Tuesday, November 23, 2010

How to Redesign Your Bedroom on a Small Budget

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.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Great Bedroom Decor

The bedroom is the place where you spend a great deal of time every day, albeit much of it asleep. This, of course, means that it needs to be a place of relaxation, and for many people, romance.

It’s all to easy to let the clutter of everyday life invade your bedroom, but this impairs your ability to relax in the one room in the house that should be designed for that purpose. It’s time to decorate your bedroom for its true purpose.

Start out by thinking about your personal style. What would you like to have in your bedroom? What would make it relaxing, romantic or both? If you’re married, what would appeal to your spouse?

Let’s start with the bed. As the largest piece of furniture in most rooms, as well as the most used, it is something of a focal point. Do you like the bedding? What about the bedframe itself?

Sometimes you will quickly realize that it is time to replace all your bedroom furniture when you decide to redecorate your bedroom. Maybe the old furniture just isn’t your style anymore. With today’s online shopping available, finding new furniture doesn’t have to mean running all around town anymore. You can shop from the comfort of your own home and often get better prices.

Back to the bed. What would you like it to look like? Huge, 4 poster beds are quite popular right now, but would it look right in your home? If your room is big enough, it might look perfect. In a smaller room it will just make it look crowded.

Once you have chosen your bed, pick the rest of your furniture to match, but not overcrowd your bedroom. The dressers need to have adequate space for the clothing you will store in them. Most bedroom sets have plenty of matching pieces to choose from, so that you can find a style you like, yet still have a choice of a couple different sizes for your dresser.

Now it’s time to pick the accents. Your bedding is one kind of accent for your room. What colors do you like? Do you love throw pillows or are they a nuisance? Of course, soft sheets and good pillows are a must, both for relaxation and romance.

Lighting matters too. You don’t need to light your bedroom up as brightly as the rest of the house all of the time... in fact, there are many times when dimmer lighting is perfect for the mood in the bedroom. Consider installing a dimmer switch on the main light or have dimmer lights as a part of your decor.

Another option for mood lighting is candles. They can add a lovely touch to the decor, and when it’s time for romance they’re just about classic. Scented candles can add a lot too.

One item I strongly recommend leaving out of the bedroom that has found its way into too many is the television. Putting a television in your bedroom limits your ability to relax, and it takes away from romance. Yes, you can enjoy relaxing in front of the television in the evening, but why not do that in the living room, and leave the bedroom for other forms of relaxation?

Sunday, November 21, 2010

How To Decorate Your Bedroom Using Feng Shui

The bedroom is one of the most important rooks in the home and is associated with rest, relaxation, and comfort. One needs to be sufficiently rested to perform well during the day.
According to the laws of Feng Shui, If the main door of a home is directly opposite the bedroom door, the occupant of that room will face legal problems. Position a small decoration or a piece of furniture to interrupt the line of passage.

If you have bunk beds in a bedroom they should follow these Feng Shui Rules.
One's head should not touch the ceiling or this could result in ill health. The top of the mattress on the bottom bunk should also be at least 16 inches off the ground.

It is not favorable to keep a clock immediately behind or directly in front of a sleeper. Clocks should be placed on either side of the bed. If you have your clock on the headboard it should be placed on a stand beside the bed or on the floor.

A light bulb directly above the head of the bed will turn the sleeper in to a nervous wreck. If hung above the center of the bed, it will cause stomach disorders. The light should be placed to the side of the bed.
The dressing table should not be placed at the foot of a bed as it adversely affects health. Move the dressing table to any other position.

You can draw on the strengths of the elements by choosing a headboard that corresponds to your element as shown in the paragraphs below.
Square or rectangular shaped headboards are for people who represent wood and earth elements. It is also good for professionals, as it encourages stability and offers support.

Oval or wavy-shaped headboards are ideal for people who belong to the element water and also for artists, musicians and designers.

Angular headboards or those with spiked points, these are not recommended for anyone. It relates to the element fire. It prevents people from getting a good night's sleep.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Feng Shui Colors for the Bedroom

Feng Shui is about balance and harmony in our environments. The bedroom is a very important room (we spend the majority of our day there), so many people naturally ask how to improve their bedroom using color selection according to Feng Shui. As we discuss bedroom colors, it is also imperative to recognize the importance of the other rooms in your house. Enhancing your bedroom without enhancing the other beneficial areas of your home does not provide you with the full benefits of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is about balancing the energy in your complete and total environment.

With that said, here are some Feng Shui tips to consider for your bedroom:
Don’t overdo the bright colors in your bedroom. Bright colors are alive and moving, so the more bright colors that are used, the harder it will be to stay asleep. This also applies to plants and especially water.  Plants and water manifest yang energy, and cause the same issues in the bedroom as bright colors. The colors associated with plants and water are green, black, and blue.  Bright colors to avoid are reds, strong oranges or bright yellows.  Florescent colors are out of the question!

Pictures of moving water can also cause problems. If you’ve got a picture of a waterfall, river, or ocean in your bedroom, it’s a wise idea to move it. Unfortunately, aquariums in the bedroom can also cause sleeping issues and should be moved.  Although you should avoid red in the bedroom, a little touch of red can spice up your sex life! (Red is fire, so lit candles count as red.)

Dark colors (shades of brown) should be used in the décor of the bedroom, but not on the walls. Painting the bedroom walls a dark color might help you sleep, but won’t help you feel rejuvenated in the morning. Darker colored décor should be used to the point of tilting the room’s ambiance yin, without making you feel like you’re party to a funeral. You don’t have to just use browns, pick darker colors and designs that are relaxing for you. 

If you’re room is already very dark (wood paneled, for example) and you can’t make changes to it, you might want to consider changing any “yellow light” producing light bulbs to brighter, whiter bulbs. Opening the blinds during the day will also dramatically improve the rooms feeling.  If it’s dark at night, balance it with brightness during the day. (Clearing any room occasionally by opening all the blinds is extremely beneficial.)

In painting the bedroom, using pastel colors is your best bet. The best colors to use depend on the compass direction of the room’s location. To determine the compass direction of your home, draw your house’s outline on a piece of paper, and split the home into 9 equal sections (3 down, 3 across).  Use a compass to find which direction is north, and label each box according to that compass direction (North can be in a corner).  Here are the color combinations:

-  NE, Center, or SW: Rooms located here should be painted pastel earthy colors, including light shade of yellow.
-  NW or W: Rooms located here benefit from metal, so use a shade of white.
-  SE or E: The SE and East benefit from the color green, but you may want to only use these colors if the room will be used as a study. Then a shade of green would be perfect. Otherwise, use pastel earthy colors including shades of yellow. White is not helpful here, as it destroys the productive properties of the SE and East.  These directions are associated with wealth.
-  S: The South benefits from red. If you want to use red here, use it sparingly as too much will cause restlessness in bed. Use shades of white for the walls.
-  N: The north benefits from blue and black (water). Since you can’t use water, try white instead, as white (metal) will help with the benefits of water without using water.

I know this might be a letdown, as some of you reading this were hoping to hear painting a room florescent orange would make you an international movie star overnight! But Feng Shui is about balance and harmony, so using light, pastel colors is your best bet when painting the walls.

There are some other critical Feng Shui tips that you should be aware of, including determining which compass directions will bring you the most luck - and which ones you should avoid at all costs.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Contemporary Bedding Ensembles

When shopping for new bedding ensembles for your home many retailers will refer to their product lines as Contemporary. Contemporary bedding itself doesn’t really have a concrete definition. Often the definition will vary depending on who you ask, and even when you ask them. Like the clothing industry, bedding fashions change over time and a pattern or style which today falls under “contemporary” or “modern” may very well be considered under a different heading in the future. In this article we will discuss three of the major bedding manufacturers and what styles in their lines are currently considered contemporary.

Contemporary bedding offered by Dakotah represents Dakotah’s usual fine fabrics and clean linear designs. Using simple color palettes and sleek minimalist design features make Dakotah bedding a very elegant choice. Some of their current contemporary designs include:
 Aurora - Features an abstract wave pattern in the season’s hottest color combination, mocha and sky blue.
Metrotech - Combines a clean stripe pattern with warm honey tones for a look that is simple and chic.
Odyssey - Combines classic black silk shantung with stylish metallic shades of gold and copper.

Thomasville Contemporary Ensembles follow Thomasville’s usual approach to creating fine bedding that is versatile and diverse. Thomasville offers their bedding a la carte so creating an ensemble which fits your lifestyle, price range and personal preference is easy. Thomasville designs are described as artistically abstract, using bright color palettes and detailed accessories. Their current contemporary line includes these designs:
Altessa - A beautiful abstract swirl pattern using rich earth tones with gold shantung accents.
Coronado - A modern take on art deco, using bold patterns with accessories that add a bright pop of color.
Pavilion - takes its cue from the bohemian trend, using patchwork patterns in soothing shades of sky and parchment.

Veratex, yet another fine bedding manufacturer, is well known for their modern sense of style. Veratex contemporary ensembles are inspired by rich designs found in cultures throughout the world. Three of their ensembles which stand out as contemporary design are:
Waterlily and Dynasties - both inspired by Asian design, using clean lines, solid colors, and simple blocked patterns.
Serrano - inspired by designs of the Southwest. This classic stripe pattern combines earth tones with a bold shade of orange spice.

These are some of the key styles that current manufacturers are offering as contemporary. What ties all of these designs together are sleek lines, natural color palettes and either abstract or geometric patterns. Usually a modern look will include a clean lined, tailored bed skirt as opposed to the classic ruffled bed skirt

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Smart Buying Tips for Beds

You might like to consider that a town book store might possibly be an obvious place to obtain guidance aimed at bed products, internet availability might often cause us to ignore the numerous other bedding resources which are currently freely available to all of us, take advantage of such sources of good bed data, prime bed merchandise info may quite often be difficult to locate.

If you are unable to get the interior design help you need from a bed supplier then possibly you are regrettably looking in the inappropriate place, for instance, lets pretend for a moment your subject of interest was antique iron brass beds, it would possibly be best for you to try a particular bedding directory.

A trouble free experience when buying certain products like heavy duty bed frames or water bed sheet sets is an area that no consumer should ever take for granted, you should value the portals that offer suitable bed purchasing knowledge and record their info for the future.

Now if you want info on camping air beds it might be better to make use of a bed site to make contact with a bed specialist, if you do this you will obviously obtain a small amount of bed guidance for free.

Lets imagine you are looking for heavy duty bed frames or adjustable tempur pedic beds, it is clear that these type of beds may not be widely available on a wide selection of portals, you should really ensure that you employ your internet browser favorites function when you make this variety of bed focused research, your valuable info must always be treated with the utmost of care.

A sizeable number of bed associated searches might buy have led you to a bed or bedding focused site, searches like "find heavy duty bed frames" or "reviews on adjustable electric beds ", the main secret with any home improvement directory is to go straight to the site menu, if you take this advice you should not be side tracked because of bed articles which are not connected to the bed you require.

If you are obtaining something like a king iron bed it does not always mean purchasing from a bed or home furnishing targeted site, lets imagine you are living in Guam for instance, a bed directory should be able to give you relevant contact details of closely situated bed supplier who should hopefully be able to help you to find the bed you need.

You see interior design is an area that covers a massive area of different bed products like heavy duty bed frames and adjustable tempur pedic beds, say you wanted expert help on a particular area of beds, lets suppose a product like metal beds, this might easily be sourced from a bed supplier.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Styles of Bedroom Furniture

If you are looking for a way to update your bedroom and improve your comfort, new bedroom furniture will do both in style. New bedroom furniture allows you to reinvent your space, making it truly your own personal retreat.

Types of Bedroom Furniture
Sometimes called a bedroom set or bedroom suite, bedroom furniture almost always describes beds, wardrobes/armoires, chests and dressers, nightstands, vanities, trunks, and various types of mirrors.

Styles of Bedroom Furniture
Most styles of new bedroom furniture can be described as Traditional, Arts & Crafts/Craftsman style, Modern, Transitional, or Casual.

Traditional Bedroom Furniture: Also known as Classic, the traditional look is often comforting in its familiarity. Crafted of hardwood and often well made and sturdy, traditional furniture ends to be more embellished and ornamented than other furniture styles.

Arts & Crafts/Craftsman Style Bedroom Furniture: This style utilizes clean lines and straight-forward design. No ornamentation, no embellishments, just natural wood and hardware. The emphasis here is on vertical and elongated forms, natural style and simple, refined craftsmanship.

Modern Bedroom Furniture: Sleek, sophisticated, and totally contemporary, the term Modern Furniture describes a style of  home furniture that often uses the latest materials in familiar ways, and more established materials in totally new designs. Instead of the clunky and massive wooden beds of the past, steel and metal alloys take bedroom furniture into the 21st Century. Molded plywood and plastics are seen alongside woods in the most contemporary bedroom sets, adding lightness and a hint of playful joie de vivre.

Transitional Bedroom Furniture: The term "Transitional Style" describes a type of furniture that blends Traditional and Modern. Often more sleek and refined than Traditional, Transitional Furniture is not as daring as pieces from the Modern Movement.

Casual Bedroom Furniture: Casual bedroom furniture simply describes a style that is very laid back and comfortable. Overstuffed and ultra comfy, "casual" describes a lifestyle as much as a type of bedroom set.

Your bedroom furniture should be a reflection of you. Choose what you are drawn to and turn your bedroom into your very own sanctuary.