Double Duty Decorating: "Decantorating"

I am not to proud to admit that I have never really been the type of girl that has to have everything in it's place, constantly clean, or even really clean some of the time.  I do make up for lost time now and again and clean like a crazy person (or crazier person I guess), when I have guests coming over, mother in law in town, or need to get some frustration out (cleaning tends to be cathartic).   I've also come up with sneaky creative ways to make my decor work with the family messes so it can look nice while it's not so neat :)

But my favorite and most motivating reasons for cleaning are when I am about to re-decorate an area (or just finished it and want to see it in action), or if I have a fun new organizational decor-ish idea I want to start using ASAP!  This is exactly what spawned a pristine pantry, spice closet, laundry shelf, part of the refigerator, and a craft closet that was almost more beautiful than Mariah Carey's shoe closet..almost (I mean we're talking about a closet JUST FOR SHOES...lots and lots of them!).  

Once you start you won't stop, so the list of decantering items is almost endless!  Nobody really cares which brand of anything you buy and even the super value store brand of an item will look tres chic expensive in a decanter, and is so much prettier than the manufacturer's packaging.  I really like doing this since it turns the mundane/everyday items into something  marvelous.  You find yourself almost looking forward to using it...I guess I should now decanter Windex and toilet cleaner and I would have a white glove worthy home! 

 

  

 As with everything, look for the unexpected, non-tradional items to use for your decanters.  If you have any regular liquor decanters on hand which you want to replace with something more interesting, the old ones don't need to go to waste, decanter your mouthwash into one, or better yet do one of these 'Bright' ideas...

 

Think outside the Dresser

  Here at La Dolce Villa we believe in using typical furniture pieces in unconventional ways.  Why only use a table as a table?  Or, why only use a dresser as a dresser?  Amanda has made me obsessed with making furniture versatile..Pronounced vers-a-tile...not like Allen says "textile" in the Hangover 2 for those who have seen it! Amanda geniously used a regular kitchen table (painted La Dolce Villa style of course) as her desk for her computer, pens, and all the other stuff that piles there.  Such an ingenious idea to take something simple and cheap (my style) to use in another way.  Typically desks are big and bulky but a "recycled" kitchen table does just the trick.

 

  Another piece that is super versatile is the infamous dresser.  A dresser can be used as a buffet piece, a tv stand, an entry piece and the obvious...a dresser.  I recently "redunitured"  (you know what that is if you read one of our first blogs!) this dresser to use a my tv stand.  I absolutely LOVE it because it can hold everything a "regular" aka boring tv stand can hold.  It holds all my dvds in the middle door, which holds three small drawers, my blankets in 4 of the drawers and the last drawer holds remotes, my daughters portable dvd player and even my yoga block and strap. 

  When you are in the market for furniture don't only call La Dolce Villa in Utah or Colorado but think of other ways the piece could be used.  Look at the piece for its character, style (which if it's laking we can fix) and size.  Then decide where in your home it would fit and what else you could use if for.  Think outside the box dresser and dig into your creative furniture side.  La Dolce Villa: Furniture is our Canvas and your Space is the Frame. 

Haley