When decorating a bedroom, keep in mind that the end result should produce a distinct and memorable impression. Colors, space and decorations all set a bedroom's mood, and when put together well, can create a definite, pleasurable look.
When it comes to the arrangement of items in a bedroom, symmetry is the most important factor. The bedroom is your personal space and should not be cluttered with too many objects creating a claustrophobic effect. For a room to seem personal, special touches should be added that reflect your special loves and interests. This includes your favorite colors, books, photographs, etc. Make sure colors are balanced in subtle shades reflecting your lifestyle and interests. The older generation seems to prefer more subdued shades than the younger generation, who opt for bright, textured colors. To maintain balance, the color of a chair placed at one end of the room can be repeated on throw, pillows or carpet. Furniture in the bedroom is of utmost importance. Don't over do it with too many pieces making your bedroom look overdressed and cluttered. The size of the bed should be in proportion to the size of the bedroom. What matters the most is comfort. Therefore, a bed should offer quality, comfort and a feeling of elegance. Nightstands or side tables should be on either side of the bed for books, medications and telephone. A dressing table comes in handy for women, and dressers with lots of storage space are ideal. Ample closet space is important, as are mirrors and wall decor. Mirrors help to give a room a larger look and also help to reflect light. Lighting should be gentle and relaxing. Valence lighting is ideal for bedrooms, and colored lights can be used for added effects. Subtle light gives a romantic feeling to the room, and focused light is good for detail work like reading without disturbing someone sleeping in the room.
Finally, a bedroom should be well-ventilated, designed for comfort and always stocked with a vase of flowers for a fresh feeling.
Showing posts with label design styles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design styles. Show all posts
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Decorating Your Home With Mirrors
Putting mirrors in your house can do wonders, especially if you have limited space, or you just want to decorate your home. Why mirrors? Because mirrors enhance light and reflection, they could help improve what your house looks like. Mirrors can also simulate depth for houses with small rooms.
I. Top 10 Mirror Tips
10. Put large-sized mirrors in your house. You could, for instance, use mirrors that could span from the floor to the ceiling. You could put these mirrors on both sides of your fireplace. This would make your fireplace room larger and would reflect objects around the room.
9. You might want to have peer mirrors in the windows. Rooms with peer mirrors could have an added depth.
8. You could also install mirrors to cover wall blemishes. This would also save you refinishing costs. Instead of spending fortunes on repainting and refurnishing that part of the wall that got burned by candle or have dirt that cannot be removed, why not put a nice mirror there to hide the wall’s scar?
7. There are also movable mirrors that you could use. You could move the mirrors from time to time to have a different view of the house. In that way, you could have a new look in your house from time to time, depending on what location and items the mirrors are reflecting on.
6. You could also use small mirrors which could reflect on interesting objects. An area with aromatic candles could be given extra prominence if reflected on a mirror.
5. You could also have mirrored screens for you to illuminate a dark corner. You do not have to put bulbs or lights in every part of your house, thanks to mirrors. This would save you electricity costs.
4. There are also place mats that are mirrored. Dishes and accessories made of glass shimmer better than non-glass ones. Shop around for these utensils.
3. Ceilings could also be enhanced with mirrors. Mirrors on the ceiling create a “skylight” effect.
2. Kitchen backsplash could also be mirrored.
1. Room ceilings are not the only ceilings where you could put some mirrors on. Even pantry or cabinet ceilings could also be placed with mirrors. Putting mirrors on these ceilings would enable you to see the contents of the upper shelves.
II. Mirror Essentials
- You could also have basement windows that could reflect things happening in the ground level. It could also reflect what is happening in your yard above.
- Putting big mirrors in rooms, especially which have limited spaces, can provide bright and spacious feel. Putting some little plants or shrubs in places where mirrors could reflect on them. Putting some greenery will give the room an uplifting and relaxing ambiance.
- Mirrors can also put personality into one’s room. The mirrors, for example, in the master’s bedroom could be more formal; while mirrors in the children’s bedroom can be decorative and fun to look at.
- You could also put a large-sized decorative mirror on a wall with your picture adjacent on it. The mirror would reflect on the large picture, and the wall’s additional darker color would immediately give the room its much-needed depth. This would make the room to be viewed wider.
- Decorative mirrors could not just help enhance your rooms for its decoration purposes. But these distinctive mirrors could also show your personality, putting your personal lifestyle and taste into your room. In addition they also give the illusion of width, length, and height. Decorative mirrors could be combined with wall pictures, with contrasting colors.
- While it is also good to use frame mirrors over a sideboard or mantle since that is the traditional kind of mirror, you might want to consider other creative approaches such as putting large-scale mirrors on a floor leaning against the wall.
- Another beautiful way adding shimmer to an otherwise plain and ordinary table is by putting mirrored table toppers.
- You could ask a professional glass worker to make you some furniture using mirrors as embellishments.
I. Top 10 Mirror Tips
10. Put large-sized mirrors in your house. You could, for instance, use mirrors that could span from the floor to the ceiling. You could put these mirrors on both sides of your fireplace. This would make your fireplace room larger and would reflect objects around the room.
9. You might want to have peer mirrors in the windows. Rooms with peer mirrors could have an added depth.
8. You could also install mirrors to cover wall blemishes. This would also save you refinishing costs. Instead of spending fortunes on repainting and refurnishing that part of the wall that got burned by candle or have dirt that cannot be removed, why not put a nice mirror there to hide the wall’s scar?
7. There are also movable mirrors that you could use. You could move the mirrors from time to time to have a different view of the house. In that way, you could have a new look in your house from time to time, depending on what location and items the mirrors are reflecting on.
6. You could also use small mirrors which could reflect on interesting objects. An area with aromatic candles could be given extra prominence if reflected on a mirror.
5. You could also have mirrored screens for you to illuminate a dark corner. You do not have to put bulbs or lights in every part of your house, thanks to mirrors. This would save you electricity costs.
4. There are also place mats that are mirrored. Dishes and accessories made of glass shimmer better than non-glass ones. Shop around for these utensils.
3. Ceilings could also be enhanced with mirrors. Mirrors on the ceiling create a “skylight” effect.
2. Kitchen backsplash could also be mirrored.
1. Room ceilings are not the only ceilings where you could put some mirrors on. Even pantry or cabinet ceilings could also be placed with mirrors. Putting mirrors on these ceilings would enable you to see the contents of the upper shelves.
II. Mirror Essentials
- You could also have basement windows that could reflect things happening in the ground level. It could also reflect what is happening in your yard above.
- Putting big mirrors in rooms, especially which have limited spaces, can provide bright and spacious feel. Putting some little plants or shrubs in places where mirrors could reflect on them. Putting some greenery will give the room an uplifting and relaxing ambiance.
- Mirrors can also put personality into one’s room. The mirrors, for example, in the master’s bedroom could be more formal; while mirrors in the children’s bedroom can be decorative and fun to look at.
- You could also put a large-sized decorative mirror on a wall with your picture adjacent on it. The mirror would reflect on the large picture, and the wall’s additional darker color would immediately give the room its much-needed depth. This would make the room to be viewed wider.
- Decorative mirrors could not just help enhance your rooms for its decoration purposes. But these distinctive mirrors could also show your personality, putting your personal lifestyle and taste into your room. In addition they also give the illusion of width, length, and height. Decorative mirrors could be combined with wall pictures, with contrasting colors.
- While it is also good to use frame mirrors over a sideboard or mantle since that is the traditional kind of mirror, you might want to consider other creative approaches such as putting large-scale mirrors on a floor leaning against the wall.
- Another beautiful way adding shimmer to an otherwise plain and ordinary table is by putting mirrored table toppers.
- You could ask a professional glass worker to make you some furniture using mirrors as embellishments.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Designing Your Home Office
Once you have taken the plunge and decided to work from home you are going to need to consider your working environment. Too many people think that working from home means that they can effectively handle phone calls from the kitchen table, or work well into the night cuddled up in front of the television. And while you may be able to get away with this type of working style once in awhile, you will need to design a home office space that is effective and efficient.
A well designed home office will allow you to be more organized, more productive and definitely more professional. There are a few things that you will need to consider when you are designing your space. Do you entertain clients in your office? If so, you will want a separate entrance to your home office. It is not very professional to have clients walk through your kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink in order to get to your office.
Even if you do not host clients in your office, you should strongly consider the benefits of having a separate space for your office. You will feel more professional if you have a designated room or space for your office rather than a corner of the living room. This will also allow you to tune out distractions such as the children, or the television. When you are working, close the door and focus on work.
Some things that you will need to consider are furniture, organization, lighting and ventilation. You will need to equip your office to suit your needs and for most people this means that you will need the standard desk. Your desk does not need to be fancy; in fact as long as it suits your needs, you can get away with a very simple table. Storage is also very important for a home office. Do not underestimate the power of a quality file cabinet and a good organizing system. If you have a lot of books a shelving system will go along way.
High quality lighting is also essential in your home office. You may need to install a better overhead light as most residential lights will not put out quality light that is needed for an office. Adequate lighting is essential for a comfortable and ergonomically sound working environment. Ventilation is also important, as you will need to work in a comfortable environment. If your space gets hot in the summer months, invest in air conditioning or a fan.
Last but not least, do not forget to make your home office inviting for you to come to work. Put up a few pieces of artwork or some prints, bring in some house plants or fresh flowers and create an environment that is not only functional, but enjoyable to be in as well. After all you're going to be spending 8 - 10 hours per day in there.
A well designed home office will allow you to be more organized, more productive and definitely more professional. There are a few things that you will need to consider when you are designing your space. Do you entertain clients in your office? If so, you will want a separate entrance to your home office. It is not very professional to have clients walk through your kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink in order to get to your office.
Even if you do not host clients in your office, you should strongly consider the benefits of having a separate space for your office. You will feel more professional if you have a designated room or space for your office rather than a corner of the living room. This will also allow you to tune out distractions such as the children, or the television. When you are working, close the door and focus on work.
Some things that you will need to consider are furniture, organization, lighting and ventilation. You will need to equip your office to suit your needs and for most people this means that you will need the standard desk. Your desk does not need to be fancy; in fact as long as it suits your needs, you can get away with a very simple table. Storage is also very important for a home office. Do not underestimate the power of a quality file cabinet and a good organizing system. If you have a lot of books a shelving system will go along way.
High quality lighting is also essential in your home office. You may need to install a better overhead light as most residential lights will not put out quality light that is needed for an office. Adequate lighting is essential for a comfortable and ergonomically sound working environment. Ventilation is also important, as you will need to work in a comfortable environment. If your space gets hot in the summer months, invest in air conditioning or a fan.
Last but not least, do not forget to make your home office inviting for you to come to work. Put up a few pieces of artwork or some prints, bring in some house plants or fresh flowers and create an environment that is not only functional, but enjoyable to be in as well. After all you're going to be spending 8 - 10 hours per day in there.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Decorations: Make Any House a Home
Can you tell the difference between entering a house and a home? If so, what makes the difference to you? Is it something about the way a living space looks that helps you decide? Or perhaps it is a feeling, something about the atmosphere that makes a house different than a home? I guess that there are many factors that could account for the differences we all experience as we enter a living space. For me, one of the biggest things that helps me determine whether a living space feels like a house or a home is decorations.
You know how it is. You enter someone's house and look around to see nothing but blank walls and minimal furniture. You silently wonder how they live in a place as drab and uninviting as this. There is no art work, no color, and certainly no sense of ownership and pride about the house you are seeing. It seems like they haven't put in any time to adding decorations or the touches that make a house seem like more than a house.
Enter house two. From the time you walk through the front door all of your senses are awakened. There is a wonderful smell coming from the candles burning throughout the house, and the lighting of the candles isn't too bad either. The house is bursting with color and personality, almost as if it reflects something about the people who live there. The walls, bookshelves, and furniture are all a part of the decorations that fill this home and make anyone want to spend time there.
Most everyone I know wants to have a home rather than a house. They want their living space to feel lived in, inviting, and special. They want their home to reflect who they are and the things they care about, and they certainly want it to be filled with amazing colors, great textures and smells, and a lot of great decorations.
The good news for you is that regardless of what your house looks like now, you can transform your space into a wonderful home by doing a few simple things. Don't be afraid to experiment and try risky things in your space, after all, it is your own. If there is a crazy color or a unique couch that you like, just go for it. Gather ideas from friends and buy a few decorating magazines to see what is in styles before you begin.
No matter what you decide to do to transform your house into a home, make sure you fill your home with great decorations that are truly your taste and that allow all of your guests to feel welcomed and comfortable.
You know how it is. You enter someone's house and look around to see nothing but blank walls and minimal furniture. You silently wonder how they live in a place as drab and uninviting as this. There is no art work, no color, and certainly no sense of ownership and pride about the house you are seeing. It seems like they haven't put in any time to adding decorations or the touches that make a house seem like more than a house.
Enter house two. From the time you walk through the front door all of your senses are awakened. There is a wonderful smell coming from the candles burning throughout the house, and the lighting of the candles isn't too bad either. The house is bursting with color and personality, almost as if it reflects something about the people who live there. The walls, bookshelves, and furniture are all a part of the decorations that fill this home and make anyone want to spend time there.
Most everyone I know wants to have a home rather than a house. They want their living space to feel lived in, inviting, and special. They want their home to reflect who they are and the things they care about, and they certainly want it to be filled with amazing colors, great textures and smells, and a lot of great decorations.
The good news for you is that regardless of what your house looks like now, you can transform your space into a wonderful home by doing a few simple things. Don't be afraid to experiment and try risky things in your space, after all, it is your own. If there is a crazy color or a unique couch that you like, just go for it. Gather ideas from friends and buy a few decorating magazines to see what is in styles before you begin.
No matter what you decide to do to transform your house into a home, make sure you fill your home with great decorations that are truly your taste and that allow all of your guests to feel welcomed and comfortable.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Interior Decorating Themes
What’s Your Decorating Style?
There are a variety of decorating themes from formal to informal and everything in between. Which one best describes your decorating style?
Formal Traditional
Furnishings and designs from the Renaissance, Baroque, Early and Late Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian eras. This style is shown with fine furnishings, elegant, refined and exquisite wall coverings, elaborate moldings, formal window treatments and Oriental rugs.
Informal Traditional
The same eras as above but this style has less refined versions of furnishings. There are more touchable elements, more earthy colors, and some urban archaeology without restoration is common. This style is comfortable and inviting.
American Country
This style holds furnishings from the 17th century through the present, all simple with the appearance of hand-crafted work. Two versions are popular today: Upscale Country with the use of more tactile, comfortable elements and very close to Informal Traditional but with a clearly country theme in all the furnishings; and Rustic Country, which sports a reused, recycled quality. The wall coverings and window treatments set the theme and the furnishings have a just-found-it-at-the-antique-market feel.
Country French
This style is exhibited in Classic Rococo, Neoclassic or Empire-inspired country furnishings. Wall coverings include florals, ticking, toile, and moirés depending on the level of formality.
Arts & Crafts
This simple style is also known as Early Modern or Organic Modern. The era focuses on hard, stained oak furniture with simple, straight lines.
International Modern
This is a look of ultra simplicity, hard lines, and smooth surfaces contrasted with abstract patterns and unusual textures.
Environmental
Designs in this theme contain colors, textures and very subtle patterns of the earth.
Romantic Victorian
This style still is a favored theme for rooms with lots of pattern featuring English garden florals in dreamy colors. Both fabric and wall coverings can be patterned, and clutter decorating – especially with accessories – is part of this look.
Ethnic and Primitive
This masculine approach has many faces from African to the American Southwest, from the lodge-look to the South Seas. Heavy or tactile textures coupled with patterns that are charming because of their lack of sophistication fit here.
Fabric and Wall Covering Themes
This is a wonderful way to decorate – by selecting a great fabric or wall covering that inherently features a theme. Some examples include sea and shore, sports, outdoor recreation, kitchen or domestic elements, juvenile elements, feminine floral themes, exotic designs from far away lands, and more.
There are a variety of decorating themes from formal to informal and everything in between. Which one best describes your decorating style?
Formal Traditional
Furnishings and designs from the Renaissance, Baroque, Early and Late Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian eras. This style is shown with fine furnishings, elegant, refined and exquisite wall coverings, elaborate moldings, formal window treatments and Oriental rugs.
Informal Traditional
The same eras as above but this style has less refined versions of furnishings. There are more touchable elements, more earthy colors, and some urban archaeology without restoration is common. This style is comfortable and inviting.
American Country
This style holds furnishings from the 17th century through the present, all simple with the appearance of hand-crafted work. Two versions are popular today: Upscale Country with the use of more tactile, comfortable elements and very close to Informal Traditional but with a clearly country theme in all the furnishings; and Rustic Country, which sports a reused, recycled quality. The wall coverings and window treatments set the theme and the furnishings have a just-found-it-at-the-antique-market feel.
Country French
This style is exhibited in Classic Rococo, Neoclassic or Empire-inspired country furnishings. Wall coverings include florals, ticking, toile, and moirés depending on the level of formality.
Arts & Crafts
This simple style is also known as Early Modern or Organic Modern. The era focuses on hard, stained oak furniture with simple, straight lines.
International Modern
This is a look of ultra simplicity, hard lines, and smooth surfaces contrasted with abstract patterns and unusual textures.
Environmental
Designs in this theme contain colors, textures and very subtle patterns of the earth.
Romantic Victorian
This style still is a favored theme for rooms with lots of pattern featuring English garden florals in dreamy colors. Both fabric and wall coverings can be patterned, and clutter decorating – especially with accessories – is part of this look.
Ethnic and Primitive
This masculine approach has many faces from African to the American Southwest, from the lodge-look to the South Seas. Heavy or tactile textures coupled with patterns that are charming because of their lack of sophistication fit here.
Fabric and Wall Covering Themes
This is a wonderful way to decorate – by selecting a great fabric or wall covering that inherently features a theme. Some examples include sea and shore, sports, outdoor recreation, kitchen or domestic elements, juvenile elements, feminine floral themes, exotic designs from far away lands, and more.
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