Has your bedroom stayed the same for the last 20 years? Do you want to make it into a fun, cool bedroom, but without spending money on new furniture? We have some ideas for you to do just that - re-do your bedroom on a budget!
- Coat of paint. Nothing freshens up a room like a new coat of paint. Make it into a weekend project and involve your kids - you can do something together, and at the same time, create a whole new bedroom that you need.
We don't recommend painting the bedroom walls into bright colors. Beige, peach, light and pastel blues and greens work best. Make sure that your new wall color coordinates with your furniture, as you are not buying new furniture.
- Organize your bedroom. Sometimes all a room needs is organization, to look completely different. Many bedrooms are full of kids toys, old clothes and even dishes, that should be in the kitchen.
Put those items away, and organize the rest of the room to make it look very different.
- Rearrange furniture. Sometimes the best way to decorate without a budget is to use the same furniture, but rearrange it, and add something else into the mix.
Walk around your house - you will find a chair in the basement, or an ottoman in the family room, that will look great in the bedroom. Use those to create a whole new bedroom - with your old furniture.
- New wall art. Add a splash of color to the room with some new wall art (or borrow some art from another room). Another idea is to frame some of your kids' drawings, or draw something yourself.
- New bedding, pillows, bedspreads. It is amazing how much you can change a room by adding just one new item to it. Pick some new bedding or a bedspread that you really wanted, and splurge on them! You will have a great looking bedroom in no time.
Remember, updating a room does not mean buying everything new for it. Use some (or all) of our ideas to completely re-do your bedroom. You will be glad you did it.
Showing posts with label home decorating tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home decorating tips. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
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 Design Tips and Ideas
Take Away All Interior Design Ideas
Why should the interior design of your home be any different from anyone else's? It could be so much easier to simply follow the crowd and show no fear about a lack of originality if every home was pre-packaged with a unit appearance. Here are some ideas to keep the interior of your home as conformist as you can, and perhaps these will allow you the simple peace of a non-designed house.
First - please be sure to remove all coordination from your home. Recent studies have shown that balancing the cloth of your living room upholstery to the window and floor treatments can spark sensations of appreciation and pleasure in household members and guests. It is therefore critical for the practicing conformist to remove all hints of matching or complimentary designs from his or her household.
After dealing with those messy matching issues, be sure to walk through the rest of the interior searching for original art pieces such as paintings, sculpture and folk art. An interior which includes originality in their wall décor would evoke a sense of personality and interest in guest of the home, and it should also be noted that these guests might then find themselves assuming the "good taste" of their host. That defeats the purpose.
To the delight of the true conformist, many interior designs are stagnating into set themes. But you must take this a step further, and be certain that no new design or decorating ideas are found throughout your home. Do not allow any inspiration to come from, say, your favorite books, magazines, or movies. In fact, stop using any of things for entertainment. They will only lead to further thought "outside the box."
Use your head people. Actually, do not use it at all, because that is the best way to avoid any originality or sensationalism in any interior design ideas. It is, unfortunately, too easy to find simple inspiration throughout your daily life. It is imperative that you do not write any of these ideas down, and then you will have a chance to forget your initial reaction and idea and move along in your simple, easy, and non-threatening little life.
Interior Design Tips
An interior designer faces many of the same questions when faced with a residential client. Issues such as theme and fundamental style are not frequently an issue with the home client. But there will always be concerns about painting walls, the furniture currently inside the home, and of course the floors. There are tips to alleviate concerns and questions regarding these specific design problems.
"What about this color of paint? It is too bright/dark/soft/etcetera." The first and best tip to eliminate concerns about paint choices is to purchase a sample of paint to place on the wall. Then, there will be a true understanding of what the actual appearance of a color will be. However, many colors - especially darker ones - attain their true beauty from the look of the entire wall after being layered with several coats of paint.
Trust a color pallet and a designer, but of course only follow intuition. A color that is difficult to stomach may settle eventually to delightful surprise, or it may lead to a horrible bellyache. Only cover a wall with a design's color that will provide security and happiness in a homeowner.
"Should existing and endurable furniture be reupholstered?" An excellent tip to be considered: evaluate the furniture for style and value versus the cost of the reupholstering. An antique chair that fits the feeling of a formal living room that was purchased for many thousands of dollars would be an excellent candidate as long as replacing the original upholstery did not degrade its value or worth.
"I don't know what to do about my floor." Decisions about floor designs should be based on a person's budget, the room's use, and personal preference. Certain floor treatments are incredibly expensive, such as hard oak floors, and they may not be practical in an area where stomping kids thrash through the interior. Carefully weigh options such as dying carpet or laying rugs over existing hard floors. It is all a matter of personal preference.
Actually, all interior design should be a matter of personal preference. It is not worth any expense to put something in a home that will force a homeowner to cringe every time he or she looks around.
Why should the interior design of your home be any different from anyone else's? It could be so much easier to simply follow the crowd and show no fear about a lack of originality if every home was pre-packaged with a unit appearance. Here are some ideas to keep the interior of your home as conformist as you can, and perhaps these will allow you the simple peace of a non-designed house.
First - please be sure to remove all coordination from your home. Recent studies have shown that balancing the cloth of your living room upholstery to the window and floor treatments can spark sensations of appreciation and pleasure in household members and guests. It is therefore critical for the practicing conformist to remove all hints of matching or complimentary designs from his or her household.
After dealing with those messy matching issues, be sure to walk through the rest of the interior searching for original art pieces such as paintings, sculpture and folk art. An interior which includes originality in their wall décor would evoke a sense of personality and interest in guest of the home, and it should also be noted that these guests might then find themselves assuming the "good taste" of their host. That defeats the purpose.
To the delight of the true conformist, many interior designs are stagnating into set themes. But you must take this a step further, and be certain that no new design or decorating ideas are found throughout your home. Do not allow any inspiration to come from, say, your favorite books, magazines, or movies. In fact, stop using any of things for entertainment. They will only lead to further thought "outside the box."
Use your head people. Actually, do not use it at all, because that is the best way to avoid any originality or sensationalism in any interior design ideas. It is, unfortunately, too easy to find simple inspiration throughout your daily life. It is imperative that you do not write any of these ideas down, and then you will have a chance to forget your initial reaction and idea and move along in your simple, easy, and non-threatening little life.
Interior Design Tips
An interior designer faces many of the same questions when faced with a residential client. Issues such as theme and fundamental style are not frequently an issue with the home client. But there will always be concerns about painting walls, the furniture currently inside the home, and of course the floors. There are tips to alleviate concerns and questions regarding these specific design problems.
"What about this color of paint? It is too bright/dark/soft/etcetera." The first and best tip to eliminate concerns about paint choices is to purchase a sample of paint to place on the wall. Then, there will be a true understanding of what the actual appearance of a color will be. However, many colors - especially darker ones - attain their true beauty from the look of the entire wall after being layered with several coats of paint.
Trust a color pallet and a designer, but of course only follow intuition. A color that is difficult to stomach may settle eventually to delightful surprise, or it may lead to a horrible bellyache. Only cover a wall with a design's color that will provide security and happiness in a homeowner.
"Should existing and endurable furniture be reupholstered?" An excellent tip to be considered: evaluate the furniture for style and value versus the cost of the reupholstering. An antique chair that fits the feeling of a formal living room that was purchased for many thousands of dollars would be an excellent candidate as long as replacing the original upholstery did not degrade its value or worth.
"I don't know what to do about my floor." Decisions about floor designs should be based on a person's budget, the room's use, and personal preference. Certain floor treatments are incredibly expensive, such as hard oak floors, and they may not be practical in an area where stomping kids thrash through the interior. Carefully weigh options such as dying carpet or laying rugs over existing hard floors. It is all a matter of personal preference.
Actually, all interior design should be a matter of personal preference. It is not worth any expense to put something in a home that will force a homeowner to cringe every time he or she looks around.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Home Decorating Ideas for Different Furniture Styles
Have you ever thought about the many different furniture styles? Probably you have ever watched a program TV, where they showed people how to update an entire room of your house; let’s say the living room or bedroom. You can also read everywhere about the rustic style or about the Italian designs. However, do you know really what do these styles mean? We go deep into the different styles, which are the most demanded around the globe. Let’s start:
Rustic
This style is known because the using of natural materials. The pieces of furniture included into the rustic designs use to be handcrafted, with a strong cultural and regional touch in their pieces. Rustic style also brings to any home the feeling of begin more comfortable. It also reflects to be on most of their instances, casual tends, which makes it more personal than other styles.
Antique
Antique furniture styles are characterized by European interior houses designs. What is very important to point up is the fact of antique furniture is commonly made to be used, not displayed. This makes of antique designs look boring or without further interesting additions, such as fancy details.
Modern
What we need to know about modern furniture is the clean lines that offers to the room itself. Modern styles for interior designs are often made of vinyl, plastic or chrome. These materials came up around the 50’s, and since then they have found a place into modern houses, as the standard.
European furniture
This style of furniture can be roughly split in 3 main branches: Italian, English and French. We begin by the Italian, because it is becoming very popular over the last decade for US citizens. Why? because the Italian style offer a wide range of materials to choose from, from wood up to marble, stone or fabric. Furniture pieces into the Italian furniture are ornate as well as large, sometimes using Roman sculpture and architecture. We go then to the French style. If you like crowed decorating prices of furniture, French is definitely yours. It often includes designs, elaborated and perhaps handcrafted with detailed carvings, with highly ornate patterns.
Fancy details with English furniture
The English furniture has been always made of woods, including principally walnut, oak or mahogany. This styles is very close to the American rustic one, due to its fancy details and the use of natural colors. The predominant color used on these pieces of furniture used to be is dark or natural colors. However, it depends on the era you base the English decoration. In the current world, there exist so many styles, materials and furniture designs, and it is evolving year after year. All type of influences comes up every day on furniture designers, and changes in the technology of materials affect directly on the new home decorating ideas.
Rustic
This style is known because the using of natural materials. The pieces of furniture included into the rustic designs use to be handcrafted, with a strong cultural and regional touch in their pieces. Rustic style also brings to any home the feeling of begin more comfortable. It also reflects to be on most of their instances, casual tends, which makes it more personal than other styles.
Antique
Antique furniture styles are characterized by European interior houses designs. What is very important to point up is the fact of antique furniture is commonly made to be used, not displayed. This makes of antique designs look boring or without further interesting additions, such as fancy details.
What we need to know about modern furniture is the clean lines that offers to the room itself. Modern styles for interior designs are often made of vinyl, plastic or chrome. These materials came up around the 50’s, and since then they have found a place into modern houses, as the standard.
European furniture
This style of furniture can be roughly split in 3 main branches: Italian, English and French. We begin by the Italian, because it is becoming very popular over the last decade for US citizens. Why? because the Italian style offer a wide range of materials to choose from, from wood up to marble, stone or fabric. Furniture pieces into the Italian furniture are ornate as well as large, sometimes using Roman sculpture and architecture. We go then to the French style. If you like crowed decorating prices of furniture, French is definitely yours. It often includes designs, elaborated and perhaps handcrafted with detailed carvings, with highly ornate patterns.
Fancy details with English furniture
The English furniture has been always made of woods, including principally walnut, oak or mahogany. This styles is very close to the American rustic one, due to its fancy details and the use of natural colors. The predominant color used on these pieces of furniture used to be is dark or natural colors. However, it depends on the era you base the English decoration. In the current world, there exist so many styles, materials and furniture designs, and it is evolving year after year. All type of influences comes up every day on furniture designers, and changes in the technology of materials affect directly on the new home decorating ideas.
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