Make Your Home Feel Luxurious On A Budget

[@kellyphx]

I'm going to start telling people that the mail piling up on my kitchen table is a "vignette" and that I was creating a snapshot moment!

[@kizzle45shizzle]

Same

[@MindiB]

Brilliant.

[@greenacresbloom]

My husband is master of the crapstack vignette. Everything that he is currently "working on" lives in a crapstack on the table and floor between the couch and his fave chair. If it goes on long enough it becomes a crapstack/nest vignette. Oh so photo worthy.

[@belindarocky961]

​@@greenacresbloomnever heard "crapstack"...I call them Doom Piles because they're piles of procrastination 😆😆

[@luluvaldy9985]

😂

[@rocklobstah1876]

Nothing feels more luxurious than a clean home ❤

[@dionbiden5174]

My dream, a decluttered, clean home. "I dreamt my whole house was clean."

[@karenk2409]

All the designer in the world collapses before dirt and clutter. You are so right. I've been in homes with very affluent people who have very nice "things," but the atmosphere was dingy. Cleaning services do not move your antiques around to clean, or clean your draperies and expensive rugs.

[@schreckpmc]

You got that right

[@brendagregoryyuen4923]

1000000000%

[@jm7804]

Exactly. Most people's houses are dusty and cluttered. I have Joan Crawford trigger moments at my sister's house during the holidays. The once a year deep cleaning isn't cutting it folks.

[@Mmmelizabeth]

"If you have no budget, then why are you watching this? You're the one who clicked on it, not me!" I think I watch your videos just as much for your personality and how you explain things as I do for the home decor tips. Always living for the Nick-isms.

[@OldLadyInFL]

I think we all do. Can you imagine him redecorating your home? I'd pay him to do it just for the LOLs.

[@Motherhubbard170]

YES!!!! I was going to comment on the fact that up until that part he was being very serious and logical, good info and all that stuff, BOOM there it was, and all was well

[@CiaFarrar]

TOTALLY AGREE!!!

[@steelcrown7130]

"nicotine beige" 🙂. Growing up in the 60s in a house whose ceilings were *intended* to be white, I know that colour well.

[@majbrittkjaer6134]

@@Motherhubbard170we all are just waiting for those comments 😅 - while still enjoying the content.. Nick’s channel is one of two interior I still watch after the covid binge period, and both of them are very much for the comments as well. 😊

[@Brijitjonz]

I love that you said, “some of the best design sensibilities come from restraint.” That is so true!!

[@s.p.1536]

I absolutely agree. For instance my style is distinctly feminine, but I am careful to keep it in my sitting room, not all over the house.

[@MeemsyD]

Totally! Necessity is the mother of invention

[@franm.8343]

Lighting query, how do you know what the best lighting style options are for a lounge?

[@valgoodridge1810]

I can’t wait to watch Nick begin to decorate his new house. I hope he shares this journey in a series of videos.

[@ielektra]

Yes! And I hope he takes his own advice and has some fun with COLOR!

[@janetnuro8869]

@@ielektra he needs colorful artwork over his sofa

[@OldLadyInFL]

I just want the clock back. I have a clock that doesn't work too, and I set it to 11:11 because that's a very powerful number in numerology.

[@annepoitrineau5650]

@@OldLadyInFL In Switzerland 11: 11 on the 11th/11 is the beginning of the cold season and Fassnacht preparation. Mayhem from that point until late into the night! And then all back to normal (albeit with widespread terrible headaches across the population).

[@Nick_Lewis]

My plan is to build a new house on this lot, so that’s where I’ll really be making some big design decisions. So renovations to this home will be limited.

[@jenniferrader9395]

Don’t save your “good “dishes just for holidays/special occasions. I use them every day to elevate every meal. I have a complete set of China my grandfather brought back during World War II, for my mother’s hope chest. Now it has been passed down to me and I use it every day to not only set a beautiful table, but to connect with my family history

[@pixie3760]

@@jenniferrader9395 I couldn't agree more. I use my good china every day, even if it's just myself here, I have several dinnersets, as an only child I ended up with all of my grandmothers china and all of my mothers, I also collect vintage china. I swap the dinnerware around and am currently using a gorgeous square art deco set, I'll swap it around in a few weeks with my Wedgwood one. I believe the food tastes better from beautiful old china. 👋❣

[@JillianSiobhanMal]

Oh aww that’s sweet.💗 I wouldn’t have thought to do that because I’d be so worried I’d break one. I’m never sure how precious I should be or want to be with antiques or even vintage clothes.

[@jess8189]

I’m going to inherit a set from WWII as well, and part of me likes the idea of using them, but they’re so delicate, lined with silver, and decades out of production. I’d have to hand wash everything and risk hurting its value. Good on you, but I just could do it 😂

[@karenk2409]

Excellent advice. You have those "good dishes" because they are beautiful. Use them!

[@jeanvignes]

When I was a child I was forever polishing silver as my step-mother used "the good silver" serving bowls, serving spoons, and platters for meals several times per month (during special holidays, almost every day.) We were not filthy rich, but people back then cared about setting a beautiful table (e.g. for Sunday dinner, when the grandparents came to visit, for birthdays, for Christmas, etc.) When my older sister got married, our grandmother gave her "starter pieces" for her own beautiful set of china and added to it throughout the following years until her set was complete. I learned how to make beautiful garnishes out of fruit and vegetables, and to fold linen napkins into pretty shapes, to dress up our meals. I don't miss the fuss, but I do miss the elegance and beauty of decorating for teas, brunches, and dinners with family and friends, instead of everyone heading off to watch television in their bedrooms with a cheap Walmart bowl of whatever just got delivered.

[@gritandglam1815]

"nicotine beige", "Russian oligarch" "marble sarcophagus"...you were on a roll today! I invested in really high quality cabinet hinges and drawer soft close slides for my kitchen and never regretted it. You are so correct about putting your budget into things you use all the time.

[@robinbirdj743]

Love to take my camera and shoot from different angles, starting at the front door. I look at the photos and can quickly identify what needs decluttering, cleaning, or decorating/ redecorating. Somehow I get used to the vista and forget to really see it. Costs little to get a fresh perspective and add joy/ subtract chaos! 😂❤

[@h0mesch001m0mmy]

Love that idea! Thanks!

[@carolhaynes5418]

Yes, I think the space looks fine until I see it in a photo!

[@lindaartz3297]

Great idea.

[@krisy-in-italy]

Excellent idea! I’m going to do this. ❤

[@mamalovesthebeach437]

I do this with my garden hoping that it gives me a bit of restraint when I’m plant shopping.😬 this is a great tip and one I have used . I also appreciate when online stores give you the option of ‘placing’ that item into your space. It may look good online, but there are so many times when I’ve plunked it into my space and it screamed “no!“.

[@marygallagher7392]

The Russian Oligarch bathroom!! Maybe Nick has come up with a new form of comedy - the Stand-up Designer.

[@alicequayle4625]

Maybe why maximalism is a thing in the uk. Quite a lot of oligarchs.

[@L.Spencer]

That was hilarious! I was like, Yes! Finally, someone gets it!

[@JaneNewAuthor]

Nicotine beige! ROFL!

[@MicheleLaCagnina]

That comment made me laugh the hardest 😂

[@Senthiuz]

Be careful, the Russian Oligarch bathrooms always seem to come with precarious open windows and very slippery floors.

[@robinbirdj743]

Hey Nick, I have an idea. Why not, once a season, go to 5 of those Decor stores and pick the ONE really good item from that store? Maybe show a runner up, too, and explain WHY you think it’s worthy. That will help appease those requesting a Home Goods type haul, can be completed in a day or two, and will help your viewers develop a better eye (and thus discourage bad design and wasted purchases). ❤

[@belindarocky961]

Ooo good idea. I'd love to see a video of Nick out in the wild 😆😆

[@OldLadyInFL]

I think he already did that with Home Goods.

[@ThisIsKassia]

This is a great content idea

[@susanalexander7990]

I’ve definitely found since my great declutter of 2020 that the fewer things I have out the more they get noticed, except by my husband who would only notice if a new lawn tractor was in the room.🤣

[@MsMommom2]

😅😅

[@theantak1]

I almost spit out my coffee when he said something about marble on every surface giving "Russian oligarchs". Nick never fails to make me laugh!

[@L.Spencer]

Icing on the cake was calling it a sarcophagus!

[@PandaCitten]

2:59 The clock!

[@pjperdue1293]

We. Love. The clock. We. Love. The clock...

[@mce1939]

Yes!

[@gloriazak1048]

❤

[@kq1613]

Yes, spotted it too 😂😂😂💙💙💙

[@PandaCitten]

@@bettysuffle It is! Subscribers get special emojis from Nick. 😄

[@lormor460]

Many years ago, my sister used to to work in a little shop in Sequim, Washington, where she created beautiful vignettes. She was visiting me and decorated my house just beautifully in that vignette style (with my decor) I loved it so much, I left it that way for years. 😂❤ I only wish I had her talent.

[@jeanvignes]

I studied flower arranging and what I learned applies to vignettes, too. Think vertically (high, medium, low) and about weight (heavy base, medium-weight mid-range, feathery bits up high), think in odd numbers (one, three or five focal items, not two or four), think about how things work on the color wheel (don't be afraid to "cheat" and use color pallets from high-end paint stores as color inspiration), and think about textures (bushy ferns vs heavy-headed double roses vs spiky grasses translate into polished leather versus boucle pillows versus a flat-woven throw.) It's a matter of being willing to keep moving things around, too, until you have that ah-ha moment when the vignette clicks. I have spend many an hour moving things around on a bookshelf or mantle or entry-way table -- adding things, taking things away, switching things around -- until it's just right.

[@s.p.1536]

A wonderful town, Sequim, WA.

[@jeanvignes]

@@s.p.1536 - It's one of the two town-names that we use to ferret out imposters, too. If you cannot say Sequim or Puyallup correctly? Then you're not from Western Washington. Ha-ha!

[@pearly4253]

@@jeanvignes I'm going to give away the secret to all those would-be imposters. Sequim is pronounced Skwim and Puyallup is pronounced Pew-al-up (al as in the nickname for Albert).

[@kimshine4011]

I had to pause the video and make a trip down to my car with a pile of stuff that's been sitting by the door for a few weeks. It's finally getting donated Monday. I've been going room by room painting and only putting back the stuff I love and use. It's feeling like a new place. I just have half of the living room and the den left to paint. I might finish by the end of the year. Its been a 2 year project doing 95% of the work myself. With all the hard work I've put into it, it's motivation to not fill it up with crap.

[@j.m.7056]

Good job!

[@bEverCurious]

I studied community theatre at TAFE (kind of college in Australia), originally for acting but fell in love with lighting. Lighting gives life and meaning to a play in a way nothing else does. It sets the mood, the era, can even inform genre and pace, to me it became the most important part of the play.

[@freyashipley6556]

As a theatre actor, I'm deeply grateful to all wonderful lighting designers like you.

[@bEverCurious]

@@freyashipley6556 They are awesome, but I'm not one. I have a fear of heights and can't get up to put lights up on the ceiling. Awesome that you do acting!

[@pixie3760]

I have a budget...I just never stick to it. It's why I'm constantly broke, on the other hand my house is an absolute extension of me. Without exception people walk into my home and the first thing they say is, when they walk into my front room "I love the feel of this room" ...my job is done!

[@cvonsutphen]

100%, the best feeling in the world! I style for myself more than other people. When I walk through my front door, I need that sigh of calm relief and appreciation of my unique style that definitely represents who I am.

[@pixie3760]

@@cvonsutphen absolutely! My home is my sanctuary, I love being in it.

[@sambulate]

"Texture is price agnostic." Good one!

[@lindaartz3297]

I am moving soon. My old house is in serious chaos and my new place (total rehab) isn’t ready. I Have been in the hospital for three months and am decorating new simply with no clutter. I need calm. I had it painted a very soft warm white in every room because I have a lot of original art and that will give visual interest. Your description of texture is the first one that makes sense to me. It is helping me visualize how to keep it simple but calm and cozy.

[@angelastevenson252]

Love that for you! I find that clutter stresses me out. So calming with the motto: "Less is more". Hope you have a quick recovery.

[@MindiB]

That was the best description of the meaning of “textural interest” that I’ve ever heard.

[@s.p.1536]

I agree, really helpful, instructive, with good examples and clarity. Thank you, Nick. always a joy

[@margaretspignardo5588]

I found that actually taking pics of a room to be really helpful.

[@sharonannelarkin9534]

Great idea! Helps you see things you wouldn’t otherwise see.

[@clairekurdelak2913]

The point about bathroom linens- great tip for when creating a wedding registry! A whole set of quality towels is pricey, but just the thing someone might love to get you as a gift when setting up a home together.

[@karenk2409]

I always give quality towels as wedding gifts, whether they ask for it or not. Experience.

[@olga138]

A relative gave me high-quality towels when I got married, and I used them for 30 years.

[@nanchesca3950]

Billy bookcases from ikea are great because you can do solid doors on the lower half to hide your crap and display your pretty things on the top shelves🙂

[@sdophoto1405]

I fully agree with the things that you interact with everyday. I learnt that years ago. Closed door cabinetry is KING

[@BETH..._...]

I loved the video before even watching because I know Nick's commentary will be on point! Love ya' Nick!

[@Uncle_Smidge]

*Me placing a vintage camera next to my shitloads of Tintin books and comics* "Shhhhhh, you're a ✨𝓿𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮✨ now."

[@OldMansEyes]

I sincerely think this is a beautiful vignette.

[@j.m.7056]

Tintin is the best!

[@Nick_Lewis]

You sure are

[@kestrelpounces]

@@laura24590omg I've been struggling with this too! (Nick, help!) it's hard to hide a 12" eyesore + ungainly air hose that doesn't dissemble well or move easily and requires good airflow around it. Mine is on a bookshelf and I've tried putting art or a woven fan in front of it, but it sits so far forward it just screams "what is she hiding there?" I've just given up and let it be ugly medical equipment in the middle of my carefully curated shelves. ☹️

[@helenanilsson5666]

@@kestrelpounces Speaking as a regular person, I think that medical equipment should be exempted from home design concerns of all kinds and just be allowed to be wherever they need to be. Prioritize practicality, because no sane person is going to judge you for having a piece of medical equipment where it needs to be. It just needs to be there, same as the WC needs to be connected to a water pipe and the furniture needs to be far enough away from the doors that you can get in and out of your rooms.

[@brendagregoryyuen4923]

Cannot recall a more useful or spot-on helpful video for those of us who love design and organization and beauty but feel paralyzed when we want to follow-through with it! Thank you.

[@kathycourtney2]

The best way to create vignettes is to take a picture of the spot you are working on, add objects and keep taking pictures of it...the camera captures what your eyes can't see...it will look magazine worthy at the end.

[@LaurieLeeAnnie]

The clock made a cameo appearance! 😂🤣

[@jm7804]

clock-tease 🤣🤣🤣

[@LaurieLeeAnnie]

@@jm7804 😂🤣😂

[@claremiller9979]

Learning about vignettes absolutely changed how I decorate my home, in that I can actually decorate rather than having a ton of crap on various surfaces. Corralling stuff on a tray - life changing. Using rugs to define a space - mind altering. Tying multiple colours together in an area instead of needing everything to match because I didn't know what I was doing - couldn't be happier. Also I have lamps EVERYWHERE in my house now, in part thanks to you. There are four in the bedroom, my partner thinks I've lost it but it looks so much nicer 😂

[@fixie650]

You speak so passionately about this. I love watching people who have passion for what they do.

[@Hfin]

Could you do a video on TINY styling? I live in a tinyhouse and sometimes it just feels like a dorm!

[@lap8329]

I love vignettes. An entire room can seem overwhelming but you style a little vignette in one area, then maybe another and suddenly your problem is solving itself. The whole room is either styled, or has at least told you where you are going and what needs to be done next. A vignette lets you consider the complexities of design in one small space, an affordable and manageable project that teaches you a lot about working on an entire space.

[@lordalaotesla]

I appreciate your channel. It all started with new silverware from Home Goods and NOW my apt is well done and when people come over and comment I ALWAYS say “I hired a pro!” Thanks again!🌞

[@tanjaeubanks]

Perfect timing! My current assignment is "Design on a Dime": replicating a designer space on a budget of $10,000. *takes notes*

[@connied8507]

One item that you never think about - quiet close toilet seats 🚽. Always closing the lid is easy and makes the bathroom look better with a closed lid. Cringe TMI, oh well 😏❤

[@dionbiden5174]

Really? Quiet close toilet sat? I'm going to Google that.

[@ginalombardi2507]

THe toilet seat!! When I lived in Germany with a WC, just toilet and tiny cold water sink, I brought from the US the soft seat. It always made me smile. And while the closed seat is important, when you are old and live alone, the toilet cover is up and the door is open!😊

[@kathyleah7088]

Agree! I have them plus a bonus is it’s so quiet it doesn’t wake the 🐕

[@juliab8992]

Only problem is that I'm so used to it whenever I go to a friend's house, I always let it slam on accident because I forget! 😬

[@lobstermash]

And keep the lid down. Always jarring to see photos of bathrooms and we can see down the bowl. No.

[@KatelynDawn]

Let’s get a video dedicated to different common vignettes! 1) reading books 2) bathroom counter 3) coffee table 4) kitchen counter and idk where else haha island or dining table?

[@stefs3460]

2:59 Is that THE CLOCK!?!😃

[@trainerbeckyreid]

Yes! Nick’s teasing us for all the grief we’ve been giving him about the missing clock, or maybe trying to see if we notice.

[@stefs3460]

@@trainerbeckyreid 😂 someone should gift him a word sign to put under it that says The Clock!

[@s.p.1536]

One rule we try to keep in our house: what ever else is going on in our house, the entry way and living room must be clean and tidy with no junk at all. It is our one main rule and an easy habit to keep.

[@MsMommom2]

Absolutely My house too. Kids rooms- another story. If they could close their doors it was good

[@sallyfellows8281]

the clock in a snap shot moment!! forever: 12:17!

[@misslannie73]

Nick, your beard is looking splendid!

[@susanagonzalezcodina9758]

My husband leaving a pile of clothes on the floor as if his body just vanished: it’s a vignette

[@LesaBear612]

😂

[@thebusybees2006]

😂

[@kw7966]

Great video! I own a luxurious home that we had to vacate due to a disastrous flood and agonizingly slow rebuilding. Meanwhile, we moved into a modest townhome, and I have furnished and decorated it on a VERY small budget. Amazingly, it has become downright beautiful, through eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and careful design choices. It has made me realize that the discipline of having a limited budget makes you much more creative. Color, scale, and texture (I tend to forget that one, so thanks for the reminder) can do wonders. Thanks, Nick!

[@sallyfellows8281]

Love all the pictures in your videos, it helps a lot! You don't just say it, you show it. Very educational!

[@cvonsutphen]

♥ Thank you for speaking about vignettes. I see so many missed opportunities in people's homes where they could have created a beautiful moment. I change my vignettes seasonally, and I know all the places that need a little something. These moments are the perfect places to bring in whatever my "pop" of color is. As we move into Autumn/Winter, lighting is magical for that cozy ambiance. I'm a sucker for a warm wash of light, especially on the floor and dark corners. Give me a plug in candle with a night-light bulb and I create a fabulously backlit space.

[@te7270]

YES!!! Vignettes in the house are very important. Little spots of loveliness and a focus. My mother did this and taught me this. For instance a wing chair, colonial era end table and lamp, in a corner, and a few interesting little things [items from foreign travels or tiny family memorabilia] on that small table. Can have a picture or mirror hanging over the ensemble. The proper light created a reading nook. Growing up in a 1760s house with teensy rooms, this was important to do. Iconoclasts...those that hate art on the wall, as pictures, have difficulty decorating the surroundings. The Puritan environment common in the US has affected the psyche with this, and thus the barren look of many houses today. We need art and loveliness to bring us happiness.Today's culture is starved of beautiful visual art.

[@clairekurdelak2913]

Not sure what you mean by iconoclasts here. But I have always been so interested in the effect of the Puritans on US sensibilities!

[@Elle-kr8od]

I agree about the charm--and practicality--of a reading corner. My mom also had a small painting low on the wall by her reading chair. It was at just the right height to enjoy while sitting in the chair.

[@claremiller9979]

​@@Elle-kr8od that's such a beautiful idea, now I'm rethinking where to hang some of my embroidery pieces so i can see them when I'm sitting down

[@keeptrying5962]

You are close as is humanly possible to always being right-on/correct. ❤ this channel .

[@jpynn867]

Thanks for the reminder to invest in what I interact with every day 😊

[@flufwix]

I did not know I was creating vignettes but I’ve done that forever. Yay me

[@samtoller]

I have learned to actually take a picture of my room and look at it that way. It gives me much more clarity.

[@jencihak9036]

Love unexpected color! Our former dining room turned my office is a Shrek green. I get so many compliments from people on video calls. I’ve been asked several times where I got the background. It’s such an unexpected color but fits so well in our space.

[@BringBackClassAndMaturity]

You crack me up. "Which sounds a bit existential..." 🤣🤣🤣 I freaking love it.

[@karenk2409]

The beard and gray look great on you, Nick! Gravitas. So while you're at it promoting thematic spaces, we all want to know: WHERE IS THE CLOCK? Ok, I handle this by redecorating per season at least twice a year. We all have accumulated stuff that we love, but it doesn't deserve to be hidden away in storage, nor dumped out all together. Totally agree on linens quality - towels, sheets, curtains, bedding, even pillow covers; what a difference they make. 100% storage capacity in absolutely everything; clutter is ugly, always and everywhere. Yes, texture is a big deal, both visual and tactile. If you have smooth, add nubby accents; if you have solid color, add pattern accents. Color pops, in a pattern or an accent piece, are lovely. I have warm yellow walls in a bathroom with window light; those with no windows are white. Agree wholeheartedly about lighting; I love my various lamps and accent lights, hate surgical overhead lights.

[@Mady-lo6qb]

We have a lot of bric a brac that we've accumulated over the years. I don't really want to throw them out - but it's really too much to have put all at once. So that sounds like a neat idea. Keep half in storage at a time and cycle through them during the year.

[@20twelvevolution]

Every time I think about buying open shelving or cabinetry, I think of you... because you are so right! I don't want my clutter out. No more open shelving or cabinets for me.

[@PatriciainOz]

Thirfty at Goodwill or Savers store has SAVED me so much money ...Thanks for the reminder as there is some great items that can be fancy or lux but not with the cost.

[@GoogleUser-wx8mw]

Nick's clock had a cameo appearance today! 😊

[@Skymouth]

OMG! Nicotine beige is a PERFECT name for that color!

[@christiroadfeldt7696]

Nick, that little part about, if money is no object, fabulous, then why are we having this conversation - you hit the nail on the head. I am enthralled with your recent content and appreciate it so much! Thanks for taking us along with you while you decorate your own home with what so many of us have - a budget, and of course entertaining us with those little side commentaries that always seem to be saying exactly what I'm thinking but don't say out loud, for fear of it becoming a habit - lol!

[@valeriezendiver263]

Ceiling lights are only there to help you navigate to the “real” lighting, or help you find your keys 😉

[@j.m.7056]

Or vaccuum.

[@clairekurdelak2913]

I totally agree on buying nice materials, nice art. But if you just need a big canvas of color or texture on your wall, and you want to enjoy it right away, while you save up for something more significant, why not go get a home goods piece of art from the thrift store! There are always pieces there, large and small, maybe vintage, maybe from last year, that can be part of vignette on a tight budget. When you’re done with them, please donate, don’t put them in the landfill if they are still decent.

[@louannhuber2651]

You can paint over the picture in the HomeGoods piece with acrylic paint to make it look like more of an original

[@karenk2409]

@@louannhuber2651 Great idea!

[@s.p.1536]

It is true, some things at home goods are nice, like the odd Le Creuset pot or something that may not be expensive but has good lines. but often enough the items at home goods are a bit cheap and don't really uplift our homes.

[@clairekurdelak2913]

@@s.p.1536I agree! But in a real pinch, if someone decides to buy something like that, I hope they don’t pay the full price! Thrift it until you can upgrade!

[@McCarran-m9j]

Nick, I absolutely love how you have always incorporated so many visuals (pictures) in your videos; it makes it so enjoyable and easier to look at your own space for ideas and inspiration! Thank you ❤

[@jodyalaniz]

It would be amazing if you gave examples from your home and how you put vignettes together, for example, while talking about them. I think that could be really fun and helpful for people who struggle with decorating.

[@minimalist2036]

Nick you moved! I’ve had a busy summer so i haven’t seen your recent videos. Congrats to you! 🤍✨

[@louannhuber2651]

Everyone’s waiting for the clock, Nick.

[@marthadewey1267]

This may have been your best video - You touched on some of these items in your class, but seeing the pictures...wow. I also am a fan of the Lone Fox - my opinion is that he does vignettes as well as anyone...THANK YOU !!!

[@jaysonx5576]

It’s my birthday today! 🥳Anyway… Vignettes: I’m shooting (editorial) my new space soon. Very excited! 2 years to design/create it. Two more custom pieces and I’m done. Not cheap for the project but I saved so much money ($60k ish) doing it all myself. On to the next project feeling both sad (“design break up” is a thing) and thrilled (new relationship with the next space). POINT: Designing is an emotional relationship with the space. Happy designing, everyone!

[@CheyenneShining]

Wishing you a very happy birthday 🎂🎁🎈

[@amberbranch1145]

Hey! I just happened to see this and it was MY birthday, too! Hilariously, I literally just bought myself a bunch of beautiful air-purifying but tone-matching plants AND the vignette-helping helping LAST additional wicker (but not overly-done type) basket for the textural feng shui and catch-all for (try to keep secret) "crapstack", as the above commenter calls it. Too invested? I don't think so. My space ROCKS. Lol. Happy birthday! SOOO worth it. lol. Less is more.

[@jaysonx5576]

@@amberbranch1145 Happy Belated Birthday, fellow Virgo! Sounds like you had a fulfilling day designing your space. 😎👍

[@sportsfan5872]

Nick, I just love your personality! :). You have a lot of information to share but it’s not dry. Thank you!

[@MyFocusVaries]

Everyone is on a budget. I would like a bigger one 😂 🤑 Thanks for the inspiration.

[@robinbirdj743]

The limitations can be wonderful too. ❤ Love finding something I need or want for Pennie’s on the dollar, and it sparks my creativity to not be able to get something right away. When I had no money to spend on home decor, I used found supplies and objects.

[@dawnnoble1689]

I love it when you say “Do you know what I mean?” For me it’s kinda like on schits creek “Eew David!” Love your videos, this might be your best one I’ve ever seen, much love❤️

[@marilynsauceda742]

It’s a drinking game every time he says, “do ya know what I mean?” I counted 7. 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

[@broomhag]

Color-- my living room/dining room (1 large room) is Chinese red. I love it. My bedroom is what I call Welch's grape juice purple. Love it! My kitchen is yellow, my bathroom is sea green. My spare bedroom is orange! My pantry room (formally a bedroom) is mocha. All my woodwork is black! I love the colors!!

[@amberbranch1145]

LOVE LOVE LOVE! And your not-so-scathing but real-tell humor is what's needed in this world. haha. PLEASE keep it up. Awesome sauce!!

[@ngrng6856]

I love Nick. Even if you only use one small nugget of advice, you've upgraded. Not everything works for me, but it's relavent to my needs, budget and space. Always an answer regardless, if you listen to Nick.

[@scasny]

I am adding texture using things like real wool blanket and sheep skin, cow hide rug, rough cotton pillow casing, rayon Persian style carpet on the wall. Solid mango wood serving tray and even pay extra to get wardrobe with (light oak) veneer not just print pattern. I have red walls and black couch and arm chair with red cushions making everything light to pop which are also the pieces with texture. The couch and chair is geometric and flat blending with the wall. Not forget to have accent lighting on the intricate beige Persian style carpet. I watch the cozy tips and have extra seating that can also double as a tray and have storage space. Basically every furniture have double or even triple function as every seating have storage space, can be converted or use as a table, and the couch with the chair can be converted to bed. And both can be use at once by just moving a coffee table. Which beside storage it can raise up to table height, so you can write, eat or use laptop from couch. I really like the round (fake) light brown leather ottoman on tall legs. It invite you to sit and the top can be flipped and used as a small side table (its design to be used that way). And the end table beside the couch will have accessible outlets making the phone face huggers drawn to the deepest corner to plug in. And that will also be the vignette, with the reflector accent lighting lamp on tripod. The table is very small so maybe some little plan and 1-2 candles, and to tell the story add a decorated lighter and a real bronze coin blank, maybe adding another small table lamp with solid wood legs. Maybe adding another floor lamp at the other end of the room next to the chair, and the central light can be dimmed and changed from cold almost blue white to warm yellow to almost orange. Think a orange and vanilla will fit well. Which have that nut meg, fennel and cinnamon sort of notes so i am at least the right area.

[@scasny]

@CMBBmc-jd6ur being a stone sculptor and actual artist help a little. Unless we copy something there have to be a thought and reason behind what we create. I never "raped" the material to sharp edges and massage the stone in curves. Spheres and curves with matt to semi gloss finish was my style. My philosophy was the object should be also touched. Having specific matt surface (400-600 grit) create sort of velvet fuzzy soft feel. I often use marble with the larger crystal structure. Since it was not polished and waxed the surface scatter light, almost like a skin. It sparkle as a fresh snow. Even before i start to watch Nick i always tend to natural materials and textiles with more texture and always say to my self that bigger is better when it come to wall art. If it was a portrait i never go much beyond human scale. Smaller pieces were mostly depicting something in the distance and even from quite afar you know what it is. So it was not just a color rectangle. Like Pallas Athena from Rembrandt is on scale height: 118 cm (46.4 in); width: 91 cm (35.8 in). But like Girl with a Pearl Earring from Vermeer is like 4 times bigger. The original 44.5 cm × 39 cm (17.5 in × 15 in), i have 80cm x 70cm. Having also lovely in impressionism style game concept art i like ( sjc1.vultrobjects.com/cucdn/gallery-19/art/acr-constantinople-port4.jpg ) It tied in the oriental vibe. Also have this ( wallpaperteg.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Skyrim-Pc-Wallpaper-.jpg ), and its big, like 6 foot wide. Dont know f i use that. But the KCD map i will certainly use. With both Duch painters, old map and Constantinople port it have the late 16 to 17 century east exploration theme. Dont know why but want to put in almost 2feet long wooden model of HMS Prince of Wales for some reason.

[@cdavham]

I do this. It makes me feel happy. Vignettes. I didn't know. Cool.

[@DeborahHamilton-q1w]

My mother once commented that I had champagne taste and a ginger ale budget. I looked her in the eye and said, "What are you talking about? I can't afford the ginger ale!" At the time, I wasn't joking. But she wasn't wrong. I do have expensive taste. A great place to go is ReStore. They always have something new (to the store) in stock, and you can get really high quality furniture at a terrific price. It might need refinishing, but you can't have everything. Not everything is solid wood, though. It varies. You have to look. I've even seen Victorian couches in decent shape. But I like antiques, so.... Dining room tables they often have in abundance (at least at the one near me), and are often good, solid pieces that need a little TLC. Worth taking a look, if money is tight!

[@LoggyMah]

Love your videos Nick me and my wife just bought our first home and with your videos we have made good decor decisions and with fresh new paint on all the walls and ceiling it’s even lovelier than we thought it could be. Thank you!!

[@divinemiss4284]

Nick thanks for all the great tips! I've got one for you, that boring back wall is SCREAMING for a beautiful, large piece of art!

[@LacyG]

I so hope Nick does a video on seasonal decorating. I will hoard my glass pumpkins and wait, lol. Maybe it's not big in Canada, but in the states we have boxes marked fall/ Halloween/ winter/ Christmas

[@AussieWahine]

Hello Nick, just wanted to thank you for your videos. You have confirmed for me a few things and I'm glad I have invested in those pieces that I really love. After many years of moving around we are designing and building our own home and I've been feeling a little overwhelmed about how I might pull it all together. You have given me a little more confidence to follow my heart and not fall into the everyday. Thank you so much.

[@caro1ns]

So true about the importance of lighting - for people as well as rooms. I once read that Lauren Bacall arrived early for every interview, appearance etc. to check the lighting and make demands for adjustments if she thought they were necessary. Also, hilariously, Sylvester Stallone, although for a different reason. According to Steve Berkoff (the British actor in the second Rambo movie), Stallone knew exactly how to adjust the lighting to best highlight his muscles.

[@RobinMelchior]

Yeah! You're back!

[@dianadriverasbury9130]

What a good idea. I've always been one who looks at the whole room. This is brilliant.

[@kathleennagwak1761]

I love your videos. The less is more, is so on point. You have a great personality.

[@lisahunter6556]

Another fabulous video. Thank you! One other "luxury" look I learned when I lived in France is to put a fabulous textile over a cheap table or console. I also like to use textiles as "portieres" to cover builder-grade doors. Glad to have a source of good linen sheets! I use them for all kinds of things.

[@nanchesca3950]

Could you do a whole video on lighting? It's so dark and dreary during our winters here. I try to add lots of light, not just mood lighting, to replicate a bright day, but it always looks like a doctor's office instead

[@SableWind]

Sounds like the color temperature of your bulbs could be skewing cold, or you might have cooler colored walls. Maybe consider swapping bulbs/wall paint colors?

[@nanchesca3950]

@SableWind my walls are warm (I call it 'peanut butter' lol) so maybe the bulbs. I will have to play around with them

[@SableWind]

@@nanchesca3950 try bulbs in the 2600 to 3000k range for warmer tones, and maybe try using different types of diffused lights (paper lanterns, frosted glass, lamp shades) to see what works for you. If you have exposed bulbs (lots of fixtures use them), it may also be casting harsher brights & shadows

[@nanchesca3950]

@SableWind thank you for your advice! I checked all my bulbs in the room, they are all in the 2700-3000 range. But one of the most problematic lights was a very bright led so I've put a dimmer one in to try. I think part of the problem is the shade. It's one of those paper ball shades from Ikea (REGOLIT). I never loved it but I haven't found anything I like more (that's a plug-in and not hardwired)

[@SableWind]

@@nanchesca3950 those ikea shades have paper shade colors that are whiter than the more authentic ones, if I recall. The Noguchi Akari lamps can go into the thousands, but there are shades for small hanging lamps in the $100 - $200 range, which you can pair with a $15 - $20 Amazon plug in kit. That's what I did, because I'm in the same plug-in-only situation lol. The lamp puts out a warm glow, I love it a lot. Of course a $100-$200 lamp is still pretty expensive. I do think there are more options now, so if you have an interest in a paper shades, try finding one that looks more beige in the pics online. You might have luck searching Google for "Akari lamp dupe" or something to that effect - if you're interested in sticking with the paper lanterns, that is :)

[@smack6030]

Another vote for Brooklinen! I bought my new bedding after your recommendation and I love, love, love them!! They get better with every wash as well. It is nice to be able to find quality sheets without breaking the bank. Another great video and love your personality.

[@MeemsyD]

Texture, decoration, colour, lighting, all good points which I wholeheartedly agree with. But you missed one important thing - A BEAUTIFUL CLOCK!

[@catherinesilzle4703]

Moving into my new place and you inspired me today to create a little moment in a corner of my home.

[@Sorrely1]

Have just got back from H&M Home trying to do just this. Exactly the video I needed. ❤

[@consueloojeda3679]

Thank you master Nick for all of your great tuition in decorating and helping me in my home. I appreciate all of your videos.

[@gloriazak1048]

You have this talent ... regardless of the topic, I'm interested ... and always amused ... 🤔

[@avg1303]

The amount of joy I get from these videos >>

[@prihollis]

Nick thank you so much! I used your advice for my new home and everyone thinks I’m an expert interior designer and they keep asking my advice. They also think I spent a ton of money but I really didn’t 😂 the biggest lesson was decorate for your space (plan the aesthetic around the existing architecture). Thank you!

[@frenchy6115]

Lighting is everything and I never hear anyone talk about it as a design feature! Good tip.

[@tonyahartman5407]

You crack me up! I was listening as i was walking on my lunch break, and i went back and watched it so i could see all the photos you put up…they do help. My favorite line: you’re the one that clicked on the video! 😂 thanks again for sharing your expertise!

[@sandragoodman2059]

This was an interior design text all by itself. Thank you, Nick.

[@laraoneal7284]

TY NICK. You are so authentic. I trust all of ur opinions and advice that u give.

[@annettebaker4357]

Nick, I am never going to unhear "marble sarcophagus." What a struggle it will be to not speak these words out loud in every suburban remodel I see.

[@Reina12375]

Love all your comments! I had a friend who had six kids under the age of 10! She gave them a time limit for the toy mess. If the toy mess was not cleaned in the allotted time, the toys went into green trash bags for a certain period. The kids cleaned up quite often and there were green trash bags in a box that they came in right there in sight to remind them that when they were finished playing with a toy, the toys had to be put back or else they would lose use of them for a number of days not hours! Her house was quite tidy. I only have two kids and I learned from her how to be organized and that when I rule is set down follow through. That’s my two cents. Or maybe with inflation my quarter.!

[@cinderelli3192]

Hey Nick, I love how you gave us a quick glance of your own decor, the "Timeless" clock which you included in your decor option photos. I miss seeing that clock in your videos ! LOL I'm sure I'm not alone on this one