Las Vegas Part Two: The Dont's

While it works for the Vegas strip to be loud, over-the-top and outrageous, this should not be the case for your home - no matter what your personality might lead you to think. Like Vegas, you should have bold, unexpected and charismatic pieces as long as they are in moderation. Here is part two of my Vegas inspiration... the Don'ts.

1. Relax on the themes. While an overall style is a great starting point for a room (i.e. beachy chic), having an all out theme for a room begins to seem overwhelming (i.e. all things fish). Start with an overall color palette that projects the overall feeling you want in the room. From there, choose a few key pieces and fabrics that portray this style and also fit within the overall color palette. Finally, balance these key pieces and fabrics with a few neutrals that are dispersed throughout the space. This way, everyone will understand the style of the space without being beaten over the head with it. Perfect example: The Venetian.

 photo by me

2. Minimize the gaudy accessories. Again, it's all about moderation. Having a few over-the-top pieces can help bring a sense of humor and add some energy to the space however, you'll want to avoid turning your home into today's rendition of Pee Wee's Playhouse. Try choosing one big statement piece to fill a corner or a few pieces that are similar is style and/or color. Place these pieces throughout a room in unexpected places to add some additional charisma. Although I love Siegfried and Roy, there is no need for a giant bronze statue of them that takes up an entire wall.

 photo by me

3. Symmetry is boring. Show off your creative side and create an arrangement that offers some originality throughout a space. This will help you create an environment or an experience instead of becoming the proud owner of a pretty but dull room. Case and point: I'm not sure what building this was except it was located near the Wynn.

photo by me

Las Vegas Part One: The Do's

The trip to Vegas was an absolute blast as you can tell by my lack of posts. So, to make up for it, I am doing a two-part series inspired by the Do's and Don'ts of Vegas. First up... the Do's.

1. Go big or go home. From the second I stepped off the airplane, I knew this place was going to be larger than life. From the architecture to the egos, everything had an in-your-face vibe. While you don't want your interior space to overload the senses, you do want to choose accent pieces that are large enough to be seen. Two good ways to determine what size of the accessory should be used are by measuring the 1) height of a room or 2) size of the furniture and then balancing the proportions from there. Here are some great examples to use as a reference.

 from top to bottom: decor8, House Beautiful, Material Girls

2. Take risks. Everywhere you wind up in Vegas, odds are you end up taking a risk I took risks both at the tables and with my wardrobe - the tables definitely being the losing gamble. With your interior space, try new things to help understand your personal style. A low risk change is paint color. If you've always wanted an eggplant room, try painting an accent wall with it. Worst case: you can always paint it back.

Feel like taking even more of a risk? I say, go for it however, sketch it out first to improve the odds of being successful. Here are some examples of big winners.

top to bottom: cococozy, House of Turquoise, Alkemie

3. Splurge a little. One thing I didn't know about Vegas was just how great the shopping was. From Alexander McQueen to Zac Posen, all of the key players of the fashion world had stores there. One by one, women were drawn into these stores like flies to a light. Their credit cards seemed to fly out of their bags as if the cash register were a giant magnet. This happened to two of my friends at Louis Vuitton. The justification: because they're worth it. A little rule of thumb to avoid using this justification on a daily basis is to sleep on it. If you're still thinking about that pair of shoes or those sunglasses the next day, chances are you need them. Here are some splurges I've had my eye on lately.

 top to bottom: Apartment48, Anthropologie, Jonathan Adler