My Decorating Tips is a home decorating blog by Marina Klima, an interior designer in New Jersey. We help families to make home decorating projects easy by guiding them and recommending durable, safe and inspiring solutions for their homes and offices.
I am Marina Klima. This blog is my passion since September 2011, when I realized that the economy is tanked but people need a designer’s eye no matter what. With this blog, I hope to show you how to make your home decorating projects feel easier and reduce mistakes. More than anything I want your home to be a warm and welcoming place for you, your children, and your pets.
Why I am here
I believe that good design can change lives and bring joy. From my experience, many of my readers and clients have no problem when it comes to fashion and personal style but struggle with conceptualizing a room or the whole house. I am here because I want to provide you with access to the resources that you can trust. I also give my honest expert advice about all phases of decorating. I hold your hand and help you with any questions you have- small or more in-depth. I want to put the tools in your hands so that you have exactly what they want- a comfortable and inspiring home!
I love color and design and keep on learning them perpetually. My numerous diplomas in decorative painting come from Pierre Finkelstein, one of the most recognized decorative painters in the world.
I am from Odessa, Ukraine, which I believe is one of the most beautiful cities on the Black Sea with stunning architecture that goes back to the eighteenth century.
Of course, the classic European style had a huge impact on me but so did my grandmother. Since I was a little girl my grandmother showed me how to make things with very little that we had. I learned how to knit when I was eight, and make home decorations since I can remember myself.
Guilty pleasures
I’m guilty of buying exciting accents anywhere I go. Then when it comes to the finishing touches I am a Mary Poppins. I open my “bag” of exquisite accessories and edit things around until it all falls into place.
I can’t wait to get to know you better! Want to dive into my popular articles archives soaking up my knowledge and tips? Please do so and then ask me anything!
Comments
Sherri Zylbermincsays
Decision Dilemma.
I want to reupholster 2 channel back, asymetric tall living room chairs . Room does not get heavy traffic. I found a beautiful velvet upholstery material that accents my rug perfectly . My upholsterer is advising against using it saying that the blue will fade easily and may not last 5 years . It is 100% rayon and feels pretty heavy . I dont know the double rub index . The designers at the fabric store tell me that the velvet is a good fabric . Someone else in the store recommended a velvet that is 100% cotton . Designers told me that once fabric is attached tightly to chair , it will not wrinkle and will wear nicely. What is your suggestion ? My new sofa has a very durable velvet type fabric made by Kashmira ( from flexsteel ) Other types of fabric dont look so good in the room . Thank you , Sherri
Hi Sherri,
It’s hard to say without seeing the fabric. Let’s talk about color first. Fading depends on light exposure in the room. Do you have many windows? Do you have light control, such as blinds and shades?
Now let’s talk about the blend- 100% rayon. Rayon is made of wood pulp and doesn’t like water. It is dry clean only. But if your room doesn’t have heavy use you could be okay. Double rubs index is not very important here, the cleanability is. If you clean it with water it might become rough and have some marks. It is true that when the fabric, any fabric is attached to the piece and the upholsterer is doing a good job, then it won’t wrinkle. 100% cotton will clean better. That’s the difference. Good luck! Let me know what you decided, and if you need more help. You can always post a picture.
I found your blog online and I would like to share an interesting product with you! Can I email and share more info of our WallArt Ecofriendly Plant fiber Wall Panels? Maybe I can send you a pack of our Panels so you can have a look at them? I hope You are interested because I really like your blog!
Hi Carla,
Thank you very much for kind words. I am thrilled that you like my blog. I carefully read your challenge description and analyzed the room. If your little girl wants Unicorn theme you can easily pull it off with just a couple of wall decor items. As far as the rug, you can use a natural or faux animal pelt and that will be right by the bed as she steps down. Just like you, I don’t understand the point of buying a rug and tucking it under the bed just to create a hassle cleaning it. I, personally have a pelt and love it! The room layout looks fine, and yes, I would definitely add a chair to the other side of the room. Here are some rugs ideas for you at the end of the post – pelts natural and faux https://mydecoratingtips.com/2018/03/15/area-rug-placement-under-bed/.
I hope this helps! I can’t wait to see your room decorating in progress. Don’t forget to come back if you have questions. Good luck.
I just stumbled across your fabulous site. I was searching for ideas on area rug placement in a bedroom. You have some wonderful before and after photos! Anyway, I have lived in the same house for 15 years now and I’ve always wanted to have a beautifully decorated and designed home. So I’ve slowly tackled each room one by one. Recently I’ve done a lot of research because I’ve made so many mistakes in the past and I want this next room to turn out beautiful. I am in the midst of redecorating my 8 year old daughter’s bedroom. I know the first step is furniture placement before I select a rug curtains or bedspread. Well, I already purchased the duvet which hasn’t come in yet. My daughter wanted a unicorn theme. Because I want her to grow into her room I don’t want to get too crazy with it. I would say my style is on the minimalistic and functional side. We repainted the wall so they are neutral – 2 walls are antique white and the other two are latte. I know a decorating taboo is to not place the rug underneath at least part of the bed but I really hate to have a rug underneath the bed because it’s hard to clean and then you’re not seeing most of it. Also, I only have one night stand for this bed which is a queen bed. I was wondering if you could give me advice on furniture placement including if there’s any hope to have a rug somewhere other than under the bed. Or maybe even an oval shaped rug? Right now the room is pretty much a blank canvas. There is a queen bed, dresser, and one night stand. There’s really no other place for the queen bed unless it’s on the opposite side which might look weird coming in the room. I was wondering, do you think a corner placement would work? Also, the dresser is a little small for that wall. Should I get an accent chair for desk maybe along the same wall? Attaching a picture. Thanks!
Hi Barbara,
Check out CR Laine sectionals http://www.crlaine.com/products/sectionals.html. Many of my clients find them very comfortable and quality is great + many custom options in terms of length, width etc. You can always tilt the TV so that you are comfortable when watching. But most people don’t find it to be a problem in a large room. Let me know about CR Laine, and we’ll take it from there. I might be able to help you with fabric choices as well as pricing etc. I am in NYC quite often. Are you? I will email you. Best of luck!
Hi Marina, so glad I found this site. Been searching quite a while for sectional. My room is open dining and living room – living room has high vaulted ceiling. One side wall has sliding glass doors. and the other side is a wall. Fireplace with Flat TV in front of room with windows on either side.. I am looking into a sectional but having trouble finding one that fits properly. The sectional should be centered in front of the fireplace and the TV is high over the fireplace. I am 5’4 but son and husband are 6’1. Need a high back so we are not straining our neck, deep seating. Would like a comfy couch but well made. Problem is that been to several stores and the size is either not big enough (does not reach the far wall) so that it floats. The latest one is 117″ x 94 (10 inches from the wall. Not sure how this will look in the room. here is a picture of the room. total room size 16 x20 but size where living area / couch in picture is 127″ x 100″.
Good morning, I found your blog while researching upholstery fabric for some funky 70″s metal chairs with buttons.
I am a hand dyed fabric supplier. I mostly dye cotton, linen, and linen blends. My linen cotton blend works up nicely for pilllow covers. I have made a few tops from it. They are a bit stiff. I think the linen cotton would make great drapes.
I have a request from a potential client, owner of the funky chairs, for some hand dyed fabric she saw in my etsy shop. Her inquiry involved the linen cotton blend (6 oz/sq yd.) From her emails I gather she is having an upholstery shop do the work and they are recommending 15 oz fabric. First of all, that sounds really cumbersome to dye!!! Secondly, is her upholstry compnay correct – that the fabric should be that heavy?
I have found some very nice denim @ 10 OZ. and a Kaufman PFD canvas @ 9 oz.. So my questions is: will this lighter heavyweight fabric type be okay for this project? The fabric would cover both the seat and the back of the chair?
Thanks so much for responding. Your articles are well written and I love that you add lots of visuals for us.
Hi Christina,
I am so very sorry for the delayed response. Usually, I get comments after a blog post, so I did not see this one. I am not sure why the upholsterer recommended 15 oz weight fabric. Perhaps because of the buttons, so that they stay in place better? That’s probably the only reason. I would speak to the upholsterer to see if he can still work with 10oz denim. If your client is concerned with durability, the weight of the fabric is not directly connected with durability. For example, if the fabric is 15 oz and 3,000 double rubs (which is durability measure) and another fabric is 10oz and 9,000 double rubs, the second one will wear better. Ideally, you want 15,000 double rubs fabric. But I figured that this is an accent chair, right? So, she can get away with 9,000 double rubs. I hope I am not too late with my answer Good luck!
Hi Marina, I thought I had thanked you for your info…
Just for your information: we settle on a ten ounce bull denim that dyed up beautifully. It is structurally pretty hardy and handled the washing and soaking that comes with the dyeing process.
The client is very happy with it. Can’t wait to the see photos of the chairs
He Christina,
You gave me a big smile as I read this yesterday. It’s cool that I was, hopefully, part of the process. Please, please post a picture, or else I’ll die wondering what it looks like. P.S. What’s your store name on Etsy, I am a regular there.
I will send you photos of the chairs when I get them. So interesting to see what they wil look like.
Thanks for asking. The newer listings are better photographically. I am not in such a hurry to post and actually iron the fabric before taking photos! The things we learn along the way.
Have a great week.
marinaklimasays
Thank you, you too
lilian gongsays
Hi , Marina, I found your blog by bumping into your site. Really like your work. Wonder if you can help out with design service through online? I can email you pictures, videos, (just need help with living room paint color, and large patio window treatments, ), or even Facetime video?
Hi Lilian,
Thanks for coming over to my blog. I can surely help you with this. Please send me any and all pictures and I’ll be able to give you a quote. You can send them directly to my gmail to avoid spam marinaklima@gmail.com Again, I’m excited for you and changes for your home!
we have been in our home for 15 years, still very few pictures on walls, no curtains mantel not quite decorated, desperately need foyer chandelier. I have spent and continue to spend an enormous amount of time looking on line for ideas, looking in stores, and just dont know how to implement them or when I look for fabric or rugs cant seem to grasp how to pull it all together, recently had a colorist come to home and paid her to tell me what paint colors to use for foyer, living room, dining room, but we wernt really liking the colors, continue to struggle with odd family room furniture arrangement, we are 54 years old, and still cant get pleasure from home because its always in some process that never gets finished, how could you help
Thank you for reaching out. I was thinking about your challenges quite a lot. I wanted to jump on giving your several kinds of advice but then decided that it is always better to see than to hear. to this end, please post pictures of your foyer- to decide on the chandelier, post pictures for your family room for the layout, and post pictures for the windows for the window treatments. My blog’s readers are pure gold to me since I spend so much effort on bringing value. So, I will try to help. To read how we helped other people, please go here: http://klimadesigngroup.net/reviews/
Just moved Into new hous. I love my furniture and need to try to make this new place a home, I don’t know where to begin, paint color, window treatments.
Hi Lea,
Congratulations on your new house!It is great that you already have the furniture so it is easier to pick the colors, window treatments and accessories. I would say that you can at least try to pick the fabric for window treatments before the paint colors of the walls. You can coordinate your window treatments with upholstery fabric or throw pillows if you have any. Also, you can take a different approach and pick windows color that compliments your upholstery. For example, if your sofa is beige or brown, a nice blue-green would look nice for the windows. Whatever you do, the wall paint color is the last decision you should make if you want all different colors. however, if your color palette is neutral and you want to keep it this way, you can pick the paint colors right away. Consider the architecture of the rooms. Is it open floor plan? how tall are the ceilings?
Lea, if you post your pictures on Facebook page MyDecoratingTips, I will be able to help you much, much better.
I am very impressed with your great dgsien ideas. All the dgsiens are unique and very attractive. Bedroom is the one place that everyone absolutely need to feel completely comfortable, and finding the right bedroom furniture is the best way to make that happen. Thanks for beautiful post.
Decision Dilemma.
I want to reupholster 2 channel back, asymetric tall living room chairs . Room does not get heavy traffic. I found a beautiful velvet upholstery material that accents my rug perfectly . My upholsterer is advising against using it saying that the blue will fade easily and may not last 5 years . It is 100% rayon and feels pretty heavy . I dont know the double rub index . The designers at the fabric store tell me that the velvet is a good fabric . Someone else in the store recommended a velvet that is 100% cotton . Designers told me that once fabric is attached tightly to chair , it will not wrinkle and will wear nicely. What is your suggestion ? My new sofa has a very durable velvet type fabric made by Kashmira ( from flexsteel ) Other types of fabric dont look so good in the room . Thank you , Sherri
Hi Sherri,
It’s hard to say without seeing the fabric. Let’s talk about color first. Fading depends on light exposure in the room. Do you have many windows? Do you have light control, such as blinds and shades?
Now let’s talk about the blend- 100% rayon. Rayon is made of wood pulp and doesn’t like water. It is dry clean only. But if your room doesn’t have heavy use you could be okay. Double rubs index is not very important here, the cleanability is. If you clean it with water it might become rough and have some marks. It is true that when the fabric, any fabric is attached to the piece and the upholsterer is doing a good job, then it won’t wrinkle. 100% cotton will clean better. That’s the difference. Good luck! Let me know what you decided, and if you need more help. You can always post a picture.
Hi,
I found your blog online and I would like to share an interesting product with you! Can I email and share more info of our WallArt Ecofriendly Plant fiber Wall Panels? Maybe I can send you a pack of our Panels so you can have a look at them? I hope You are interested because I really like your blog!
yes, Casey, go right ahead thank you
Hi Carla,
just to create a hassle cleaning it. I, personally have a pelt and love it! The room layout looks fine, and yes, I would definitely add a chair to the other side of the room. Here are some rugs ideas for you at the end of the post – pelts natural and faux https://mydecoratingtips.com/2018/03/15/area-rug-placement-under-bed/.
Thank you very much for kind words. I am thrilled that you like my blog. I carefully read your challenge description and analyzed the room. If your little girl wants Unicorn theme you can easily pull it off with just a couple of wall decor items. As far as the rug, you can use a natural or faux animal pelt and that will be right by the bed as she steps down. Just like you, I don’t understand the point of buying a rug and tucking it under the bed
I hope this helps! I can’t wait to see your room decorating in progress. Don’t forget to come back if you have questions. Good luck.
I just stumbled across your fabulous site. I was searching for ideas on area rug placement in a bedroom. You have some wonderful before and after photos! Anyway, I have lived in the same house for 15 years now and I’ve always wanted to have a beautifully decorated and designed home. So I’ve slowly tackled each room one by one. Recently I’ve done a lot of research because I’ve made so many mistakes in the past and I want this next room to turn out beautiful. I am in the midst of redecorating my 8 year old daughter’s bedroom. I know the first step is furniture placement before I select a rug curtains or bedspread. Well, I already purchased the duvet which hasn’t come in yet. My daughter wanted a unicorn theme. Because I want her to grow into her room I don’t want to get too crazy with it. I would say my style is on the minimalistic and functional side. We repainted the wall so they are neutral – 2 walls are antique white and the other two are latte. I know a decorating taboo is to not place the rug underneath at least part of the bed but I really hate to have a rug underneath the bed because it’s hard to clean and then you’re not seeing most of it. Also, I only have one night stand for this bed which is a queen bed. I was wondering if you could give me advice on furniture placement including if there’s any hope to have a rug somewhere other than under the bed. Or maybe even an oval shaped rug? Right now the room is pretty much a blank canvas. There is a queen bed, dresser, and one night stand. There’s really no other place for the queen bed unless it’s on the opposite side which might look weird coming in the room. I was wondering, do you think a corner placement would work? Also, the dresser is a little small for that wall. Should I get an accent chair for desk maybe along the same wall? Attaching a picture. Thanks!
Hi Barbara,
Check out CR Laine sectionals http://www.crlaine.com/products/sectionals.html. Many of my clients find them very comfortable and quality is great + many custom options in terms of length, width etc. You can always tilt the TV so that you are comfortable when watching. But most people don’t find it to be a problem in a large room. Let me know about CR Laine, and we’ll take it from there. I might be able to help you with fabric choices as well as pricing etc. I am in NYC quite often. Are you? I will email you. Best of luck!
HI Marina,
My zip is 10549. My budget is 4,5K
Hi Marina, so glad I found this site. Been searching quite a while for sectional. My room is open dining and living room – living room has high vaulted ceiling. One side wall has sliding glass doors. and the other side is a wall. Fireplace with Flat TV in front of room with windows on either side.. I am looking into a sectional but having trouble finding one that fits properly. The sectional should be centered in front of the fireplace and the TV is high over the fireplace. I am 5’4 but son and husband are 6’1. Need a high back so we are not straining our neck, deep seating. Would like a comfy couch but well made. Problem is that been to several stores and the size is either not big enough (does not reach the far wall) so that it floats. The latest one is 117″ x 94 (10 inches from the wall. Not sure how this will look in the room. here is a picture of the room. total room size 16 x20 but size where living area / couch in picture is 127″ x 100″.
Hey Barbara,
Thank you for trusting me with your home decorating dilemma. Sure, I can help. Where are you by zip code? What is your budget for this?
Good morning, I found your blog while researching upholstery fabric for some funky 70″s metal chairs with buttons.
I am a hand dyed fabric supplier. I mostly dye cotton, linen, and linen blends. My linen cotton blend works up nicely for pilllow covers. I have made a few tops from it. They are a bit stiff. I think the linen cotton would make great drapes.
I have a request from a potential client, owner of the funky chairs, for some hand dyed fabric she saw in my etsy shop. Her inquiry involved the linen cotton blend (6 oz/sq yd.) From her emails I gather she is having an upholstery shop do the work and they are recommending 15 oz fabric. First of all, that sounds really cumbersome to dye!!! Secondly, is her upholstry compnay correct – that the fabric should be that heavy?
I have found some very nice denim @ 10 OZ. and a Kaufman PFD canvas @ 9 oz.. So my questions is: will this lighter heavyweight fabric type be okay for this project? The fabric would cover both the seat and the back of the chair?
Thanks so much for responding. Your articles are well written and I love that you add lots of visuals for us.
Tina
Hi Christina,
Good luck!
I am so very sorry for the delayed response. Usually, I get comments after a blog post, so I did not see this one. I am not sure why the upholsterer recommended 15 oz weight fabric. Perhaps because of the buttons, so that they stay in place better? That’s probably the only reason. I would speak to the upholsterer to see if he can still work with 10oz denim. If your client is concerned with durability, the weight of the fabric is not directly connected with durability. For example, if the fabric is 15 oz and 3,000 double rubs (which is durability measure) and another fabric is 10oz and 9,000 double rubs, the second one will wear better. Ideally, you want 15,000 double rubs fabric. But I figured that this is an accent chair, right? So, she can get away with 9,000 double rubs. I hope I am not too late with my answer
Hi Marina, I thought I had thanked you for your info…
Just for your information: we settle on a ten ounce bull denim that dyed up beautifully. It is structurally pretty hardy and handled the washing and soaking that comes with the dyeing process.
The client is very happy with it. Can’t wait to the see photos of the chairs
Thanks for your helpful comments.
Christina
He Christina,
P.S. What’s your store name on Etsy, I am a regular there.
You gave me a big smile as I read this yesterday. It’s cool that I was, hopefully, part of the process. Please, please post a picture, or else I’ll die wondering what it looks like.
Smiles are great!!!
I will send you photos of the chairs when I get them. So interesting to see what they wil look like.
Thanks for asking. The newer listings are better photographically. I am not in such a hurry to post and actually iron the fabric before taking photos! The things we learn along the way.
Have a great week.
Thank you, you too
Hi , Marina, I found your blog by bumping into your site. Really like your work. Wonder if you can help out with design service through online? I can email you pictures, videos, (just need help with living room paint color, and large patio window treatments, ), or even Facetime video?
Hi Lilian,
Thanks for coming over to my blog. I can surely help you with this. Please send me any and all pictures and I’ll be able to give you a quote. You can send them directly to my gmail to avoid spam marinaklima@gmail.com Again, I’m excited for you and changes for your home!
we have been in our home for 15 years, still very few pictures on walls, no curtains mantel not quite decorated, desperately need foyer chandelier. I have spent and continue to spend an enormous amount of time looking on line for ideas, looking in stores, and just dont know how to implement them or when I look for fabric or rugs cant seem to grasp how to pull it all together, recently had a colorist come to home and paid her to tell me what paint colors to use for foyer, living room, dining room, but we wernt really liking the colors, continue to struggle with odd family room furniture arrangement, we are 54 years old, and still cant get pleasure from home because its always in some process that never gets finished, how could you help
Hi Lynn,
Thank you for reaching out. I was thinking about your challenges quite a lot. I wanted to jump on giving your several kinds of advice but then decided that it is always better to see than to hear. to this end, please post pictures of your foyer- to decide on the chandelier, post pictures for your family room for the layout, and post pictures for the windows for the window treatments. My blog’s readers are pure gold to me since I spend so much effort on bringing value. So, I will try to help. To read how we helped other people, please go here: http://klimadesigngroup.net/reviews/
Fantastic job. Highly recommended.
Thanks!
Really good job. Thumbs up!
thank you very much
Just moved Into new hous. I love my furniture and need to try to make this new place a home, I don’t know where to begin, paint color, window treatments.
Very overwhelmed
Lea
Hi Lea,
Congratulations on your new house!It is great that you already have the furniture so it is easier to pick the colors, window treatments and accessories. I would say that you can at least try to pick the fabric for window treatments before the paint colors of the walls. You can coordinate your window treatments with upholstery fabric or throw pillows if you have any. Also, you can take a different approach and pick windows color that compliments your upholstery. For example, if your sofa is beige or brown, a nice blue-green would look nice for the windows. Whatever you do, the wall paint color is the last decision you should make if you want all different colors. however, if your color palette is neutral and you want to keep it this way, you can pick the paint colors right away. Consider the architecture of the rooms. Is it open floor plan? how tall are the ceilings?
Lea, if you post your pictures on Facebook page MyDecoratingTips, I will be able to help you much, much better.
Well said Marina. Thanks for the sharing your knowledge and skills.
sure
I am very impressed with your great dgsien ideas. All the dgsiens are unique and very attractive. Bedroom is the one place that everyone absolutely need to feel completely comfortable, and finding the right bedroom furniture is the best way to make that happen. Thanks for beautiful post.
Oh, thank you for your comment. let me know if you have questions.