By Michele Deluca
Niagara Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS —
Ladies who walk around with fabric swatches and paint samples in their purses may find good company in a decorator who will offer free advice today at the opening of a new home decor store at the Fashion Outlets mall.
The store, Kirkland’s, which is noted for affordable home decor, has opened at the site of the former Mikasa store.
Decorator Cecilia Staniec will be at the store from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. today for those who have decorating questions.
Staniec, the owner of a company called A Darling Room in Pittsburgh, has worked in Chicago, Minneapolis and Atlanta. She is one of a team of five designers working with Kirkland’s to help customers recreate their living spaces.
She offered a few tips to get people started during a recent telephone interview:
Walk through your front door
Staniec says a homeowner should walk through their front door and view it as if they were a guest coming into the house for the first time. “Take it all in at once and you can start to see maybe that chair doesn't really work there.” It’s difficult, she says, for people to change their decorating styles as their lifestyles change, but no one wants to be like the person who hasn’t changed their hairstyle since high school, she said.
Check out the newest trends
Things are constantly changing in the decorating business. For instance, she said, wallpaper is making a huge comeback despite people’s wariness of wallpaper which is mostly due to problems with removing old paper.
Staniec says that companies like Sherwin Williams have new lines of wallpaper that are more along the lines of “peel and stick.”
“It’s easy to change,” she said. “You don't have the nightmare of trying to take down in two years. You don’t
have to score it and rip it,” she said..
Color it to create change
“Paint is always obviously the least expensive option,” she said. “One of the big trends for fall is that grays are making a huge comeback, anything from pale light bluish gray to deep charcoal.”
Staniec said grays go great with jewel tone accent colors like deep purple and blues. “If you want a more feminine room, pink and gray look awesome together.”
Put a light on it
“Lighting is always something I suggest that will change the look of the room,” she said, adding that new chandeliers, sconces, kitchen lighting, are all things that can be purchased relatively inexpensively to change the look of a room.
Drape it all
“I'm a big fabric girl. I love fabrics,” she said. “I always try to encourage people to go a little bit out of their comfort zone to do something a little dramatic.”
Staniec is aware that consumers are facing tighter budgets these days and noted that Kirkland’s makes a business out of providing the best quality they can at an affordable price.
Those who attend are encouraged to bring paint samples, fabric swatches and especially photos for a free consultation with Cecilia. To learn more about her work visit adarlingroom.com.
