Do you have the basic pieces for your room but the room still feels unfinished?  Perhaps you want a new look but don’t want to invest in new furniture right now.

Accessorizing is a great way to update or finish a current room in your house.  Adding lamps (instead of using the overhead lights all the time) adds warmth to a room.  Artwork and mirrors anchor a space and give it visual interest.  Pillows add color and texture.  Books, picture frames, plants, bowls, candlesticks and/or boxes add personality and intimacy.

Adding a few new elements can change a room you once dreaded  into one of your favorite spots in the house.

If you already have a rug, use that as a jumping off point for color and style.  If you don’t have a rug, check out an earlier blog post here about choosing one and its impact on a room.

The wonderful thing about accessorizing is that you can use what you already have and add what you don’t have over time.  Do you have a favorite print or oil painting in the hall?  Move it over your sofa and give it new life.  I’m sure you have family photos in a box somewhere, buy some new frames and arrange them on your end table.

Different colors and accessories give a room its own personality.

In the following photos you will see how adding different accessories to the same space can alter the feeling of a room.

So take a look.  Hunt through your house for some inspiration and begin the process of transforming your space into something you love.

An unfinished space waiting for love.

By starting with this oil painting in a brushed gold frame you add a touch of formality to your room. Add brass accents, floor lamps and fresh fun pillows you get an updated, tradtional room that exudes warmth.

Using cooler colors, blues and silvers, gives the same furniture grouping a completely different feel. The mercury glass lamps and graphic picture combined with greek key pillows and simple table accessories makes this room a little more transitional and great for a beach or river home.

I love it, but what do I do with it?

Perhaps you have a beautiful console from your grandmother. You love it but can’t imagine how to incorporate it into a space in your room. It looks lonely and awkward by itself.

Add prints, a lamp, an occasional chair and some books and you have transformed a lonely corner into an inviting and warm reading area.

Or, instead of a set of prints and a table lamp, use a mirror and a floor lamp. This vignette would be equally at home in a foyer.

If you are in need of inspiration or advice, stop by The Kellogg Collection.  We would love to help you fill in the holes to make your room the room of your dreams.

And, our Semi-Annual sale runs through the end of the month, so everything you might need  is discounted!

      Have you ever started decorating a room from scratch and ended up with pieces that you like but just don’t gel together?  Most people tend to shop first for what they need the most which tends to be functional pieces like sofas and chairs.  This may make sense at first but you will end up making the process harder on yourself down the road.  The selection of rugs is limited compared to the endless possibilities of fabrics for your furniture – so make it easier on yourself and start with a rug!

      The rug sets the foundation of the room, which is important when starting from scratch.  It will determine the color scheme of a room and the color scheme will influence every other aspect: wall color, upholstery, pillows, artwork, and accessories! The rug even has the ability to guide the furniture layout of a space.  When trying to figure out the correct rug size for your space, a good rule of thumb is to go as big as the room allows.  Using a larger rug that fits the entire room will allow you to utilize the entire space.  With all of these design factors that rely on the rug, you can understand that if you start the decorating process with the rug, everything else will fall into place.  Here are some examples of how a rug can set the foundation of a room:

Dhurrie rug in soft blue, taupe, and ivory tones

Casual, striped rug in coral, blue, and yellow

French country style Nourmak rug in reds and golds

When designing the scenes in our stores, we always start with the rug which we display on the wall so you can see how much of an impact it can have on the rest of the furniture in the space.  Here are some examples from our store scenes:

Blue Thaelia needlepoint rug sets the color scheme for this space

Grouping the rug with fabrics and pillows on a smaller scale will help to coordinate colors

A warm and inviting space

If you already have a room of furniture and are finding it difficult to find a rug that matches your current color scheme there is always the option of going neutral on the floor with a neutral colored rug as shown here:

A neutral wool rug creates a flexible foundation for this handsome window scene

You can also incorporate pattern and texture in your neutral rugs like this diamond sisal

If you are in search of a new rug, take advantage of sale prices at The Kellogg Collection through February 27th during our semi-annual sale, and again March 9-24 during our rug sale!

We are experiencing hints of spring in Washington. It is common here in the mid-Atlantic for the temperature to fluctuate widely with cold nights but ever warmer days. The early shoots of forsythia and daffodils are beginning to appear and of course we are looking forward to our famous Cherry trees putting on their spectacular annual show.     

Gordon Sofa

At the Kellogg Collection, March always marks the beginning of our upholstery sale which this year will run from the 11th through the 31st. During this period all of our upholstered furniture will be reduced 25% to 50% off retail prices. As our loyal customers know this is a great time of year to come to the store in search of a beautiful sofa or perhaps a pair of club chairs. Throughout the year our designers search out the fabrics and forms that we think are fresh, classic and chic.     

Brandon Chair

Keswick Chair

This is also the perfect time of year to create something that is completely yours. During the sale, special orders will be 25% to 30% off. We have over 500 different fabrics to choose from or you can bring in your own special material to create a one of a kind sofa, chair or ottoman.     

Talbot Chair

Bently Chair

Detail to design and finish is always our goal in bringing these special pieces to you. I know we are all looking forward to Spring and we  at  the Kellogg Collection look forward to seeing you.

Tomorrow, September 15th, starts our Semi-Annual Sale which will run through October 4th. Our valued customers look forward to this sale all year because they know this is a serious event that offers great savings on everything in the store. Only twice a year do we mark down such favorites as our pillows and accessories.

Discounts through out the store range from 15% to 60%. For example here is a beautiful aqua and white floral Keswick club chair, we have a pair, each originally priced at $3,864.00. They are now each reduced 60%  to $1,545.60.

We also have a pair of Margate clubchairs in a sophisticated brown and white Indian floral print. They originally were each priced at $2,240.00 and are now 50% off for a terrific $1,120.00 per chair. All the upholstered pieces in the store are at least 25% off their original price and special orders will also be 25% discounted during the sale.

We look forward to seeing all our old friends during this event and hope to make many new ones.