Top Spring Decorating: Getting Rid of the Winter Blahs
The days are beginning to feel warmer, and the landscape with its many shades of green is awakening. One only needs to listen to the birds in the early morning to know that spring will be here before long. This is a wonderful time of the year to include a touch of the outdoors in your home interior decorating ideas.
• Let’s start with ‘bird-themed” home decorating ideas which can be used in every room. A pretty birdcage makes a whimsical three-dimensional framework for a spring display. Inside of the birdcage place a craft-store twig nest with faux eggs or a petite flower arrangement.
• Ceramic egg cups can be used for decorated Easter eggs, jelly beans or pastel candies.
• To bring the “bird-themed” décor into the powder room, use iron-on transfers to print or color-copy a picture of a bird onto a linen guest towel.
• Look for egg-shaped soaps at specialty shops to use in your guest bathrooms.
• “Bird-inspired” iron-on transfers can also be used on table linens. Inexpensive paper coasters featuring pictures of birds add a further touch to the springtime table.
• Another natural look to add to your spring decorating ideas is the color, green. Whether you use leafy lettuce green or a serene shade of mint, you will find that a wide range of green represents what you already find in nature.
• Green is synonymous with life and renewal and is plentiful in our natural world. It is a peaceful color with calming effects. Use a variety of shades of green for a fresh, springtime feel.
• Because of the endless selection you will have no difficulty finding a suitable shade of green paint color. However, if you don’t want to make a long-term commitment, adding home accessories in the desired shade of green is an easy and effortless way to add nature’s color.
• Home accessories in shades of green include glassware, vases, pillows, afghans/throws, artwork and fabrics.
• Something as simple as putting garden magazines and flower books on the coffee table will help to bring nature inside and add color to your room.
• Simplify your interior decorating by displaying only the things you love. Clutter is distracting and adds stress to your life because of constant upkeep.
Spring is the time for renewal, beautiful flowers, green grass and the songs of birds. Enjoy each and every day!
“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment!” – Ellis Peters
Author: Lynn Cressy
The appeal of Parisian decorating
Parisian-style decorating is all about exquisite detail, well-worn but gleaming antique furniture, yards of brocade or velvet draperies, gold and gilded accents on furniture and accessories. The French love to decorate their walls, so I would start there. Paneling and crown molding will elongate your room and make the ceiling feel higher. You can either install real panels and intricately carved moldings, or use paint to create the grace and glamour on the walls.
The base coat is mustard yellow. Two-foot and 3-foot panels were taped off; I used a hand-cut stencil for the top of the panels. Fill in the taped borders with white paint. Add a shadow line with brown paint and an artist’s brush down one side of the panel molding and along the bottom. Remove the tape and apply a thin coat of white glaze (1 part white latex paint, 1 part water-based glazing liquid, 3 parts water) over the entire wall, brushing in one direction up and down. Repeat the veiling technique, brushing on the glaze inside the panels to imitate the look of linen. To complete the French panels, you will need a decorative stencil and watercolor pencils. Color the image with gray for shadow, yellow for highlights and brown for the centers. The color does not have to be dark. Dip an artist’s brush into water and go over the colored-pencil area using long strokes. The water reacts with the watercolor pencil to give a watercolor appearance. Protect the watercolor stencil with spray acrylic varnish.
Build on this elegant theme with one or two crystal chandeliers, gold-plated sconces and black-framed scenes of Paris. Choose carved-wood furniture with rounded legs, and silk, velvet or brocade upholstery. Chairs should be comfy, just this side of shabby chic. Black is an important element; use it in wrought-iron fireplace accessories, frames or painted tables.
Nothing matches in this charming style. Pick pieces for their age and because you love them. This is a style that is created over time. Finish with a vase or bottle collection in brilliant jewel tones of ruby red, emerald green and royal sapphire blue to celebrate Parisians’ special version of joie de vivre.
Author: Debby Travis
Valentine’s Day Decorating Ideas
Love decorates the mood every February 14 and the Valentine’s Day decorations speak the heart for you ! So all you have to do this Valentine’s Day is to make the ambiance irresistibly romantic and set the decorations warm, snug and love-ly.
Whether it be a Valentine’s Day party or just a cozy dinner date with your beloved, the Valentine’s Day decorations are not to be ignored. The decorations, of course, help you get into the feel of the day and set the ball rolling.
Valentine’s Day decorations can be done with flowers, ribbons, candies or just with paper and cloth. No matter which way you do it, the decorations for Valentine’s Day should just be perfect and help set the stage for a memorable celebration.
So if you need a little help on how to kick off the Valentine’s Day decorations, read on.
The first thing that should be kept in mind before laying your hands on Valentine’s Day decorations is that red or shades of red is the color to go for. So make sure you have lots of red, crimson or pink around. The flowers, curtains, bed-spreads, table-spreads, carpets, balloons, and even cutlery and other decorative pieces can be in red just because it’s Valentine’s Day. With so much of red around, all the blues are sure to disappear soon only to leave you with a rosy feeling of love, luck and joy ! Now for some romance and mystery—fill water into big glass bowls and float a few heart shaped candles in them. You can also strew rose petals around the candles to couple up the warm glow of the candles with the sweet aroma of roses. These make wonderful Valentine’s Day decorations if placed on the centre table or next to the bed or better still on the dinner table.
Now if you are a little tight on budget, then this Valentine’s Day decoration idea is just the thing for you. Many flowers are damaged while shipping and florists often sell the petals at really low rates. So you can buy lots of these petals and leave them carelessly around the home—maybe near the bath tub or at the doorway. Or you can just make a trail from the door to the bedroom for your valentine to walk on when he/ she returns home. Isn’t that good for a simple and affordable Valentine’s Day decoration?
At the Valentine’s Day party, arrange for red punch and pink lemonade. Food sure add to your Valentine’s Day decorations, don’t they ? So check out how the menu adds a facelift to the décor of the day—have a few heart-shaped cookies, candies, pizzas, sandwiches and of course that big, heart shaped chocolate cake. Now decorate the dinner table with a red table cloth and have silver tableware placed on it to enhance the look. To take it a step forward, make sure you dump a lot of petals and heart-shaped red confetti around the plates, on the entire table.
You can also stick heart shaped little cutouts on the red table-cloth to give a personalized touch to your Valentine’s Day decoration. Any party decoration is incomplete without balloons, ribbons and streamers. Same holds true for Valentine’s Day decorations. So do get loads of those chic streamers, balloons and red ribbons on February 14. Try to get many heart shaped balloons and hang them from the ceiling. Interlace the balloons with streamers and have a totally dressed up room on Valentine’s Day !
And when talking about Valentine’s Day decorations, how can one leave out the flowers ? Yes, flowers make for the prettiest decorations on any occasion and so are a favorite with most people. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, roses should top the charts, but you can also deck up your room with other bright flowers with a perceptibly nice fragrance such as hydrangeas and hyacinths. Here come the candies now.
Candies are the most coveted items on the Valentine’s Day list for sure. And so include them in your Valentine’s Day decorations as well. Take long wine glasses and stuff them with assorted candies and place them on the centre table. Not only will it add a dash of color to the room, but it will also keep the theme of sensuality going. Now if you have a child at home, dress him/ her up as cupid. Ask your guests to come early, before the bed time of the child. Make the kid greet the guests with a miniature bow and arrow. Not only will this be the cutest piece of Valentine’s Day decoration, it’ll also make the child feel special and involved. Gift baskets make good centerpieces too. And at the end of the party, give out the gifts from the basket as party favors. Make the basket attractive by adding lots of Valentine’s Day goodies like candies, teddies, fruit cakes, etc. Cover it with ribbons and confetti and transform it into a beautiful Valentine’s Day decoration.
Deck up your house this February 14 and have a dreamy Valentine’s Day ! Let the decorations do the talking for you. Try out these Valentine’s Day decorations and romance up your house.
You can combine these decorations with your own decorations and wait for the accolades to flow in ! Just enjoy the beauty around and feel beautiful inside with your loved ones by your side.
Author: Sean Carter
Home Decorating on a Budget: 6 Fantastic Tips
If only decorating your home comes without a cost, you would probably have a new theme and design for your home many times every year. But just like most people, you shy away from home decorating and home improvement activities because you do not want to spend a lot of money on this. The truth is decorating your home does not need to hurt your pockets. In fact, there are many practical home decorating suggestions and ideas that can be worked out even with a small budget. Here is a list of six fantastic tips that will help you achieve just that. Tip 1: Form a plan
Planning is a crucial step in home decoration so that you will be able to accomplish it effectively and successfully. More importantly, this ensures that you do not end up wasting money or spending more than what you can afford. Before you start writing down your plans, visualize how you want your home to look. Decide on the theme and color style you want to adapt and from here, start planning the things that you will need for your home decoration project.
List the things you need and determine which ones you can make yourself or create from the things that you already have, and the ones that you really need to buy. Formulate a realistic budget allocation for your expenditures to avoid overspending.
Tip 2: Adapt a theme
Having a theme for your home does not only make the decorating project easier but if you choose a practical theme, you will be able to save a lot of money at the same time. For example, a tropical interior design theme can save you money because you can get some tropical decorative accessories for free if you go to the beach. This include seashells, corals, starfish, leaves, and driftwood. You can even use what you have collected to make tropical wall hangings.
Tip 3: Invest wisely
Just because you are on a budget does not mean that you have to get every cheap thing you can get your hands on. Sometimes spending more will save you in the long run. For example, if you want to repaint the walls in your home, it would make sense to buy a high quality paint that would last a long time rather than to go for cheap paints that are also cheap in quality.
Tip 4: Watch out for discount sales
Discount sales provide a good opportunity to get hold of home accessories at a low price so keep your eyes peeled for these events. You can also try checking out online stores because there are many excellent deals that will enable you to find nice and good quality products without having to spend much.
Tip 5: Shop around
If you want to find great deals on products you can use for your home decoration, you should not stop at the first shop that you see. Shop around widely so you will be able to compare products and prices, and find the best deals at the most affordable prices. Tip 6: DIY projects
You do not always have to buy everything. Some of the things you need you can make yourself. For example, create your own tropical wall hangings or wall sculpture art by framing a nice coastal photograph scene or by doing your own metal or clay sculpture.
If you have the patience, talent and imagination, you can make excellent decorating choices that will not only improve the overall style of your home but also be practical and realistic for the budget of your family.
Modernize Your Look With Italian Interior Decorating
Are you thinking about Italian interior decorating? Are you looking for a way to transform your living space? If so, remember what interior design is. It is an interpretation and it is one person’s view. You may think of a room as having a country feel while someone else sees it as a country theme. If you wish to look for a modern interior design theme throughout your location, you do want to consider the overall options you have.
Your Living Area
You will find that the flat screen television has really helped to transfer the modern look of a home into that of a home theater. It offers a sleek and contemporary feel to it. There is no fuss, there is nothing but clean lines. If you wish to finish off this look and keep it as modern as possible, place the television into the wall, securing it as provided by the manufacturer, or you can use an anchored pedestal entertainment center that is made of glass, wood and steel. You will want to continue this look throughout the room. Remove the comfortable overstuffed recliner and instead add in materials that add to this look such as metals, sleek looking wood and chrome. Look at angles and shapes within the room for that modern feel.
Colors In Design
No matter if you are going with an Italian interior decorating method or you are going for ultra modern, color plays a role. You will want to look for quality products and avoid patterns that do not work as they may be too busy for the space. Colors should be bold like reds and oranges. You also want to accent the pieces of color with blacks, dark browns and gray. Some patterns will work with a modern interior design, but you may want to stick with having a very clean line and you do not want anything too busy.
Also think about the texture of the room. You want textures to come through in the rugs you place on the floor, the curtains that you hang and other linens you place throughout the room. Each piece should contribute to the modern or Italian Interior decorating design.
You will want to continue the look through everything you add including adding glass tables, adding metals to frame artwork or even as the studs on chairs. These details will provide you with the best possible outcome.
Author: Adam Peters
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.
New Decorating Trends
As people’s lives get busier and busier, a home is not just another place to sleep at night. A home has become a place of peace, a place to relax and rejuvenate for another busy and stressful day. With this in mind, more and more people are looking to decorate their homes in a way where a home is simple, functional, low maintenance and yet elegant, warm and inviting.
As with everything else, people’s demand sets the trend on decoration and some of the latest decorating trends ensure that a home gives maximum functionality, minimum maintenance and looks warm and creative without being loud and opulent. Hand crafted furniture and accessories like intricately carved statues and metal with detailed scroll work is in high demand this season. Leather furniture combined with different fabrics to create different textures is also in high demand.
Another trend that has caught on with homeowners are do-it-yourself projects like home made lamp shades, self woven curtains, hand made sofa throws and even hand knitted table cloths. A traditional decor which looks colorful and elegant is also in this season. Furniture pieces reflecting nature like bamboo flooring, and rattan furniture have also caught attention. Along side this, ethnic furniture from different countries, traditions and periods are in demand. Mild wall colors like beige and gold with warm browns and pumpkin spice or even shades of blues and greens offset in a neutral background are the choice of the season for their soothing feel.
As far as furniture is concerned, huge bulky furniture is out and multi-purpose and space saving furniture is in, which gives maximum storage. Narrower sofas, coffee tables doubling as dining tables or small dining tables with stool chairs are in to save space. Functional art like design lighting has become a popular option for small homes where different light sculptures serve the need of lighting as well as add a decorative piece of art to the room. Most of the home decor making a come back this season is artistic with curves rather than straight lines and clean cuts.
Another decorative and functional item making a big comeback this season is room divider screen. With homes getting smaller, making wooden doors can substantially reduce space. A room divider screen can be put into place when the need arises to separate two portions of a home and can be removed to enlarge the space and make it look like a big room. Another popular functional decor is the counter height bistro table which adds a casual touch to the dining atmosphere allowing the family to relax and have a quick meal.
With these new decorating trends, a home can be made multi-functional and multi-purpose while at the same time giving it a spacious and clutter free look.
Decorating with African Art Creates Soulful Environments
Decorating with African art brings a unique look to your home or office. A number of options are available and you can feature one interesting piece or showcase an entire room in this style.
Choosing a Single Piece When Decorating with African Art
When you are planning your room, you may want to start with a single piece of art. Decorating with African art doesn’t have to be elaborate. You can start with a colorful batik wall hanging in bright colors, a hand-painted Korhogo cloth, or a Gabon mask. If you prefer not to display the art on your walls, you still have a number of options for decorating with African art. Since the piece you choose can represent your unique inner spirit; the options are highly individual and virtually endless.
Small pieces can add interest to your decor as well. Good choices include a hand-carved kisii stone elephant, a decoupage vase, or a carved chess set featuring animal pieces. Ebony bowls are available at reasonable prices and a “talking drum” displayed in your room will be certain to get conversations going.
Kisii Stone Plate Centers a Room
Another striking choice when decorating with African art is a kisii stone plate. This material is also known as soapstone. A multicolored effect is created by applying natural dyes to the surface of the stone. The stone absorbs the colors, making a kisii stone plate a wonderful option for decorating with African art. The piece can be hung on a wall or displayed on a table or a shelf using a stand.
Supporting African Artists
Another great reason for decorating with African art is that by buying these pieces, you are supporting the talented artisans who created them. Artists put their heart and soul into the items they draw, paint, weave, or fashion; and we give them a wonderful acknowledgment for their efforts by buying these items. The artist also benefits from the financial support we provide to them by buying their artwork.
Any decorative element you choose speaks loudly about your inner spirit, tastes, and style. Decorating with African Art gives you the chance to express your flair, passions, or social commentary without uttering a single word.
