Mother's Day will be here very soon (Sunday, May 12) and you will be searching for something special to give that very special woman in your life. Something to add beauty and comfort to her everyday life is an excellent idea, and John Elliott Interiors is the perfect place to find something like that! Here are a few Mother's Day gift ideas that we're willing to bet any mother would love.


Small Gifts
Home decor items make a lovely gift. They are generally small enough to wrap up and deliver yourself, unlike larger furniture items. (Which our Lake of the Ozarks home interiors store is always happy to deliver for you in the area!) You'll find pieces to fit every style and color scheme. There are some beautiful artificial flower arrangements and plants that look very much like the real thing but don't require your mom to water or take care of them.


In addition to wonderful decorative items to display on a coffee table or bookshelf, we also carry an extensive selection of gorgeous wall art. There are hundreds of one-of-a-kind pieces to choose from. We also carry a fantastic selection of area rugs, lamps, and throw pillows to brighten up any room.


Bigger Gifts
If you have a little more to spend on your mother this year and want to give her a bigger treat, consider something she can get comfortable in. A cozy chair for her to cozy up in and read or maybe a lounge chair so she can relax outdoors. You could even go for something a little bigger and grander, a "throne" for the queen of the house!   


Some other furniture gift ideas are pieces to sit next to your mother's favorite chair. A unique bookshelf to hold her reading material or a decorative wine rack to hold a wine collection. We have a nice variety of gorgeous footstools as well. You may even be able to find an adorable bed for her four-legged companion. 


The Sky's the Limit 
If you've got the best Mom in the world and money is absolutely no object, maybe you'd like to repay her love and kindness while she raised you all those years by gifting her an entirely new room! Our Lake of the Ozarks interior designers can help you create a brand new room in your mother's home that is filled with all kinds of comfortable and beautiful things for her to enjoy. You might even want to bring your mother in for a shopping trip and pick out some items herself.

When it comes to Mother's Day gifts, it's really the thought that counts and moms appreciate just about anything their children do for them. Adding a gift from John Elliott Interiors is just a nice bonus surprise that will make her feel extra special. Come in soon and take a look around. You're bound to find something absolutely perfect for Mom! 

Except for the days when the April showers are dripping down on us, it's the time of year that is finally nice enough to once again enjoy spending time outdoors. That means it's time to find some luxurious outdoor furniture at the Lake of the Ozarks to use during all of your extra time outside.


A few exquisite pieces from John Elliott Interiors in Lake Ozark can make your outdoors every bit as inviting as your indoors. If you live on that gorgeous lake we are lucky enough to have in the area, that sight alone will make you want to be outside often. A nice backyard that you love to hang out in or a pretty porch at the front of your home is also a wonderful reason to desire a comfortable outdoor living space as well.

Purchasing outdoor furniture is similar to buying indoor furniture in some ways, but there are a few additional things to keep in mind before choosing your pieces. These tips should help you to make an informed decision about outdoor furniture that will stand the test of time.


Decide What You Need
Just as you would for a room inside your home, take a good look at the outdoor space that you are designing and think about exactly what you want that space to be. Will it just be for you and the family to lounge and enjoy outdoor activities or will you be entertaining guests often? Do you want a relaxing oasis or a place where friends and family can get together and let loose?

Once you have that decided, it's time to figure out exactly how much room you have to work with. You'll want enough furniture to fill the space, but not so much that there's not enough room to move around it. If there is a lack of shade in your yard or on your patio, furniture that can provide that, such as umbrellas, is a good idea. All-weather rugs are an excellent addition too, providing comfort for bare feet and added beauty to a wooden deck or concrete floor.  Outdoor furniture needs to be able to handle whatever type of weather may occur where you live. Most pieces will remain outside, even if it storms, and plans to remove cushions when it rains don't work if you're not home when the rain starts. Also be aware that furniture outside is going to come in contact with a lot more dirt, water, and possibly food items than most of your indoor furniture will. Make sure you take a look at the care instructions before you fall in love with a piece of outdoor furniture.

Another thing to think about is whether or not the pieces will all stay in place, or if you prefer to be able to change the layout of the furniture when you need a new seating arrangement. If it's the latter, look for pieces that are lightweight and easy to move around. Be sure to keep in mind a plan for winter storage while you're at it. If you don't want to have to remove the furniture completely, you'll need to search for pieces that will stand up to snow and ice as well as sunshine and rain. Doubling up on function and beauty when designing your outdoor space is a nice bonus. Storage inside the seats of chairs or benches can hide cushions when you aren't using them or even outdoor equipment you want to keep out of sight. Ottomans that can be used as side tables or a place to sit offer flexibility. A bench that is the right height for an outdoor table can be used for extra seating when you dine outside, but it will also look lovely on its own in another part of the yard.  The look of your outdoor furniture should complement the outside of your home and the surrounding area. The goal is for the design to look like it belongs with the style of the house, not just random pieces that have been thrown together. Especially be aware of this if the furniture can be seen from the street. Curb appeal is a very important factor for any home.  You've all heard the old saying, "You get what you pay for." It may be tempting to pick up inexpensive furniture for the outside of your home, but that discounted price doesn't do you much good if all of that furniture has to be replaced every spring. Our Lake of the Ozarks furniture store takes pride in only offering the highest quality furniture for every room inside your home as well as the spaces you want to decorate outside. Each piece in our store is built to last and stand up to daily use so that you can truly enjoy it.

Valentine's Day is coming up very soon and this has inspired our Lake of the Ozarks luxury furniture store to think of ways to bring romance into an interior design. A romantic style doesn't mean that you have to fill a room with frilly, feminine things. You can add romantic elements in a few different ways that are pleasing to the eye, as well as the other senses, to anyone. John Elliott Interiors has a few tips for you below to help make that happen.


Color
The colors most often associated with a romantic design are soft, dreamy pastels. These include soft pinks, peaches, creams, and ivories. Using one main color and then varying shades of it can achieve a wonderful look. Of course, if you prefer a more dramatic type of romantic feeling for your overall design, you may want to use darker colors like fiery reds and other deep, royal jewel tones.


Textures
Big, fluffy pillows, blankets, and throws add an excellent element to the romance. You can use sheer, flowy fabrics for curtains, and in the bedroom, a canopy over the bed is a nice touch. Any type of material that has a luxuriousness to it when touched is perfect for bringing romance to a room. 


Lines
Lots of graceful curves to the furniture are perfect for this style. Many might feel as if this makes the room a bit too feminine. That can be balanced out with striped fabrics and the addition of dark wood elements around the room. These are able to make the design more appealing to men without taking away from a slightly feminine style. 


Accents
Once you have the main look for the room set, the home accents are what bring it personality and character. For a romantic look and feel, some sparkle and shine here and there will fit perfectly. Possibly bring in golden accents or a glittery finish someplace. Fresh flowers are wonderful, but if you don't want to keep replacing them, floral artwork works nicely too. Lots of candles are a must. The candle color adds beauty, the flame brings warmth, and a magnificent scent finishes the effect fantastically.


Romantic elements can be added to any room in the house, and if you like, you can even strive for a slightly different type of romantic look in each space you use it in. Our talented interior designers at the Lake of the Ozarks can help you find the perfect balance to bring the desired look and feel to every room in your home.

Make a visit to our large showroom in Lake Ozark soon to experience a few examples of the beautiful things we can do for you. Our Lake of the Ozarks home interiors store not only has the furniture to furnish your home, but also the incredible home accents to complete the entire look. Talk to us about what you have in mind and we will come up with an interior design you will love to live in.

Well, it looks like we missed the end of January by one day to post this blog, but that's okay. Even though our Lake of the Ozarks luxury furniture store is tying this into the series in honor of the many faces of January (Get a Balanced Life Month, Get Organized Month, and this week's topic, Creativity Month) the concept works perfectly well on a daily basis, not just one month out of the year. The furniture and home decor that you find at John Elliott Interiors needs to be functional and comfortable, but you inject your personality into the design when at least a few pieces in your home show off your creative side.


Specialty home interiors not only bring beauty and a fun aspect into your home, but they are also excellent focal pieces and conversation starters. They can be unique items that nobody would expect to see that shows off a bit of your personality. The creativity may come from the hand of a craftsman that meticulously made the item by hand with close attention to details.

The idea is to step out of the ordinary and find a piece that gives the room a little extra something special that also brings a smile to your face. Here are a few examples of unique pieces that have made it into the showroom at our Lake of the Ozark home interiors store. 

Nature's Beauty
It's not unusual to make furniture out of wood, but you don't normally see that wood used in its original form. A very creative furniture maker was able to see the natural beauty in these pieces of wood. Instead of being cut up to use, it was transformed as-is into functional pieces of furniture that are truly one-of-a-kind.


Buckle Up!
The bright orange color of this interesting chair and ottoman draw your attention first, then you notice the compelling pattern. What type of fabric could possibly make this pattern? Believe it or not, seatbelts! The amazing creator of this fantastic set took something you would not normally use to create furniture with and turned it into home decor that is not only creative but extremely comfortable too. 


A Home for Your Bar
Little kids play with dollhouses, but when you get into more "grown-up" things, you don't have to stop enjoying the items from your childhood. They just need to grow along with you. For instance, rather than storing dolls inside this exquisite house, it's made to keep your bar items tucked away. A wonderful "barhouse" for adult playtime!


From Jacket to Seating
Here is another amazing piece of furniture made from a material that started out as something else entirely. The fantastic textures, colors, and style of a Bomber Jacket have been turned into comfortable and inviting seating for your home.
 

From "Trash" to Treasure
Here is a great example of the eclectic artwork you will find inside our Lake of the Ozarks furniture showroom. We carry just about every style imaginable to fit a wide variety of tastes. This particular piece took some very creative thinking to look at a pile of empty paint cans and say, "Hey, I can make art out of that!" It's colorful, the mirror makes it useful, and it's most definitely a statement piece for the home of the person that was lucky enough to snatch this beauty up!


That's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the creatively unique and beautiful items you will find inside the showroom at John Elliott Interiors. New pieces are added often, and many items get grabbed up quickly when they arrive. Every single time you visit, you are bound to see something new that will catch your eye and make you want to take it home!

John Elliott Interiors' January blogs are focused around the fact that this month is "Get a Balanced Life Month," "Get Organized Month," and "Creativity Month." Last week we discussed the basics of Feng Shui for your home, and today we are looking at another way that you can bring balance to your interior design. After all, balance in your home will help bring balance to your life.


Symmetrical vs. Asymmetrical
Most beautiful things have a symmetry about them, and this can also be true for interior design. A room that is perfectly balanced with similar items on both sides can give an organized and stable feeling to the space. Many people love this look and feel very comfortable within it. Some may find that too much symmetry is a bit too static for their tastes.

Asymmetry, on the other hand, by definition means that something is not identical on both sides, yet in interior design, it can still give a balanced look to a room. The variations add depth and visual interest to the eye. Below are a few ways that you can change things up and still end up with an overall balanced design.

Vary Heights
Pieces of furniture of varying heights placed strategically next to each other is a wonderful way to add interest for the eye. For example, a reading chair and footstool placed next to a tall bookshelf across the room from a bed with a headboard that brings the eye up toward the ceiling. You still want all of the pieces to fit together in a way that is cohesive but having everything all at one eye level can be very boring visually.

The same goes for your home decor items. Varying heights of decorative pieces grouped together looks beautiful and most often looks best in odd numbers. 


Spread Elements Throughout
Do not place tons of furniture and artwork on one side of the room and leave the other side practically bare. Balance heavy or bold pieces by placing them throughout the space rather than clumped too closely together.

The same can be said about the color in a room too. It is recommended that you use 2-3 main colors for your room's palette and then spread those shades throughout the space in an eye-pleasing way. 

Play with Contrasts
Another way to bring balance to a room is by mixing opposites. Smooth finishes with textured pieces or dark colors with lighter shades. Many times in interior design things that aren't alike at all somehow come together to create an appealing look. 


The easiest way to figure out which pieces work best together is to ask for help from an expert. The Lake of the Ozarks interior designers at our store are always happy to lend a hand and offer advice on the most wonderful ways to bring beauty to your home. John Elliott Interiors is full of the furniture and artwork you need to create a luxurious living space and we know how to put those pieces together elegantly. Keeping with our January blog theme, next week we'll take a look at some helpful organization tips for your home, followed by a look at some unique and creative pieces that you may be surprised are perfect for your personal style.

New trends pop up every year, many of which have been recycled from years past. Every really good trend seems to make its way back into the public eye eventually. When you're ready to update your interior design at the Lake of the Ozarks, trends are a wonderful place to look for inspiration. Some will be perfect for you, while others may not exactly speak to your personal style, but they are wonderful for getting creative ideas flowing. 


If you need a little help deciding which looks will work best in your home, the design experts at John Elliott Interiors are always around to answer questions and offer advice. Here are a few of the trends that seem to be popular right now. One, or a few of these, may just be the inspiration you've been looking for. 

Luxury & Comfort
While this seems like a sensible idea rather than something that should be considered a trend, we are totally in support of this one. Don't skimp on comfort when you furnish your home. Functionality and price will figure into the decision too, but splurging on items that you truly enjoy using results in furniture and decorative items that will have a place in your home for a very long time.


Pops of Color on White
A foundation of white as the backdrop to a room with pops of color brings the neutral palette to life. Go for about 90% white to 10% color. This is a trend that allows you to use a current look yet customize it to show off your personal style using your favorite colors. As an added bonus, if you feel like switching out the colors you have chosen, you won't have a lot of items to replace. 

Floral Patterns
Floral patterns seem to be making a big comeback. Not only will you see them highlighted on fabrics for furniture and decorative items, but also making their way onto the walls. Floral wallpaper is becoming a popular item, bringing something extra to an often ignored area of the room.


Four-Poster Beds
Ornate posts on every corner of the bed frame create a very luxurious look. The addition of a canopy adds romance and possibly even a bit of mystery. Some say it's like getting a hug from a piece of furniture! That sounds like a wonderful way to add comfort and much-needed relaxation to a bedroom. 

Colorful Art & Photographs
Inspirational signs still have their place in many people's hearts and specific places in a home or office. Trends show that many now prefer to decorate their walls with bold, colorful art pieces, choosing beautiful images over inspirational text. 


Mixed Metals
Metal accents are a timeless way to add interest to a room's overall design. Mixing a few different types of metals that complement each other is a tasteful way to create balance and definition. Choose no more than 2-3 metals that go well together, such as brass or gold with an oil-rubbed bronze or aged iron, or possibly silver or pewter mixed with bronze or black/brown metals. 

Mixing & Matching Furniture
Another popular trend that keeps popping up is mixing and matching different furniture pieces in the same room that were not created as a set. This can be done by "collecting" individual pieces that you love the look of rather than purchasing a set of furniture that was built to go together. Take care when doing this and make sure that all pieces have some similar elements to tie them together so it appears as a design choice rather than lots of pieces that really shouldn't have a place in the same room.


As we mentioned earlier, not all trends appeal to everyone's personal tastes, but taking a look at "what's in" at the moment is a wonderful way to find inspiration that will point you in the direction of a look you can love. Another way to find inspiration is to visit the showroom of our Lake of the Ozarks luxury furniture store and take a look around. You will find many different styles represented inside John Elliott Interiors, all set up in ways that will help you to imagine how they can bring beauty to your own home. Stop by soon and discover the many intriguing possibilities.

Interior design is meant to look beautiful, but it should also bring comfort to your life, both physically and mentally. The furniture that you choose from our Lake of the Ozarks home interiors store, as well as the art and accent pieces to decorate your home or office, work together to bring about a certain feeling in a room. Here are few examples from John Elliott Interiors of ways you can influence the way a room makes you feel.


First Impression
If you pay attention, you will notice that often your mood changes upon entering certain rooms. Before picking out anything for a space's interior design, think about how that room will be used and the mindset you prefer to be in while you are there. For example, bedrooms need to be relaxing while office space should encourage you to concentrate. Once you know how each space being decorated will be used, it will help you to make many of the design decisions. 

Color
Every color brings about certain feelings, and the many shades of each of those colors offer the chance for lots of possibilities. Soft blues and greens are very soothing colors to use in a bedroom, while reds and oranges are said to stimulate appetite, making them a wonderful color for decorating a dining room. You can research and be guided by what psychologists suggest for color meanings, but it's important to understand how you personally respond to specific colors. 

Texture
Texture adds another layer to the design. Just like certain colors are tied to specific feelings, different textures bring ideas to mind. In a room where you want to relax, soft, plush materials seem restful. In contrast, lots of sharp angles and bold patterns in an office can cause you to feel more alert and enhance focus.

Natural Elements
Moods are often uplifted with the presence of light. If your home has lots of natural light filtering in from large windows, you may want to find window coverings that bring focus to them. Additional lamps will need to be added to your decor if the room lacks natural light. Bringing the outdoors in makes a person feel refreshed. Plants make a room feel less sterile and artificial. They are natural air purifiers and their presence has a calming effect.

Cramped Spaces
Too much stuff in one space makes a person feel anxious. Be careful not to try to fit too much furniture into a small space. Whether the room you are decorating is large or small, make sure that you don't over-accessorize it. Too many knick-knacks can quickly cross the fine line between decor and clutter.


Keeping the ideas above in mind will greatly help you make decisions about the types of items you want to include in your interior design. When you come into John Elliott Interiors looking for the perfect pieces, let our interior designers at the Lake of the Ozarks know exactly what type of feeling you would like each room to have. They will guide you to the perfect items to put you in a very happy mood.

Every profession has its own terms that are used often, but unless it involves a hobby that you enjoy or something you deal with on a daily basis, many of those terms can sound like a foreign language to you. For example, our team of talented interior designers at the Lake of the Ozarks may use words that are unfamiliar to you when discussing your new look for a particular room.

Today John Elliott Interiors has definitions for 10 common design terms that you may run into. Some are easy to figure out and mean what you would expect, while others might need a bit of explanation as to how they relate to interior design.   


Contemporary
Rather than being one specific style of interior design, the word contemporary is attached to a style of the present time period. As time goes by, the style associated with this title will change.

Contrast
Contrast happens when unlike things of opposite natures are put together. In interior design, this can be done by using opposite textures like glass and wood, light and dark colors, and solids with patterns for a few examples.

Curated
When an interior designer uses their talent and expertise to create a collection of furnishings for a client, that collection is said to be curated. The pieces have been carefully put together to reflect a particular style or meaning as requested and sometimes has historical tie-ins.

Edited
This is a minimalized approach to the furnishings in a room. Everything is well thought out, organized, and has a distinct purpose, but done in a way that does not feel empty or cold.

Focal Point
This is an item in a room that immediately draws your eye, catches your attention, and generates interest. It can be a special piece of furniture, a fantastic piece of art, or an element of the room such as a fireplace or a large picture window. Generally, the rest of the design will be planned around the focal point.

Layered
This pertains to the many different layers in a room to be designed. From the flooring to the window treatments and art on the walls to the furniture itself and all of the accessories, each of these layers must work together to create a cohesive design.

Rhythm
This is the description used to explain the flow that the room design generates. The way that everything works together to urge your eyes to move around the room in a specific way, touching on one design element after another.

Tailored
This is an element that has been customized especially for a particular space. It could also be used to describe a room that has been customized to match specific wants and needs. 

Textured
This word is often used to describe the different fabrics, colors, and patterns used to decorate a room. All of those things give the space a tactile and visual appeal, giving it the look of being textured.

Well-Appointed
A room with this description is one that is designed with high-end furnishings and outstanding execution of interior design principles. This perfectly describes every room curated by the experts at John Elliott Interiors! We take your dreams and wishes for a particular room and turn it into a reality with our exquisite furniture, unique home accents, and beautiful wall art.


Now when you hear or read these terms while preparing to design a room in your home or office, they will make a lot more sense. If you ever have any questions at all when it comes to interior design, everyone at our luxury home furnishings store at the Lake of the Ozarks is happy to answer them and give you an explanation that is easy to understand.

A wonderful way to keep your interior design fresh without a complete redesign is to change out a few of the items in each room to match the season. (Of course, if you're ready for an entire room makeover, we've got a lot of choices waiting for you inside our luxury furniture store at the Lake of the Ozarks!) Here are a few ways that you can quickly and easily give the rooms in your home a warm, inviting fall feel.


Add Warmth
The days will gradually get colder the further into autumn that we get and you'll be spending more time indoors than you do in the summer. Having a home that exudes a warm feeling will make it a cozy haven where you're excited to spend more time. This can be accomplished by switching out summer fabrics with pillows and throws in rich shades and luxurious, plush fabrics.

Plaids and checked patterns are perfect for this time of year, and metallic accents in a warm copper tone add a nice effect. You can literally add warmth, as well as color and fall scents, with the addition of lots of candles around the room too. 

Fall Accents
Bringing the outdoors inside is always a great idea. This time of year, instead of the brightly colored fresh flowers in vases you may have displayed over the summer, consider filling those vases with cut branches. Beautiful bowls filled with pinecones and seasonal produce like apples or gourds also add a lovely touch.

It's a good time to switch out your wall art to a piece that reflects the way the upcoming season makes you feel. You might also consider changing framed family photos to pictures that depict fall and winter holidays. It adds a touch of the season and brings back wonderful memories.


Refresh Focal Points
You should always have a main focal point in each room's interior design. You can accentuate the fall season by making a few updates to these focal points. For example, a fireplace will begin getting more use soon. It's time to dress up the mantle and display firewood in a decorative way. If large windows are a focal point in our home, consider putting up new drapes to perfectly frame and compliment the scenic autumn view. 

Don't Forget Your Exterior Design
Don't forget about the outside of your home too. Curb appeal is an important aspect for any house, plus fall has lots of fantastic things to put on display. Seasonal florals like great big colorful mums are gorgeous in front of a house. Straw bales with pumpkins sitting atop them can be displayed all the way until the end of October. (You might consider decorative ones instead of real if you truly want them to last that long.)

This is also the perfect time to fire up those firepits and get a few more weeks' use out of your outdoor furnishings. You might want to fill an outdoor chest with a few cozy blankets to use on chilly evenings.


Every season gives you the chance to give the rooms in your home a fresh look. John Elliott Interiors has the beautiful home accent pieces, drapes, pillows, wall art, and more to help you bring the look of autumn inside. When you're ready for a bit more than just switching out the decor, our interior designers at the Lake of the Ozarks can help you find all of the luxurious pieces that will give you the home of your dreams.