? There’s no reason these holidays shouldn’t go smooth and be successful. Tuvalu wants to help you guys out, but much more importantly, we want you guys to enjoy yourselves over the holidays. Happy cooking!

:: Simple Winter Home Decor ::

Tuesday Tips

It’s time to start breaking out the winter and holiday decor if you haven’t already. Halloween has officially ended so you’re in the clear. Since Thanksgiving is still coming, we won’t go full Christmas mode yet. We’ll just ease into it and start setting the mood for winter and holiday decor.

Whether it’s bright winter berries scattered about on the table or even a couple strands of garland can be the perfect holiday touch in your home. There’s no need to go above and beyond when it comes to decorating your home during the holidays. We aren’t saying that you should just put a few pine leaves out and call it a day, but there’s no need for all the mini Christmas village scenes or several nativity scenes throughout the home either – put that on hold for now. We are just warming up for the holiday season.

Hopefully some of these images bring you some inspiration and new ideas on how to keep it simple before you go full holiday mode on your home. 

:: Anchor A Coastal Living Room With Furniture ::

Tuesday Tips

The living room is an essential room in every home. It gets used daily and is often one of the most seen rooms in the house. That means design in the living room is crucial. One way to ensure design success in the living room is to properly anchor the room. Anchoring is just a fancy term that refers to pulling the room together and there are many ways to anchor a room. One of the most known ways to anchor a room is to use a rug, or rugs, but one of the beautiful things about design is how there are more than one way to do things.

One of the best way to anchor a room using furniture is to use a neutral colored sofa and matching chairs. There are two reason why they should be neutral colored and these pieces specifically. First, these pieces in neutral colors are important because they are going to be large pieces that every living room needs. They will take up space and will stand out if they are a bright, loud color. Second, the neutral colors allow you to build, layer and design on top of them. Set bright red pillows on the sofa to match the red striped rug you lay or the red side table you set in between your neutral colored chairs.

By using these pieces and neutral colors it allows the eyes to see them, but not fixate on them and move onto the more important design elements of the living room. Also, if you have the space, you can use two neutral colored sofas to anchor the space and now your chair options are as open as the color palette you choose.

We’ve gathered a few images to give you a visual of what we’re talking about. Each image shows a beautiful, coastal living room that is anchored by furniture. These spaces are anchored by furniture and allow the designer to decorate the rest of the room as they please. Have a look, take notes and be inspired to try this technique in your home.