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Posts Tagged ‘Interior Design’

Use Bright and Bold Colors This Summer for a Fresh Look

Monday, July 9th, 2012

Summer is here and a perfect time for a new and fresh look. Nature is resplendent in fresh new colors and provides great inspiration for homeowners interested in a new look. Bright colors and bold patterns feature prominently in popular home decor magazines this year.

However, it can be intimidating to bring patterns and colors like these into your home without risking a garish look. So, keep it simple and use inexpensive accents to achieve the look of the season this year.

Living with Color

In the living room, try using bright solid colored throw pillows paired with a couple of patterned pillows. This will give your living room a pop of color without overtaking the entire room. Replace old, outdated lampshades with a patterned shade that complements your new colors. Updating doesn’t always require spending a lot of money, and sometimes the simple, inexpensive ideas are just what your home needs.

Often times, small tweaks in home decor can make a big impact. New slipcovers, lampshades or pillows might have the desired effect. New wall hangings or pieces of art can introduce bold themes without the expense of purchasing new furniture. A fresh coat of paint in a room can instantly transform a space at a low cost. Rearranging the room is another easy (and free) way to gain a new view.

Color Your Kitchen

Antique shops are great places to find items with which to redecorate, especially if you are redecorating your kitchen. A quick look at chain stores and catalogs reveals that the retro look is very popular right now. Shopping at an antique store for the real thing might save you some money and give you an even more unique look. Once again, don’t overdo it, just a few key pieces will completely change your home. New canisters or a new table cloth can bring fresh color to your kitchen, and are an easy way to update your look.

Bold Beds & Baths

Bedrooms and bathrooms can easily receive the same treatment. Add a few brightly colored items or a vase of fresh flowers in the room. New towels in the bathroom or a new duvet cover and pillow shams in the bedroom may be all you need. These items are fairly inexpensive, but will brighten your space for the spring season.

Outdoor Color

If you are looking to update the outside of your home, you’ll find a huge selection of outdoor home decor items in the market. If you’d like a small change, try planting a few new flowers and plants. Update or re-cover your patio chair cushions. A birdbath will bring new life to your yard, and complement the new statuary you’ve chosen for spring. If yard gnomes aren’t your favorite thing, there are many contemporary yard decorations that are unique and different. Artists are creating interesting outdoor accents all the time that may be more to your taste.

Get Organized

Do some research to discover what suits you best and of course to find the best deal. Create an idea book or use Pinterest to keep track of what you would like most for your home. You’ll be more prepared while shopping, making it easier to compare prices. Take a photo of each room that you want to redecorate and take pictures of the different items you would like to replace. Staying focused on what you are searching for is sometimes difficult, so when you find something you like, take a picture and then go home and compare choices.

A bit of color can make all the difference!

Kiersten Gurry is an expert on home decor and works for FirstImpressionSecurityDoors.com

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Posted in Home Improvement, Interior Design, Remodeling

Picking the Perfect Wall Mural for Your Bedroom Oasis

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

A wall mural is a great way to turn your boring, lifeless bedroom into a serene sanctuary that inspires and motivates you to get out of bed in the morning.

wall mural

But whilst murals are becoming increasingly popular, it is important to make the right choice. Getting the wrong mural is a decision you will regret every morning and night.

So before you dive in – here are some tips to help you select the perfect mural for you.

Matching the Colors

A mural is the focal point of your room, but it needs to match the rest of the room too. Think about what color your walls are (or what color you plan to paint them). Make sure your mural matches and doesn’t clash. If you pick the right color for the rest of the room your mural will be enhanced.

Matching the Décor

It doesn’t end with the color of the walls, think about the décor too, if you have brightly colored lampshades or rugs, you might need to consider how well these will go with your mural and whether they will need replacing. For instance, a bright green rug against a sandy beach scene might not fit quite right.

Matching Your Personality

Ok, so we’ve matched to the walls and the furniture, but what about you? There are so many options to choose from: ocean waves, sunny beaches, space, fantasy, forests etc…

Before you jump in and go for the most fantastic scene you can find, remember that this is something you will see a lot. It is better to pick the scene that will be enjoyable long term and not necessarily the one with the most wow factor right now.

Also keep in mind that you will be seeing this in the morning when you wake up – so whilst you may love everything to do with the sea, it is the first image you want in the morning (or the last at night)?

This is all personal preference of course, but these are things to consider before you take the plunge, because once you decide, you’re stuck with it, for a while at least.

Summary

There is plenty to think about, but choosing the right wall mural to go in your room will ensure that you enjoy many a relaxed night and an inspired morning. The possibilities are endless…

This guest post was written by Ricky Peterson from Mesa Garage Doors.

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Interior Design Tips for Smaller Homes

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Although living in the centre of a city has its advantages, space usually isn’t one of them. Decorating a smaller flat can be a challenge, but sacrificing floor space for location doesn’t necessarily have to end your dreams of house beautiful.

First of all, de-clutter, recycle, throw out and give away anything you are unlikely to use ever again. It’s amazing how much we hold onto without thinking about it and if space is at a premium there’s no sense wasting it on things you don’t use. Consider renting a storage unit for larger items that don’t fit into your life right now, and look for bed units and wardrobe tidies to make better use of the storage space you already have.

small granite kitchen

Think about your colour scheme before you buy anything. For smaller spaces simple themes are best, as mixing lots of colours together can make your home look mismatched and messy. Light shades and neutral tones will give more of a sense of space and make the best of natural light, and colour and detail can be added with smaller pieces that won’t overpower a cosy room. Consider using a single, light colour for walls throughout the properly to give it a continuous feel.

Once you have decided on your theme, it’s time to see where space can be saved. Replacing bulky curtains with patterned roman blinds can save you space around windows and let in more light. Blinds also detract less from the view, making it more a part of the room. These come in all sorts of colours and patterns and can look great as a feature against a blank wall. You can reflect your choice of design with cushions, rugs and bedcovers to add a bit of colour to your flat.

Avoid large pieces of furniture and look for simple, clean items that go well together. You can save a lot of space by using a drop leaf table that can be folded away with a set of matching folded chairs. Choose a light framed sofa with a pull out base – ideal for putting guests up with minimum fuss. If you are short on bedroom space consider a queen sized double bed rather than a standard double or king-size so that it doesn’t overpower the room and take up all the space.

Every item or furniture in your flat, needs to be chosen for utility as well as aesthetics. Steer clear of large, towering bookcases and instead opt for simple wall shelves. You can fit these into unused spaces to add colour and interest to a room or put low shelves behind your sofa for extra storage. Choose a coffee table with a low shelf under it that fits your space and is smaller than your sofa.

Once you have decided on your furniture and colour scheme it’s time to pick out all the other items that make a flat into a home. It helps to make everything fit in unobtrusively enough not to look cluttered, so pick towels, wastepaper baskets, bedspreads, tablecloths and kitchen items that go with the theme you have chosen.

Turning a small flat into a comfortable, beautiful living space is no easy job, but with a bit of planning and creativity you can have a perfect little city flat.

Check out more great suggestions on how to make the most of a small space at Apartment Therapy.

This is an article written by Michael Turner, a home improvement, design and technology enthusiast on behalf of Roman Blinds Direct.

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Posted in Home Improvement, Interior Design

Essential Elements of a Useful Granite Kitchen Island

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Essential Elements of a Useful Granite Kitchen Island

A kitchen island is not only functional but decorative as well. The island makes preparing meals more convenient because you have additional surface space. It also helps direct traffic around the kitchen in an efficient manner, much like a round-about in a roadway. Islands also offer additional storage space, which is useful when the cabinets are not sufficient to hold everything you need. Most modern kitchens open up into other rooms and the island assists in this transition.

granite transformations beige kitchen

Size and Function

Kitchen islands can be set up to suit your personal tastes. There are multiple ways of doing this.

Hollow out one side of the island and place chairs there to create additional seating space if you often have large meal gatherings.

Add extra stove tops. This gives you more options when preparing your meals and speeds up the cooking and preparing process at the same time.

Use multiple levels. An island doesn’t have be the same height throughout. Have a lower area for people to sit at and a higher section for cleaning or food preparation. This helps families interact with each other more conveniently when meals are being made.

Size-wise, an island should be four feet long and two feet deep at a minimum but still provide ample space on all sides for people to walk by. The kitchen should therefore be at least eight feet deep and 12 feet long to consider island installation.

Decorative Design

Granite is durable, and aesthetically pleasing, making it ideal for both island and countertop surfaces. It is also heat-resistant, which is important in any cooking environment to make sure your pots and pans won’t damage it.

The shape of the island is important to the kitchen design also. Shaping the island so it curves outward from the stove helps to create a defined cooking area while the curves help prevent people from hurting themselves on the edges. This also opens the kitchen up more than a traditional rectangle.

An island is the focal point of the kitchen because of its size and positioning so you can also place photos, fruit baskets, crafts and other decorations on the top of it to further personalize the room and help it blend in with the rest of the house. The woodwork on the island should usually match that of the kitchen cabinets so the island doesn’t call attention to itself unnecessarily.

Island Planning

Make sure the dishwasher and oven have plenty of room to open fully before installing an island to prevent annoying and costly renovations later. You should have enough room between the edge of the doors and the island to walk by safely to prevent tripping. The island should also have outlets for you to plug in small appliances. Small grills or sandwich makers generally are not permanent kitchen fixtures and only come out when needed so you need convenient places to set and use them.

If you have cooking surfaces on your island, you’ll also need proper venting, making a vent hood or a downdraft fan a must. If you use a downdraft fan, you’ll also need a second exhaust fan installed in the ceiling. It’s also important to see what you’re doing and ambient lighting isn’t adequate to light a workspace. Install lights directly above the island to both improve the working area and to also improve the island’s appearance.

Granite reflects light nicely and this helps make the island look more attractive from a distance. Special lighting is a nice touch if the ceiling is more than six feet above the island surface because otherwise the light diffuses out instead of down and the island won’t be illuminated effectively.

Other Considerations

Always check local building codes prior to having an island installed to make sure all regulations are being safely met.

The stove, sink and refrigerator traditionally form the points of a triangle in the kitchen to maximum efficiency of movement for those working in it. An island can either disrupt or enhance this, depending on its placement and what you use it for.

For more kitchen island design and construction tips, check out this great post on This Old House.

Author Bio: Donna M. is an interior designer and freelance writer for Insurance Providers. She enjoys offering her expertise to homeowners looking to go beyond the average designs below the average budget.

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Combine the Best of Both Worlds When Nature Provides Interior Design Inspiration

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

The newest trend in interior design uses elements of nature as its theme to create an indoor space reminiscent of the great outdoors.

chimney

Through using all natural materials with an outdoorsy, woodsy vibe, many people are finding that the inside of their home is the perfect setting for a display of nature that can be enjoyed no matter what the temperature is outside.

If you are thinking about designing the inside of your home to reflect the natural beauty of the outdoors, here are some of the more popular ways people are using nature as the inspiration behind their interior design ideas.

Rustic Theme

One of the most popular nature inspired interior design themes is a theme that exudes rustic charm. For a rustic interior design theme, focus on furniture made from oak, or decorate your environment with items made from all natural materials like cotton, hemp, stone or rock and you can be certain your decor will reflect an inviting outdoor feeling charm.

Always remember when choosing a rustic theme for your interior design project, less is more. Many rustic pieces speak a bold statement on their own, so it is best to choose one signature piece to accent a room.

Find more rustic design ideas at HGTV.

Southwestern Theme

home_interior_2

Even if you don’t live in New Mexico, you can bring that southwestern charm to your home when you let the outdoors of the Southwest provide inspiration for your interior decorating theme. Think bright, bold colors and ceramic or clay items, or woven rugs and painted clay tile flooring.

Let the rich colors of the desert be the color palate from which to choose the colors to adorn your home with when you become inspired by a southwestern theme for your interior design project.

Organic Theme

Organic is the most popular type of interior design theme amongst anyone who wants to let nature be their decorating inspiration. An organic theme can go one of either ways, but they both focus on providing an indoor living space that doesn’t damage the environment.

For an organic theme, look for items that are made of 100 percent all natural materials like bamboo. Or, reuse items. Often times, old furniture can easily be obtained and fixed up or simply added to a room as is to add character in a earth conscious way. Think organic if you want your interior design theme to be a reflection of your commitment to the earth.

These are just 3 of the more popular nature inspired interior design themes. Bringing the outdoors inside is very popular amongst people deciding upon their interior design plans, and either of these 3 themes would add that perfect outdoor feeling to any indoor space.

If you truly want to get inspired by nature to create the indoor space of your dreams, walk around nature. Look at beautiful pictures of nature. Once you open your eyes to the ways you can truly bring the great outdoors into the comfort of your home, you will truly be combining the best of both worlds.

Sharon Hunter blogs on home improvement and interior design. You can find more of her work at Room Design Ideas.

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Posted in Interior Design

When Your Bedroom’s Interior Mismatches

Friday, March 9th, 2012

When your bedroom looks mismatched it gives a feeling of clutter, poverty, and carelessness, and worst of all disturbs your serenity every time you walk in the room.   There are a few key tricks you can use to fix bedroom style mismatches without having to shell out the big bucks of buying five to six pieces of furniture.

The first key is to design your bedroom around the look of your bed frame.  Remember that your bed is the biggest piece of furniture in your room and is always the focal center piece.

The magic solution for changing mismatches in the bedroom into an interior decorator’s dream comes from visual repetition.

Repeat the bed frame theme:

bedroom1

If you have a wood bed frame, ask yourself if you can paint or stain anything else in the room to match.  If it is too big a job to paint or stain a dresser or side table, consider getting a framed mirror with the same wood look as your headboard and also one or two picture frames made of the same color wood.   Also hanging photographs of trees that match the color wood in your bedframe will add a sense of continuity.

If you have a metal bedframe use metal picture frames, small metallic sculptures and wall hangings, and metal-colored vases.  If your headboard is fabric, drape swatches of fabric over the dressers and end tables.

Maintain color continuity:

bedroom2

The second quick and easy way to solve your bedroom’s mismatches is by providing repeated matching color points of interest.  Again, start with the bed as focal point.  First choose bed furnishings, including throw pillows in a color scheme you love.   It is important that you really love the color you choose for your bedspread because in order to correct bedroom mismatches you are going to want to place this color in at least five separate places throughout your bedroom.

You spend one third of your life sleeping.  But you also spend a lot of time sitting on your bed looking at other parts of your bedroom.  You want to make your room match and you want to make sure that it doesn’t get boring.  The answer is to put at least five splashes of any hue in your chosen color theme that matches your bed furnishings.

Place pillows that match the bedspread on any chairs in the bedroom.  Hang a throw blanket in a matching color over the back of the chair nearest the bed.  Place at least one item with your chosen color on each flat surface.  Place an afghan blanket at the foot of the bed or the extra blanket chest. Consider bed skirts, lamp shades, and coordinating curtains.

Add a spark of personality:

bedroom3

Once you have repeated the bed frame theme and repeated a color scheme it is time to add at least one item that is distinctly you.  This is your space so remember that your investment in a good bed and making the bedroom reflect your best self are what’s important.

Check out some more bedroom design tips here!

Author bio:

Sunny Popali is the Marketing lead at CoolFlex. CoolFlex are online retailers of memory foam mattresses. They offer a wide range of memory foam mattresses with wide range of double memory foam mattress, single memory foam mattress or a kingsize memory foam mattress.

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Posted in Interior Design

Color- The Greatest accessory

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Interior designers often talk about accessorizing a home with different features, such as wall art, window treatments, furniture, cushions and accent pillows, and all sorts of other little touches you can add that turn a good room into a great room. There is, however, one accessory which is the most important of them all and often not given enough credit and that is color. The wrong color or too much of a color can completely destroy the carefully created atmosphere and design of a room.

Choosing a color as your theme of the room is a great way to make the most of the space you have and gives you a guide to follow. You can paint the walls of a room in different shades of the same color to add depth to the room and to highlight certain areas. These areas can be used for features such as wall art grids. If you want a calm and relaxing room, consider blue walls, with one wall in a very bold blue and the rest in paler shades. The bold wall can be where you put your sofa or desk, depending on the function of the room. It is also a good color for bedrooms.

blue walls

Alternatively, you can use color for your accessories only. The room can be a crisp white with your accessories in one bright and bold color. This way the color and the accessories really stand out creating a fascinating room. As spring is on the way, yellow is a highly popular color for a design, but fuchsia is another top color this spring. Beware not to combine the two. You can have other colors to support these colors, but they are too strong to support each other and will end up clashing. Fuchsia can be supported by a pale lilac as well as silver, as silver really illuminates this color, while yellow can be supported by a paler version of itself or by a bright shade of green.

photo 2

Another great way to use color is by combining complementary colors with each other. A Complementary color is always one prime color with one secondary color of which it isn’t a component. For example, blue’s complementary color is orange as you don’t use blue to mix orange, red’s complementary color is green, and yellow’s is purple. As Tango Orange is this year’s most trending color there are several designs out there that use blue walls or sofas with orange accessories such as cushions, seats, or wall art.

tangerine orange

Copyright: Vanessa Robinson

It’s good to be aware of the moods that colors create in all of us. Red, for example, energises us and stimulates appetite, which is why it is often used in interiors of restaurants, but too much red angers us and destroys the atmosphere of the room. As mentioned above, blue has a calming effect on people, while green is the color of harmony and balance. It’s suitable for a hobby room or even a yoga room. Gold along with purple are colors of luxury and royalty. These colors are great for some accents in a home, but unsuitable to be used in large amounts, especially gold.

So, when you’re designing a room remember that color is the most powerful accessory of them all, and never underestimate the effect of a badly chosen color. For a free design consultation, contact Granite Transformations here.

Author Bio: This article was written by Sarah Oxley, interior design specialist and color analyser, on behalf of Custom Curtains, whose site can be found at http://www.custom-curtains.co.uk.

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