Asian Decor Tips – The Yin And Yang of Design
Who says you would need a salary’s worth of savings to explore the tranquil mysticism of Asia? With a few renovations and some bits and pieces here and there, you can transform your own living spaces with a look that reflects the calm mood of a Thai spa or a minimalist-inspired Japanese home.
Although various cultures contrast, these different Asian countries come together with similar design schemes. It’s a usual practice nowadays for people to embrace the key elements from each cultural area. They arrange it together in a blend that is truly and spectacularly Asian and truly unique at the same time.
Now before you begin chasing after silk draperies and Chinese jars, there are some teeny-weeny details you should think about first.
Will you swear to trim down all the excess clutter in your home? Are you willing to denounce your chaotic space for something relatively free of unnecessary “stuff”?
Are you into smooth furnishings? How about upholstery and windows minus all the fancy trimmings? Remember in Asian décor, there’s no room for plush Victorian-inspired bed covers – less is more every single time.
And another thing, brace yourself for an explosion of green, blue and beige along with several surprise streaks of glittering gold or blood red pieces. These are the popular colors that dominate Asian styles. Are you a Barbie-fanatic or a huge Barney fan? Then you might want to reconsider because Asian designs are not known for their affinity for pinks or purples.
So you think you can handle these major must-do’s? If so, then let’s begin capturing the essence of a warm and relaxing Asian-inspired retreat, beginning with these simple steps.
Firstly, do away with all the trappings and trendy furnishings that you already have. You need a space that is relatively spacious and simple. Be ready to give all your beloved lacy table-tops away. Next, provide a clear setting for your design by painting your walls in hues of beige or bamboo green. Instead of blinds, why not use bamboo to shade the room from too much sun? Hand-woven mats and Asian rugs can also take the place of your regular carpet too.
Once this is done, you can now begin incorporating other stuff to complete your Asian theme. However, you might find this a bit difficult too because there are different styles and cultural designs to choose from. You can go totally Chinese or pick something that has an Indonesian vibe to it. It depends entirely on your preference. Decide on a particular kind of Asian style that best reflects who you are.
Remember, guests should not walk into your home feeling as if they are in a section of the national museum. Make sure your personality echoes throughout your home design. Still confused? Don’t fret, it’s quite alright to combine themes from those styles you feel comfortable with.
When it comes to giving your bedroom the Asian treatment, here are some useful tips. Instead of a fancy headboard why not utilize a bed frame that is lower than your usual preference. It would also be nice to experiment a bit.
Discard your flower-printed bed cover and replace this with a simple quilt. Then throw in a couple of pillows with Asian designs to complete the look. A plain little bench in the corner of the room can also serve as a table top for studying or other purposes. You can also add some candles or fortune plants and bamboos to enhance the mood for meditation. To compliment this set-up, an Oriental painting or exquisite scrolls pinned up on the wall would pretty much do the trick.
With regard to your living room or dining space, there are a couple of suggestions I’d like to offer to make these rooms feel undoubtedly “Asian”. To start, why not discard your usual sofa set for something that has straight simple lines? An alternative dining setting would also involve having a low table with several plus-size cushions in place of your regular chairs. While you go about with your home make-over session, adapt several Feng Shui principles as well. To avoid ruining the Asian vibe, camouflage those electronic gadgets behind a nice piece of furniture that will double as an entertainment center in the living room. Have fun being Asian!
Decorating a Bachelor pad
Most home design publications are directed at women, but there are many men who want to decorate their homes too. These men are not looking for pastel walls or shelves full of miniatures.
They want to avoid floral color schemes but they want something interesting and exciting to add character to their homes. Decorating a masculine bachelor pad can actually be a lot of fun when you get creative.
If you want the perfect makeover for your masculine room, begin with searching online and even in magazines for ideas you want to try. Don’t choose a home design magazine which wouldn’t be anything you’d choose, but search through magazines you already subscribe to.
It doesn’t need to be a story in the magazine, look in the background of ads. You never really look closely to those pictures but there are many great room designs behind them. Make sure to mark down designs that you like and others that you dislike to make your options easier to choose when decorating elements come into play.
Take a close look at the current room you are looking to re-design. Check to see if you have features in the room that you can play up with the new design or any architectural elements which make the room unique.
Also are your floors covered with carpet or are they natural wood or stone? Pick one area in the room which will be the focal point and you can accent it well.
Men work different in designing a room; they will start at the bottom and work to the top. Start with an area rug that has something that shows your personality.
Pick something that is comfortable and soft to walk on. Choose a color that you like. It should be solid colors that will make the room feel more masculine. Make sure if you have a pet you buy a rug that won’t show dirt as well.
Now chose a color for the room. What paint you get will a room from girly to a more masculine look quickly. Pick a darker color that is more masculine, no pinks needless to say. Try green or a darker blue or a nice bold red will add some passion to a room too. Don’t use a whole bunch of color schemes in your decorating, and try and stay away from wallpaper too.
If you add some lighter shaded curtains they will help to make the bold colors a bit softer. A nice masculine color or something that has stripes is a good choice. Make sure that the curtains go with your flooring or rug if you’ve added it to the room.
Now that you’ve accomplished an over all look, add some things to the wall. You can make the room even more masculine with some great dcor. Add framed prints that add to a sophisticated look to your decor.
If you must put up a poster, frame it before you put it up. When picking the photos out you should get something that you are interested in, this way your personality will be shown through your decorating.
The African Decor Influence: How African Decor Inspires Other Style Trends
African decor continues to fuel patterns, styles and designs of interior fashion throughout the world. Year after year the continent of African continues as one of the world’s largest resources of new home decor ideas.
The exotic design motifs has the benefit of complimenting almost any room atmosphere or environment. Multitudes of designers use it to create rooms of spice, excitement and pizzazz to a relaxing room filled with tranquility, peace and calm. The only limit to your mood? Your imagination.
You can confidently use it as the dominant theme for a room ,or as a bold accent piece to add excitement to a dull space. African home decor celebrates its appeal by adapting to large mansion-like rooms to a cramped single apartment. Whatever your bank account, there’s a unique accent piece just right for you.
For instance, In days gone by African art sat idly in stuffy museums throughout the world. Now more people find they can give a cultural lift to their home, office, or apartment – without adding a sense or feel of stuffiness.
The visual impact of Africa themed decor continues slowly impacting more home interiors each day. As a result, African home accessories continue growing toward more mainstream home designers and interior decorators. Many use the colors, textures, patterns and designs to create their own styles and moods.
You’ll often find the African inspired styles reflected in more contemporary design choices. More elements continue to expand and cross into other interior styles, cultures, and themes as a result. Whether it’s the fabrics, the materials, or the hand-made craftsmanship, African interior design tastefully mixes creativity with centuries of culture and history.
The quiet spiritual connection to the continent remains a popular theme of people who favor African decor more and more. “The style quietly grows on you “, said one converted shopper and collector. That’s the feeling of a growing number of people across the globe.
Most of the craftsmen and women who fashion African decor view their skills and talents one-way. They see it not just as a commercial endeavor or idle hobby of leisure, but as a spiritual endeavor and life’s mission or purpose. Because of this commitment they patiently work to fashion the wooden sculpture, the figurine, weave the colorful basket or any other piece to reflect their pride and mastery to the world.
The rich culture of Africa home accents comes from proud generations of people. These working people take the spirit of nature contained in the wood, clay, stone, metal and other natural materials. Next they give back by chiseling, crafting , and polishing beauty from the piece of wood, clay, stone, metal or other natural material they’ve taken.
It’s predicted more will grow to appreciate and use the exotic interior themes and elements to enhance a space or room in their home. More interior designers will continue to receive inspiration and adapt many of the patterns, designs and textures to the growing consumer demand of African decor.
Painting Tile Floors – Cheap Interior Decorating
Paint for home decorating is not just limited to the walls. You can do so with your tile floors. This is a cheap alternative for replacing the tiles. Paint can make your floor look new and not much effort comes with this easy to do task.
If you have dark, dingy tiles, painting them is the inexpensive solution that will allow you to give your entire room a new look. After you have painted the tile floors, you can throw down an area rug or area rugs to even give it more color and pizzazz.
You should make sure that you either use an enamel paint to paint the tile floors or use a gloss overcoat to enable you to keep the floors clean and the paint on the tile.
There are basically two types of paint that you can use when you are painting tile floors. These are latex or enamel paints. Latex paints are less harmful when it comes to fumes and are water soluble.
Enamel paints contain more toxic fumes and need to be cleaned up with paint thinner or alcohol. Enamel paints will not be as quick to come up off of the floor as will latex paints and have a tendency to wear better.
Latex paints will come up with wear and need a gloss overcoat. If you use a gloss enamel paint, you can get the entire project done quicker.
Another method of painting is by using a spray paint. It is quick, effective and cheap. Just make certain that the room is not enclosed when spray painting. Have proper ventilation and let the floor dry before placing area rugs.
If your tile floor is in the kitchen or bathroom, you will want to be sure to choose area rugs that are heavy enough not to slip, but can easily be thrown in the washing machine. You can find some heavy rag rugs that fall into this category. You want to be sure that the rugs will not slip out from under you when you are walking on them.
Rug guards are sold so that they can secure the rug to the tile or floor underneath and are an excellent option when it comes to using area rugs in the home and preventing accidents.
Rugs for the bathroom should be easy to wash. Rubber supported rugs are ideal to resist slips from the wet floor. Many accidents occur in the bathroom because of slippery floor during or after showers. Don’t underestimate a simple fall. It can be very dangerous. You want to make sure your bathroom rugs are proper enough to avoid such mishaps.
Author: Jonas Marks
Feng Shui Decorating
Feng Shui, you have heard it mentioned but still are unsure what it really is. Well let’s find out the true meaning of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of placement and stands for wind and water.
The Chinese used this system to balance out the energy patterns of their physical environment with spiritual forces. Their ultimate goal was to achieve harmony, comfort, and balance, first within their environment and then within their lives. In the Chinese culture the gentle wind and the clear waters have always been linkedwith good health and a good harvest. So from this good Feng Shui means good livelihood and good fortune. On the other had bad Feng Shui means misfortune and hardship. So Feng Shui is a very important part of the Chinese lifestyle.
Feng Shui is based around Taoist and their vision and an understanding of nature. This focuses specifically on the belief that land is a living being and is filled with Chi. The ancient Chinese felt that the land’s energy could either help the kingdom prosper or cause it to fail and fall apart.
There are three principles behind Feng Shui. They involve design, placement, and proportion throughout the space. Without these three principles everything would become unbalanced and interfere with a person’s health and happiness within their environment. The main tools that are used during the Feng Shui analysis is the Ba-Gua which is an octagonal grid that contains the acient symbols of the great I Ching and the compass.
The I Ching is an ancient oracle which is what Feng Shui is based around. Knowing the Bagua for both your home and also your work space will be a great help to you to completely understand how the connection of certain specific Feng Shui in certain areas of both your home and work space can be linked to certain areas and parts of your overall life.
Now we move on to putting the Feng Shui into your home. Generally a consultant would come into your home and look at the five elements wood, fire, earth, metal, water (xuan kong flying star (north star), color, positioning of all the furnishings, and offer out cures for the problem areas).
The colors associated with Feng Shui are: wood is blue and green, fire is red and some of the items for this would be a tea light or a tamp lamp with a red shade, earth is beige and yellow and the items for this would be a terra cotta pot with soil and a rock statue, water is blue and black and the items here could be a fountain or aquarium, and metal is an accent color made up of silver, gold, copper, and bronze.
When it comes to the positioning of your furniture you should always face it in the direction of all the action such as the front door or street. This will give you the perfect flow of Feng Shui. Yang is considered to be the most active energy. It is usually lively and busy such as a public place or a flowing river. This is generally the most windowed side of your home. It should contain a nice view and it is usually a living or family room.
Ying is considered the least energy. This is usually found in the sitting direction of an alley or backyard. Shade trees highlight this area making it quiet and relaxing. This can be the side of the property and you would find the bedrooms in this area.
Decorating Your Dining Room With Glamour And Style
For some an Italian Kitchen decorating theme will put some old world charm into their kitchen and make it a place where the family will be willing to sit in. One such Italian design is the Tuscan style which incorporates warm earth tones along with natural materials and architectural accents that will give any kitchen a time worn look. But you do not need to buy any priceless antiques in order to achieve the Tuscan look for your kitchen. Below are a number of things that will need to be included when designing and decorating your kitchen in an Italian style.
Color
The colors you use should mimic the colors of the Tuscan landscape such as rich golds, earth tones and sometimes even tones relating to the sea will provide you with the look you are after. If you are able to purchase some Majolica pottery (new or old) and use the colours on this to influence the colours of your walls and floors. It is important that you use natural materials like stone, slate, granite or terracotta for the flooring and countertops as this will only help to enhance the Italian look that you are trying to create.
Lighting
When looking for lighting for your Italian themed kitchen then think old world and steer well clear of any new or modern styles. Why not see if you can get lights that are made from antique wrought iron. But you can include recessed lighting for use as task lighting. It is important to get the right look for an Italian kitchen that you stay away from lights that have a shiny look, instead stick with those that have muted metal finish.
Accessories
It is very easy to buy accessories for your Italian kitchen theme brand new today, but why not take time and scour your local antique stores for some real antiques instead. If you can look for old pottery bowls and pitchers as well as wooden bowls that have been painted or antiques. As a nice addition to your Italian style kitchen include some Majolica ware. Why not buy a whole set of this pottery to be have for everyday use. It is vital that you include lots of decorative jars in your design that have either peppers and ropes of garlic on them or peppers and grape vines on them. Then to soften the look up use lots of greenery (herbs in pots are a good idea).
Above we have provided you with a few ideas for your Italian kitchen decorating scheme and it can be easily achieved with either the purchase of new accessories or by looking around your local antique shops. But what ever way you decide to do it you will soon have a kitchen that is charming and full of character.
Author: Lee Dobbins
Decorating Your Bedroom With a Western Theme …
Creating a bedroom with a Western style can actually have an inviting and masculine feel to it. Mixing and matching different items associated with the West like wooden carvings or cowboy hats can truly make your room your personal space. To create a cowboy or western style for your room, here are a few ideas you can use.
• The color of the wall of your room will be very important. Warm and vibrant colors are usually used to depict a western mood to it. A western look often consists of browns, blacks, tans and other dark colors. To highlight the color contrast, select white ornaments for a splash of brightness. One good idea is to use white cow print fabric to make the bed set and curtains. A white carpet with dyed with black odd shaped spots will also create a dramatic effect for your room.
• Decorating the wall with western wall art is an artistic way of incorporating the western theme. Sometimes you can find these inexpensive wall art in garage sales and flea markets. Take the time to visit these places because you’ll never know you might just find the perfect piece of art to hang in your room.
• Hanging up a rope lasso or making small ones glued to your lampshade can also show a western theme to it. You can also cut pictures of horses, cattle, or Indians and use this as a border around the top of your room.
• Decide on having your floor generally made out of hardwood. Also choose area rugs which are flat woven styles or maybe even fake fur skins.
• To create a cowboy look and feel, decorate your room with saddles and leather straps. These can be draped over your table chair. Use your imagination and come up with ingenious ways on how to make western accessories using horse shoe, Indian outfits and cowboy hats.
• Using items made of iron such as iron lamp bases and cabinet knobs will fit well in a Western room.
• You can decide to design your room in a number of ways. You can go with the country theme or even the old west route. It really depends on your preference. Include things such as cowboy boots and guitars to enhance the western culture in your room.
• Nowadays, there are available door knobs in the market with designs that reminds us of the Wild West. Choose a design you like and replace your old door knob with this western-inspired knob.
• Alternative wall hangings can include horse whips, chaps and stirrups. Wooden items can be found in craft stores. There are numerous shapes and sizes to choose from. Paint these shapes and hang them on the wall.
• Window treatments should be in basic colors and not too drastic. Look for wooden shutters or simple curtain panels.
• Old trunks and stressed wood furniture can be placed inside your room and will definitely keep the western look going.
Incorporate all these ideas from painting your room with dark colors up to hanging up the western wall art to achieve the Western look you want to accomplish. After you have all the furniture and decorations in place, you will have produced a warm, cozy bedroom where you can enjoy and relax. It will be like living in the Wild West but still in the comfort of your bedroom.
Author: Alyssa Davis
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
Decorating the Laundry Room – Function Doesn’t Have to Be Boring …
When you think of “laundry room,” a dark, dingy basement may come to mind. Or, a small closet with a washer and dryer hidden next to, or…shudder…IN, the garage. But, these days, laundry rooms are coming out of the closet. They can be decorated, and look just as nice, as the rest of your home.
Of course, you still have to pay attention to the natural function of the room. Hiding the washer and dryer is an option, but how much trouble will it be to get to if it’s draped with fabric or covered by a “counter” that can be lifted off. Personally, I’d rather be able to use them without having to work too hard to get to them.
First, take a good look at the space available. Maybe you do just have a closet. If so, you’re options are limited. If there are no cupboards above the machines, or if the shelves are inadequate, it shouldn’t cost too much to replace them. Choose quality cabinets that look high end…even if they’re not.
If you’re lucky enough to have a real laundry room, you have a host of options. You will need cabinets of some sort to hide detergent, fabric softener and such, but you can also add other, more decorative, items. Even though the cabinets should look good, they should also have enough shelving inside to keep everything organized. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to move a bunch of stuff out of your way to reach the fabric softener.
If there’s room, provide a counter or even a small table for folding your laundry. It’s very inconvenient to have to carry laundry to another room just to fold it.
Paint can give your room a huge boost. I tend to choose more cheery colors such as yellows or a melon color. Laundry room walls don’t “have” to be white! Whatever color you choose, make it one that you can live in harmony with; you’ll be spending a lot of time there.
Choose window coverings that are pretty but make sure they are washable. The natural moistness of the room can cause dampness and dirt to stick to fabrics that remain in the room long term.
Use rugs on the floor. They can not only add bright splashes of color, but can add comfort to an area where you might need to stand for some time. Especially, if you have an ironing area in the room. Bathroom rugs work well because they are meant to absorb water. They are available in a multitude of colors so you’re sure to find something to fit your color scheme. And, while thinking about the floor, carpet just doesn’t work where water is likely to be spilled; tile or vinyl flooring is a much more sensible choice.
Posters and pictures in the room can add whimsy. I’ve seen some very cute posters that would be suitable for a laundry room on eBay. Humorous pictures can give a utilitarian room character. Fun murals painted on a wall can also be a great way to add fun and color to the laundry area.
Make sure your laundry room has plenty of light. Lighting will brighten the space as well as make it easier to see those pesky stains.
There are also some things you must have in a laundry room. A waste basket hampers for sorting laundry, and someplace to hang delicate items. Buy pretty ones! Using colors that are appropriate to your color scheme go a long way to making the room more inviting.
Some homemakers create a kind of “family center” in the laundry area for leaving messages, and sometimes a craft area to keep children’s inevitable messes from the rest of the house. My daughter even has a small television in her basement laundry room so her kids can go watch their favorite shows when mommy has something she’d rather watch in the family room.
Decorating the laundry room is important to anyone who has to spend a lot of time in one…which is the majority of us! Why should the laundry area be dark and grungy…make it a room you want to be in.
