Our 3 Least Favourite Colours: #3- Pale Yellow

Personally, we are not fans of pale yellow in interior design. Don't get us wrong, in a nursery or child's room it is a soothing colour. But outside if that, we think it just washes a space out. We don't particularly like yellow in any part of a room, but especially on furniture. When you try to mix this soft colour with a soft fabric, it just becomes bad. Plus it will dirty super easily!

This room is the definition of washed out. the paint colour, furniture, and carpet are all the same colour, which makes the room way too monochromatic and boring. This is one o the reasons pale yellow is really hard to work with. Almost always it becomes faded and old looking. Sure, the dark fireplace helped a little bit, but overall the yellow attack is a bad look, and the dark green plants only make it worse.

Unfortunately, sometimes you have to work with things you aren't too fond of. So, if you have no choice but to work with pale yellow, you have to make the best of it. We think that pale yellow looks best when it is in the background. It works as a wall colour because it isn't overpowering and can work well with other colours. Another way to use pale yellow in a fashionable way is to turn the brightness up, just a little. It can still be pale without being dated. Finally, try using pale yellow where it really belongs, in a kids bedroom or playroom. Its a very youthful colour in this scenario, and can be quite charming if done right.

On walls, we think that pale yellow is a lot more tolerable.

Turn up the intensity a notch or two, it will not only make a truer yellow, but it will make the colour pop instead of being washed out.

If there is one room pale yellow works in perfectly, it's a nursery. The pale, soothing colour is just adorable for a newborn.

-Hayley, Vanja, & Alexandra

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Our Top 3 Favourite Colours-#1: White

#1: White


Out of all of the colours that are popular in interior design, our favourite is actually a neutral, white! We think white in interior design is a great, modern colour that looks good in any part of a room, from walls to furniture to accessories. White can give so many different feelings to a room, it's so versatile.

We really like this kitchen. The white ceiling makes the room look bigger, as do the white cabinets. The white tile backslash has a slight sheen, which reflects the light from the window nicely. We think this room has just enough white. If had any more, it would probably be overpowering. We like how the floors are a darker, yet muted wood, which adds to the clean cut feel of the space. Since there is a large contrast in the colour of the chairs at the island and the rest of the kitchen, the chairs really pop and become a focal point. The stainless steel appliances also work well, preventing the room from becoming too traditional or country feeling.

This room is an example of how white can look very dated. The muted colour palette of the entire room doesn't portray the soft tone that was desired, but instead looks faded. The wallpaper doesn't help the whole "Granny" look either. But there are some things we like. The fireplace is great, so the basic idea of the space isn't awful. We also like the floor lamp by the fireplace and the chandelier. The bench by the french doors is cute, too. If we could, we would add some colour to this room, take the ill-fitting covers off the furniture, and move the patio furnisher (a.k.a. the coffee table and end tables) outside where they belong. Some rooms just don't belong white, and this is definitely one of them.

Our favourite way to use white is probably in accessories. Whether modern or traditional, in an all-white room or in a colourful one, white accessories are classy and timeless. A white accessory in a room can either pop or compliment, depending on the colour scheme in the rest of the room. Just remember not to try and make an accessory stand out if it's not meant to. Some things just look better as compliments, just like other things looks better as stand out pieces. The first vases, for example, are very stream-lined and simple and would work best as an extra touch to a room, not a main attraction. The vase beneath, on the other hand, is very intricate and would make a better centrepiece for a table or mantle.

-Hayley, Vanja, & Alexandra

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Our Top 3 Favourite Colours-#2: Lime Green

#2 Lime Green

Our second favourite colour is Lime Green. We like lime green because it is a very fresh colour that gives any room a crisp feel. We like to work with green because it can be incorporated into any room. Whether in a bathroom or a kitchen, green makes the room look cleaner. We like green in every part of a room, just not all at one time. If used wisely, green can create a natural look in any room.

This bathroom shows how green can be used as a main wall colour without it becoming too overpowering. The darker green contrasts with the bright white well and since those are the only two colours in the room is has a simplistic feel. The white and green accessories complete this look.

In this living room, green is used on the furniture. This gives a different feel than the previous room, but we still like how the green effects this room. The olive hue makes it look more sophisticated, as does the patterned window behind the couch. The light wood table makes the green the centre of attention. We like this room, but we would probably add a few different pillows so the couch didn't look so monochromatic.

Our favourite way to use green in rooms is accents, particularly lamps. They are a great way to add colour to a space that reflects on the whole room, literally. whether on the stem of the lamp or the shade itself, green lamps are the perfect touch to any room with a accent neutral or analogous colour scheme.

-Hayley, Vanja, Alexandra

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Our Top 3 Favourite Colours-#3: Tropical Blue

#3: TROPICAL BLUE

  We like tropical blue because it gives a serene and calm feeling to the room. It also create a warm tone in a room, which can be difficult to achieve with cool toned colours. This blue can be used in many areas of a room, but we wouldn't recommend it as a paint colour for an entire room. As an accent wall it would look nice, but every wall would just close off the room and probably give you a headache. Our favourite way to use tropical blue is in accents. With white and black especially the blue pops, giving the room a fun, youthful feel.

  In this picture, blue is used as an accent colour. This is how we would use tropical blue in a living room or even an office. The white keeps the room bright and open, which allows more light in. This light reflects off the blue and make the room look more modern. The other bright colours also add to this effect. This room is also a really convenient room, as you can change the tone in the room with new curtains and pillow covers.

This bedroom is an example of how Tropical Blue can be used in fabrics to create a really chic look. We love how rich these fabrics look, partly because of the hue and partly because of the slight shine that they have. This room is also an example of the black and white with the blue and we believe that this colour scheme is very modern. The chandelier table lamps and embroidered pillows add to this feeling, creating a room that any fashionable young woman would love.

We think this kitchen shows how blue can go really wrong. Its overdone as it's not only very bright on the cabinets, which is too much on its own, but the blue and white printed wall paper just completes the disaster. If they wanted to use blue, they should have chosen either the cabinets or the wallpaper and toned whichever one they picked down about ten notches. That wall you could look at this room without getting a headache. But we're not saying we don't like blue in kitchens, we just think it looks better when its subtle, like the picture below.

-Hayley, Vanja, & Alexandra

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Reclaimed Wreckage will be FULL TIME at the downtown farmers market this summer!

Yup. Thats right. I LOVE the downtown market. It's one of my favorite markets of the year.... and now I'll be in it full time! Every Saturday you can find me with my green and white canopy set up in Pioneer Park just off the 400 S exit in downtown Salt Lake City. I'm so happy.

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new waterbed images

new waterbed

new waterbed

new waterbed

new waterbed

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Balcony Design Ideas

Balconies hold a special place in home design or high-rise apartment. Balconies add outdoor living space to any home and are especially prized in apartment buildings where the balcony may be the only outdoor space to which a tenant has access. Plants, of course, are the most natural decorating idea for a balcony. If your balcony has an ugly wall you would like to hide, low planters of fast-growing bamboo will both screen the wall and lend a touch of Asian chic.
Most balconies are covered, so you won’t have to worry about the effects of rain, but wind can still do some weathering on susceptible furniture. Take a look at pieces made form hardy materials, but which are still comfortable to sit or lie down on. You might want to include a couple of different pieces for sitting or lying down on; chairs, hammocks, even swings are all great options. And don’t forget a nice table, of a size that can suit your snacking or even outdoor dinner ideas!

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