Butterflies

Butterfly watchers love beauty; that goes without saying. A few may only appreciate beauty in nature, but most of us want our home surroundings to be attractive, too.

Those who are specifically drawn to butterflies are, I think, a bit different from birdwatchers, hikers, or even dragonfly watchers—though many people love both butterflies and dragonflies. Many who would not dream of trekking through fields to look for rare butterfly species still like to have butterfly images and designs in their home decor.

Many of us decorate, whether purposely or unconsciously with color schemes drawn from butterfly species. Think of a room decorated in rust, gold, and black. Monarch, of course. What about electric blue with black and silver accents? Blue morpho, perhaps?

Want more ideas for incorporating the subtle—or bold—color schemes of butterflies into your home? Or perhaps you want a neutral background for displaying butterfly images and/or real, framed butterflies Want some ideas on how other people have done it?

A new site called Houzz brims with ideas for all sorts of decorating and remodeling: interior, exterior, landscaping, patio, kitchen, baths, bedrooms, living areas, home offices, playrooms, utility rooms, dining rooms, and much, much more. You can search them by room or function, by city or region (worldwide), and several other ways.

Even better, if you sign up for a free membership, you can save images and ideas from the hundreds of thousands of photos and descriptions on the site to your own file storage area, where you can create a separate file for each project you are thinking of. There you can also upload your own photos into your project files.

You can choose to share your ideas with others, or keep them private. You decide.

Also on the site are portfolios of designers, product sources and reviews, and a host of other resources. And the site is visually beautiful, like a glossy decorating magazine but interactive. It is perfect for dreaming over and for planning and taking action.

In the landscaping section you can even get ideas for creating or improving your own butterfly garden. And you can share your creations.

Other butterfly lovers worldwide will be eager to see how you have made your home into a beautiful background for butterflies.