Decor Inspiration: 12 Decorating Ideas for Simple and Calm

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Decor Inspiration: 12 Decorating Ideas for Simple and Calm

May 05, 2017

Beautiful minimal simple interior design in room by Mark and Sally Bailey (found on Hello Lovely)

Simple Home by Mark & Sally Bailey

Mark and Sally Bailey are experts at

creating calm interior design, and their book

Simple Home (Ryland Peters & Small, 2017)

brilliantly guides and empowers us to create

attractive clutter-free simple spaces that soothe.

Their style has been evolving over the past few decades

in their Herefordshire home and business, and their

expertise in architecture, interiors, and product design

has led to partnerships with Ralph Lauren,

Paul Smith, Donna Karan, and Liberty among others.

What is the simple home?

Calm and uncluttered

Its objects are: carefully chosen,

well-made, and well-designed

Sustainable and stylish

Nature inspired color scheme

Reclaimed and re-purposed materials

Ethically sourced

Cozy textiles

Warm woods

Natural cleaning methods

Cleaning products without chemicals

I love their book, and it has inspired

me to come up with 12 decorating ideas

anyone can put into practice.

Design and Authors: Mark & Sally Bailey

Photography: Debi Treloar

Images: Architectural Digest

Source: Simple Home: Calm spaces for comfortable living

Simple Home: Calm spaces for comfortable living

1.
Start collecting humble pieces of stoneware and pottery
in natural, neutral, tones which can be displayed together.

Beautiful minimal simple interior design in room by Mark and Sally Bailey

Decor Inspiration: Calm Interiors

2.
Don't be afraid to mix white and ivory/creamy tones.

Simple Home: Calm spaces for comfortable living

3.
Geometric compositions can be both
interesting and calm.

Decor Inspiration: Calm Interiors - Simple Home by Mark & Sally Bailey

4.
Bring a rocking chair into the kitchen
or dining area to encourage a calming break.

Simple Home by Mark & Sally Bailey

5.
If a bouquet of fresh flowers eludes you,
plop a few wildflowers or branches into simple bottles.

Decor Inspiration: Calm Interiors - Simple Home by Mark & Sally Bailey

6.
If you are lucky enough to have wallpaper you hate (ha!)
consider removing it partially to reveal a textural
and geographical peely pattern of lovely.

Simple Home by Mark & Sally Bailey

7.
Clear the clutter from your work area for better focus.

Decor Inspiration: Calm Interiors - Simple Home by Mark & Sally Bailey

8.
Empty a room entirely and return objects one
at a time until it feels sufficiently functional and calm.
(Subtraction is powerful and sometimes eliminates
the need for shopping for more!)

Simple Home by Mark & Sally Bailey

9.
In small spaces, benches can be the
smart choice for seating and less visual
clutter.

Decor Inspiration: Calm Interiors - Simple Home by Mark & Sally Bailey

10.
Quiet colors can still be dramatic
when varying textures are mixed.

Simple Home by Mark & Sally Bailey

11.
Linen, jute, wood, and stone will always
harmonize simply and calmly.

Simple Home by Mark & Sally Bailey

12.
It's possible to create an airy feel even when
ceiling heights are not soaring...living low
can be beautiful.

Decor Inspiration: Calm Interiors - Simple Home: Calm spaces for comfortable living

I hope these tips and inspiring images
were helpful to your own decor plans...
I am grateful to Ryland Peters for
sending this book over for review since just
turning the pages provides an experience
of much needed tranquil calm!

Peace to you right where you are.

Hello Lovely Studio Michel pointe shoes ballet slippers denim

This post contains affiliate links

blog life

23 Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog, Part 1 {Blogging}

May 05, 2017

Woman with HP elitebook laptop on Belgian linen sofa in beautiful room with neutral decor

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog

Who doesn't need smart ideas
to drive more blog traffic?

I promised some of you I would

gather my thoughts and post

tips to drive more blog traffic;

it's my gift to you friends nutty enough
to get geeky about blogging,

SEO, and link building.
(affiliate links follow)

(The rest of the tips are shared

right here in Part 2!)

Beautiful soft feminine dancer in pointe shoes with white tissue pouf blooms

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog (My photo)

I am self-taught and remained essentially

a hobby blogger until a couple of months ago.

Blogging for business means

added pressure and responsibility

to increase traffic to your site so I researched
the topic and continue to experiment.

Tips here reflect the experiments which
have worked to help me double my traffic
(from 90,000 monthly pageviews

last summer to 250,000+ monthly pageviews currently).

I'm assuming you already know these basics:
CREATE QUALITY CONTENT
and
BE CONSISTENT IN YOUR POSTING.

Jenny Melrose's Pitch Perfect Pro

Take An Online Course.

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It included a bundle of bonus courses so it's a whole

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Jenny has helped lots of bloggers increase their income

and makes herself accessible so you feel as if you

have a friend online, accessible, and

always happy to hold your hand.

I had already been working with brands directly

before taking the course, but I wanted to:

possess more strategies for securing partnerships,

learn how to score repeat sponsored posts with brands,

and discover how to submit killer follow-up reports

with analytics to share with brands (thanks, Jenny!).

Jenny's course provides everything, including the very

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You can start by taking her FREE challenge, and
should her cart be closed at the moment,
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Colorful urban chic street graffitti art in Paris by Hello Lovely Studio

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog (My collage)

Wanna take a course to build your Facebook page

which will drive traffic to your blog? I'm buying this

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which starts in a few weeks, and if you

google Rachel Miller's videos,

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BTW. Rachel teaches you strategies for
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well beyond Facebook (although do not underestimate
the power of Facebook to drive traffic to your blog...

plenty of folks like my mom, never venture beyond
FB for their internet.

I'm not kidding.
Tons of people follow my blog strictly
via Facebook, and more and more readers

are using the search box on FB
as if it's a search engine!

Black vintage Royal typewriter by Hello Lovely Studio

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog

Make Your Blog a Bag of Chips.

We want readers to stick around,

so we make our blogs "sticky"

to amp up the i-can't-quit-you factor.

To increase your blog's
potato-chip-ability so visitors keep reaching
into the bag for more, there are a million

ways to make your blog sticky...
Check out this article or this podcast for starters.

Colorful and gritty urban chic street graffitti art in Paris by Hello Lovely Studio

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog (My collage)

Write With a Conversational Tone.

You already know your posts should
sound like your natural voice, and it's easy
as pie to make sure you're doing it.
Before clicking publish,
read your post aloud and you will
instantly know whether it's flowing
and in your voice.

I'm a professional writer, but you certainly
need not be!

That said...try to avoid common spellcheck fails.

Know the difference between
peek, peak, and pique.
A sneak peek is not a sneak peak!
(If I had a dollar for every blogger who called a sneak peek
a sneak peak, I would be a billionaire babe with my toes in the sand.)

Are you are a design blogger?
Business blogger or not,
please properly spell mantel

when blogging about a fireplace.
(There, I've said it.
And you are free to remind me
I misspelled Scandinavia my first
few years of blogging. #busted)

Write as honestly and

vulnerably as you can.

That's always where the gold is.

Woman on balcony wearing stylish bracelets and holding Hello Lovely magazine

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog (photo by Hello Lovely Studio)

To create killer commentary,

know your audience...use surveys,
take the time to interview a sample,
use "insights" on your blog's Facebook page,
and by all means look at your analytics to
know your most popular posts.

If you can entertain us with your writing, awesome.

But this is important:

if you are not that funny away from

the keyboard...avoid attempts to

be comedic while blogging...it's
far more important to be authentic.

Sweatshirt Surely not everybody was kung fu fighting by Hello Lovely

Hello Lovely Studio

Make it Sparkle.

So so many pretty templates
to buy and customize for your blog
no matter which platform you're on,
and I am partial to Restored 316 designs.

I plan to buy one of their designs
for a new blog I'm creating on Wordpress
to be hosted on Blue Host.

Make sure the experience of visiting

your site is pleasant...um,

assaulted by popups much!?!

Oh my lord, they can be the devil.

Apparently they can convert effectively,

but they can also put your visitors
in a sour mood.

Pay attention to white space.

Not just in your blog's design

but within the body of your posts.

That space is fresh air.

It can be a sacred pause

and an invitation to rest.

White modern farmhouse kitchen with quartz countertop (Viatera Minuet) by Hello Lovely Studio

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog (Kitchen by Hello Lovely Studio)

Consider a Giveaway.

Offering an enticing prize can increase
traffic, and lots of folks will be
willing to subscribe or follow you
to score an entry.
Not sure what to give away?
It should relate to your brand or
your blog's focus, and there are
plenty of brands (small and large)
who will be willing to partner with you
in exchange for press/links/clicks
in your post...don't hesitate to craft
a killer email to request a partnership
(and bonus when you don't have to
do the shipping!).

Women in white spa robes lounging on a beautiful bed with crisp white linens at Waldorf Astoria Chicago by Hello Lovely Studio

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog (photo by Hello Lovely Studio)

Network with Bloggers.

There are a myriad of ways to connect
with other bloggers...for starters,
read similar blogs in your niche
and leave comment love...there aren't many
bloggers who are loyal about this because
of the time commitment, but I remain
a true fan of blogs and comment like crazy
since it has always felt right to leave footprints
if I visit and appreciate the content.

Inspirational quote about gratitude and abstract painting by Hello Lovely Studio

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog (My seascape)

Share blog posts you enjoy in your niche
to Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+.
I am shocked at how many bloggers
do not do this, and I wonder if it's
because they believe they should only
promote their own posts?
If I am inspired by an image, video,
DIY, or idea, I love sharing it with
my audience who appreciate content
from sources approved by Hello Lovely!

Guest posting is a great way to network.
Do an exchange with a blogger in your niche
who will link to you, or organize a group to post
about a theme your audience loves.
Not only will you attract new followers,
link building is an important part of SEO.

Let My Love Open the Door painting Rustic urban typography on wood by Hello Lovely Studio

My painting - HELLO LOVELY STUDIO

7.
Try a Series & Cliffhangers.

My fixer upper series drove a lot of traffic
to the blog and attracted new followers into DIY
and renovation.

If readers respond favorably to a particular
series on your blog, keep them engaged
with a cliffhanger at the end of your posts.
In the conclusion of my fixer upper chronicles,
I created an appetite for what to anticipate next
to increase excitment for the next installment.

Beautiful abstract seascape on canvas by Hello Lovely Studio

Abstract by Hello Lovely Studio

8.
Recycle Popular Posts.

Consider updating a popular post
from a previous year
(check the stats for your posts)
or modifying the same content slightly.

If your highly trafficked post is
10 Tips for Shabby Chic Style,
you could recycle this into
12 Ways to Do Shabby Chic Right
by tweaking and adding more examples.
New followers likely never
saw the first version anway!

Need More Blog Traffic Tips and Tweaks by Hello Lovely Studio

Pin me!

9.
Tweak Your Feed.

Until recently, when a new blog post from Hello Lovely
popped up in your email inbox, the email contained
the post in its entirety with commentary and images.

I edited the setting on my blog's dashboard so that
a shortened version with the post title and no images
would appear.

This increased pageviews because subscribers
now are cued to click the title's link
and because now I don't have to worry about folks
waiting for a bunch of images to load to their computer
or mobile device...less chance they'll x out...a
simple yet important tweak!

Book cover collage with Marie Antoinette by Hello Lovely Studio

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog

10.
Think Evergreen.

A timeless blog post stays relevant
in your archive for years,

driving traffic indefinitely.

Take the time to pen a list
of dozens of evergreen topics which

are relevant to your blog's scope.

(I find it easier to generate a list

of potential post titles and
use those titles as a springboard.)

Can't think of enough evergreen titles?
Go to your favorite magazine's
site if it is related to your
niche and jot down headlines.

Bonus: If you use social media or automation to
promote your posts, evergreen content
can be re-posted and promoted at any given time
(like when you are vacationing or need a break).

Abstract seascape in light blue grey tones by Hello Lovely Studio

Smart Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog

11.

De-Clutter.

As much as you can, make it easy
to navigate your blog.
One of the best ways to get perspective
is to have a friend give your blog a
test run and share feedback about what
could make it better.