January is designated as many different types of "national months." Three of them happen to be "Get a Balanced Life Month," Get Organized Month," and "Creativity Month." Our luxury furniture store at the Lake of the Ozarks chose these 3 particular January topics to focus on because each of them can be very helpful in creating an interior design you can be happy to live within.


This week we'll tackle "Get a Balanced Life Month" and over the few weeks, we'll feature the other 2 topics mentioned above. The three of them together can go a long way in creating living spaces that you will enjoy spending lots of time in. 

The Art of Feng Shui
One popular technique for balancing your life through the interior design of your home decor is known as Feng Shui. This is an ancient art and science that has been in practice for thousands of years. The definition of feng shui is "the Chinese art or practice of creating harmonious surroundings that enhance the balance of yin and yang, as in arranging furniture or determining the siting of a house."

An even simpler way to describe it is that it's the art of placing items in such a way as to achieve a feeling of harmony and balance. The practice is based on the idea that our homes are a mirror of what's happening inside us. When you align your environment with the person you are and strive to be, energies are in harmony and balance can be achieved. 

Getting Started
A person can get very in-depth with the practice of feng shui, but since the goal is to reach harmony and balance in life, you don't want to take it to a place where you end up stressed out in the attempt to reach that harmony. Get started with a few basics and if feng shui seems like something that fits your lifestyle, then you can move on to more complex ideas. 

Clear the Clutter
Feng shui claims that everything, even inanimate objects, has energy. You should aim to guide that energy so that it flows freely and unobstructed through the home. If you can't easily walk through a room, the energy cannot easily flow through it either. Getting rid of clutter, both the kind that shouldn't be there and the things you just have too much of, frees up a lot of space.  

This includes decorative items that don't really have a place in the room. A person can "over-decorate" with too many items in one room and end up creating a sense of anxiety rather than beauty. Display only the pieces you truly love and either get rid of the rest or simply store them away for later. That way you can switch out other favorite home decor pieces when you feel like updating the space.   

The 5 Elements
Translated, the word "feng" means "wind" and the word "shui" means "water." In Chinese culture, wind and water are associated with good health. Good feng shui should bring you good fortune, while bad feng shui lends to misfortune.

It is said that all things are made up of varying degrees of 5 elements; wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. When these elements all work together, they will create a balanced cycle. Using these basic elements in specific places in each room can bring that balance to your daily life.  


You can take that literally by displaying a fountain to represent water or candles to take care of the fire category. Representations of ideas can work too. For example, it is said that rectangles represent the wood element, triangles for fire, squares for earth, and round or oval pieces for metal. This is definitely one of those areas where you should start small but research in more detail if you are interested.  

Let There Be Light
Letting natural light into a room is essential for good feng shui. It brings with it incredible energy that your body and soul both feed off of. Pull back window coverings during the day to let as much light in as possible. If you don't have a lot of windows in a room, add lamps and other lighting options to replicate it. Consider using full spectrum bulbs in some of the fixtures. Placing mirrors opposite windows is another way to double the light in a room. 

Map Your Energy
One idea claims that specific areas in your home are connected to specific areas in your life. You will find two schools of thought on this, both a classical version (as shown in the picture below) and a western version. Both incorporate the same general areas (love & marriage, creativity, travel, career, knowledge, family & health, wealth, and reputation or fame,) but classical aligns them with compass directions and the other aligns them with the layout of a room in respect to the wall containing the main entrance. Items placed in particular sections can enhance those areas of your life. 

    


Even though feng shui is a fairly simple idea, there are many aspects that can go into a feng shui design that can make it a very involved process. As we stated earlier, give it a try by starting small. If you would like some assistance, the specialists at our Lake of the Ozarks home interiors store are always available to offer expertise and advice. John Elliott Interiors knows that a balanced life is important and if your home furnishings can lend to that peace and harmony, then it's worth the effort to find the furniture and decorative items that are right for you and your home.  

The outdoors in autumn becomes a colorful landscape of rich hues and intriguing shades. This time of year it's a wonderful idea to bring some of that fall beauty to the inside of your house. Our home interiors store at the Lake of the Ozarks has a few ideas to share on that subject.

Although the weather keeps getting colder this time of year, the landscape is full of warm, rich shades that seem to counter that fall chill. Take color cues from the leaves as they turn to bring a seasonal look to your interior design.


Deep Reds
Darker reds bring a beautiful depth to a fall interior design color scheme. You'll find wonderful shades to mimic the leaves of the trees outside. Other places to find the perfect red hues for this time of year come from common seasonal items like cranberries, cinnamon, or a red mulled wine. Rust-colored reds often used for rustic decor work perfectly too. 


Yellow & Orange 
While understated shades of most colors reflect nature best this time of year, you can add a few bright pops of color like the bright yellow and orange leaves that emerge before they fall off the trees. Of course, deep mustard yellows and burnt oranges look incredible too. The many different hues found in campfires offer lots of inspiration as well, and orange is abundant in the pumpkins you see everywhere from Halloween to Thanksgiving. 


Forest Green
The ever-present evergreens last throughout each season, so working a forest green color into nature-inspired decor can work well year-round. The richness of this color especially complements the other tones that give the shades of autumn their warm look and feel. 


Browns
Rich earth tones also work beautifully with the colors we have already mentioned above. Once the leaves fall, you see more of the bark of the tree limbs, and those campfires not only have the fire but the logs needed to build them. Brown shades make an excellent base color that works wonderfully with pretty much every accent color.


Simple Ways to Add Seasonal Colors
It's easy to change a few things in your home's interior design without replacing everything in the room. (Of course, when you are ready for a total room makeover, you'll find all of the best home decor and luxury furniture at the Lake of the Ozarks inside our showroom!) Use the colorful leaves from outside to decorate by placing them under a glass coffee table or in a frame. Bowls of pine cones, mini pumpkins, and gourds are lovely natural decorations on bookshelves or as centerpieces.

Accent pillows and throws let you layer fall colors over your current interior design. You can easily change out curtains and lampshades with each season too, and consider keeping a collection of art that allows you to replace pieces to match the seasonal looks of each room. Plaids are popular this time of year. Patterns and textures always add depth to any decor. You can even bring in a few metallics with rich coppers and bronzes.


You can find many gorgeous pieces of decorative art, throw pillows, wall coverings, and more at John Elliott Interiors in Lake Ozark to add to any room. If you would like to go a step further and completely change the entire look of a room, our interior design experts at the Lake of the Ozarks can help you turn any space imagined into a reality. Visit our showroom soon to find out exactly what we can do for you.

If you happen to have a room in your home that is either sitting empty or slowly gathering all of the clutter that doesn't belong anywhere else, consider putting it to good use. With a little help from our Lake of the Ozarks luxury furniture store, you can turn that useless area into a wonderful place that you love spending time in. John Elliott Interiors has 5 excellent room ideas for you today that may be perfect for your home.

Library
Line the walls with bookshelves and place a few comfortable seating options around the room that you can enjoy curling up in to escape into a good book. A small desk in one corner is a nice addition. This is another room where proper lighting is important, but instead of dimming or blacking it out like in a home theater, you will want to open up the room to lots of natural light and a variety of different levels of lighting.

There may be several things you simply can’t wait to ask and share with your interior designer, but for today we’ve narrowed it down to a list of four must-discuss topics. Going over these specific things will help your interior decorator get a better grasp on who you are and what your dream space looks like. Here at John Elliot Interiors, our knowledge and expertise in our craft can’t be beaten. Our team of interior design specialists at the Lake of the Ozarks can help transform your house into a home.


LIKES
This first topic of discussion is a no-brainer. You want to make sure that you and your interior designer are on the same page when it comes to things you like. This can be colors, pieces of furniture, or a general look and feel. It’s always a good idea to give some type of direction of what your style may be so they can work from there. And remember, despite what your interior designer’s personal style is, designing for you is our job. Our interior design team will do our best to match what you are looking for while including our professional opinion.


DISLIKES
Your dislikes can often be even more helpful to a designer than your likes. It is incredibly useful to know what types of elements to avoid. If you only tell your designer that you adore the color red, but leave out the fact that you dislike the color purple, there may end up being hints of your least favorite color in your final layout. If there is a particular look and feel that you are not drawn to, make that known as well. It’s important for your interior designer to know what to stay away from.


LIFESTYLE
It’s important for your interior designer to get to know you as a person! The better they understand your lifestyle and what your spaces are used for, the better they will be able to design to accommodate that. If you have young children, your designer will make different adjustments might not be made when designing for a retired couple. If your family tends to reside in the living room rather than the basement, your designer will accommodate less foot traffic downstairs. It’s important that you and your designer keep things realistic. Though you have your dream house in mind, remember to keep your area true to your real life and your location. Though your finished room will be beautiful, you will still be living in it.


DEADLINES
Though you may be decorating for a specific event or time of year, keep in mind that interior design is an ongoing process. Discuss deadlines and flexibility with your interior designer. There is no perfect recipe for a perfect interior. Interior design is a process, and it's one that may take a few adjustments to achieve the look you desire. Discussing a timeline with your interior designer will help with misplaced expectations.

Now that you have a starting point, go ahead and give John Elliot Interiors a call at 573-365-7057 so that we can get started. If you’re looking to add that “WOW” factor to your home, our team of trained designers can provide top interior decorating at the Lake of the Ozarks. Not sure what you’re going for yet? No problem. Stop by our beautiful store and get inspired!

The bedroom is the one room in the house that is all yours, and possibly a person that you share it with, but not for guests or the kids. It's a space where you can escape, relax, and be yourself. Your bedroom's interior design should be an expression of you, but when you're having trouble deciding exactly what you want to express, taking a look at current trends can get your creative juices flowing. Our Lake of the Ozarks home interiors store found a few popular trends to feature in today's blog that may be just the inspiration you need.   

Metallics
Add a bit of sparkle and shine to your bedroom with metallic touches here and there. Silver, gold, and bronze add light, glamour, and a touch of luxe to the room. Too many metallic accents can make a room feel cold, so a little bit goes a long way. Use small accents in different areas of the room or have one large focal piece of furniture in a shiny shade surrounded by colors and textures that warm it up.


A Mix of  Patterns
Adding pattern to an interior design is key to the overall look of a room, but in this case, we are talking about adding multiple patterns mixed together with each other. It gives your space a very trendy look and energetic feel. It's always best to aim for an odd number of different patterns and be sure to vary them in scale. Each one should match in color intensity, and go for contrast, such as mixing florals with plaids or stripes, not forgetting to mix in solids to keep the design from looking too busy. A good guideline to follow is the 60-30-10- rule, where the main pattern makes up about 60% of the design, followed by the next pattern at 30%, and an accent pattern for 10%.


Romantic Vibes
For a couple's bedroom, you may want a design that inspires romance. Deep, rich jewel tones are excellent for this. This year shades of raspberry pink, deep ruby red, and caramel have been very popular. Luxurious fabrics like faux fur or cashmere are wonderful elements to bring in for both texture and comfort. Go for lighting that can be dimmed, and of course, candles always bring about romance.


Go Green
The actual color green is considered the most restful color for the eye, and it has a calming effect, which is perfect for the room that you sleep in. You can also go "green" by bringing elements from nature into your design. This is a great idea for anyone that finds the outdoors relaxing, just as a bedroom should also be. Natural wood and florals are a fantastic addition, and bringing in live plants can purify the air in the room and many varieties are known to help relieve anxiety.


Pampered Pet Areas
Pet lovers often let their four-legged friends sleep with them at night, but this doesn't always lead to the most restful sleep. Designating a small section of your bedroom as your pet's own area gives you both the space you need for a good night's sleep while still keeping you close to each other. 


Those are just a few trends that we have seen, but there are lots of other fashionable ideas out there, and many more waiting to be imagined. The interior design team at our Lake of the Ozarks luxury furniture store are here to listen to what you have in mind for a room and then come up with a design that satisfies those wants and needs. Come in soon to John Elliott Interiors in Lake Ozarks and let the exquisite pieces in our showroom inspire you to imagine a house full of rooms you can fall in love with.

When you've decided that you'd like to go a different direction with the decor in your home, the process has only just begun. While the fun part is coming to our home interiors store at the Lake of the Ozarks to pick out your new style, there are a few steps you can take beforehand to make the transition easier. Whether you like to redecorate every season or you've been due for a re-design for the last decade, John Elliott Interiors would like to help you get started. Here are a few things you can do to prepare your space and get the design started on the right foot.

Evaluate Your Space

What space do you want to re-design? Is it a space that has a clear purpose, like the kitchen, or is it a space that could have a new goal, like a spare bedroom? Do you want to continue using this space as you have been or will you go a new direction with it? It's important to decide this ahead of time so you know exactly which direction you want to go in your space before you start purchasing decorations.

Start a Style Board

Pinterest is a great way to put all of your ideas in one place. If you're more of a hands-on person, you can cut pages out of magazines that show what your new style should look like. Do you have a specific color that you want to plan your design around? Maybe a specific furniture piece? It's important to let your Lake of the Ozarks interior designer know about this so they can create your custom style.

Repurpose, Reuse, or Relocate

The difference between designing a new home, and redesigning your current home is that you most likely already have a room full of belongings. Take some time to evaluate what you have in your home and what you're going to do with those items. You can repurpose the items in your space by adding something new to change the look. This would apply for vases or candle stands. Maybe you can add some new floral arrangements and greenery around your item to give it a fresh look. You can reuse items from your space by moving them to other rooms in your home. Maybe you don't have a use for the red couch in your living room anymore, but it would look great in your media room. Finally, some items will need to be relocated. You can sell them, donate them, or give them away to friends or family. One room only needs a specific number of knick-knacks and furniture. If the current ones in your space don't work with your new decor - find a new home for them.

Consult with Your Designer

Finally, you should schedule a consultation with your interior designer. This is a great opportunity to show us what you want to achieve in your space, talk about the flow of your area, and more. Bring your lookbook in, and we'll look through it with you to help you find the exact direction you'd like to go. This is also a great opportunity for us to walk through our Lake of the Ozarks home interiors store and pick out the pieces and styles that you want to define your space with - especially if you don't even know where to start.

Home Design at the Lake of the Ozarks

At John Elliott Interiors over 24,000 square feet of furnishings, plants and accessories are just the tip of the iceberg. John Elliott Interiors will design new or renovate existing spaces, from top to bottom in your home. With over fifteen key partners John Elliott Interiors can do the ‘whole shebang’. Whether you need granite custom cabinets, audio-visual, high-end appliances, flooring, window treatments, painting, and faux painting. Whatever your interior needs, we can handle it quick, easy and right for you.


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In this busy age, it's so important to have a place where you can retreat to relax. A safe zone where you can sleep, dream, relax, and rejuvenate. This place may change depending on the person, but for many, this all happens in the bedroom. Did you know that the colors of your walls can affect the way you sleep? There are many studies that have been done to showcase that the shade of your wall can make an impact not just on your mood but also on your sleep cycle. Check out this cool info about the BEST colors for your room, down to the WORST colors.

The Best & Worst Colors for Your Room

It may be obvious that blue and green are at the top of the list, but did you realize that brown could be inhibiting your sleep? Check out this list in order from best to worst to see how your room ranks:

1. Blue
2. Yellow
3. Green
4. Silver
5. Orange
6. Red
7. Gold
8. Gray
9. Brown
10. Purple

If you want to make an impact in your space through artwork, you’ll have to start by shopping for the perfect piece for your home. While that sounds easy enough, it can actually be harder than you might think. After you find the pieces you want, you’ll then have to decide how to hang and display those pieces to their fullest potential! At John Elliott Interiors, we carry over 400 pieces of original artwork from artists both local and worldwide in our home interiors store at the Lake of the Ozarks. Here are a few tips for choosing your perfect piece, and then finding the best spot in your home for it.

1. Search For a Black & White Piece

While we ALWAYS love to add some color to a space, there’s something special and dramatic about finding a piece that is only black and white. These pieces can convey a special story, while also bringing something into your room that can’t be achieved in another way. Not to mention, black and white can work just about anywhere because there are no colors to compete.

2. Trust Your Instinct

Do you find yourself drooling over a piece that may be a little bold for your taste, or maybe doesn’t go exactly with the rest of your home? Trust yourself! If you love it, buy it. There is obviously something about the piece that is speaking to you. Even if you don’t think it will work while in the store - you may be surprised once you get it on the wall. Sometimes a piece just needs to reflect the rest of your home before it truly fits in.

3. Balance Bold and Minimalistic

When choosing the artwork for your home, try to keep a balance of bold and minimalistic. While we’re the first to showcase what a lot of bold can look like in a space, it’s a little different in our showroom versus your home. You may be better off finding a few bold pieces to showcase the language of your room, and then find a few pieces that keep the minimal feel - there’s a balance when putting up art, and when you find your balance, you’ll have a home that is in harmony.

4. Mix Antique and Modern

There’s nothing so fun as mixing and matching some different styles to create something that is uniquely YOU! A fun one to start with, if you haven’t tried mixing styles, is antique and modern. Antique frames around modern pieces, antique art with your modern furniture, or even modern art with your antique furniture. The options are endless when it comes to combining two different styles int one incredible look.

5. Consider Scale

The scale of your artwork in your home makes a big impact. You don’t want to find a piece that is either too large or too small. However, if you are determined to use something that is small or larger than would be normal - go big or go home, so to speak. If you’re going to go with an abnormal size, make it exceptionally out of the ordinary. Otherwise, choose a piece that fits the school of your wall. Large wall = large artwork, small wall = small art.

Your Interior Decorator at the Lake of the Ozarks

John Elliott Interiors specializes in helping you create a space that feels like home. If you’ve only just gotten into your home, you may feel like the walls are lacking something, and that’s where we can help. You can visit our website to see more examples of our work, or better yet, stop by our furniture showroom at the Lake of the Ozarks to see for yourself!

Does your space need some TLC? Have you been busy and not had time to create the home of your dreams? Or maybe you don't feel like you have the creativity to make your home everything you've hoped for. No matter what your reason, if you are ready to hire an interior designer at the Lake of the Ozarks, John Elliott Interiors is here for you! Our expert decorator in Lake Ozark, MO can help you incorporate colors and styles to make a space that you LOVE to come home to. Here are a few things you can do to make the most out of meeting your designer for the first time.

Start With Style

Do you prefer rustic or modern? Classic or antique? The style that speaks the most to you will be important to identify because it will help your decorator hone in on exactly what you want to see in your space. Even if you like a combination of styles, your decorator can use that as a platform to help incorporate the right pieces. Here are eight of the most popular styles to get you started.

1. Mid-Century Modern
2. Industrial
3. Nautical (perfect for a Lake of the Ozarks home!)
4. Scandinavian
5. Bohemian
6. Farmhouse
7. Urban Modern
8. Shabby Chic

Budget Your Space

This can help your decorator know what they can accomplish in your space. If you want to do a complete overhaul of your room by removing walls and adding textured walls - you'll want a budget that can reflect that. If you want to update your furniture to something with a more luxurious feel or add new window treatments, that will have a different budget as well. Set your budget and then stick with it by letting us know so we can stay within it.

Start Your Vision Board

The best way to communicate with your designer is through images! Get on Pinterest and start choosing the colors, fabrics, and styles that speak to you. While your home may not look exactly like the Pinterest photos, your decorator can use them to create the same feel for your unique space.

What Do You HAVE to Keep?

We realize that there will be items around your home that you really want to keep. Decide what those are ahead of time, and after that, decide what you can handle getting rid of as well. You may want to incorporate your great grandmothers afghan into your bedroom or the fun knick knack that you got in Mexico into your living room. Your home is a reflection of you, so it only makes sense that you want to fill it with items that tell your story.

Interior Decorators at the Lake of the Ozarks

There's nothing quite like the feeling of coming come to a place that makes you smile. When your home showcases exactly what makes your heart beat, you've found your happy spot. At John Elliott Interiors, we have a beautiful showroom filled with exquisite furniture, faux trees, and artwork from local and worldwide artists alike. Come check it out and let us help you make your house a home.

The weather is getting crisp and the styles are starting to change as we move from the warm summer months to the cooler winter months. This transition doesn’t just happen with the foods we eat (Pumpkin Spice, anyone?) or the clothes we wear (like the infamous flannel shirts), but this change of seasons starts to show up in our homes as well. 2018 is right around the corner, and if you’re thinking about re-designing a Lake of the Ozarks home here are a few trends that you may want to incorporate into your style.