Posts Tagged ‘Focal Point’

Room by room home decorating ideas

Whether you live in small metropolitan apartment, a house in the suburbs, or a log cabin in the mountains, your living room creates a lasting impression on those who visit. It sets the mood and should reflect your personal taste. So, to begin our helpful hints for home decorating ideas, let’s start with some simple tips for the living room.

You don’t have to spend a lot of time or money to get a new look that will be a pick up for both you and your living room. Just add some color; here’s how:

1. Paint just One Wall
This will really change the focal point of the living room without getting into a major redecorating project. If your room has a niche, it’s the perfect choice for extra color. You can choose a bold, contrasting color picked from a floral fabric, or a subtle tone darker than the tone of the other walls. Any change in color will add interest and splash!

2. Throw a Few Pillows Around
Nothing adds color like strategically placed throw pillows. Choose solids for a floral print or colorful, patterned pillows for a solid color chair or sofa. This is just one of many home decorating ideas that will not only add a bright splash of color, but will also add comfort to your seating arrangements.

3. Add Green or Flowering Plants
If you don’t have a green thumb, ask your nursery or home center to recommend ones that require little or no care. If you’re gone from home a lot, settle for some of the wonderful artificial ones on the market now. You can find great looking plants, foliage, and flowers that only need to be dusted. The Internet is a wonderful source for these.

4. Put Some Color on the Floor
A colorful throw rug placed in front of a chair or under a coffee table can add color and texture to a living room (or any room). It can be put on top of any type of flooring, including carpet. If it is on a smooth surface, make certain to have a no skid backing. Choose a contrast color (from fabric you’re using in the room}, or look for one with an interesting pattern that ties into the theme of your room.

5. Add Interesting Artwork
A colorful piece of art placed in a living room not only adds a decorative touch, but also introduces colors and shapes. Try framing simple photos with colorful mats and bright frames.

<6. A Throw Adds both Warmth and Color
A handmade quilt, nubby woven throw, or cozy, colorful blanket adds interest when draped over the back or arm of a neutral sofa or chair. Choose a color that accents other pieces in the room, as well.

7. Reflect Color
This is one of the home decorating ideas that appeals to many. Place a large mirror on a bare or boring wall. Buy an interesting frame or just decorate a piece of mirror with cording or braid. If you have an old frame, consider painting it a bright color. The mirror will reflect the color from around the room and add light to the space.

Tips for the guest room

Not too many people give enough thought to decorating the guest room in their home, but, if you like to have guests stay over, here are some simple home decorating ideas for your guest room. Your budget may not allow you to provide all the amenities of a five star hotel, but there are certain things you can do to make your guests comfortable.

1. Buy the Best Bed Your Money Can Buy
Don’t give your guest the oldest, most saggy mattress you have. If you can’t afford a new bed, think about getting a quality air mattress. They’re quite comfortable and can be placed on top of a box spring, over a sofa bed mattress, or on the floor.

2. Clean Bedding a Must
Just make sure you have nicely laundered, clean bedding.

3. A Place to Put a Suitcase
Clear a space to put a luggage rack or a small table or bench to set down a suitcase. Even a chair is better than nothing!

4. Keep it Uncluttered
Get rid of anything that you would not find in the room of a fine hotel. Keep only the most useful items in the room, like a clock and calendar. A good reading lamp would be a plus!

5. Hanger and Drawer Space
If your guest room shares space with a home office, clear at least a foot or two of pole space in the closet. Or purchase an inexpensive over-the-door hook that can accommodate some hanging clothes and clear out one or two drawers for small items. Both you and your guest will feel better with odds and ends out of sight.

There are many advantages to choosing a shower door for your bathroom. Glass shower doors increase stability of the shower, enhance shower experience, and last much longer than shower curtains. There are many options available for glass shower doors and there is certainly a type of shower door that can suit your needs.

Types of shower doors. Shower doors are classified into two major groups: Framed, and frameless. The classification is determined by the amount of aluminum framing that is present around the glass paneling. Framed shower doors can add a dramatic touch to a shower, while frameless doors are very streamline.

Type of glass. Glass chosen for a frameless shower door is very important since it is the focal point. Thickness of glass adds stability and better appearance. Typically glass size is 1/2, 3/8, and 1/4. There are also a great number of tempered glass options including things like antique, rain, embossed, etched, and tinted, that add style and class to your shower door.

Types of finishes. Proper color and dcor coordination is essential for a proper looking shower door installation. Shower door manufacturers have over 40 different colors and finishes. Solid brass finishes are available in polished or antiqued brass, polished or brushed chrome, and nickel and gold. Anodized finishes are also available in gold, nickel, and silver finishes. Paint finishes are available in numerous designer colors sure to fit your color scheme or dcor.

Glass Shower doors are a great investment that adds value to a home, and elegance to a bathroom. They can be simple, and just enough to improve showering, or elegant, extravagant, and a focal point to be proud of. Visit www.theshowerdoorexperts.com today to get started planning for your glass shower door.

The bedroom is the place where you spend a great deal of time every day, albeit much of it asleep. This, of course, means that it needs to be a place of relaxation, and for many people, romance.

Its all to easy to let the clutter of everyday life invade your bedroom, but this impairs your ability to relax in the one room in the house that should be designed for that purpose. Its time to decorate your bedroom for its true purpose.

Start out by thinking about your personal style. What would you like to have in your bedroom? What would make it relaxing, romantic or both? If youre married, what would appeal to your spouse?

Lets start with the bed. As the largest piece of furniture in most rooms, as well as the most used, it is something of a focal point. Do you like the bedding? What about the bedframe itself?

Sometimes you will quickly realize that it is time to replace all your bedroom furniture when you decide to redecorate your bedroom. Maybe the old furniture just isnt your style anymore. With todays online shopping available, finding new furniture doesnt have to mean running all around town anymore. You can shop from the comfort of your own home and often get better prices.

Back to the bed. What would you like it to look like? Huge, 4 poster beds are quite popular right now, but would it look right in your home? If your room is big enough, it might look perfect. In a smaller room it will just make it look crowded.

Once you have chosen your bed, pick the rest of your furniture to match, but not overcrowd your bedroom. The dressers need to have adequate space for the clothing you will store in them. Most bedroom sets have plenty of matching pieces to choose from, so that you can find a style you like, yet still have a choice of a couple different sizes for your dresser.

Now its time to pick the accents. Your bedding is one kind of accent for your room. What colors do you like? Do you love throw pillows or are they a nuisance? Of course, soft sheets and good pillows are a must, both for relaxation and romance.

Lighting matters too. You dont need to light your bedroom up as brightly as the rest of the house all of the time… in fact, there are many times when dimmer lighting is perfect for the mood in the bedroom. Consider installing a dimmer switch on the main light or have dimmer lights as a part of your decor.

Another option for mood lighting is candles. They can add a lovely touch to the decor, and when its time for romance theyre just about classic. Scented candles can add a lot too.

One item I strongly recommend leaving out of the bedroom that has found its way into too many is the television. Putting a television in your bedroom limits your ability to relax, and it takes away from romance. Yes, you can enjoy relaxing in front of the television in the evening, but why not do that in the living room, and leave the bedroom for other forms of relaxation?

Decorating Tips To Update Your Living Room: New Paint, A Fireplace Mantel And More

Your living room is the entertainment and living center of your home. Chances are that you’ve had some very memorable gatherings there, and it is where you relax and enjoy the company of family and friends. Because this room tends to be such a high traffic area, and to have so much time spent in it, it is often the first room to show signs of wear and tear and to begin to look dated. Luckily there are small changes (like switching out light bulbs) and big changes (like installing a new fireplace mantel) that can give your living room a new look and won’t turn into a major DIY project, or turn your home into a construction site.

Consider painting your living room. A splash of paint can brighten things up or give your living room a different vibe altogether. You can repaint your living room the same color which will refresh the color and get rid of any scuff marks and dings. If you decide to paint the entire room, starting from the ceiling and working down is a good idea. On the other hand, if you’d like a bit of a color change without covering everything in plastic, a feature wall could be an option for you. Picking an interesting color that goes well with the room but adds a little spice can be an excellent way to transform your living room in no time at all.

The fireplace is an often neglected area of many living rooms, and this is a pity because it can be such a lovely focal point if handled properly. Installing a new fireplace mantel either buying one for the first time or replacing an existing one does not take as much work as you think. If you don’t have a fireplace mantel, consider getting one as it will give your fireplace a more finished, polished look. If you have a fireplace mantel, replacing it with something a little different can have a major impact on your living room. A wood fireplace mantel is easy to install so you dont have to hire a contractor. You can paint or stain a wood mantel to match the dcor of your room. Fireplace mantels are excellent places to display items of importance to you and your family such as heirlooms and family pictures. A fireplace mantel is also an excellent place to hang stockings and display cards around Christmas time.

Changing the lighting in your room can also make a major difference. Different lampshades can create a different atmosphere as they diffuse soft light with a hint of color about the room. If you find your living room a little dull, adding a few more lamps can brighten it up, and also add accent to certain areas. For an even simpler modification, try changing the wattage of your existing bulbs. Going from 60 to 120 watts makes a big difference; you might see things you had forgotten were there at all! Changing to a lower wattage can create a cozier, intimate feel.

A little heavy lifting can change your living room; rearranging the furniture can create a totally different feeling in the room. Create a new focal point to the room by orienting the seating around the fireplace and not the television, or perhaps put the couches and chairs so that people are more encouraged to talk to one another. And dont just think about the seating, moving the coffee table, the end tables and bookcases can make a difference. If you need a new look without buying new furniture consider switching out the living room furniture with items from other rooms of the house

Finally, taking a look at what you have on display in your living room can give you some ideas for small changes that have a high impact. Do you have a vase of fake flowers that has been there for a decade? Perhaps now is a good time to replace it with something a little more modern. The artwork you have on your walls might also be due for some scrutiny too. Prints can be obtained fairly cheaply, and can really change the ambiance of your room. Remember that every little item and picture adds something to the room it is up to you to decide whether or not it should be changed out for something new.

Decorating ideas for your home can be a very creative and personal experience. You can spruce up a room without spending a lot of money. Start by saving fabric swatches, wallpaper samples, paint chips, and clippings from home design books and magazines.

Your bedroom is probably the most important room in your home. When selecting colors for bedrooms it is important to choose colors that are conducive to sleeping. Decorate your bedroom to get the space, furniture and look you want. Knowing your design taste can save hundreds of dollars in mistaken purchases.

An interior designer can help your decorating ideas, to make the most of your space. To determine your personal style, every room should have it’s own unique focal points that helps express the style and decor of the room.

Today’s living rooms are often open spaces that link through to dining and kitchen areas. Traditionally fireplaces acted as the focal point of most living rooms. If you don’t have a fireplace, select a focal point for your room and decorate around that.

Decorating ideas are like magic tricks. Using your space effectively goes a long way toward keeping your home both functional and beautiful at the same time.

Budget decorating ideas are among the most creative decorating that anyone can come up with. After all, its easy to create a design with limitless funds, however, when we must come up with low budget decorating ideas, we really need to use our imaginations. It is also important to stay organized when decorating on a shoestring budget. Therefore, you may want to follow these steps for decorating on a budget, and making sure that you stay within the amount that you can afford, while still living in style.

* Your first budget decorating tips are to decide on your budget, and to pace your decorating to allow yourself to come up with the money you need as the decorating happens. Dont forget to include the money for accessories in your budget.

* Decorating on a budget happens one room at a time, so give each room a priority on a numbered list, and then start with room number one.

* In your chosen room, have a plan for the room, including its style, color scheme, and overall atmosphere. Try to come up with a completion date that youll be able to stick to.

* Home decorating on a budget can be trying at times, so make sure that you alternate big projects and little projects so that you dont get too tired, or frustrated because you cant see the difference youre making. This will do wonders for your confidence and motivation.

* Budget decorating includes careful measurements. Try drawing a plan of the room that is to scale. Include all windows and doors, and choose a focal point in the room. Measure all of your furniture and create furniture cut-outs that are to scale, so that you can move them around your room drawing until you find an arrangement that appeals to you the most. Dont forget to take ceiling height and traffic flow into consideration.

The key is to remind yourself that just because youre using budget decorating ideas, it doesnt mean that you cant live in good taste!