Go "Green" to Defeat the Winter "Blues"

During the long winter months when nothing "green" is in sight we often suffer from the wintertime "blues". This lull in activities after the rush of Christmas and before the much anticipated colors of Spring produces a feeling of the dull-drums and a longing for the outdoors. So why not bring the outdoors "in"? This is the perfect time to spruce up your tired flower arrangements and greenery or arrange some new creations to give your home a splash of color and life.

At Bella Interiors, flower arrangements are created and sold as key components to the finishing touch in your homes accessories. Artificial flowers and plants have come a very long way in quality and variety from the past. They look more realistic and are offered in a beautiful array of vibrant colors. There is also no limit to the size, style and shape of the containers available to create your arrangement in.

Don't let flower arranging intimidate you. Select the container you need for your space . Think about height and mass. Will your arrangement be an eye-catching dramatic focal point that makes a statement? Or will it be just an accent that will compliment but not compete with what is around it? Next, think about color. Choose between a splash of accent color or all neutral greens, cream and white. Your main flower is the one you want to showcase - everything else around it is just filler to compliment it and add fullness to your arrangement.
Selecting odd numbers of each stem creates the best balance. Gather a variety of materials. Stems with leaves are good fillers and stems that create movement such as straight, tall sticks or curly willow add interest. Even using feathers adds another dimension if you choose.

If flower arranging is not your cup of tea, come to Bella Interiors, bring your favorite container and we will be glad to create for you. Or select from our many beautiful vases and point out which flowers and materials appeal to you and our designers will be happy to chase away your winter blues.When your beautiful, colorful work of art is complete it will bring a burst of life and breath of fresh air to your cold interiors this winter. It may even make you smile!

Scents Can "Spice" Up Your Life

Isn't it amazing how the simple act of smelling a certain scent can evoke detailed feelings, emotions or memories of a certain time or event in your life? During the holiday season this phenomenon especially rings true. The smell of the wonderful homemade holiday treats, traditional Thanksgiving dinners, and the fresh evergreen scent of the Christmas tree can fill the air with memories of past, present, and future. We dont even have to spend hours baking cookies or cutting down a tree to enjoy these special aromas.

Bringing these scents into your life all year round is easier than ever before with the growing trend in fragrances for your home. A multitude of fragrances in different forms is available in candles, sprays, diffusers, soaps, and lotions. The variety and options as well as quality is endless! Bella Interiors is showcasing an Evergreen home fragrance spray, and cinnamon scented star shaped candles for the holidays. Several everyday favorites are citrus soap and diffusers that smell very fresh and clean, as well as Linen, Cashmere and Birch candles for a more perfumed scent. Keep the memories alive and well year round by " spicing up your life" with scents from Bella Interiors!

Nikki Wiygul
Interior Designer
Bella Interiors

Mantle Madness

Does the thought of decorating your mantle and door for the holidays give you "Mantle Madness"? Sometimes looking through a box full of decorations after storing them all year long creates stress, and creativity goes null and void . Make everything look fresh and new each year by coming up with a starting point. What do you know you want to use again? Do you have a theme or color scheme? Is your style inspired by nature, traditional and true, bold and beautiful, or cutting edge contemporary and cool? Pick one and run with it. Give your Holiday decor a definitive style. If you use certain colors every year such as red, green, and gold, eliminate one and only use green and gold for a new twist. Or, add one color such as silver - use red, gold and silver. Then start by layering.

If you want year round decoration, the new trend is keeping grapevine around the front door and altering it by adding to it for each season- adding theme and color. Add lights to the vine-Christmas white lights or rope lights. Your next layer for Christmas would be green garland or colored mesh fabric or wide ribbon. To this layer add sugared fruit,red berries or ornaments throughout, securing them by wiring them into the garland. On the mantle have fun by adding unexpected items into your garland for height and variety. Topiaries on each end, figurines or candlesticks in the center or even vases, picture frames or architectural items such as column bases or finials. Again, continue your selected theme or color scheme and begin your layers.

Taking your decorating projects and breaking them down into manageable steps helps you from becoming overwhelmed with the final result. Take pictures and keep a file for next year to easily recall what you have, what you need, and what you want to do differently. Don't stress through the holidays. Have fun with your decorating and sit back and enjoy!

Nikki Wiygul,
Interior Designer
Bella Interiors

Interior Design - Let's get "Personal"

What is it about a small town that attracts people to want to live, visit, and shop there?Is it the personality of the town? Is it the quaintness and character of the landscape, businesses and people? Most importantly, it is the ability to form close, personal, lasting relationships with the people you live by and do business with, those relationships that you continue to nurture and enjoy for years. In a small town, businesses seem to stay around for awhile. The same local people meet you, greet you and serve you day in and day out. There is something very comforting about this kind of permanence and continuity.
Working with clients as an Interior Designer in a small town is no different. Offering clients quality products and services becomes an ongoing project. Forming a lasting working relationship is also ongoing. The Client/Designer relationship almost always develops into a close personal friendship. Getting to know clients' homes, families and lifestyles and growing together is the most rewarding aspect. Often beginning a project with one generation continues with the next generation, as they also want to do business with you because of that very relationship you have fostered over the years. Working closely with a family who wants to create fun, functional spaces for their young children eventually evolves into re-designing the home for the new empty- nesters who then want new furniture and a space designed for adult entertaining and relaxation.
I encourage you as a client to find that wonderful designer and friend that you know will be there for you, provide outstanding results for your home, and also be someone you are comfortable with, that you will want to continue to return to in the future.The Designers at Bella Interiors want to begin that personal relationship with you. So, get "personal" with your Interior Designer, and the end result will be more than just a "decorated" house - it will be a HOME everyone will enjoy.

Nikki Wiygul
Interior Designer
Bella Interiors

Penny Bowen & her client Susan Gravlee at Alabama football game!

Penny Bowen & another favorite client, Dr. Bethany Hairston

Bella's Store Restructuring

You may have noticed we have a rather large (biggest ever) sale coming up. And you might be wondering...why?

The reason? We are restructuring our store. Bella has been serving customers in Columbus for more than five years, and it is time for an in house renovation. Our designers are constantly looking for innovative ways to update and beautify your home, and now we are doing that to our store. 

Our vision is to simply your shopping experience, allowing you to easily identify your style. We want to be a user friendly, all inclusive gallery that can better meet your needs.

Now, your Bella experience will be even more interactive. Our furniture and accessories will be grouped by style and color, making it easier to focus on what appeals to you. 

Not only will you have the opportunity to let us create a custom design for your home, you will also have items available to you that are ready to go. Drapery panels, rods, and brackets along with furniture, accessories, and specialty bath items will now be stocked. This will allow you to come in and get what you need immediately. 

We look forward to working with you! 

April Showers Bring May Flowers

In the South...

After the showers and pollen of spring, we all look forward to the flowers of May. Along with the May flowers comes outdoor entertaining! Creating a cozy and inviting exterior space is just as important as focusing on the interior of your home. Be creative, have fun, and remember it’s all in the details. Determine whether you want a formal or casual environment.  Do you want a colorful or a neutral space? Think about your exterior space as an extension of your interior home and treat it as another room of your house. What is the traffic flow from inside to outside and how will you use the space when entertaining? Arrange your furniture accordingly. Make a space for cooking, (a kitchen), a space for eating, (a dining room), and a space for lounging, (a living room). Of course, keep in mind that your outdoor pieces must be durable and suitable for the weather, sun and outdoor elements. After you get your main pieces determined and set, don’t forget to add the details.

If it is within your budget, structural features are great additions. A water feature, or fireplace, built in bar or kitchen area will be enjoyed by all. Otherwise, use accessories to give your space character. Outdoor rugs, table top water fountains, wall art and lamps are now available due to the growing trend of outdoor living spaces. Lighting always creates a special ambiance. Using candlelight in the form of candle chandeliers, wall sconces and torches creates a beautiful glow while cooking out. The last detail is selecting great containers for those plants and flowers of May. Use beautiful glazed pots, terra cotta, metal or concrete depending on how formal or casual your space is. Use plants strategically to accent your area as well as define the boundaries of your room. Once everything is in place, enjoy “living” in your space as the seasons change. Happy Entertaining!

Revamp Your Seasonal Decor for a Fresher Look

                  With the ugly economic threats losing some steam this year, it’s time to revamp and rev-up our seasonal décor.  I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to see some all-out displays of seasonal joy!  For the past few years, it seems like the months disappear, having disregarded any visual explanations of the time of year. 

                  This year will be different.  2011 is newness.   We are now ready to celebrate the changing times, hoping for the positive turnarounds we have associated with this new year.  Mind you, we are going all-out, but the previous desire for “cutesy” and super bright colors have waned. 

                  BIG and BOLD is still ‘it’, but after the past few years, we want to feel the true essence of the seasons, their essential meanings of renewal, of time passed and time to come, their ebb and flow, which naturally guides us.  And I say “naturally”.

                  For instance, take the obviously natural color of green.   Green is a fantastic color because it ranges so widely in its varying shades and values, and by grouping several elements of green together along with other pieces that represent Mother Nature, well, Hello Spring!   And this also provides your semi-blank canvas that can have other colors and objects interchanged within it to represent the changing seasons, or your mood, whichever comes first.  Warm flora-inspired tones of red and orange partnered with a dash of pure blues will psychologically enhance our giddiness for the summer season, allowing us to forget the heat and enjoy the sunshine. 

                  This trend of portraying the essential nature of the season will surely extend through 2012, as we must make up for the recent “décor-ignore” we’ve experienced.  Be ready to start fresh, knowing that with each season, we will gain a real awareness of the time, a positive outlook, and ultimately, we will possess a true gratitude for the seasons to come.

Article by: Sally Evans (as seen in the Home & Garden insert in last Sunday's paper)