Decorative Painting Techniques to Jazz up Your Space

Tired of plain, boring walls? Faux finishes are a great way to jazz up your space with little cost or effort. Here are a few of the most popular finishes.

Sponging: Of all faux finish techniques, sponging is the easiest, even children can do a somewhat messy reproduction of this technique. In order to sponge, you must first paint the entire area one base color. After this coat dries, then you can take a sponge or even a plastic bag, dip it in paint, and apply the paint randomly to the walls. Although this is a random process, you want to be careful not to get any one area of the wall extremely dark or leave it extremely light or your eye will be drawn to that spot immediately. Sponging is very easy, and for all supplies usually costs between $50-$100, which may also include classes if you want to learn from the professionals.

Combing: Combing is a little more difficult. When combing, you use a squeegee with teeth to comb through the top layer of paint. As with sponging, you want to have a bottom layer so that when you comb there will be a matching layer beneath it. Using a combing technique is also very inexpensive, and you can use the squeegee to make wavy, zigzags, and other designs on the wall.
Glazing: Glazing is actually the product that you put over your first coat of paint. In order to glaze your walls correctly, you should take a class. You may be able to find a home improvement store that offers glazing classes or you may need to talk to a local interior decorator about classes, although these will likely be very expensive. Glazing places a transparent coat over the base coat of paint, making the wall look a bit shiny and transparent. You can use as many coats of glaze as you want to get the desired look.

Trompe-L'oeil: Trompe-L'oeil is French for "fool the eye." This finish fools the eye into thinking that the wall has a marble or granite finish. This is probably the most difficult finish to accomplish on your own. For creating the marble finish, you use a technique very much like sponging, but this one takes a bit more talent. Visit local stores to see if they have classes or tips on achieving this style.

These are the four primary types of faux finishes. The first two are fairly easy, while the latter two are significantly harder. Before attempting any of these, plan well so that you can estimate the cost, and visit your local hardware or design store for classes or helpful hints. Having a buddy to take classes with you or practice with you will make the experience more fun. You can even do one room in your house and then decorate a room in your buddy's house; the fun never ends!

Decorating Nursery Room

The nursery is your newborn’s first room, his own little world: the environment, which in part will influence and shape his personality. As a parent your goal is to provide a surrounding that is comfortable, secure, inviting and cozy.

A functional, safe and stimulating environment precedes aesthetic needs. Here is one illustration for decorating a boy’s nursery. Instead of restricting the color to a single monotonous tone, a variety of bright blues, yellows, reds, pinks and green were selected. According to studies, introduction to bright colors and shapes help stimulate babies’ imaginations. The inspiration for the nursery can be derived from an adorable multi-colored hand hooked rug with animals and alphabets. The animals on the rug provide a theme for the room and form the central focus for design. The motifs can continue with the use of animal mobile overhead, crib bedding, pillows and other accessories.

The furniture should be kept simple. An inexpensive entertainment center can be used as an armoire, which is practical, and most importantly has ample storage. Built in cabinets conceal clutter, help organization and present a neat tidy look. Both the armoire and the cabinet are excellent long-term choices not restricted to age and can be used as the child grows. These furniture items with simple white distressed finish complement varied kids of décor can be alternately used in another room.

Safety precedes any other aesthetic element. The crib and bassinet should be ideally positioned in an area that is away from objects like windows, draperies, blinds or shelves that can cause accidents. One other important thing to consider while placing the crib is to avoid picture frames or any other items that can fall on the baby. The crib can be placed against the wall away from the window with a light mesh canopy hung from the ceiling. The canopy should be securely fastened from a hook to prevent accidents. The canopy with pale yellow hue and ruffle edges adds a delicate touch to the crib. Use a traditional white wicker bassinet with blue gingham ribbon details, which will stand out against the colorful background. The room can have both a bed and a crib and as the baby grows this arrangement will ease the transition from "baby bed" to "big-boy bed." As a concerned parent, it's also nice to have a spot where Mom or Dad can sleep near the baby.

Accessories such as picture frames, lamps and artwork, are a great way to add fun, pattern and color without much expense. Room accessories like distressed white wooden letters hung from blue gingham ribbon add a distinctive, personal touch to the nursery.

When designing a nursery, creating a cute themed room is important but creating an intellectually stimulating, safe, spacious environment should be the central focus. Visit Exquisite Rugs to find unique kids room accessories. Exquisite Rugs has a wide selection of kids rugs in different price range, styles, colors and patterns. A number of kids room accessories like kids decorative pillows, personalized kids room decor, frames and other decor items are available.

Decorating a Child's Room by Yourself

Decorating your child's room should be fun and exciting for all involved. The most important thing to remember when planning or decorating your child's room is to keep the decor age appropriate. You wouldn't want to decorate your 3 year old daughter's room in the same style as your 13 year old daughter's room. That doesn't mean you have to start decorating all over every few years. What it means is that you should strive to create a room that will grow with your little girl /little boy but is age appropriate. Some helpful tips follow.

Get a feel for what colors your child likes. If they are fairly young show them a box of crayons and let them pick out their favorite colors. Use those colors as inspiration for the child's room decor. The older child or children can easily tell you what colors they prefer.

Don't force your style or color likes and dislikes on your children. Despite their young age they are developing their personality's and their rooms are an extension of it. (Of course if they insist on all black walls and Marilyn Manson posters, it's reasonable to say No). The lesson here is to set limits but also to give your child room to create their special place in the home.

Use your imagination (ask your child for input) when painting your child's room. The wall treatments can range from applying a calming and soothing neutral wall color to creating fantastic murals that bring your child's dreams to life. Decoupage is another form of decorative finishes that you can use to create a truly unique and magical child's room.

Furniture themes for your child's room can be: whimsical with butterflies and bees, elegant a la French country style, romantic like a princess inspired theme complete with a half crown above the bed, heroic like a firefighter inspired theme for a boy's room with a fire engine truck for a bunkbed, a charming rustic lodge style complete with log cabin headboard and so many others! You can buy many of these themed furniture pieces or you can create some of them yourself.

Decorating Small Place

“Big Things Come In Small Packages” We’re all familiar with this quote, it’s normally associated with gifts not home decorating, but it should be.

A one or two bedroom house, apartment, condo or townhouse can be just as impressive and grand as something with fifteen bathrooms, Wow, imaging having to clean all those, I have enough trouble with two.

One interesting things I have found from past experience is that decorating a smaller place is actually easier, not to mention less expensive.

Whether your currently living in a small space or downsizing – that’s another one of those trendy “buzz” words, which simply means your moving into something smaller – planning how your going to decorate or redecorate is a good idea.

You may think because it’s smaller, having large pieces is out of the question. Not true, having oversized furniture is not going to make your rooms appear smaller, what it will do is give a warm inviting feeling.

Of course the layout and size of a room will determine how many pieces can comfortably go into it. After all, you may be looking for drama and comfort, but you still need to be able to maneuver around.

This also applies to accessories; it’s better to have a few large dramatic pieces as opposed to a lot of small items, which can tend to turn into clutter and dust collectors.

The exception to this would be with collections. But again you want to have places to showcase them like glass front hutches, cabinets, bookcases or shelves.

Another decorating challenge can be in warming up your new place. This normally can easily be achieved by adding color with paint.

Now that’s all fine and good unless you happen to be renting and your landlord say’s “Paint, oh no”. That’s OK, color can be added in a number of other ways.

Several examples: Window treatments - Furniture fabric -Accent pillows - Area rugs - Wall art - Plants & Flowers

Storage can be another issue in a smaller space, there just never seems to be enough.

If you’re buying new furniture or deciding on which pieces to bring from your current home, look for ones that can perform double duty.

For example: Instead of the standard coffee table, look for one with a flip top or shelves underneath. Cedar chests, blanket chests or trunks can also be substituted.

Place an armoire intended for the bedroom in the living room it’s the perfect storage place for remotes, magazines, extra bedding, kitchen linen or any of those pesky little things you just can’t seem to find a place for.

A small floor cabinet you might have used in a bathroom can become an end table. Most of these come with drawers, shelves or both.

Decorative stacking boxes or even old suitcases not only make for great storage, but they also become terrific accessories.
Plastic storage boxes come in a variety of sizes, colors and are inexpensive.

They can be stacked on shelves in a closet or cabinet, even into drawers. Clear smaller sizes are perfect storage for shoes, winter gloves, pictures or how about extension cords, nails, packages of hooks or hand tools.

Larger sizes can keep extra winter coats, blankets, odd season clothes or seasonal decorations neat and in one place.

Baskets and hampers are another option.

Kids rooms are always in need of extra places for all their treasures, plastic milk crates are perfect for them. They come in many bright brilliant colors. One suggestion, if you are planning on stacking the crates and have small children it would be beneficial to secure them to the wall.

Plastic shelving units, which can be found in most discount stores, are perfect for mounting on the backs of doors or on the wall in closets.

These come in especially handy in the kitchen for holding extra soda bottles, canned goods, paper towel etc.

Well, I think you’ve gotten the idea, look around and use your imagination; you will be surprised with what you can come up with.

Moving into and decorating a small space can be challenging, but with a little planning it can be just as beautiful as any large house. And in the end, size really doesn’t matter, if it’s filled with the people and things you love, then you have successfully created a home.

Tuscany Decorating Style

Earthy colors and natural materials are two basics for the "old world" style of decorating. To get an idea of the colors we're talking about, go for a walk outside and take notice of the beautiful colors around you, the blue sky, the golden sun, even the chocolate brown of mud in the springtime. Ok, so you don't have a view of the blue/green Mediterranean Sea but you've seen pictures of it haven't you? On that walk, stroll through the produce department of your local grocery store and note the dark purple eggplants, the red peppers, yellow lemons, green olives. These are some of the colors you'll want to consider for your Tuscany decorating. Natural materials will include wood (think rustic, sturdy type furniture), tile (colorful ceramic for wall accents) natural stone for flooring and unpolished metals such as copper, tin, or pewter for accents.

You probably already have some Tuscan influences in your home. Iron scrollwork brackets, terra cotta planters (more about these later), fruit themed artwork, colorful pottery, copper, tin, pewter items, tapestry wall hangings - what was old is new again! Check your garage, attic or flea markets for some of these items.

What could be simpler than lining a sunny windowsill with some pretty little terra cotta pots with Italian herbs (oregano, basil, sage, etc.)? Do you have a section of old wrought iron railing that once graced your front porch? Bring it in, clean it up and get creative. Maybe you could use it for a pot hanger in the kitchen or hang it on the wall for a decorative accent in the family room. How about that old leather trimmed trunk? It may make a great coffee table or storage area. Since colorful tile work is essential for the Tuscan style, how about making your own mosaic masterpiece? Just break up a few pieces of old china, (use safety goggles), apply it with tile adhesive to a terra cotta planter, old vase or whatever you choose, let it dry for 24 hours, grout it and wipe down with a damp sponge.

If you're redoing your walls, a simple way of getting that time-burnished stucco look is to use Venetian plaster, which is simply drywall compound mixed with latex paint. First, paint the walls a Tuscany color such as gold, cream or even a terra cotta red. Then spread the plaster over the wall in varying thicknesses - let some of the painted wall show through. Then, you can seal it with a latex sealer if you wish. Or, you may want to check out wallpapers that imitate this look.

Keep in mind, the whole idea is to create a warm, comfortable "lived in" look and you'll get it using these ideas and some of your own.

How to Decorate Book Shelf

If you have book shelves in your home, and lots of books, you've probably discovered that bookends don't always keep everything in order. Sometimes your collection of books on the shelf are just too much for the bookend to hold.

Here's a great tip that also doubles as a wonderful decorating idea: Use curtain rod finials as your bookends! A finial is a carved or shaped decorative detail used as ornaments to spruce up all sorts of items in a room. Curtain rod finials are used to make curtain rods more decorative, and also to keep curtains from sliding off the ends of the rods. Regular architectural finials are often used as enhancements to a room's decoration and style. Sometimes you'll see them for instance, at the top of a staircase post or on the tops of bedposts.

Curtain rod finials usually come with a screw set inside. All you have to do is drill a starter hole in your bookshelf, then screw the finial into place. You can also use standard wood glue on the bottom of the finial, to be sure it stays in place at all times... by doing so of course though, you won't be able to change the finials to a different style later.

If your curtain finial doesn't match the shelf, or you bought it unfinished, simply paint, stain or varnish it to fit your room and shelf decor.

Take this decorating tip even further by buying finials of different sizes, shapes and colors. Then change them with the seasons, each time you want a fresher, different look to the room, or each time you re-decorate completely.

Alternatively of course, you can simply buy a plain architectural finial without the screw already in place - then just glue that into place on your book shelf.

Start shopping around for decorative and unusual finials today, and get your bookshelves all spruced up for spring!

How to Decorate Child's Room in a Simple Way

When it comes to decorating a child's room, your approach should be much different from decorating an adult bedroom.

For kids, their bedroom is where they play games, read, listen to music, day-dream, or just go to be alone sometimes. So use these eight strategies to help create a space that will make you both happy:

1. Talk to your child. Find out what activities and fantasies he or she enjoys; what their favorite color is; and what's unique about their personality that a theme could be built around.
2. Allow your child to help. Let them have a say about colors, fabrics, and how they want to display their collectibles.
3. Make the room multi-functional. Since children use their room for many activities besides sleeping, it should have several different zones, such as a play area, reading area, and entertainment area.
4. Make storage a priority. Try shelving, large decorative wicker baskets, plastic see-through containers, and closets that contain plenty of shelving and racks.
5. Keep window treatments simple. Avoid long draperies. Shades, blinds, and shorter curtains are safer choices. The fabric should be versatile, and patterns should be repeated in other items in the room, such as in pillows, quilts, lampshades, bed ruffles, etc.
6. Choose the right lighting. A child’s room should include both task lighting for homework and reading, and soothing light for quieter times. A nightlight is also important.
7. Use wallpaper or paint to add color and texture. You can apply whimsical borders along the top edges of the walls, and clouds or stars on the ceiling. Make sure walls are washable, so if you are using paint, choose a semi-gloss or gloss finish. Kids love bright colors, but you should limit any strong color to only one wall.
8. Allow your child to select the design theme. Here are just a few: firehouse fun room, starry night, angels, rainbows, unicorns, baseball, a bedroom for a princess, underwater scenery, outer space, race cars, airplanes, trains, jungle motifs, wizards and dragons, and dinosaurs.

Decorating with your child offers a great opportunity to display your playful side, while doing some memorable family bonding, so have fun with it!

How to Emphasize a Decor Style

After searching decorating books, using trial and error decorating, and growing up a little bit, you have finally found the style of decorating that you really love. Your style could be Arts & Crafts, French Country, Asian, or Metro Hip.

Now that you have identified a décor style, the challenging part may now be to implement that style and make it substantial enough so others will notice.

There are seven simple elements that will really help you emphasize this great look.

1. Choose a focal point that will reflect your décor style.
This signature piece is usually the most dominate item you see and sets the tone of the room. If this piece is not your specific style, the room will not look its best. An example could be a beautiful Queen Anne armoire for a Classic Traditional style or a large rustic log mantel for the Mountain Lodge look.

2. Use colors that are common to that specific style.
Different décor styles are usually shown with a collection of colors that are prominent for that palette. Make sure your room has those colors. For example, French Country is well known for its pretty yellows and blues. Americana Style would not be the same without red, white and blue.

3. Collect in a theme that emphasizes that style.
Every ones needs a conversation piece or collection that demonstrates the owner’s personality and interests. A collection also doesn’t need to be large just 3 to 5 objects. Ginger jars for the Asian Décor or cute porcelain teapots to emphasize an English Garden style.

4. Frame an authentic object that is original to the country or era.
This simple task does not have to be expensive. Old Postcards from Italy for your Tuscany Villa Style or wine labels from France for a European Look will add authenticity and personal touch to the décor.

5. Purchase a large coffee table book to demonstrate that décor.
Large beautiful books can subtly emphasis the style you enjoy. The book does need to be a decor books but rather a topic that is related to the style. For example, a Vintage Advertisements for the Shabby Chic look, or Andy Warhol book for the Metro-Modern look.

6. Use plants or flowers that coordinate with the décor.
The greenery can be real or artificial as long as they look healthy. Nothing spoils a designer-look like a dying plant. Use cactus for the Southwestern look or a great palm tree for the Tropical style.

7. Review all you accents and accessories to make sure they blend with your new found style.
By reviewing each element individually to see if it blends (not necessary perfectly matches), you can make sure you have a well-coordinated look. Look for a geometric patterned pillow for a Modern look; search for fringed lampshades for an Old World style.

Remember decorating is a process. Searching for those perfect accessories to emphasize your style is part of the fun. These tips will help you add the style you want to the home you love.

How to Decorate the Powder Room

Typically a small space consisting of just a sink and toilet, you most likely know them by a more common term “half-bath” or “guest bath.

Ever wonder where the term “powder room” came from? It’s derived from Victorian times, when women needed to “powder their noses”.

Why consider them a jewel when it comes to decorating, also why bother decorating them, it is after all only a bathroom.

A bathroom is a room in your home, in fact depending on the number of baths you have it can become a public room, which means from time to time other people besides yourself will be passing through. So why not dress it up, even if guest only use it occasionally make it pretty for you.

Due to their size, a complete make over can be done in as little as a weekend and at little cost. This is also what makes them a jewel; being small you can really have fun decorating them, plus by not requiring a big budget you’re able to change the look more often.

The following are a few ideas to get started with.

Start with the walls. Paint, wallpaper, stenciling what ever treatment you like. With the small size of the room, the cost will be a lot lower.

Here is the perfect opportunity to experiment with bolder colors, some type of theme or maybe you’ve been dying to try one of the many painting techniques.

Using a theme to decorate the bath can be really fun. If your not sure what to use take a look around your home for inspiration. It could be an extension of a collection you may have or a take off on a vacation.

Example of a theme, based on a vacation: Do you love the beach and vacation each year at the ocean? If so here is your inspiration. Use a wallpaper border around the room with shells or boats on it. Hunt around discount stores, flea markets or garage sales for beach related accessories; use a lightweight natural color window treatment. But before you purchase anything new, take a walk around the house, if you love the beach chances are you may already have items that you can use.

Add some sparkle with a new light fixture, mirror or towel racks in finishes of chrome, gold and bronze.

With limited floor space, look for storage solutions that perform double duty. Shelves with a towel rack provide not only a place to hang pretty towels; it’s the perfect place for extra toiletries and accessories.

New flooring can add drama however; if this is not currently in the budget an area rug in a bold color or a geometric pattern will do the trick.

Of course a complete make over is not always necessary, sometimes just simple changes could be all that’s needed. How about a vase of fresh flowers, some new towels, a whimsical piece of art or new window treatments.

Have some fun - get creative – and turn that often passed over half-bath into something special. Let it become the jewel in your home decorating projects box.

Decorating with a Hawaiian Style

Hawaii is a first choice travel destination with millions of people - and for good reason. Bring a little of that island feeling into your home, either indoors or in your outdoor living space. You can apply this theme to an elegant dinner party, a fun and funky luau, or anything in between.

1. First, look at the space itself, including floors, walls, roof or ceiling.

Texture
Think natural materials. Try bamboo matting on the floor. It's fairly inexpensive, very durable and easy on the feet. For a roof or large patio umbrella, consider palm leaf thatch.

Color
Choose rich vibrant colors inspired by island vegetation: hibiscus red, bird of paradise orange or palm tree green. Use pineapple and mango colored accents. Bright navy or marine blue makes an effective background.

2. Next, add the furniture. Again, natural materials are best. For example, raffia table skirts and rattan or bamboo furniture are a fast way to create that island atmosphere. If you're using indoor dining chairs or resin patio chairs and want an elegant feel, consider slipovers made of a fabric with a Hawaiian print.

3. Now add lighting. Real flame, whether in candles or bamboo torches, will give you the most authentic look.

4. Last but not least, accessorize.

Motifs
When you think of Hawaii, you probably imagine palm trees swaying in the breeze, brightly colored exotic flowers, or maybe even hula dancers and surfboards. Each of these is an example of a motif.

Choose one motif and run with it, or mix a couple. Motifs with a common theme (such as Hawaii!) can be easily tied together by style or color.

Once you've picked a motif, you'll find lots of ideas for adding it to your room. From windsocks and stepping stones to tablecloths and salt & pepper shakers, the list of thematic accessories you can find is seemingly endless.

Don't overdo it though. Sometimes less is more, especially if you're decorating for a full season of living in the theme.

Music
Music is a powerful mood setter. CDs of traditional or contemporary island tunes can provide backdrop to conversation, or liven up the fun and games.

So pass around the leis and go Hawaiian in your outdoor space.

Decorating Your Cabins and Lodges using Rustic Decor

People come to your lodge as much for the lodge experience as for the hunting and the fishing. With rustic decor, you can exceed their expectations. Here are some tips for keeping your lodge fresh and up-to-date.

Rustic bedding - keeping it in season

One way to keep the rooms in your lodge up-to-date is to rotate the rustic bedding that you use. Change out your rustic bedding sets with the seasons: deer for one season, fish for another, and big game for yet another.

If you want to change the look of your bedrooms quickly and easily, keep 2-3 different bedding sets on hand for each room. If you have hardwood floors in your cabins and rooms, multiple area rugs would also be a good idea. They'll keep the floors from freezing bare feet in the colder months, and they're another piece of rustic decor that you can change out with the seasons.

You can also bring the outdoors in with your rustic decor. Is your lodge in the mountains? Look for bedding with mountains and pine trees. Do your cabins border a river area? Look for fish and river scenes in your rustic decor.

Rustic decor for windows and walls

The windows need love, too. Find curtains and valances that match your rustic bedding, either in the same pattern or a complementary one. It will keep the windows from looking bare, and also afford guests more privacy. It will also give them a way to shut out the sun, should they decide to sleep in.

You can also use area rugs as rustic decor wall hangings, if you have some with good outdoor scenes on them. Blankets with scenes also work well for this. They're a little warmer and more natural than a picture, which will go well with your rustic theme.

Expanding rustic decor - beyond the bed and walls

What knick-knacks do you have, or can you build, that can decorate your rooms? Antlers? Fish? Picture frames? Turkey calls? It's all right if things are a little mismatched; it just adds to the informal charm, which is ultimately the goal of rustic decor.

Think comfort. Invite people to kick back and relax, enjoying the laid-back atmosphere that you've cultivated. Help them get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and daily life. Fireplaces with big, comfy furniture, soft, fluffy pillows, numerous blankets, unfinished wooden tables: all of these add to the mood, which encourages people to kick off their shoes and take a break for awhile.

People may be there to hunt, but with rustic decor, you can make sure that your lodge is the perfect place for them to relax after a long day in the woods or on the river.

Decorating Bedroom using Winnie the Pooh Theme

Decorating a baby's room, while awaiting for baby is a lot of fun, and Winnie the Pooh is one of the most amusing, pleasing, loved by children, character. This article will give you tips and a few tricks on how to find great deals on Winnie the Pooh bedding.

Choosing Winnie the Pooh as a theme for your child's room is something you will never regret. First if you do not yet know the gender of your baby, it will be great regardless whether you have a boy or a girl.

We all know and love Winnie the Pooh, from the Hundred Acre Woods and all his friends, it has been a favorite since 1926 when the first book was written by author A. A. Milne, to amuse his child Christopher.

You can find dozens of Winnie the Pooh themed bedding sets. Some have strong and bright colors, while others are more subdued and tend toward pastels, so regardless of your baby's bedroom you will find the colors that can make it stand out. Individual items that are available to complement you Winnie the Pooh bedding sets are comforters, dust ruffles, crib bumpers, throw pillows, curtains and more. You can also purchase material with Winnie the Pooh prints in sewing shops and make your own if you are handy.

Getting a great deal for Winnie the Pooh bedding sets and accessories is easy on line. First there is a wider choice of selections than you can find in a local shop, and in minutes you can locate the perfect item and compare prices and shipping costs, while you might have to waste a lot of time and gas trying to do the same in your own town.

It can be a good idea to buy all your themed decorating elements at one time. By buying the items one at a time, you might run the risk of not finding the perfect match at a later date. In addition it usually saves money on shipping as sellers will often discount shipping on multiple items, some even offer free shipping when you reach a certain amount.

How to Treat Kitchen Window

Choosing the right kind of kitchen window treatment for your home is actually more of decision that is made according to how you want your kitchen to look or what atmosphere you want your kitchen to have. There are a number of window treatments you can use for your kitchen windows. Here are some ideas you might want to use:

Minimalism - some people do not use the usual curtains that one may see in older kitchens. You often see them using just plain valances in solid colors or simple roman shades that can be easily pulled up to let some light in. You can also find some people using simple swags, often without the jabots that hang on the ends, to simply give their windows some additional color without really covering up their windows with too much fabric.

Functional - there are some people who opt for functional window treatments over style or being fashionable. Certain home owners use shades, venetian blinds and vertical blinds to help give them control over the amount of light they let into their kitchens. These kinds of window treatments are not as attractive as their fabric counterparts or their more decorative sisters, but they do serve the purpose their owners want them to serve.

Colors - when you want your kitchen to look bigger, you should opt for a kitchen window treatment that comes in lighter colors like pastels or white. For a more sophisticated appeal, choose darker and more sedate colors for your kitchen's windows. Want a homier atmosphere? Choose fabrics that often bring back memories of home like gingham and floral patterned curtains or valances in bright colors.

Adding Curves - if you find that your kitchen is full of too many angles with the square cabinets, rectangular appliances and cornered tabletops and counters, you can soften this with the use of curves in the window treatments you choose. Choose to incorporate swags that are curvier and valances that are not as straightforward or as plain as some valance choices are. You can also choose to add pleated valances and throw scarf jabots and swags to help soften your kitchen's harsh angled look.

How to Pick and Blend Colors?

If you feel helpless when it comes to picking and blending colors, your answer could be as far away as your nearest pillow. Check out this quick way to create a color scheme for your home with our PICK - SEE -LMD method.

PICK a Pattern: Starting with a pattern is the easiest way to create a color palette for your decor. Choose a pattern from any object you already have and love such as a pillow, picture or piece of furniture. This will be your color palette !

SEE 3 Colors: Select a light, medium and dark color from your pattern to be used as your foundation. You may want to go to a hardware store and select color chips from the paint department that match your pattern to carry with you in case you come across a great find and need to know if it matches.

LMD: Light, Medium and Dark - How you use these colors can affect the overall appearance of your room.

Light- Is the Background- this is usually easy to achieve since most rentals are equipped with light to off-white walls.

Medium- Large furniture and windows - Since the color of these objects will blend with the above lighter selection, the medium furniture will ground the room and give it a foundation.

Darker- Accessories. Since your eye is drawn to a darker more intense color you will be able to arrange you accessories in a manner to guide the eye flowing through your room.

PICK - SEE - LMD a formula to live by.

Bringing a Warm Feeling to Your Living Room

Your living room is a space in your home that should be warm and welcoming. It's a room where you will probably spend a lot of time with other family members and it's likely that you'll want others to feel happy to visit. Creating the right atmosphere isn't always easy, but it's certainly possible.

At this point, you may be worrying about money. You may wonder whether you can possibly afford to carry out all of the work that's needed to create a room that does everything that it should. If this does reflect your thoughts then you may be pleasantly surprised to hear that making living room improvements doesn't have to cost as much money as you might think.

There are a number of ways that you can create the right atmosphere without spending a lot of many. Don't forget that many items of furniture and accessories can be found quite cheaply, especially if you're happy to buy second hand items. That means that you could get hold of everything from a coffee table to a television stand at a low price.

You can also use the internet to identify the best bargains, particularly on products that have been falling in price in recent years. Items like electric fires, stoves and specialist lighting can all make a real difference to the appearance of your living room, but they don't mean that you'll have to spend a lot of money.

Being creative and flexible in your thinking can certainly help, ensuring that you end up with a great room that can really appeal to all. If you're worried about spending too much then you could even consider scaling back you plans. You'll often find that it's possible to really transform the room without having to buy quite so many expensive items.

Decorating Home Office to Increase Productivity

Research shows that a person's attire affects their work performance. Dressing professionally causes the mind to engage a serious business attitude, increasing productivity. Many managers in offices that have adopted a "Casual Fridays" dress code will confirm that the leisure attire induces a leisure attitude causing a decrease in production. If you have a home office, you more than likely have noticed the difference in how much you accomplish when you dress up in professional attire because of a client meeting compared to when you work in sweat pants and slippers because no one will see you.

Likewise is the affect of your surroundings in your office at home. How productive can you be when your computer sits on a wobbly press-board table and you keep moving piles of papers around because you don't have enough file cabinets to store them in? How easy is it to refer to a client's invoice if it is kept in a box that is better suited for storing Christmas ornaments in the garage?

Now picture yourself opening the door to your home office and seeing a custom built office designed to take full advantage of the space available. Does your perfect office have maple, cherry, or some other wood tone? Customized work surfaces in the perfect size and shape for optimal work performance? Storage and filing cabinets that are built to maximize limited space while permitting effortless locating of those client's invoices once relegated to storage boxes? Shelving or cubby holes that are within easy reach or hidden behind tidy cabinet doors? The possibilities of a personalized custom designed office are endless. The only limit is imagination.

Lucky for you, it is not limited to your imagination but that of the company you choose to install your new furniture. Select a licensed company that has many years of experience and offers free design consultation. Ideally they will have a design showroom for you to view examples of their previous design work. Once you have an idea of the style you like, the designer will work with you to prepare a 3-D design that meets your own personal needs.

Once your new home office furniture has been professionally installed, you will be amazed at how its functionality enables you to work more efficiently. The efficiency of being able to locate receipts, invoices, or other important papers on a moments notice will help you save time as well as reduce stress. In fact, your productivity may increase so much that you can wear your bunny slippers to work and still get maximum results.

How to Choose Suitable Colors for Small Spaces?

Colors have humongous power when used appropriately and if you are intending to use interior paint colors for small spaces, you really shouldn't underestimate how important the impact the right color may have. Learning how colors relate to each other is an important step to achieving the finish you dream of. One of the easiest ways of identifying color families is to use a color wheel. This will provide you with thousands of permutations of color, with tones and hues that you would never have considered would blend together. The first step to choosing any interior paint colors for small spaces is to decide those colors you can live with and, more importantly, those you wouldn't dream of giving house room to.

The Color Spectrum
Every color has an associated hue and a tone: when choosing crimson red, for instance, the hue is red. However, tone is especially important as it reflects the intensity of the color and gives emphasis to the color's density: it creates depth. The color spectrum runs from white at one end of the spectrum to black at the other end of the spectrum. This measures the amount of light that is absorbed by that color. The saturation calibration, on the other hand, reveals the amount of light that is reflected back - we see this as the purity and boldness of the color.

The importance of understanding color is because of the way that color affects our moods and when it comes to considering interior paint colors for small spaces, allocating the most suitable color, tone and hue will give the impression of more space as well as the ambiance you are attempting to create. You may want a warm room or conversely, you may want a room that is completely neutral: choosing white is not the way to do it as white is much too stark and creates an ambiance all of its own.

Colors to Look Good In
A tiny room can seem to be enlarged by the application of icy blues and soft creams: the illusion of light gives your rooms the appearance of being brighter and lighter due to the walls reflecting light from them and maximizing the natural daylight. Not only will these interior paint colors for small spaces provide an airy look, the way you use these paint colors will increase the impression of space. You can use darker colors to paint around the walls' borders and trims or you can pain you wall trims and moldings in a lighter color than your walls. This latter choice will make your room seem to be bigger due to the walls appearing to recede and look further back than they are.
Don't forget the psychological aspect of color - and the fact that you have to live with the color you finally choose. Different colors will alter your mood and will have an effect on how you view life around you: you can be lulled into tranquility or quiver with rage according to the colors you choose around you. Once you have decided on your color scheme, keep it simple. To maximize the impact of interior pain colors for small spaces, choose just one or two colors to bring out the feeling of space.

Wall Mural in Your Child’s Room

All children have fantasy characters and times and places that they adore. Whether they are a boy or a girl, kids are going to love having a wall mural on their room. This mural can portray anything your child is interested in. They are going to feel like they are in another world when they have a mural to look at and enjoy right in their own room.

There are many artists who have dedicated their art careers on doing wall murals in homes. One of the most popular rooms to have a wall mural painted on is the children's room. Children just love having these life size paintings on their wall.

If your child loves medieval times, you can have a castle and some knights and dragons as the theme for the mural. You can go two ways with this. You can make it look like it is a cartoon, or you can have it painted to look realistic and true to life.

Some children have favorite video games that they like to play. You can have a scene from their video games as the main topic of the mural. You can even have them painted into the scene wearing their favorite characters clothes and made to look like a cross between the character and your child.

There is no end to the ways a wall mural can transport your child to another time, continent or even places not of this world. The only limitation is your or your child's imagination.

How to Cover the Dining Room Chairs?

Dining Room Chair Covers are a basic and easy way to modify the appearance of any dining room chair. The main plus is that they are really simple to put on and remove. The main use is to cover the surface of the chair encase of accidents, which inevitably happen while entertaining. Dining room chairs mostly seem to get worn more than others because they are used day in day out this is why some Dining Room Chair Covers are a good investment.

Covers are also used to obscure any older furniture that could have witnessed improved days.

The price of replacing chairs can be very pricey, so more affordable choice is to get a flashy cover to put over it. Lots people enjoy swapping their decorations around throughout the different times of the months, and mash things up slightly, normally by moving the location of furniture, and by getting in new patterns. Dining Room Chair Covers allow for changes in decor in just minutes, they are also perfect for special occasions and friends that are visiting they will see how much your dining room has completely changed. And you will be the only one who knows how little it cost Dining Room Chair Covers really are a good investment.

Every different shape and size of chair has its perfect cover that will fit spot on even arm chairs and recliners have that perfect cover. All you have to do is get the tape measure out and measure the height and widths and so on of the chair so you know the dimensions before you get a cover, you will then know the size of the cover that will be the perfect fit. Two piece covers allow alto more options and can provide a spot on fit, hopefully without marking and stretching.

As before, getting the dimensions correct will make a better and more quality end result.

Some of the covers are made to be a more common fit, they can easily be made to work with most chairs. The end result is less effective than with custom made covers, they could be helpful if you are in a rush and want a fresh of look quickly. If you have neutral flat colors inside your rooms for example plain white sides, then almost any style will fit right in. There are many different styles for sale out there, and they can give a very fresh look. If you take a trip to any DIY store, you get lots of brilliant ideas from the staff they should have a lot of knowledge and tend to be helpful, there are so many different Dining Room Chair Covers out there.

How to Dress up Your Bedroom?

So you've finally moved into the new place, and most everything is unpacked and in its place. Your bedroom has a lovely new comforter with matching shams and coordinating curtains, but something is missing. There's no warmth. You know, the cozy feeling you get when you walk into a room and it feels like home.

Outside the temperatures are dropping and more than ever you want your bedroom to be comfortable. Not just a place to sleep, but a haven for your well deserved quiet time. If your room tends to be on the cool side, cut the chill with an electric fireplace. They're available in all different sizes and styles and along with providing extra warmth, help to create an inviting atmosphere.

Adding subtle aromas instantly effects your mood and senses as you enter a room. Air fresheners, scented sticks or burners are all simple ways to accomplish this. Eucalyptus, lavender evoke a calming feeling, vanilla or cinnamon take you back to mom's home baking, and pine fragrances have more of an outdoor effect. A fresh bouquet of flowers, especially in the dead of winter, helps to absorb stale air and create a welcoming feeling.

When it comes to bedding, pick out a set you really love and use it as your focal point. Add coordinating pillows, shams or bedskirts, and spend the extra money for a thick duvet or mattress pad. You'll be spending a considerable amount of time in your bed, make it comfortable and inviting.

If you have hardwood or other solid flooring, accessorize with a corresponding area rug to warm up your tootsies.

Window coverings should cover enough to give you privacy and keep out the bright morning sun, but also provide warmth and character. If you have blinds, add some sort of fabric in the form of side drapes or a valance. Shades made from a contrasting fabric also does the trick.

Place a comfortable chair in the corner of the room with a lamp and small table. Ideally, place in front of a window with a view. This is your getaway, for reading, meditation or just spending a few moments to yourself.

Hang photos of friends and family or reserve a drawer or box for special souvenirs that you can look back on from time to time. With most of our pictures being digital these days, electronic photo frames make lovely accent pieces that you'll never tire of watching and adding to over the years.
When it comes to lighting, how many bedrooms do you see with a single overhead fixture stuck up against the ceiling intended to light the entire room? Strategically place floor lamps or sconces in areas where you'll be reading. Vary the lighting depending on your mood with dimmer controls. If your bed is the focal point, recessed lighting near the head of the bed with separate snooze controls can be very effective.

To accent artwork or different areas of the room, track lighting is extremely flexible and easy to use.

Music goes a long way to creating a relaxing atmosphere; whether it be for background music, waking up or dozing off to sleep. Every bedroom should come equipped with a stereo or iPod stand just for this purpose.

Decorate Your Room in Aristocratic Style

If we talk about maintaining the glamour element and aesthetic appeal of a room or any other part of a house, then the first name that comes to the mind is of this particular tile, particularly for its quality. It also improves the lighting aspect of the room in which it is placed due to its extremely reflective nature. Onyx is basically found in mountains and is formed by nature after the evolution of millions of years under the optimum temperature.

It has been used by the architects in the cultural epitomes in a large scale such as in churches, temples, mosques and palaces to get the aristocratic design. Hence, nowadays in the most popular tourist spots we find the use of Onyx tiles. It gives the unique identity of the building and in this respect; it is totally different from other.

Coming back to the quality of these tiles, it is precisely for the same treason that they are used in places like fireplace, bar tops, walls etc. which gives the assurance to the builder for the replicative nature. Besides all this, onyx tiles are also used for cladding, counter tops, exterior, interior, table tops. In case of these tiles, you can find the following colours-dark green onyx, green onyx, light green onyx, white onyx, multi green onyx, red onyx, brown/golden onyx.

One can also reshape the finish tile by combining the honed or polished marvel tiles which multiplies the beauty to the form. However, it is dainty in nature and you have to be conscious about things like cleaners, ketchup, lemons, alcohols, heavy playing things of the children etc. Further, its having acidic content also harms the surface of the tiles.

Anyway, after looking at its quality, we may ignore the demerits because nothing is permanent in this universe. So, using the onyx tiles you make your home the place of art and happiness.

How to Decorate Your Home?

Step 1: Pick a motif and go with it! Don't pair your childhood bedspread with a new wrought iron bed and lace curtains. Choose colors that remind you of things you love. For example, my bedroom is all done in tan and pastels, because those colors make me feel like I'm in a spring meadow. Other favorite motifs include ocean, fall or sunset. Make it the vibe that fills the room. This mean not just your bedding, but also any framed artwork or standing decorations should go with the motif.

Step 2: Make it smell yummy! A room with a pleasant, inviting fragrance is a great start to creating that special space where you go to escape. Choose scented candles in your favorites smells. Vanilla is always relaxing and tantalizing. Another choice: incense. It comes in limitless scents, and you can be constantly changing your scented sticks to match your mood. Plus, incense holders are decorations in themselves. They can be wooden or ceramic, and some even come in statue form, so pick one that goes along with the motif you've selected! If you're not up for burning, then go with a nice air freshener or plug in to give your space the smell that makes you come running.

Step 3: Make it soft! Your bedroom is the place where you should feel the most comfortable, so make it your own nest. You should hardly be able to hold back from cuddling up in your soft bedspread (I recommend down!) and pile of overstuffed pillows. Also, a soft, cushy rug beside the bed is the perfect way to start your day of on the right foot.

Step 4: Get rid of the mess! Nothing kills a good mood like walking into a cluttered room. Your place of relaxation should not be polluted with dirty clothes on the floor and piles of things "to be put away." If you take the attitude that your room is your paradise, and when in it you should feel spoiled, you won't want to leave yucky messes lingering among your goodies. Invest in plastic crates that slide easily under the bed or in the closet for out-of-sight storage.

Step 5: Personalize! If someone else entered your room they should know you live there. Fill it with things you love. Whether you like artsy decorations or plant life or black and white collages of you and your loved ones, surround yourself with the things that make you feel happy!

Decorating Your Home in Economic Way

Here’s a step by step.
1. Choose the room you want to give a new look.

2. Decide on the type of change you would like. Do you want it brighter, lighter, more sophisticated, or more casual? Do you want to give it a contemporary flavor or make it a bit exotic?

3. Take a good look at what is in the room and decide what doesn’t fit the new look/theme that you chose. What is worn out, out of place or out of proportion?

4. Assess the room: Stand in each doorway and in each corner of the room and give it a good hard look. Would the furniture look better on an angle? What is the traffic pattern? You don’t want furniture sitting in the way of how you need to move about the room. Most of us can’t afford to have a room that just sits and looks pretty. A well designed room works for you.

5. Make a list of the items you want to keep and measure them.

6. Take a buying trip through your house and see what you can use from other rooms. One very important suggestion: double check measurements and colors of the pieces you have “bought” from other rooms. If you want to expand a little, there are frequently friends or relatives who have pieces in their homes they would like to get rid of, so if you don’t have quite what you like, check the family cast offs. Note: You might find you need to freshen your walls with a coat of paint or cover a chair or sofa with a slipcover or purchase new lampshades, but expense should be kept at a minimum, or you defeat your purpose.

7. Once you have your look and know what pieces are available to you, put it all on paper. You need to have a plan, because you could lose your ‘willing’ helpers if they have to move a sofa 6 or 7 times to get the right look because you didn’t do your homework. Pay special attention to electrical and cable outlets, heat and air vents and doors and windows. Lighting is important and unless you’re trying the hard way to keep the kids out, you want to be able to get in and out of the room easily and move around comfortably in it.

8. Clear your room. Take the unnecessary pieces and accessories away and put the pieces you want to keep together in another room.

9. It’s time to paint the walls and clean the windows and woodwork if needed. Shampoo carpets, wash floors and make sure your background is sparkling and clean.

10. If there are any small items you are going to need to purchase to complete the look, go do it while everything is drying. DO NOT go shopping without a list. You have your plan and you know what accessories you need to complete your look. The easiest way to get off budget and end up with clutter is to go without a list.

11. When the paint and floors are dry, place rugs on the floor (before you move in the furniture). It is also easier to do window treatments now while the room is empty. They can be adjusted later.

12. Gather your helpers. Move in the larger pieces of furniture. Add your smaller pieces such as tables and ottomans and then bring in the accessories.

13. Lamps are very important, so make sure they are located where they will work the best. Don’t under light your room.

14. Hang your pictures and adjust window treatments.
A note: less is more. An uncluttered room will give a more of an impression of newness then one with too much of everything.

15. Enjoy your new room. In fact throw a party and let everyone admire what you’ve accomplished. You’ll be able to afford it with the money you’ve saved.

How to Update Any Room as Quickly as Possible?

Not all home decorating ideas require a heavy investment of time and money. If you're looking for a few affordable home interior decorating ideas to freshen up a room over a weekend, try these ten:

1. Rearrange the Furniture- Pull your furniture away from the walls. Try positioning it at intriguing angles. For example, a sofa arranged diagonally across a narrow living room will make the room look wider.

2. Paint a Wall- Paint one wall your favorite color and make it the focal point. Hang interesting art on that wall and move a nice piece of furniture there. (Note: Make sure that the color is one that is shared with several other objects and fabrics in the room.)

3. Bring in Plants- Greenery always adds a breath of fresh air to a room. If you don't have a green thumb, try silk plants and trees. The quality has gotten so good that its hard to distinguish them from the real thing.

4. Lay an Area Rug- An area rug is a wonderful way of defining a conversation area. Try one that complements the room. Lay it at an angle beneath your coffee table.

5. Hang Pictures or Mirror- Hang pictures that reflect your personality. Try frames that are more ornate. When hanging a mirror, try and position it so that it reflects and nice view or an interesting architectural element.

6. Group Figurines- Pull out your favorite collectibles. Show off your personality. Find a display area and group related objects together, in sets of three or five. Try and vary the shapes.

7. Add Decorative Pillows- The good news about decorative pillows is that they are an easy way to add textures and patterns to a room. Still better, they can be changed to jazz up a sofa or chair before your room is ready for a major makeover.

8. Replace Lamps- Lamps are probably the one thing in your home that will give others a clue that your room is outdated. Seek out new and fresh lamps that make a statement.

9. Add a Throw or Afghan- Similar to decorative pillows, throws and afghans add texture to your furniture. They come in all kinds of natural and man made fabrics. Find a pattern and style that you like.

10. Eliminate Clutter- Clutter has a way of eliminating the desired mood and effect of any room. Find storage spaces for papers, toys, and other items that take from the personality of a room.

Add Sizzle to Your Home Decoration

Is your home décor lacking that extra something that spells the difference between comfortable and vibrant or between comfortable and tranquil? Candles might be just the polish your décor needs. Take advantage of the sparkling colors, rich textures, and fresh scents of candles without draining your decorating budget.

Some candles are best unadorned, but candleholders offer an additional opportunity to highlight their presence and beauty. You don't have to burn the candles; you can use them as objects d'art, incorporating them into displays, floral arrangements and centerpieces—alone as an accent piece, or in a grouping as a focal point.

Typical candles no longer exist—they belong to a bygone era. Tapers gave way to thick and varied heights long ago. Today, you'll find square candles, heart-shaped candles, fruit and vegetable candles, gingerbread candles, floral candles, Christmas tree and ornament candles, and candles with artistic free-flowing shapes. Within that variety of shapes, you'll find an endless array of adornments, such as beads and glitter, straw, botanicals embedded in the wax, still life scenes, etc.

Color, Shape and Texture
Today's candles come in a wide variety of hues and shades, and many add the dimension of shape and texture to their composition. Marbled, frosted, and sculptured candles are widely available in a selection of sizes, shapes and prices—ranging from votives to thick, oversized candles.

If your living areas are frozen in time with a monochromatic color scheme—you know the rooms we mean, they looked oh-so-good on paper until you lived in them for a month—use candles to rescue you from the monotony without the expense of redecorating. Marbled candles are a quick and easy way to work complementary or harmonizing color into the room.

If your home utilizes color well, but lacks excitement, accessorize with textured candles to add pizzazz to the room. Position the candles to create a focal point or to add just the right accent. Marbled candles incorporate several hues and shades of the same color, and variegated candles can tie all of the colors in your décor together.

Sculptured candles provide a warm substitute for expensive knickknacks and require a minimum of space. Add smaller sculptured candles to guest bathrooms along with guest hand towels and guest soaps. It's the attention to detail that rolls out the welcome mat for guests and creates the ambiance of a memorable stay.

If you've never used anything but wax candles, try one of the new gel candles. Gel candles are translucent and their shimmering glow is irresistible to the eye. You'll find gel candles ready to display in their own attractive glass containers.

Candles and Fragrance
Scented and aromatherapy candles make an excellent choice for the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. Consider odor-neutralizing scented candles a necessity for the kitchen when you entertain. They serve triple duty by quickly neutralizing cooking odors, adding a pleasant scent and a touch or warmth. Larger scented candles often include interesting texture, shape and color variation.

Candleholders and Display Options
If you use your patio as a three-season outdoor room, float citronella votives in water on the patio for a lily-pads-in-the-pond effect. You'll scare away the mosquitoes and other flying irritants at the same time. Place all citronella candles a few feet from the table so that you don't run off the guests along with the insects.

Votive holders have blossomed into every imaginable shape, including butterflies, bejeweled beveled glass holders, and seascape holders. Many of the votive designs are ideally suited for an outdoor environment.

Hurricane lamps add light and atmosphere to the outdoor table in the evening. Eve lights can produce harsh lighting, and hurricane lamps provide enough light to see without detracting from the atmosphere. When selecting a candleholder for outdoor use, it's important to select one that shields the flame from the wind, and hurricane lamps provide ample protection from the wind.

If you haven't seen the newer tea lamp candleholders, you're not going to believe your eyes. These candleholders are every bit as elaborate and intricate as their electrical counterparts. If you prefer the formal look of a chandelier, consider a chandelier candleholder for a soft, diffused light. The next time a storm or tornado blows through your area, leaving you without electricity, tea lamp, hurricane and chandelier candleholders will be ready and waiting.

Whatever your décor, imaginative use of candles and candleholders allows you to change your décor as often as you change your mood.

Using Home Decor Accessories

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.

How to Decorate a Child's Room

When it comes to decorating a child's room, your approach should be different from decorating an adult bedroom. That's because a child's bedroom should reflect his or her personality and not yours.

For kids, their bedroom is where they play games, read, listen to music, wrestle, display or hide prized possessions, day-dream, or just go to be alone sometimes. So try these eight strategies to help create a space that will make you both happy:

1. Talk to your child. Find out what activities and fantasies he or she enjoys; what their favorite color is; and what's unique about their personality that a theme could be built around. Then work their interests into a design that will make them feel comfortable, happy, and safe.

2. Allow your child to help. Let them have a say about colors, fabrics, and how they want to display their collectibles. The design should be flexible enough to accommodate their changing tastes, needs, and interests.

3. Make the room multi-functional. Since children use their room for many activities besides sleeping, it should have several different zones.
These could include a play area; a reading area; a space to play with friends that's equipped with a radio, CD player, and a TV/VCR; a display area with a wall or corkboard for favorite photos and artwork; and finally, a place for shelving to display collectibles, trophies, and other personal items.

4. Make storage a priority. Containing clutter will be one of your greatest challenges. Try shelving, large decorative wicker baskets, plastic see-through containers, and closets that contain plenty of shelving and racks.

5. Keep window treatments simple. Avoid long draperies. Shades, blinds, and shorter curtains are safer choices. The fabric should be versatile, and patterns should be repeated in other items in the room, such as in pillows, quilts, lampshades, bed ruffles, etc.

6. Choose the right lighting. A child’s room should include both task lighting for homework and reading, and soothing light for quieter times. A nightlight is also important if your child is not comfortable in the dark, and for safety reasons, so they can find their way to the bathroom at night.

7. Use wallpaper or paint to add color and texture. You can apply whimsical borders along the top edges of the walls, and clouds or stars on the ceiling.
It might be wise to make sure the walls of childrens rooms are washable, so if you are using paint, choose a semi-gloss or gloss finish. Kids love bright colors, but you should limit any strong color to only one wall. For example, paint one wall fire-engine red, and the others a soft peach or pink.

8. Allow your child to select the design theme. The choices are endless. Here are just a few: firehouse fun room, starry night, angels, rainbows, unicorns, baseball, a bedroom for a princess, underwater scenery, outer space, race cars, airplanes, trains, jungle motifs, wizards and dragons, and dinosaurs. You can visit our new Web site for a lot more ideas!

Decorating with your child offers a great opportunity to display your playful side, while doing some memorable family bonding. So have fun with it and remember that even if your child's choice in themes seems bizarre, there's probably a way to work out a compromise.

Decorating is about Art

A Little Savvy with Framed Art Prints and Photographs Can Help Successfully Pull a Room Together

Maybe you’re restricted by an older living space with existing furnishings, or overwhelmed by the possibilities a stark new space may offer. Maybe you’re decorating with unlimited funds, or on a shoe string budget. What ever the circumstances, framed art and prints can offer numerous solutions to decorating dilemmas, and they are often key elements in bringing a room together.

To use framed art successfully, as wall décor, color, and grouping, proportions and hanging need to be given careful consideration. Begin by thinking about the feeling or mood you wish to convey. Consider the colors and styles of existing furnishings, you may wish to reinforce, contrast or complement especially those that would be difficult or costly to change, such as flooring or bathroom fixtures. Study the space itself. Is it large and expansive, with high ceilings, or small and intimate?

So, now that you’ve begun thinking about mood, space, color and placement, here are some thoughts about materials and tools. If conservation is an important concern, the matting material should be one hundred percent acid free rag board. This is what museums use. Double mats may work well in situations where you want to maximize an accent color. The accent colored mat is usually placed under the lighter mat so only about one sixteenth to one quarter inch (about three to five centimeters) of it shows. Mats are usually four ply, but thicker, eight ply mats can really draw in the eye. They work best with photos and very small prints. Silk mats may be used in more formal and classic situations. If a mat is not used there are spacers, called fillets that may be used to prevent the piece from touching the glass. This prevents condensation from forming. UV glass does not prevent, but will cut down the amount of fading, over time. Always make sure your mat and frame are not distracting the viewer's eye away. They should compliment the piece, not compete for attention. And, finally, I suggest a level and a good sturdy hammer, if you’re doing the hanging yourself.

Careful hanging, relationships, and grouping will help give a professional look. Unity is most important in bringing a display of pictures, prints and photographs together. Grouping frames for your walls are will give character to the setting. Frames in the same color and finishes unify a collection, even if pictures are of various shapes and sizes. Framing different subjects with the same color mount also helps unity.

Placing all the items you wish to group for a particular wall, on the floor in that room is an easy way to visualize a plan. You can rearrange the items until you are satisfied. Then, step back and check the arrangement, before going to the wall. Remember, a consistent spacing factor between each item is important. Picture cords and large hooks may be hidden under bell cords, ribbons and decorative rosettes. For formal settings, chains can hang pictures on traditional picture rods. Large, bold pictures can be further away, in more open rooms. Small detailed pictures should be hung in intimate halls and baths. The most common error made in hanging pictures is to hang them too high. Standing eye level of an average person is fine for halls and entryways. In living and dinning rooms, pictures should be at eye level when seated.

Celeste is a free lance designer and illustrator who earned her BFA degree, with a major in illustration and a minor in portraiture, from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her works can be found in various corporate and private collections as well as online at The Northern Ohio Illustrator's Society where she serves on the board.

Use Candle Holders to Decorate Your Home

Candle holders are an essential accessory for candles. The first candle holders, made of clay, date back as far as fourth century BC Egypt.

Of course, today we have a wide variety of candle holders to choose from. They are a colorful addition to home décor.

You can find candle holders for any variety of candles, including: tapered, pillar, votive, floating, tealites, birthday, etc.

Candle holders are available to match any style of décor. There are candle holders made from glass, pewter, brass – even some molded out of bamboo or coconut.

Choose decorative plate candle holders on which to set your pillars. Candle holders shaped like small lamps with shades add soft light to any room. There are also many beautiful glass cup candle holders to hold your votive candles.

For your floating candles, choose one of the many fancy bowls as your candle holder. You can even have a ready-made candle holder by choosing a candle in a jar with a decorative lid.

So, add a little flair to your home with some beautiful and scentsational candles and candle holders.

Shabby Chic for Decorating Your Home

Are you ready to redecorate but have a limited budget? Do you have some great furniture but nothing matches? Do you love antiques but not stiff formal decor? Then think Shabby Chic, a fun decorating style that solves all these dilemmas and more.

Shabby Chic is one of the hottest trends in decorating, and for good reason. It is versatile, easy, and inexpensive. Shabby Chic is based on simplicity -- simple color themes combined with your favorite furniture and art.

Shabby Chic can be anything you want it to be, and is a great way to bring your personal style to any room. Most Shabby Chic decor is based on a white-on-white or beige-on-beige theme. Soft pastels are often used as accent colors, but with a little creativity, you can add just about any color you want. A classic example of Shabby Chic would be to cover couches and overstuffed chairs with white slipcovers, whitewash your wood furniture and hang white airy curtains. Then hang your favorite painting or artwork in the most prominent place in the room.

Choose one or two colors in the painting as accent colors, and repeat the colors in throw pillows, flowers, soft throw blankets, and candles. Another great feature of Shabby Chic is the worn and well-loved look. That side table that has an interesting shape but has seen better days is perfect for Shabby Chic. Simply whitewash it and put a vase with flowers on top. Better yet, use an old china teapot or your grandmother's favorite vase for the flowers. It's the little details like this that make Shabby Chic work so well.

If you're on a tight budget, Shabby Chic is a great choice. Make your own slipcovers with any durable white or beige fabric, and cover couches and chairs to match. Pick up interesting accessories at yard sales and flea markets, and paint them all the same shade of white. Pull out your favorite pictures and put them in frames painted white or coordinated accent colors. Throw in a few candles, flowers, and pillows and you’ve got a beautiful Shabby Chic room.

Shabby Chic is also perfect for highlighting single pieces of furniture. Do you have a gorgeous, beloved antique but nothing else that goes with it? Decorate the room in Shabby Chic and let your antique be the center of attention.

Whatever your style, whatever your budget, whatever mismatched furniture you own, there's a Shabby Chic look for you.

How to Balance Your Home Decor?

In our homes, as in other parts of our lives, we are happier when we live with balance and harmony. Just like the rest of our lives, balance in the rooms of our homes is sometimes hard to create.

For many years, decorators and home owners tried to create this physical balance by having pairs of everything: 2 matching end tables, a matched pair of wing chairs, even sets of twin beds in the master bedroom. This certainly created a balanced room. It also created rooms that were sterile, formal and visually boring. In a formal setting or a Federal or Georgian home, this is still the way things should be to look 'right.' Our ancestors valued this perfect balance so highly that they created false doors in hallways so that both sides matched or doors that looked like windows so that the right and left sides of the back of a house matched perfectly. This can still be seen if you go to visit some of our historic homes.

We, however, tend to prefer a more relaxed approach to our homes.

So how do we create a feeling of balance without matched pairs of everything? You can use:

Color
Dark colors have more 'weight' than light colors.

Actual size
Height, depth and width of an object.

Mass
A thick bulky looking object has more ‘weight’ than a fragile, delicate one. Just visualize a blown glass vase and a terracotta pot of the same size.

Number
A group of several like objects in different sizes grouped together creates 'weight.' Think of an assortment of silver candlesticks.

Light
A dark corner has more 'weight' than one filled with light.

If you want to prove this to yourself, gather together a group of assorted objects and use a tabletop/mantel and try out different scenarios. Be sure you have different sizes, colors, textures and shapes. You can put a larger framed picture against one end and a slightly smaller one in front of it. On the other end of your table put a heavy pot. Do the same thing with a matching pot at each end. Try pairing the picture group with an assortment of candles in candlesticks. Each time you create an arrangement, step back and look at it. In fact, if you have a digital camera, take a picture of it. If you do this for a while you will start to get a feel for balance. You can actually give the illusion that the tabletop is tilted slightly by throwing off the visual balance.

The same effect can occur in your room arrangements. If you doubt this, close your eyes and try to 'see' a room in which you felt physically uncomfortable or slightly disoriented even though there was no obvious reason. A room, in which the heavy items are all on one side of the room, almost feels as though the floor tilts. Once you have a feel for balance you can start to create a harmonious home.

Stand in the doorway of any room in your house that you feel isn’t 'right.' What do you see? Does the burgundy chair stick out like there is a spotlight on it? Does the entertainment center overwhelm the room? Do you have a TV and a fireplace battling for focal point? Do your easy chairs look like they were made for children next to your mammoth sofa? Does your fireplace mantel look like you are setting up for a tag sale? Your room is out of balance.

Move the furniture around and try different arrangements until you have one that works. Unless you have a room that is just for show like a Victorian parlor, you need to be able to use the room comfortably. Once the practical set-up is done, look at the room from different angles. If the room is out of balance use color and accessories, plants and pictures, groups of like objects, light and volume to create an illusion of balance.

Try grouping the accessories on your mantels and tabletops. Balance the entertainment center on one side of the fireplace with a tall plant or group of plants on the other. Note: avoid having the tops of everything at the same height. You might as well draw a line around your room. Repeat the color of the chair in pillows, throws, lampshades or the matting around a group of pictures. You really will be amazed at the difference it makes.

We may all be born craving balance but except for the lucky few, we have to learn to achieve it. There is a myriad of books on the subject and it can help to read them and look at the pictures, but the best way to get a feel for balance is 'hands on.' Experiment with portable objects until you get a feel for what works and then enjoy creating your harmonious home.