African Safari Decor – 8 Ways To Turn A Room Into An African Jungle
Here’s a novel idea! For those who can’t make it to the wilds of Africa and experience a safari first hand, how about bringing the safari right to your home.
The popularity of African safari decor has been literally exploding in the past few years and has become a very popular form of decoration for children’s rooms. Parents are going online in droves looking for ideas to decorate their kid’s rooms but the truth is, you don’t need to spend a fortune doing it.
African Safari Decor Ideas
Yes, you could head to the nearest exotic shop and buy African safari decor but if you are on a budget, then this cost could become rather prohibitive.
Let’s take a look a few ideas to turn your son’s or daughter’s room into a safari setting. Remember, this can be an ongoing project so it doesn’t need to be done in a hurry.
- For the effect of vines, material such as braided twine is relatively inexpensive and by heading down to your nearest dollar store, you can pick up either green paper or garland and create a leafy look. Simply hang your vines from the ceiling.
- Also to create an effect of growing vines, wrap some of the twine along your curtain rods and around the outside of the door frame.
- For animal effect, head down to your nearest charity store and pick up toys which would match an African setting. Lions, monkeys giraffes – as long as they are native to Africa. There is no limit to the number of toys you could find. Yard sales are another great place to pick up old toys on the cheap.
- For greater effect, painting a mural on one or two of the walls with a jungle theme will add a real touch of the exotics to a room.
- Bamboo and palm plants are excellent for creating a more realistic jungle effect.
- Transform a layer of netting into a hummock and put it in a corner of the room.
- African ornaments such as drums, spears and shields may take a little finding at the right price but can only give the room more Africa-style flavor. This is true African safari decor and worth looking for.
- Cut out animal pictures from books and paste them around the room. Use animal covered wrapping paper to decorate further and use a safari hat and a pair of binoculars for further effect.
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Decorating Ideas for a Tuscan Kitchen
As the concept of Tuscan kitchen decor becomes more popular, homeowners are attracted to the simplicity of this decoration scheme. As with anything, you can spend a lot of money to get this look in your kitchen, but here we take a look at some simple low cost ideas to decorate your kitchen with a Tuscan decor.
More and more people today find the thought of a sunny cottage kitchen in the Tuscan countryside as their ideal. If you long to have that cozy-cottage feel in your own kitchen, the good news is that it’s easy to do-it-yourself!
One of the reasons Tuscan kitchen is such a hot decorating trend is that it celebrates the simple things in life: Food, friends, and family. A Tuscan kitchen is functional, not fussy, and decorating in this theme is as simple as paint and a few touches.
The walls in a Tuscan kitchen have a unique, old-world look. You can achieve this using a faux painting technique. First, you paint the walls a bright base color such as butterscotch or butter yellow. Then, sponge on a deeper shade so that the walls look as though they have faded in some spots. There are many books and Internet sites that can give you step-by-step directions on this method of applying paint, as well as product suggestions. If you want to go the extra mile, you can texturize your walls using joint compound mixed with paint. “Pouncing” the mixture onto the walls creates a colored, rustic roughness characteristic of an authentic country kitchen in Tuscany.
The next places to paint are cabinet doors. Use a strong, contrasting color to really give your Tuscan county kitchen character. Deep reds and bright forest greens are especially popular on cupboard doors. While you’re out looking for just the right shade of paint, spend some time in the hardware section of your home improvement store. This is where you’ll find the pulls and handles to add the finishing touch to your Tuscan cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Heavy, burnished metal or ceramic knobs will both look great in your kitchen.
Now that you have the background set, it’s time for the focus pieces. A Tuscan country kitchen harkens thoughts of family and friends. A large table with simple chairs is a sure invitation to your own family to spend quality time in the kitchen. Brightly colored seat cushions make the chairs even more inviting, and a wooden bowl of fruit and nuts encourages a long visit.
Browse through kitchen supply stores and you’ll find a dazzling array of decanters for oils and spices. In a Tuscan county kitchen, cooking ingredients are often stored in plain sight. Glass jars filled with dried beans and pasta should line your counters, along with terra cotta planters and cooking utensil holders. Pewter and copper vessels are also a good choice you’re your Tuscan kitchen. If you have the floor space, freestanding metal or wooden racks can be used to hold commonly used pots and pans, as well as sunflower-print table linens. Pots of herbs on a windowsill and trailing houseplants on top of the refrigerator add even more of an Old World feel to your new kitchen look.
Author: Kathy Burns-Millyard
Bed Decorating Ideas That Will Spice up the Bedroom
Having the right bed decorating ideas can instantly spice up your bedroom. It sound basic, but before I start dishing out some great bed decorating ideas, I want you make sure that you know the basics. The bedroom is one of the most private rooms in your home, so don’t be afraid to have a little fun and let your imagination run.
When you first enter a bedroom, what is the first thing you notice? In most cases, it would be the bed. Typically, the bed has a huge influence on the presentation the bedroom. So if a bed is boring, uneventful and stale, then it would be safe to assume that the room is the same. If a bed is fun, exciting and a pleasure to be in, then most likely the bed the biggest reason why.
There are so many bed decorating ideas available to you the list is endless. Take for example a comforter set. The comforter is the iron horse of bed design and function. Not only can you get a comforter that is comfy and warm you can change up the design and color by merely switching duvet covers.
With just one item you can change the whole feel of an entire bedroom. You can go from modern luxury to rustic simplicity all with the change of a cover. And, in this case you sacrifice nothing because you get comfort and design all in one.
Once you have had your fun with your comforter covers
, the another bed decorating idea would be doing something creative with your pillows. Pillows come in various shapes and sizes, so you have tons of choices to choose from. Picking pillows for your bed can be fun and it can really get the creative juices flowing.
There are pillows and throw sets that go together wonderfully and are often thematic in nature. The possibilities are truly endless with throws and pillows. The only trouble here is making up such an ornate bed in the morning! But, it is worth it when you think about the beauty of a well decorated bed. Your guests will certainly appreciate it.
Possibly the most special part of using bed decorating ideas to spice up a bedroom is the price. Bed decoration is relatively inexpensive compared to, lets say, a total makeover for your bedroom. You can change up your bedroom many times a year or even every week if you want to at very little cost. If you want to change the look of a comforter, just purchase a duvet. If you think you pillows need a little help, get a pillow case. It is very simple and very cheap.
Let your imagination run rampant and start thinking up bed Decorating ideas for your bed. There is no end to the possibilities. If you need additional help, ask your friends and family for suggestions and use combinations of your ideas and others to create something truly unique. Decorating your bed is cheap and can be lots of fun, so get to it and see what you can come up with.
Author: Zachry Nest
Choosing the best sofa fabrics for home decoration
Choosing sofa fabrics for decorating your home may be really confusing. There is a great variety available on the market, these days. The price range is also different. You would be easily confused on the kind of fabrics you need to choose with such a wide variety of fabrics and prices.
However, with a little research and patience on your part, you can easily choose the best for your home decoration without having to spend a fortune.
Here are certain questions that you must ask yourself prior to actually purchasing certain stuff.
• Is the fabric apt for my lifestyle?
• What kind of wear would my upholstery get?
• Would I be using this stuff in the family room?
• Will this stuff be O.K. with the small children and pets at my home?
• Is this stuff suitable for the living room that I would use only occasionally?
• Where will I be placing the upholstery?
• Would the fabric color fade with the sunlight?
• Can the fabric resist soil, abrasion and soil?
• How would the color of the upholstery look like with my room’s lighting?
• What care should I give to the fabric?
There are two main things that you need to keep in mind when opting for a particular fabric for decorating your home.
• Fibre content
• Weave of the fabric
Remember that the method of finishing and coloring can affect the durability of the fabric. With a little knowledge about the fabric construction and fiber construction methods, you can easily make choice that would meet the specific requirements of your family.
The fibers can be classified into three major categories. Each fiber has distinct characteristics.
• Cellulosic Fibers
These are obtained from plants such as rayon, cotton and linen.
• Protein fibers
These are of animal origin and include wool and silk.
• Manmade polymers
These are obtained from petrochemicals such as polyester, nylon, and olefin.
Some of the fibers can be used alone or blended with two or more than two material that would be apt for your sofa.
Here is an information on different fabrics available for sofa decoration:
• Cotton
It is a natural fiber that can be dyed and printed well. This fiber can be used in different applications. It is very strong and durable.
• Linen
This is sunlight resistant.
• Rayon
It can be used in blends
• Wool
It is a durable fiber.
• Silk
It is strong and very durable.
• Nylon
It can resist to abrasion, stretching and wrinkling.
Ideas for kitchen decorating to blow your mind
Kitchen is supposed to be the most used room in the house. There are several kitchen decorating ideas that you can come across, these days. These ideas were not present a few years ago.
When it comes to decorating the kitchen, it can be very difficult to decide on the kind of look that would be better for your kitchen that would prove to be the best. There are different options such as retro and the latest cookery space available on the market, these days.
The modern kitchen style decoration allows you to hide all your appliances behind different cabinets. The clean lines and smoothed out edges look great. You can also hide all your appliances into the walls or place them into countertops.
You can find latest appliances for your kitchen that can easily blend into the décor of your kitchen. It is possible to coat huge kitchen appliances such as ovens and refrigerators with facing similar to cabinets.
Here are some useful tips to decorate your kitchen in country style.
Colors
You must focus on using fresh, clean and warm colors to decorate your kitchen in country style. The ideal colors would be shades of whites, pinks, greens and yellows.
Accents
Try adding some accents to your kitchen such as flowers, vegetables, fruit and plants to give your kitchen the feel that you want to achieve.
Furniture
Try using lighter woods or wicker furniture to make your kitchen look beautiful. You need to upholster the kitchen in either floral or gingham patterns. You can save a lot of money via creating slip covers for your old furniture instead of purchasing new furniture.
Flooring
The flooring of your country style kitchen should be created from natural materials such as tile, wood or flagstones. Incase, these do not suit your budget, try using wall to wall carpeting or lamination. The color of the flooring should be given good importance. The lighter the shade, the betters. You can even use braded or hooked rugs. This will give an authentic look to your kitchen.
Accessories
Accessories would be the final thing to consider when decorating your kitchen design. Try looking for accessories that will work best and suit well. You may try putting your family pictures in wooden frames. A painted rustic scene would be a great idea.
Remember that you need to have an open mind when decorating the kitchen. This way, you would be able to follow some of the great ideas available for decorating kitchen in country style.
