Posts Tagged ‘Decorating’

Tips to Home Interior Design and Decorating Ideas

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

It may seem rather intimidating to think about decorating your own home. Lots of people just live with things the way they find are. Others get the help of professionals, since they have no clue what they like or what approach to take!

Your home is your personal space. If you need help ask for suggestions, browse through interior design journals or online for inspiration! However, when the time comes to make decisions, they should be yours and your family’s. It’s your home and you should feel comfortable with the choices as you are the one who has to live with the choices!

Take a focal point in your room or the natural pathways. An example of this could be an ornate fire place, architectural features or placement of windows. Make this your starting point and start to design from one of these,

Choose your fabric, flooring and upholstery first, not the paint that you will use on the walls. You can always have paint mixed in any colour to compliment or match your soft furnishings when the time comes.

Don’t try to make things match, this is rarely effective! It is far better to have different textures, patterns such as floral and stripes which will add interest and style to the room.

Try not too make the room look too fussy by covering every surface with your treasures! Select the loves you love the most give them space to be viewed and enjoyed!

Determine which style of window treatments would be most practical and fit in with your design theme. The most common window treatments are blinds such as vertical blinds, or Venetian or traditional styled curtains used on their own or in combination with a blind. Choose the window dressing carefully as they do far more then just dress a window, they give you privacy, light, and insulation. As such they should always be an integral part of the design scheme not left as an after thought!

If you have thread bare carpets you have some great choices! Probably the most cost effective is to buy cheap rugs and cover the ‘bald’ bits! However, this is only a short term measure. Either replace the carpet or opt for the latest design trends and have stripped floor boards if you have wooden floors. The most cost effective way would be to strip the boards yourself, but this can be very time consuming, particularly if the boards are not in very good order or have layers of varnish to remove, in which case it may be advisable to obtain professional advice.

If you live in a modern style home which has concrete floors wood effect laminate floor is worth considering. The cheap rugs you brought can still be used on either of these floor surfaces as they will still coordinate with your soft furnishings.

If your furniture is mismatched or maybe you have inherited it, try to find a way of tying it all in with your room. By adding throws or cushions in coordinating fabric or painting the wood on some pieces of furniture, can achieve the desired effect you want.

Terrys fabrics offer a wide range of curtains, fabrics, http://www.terrysfabrics.co.uk/cat/cushions-throws/>cushions and throws

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in House | No Comments »

Save Money during the Recession (but still have a nice home). Interior Decorating Tips on a Budget

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Even though our country is in a recession, you can still create a great looking home on a budget. In fact, it may even be a better time to redecorate because of all the great deals you can find. Many stores have significantly reduced prices in order to sell more furniture and decor. Homeowners are often selling things because they are looking to make some extra cash. Foreclosed homes are often full of furnishings which are then auctioned off at great prices. You never know where you will find the next great deal! Here are a few more tips to great decorating during a recession:

-Shop at garage sales and find great used furniture for cheap prices
-Look in the clearance section of regular furniture stores. They may have some great deals!
-Check out classifieds and craigslist.com for super deals.
-Use inexpensive ways to re-decorate your rooms, such as with paint, area rugs and ready-made draperies.

For more great budget decorating ideas, purchase Designing on a Budget! This no-nonsense budget decorating book will walk you through learning to design on a dime! Also get great tips on Personal Organizing, Kitchen Decorating on a Budget, and Secrets on How to Sell Your Home Fast.

Garage sale decorating, why not?

Summer is a great time to get outside and have some fun! One great way to save money and get some fresh air is to visit garage sales in your area. Garage sales can be a great way to save money on home decor. You may want to do some pre-screening in your newspaper or on Craigslist to check out the larger garage sales in your area. You can find great bargains on everything from furniture, draperies, accessories, dishware and more!

There are a few key points to remember when doing garage sale decorating:

1. Don’t buy things you don’t need. Have a plan before you go out, and know what specific items you are looking for. Don’t buy things just because they are cheap, otherwise you will just end up with a bunch of “junk”.
2. Look for quality. Many homeowners are just looking to clear out their basement or garage, and are selling items that are otherwise valuable. Others just have a bunch of miscellaneous items that could easily be thrown in the trash. Thy to find that diamond in the rough.
3. Everything is negotiable. Don’t just pay the marked price. Try bargaining with the seller, or try getting them to throw in something extra for the same price. You never know what kind of bargain you may get.

And most of all, have fun out there and stay cool!

For more great budget decorating ideas, check out Designing on a Budget!

Angela Sullivan is a professional interior designer, decorator and author. Sign up for a free decorating newslettter, and download or purchase the book Designing On a Budget at http://www.designingonabudget.com The e-book features a great bonus package with worksheets and kitchen ideas. For great decorating information, articles and resources, visit http://www.houseinteriordecorating.com. Also visit Our Ebook Digital Store for great home, family and business self improvement e-books starting at just $1.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in House | No Comments »

How to make your Home Interior Decorating successful?

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Whenever I think of any design, be it interior design or product design, a few things very naturally come up in my mind. These are in the form of uestions.

The best part is, answers to these questions can give rise to a very successful design in itself. Let’s see how.

If I am planning to design a piece of furniture, let’s say a double bed, immediate I start relating to what I already know about double beds, some picture/image I have already seen, something I have seen in some furniture shop, etc…

Then I start thinking about what material I should think about, the budget, dimensions, age group of people who are going to use it, etc… If you answer these questions one by one on a paper, you will get a blueprint of the design process, so that you can convert in into technical drawings, with all the joinery details and finally the product.

Amongst above mentioned questions some are directly related to function
of the double bed as a piece of furniture.

What does this mean?

When I ask myself, what should be the dimensions of a double bed? I have very little freedom to decide the dimensions of the bed, because there are certain norms to be followed in order to serve it’s basic function and that’s comfort.

But what if I say that I will keep the overall surface area of the bed same , but make it round in plan. Will it be ok..

Now here I am trying to achieve both function and aesthetics, without sacrificing the comfort of the person who will use it. So during any design process there will be times when the designer need to take some decisions where he has to keep aside his wildest ideas and pay attention to function first.

That’s why the true success of an interior design project is a good balance between function and aesthetics.

Expressing this kind of balance through design is not an easy task, because function is universally accepted, but aesthetics, not always.

What does this mean?

Beauty is always relative. A washbasin has a common universal function of an appliance to be used for washing hands, but it’s beauty is relative. What is beautiful for me, might not hold true for you.

So a design expression can have a unique style of the designer himself. It is possible that the designer is more comfortable with certain kinds of materials/finishes/color schemes, etc.. which can reflect in his designs.

In spite of these personal touches a good designs always caters the needs of the user first. A good designer has a certain kind of convincing power in his/her style which he uses to expresses in the design without sacrificing the likes/dislikes of the user.

There are designers who are more comfortable in designing only a certain kind space such as bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms, public spaces such as restaurants, clubs, gymnasiums.

Of course this is entirely of a personal choice, but there is this same message in their designs, shell out your ego and design for the best parameters with worst possibilities taken into considerations. This is what gives birth to a great design.

 http://www.moneybizhome.com/homeimprovement_articles

http://www.interior-design.moneybizhome.com/
Oli works full time as a Market Analyst.He can help you to grow your computer consulting.
http://www.moneybizhome.com/computers

Tags: , , ,
Posted in House | No Comments »

Home Interior Decorating Ideas for Bargain Hunters

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Hunting for home interior design bargains is actually pretty fashionable these days. Many homeowners are interested in making their money stretch as far as possible. And there are many ways to achieve this with home decorating. The big secret to success in home decoration bargain-hunting is to have patience and give it time. The more patient you are, and the longer you look for bargain items, the better bargains you will find for your home.

Some very good places to start when looking for pieces related to interior design are secondhand furniture stores and discount stores. If you are a careful shopper in these kind of stores, you can often come across items such as furniture, linens, accessories and much more at very low, bargain prices. Sometimes you can even come across great deals on household electronics such as televisions and stereo systems. Just be sure that whatever you buy in these stores is still in usable condition, and that the reason it is selling so cheaply is not because it is somehow broken.

Other great potential bargain-hunting spots include yard sales, flea markets, auctions, and even estate sales. You can expect to find plenty of competition at these spots for the very best deals, but it’s still worth making the effort, as you can come across very high quality items at bargain basement prices that just can’t be found anywhere else.

Whatever item or product that you are searching for, be sure to be smart and price savvy. This means that you don’t want to buy items just because they seem like they are good deals. You only want to buy what you really can use in your home decoration projects. A very common trap for many people is getting carried away and buying way too many useless items simply because they were deemed to be a great deal, instead of actually being useful. Do your best to try to resist this kind of temptation.

In fact, establishing a set budget for your decoration projects is a great form of self discipline that can help keep you on track at all times. It will help you avoid buying items just for the sake of getting a good deal. Instead, it will keep the focus on the job at hand and the project you are currently working on.

Another aspect of getting home decorating bargains is the labor that can be involved with certain projects around the home. This can include painting, moving furniture, carpet cleaning, and so on. This can be tricky for some homeowners to figure out. It’s true that you can usually hire someone very cheaply to do certain tasks around the home. However, there are some projects where workers who have more experience or better skills can actually get the job done faster and for less money. And a side benefit is that the work is often done much better with less costly mistakes being made. So before deciding on any labor that may be involved in any home decorating project, be sure to weigh both the skill level that is necessary for the project, and the cost of hiring both skilled and unskilled labor before you make your final decision.

Finally, good planning can save plenty of money on almost any home decoration project. Attention to detail is critical for many jobs around the home, so take the time to get a thorough understanding of the work that will be involved, then schedule it out carefully in advance, and budget it every step of the way. By following these simple suggestions, you should be able to find the best home decorating bargains and accomplish all of your home improvement projects at the very lowest cost possible.

You can find out more about home interior decoration and bedroom interior design by visiting our Home Improvement website.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in House | No Comments »

Home Interior Decorating For Beginners

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

When you first get started on home interior decorating, it is a good idea to have at least some notion of the kind of color scheme you might like. That is not to say that you can’t change your mind while you are working out a plan. It is much better to change at this stage than when you already have the paint on the walls.


Good, well thought out interior decorating can add balance to a room and bring out its best features. Interior decorating should form the background for the way you choose to live in your home. If you’ve got a lot of books then it stands to reason that you will want plenty of good shelving. Plain wood shelves look best for this but if you already have some and they are beginning to look past their prime then play safe and paint them white. Think about the lighting in a room because this can enhance or detract from its overall design.


If you are not sure what color to use then play it safe and go for a neutral cream or magnolia – you can brighten it up with your soft furnishings and well placed lamps and ornaments. Many homes are a hodge-podge of furniture and decorating styles. If you replace furniture try to bear in mind the particular effects or style that you are trying to achieve. A well-chosen and well-placed piece can totally alter the look of a room.


Home interior decorating covers many aspects of the tasks. A lot depends on how much time you have to spare and what your budget is – whether you just want to spruce up a room or give it a whole new look. It is surprising for instance what new bath mats and towels do for a bathroom. Try sprucing up your room with some new cushions and perhaps a mirror or two. Move the furniture around and add feature wall paper on one wall – make sure that it tones in with the existing color scheme and you’ll be surprised how much style this can give to a room.


Perhaps the kitchen is your bete noir? If it is you can do a lot with some new blinds and lampshades. Try some potted plants on the window ledge this can brighten most kitchens. If the paint-work really is past its prime then you need to decide whether you need a whole new paint job or whether you can get away with touching up the doors and base boards. If your bedroom needs a face-lift then try some new bed covers and toning curtains. Add a few cushions to your bed and you immediately have a more luxurious look.

Lee Dobbins writes for Perfect Home Decor where you can get more ideas on home interior decorating.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in House | No Comments »

Home Interior Decorating – Anyone Can Do It

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

As with anything the process of decorating your home in order to make it look nice becomes much easier especially when it complements the fabric and architecture of the house. In relation to home interior decorating by applying certain wallpapers, or painting the walls, or selecting furnishings and fittings (lights etc) and by including small accent decorations to the rooms (paintings or prints) it will provide the house with a certain feel.


There are many interior designers/decorators as well as some architects around who can provide a professional interior decoration service and you will soon see the difference between a home interior decoration and interior design.


With respect to home interior decoration this specifically focuses on the finishing touches such as wall paper, window coverings (curtains, blinds etc.,), furnishings and paint, whilst interior design is more involved with the architecture as well as room layout and other design parameters (cabinet making) that go into making a house a home.


The idea of home interior decoration first found its place in late 18th Century Paris and London and the more modern home interior decoration was began by Jeanselme from Paris, Lenygon and Morant from London and Ogden Codman who was based in New York. Over the last few years the idea of home interior decoration has gone through many phases and trends and certainly the most current trend is for trying to find ways to decorate a home on a budget.


With any home interior decoration scheme the whole idea is to improve the functionality of the home as well as reflect the owners taste and personality.


In 2003 homeowners had spent about $175 billion to improve their homes and about 65% of this was actually spent on the interior decoration of the home. Certainly the latest trend when carrying out any home interior decoration is for people to spend money on expanding their kitchens and livening up their outdated bathrooms. Also more emphasis is being placed on people creating a room for a specific purpose (family room, child’s play room) as well as on areas for individual members of a family (child’s bedroom, master bedroom).


As with respect to colour schemes these seem to be undergoing a change also with more and more people looking towards more earthy tones and turning away from the vibrant colours of the past. More and more people seem to prefer blue and grey colours in all different shades against the dull reds and dark blues of previous years.


Certainly the more innovative home interior decorating ideas around that do not cost much but give the same impression as a more expensive and ornate scheme are the latest trend for new career professionals and young married couples.


Often you will find that the focus relating to home interior decorating has changed from the more unique look of the 1980’s to a much more functional and harmonized look.


Over the last 15 years there have been some dramatic changes where home interior decoration is concerned and therefore for any good interior decorator keeping track of the latest trends is essential in much the same way that a computer geek will keep track of the latest hardware and software that has hit the market.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.a-kitchen-decorating-idea.com where you can get more home interior decorating tips for the kitchen.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in House | No Comments »

Different Ways of Home Interior Decorating

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

Small spaces generally have a cozier and warm feel than large spaces. It is very easy to enhance this coziness with warm colors and lots of draperies and decorative pillows.

It is also possible to give small room an airier and wider feel. The best idea to visually enlarge your room is to use light and bright colors. Cool colors as green and blue tend to recede from the eye and therefore give a larger feel to a room. This effect can be enhanced by painting the trims, borders and moldings in a lighter color than the walls. This will make the walls appear further away and thus the room appears bigger. When choosing the colors, keep contrast levels down. Use colors that are in the same color family rather than contrasting colors. This will make the place cozier and less chaotic.

Another idea for creating visual effects by using color is to paint a single wall in a rich color and keep the other walls light. Because the stronger colors attract all the attention, the other walls seem to fall away. Besides this, the ceiling should always be painted in stark white, no matter the color of the walls. The white ceiling will maximize brightness in the room.

Decorating home interior can be rather simple and easy. Furniture for small rooms should be very carefully selected. There are many pieces of furniture that can be used for different functions. Try to find double-duty furniture. Chests can be used for storage as well as a coffee table or television stand. In small guest rooms you could use sofa beds that are easily convertible; some even convert into bunk beds.

In small rooms the furniture should always be slim and simple. Another idea would be to use only a few pieces of larger scale furniture, to reduce the clutter of many smaller ones. In a small space everything easily turns into a focal point. Keep the items simple. Arrange the furniture at an angle to lead the eye diagonally across the room and visually enlarge it.

With the use of light, the appearance of a room can be altered and achieve the desired home interior decorating. Mirrors reflect natural as well as artificial light. When the light is reflected deep into the room, it will appear larger. Spotlights pointing toward the ceiling will make the room look higher. And track lights aimed at the walls visually expand the space. Track lighting is also good to free up some floor space.

The more you see of the floor, the larger the space looks. Throw out the coffee table and use smaller side tables instead. If you can’t live without your coffee table, use a table with a glass top to make the floor visible through it. A mirror on top of your table top will work too.

Another tip to get more living space in your room is to throw out what you don’t need. Remove interior doors. And get rid of all the things that you do not need. A good idea is to see if you have used the item in the last year or not. If you haven’t used it or even looked at it, you are probably never going to use it and you won’t miss it; old clothes and shoes, kitchen appliances, magazines, silly holiday souvenirs, and more.

Important when you are living in a small space is the dirt and clutter. Try to avoid any disorder in the room by using the less is more philosophy. Use a single piece of artwork or a large print rather than a small collection of things. Clean up any jumble in the room. Create smooth and clean surfaces. And clean the windows often to make the room brighter and larger.

Michiel Van Kets is a Belgian designer specializing in home interior decorating. Customers decorating home interior by themselves often consult him for opinions and advice as he has worked in this field for many years.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in House | No Comments »

Decorating Your Home Interior – Expressing Your Inner Self!

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

Decorating the interior of your home gives you a perfect opportunity to express your personality. It also allows you to put forth your hobbies; your interest in art, different cultures, and furniture. Home decorating can be done in different styles, each having its own appeal, simplicity as well as complexity. However, you can definitely find a style that suits your tastes as well as fits nicely in your budget.

When plans for decorating your home interior are being made, top priority should be given to budget. It is very well to visualize the recreation of a perfect space in your home, but when you come down to earth, you may find it proving quite expensive and creating an obstacle in your intentions. But take heart; there is no need to get discouraged. There are so many different ideas to achieve what you have set out to do. The suggestions for home decorating garnered from magazines, television programs, books and websites of the internet can prove very helpful and you will find them in plenty. Using these resources, you can overcome any obstacles that you will face while decorating your home interior.

In case you have a love for color and authenticity in decorating home interior, several designs are at your disposal. Primitive interior decorating of home interests some people as it uses handmade old items. This way you can display your collections of handed down treasures to a great advantage. This style lays emphasis on furniture and accessories which look ancient, stained, worn or antique. Primitive interior decoration might suit you perfectly if you have a passion for antiques. This design stands out if painted with warm and dark shades. Red brick or deep grey would also go well in this style.

Whimsical decorating is yet another style which you may find worth exploring. Here you give a free reign to your wildest imagination. Use of any or all your favorite colors is permitted and you could decorate the space all over with various colors and patterns. The all-important aspect is the color. If your choice is vibrant bold colors, you must stay in the perimeter of that color hue. If you prefer to use pastel colors, then only pastel color shades should be used.

If you don’t feel comfortable moving from the ancient to the modern decorating of home interior, then the design most likely to suit you is the traditional design. This style of decorating home interior blends the modern look with the elegance of the ancient. Space is emphasized in the traditional design. With the use of neutral colors like mushroom or beige on the walls, a spacious atmosphere is created. Darker colors like mauve, burgundy, greens and blues add a punch of color in this design when used for the rugs, fabric, upholstery, etc. Accessories made of china and crystal goods compliment this traditional style. Artwork can also be added to the space. Wooden frames of paintings look great with this traditional style.

These are but three of the numerous designs for decorating your home interior. There is definitely one for just you. You can familiarize yourself with their characteristics of color, flooring, furnishings and accessories by browsing through sources of home interior decoration. Keeping your preferences and interests uppermost in your mind, you will surely be able to zero in on a style that would suit you perfectly. Decorating your home interior can transform your home into a heaven of pure joy.

Abhishek is an Interior Decoration expert and he has got some great Interior Decorating Secrets up his sleeve! Download his FREE 60 Pages Ebook, “How To Decorate Your House Like A Pro!” from his website http://www.Wonder-Homes.com/115/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in House | No Comments »