Interior design Tips Elegant Dining Room Furnitur

Though often underappreciated, your dining room and the way that it is decorated can have a major impact on how your house as a whole is viewed by guests. Many people feel that there is not much that can be done to decorate your dining room without spending a small fortune, causing them to settle for boring furniture and using wall decorations in an attempt to create somewhat of an ambiance. However, if you take the time to look around for some good deals, you may find that you can get the elegant furniture that you desire to transform your dining room from a room that seems bland to one that instantly catches the eyes of all of your guests.

When looking for deals on elegant dining room furniture, the first thing that you should do is decide what sort of furniture you want for your dining room in the first place. If you decide that you want something with a classic wood look, for instance, then you can save time in your search by not looking at cosmopolitan leather barstools or upholstered dining chairs. Likewise, if you decide that you want to use modern-looking barstools as the main form of seating in your dining room, then you can save the time that you might spend pricing high-backed leather side chairs and wood-and-rush wave chairs. With a number of different styles and colors available in dining room furniture, there is no reason that you should not be able to get just the look in your dining room that you want.

After you determine the kind of look and décor you want to achieve in your dining room, take a little bit of time to review your budget so that you will know exactly how much you can afford to spend. Remember that you will not necessarily have to spend a large amount of money in order to buy the elegant dining room furniture that you want. Therefore, even if it seems like you do not have a very large budget to work with, that does not mean that you will not be able to get the furniture that you want. Use your budget to determine both the maximum amount that you can spend on dining room furniture as well as the amount that you would prefer to spend if you can find a deal on the pieces that you purchase.

Once you have a pretty good idea of what sort of dining room furniture that you want to buy as well as the amount that you would like to spend on it, begin perusing different stores in order to see what sort of elegant dining room furniture pieces they have available. Should you notice any specific designs of dining room tables, dining chairs, or barstools that particularly catch your attention, make note of their name as well as where you found them. You may be able to find your favorite Tiffany bi-cast leather chairs or the 9-piece counter-height dining room collection that you loved at another store for a significant discount. Taking the time to shop around in a few places as well as online will enable you to find the best deal on all of your dining room decorations.




While shopping around for your new dining room furniture, do not forget to take advantage of the benefits offered by the internet. Not only will you be able to get online and research different dining room furniture designs and the prices charged by various retailers for similar dining room sets, but you may even find some or all of the elegant dining room furniture that you want from retailers who operate online as well. Many shoppers do not even consider shopping for dining room furniture online because they worry about having to pay excessive shipping charges on anything that they might order. Luckily, a vast number of retailers offer either free of flat-rate shipping on many furniture items, letting you save money on ordered dining room furniture by having it shipped right to your door at a lower price while paying little or nothing for the shipping charges. Stores that offer both online and physical shopping outlets may also offer free shipping to a local store, allowing you to pick up your order at your own convenience.

If your dining room furniture needs to be assembled, make sure that you follow all directions so that it will look as elegant as the show model that made you want to buy the dining room furniture in the first place. Once you have your furniture assembled, all that you have left to do is to arrange it as best fits your dining room and finish your decorating to further bring out the beauty of your new dining room furniture.





by : Arianna Jordan

Bathroom Interior Design

Any advice or guide on the interior design of a bathroom should be based around one simple concept: keep it simple. Rooms inside of a home should have functional aspects, and if one room is designed for very specific functions, it is the bathroom. There have always been many jokes about the "throne" of a home, but the honest fact is that creating a visibly appealing and comfortable bathroom will inspire positive feelings to its users.

Hardware choices should be the primary concern when designing a bathroom. Faucets and spigots, as well as tubs and toilets, produced in a variety of shapes and materials can centerpiece a design. Open showers are currently popular with the younger upwardly- mobile crowd, and claw-foot bathtubs are almost always considered to be classic and attractive. Evaluate privacy issues first; don't put the toilet and tub too close together.

Is it a possibility to center your bathroom around a favorite theme? The answer is most certainly "yes." Keeping in mind that "less is more" while choosing a decoration pattern that will coordinate with the rest of the home will open many design possibilities. Finding a color or pattern inspiration from simple or small artwork may be the first step toward creating a bathroom masterpiece.

When designing a bathroom's tiling, take the time to shop around through different hardware, decoration and craft stores. The more expensive of the different types of tiles should have durability, aesthetic value, and a non-porous surface. It should be easily cleaned and sanitized, and it needs to install easily without any expensive or caustic glues or cements. Get creative also; all tile in bathrooms need not be made of porcelain.

After the design and production of a space-conscious and attractive bathroom have been completed, focus on decoration accessories to bring out personality and individualism. The bathroom is the most sacred room of any interior, and placing prized possessions on the walls or shelves is an interesting way to bless this special room. Use courageous ideas and do not be afraid to take chances, but above all: keep it simple.

Tips For a Living Room Makeover

There are numerous reasons why someone wants to have a living room makeover. You might be expecting important guests coming for the holidays or there might be an important occasion you want to celebrate in your home. Or you are just simply ready for a change or a new look for your living room. Whatever reason you may have, you must consider that a living room make over is a demanding task. You have to have the basic planning skill and be creative enough to come up with ideas that are both economical and stylish. Here are an interior design Tips can consider so you can begin with your decorating task right away.

1. Determine the damages in your living room. This is the first step to change the whole outlook of the room. Hide worn out upholstered furniture by using slip covers. If the furniture still looks that it is sagging even after the slip covers were put on, try putting a board under the pillows and place padding on the much needed areas so it will not appear worn out. If other furniture like a side table is broken, then have it fixed. If there are some pieces which cannot be repaired anymore, you should just probably replace them. Another way of fixing the other pieces of furniture is to paint or add tiles on the flat surfaces.

2. If you are lucky enough to have a high ceiling, invest in large wall hangings. Place these above a bed or sofa to achieve its maximum effect. This is a great way to fill up a plain, flat wall space and create a touch of creativity in the whole area. These iron pieces will add dimension, depth and interesting detail to any room.

3. Create a mood or certain atmosphere for your room to instantly change its feel. This can be achieved by softening light features or installing light dimmers. Paintings and art pieces can also enhance the mood you want to produce. The larger the piece of art you incorporate into the room, the bigger impact it will have on its unique presentation. A candle is a delicate way of changing the smell and feel of any room. Buy candles that have relaxing scents.

4. A color scheme for your living room can radically liven up a boring room. Pick out a specific color you like and purchase ornaments and accents that coordinates with the whole look of your living room. This can be done by purchasing throw pillows or new curtain panels with similar hues to the basic color scheme.

5. You can also harmonize the different pieces in your living room by decorating according to the season. During the Christmas holidays, red and green can be your primary colors while you can enhance fall colors by using ornaments in hues of yellow or gold.

You need not make drastic changes in order to change the look of your living room. Adding color and a little bit of imagination is all it takes to make it cozier or sophisticated for your taste. Choose colors that suit your personality and lifestyle. Be bold and add art pieces like large wall hangings to create personality to your living room. Incorporating these ideas will definitely make you living room looking brand new.

Why Hire An Interior Designer?

Many times hiring outside expertise to assist you with your interior decorating needs can be a real plus, and more cost effective than you may have realized. Designers and decorators come in all styles, levels of service, and a variation of fees. Here I will suggest some of the best reasons to consider hiring a professional and describe what to look for in hiring a designer. I will continue by detailing some of the more popular types of services and the fees associated, and how to be a good client, getting the most from your designer.

Decorator vs. Designer: What is the difference?

First it is important to understand the difference between a decorator and a designer. A designer, typically, has a degree in design backed by years of education and experience in the field. A designer is likely to be more familiar with the technical aspects of design, in addition to excellence in the decorative aspects. They are skilled in spaceplanning, can tackle remodeling and new construction projects with ease, while still providing furnishings, rugs, artwork and accessories. Designers handle all phases of an interior project.

A decorator, on the other hand, does not share formal education in design, and while they may have experience, tend to be more familiar with the decorative parts of the job, fabrics, finishes and such. Often they have worked into the field from enjoying it as a hobby. Fees for each are different, decorators ranging from $35-$50 per hour, while designers often charge $75-$150 per hour; and you are hiring a different set of skills and talents.

Saving Time

A designer can save you valuable time, by knowing the best places to shop and knowing exactly what to look for. Sometimes you may find you will go to the same place but overlook just the right accent or accessory. What may take a homeowner several hours or weekends, can take a skilled professional just a couple of hours to locate. These professionals are also more likely to have access to unique and distinctive elements to custom fit their clients needs.

Saving Money

A designer can save you money, their knowledge, expertise, and guidance can help prevent costly mistakes. They can provide more timeless and appropriate solutions to dilemmas, than the stop gap you may be tempted to buy, only finding you have to replace it later. In some cases, discounts are received and the designer will share these or split these with their client.

Simplify Your Life

A designer can simplify your life, by making the most of what you already have. They preserve cherished treasures and family heirlooms, and research those hard-to-find pieces to fill in the gaps. They assist you in making informed selections from a vast number of product resources.

Define and Enhance Your Style

A designer can help you define and enhance your own style. They work with you to create a home that reflects your personal taste and meets your changing needs. The best designs showcase the homeowner and the lifestyle they have, it tells something about the people living there. Your home is your external heart, and opening the door is like opening a book of your life.

Finding the right designer or decorator can be challenging. Not everyone fits every client. It is important to find a professional that you are comfortable with, that listens to your needs, preferences, and style, and can deliver as promised.

Where to Look

When looking for a design professional, check with your friends, check with a favorite local gallery or furniture showroom, consider a design instructor featured at a local University or College, check local publications, and, of course, check the web. Design resources are largely global now, and many designers work at a distance with ease, it is more important to find a designer that fits you, then where they may be located. Many designers will provide a minimum initial consultation for a fee, one to two hours of their advice, suggestions, and ideas which can be invaluable in deciding if they are right for you and your family

Review Their Portfolio

You will want to check out their work by portfolio or on-line if they have a website. Often it is important that they indicate an ability to handle a wide range of styles rather than have a signature. This shows a flexibility and willingness to provide you with a custom look, unique to you, rather than a look that speaks of their own style.

Check References and Letter of Agreement In addition, either check some references, or look to see if they publish comments from clients। Providing you with a clear, concise letter of agreement after a paid consultation, outlining all aspects the project discussed can confirm and clarify expectations for all concerned.

by: Melissa Galt

Kitchen Flooring Options

Currently, anything goes concerning kitchen floors. In the old days, there were basically two choices, tile and linoleum. Today, we see hardwood, linoleum, cork, laminate, and many different types and style of linoleum.

Let's start by looking at what does NOT work well for most people's kitchen floors.

Cork flooring is all the rage today, but it's not a very good choice for kitchen floors in most cases. Although its surface is treated, it is just too porous, and if you have kids or a dog rummaging through the kitchen on a regular basis, forget about it. It is not durable. In other parts of the home cork flooring is very popular and it's very easy to install. In most cases, snapping squares together is all that is involved.

Marble tiles are beautiful but still a better choice for bathrooms. Smooth / or polished marble is very brittle and not durable. Marble is a rock, but most people don't realize how brittle it is, and at up to $15 per square foot it's too expensive to replace if something happens. "Tumbled marble" looks great, but it's far too porous for the kitchen. As you could actually spill coffee and wine on polished marble, it's not a good idea for tumbled marble that does not clean up as well and can absorb stains. Breadcrumbs would find their way into every nook and cranny too.

Some types of hardwood; Be mindful of the seams between the hardwood planks. Wide seems and gaps will collect crumbs which may be cleaned via shop vac, but heaven forbid something sticky gets down in the cracks. If you are looking at hardwood for the kitchen, choose hardwood that goes together with the smallest seams possible.

What selections work best in the kitchen:

Laminate flooring used to get a bad rap, but it is highly improved today. Laminate, actually a "picture" of real wood, will fool quite a few people today, and the layman cannot distinguish between laminate and real hardwood. Laminate is absolutely our # 1 choice for large families and those with pets. Your kids can slop jelly bread on the floor, the dog can overturn it's dish, and your husband can drip paint all over the floor and most laminates will laugh it off. Before you turn you nose up at laminate, go out there and see what's available. You will be pleasantly surprised.

The old stand-by, tile. Most tiles are either ceramic or porcelain. "Porcelain" does not mean the tile looks like your smooth white toilet. It comes in all the shapes and sizes of any other tile. All you need to know is porcelain is much more durable that terra cotta or ceramic tile and will pass the bowling ball test. If you drop a bowling ball on ceramic tile, several will crack and need to be replaced, where porcelain will probably be just fine. You will find porcelain to be about 25% more expensive than most ceramic tiles though.

Tile cleans up very well with the exception of the grout lines. Grout lines are a stain and dirt magnet. Make sure you double seal your grout lines, and clean and reseal them every 2 or 3 years. Unlike your tile, your grout will eventually absorb stains. Clean grout lines will give the kitchen a very clean and polished feel while grungy grout can be a dark cloud over your kitchen.

We are putting hardwood in both categories because some will work in the kitchen. 3/4 inch hardwood, or engineered hardwood can work just fine in the kitchen if the seams are very tight and you don't mind a few inevitable scratches and nicks. The final word on hardwood is its "hardness." Most hardwoods are compared and ranked against "oak" or "red oak" as a measure of hardness. Make sure you buy a hardwood that is no softer than oak if you have an active family. For example, dog scratches will plague all but the hardest of hardwoods.

Finally, let's look at linoleum flooring. OK, a top New York City interior designer still will not be caught dead using laminate, and it gets a bad rap. However, like laminate "hardwood" flooring, it is very much improved. Unlike laminate, linoleum won't fool too many people, often designed to look like ceramic tile, but noting beat's it in terms of cleanup and durability. If you are putting your money into a granite countertop and new appliances, a linoleum floor is just fine, and will last for many years with minimal effort. As the cheapest option, it will be there for you if your budget is squeezed.

Wall Decorations - Five Ways to Jazz Up Your Walls

One room feature that greatly affects interior decoration is the wall. Repainting it will surely make a huge difference. This makes it important to take time in deciding what to do with it. There is more to it than just choosing a color for the paint. Remember, there are several ways to add interest to the room through your walls.

Walls can make a small area look bigger. It will also allow you to bring balance to open spaces and tall walls. To give you interesting ideas, here are five ways to deal with them:

1. Add wall art
Wall arts like metal wall sculpture, are simple yet very effective way to jazz up a wall. There are several types of these to choose from. One thing you should remember when adding artwork on the wall is its size. Think of where you are going to position it as well. You cannot buy a wall décor without assessing the area to hang it first. In addition, reduce the clutter on the wall so that the artwork will stand out.

2. Paint the wall with stripes
Painting the wall is probably the most popular way of redecorate. However, instead of repainting the whole area, you can add stripes on it. You can choose a color that contrasts well with the color of the wall. That will surely make a noticeable change. In addition, put up the artwork you chose in number one.


3. Install lights

Adding lights on the wall are very dramatic. Aside from being decorative, they are very functional as well. It is a nice touch to add in your reading area. You can read without turning the light for the entire room. Lights on the wall can give the room various effects too. It can give a romantic touch, sophistication, comfort, and peace. It is a great idea if you are going for that hotel suite feel.

4. Put up some wall shelves

Shelves achieves a different look for wall as well. This can serve as storage for your books and other objects. You can also use it to display frames, snow globes, or any of your collection. You can have shelves custom-made for one of your rooms. You can choose any color you want. There are neutral and wood finishes too.

5. Adding drapes, curtains, and other wall accessories

You can also apply a few tricks on the wall to deal with various challenges. You can hang abstract canvass paintings if it is blunt. The use of drapes and curtains is a great way to add texture and layer in the room. However, it can also fix your problem for a short wall. You can achieve an illusion that you have a tall wall by putting drapes from top edge of the wall down to the floor. Doing the same for your curtains will also make your window seem bigger. The wall accessories like the mirror on the wall will make your space look bigger too.

You can achieve a new look for a room just by dealing with the wall. Think of an exciting way to jazz it up and you will surely save a lot for the redecoration.

Kitchen Furniture for Families with Children

by: Arianna Jordan

Children in the kitchen are not always a great idea. The kitchen is filled with dangerous appliances that can harm unsuspecting children in many ways. However, instilling the right kind of furniture and appliances in your kitchen when you do have children can make it easier and a safer place.

There are specific pieces of kitchen furniture that are safe to have for when your children are running through the kitchen, making cookies, or grabbing something to drink from the refrigerator. Below are a few “kid-friendly” pieces of furniture that you might want to consider for your kitchen.

High Chair:

For your youngest children, a high chair is almost a necessity. A high chair is a piece of furniture that keeps your children comfortably restrained and safe from appliances such as the hot kitchen stove. An added perk about the high chair is that it keeps your children at eye-level with the rest of the family.

A Multi-Purpose Organizing Cabinet with Doors:


While open hutches and cabinets are nice looking pieces, when you have kids, clutter can build up very quickly. To solve this problem, consider investing in multi-purpose organizing cabinets with doors that can conveniently hide what is hiding behind the doors. Use this incognito storage center to keep your child’s crayons, coloring books and other items that they can be entertained with while you prepare dinner.

Kitchen Stools with Backs:

Setting your kids up to eat breakfast at your kitchen island in the morning while you put together their lunches and get them ready for their day is extremely convenient. Investing in high kitchen stools with backs on them can be a safe alternative to the regular bar stools that you normally see. These chairs can prevent young children from falling off and hurting themselves. Smaller children can definitely benefit greatly from this suggestion, and for added safety choose chairs that do not swivel.

A Table with a Durable Top:

While the glass tabletop looks nice, they can often be a nightmare for families with children. Every messy fingerprint and smear can be seen on your glass table top making them inconvenient to constantly clean. Worse yet, a child who decides to bang on the tabletop with pots, pans, knives, and forks could possibly break the glass table and severely hurt themselves. Consider investing in durable wooden tables tops which are safer and stronger against your young ones.

Portable Islands:

When your growing children want to help you prepare meals in the kitchen, an island is a wonderful piece of furniture to consider. Two to three people can work together making a delicious meal at the same time on a portable island. The portable islands also double as a great place for your children to sit as they eat snacks or do homework. Owning a portable island also allows for flexibility in your kitchen, enabling you to change its location whenever you wish. However, if the island is on wheels, you will want to make sure that they have the ability to be locked for safety.

Basket Carts:

Basket carts are a great item for children who constantly want to help mom and dad in the kitchen. Basket carts can easily store items, such as onions or potatoes, at a level that your children can easily see and reach when assisting you during the cooking process. Items such as rags can also be kept in basket carts so that kids have easy access to them when they accidentally make spill.

Kid Size Table and Chairs:



If you have extra room in your kitchen, putting in a “kid size” table complete with a set of chairs, just their size, is a wonderfully helpful suggestion. This way, your children can still eat dinner at the big table with the entire family, but they will also have a more durable place to color, play games, eat snacks, and organize tea parties when their friends come over.

Chair Step Stools:

Sometimes children will need a little elevation to allow them to better assist you in the kitchen. For these instances, step stools are a great idea. Chair step stools often give two separate heights to stand on, as well as a chair at the top of the stool for comfortable sitting. This unique piece of kitchen furniture can perform double duty as it works as a step stool for the children and an extra seat for when company comes over.

Under the Counter TV/DVD/CD Player:

When you have children in the kitchen it is a great idea to have a TV/DVD/CD player to help entertain them while you multi-task to prepare dinner and lunches for school. By investing in an under the counter entertainment unit, you can save precious counter space and give yourself more room for cooking and preparing. Simply pop in one of their favorite DVD’s, or put on one of their favorite TV shows, and your children will be occupied for plenty of time as you safely dice the vegetables for dinner.

7 Tips for Decorating Your Child's Room

By Liz Hekimian-Williams

If you're not sure where to start or how best to tackle updating
your child's bedroom, you're not alone. In a lot of families, the
baby nursery takes a lot of planning and decorating time but
there's often less thought and energy put into decorating the
same child's room as they grow older.

It's common for baby toys and furniture like diaper disposals,

pull toys and cribs to get removed, but other things often
stay around for quite a bit longer than the growing child might
wish. For instance a wall paper border with prints more
suitable for your baby or young child's room, may not be as
enjoyed by your now older child (or teen?!).

Here are a few tips to help you get started with decorating

your child's room. The best part about this is that your child
can help you do it this time around. So this can be a fun project you can do together!

1. Select a new color to paint the walls, a color that your child likes. If you have a strong objection to it, though, negotiate with perhaps a lighter version of that color, or limiting their color choice to only one wall. (Or, encourage them to put up some nice posters to lessen the wall color's impact!)

2. Mood lighting! Kids of all ages enjoy mood lighting of one sort or another. Together, select either a night light, a small novelty lamp with a low-wattage bulb, or an interesting colored or black light bulb lamp. Other lighting effects kids enjoy include disco lights, dog statues, flowers with light effects, and glow in the dark items.

3। Bedspreads। Get rid of baby blankets and exchange for

favorite cartoon throws or bed covers. When they're teenagers,

they might enjoy sports, frilly, or even more adult taste bed
coverings.

4. Personalize something for their bureaus or their walls, with their names and/or photographs. Photos can be made into a collage. Exchange those baby and stork photo frames with an upgrade to novelty photo frames. Try one with hearts, a sports theme or a safari look, for instance. Engraved stones with your child's name or an inspirational thought and personalized acrostic poem name prints are fun and unique decor ideas that kids enjoy. Engraved name stones become long-lasting gifts and keepsakes. Acrostic name prints use the letters of your child’s name to start off self-esteem enhancing phrases that can inspire your child and highlight their special talents and interests.

5. Create a comfort zone area in the room, for cuddling up cozy and reading. You can use big pillows, plush or inflatable chairs, anything your child might enjoy to sit on and relaxing in. You'll also want to conveniently have some books placed within their arm's reach. You can also place some music equipment by that area for them to enjoy. And if there's room, add an additional seating space for you. Then together you can enjoy reading, listening to music, or simply chatting with each other. If you have a teenager, they'll likely want to have another seating space for you or their friends to use.

6. Together with your child, agree upon a wall paper border that

you can use to decorate their room with. This idea can be in addition to or used instead of painting their room. Adding or changing a wall paper border can be a very simple and quick way to change the look and feel of your child's room.

7. And... here's an interesting idea my daughter suggested when I

asked her for suggestions about decorating a child's room ...
(I simply had to share this intriguing idea with you!) She said, "tell them to get an extra thick room door so you don't
hear your kids fighting!"

Can you tell that she shares her room with her sister and something about the noise level in their room at times?

Hmmm... she might have a good idea there after all!

Liz Hekimian-Williams is founder of Giftsprings.com, a home decor and gift shop that features unique personalized gifts including engraved stones and personalized acrostic name prints, as well as novelty decor photo frames and accent lamps. To delight your child with his or her name etched in stone, you are invited to explore the personalized engraved stones available at
http://www.giftsprings.com/category/estones

© 2004 by Liz Hekimian-Williams, Giftsprings.com

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Decorate Your Home Yourself!

Don't Hire Someone to Steal Your Joy

In researching what makes people happy, I discovered that "Planning" makes us happy. Therefore, why should a homemaker turn over planning to an interior designer who creates homes to make money and impress others? Furthermore, most designers ignore the important outcome of creating a home, which is to support the emotional well-being of the residents.Most of us enjoy looking for that perfect accessory, daydreaming about colors for our rooms, and planning a new look for our home. You know yourself best. Don't give all the happy moments of planning and choosing decorating details to paid professionals. Reserve the enjoyment of designing your home for yourself.

Homes decorated to support desired emotions create happy spaces for joyful living. Design Psychology, a new method for residential exterior and interior design helps you choose home improvements and furnishings for your happiness and productivity.



Follow the first and only rule of decorating for happy living: "Design happy spaces." Choose design ideas for your pleasure as well as individual needs. Design spaces to give you and others comfort, reassurance, and merriment.

For instance, take the use of a room and ask yourself how you need to feel in this space? Did you answer calm and serene or awake and energized?

Beyond issues of style, elements of color, textures, patterns, and lighting influence the way we feel both physiologically and psychologically. This means that your body reacts to the design details in your home; and, your emotions react as well.
Home decoration is not a permanent state because our rooms evolve as our lives change. Don't be afraid of making mistakes -- enjoy the process and focus on your goal of providing pleasurable daily moments in your home.

Interior design Tips Decorate Spaces for People

Here are a few Interior design Tips easy home decorating techniques for designing dynamic spaces:

Don't be afraid to leave some empty spaces in your rooms. Empty spaceallows for breathing room and lets the most important items in the roomshine -- the people who live there!

Avoid large patterns in your fabrics and wallpapers. As a general rule,use no designs larger than your palm, because they will interfere withthe appearance of people in the room. Using smaller patterns on wallsand furniture will mean that friends and family won't have to competewith bold patterns for attention.

Use paint colors that complement people's skin and eye colors. Forlight skin colors, use yellows, pinks, and beiges. For darkercomplexions, yellows, olives, and tans can make people look great.

Use textures that stimulate the sense of touch. Look for textures thatare nice to caress, such as velvet, chenille, or satin. They'll createa feeling of being pampered.

Always choose comfort over pretense. Just because a sofa looks greatdoesn't mean it's comfortable. When you visit a showroom, remember thatin order to truly test a piece of furniture, you need to sit on it forawhile, until you feel totally rested. Only then will can you get arealistic feel for its support and comfort level.

Your home is meant to be a place for people, and if you always keepyourself, your family, and your guests in mind, you'll be well on yourway to designing spaces that will be more comfortable and emotionallyappealing than the staged photos you see in magazines and books.

By Jeanette Joy Fisher

Jeanette Fisher teaches interior design. Join our FREE home makeover Teleseminars. Learn how to makeover your rooms for emotional support and beauty. Visit JoytotheHome.com for free home decorating tips.

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Decorate Like You See in Magazines & Books?

By Jeanette Joy Fisher

Have you ever wondered why interior designers place slippers on the ottoman in magazine photos? They do it to make the staged setting look as if it’s a lived-in room. Pictures and illustrations in decorating books, magazines, and other advertisements are designed to sell a product or an idea.
But what’s missing in the staged rooms of most interior design books and magazines? People.
When it comes to decorating your own your home, forget the empty rooms you see in the magazines and books. You should design your rooms as backdrops for the people who use and live in those spaces. In order to best utilize the spaces in your home, try these simple techniques:

Leave empty space. Empty space gives you breathing room and allows the most important items in the room to shine, which are the people!

Use small patterns on walls and furniture. Avoid large-patterned fabrics and wallpapers with designs larger than your head. Huge florals will interfere with the appearance of the people in the room. You don’t want to have to compete with bold patterns behind your face. Patterns on sofas and chairs that clash with clothing will also make you and your guests feel uncomfortable.

Use colors that complement people. Finding the right colors to complement your skin and eyes deserves planning. Most people look great when surrounded by color. For light skin colors, use yellows, pinks, and beiges. For darker complexions, yellows, olives, and tans can make people stand out. Since most people no longer have bright white in their eyes, avoid pastels that are whiter than the white in your eyes.

Add textures that feel good to the touch. Support your sense of touch by adding textures that are nice to caress. You don’t have to touch velvet to sense its softness, and soft textures like chenille and satins will visually support your feeling of being pampered, as well.

Arrange accessories to shore up emotions. In one of my rooms, I arranged my mantle accessories to make a statement, and it looked great in photographs, but after analyzing why the mantle didn’t seem to smile, I realized that it wasn’t personal. When I filled it with Mili fiori lamps, crystal candlesticks, and antique vases, the space looked great, but it really began to smile when I added a Mexican Rose rock under the painting.

Think comfort before pretense. Just because a sofa or chair looks fabulous doesn’t mean the piece is comfortable. Remember, when you walk around a showroom, sitting down on any piece feels good, but in order to truly test a piece of furniture, you need to sit on it for a long time, until you feel totally rested. Only then will you be able to feel the real support and comfort level of that piece.

Remember, your home is a place for people, and when you and your guests look and feel great in your home, you can be sure that you’ve designed a great setting; one that far outshines the staged sets you’ll see in magazines and books.

Joy to you!

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

Hot to Use Home Decor Accessories to Create a New Look in a Room to Give it the X Factor
By Claire Bowes

Apart from complimenting your newly painted walls with soft furnishings and effective flooring, home decor accessories in a room are just as equally important. Accessories ranging from flowers in a contemporary vase to art pictures hanging on your walls, all add the finishing touches to any room. Above all, accessories add personality to a room, they inject your own personal touch making your home unique to you and comfortable and inviting for you and your family.

Decorating with Art Pictures
You will be surprised at the important role that art pictures play in home decor accessories. Not only do pictures add your own personality into the room, they absorb noise and can actually help change the illusion of a rooms' shape if placed in the right places. For example:

horizontal landscape pictures help widen a room;

Portrait floral pictures help give the illusion of height; and

one large picture reflected through a mirror gives the sensation of additional broader space.

Creating Art Arrangements:-

For a maximum effect and to make interesting wall arrangements that can become a dynamic focal point of the room, try to hang smaller pictures in a cluster.

If you hang an even number of smaller prints tightly together in a cluster, this will help balance out a large space and give a window effect in a small space. Remember to hang the prints together tightly to create one unit and one focal point.

For larger pictures, place them in proportion to the furniture. For example, hang a large picture approximately six to nine inches above a sofa or at eye level. By hanging a larger print too high above any piece of furniture can leave both pieces feeling disconnected.

Tips Before Hanging Art

Before hanging any art on a wall, try different combinations of arrangements. Use painter's tape and brown paper bags and keep rearranging the bits of paper on the wall until you have come up with a great picture arrangement.

Always hang prints at eye level and use your hand in between pictures as a guide to space large and medium sized pictures.

Create Illusions with Mirrors

Mirrors are great to help create the illusion of space. By cleverly placing mirrors on an adjacent wall to a picture or something which is interesting in your room, will reflect the image and add a sense of space.

For darker rooms, hang a decorative mirror near a window. The light will then bounce off the mirror into the room portraying more natural much-needed light back into the area.

To give the illusion of depth in a room paint one of your walls in a darker contrasting color to your other walls. Then hang a mirror on that darker wall. This instantly gives the additional sense of depth to the dimensions of the room.

Lighten-up with Light Fixtures

Light fittings are one of the most important elements of home decor accessories as they set the ambience of the room. By using different types of lighting you can create different moods on different areas of the room, at different times of the day.

For example:-

• accent lighting such as a spot light is used to emphasize wall paintings, ornaments or other interesting areas in a room;



• soft lighting used by small wall light fittings or table lamps, help create a gentle romantic mood;



• general lighting such as a ceiling center light, strip light or bright wall lamps are used for everyday purposes.

Tip: use a dimmer switch to create different moods with your lighting.

Adding Color with Flowers & Plants

Fresh flowers are always a wonderful accessory in a home. They are easy to blend in with any rooms accent and you can swap and change the color, type of flower and position at any time. They are such an easy and adaptable accessory to have. If you are allergic to flowers, try silk flowers instead - sometimes it is hard to distinguish between real flowers and silk ones...

By placing plants throughout your home helps add natural color, texture, and also softens the area making it more appealing to spend time there. Don't forget to use attractive plant pots and containers for your plants - they are a home decor accessory too!

Area Rugs and Textiles

Area Rugs:-

Area rugs add warmth and texture to a room. They help soften wooden or hard floors and add contrasting colors and patterns into the room.

First you must determine what you want the rug for - is it a focal point? or do you want to group furniture on it? Secondly, you must measure what size rug you need before you go shopping.

Other Textiles:-

By using other types of textile home decor accessories, you can create additional comfort and softness in using:-

• scatter cushions made with different types of material;



• throws on your sofa or lounge chair;



• napkins, place mats and tablecloths in the dining room or kitchen;

Summary

Home decor accessories play a crucial part in your home decorating. Even if you don't need to repaint your walls, you can still change the look of your room. By rearranging furniture and wall pictures, adding soft light fixtures, flowers arrangements and plants, the placement of an area rug and using different textiles in a room, all help create a new look to reflect you and your personality.

Visit Claire's Home Improvement Ideas site and get inspired with more interior design ideas.

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home Interior design Tips using wall picture

Use These Home Decorating Tips Simply Using Wall Pictures to 'Re-Shape' Any Room

By Claire Bowes

The Basic Role of Pictures
Wall art plays an important role in interior design as it helps create the ambience of a room. By cleverly placing wall pictures in certain ways, you can change and create a new look and feel in a room.

The role wall pictures play in interior design are:-

• pictures, mirrors or other ornamental accessories on walls help make the room look 'lived in' and they also inject your personality into the room;
• color pictures and prints help connect with the rooms accent;
• pictures help absorb noise in a room, otherwise a room with totally bare walls will sound empty and will have an echo;
• pictures and prints can help enhance or change a room's 'look and feel'.

How to Lengthen a Room

If you have a small room in your house, you can easily achieve the illusion of length. This can be done in two ways. If you like bold statements then simply paint a couple of horizontal lines in a bold color across the middle of the wall in which you want to lengthen. These lines then naturally create the illusion of increased length in the room. An alternative way to do this, and a more subtle way, is to use pictures.

By strategically placing art pictures or photographs with any kind of strong horizontal line in the print, can accomplish the illusion of length. For example, if you chose two or three long rectangular pictures with horizontal panoramic prints such as ocean & beach pictures, fields, or scenic mountain pictures, then this will help extend the length of the room naturally.

Two, three or more of these horizontal landscape pictures will give the maximum impact you are looking for to help lengthen a small room. Also bear in mind not to overdo the room with furniture. Too much clutter makes a room appear smaller.

How to Broaden a Narrow Room

If you have a room which is a bit on the narrow side, there is a simple strategy to make the room appear broader. All you need is a tin of paint, a wall mirror and a large colorful wall picture.

Get your tin of paint, which should preferably be a darker contrasting color to your other walls, and paint one of the walls with this darker paint. Find a colorful and lively large painting and hang it on the wall you have just painted - colorful flower pictures are ideal for this.

On the wall adjacent to your picture, hang a decorative large mirror. What has happened here is that the mirror reflects on the large picture, and the additional darker color on the wall has immediately given the room some much-needed depth. This combination will then make the room appear wider.

By adding these simple additions to your narrow room, you have instantly created a balance in the room's dimensions giving the sensation of additional space.

How to Heighten a Low Ceiling

Rooms with low ceilings give an oppressive feeling, whereas rooms with a high ceiling give a light and airy feel with a large amount of space. To overcome the problem of a low ceiling, there are a couple of interior design strategies to use.

First of all put down a darker floor covering, whether it be a wooden floor, carpet or lino. Paint the walls with a lighter color than the floor, or use light colored wallpaper. If you can, use white paint for the ceiling as this always gives the room maximum light and instantly draws the eyes upwards.

Hang up wall pictures with strong vertical lines as this then gives the impression of height. Use portrait prints such as vertical landscapes, i.e. lighthouses, trees, cityscapes, or floral prints such as flowers in a vertical vase or tall long stem roses. Therefore, by combining the dark floor, light walls and ceiling and portraits prints, all adds to the sense of height in a room.

Summary

Art pictures and prints play an important role in home decorating for several reasons. They do not only reflect and put your own personality into the room, but they can also help as a solution to change the look and feel of a room by giving the illusion of height, width and length. This can easily be achieved by combining wall pictures, contrasting colors and decorative mirrors.

Find more home interior design tips and advice from Claire's site at Home Design Tips

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Home Interior Design Tips on Decorating Your Space With Wall Art

Home Interior Design Tips on Decorating Your Space With Wall Art
By Claire Bowes

How to Decorate your Space with Wall Pictures

If a room in your house lacks character, by simply placing some fine art prints on the walls can actually make quite an impact. Wall pictures are a necessary accessory in your home and are great to tie in with the room's style and color accent. Before you go off to buy some new pictures for your walls there are a few things you need to plan and decide upon. Here is a home interior design guide on how to decorate your space with wall art.

Shop for Wall Art by Room

The kind of home you have and the mood, ambience and style of decor you create, should be perfectly designed to suit your lifestyle. Deciding on a style for your room should be determined by the lifestyle you choose and not by what's the latest home interior design trend.

Whichever room you are wanting to decorate, whether it be your bedroom, living area, kitchen or office space, you need to decide what you want to get out of that space. For example:

• do you want to hold dinner parties or entertain?


• do you want a quiet retreat to get away from the hustle and bustle?

• Is this an area for the kids to play in?


• Is this a room for your hobby?

Once you have decided what you want to use the room for, you can now choose a color theme to suit the function of the room. For example, mellow greens and neutrals for your 'quiet retreat room', lively yellow for the kids room, or pale tranquil blue for your office space.

So far we have established the function and color of the room in question, this then gives us the basis on choosing the right art prints for the area.

For example:

• bright colorful cartoon pictures for the kids room


• mellow pastel floral pictures for your quiet retreat area, or

• tranquil landscape and scenic pictures for your office space

Choose your Style

Like paint color, artwork can immediately establish or change a room's mood. Not only can it pull the room together, but you can use it to create a style uniquely your own.

• traditional & classic


• modern


• contemporary
  
• fun & entertaining

• casual


• romantic

The style of the room is totally dependent on your own personal taste and this is the time when you can inject your own personality into the room through artwork and textured accessories.

Suggested art picture styles:

Fun & Entertaining: Pictures can include bright colors both in the print and on the frame. Fun and entertaining pictures can include kittens and puppies, or comedian actors such as the Three Stooges or Laurel & Hardy.

Modern: With the strong black accents in the framed iron-work and the tapestries, striking black and white photos are a natural choice for a modern and sophisticated look.

Calm Retreat: To reinforce the mood of a nestled, cozy retreat, use artwork with neutral, earthy colors and a horizontal landscape subject.

You can even mix and match different styles to create a unique style of your own. For example, frame traditional black and white photo prints in a modern black iron frame.

Arranging and Hanging your Pictures
In order to get the maximum effect of your wall pictures in terms of adding character and a focal point to the room, you need to decide where and how you want to hang them.

Here are some suggestions to help you decide how to get the best effects from your pictures:-Modern Gallery Look: To create a modern art gallery feel, particularly nice in hallways, lobbies and stairwells, give each piece ample breathing room. Stand at the center of the first piece and take one swift, or two small steps along the wall. This is a good center for the next piece.

Above a Sofa: When placing art above furniture such as a sofa, you need to hang the picture about six to nine inches above the sofa, or at eye level.

Cluster Arrangements: Tightly group an even number of pictures together to give a statement or a focal point. This works on either large or small wall spaces, depending on the look you want.

In a row: By placing an odd number of pictures in a horizontal line to each other gives balance and the sense of space. This works well in hallways or stairwells.

By deciding where and how to hang your pictures, whether it be a tight cluster or a single print above a sofa, you can then determine the size and shape of the pictures you need to buy.

When you have decided on the room's function, color and style, you are in a much better position to go shopping for wall pictures that fit in with the overall theme.

Summary

Wall pictures are an underestimated home interior design accessory. This is probably because most people do not know what to do with their pictures in order to get the maximum effect in a room. Before you go hanging up your pictures make sure you plan ahead what you want to get out of that room. Decide on the function, style and color of the room first before you buy your artwork. By doing this you are in a much better position to buy the right type of art picture to fit in with the theme and color accent of your room.

Visit Claire's Home Improvement Ideas site to get further tip and home decorating ideas.

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home "INTERIOR" design- Redecorating Your House

Redecorating Your House
By Chuck R Stewart

Even if you have some items that can not be replaced or taken away from the inside of your house like saint statues or Virgin Mary statues, there is still hope for you to be able to redecorate the interior of your home. Redecorating will give it a fresh new feeling and to make it seem less dingy and more appealing to yourself and also to any guests that you may have over. Old friends who will probably have already seen the way the interior of your house looked before you redecorated will be very impressed by the way that you have redecorated. Redecorating can be easy and pretty cheap if you don't want to spend the money to go out and get a bunch of new decorations for the walls and things like that.

A simple thing that you can do to make any interior space look better is to reduce the amount of things that are just sitting on counters or shelves because there is nowhere else to store them. By putting a lot of those things away in boxes or storage containers you will reduce a lot of the clutter and make your house look neater before you have really even begun to redecorate the house.

Then, think of a theme or a color scheme for each room, making sure that as you move from room to room there will be some continuity so people don't feel like they are walking through a fun house. Keeping this in mind you can keep a few items out that you do not want to pack away into storage and keep these out as interior house accents and they will look good if you keep them next to or across from or juxtaposed to a similar painting that you will want to hang on the wall, and this will help to complement each other with the colors of each corresponding and they will help to tie the room together and make people comfortable.

Comfort can also be easy to facilitate if you go out and buy a few throw pillows and match them to the couch and the chairs you already have so that you don't have to go out and buy a whole new set of furniture, as you can just get some nice pillows and a slipcover to cover the couch and chairs to change their appearance and to protect them at the same time. Another thing you will most certainly want to consider is to move the furniture around, as this can physically change the shape of the room which affects the feel of the room too. This can make it more open and inviting and closing up areas for a feeling of comfort, but whatever you do you will want to find the best balance between adding and subtracting so that you will be able to add a couple of accents to what you have and take a couple of things away to make other things stand out ,and this is great too because it will save you money in the long run.

Chuck R. Stewart recently looked into purchasing a few saint statues including Virgin Mary statues for children who just celebrated their First Communion.

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