Traditional rugs are a wonderful way to add vibrant color, texture and pattern to your home. Don’t feel the need to limit these beauties to rooms with a traditional design scheme, because they’ll work well with almost any design style. One of the perks of decorating with traditional rugs is you can easily switch them out depending on the season or your current tastes. I hope you find some inspiration in these rooms and rugs!

The weathered black-and-white rug in this global, eclectic living room provides a beautiful monochromatic canvas for the brightly colored accents. A monochromatic rug is a good grounding element for practically any color palette.

Traditional rugs can also be hung on the wall as a beautiful, unconventional piece of art. This very feminine pink-and-blue room features several intricate patterns that work well together because of the all-white walls and carpet. The matching lamps are a showstopping element in the space.

The colorful Turkish rug in this kitchen and dining room takes center stage against the neutral palette in the rest of the room. The distressed wooden table and fur seat covers are fun and funky accents.

This home office space is instantly warm and inviting thanks to the brightly colored traditional rug and the ombre red and orange curtain. The heavy, traditional desk with distressed white paint adds a touch of vintage to the room.

This enclosed porch is perfectly inviting with its colorful rugs and antique lounge. Tip: A safe way to incorporate different patterns throughout a room is to limit them to the ground level, through the prints of the rugs and carpeting. This keeps the pattern from overwhelming the room.

The striped rugs in this crisp, minimal bedroom are a fun, modern way to incorporate rugs into your home. The simple stripes add a hit of graphic pattern to the spare space, and the red wall sconce adds a pop of color to the neutral palette that ties in with the red rug.

Another all-white room gets a splash of color and texture with beautiful red rugs. The well-worn quality of these rugs is a lovely contrast to the clean white surfaces.

Traditional rugs placed throughout a spacious room can establish areas for different activities and help protect the floor in high traffic areas. These rugs are as decorative as they are functional.

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For more design inspiration and a great selection of light fixtures, visit arcadianlighting.com.

Dash through the snow. Put a jingle in your love life by going on a sleigh ride. Two Below Zero, a company that loads up in Frisco, offers a variety of options, from a private jaunt to trips that include a hearty dinner or hot cocoa stop. dinnersleighrides.com

Soak it up. Help love spring eternal by discovering the restorative powers of Glenwood Hot Springs. Out of 80,000 spas worldwide, Glenwood’s Spa of the Rockies was recently honored with the Spafinder’s Reader’s Choice award, testimony to its innovative botanical treatments. hotspringspool.com

Put the pieces together. A new boutique in Boulder dedicated to the cocoa craze, Piece, Love and Chocolate, offers panache to rival its ganache. Gaze in wonder at the concoctions, taste the Cups of Love (cupcakes filled with chocolate mousse) or indulge in creamy hot chocolate. pieceloveandchocolate.com

Lounge in luxury. Hole up, hunker down and hang out in a room that inspires going nowhere. The Brown Palace offers its Luxurious Love package, which includes an overnight stay, cocktails, rose-petal turndown and breakfast in bed (brownpalace.com). The Broadmoor offers several packages, most of which involve champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. broadmoor.com

Indulge with abandon. Sample five handcrafted wines paired with artisan chocolates at Bonacquisti Wine’s 6th Annual Wine & Chocolate Weekend, February 11-12. Located in Denver’s newish Winery Row, Bonacquisti sources its grapes from the Western Slope, but makes its award-winning wine on site. denverwine.net

Photo by Gray Box Studios for Bonacquisti Wine

Find Direction
One of the most important things when revamping a space is to discover what resonates with you. How? Read and rip. Grab a pile of home décor publications and rip out images that appeal to you. Look at materials, layouts, appliances, overall design, design blogs and books. Collect images that inspire you and use them to help give life to the ideas that drive you. Once you have compiled a nice collection of images, scan through them to find a theme. This will help down the road when it comes to meeting with a designer and communicating your vision.

Needs and Wants
Consider your absolute need from the space as well as what you would just love to have. Is there a certain feeling or function you would like to gain from the space that it did not previously have? Setting up budget parameters as well as the upkeep and maintenance you are willing to put into the space will also help determine exactly what can be done and what might have to give when push comes to shove.

Hire a Professional
Many people are hesitant to hire a professional kitchen designer, but trust us, we’ve seen it all, and it is worth every penny. Interview a few designers and find one who shares your ideas and taste, someone who understands the way you live and the space you are dreaming about. Many projects around your house can easily be tackled on your own, but when it comes to kitchens and bathrooms, it is best to trust a professional who can share tricks of the trade and ensure you get the space of your dreams.

When trying to discern whether or not professional help is needed consider this: The most important rooms to bring in professional help are bathrooms and kitchens. There are many technical and stylistic considerations in these rooms, and a design professional will streamline your needs and vision. A design professional will save time and more importantly, money. A designer will take into account your inspirations and needs and hone in on your style and make suggestions you might not have thought of yourself. Your designer will show you things you’ll love but may not have been able to see, find, or buy on your own.

So pull your ideas together and find a designer whose vision overlaps with yours. Visit their favorite showrooms to see the widest variety of surfaces for your home. Our design consultants know the extensive selection of inventory inside and out, and are ready to show you samples, discuss care and maintenance, budget, lead time, and design with you and your designer.

Start north at 9th Avenue Collection (formerly “The Collection,” at 899 N. Broadway) to shop one of the greatest antiques inventories Denver-wide. antiquedesign.com

Then venture south to Lee Alex Décor (24 S. Broadway, Suite 104)—a favorite boutique for kicky mid-century furnishings—which has shown its dedication to the ’hood by upgrading to a larger showroom to house its delectable vintage finds. leealexdecor.com

Just a skip away, newish “modern mercantile” Hazel & Dewey (70 S. Broadway) offers a carefully edited mix of clean-lined, cheery tabletop items, kitchen goods and house wares, many of them handcrafted and locally made. hazel-dewey.com

Then browse the flock of showrooms at Denver Design District (595 S. Broadway) or wander Antique Row, an assembly of shops from 1100 to 1800 S. Broadway. antique-row.com

Be sure to set foot inside Alesso Modern Source (1238 S. Broadway), purveying sleek and swoon-worthy European lines, and recently relocated to the SoBo strip from the River North Art District (RiNo). alessomodernsource.com

Also new to the block is The Annex (1534 S. Broadway), an antiques collective curated by Christopher Watson of Watson & Co., that deals vintage style from more traditional to midcentury “funk” (think groovy neon signs and retro lighting).

Well, we know of a sale happening this weekend that’s so good we almost had to keep it to ourselves. But because we’re immersed in creating the pages of our March Furniture issue (stay tuned!), and because we’re longtime fans of interior designer Ashley Campbell‘s swoon-worthy style, we’re feeling generous and good-spirited and we’re sharing the details here…

The Ashley Campbell furnishings showroom in Denver’s Cherry Creek North shopping district is hosting a 50% off sale on everything on the floor (except some fine art items). 50% off—no, that’s not a typo.

The sale runs today, tomorrow and Sunday. So go browse 5,000 square feet full of luscious, contemporary furniture (rugs, mirrors, pillows, lighting bedding, seating, and other various pretty things) and help the showroom make space for new inventory scouted at the most recent High Point Market. Here’s a taste of what you might find.

We just ask that you save some items for us!

Sale hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm. For more info, visit ashleycampbell.com.

If you prefer white walls and neutral furnishings…

Opt for just a touch of color. “Try painting the inside of cabinets and bookshelves or niches so you get a peek of color,” recommends Sonu Mathew, senior interior designer with Benjamin Moore.

Go bold in a smaller space—like a powder room, foyer or guest room.

If you like splashes of color throughout your home…

Create colorful vignettes. “Celebrate a trend in your home by displaying some of your favorite accessories in a grouping that reflects the ways colors are being combined,” architectural color consultant KD Fikso says.

Paint a piece of furniture. “Maybe it’s a painted chair that sits in the office area of your kitchen,” Fikso says, or a period piece that’s brought up-to-date with an unconventional hue.

If you’re ready to go BIG with color…

Paint the ceiling. “Color doesn’t have to be on the walls,” Mathew says. “You could have a neutral room and apply a bold trend color to your ceiling.”

Redo the kids’ room. “Talk about trendy; kids are changing every couple years,” says Fikso, who suggests children’s bedrooms as the perfect place to experiment with playful hues.

For more expert tips on decorating with color, click here, and to browse our roundup of home furnishings in the hottest colors of 2012 (spicy persimmon, tried-and-true blue and modern gray), click here.

Next month, in partnership with Hutter + Eurobath, we’ll be publishing The Little Orange Book. This handy directory will be your go-to guide for the best remodeling pros in your area, as well as the Colorado showrooms you’ll want to visit for all the finishing touches. In its pages, find loads of resource information in the following categories:

Architects
Interior Designers
Building Materials
Custom Builders/Remodelers
Flooring & Hard Surfaces
Home Decor
Kitchen & Bath
Landscape/Exteriors

You won’t want to start your next project without CH&L‘s The Little Orange Book. Click here to reserve your copy, or stay tuned for a list of local retailers. (CH&L subscribers will receive their copy for free in the mail.)

Beat cabin fever by heading to Aspen’s four-day, 61st annual celebration of winter, which delivers a soup cook-off and pancake breakfast, musical performances in favorite local venues, a 48-hour snow sculpture competition and a fireworks finale. Plus, if you purchase the 2012 Wintersköl button (just $1), you get great deals and discounts about town. Click here for more info and a list of deals.

History of Chocolate, Denver, January 15

Cocoa-philes, this one’s for you: Head to the Denver Art Museum to explore the tasty history of chocolate with Mark Sciscenti, chocolate historian from Santa Fe, who will guide guests through the evolution of the divine ingredient from 2000 BC to 1800 AD. Sampling of traditional and historic drinks included. Click here for more info.

Face to Face: Vance Kirkland and Clyfford Still, Denver, January 26

Two of Denver’s great art institutions—Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art and Clyfford Still Museum—are joining forces to deliver a lecture on their patron artists: what their careers looked like, how they were similar and how their artistic attitudes differed. Tickets are $10. Click here for more info.

Beaver Creek FOOD & WINE Weekend, January 26-28

Colorado foodies won’t want to miss this culinary extravaganza, which pairs top-notch cuisine with mountain style. Events include a guided snowshoe tour followed by a gourmet lunch; a “Winter Wonderland Wine Seminar,” which unveils the perfect cold-weather wines; an après-ski burgers and beer feast; and a “First Tracks Breakfast” with guest chef Richard Sandoval. Tickets for individual events start at $75; package prices starting at $340. Click here for more info. (Above photo courtesy of beavercreek.com.)

For more January happenings, visit coloradohomesmag.com.

Looking for some last-minute items to add to your shopping or wish list? Or ideas for hostess gifts? See what some of our favorite Coloradans are wrapping up and wishing for this season—and visit coloradohomesmag.com to see what’s on the CH&L staff’s list.

Lon Symensma, Chef/Owner, ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro, cholon.com

Wrapping up: “I’m a fan of Il Mondo Vecchio’s Chinese Sausage because it’s very authentic and it’s a local product. That’s what I am trying to do at my restaurant, ChoLon—share the authentic flavors of Asia while using local ingredients.” Starting at $23/lb., mondovecchio.net

Wishing for: “I’m new to Colorado, and it only seems right that I should know how to ski. I can’t imagine anything cooler than learning on a pair of skis handmade in Denver.” $599, icelanticboards.com

Tracy Weil, Artist/Web Designer, weilworks.com

Wrapping up: “I’m planning on giving the first edition of the Denver County Fair Cookbook to all my friends and family. It’s a Colorado product and features several of the blue-ribbon-winning recipes, as well as topics with an urban twist like composting and urban foraging.” $19.95, denvercountyfair.org

Wishing for: “I’m hoping to receive chocolate from the Chocolate Crisis Center! I especially like the Candy Apple Caramels, but how fun are these Holiday Blues peppermint creams?” $16.95, chocolatecrisiscenter.com

Bertha Lynn, News Anchor, Denver’s 7NEWS, thedenverchannel.com

Wrapping up: “I love the wide variety of quality gourmet foods at Tony’s Market, so I’ll be giving my friends gift cards. That way, they can select their favorite torrone, olives, steaks or a beautiful dessert.” tonysmarket.com

Wishing for: “Denver has such a rich cultural scene that it would be heaven to be a member of all of the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) Tier 1 organizations—the Denver Art Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Denver Zoo and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. I love to browse the gift shops too!” Starting at $45 for individuas, scfd.org

For more gift-giving inspiration, visit coloradohomesmag.com.

And while we can’t show you the finished closet here (you’ll just have to wait for the January/February 2012 issue to see the entire transformation!), we can give you a little sneak peek:

Clockwise from top left: a Palecek Capiz shell-encrusted mirror from Ashley Campbell; a "top-down, bottom up" Roman shade from Blind Corner and Curves; Sun Mountain Door's poplar sliding doors with "Rain" glass inserts; a Thomas O'Brien for Hickory Chair bench from Ashley Campbell (topped with a Lacefield pillow).

And here are the highlights of the home stretch…

Once the carpet was laid, Sun Mountain Door installed the sliding doors. “This door was a good choice because we were able to custom manufacture exactly what the designer requested,” says Thad Walton of Sun Mountain Door, “and achieve her specific look all while staying on budget.” The poplar doors were painted white and fitted with textured glass panels that allow light to flow through while still keeping the closet separate from the master bath.

Then the team from Ashley Campbell moved in to add the final touches that make this closet as pretty as it is practical. “Everyone needs a full-length mirror,” says designer Shannon Harris, who chose a glamorous Capiz shell-encrusted mirror from Palecek. Another special addition was the sleek, leather-upholstered Hickory Chair bench—definitely a luxurious spot to tie your shoes! Other accessories, such as a recycled palm vase and small trinket boxes, add style.

Why so much thought and attention to a closet? As Closet Factory Colorado president Polly Lestikow always says, “You start and end your day in the closet; wouldn’t you want that space to be calm and organized?” We couldn’t agree more.

CH&L Thanks our Messy to Marvelous Founding Partner:

Closet Factory

Sponsors:
Ashley Campbell Interior Design
Robert Koelbel Homes
Sheryl Hadley, Professional Organizer, NAPO
Mile High Style
Builder Appliance Center
Blind Corners & Curves
Floor Coverings International
CAPCO Tile
Sun Mountain Door

Contributors:
Aspen Design & Fabrication
Destiny Electric Service
Illuminations by Design
South Valley Drywall
Rocky Mountain Painters
Rocky Begano (wallpaper hanger)