Posts Tagged ‘interior decorating’
How to Decorate a Large Living Room
Do you have a large living room in your house? Are you finding it difficult to properly decorate that massive space? Large spaces present their own decorating troubles, just as small spaces do. If you are face with a large living room and don’t quite know how to proceed, here are some tips to keep in mind to get you started.
Use Dark Colors to Decorate
When you use dark colors when decorating, the space will appear smaller. If you paint the walls of the living room a few shades darker than you normally would, you will notice that the room will appear smaller.
If you don’t want the entire room to appear smaller, then try using darker colors to accessorize the room, as this will often give it less of a large feel. By using dark-colored furniture or even carpet in your large living room, you’ll make the room feel slightly smaller and not so big and open.
Use the Space in the Living Room Accordingly
Depending on how large your living room is, you’re going to want to plan out the space accordingly. For one thing, all the seating should not be placed right on top of each other. You want to be sure to space your furniture out so that it looks evenly distributed across the room. There should also be an adequate amount of space left between the couch and the wooden coffee table so that people are able to walk in between the two. When the space is properly utilized in a large room, the result will be a room that feels comfortable and quaint rather than cold and open.
Use Large Pieces of Art to Decorate the Walls
Before you choose a piece of art for your wall, you need to consider the area of blank space you are working with. If you have a very large blank wall in your living room, for instance, you don’t want to hang a 5×7 picture there. Rather, hang a portrait or some other piece that will take up most of the upper half of the wall. If a larger piece of art is out of your price range, you might try making a pattern or collage on the wall with several pieces of smaller artwork. Remember, though, that the artwork needs to be spaced out so that it covers the majority of the wall.
Buy a Large Piece of Furniture
Consider purchasing a large piece of furniture for your large living room if you don’t already have one. An appropriate item might be an entertainment center, a bookshelf, a large couch, or even something like a piano or pool table.
When you place a large piece of furniture in a large room, it will make things appear smaller and more in proportion. You can also use this oversized furnishing as a focal point and decorate the rest of the room around it.
The most important thing to focus on when it comes to decorating a large living room is properly utilizing the space. By only using a small area of the room, the room will then look massive and not very appealing. Instead, if you use the space, including the walls, as much as possible, your large living room will be very appealing, with perhaps even a quaint and comfortable feel to it.
Decorating Ideas for a Sports-Themed Game Room
If you are a sports fan or are living with one, a sports-themed game room can be the perfect addition to your home. Depending on what style you want, there’s a wide variety of sports themes you might implement. Décor theme options include: a specific sport, a particular professional sports team, a college or university athletics program, or any other sport that you love. Consider the following tips when you go to decorate your sports-themed game room.
Decorating the Walls in a Sports Theme
Decorating the walls of your game room according to a sports theme doesn’t have to be that expensive. There are probably some really great decorative items already lying around the house.
· Use nails or long push pins to tack jerseys up on the wall. The jerseys can be from professional or college teams, or you might want to use your old jerseys.
· You might also hang inexpensive sports posters on the walls, which can be bought at most stores that sell sports memorabilia or even movie posters.
· Other sports décor items, such as a team or school blanket or a huge wall clock, can also be used to decorate the walls.
You might also want to consider installing a few sturdy shelves or wooden bookcases in order to display your sports items. Items that would be perfect for display include balls, trophies, autographed memorabilia, and other sports equipment. Just be sure the display items are stable so they don’t end up coming crashing down on someone.
Necessary Furniture for a Sports-Themed Game Room
Essential for any game room is a television and also some sort of gaming system to play games and watch movies on. You don’t need the biggest television, but you’ll certainly want a medium-sized one for proper game playing.
You might also want to invest in an entertainment center or a oak tv stand that can house the television, gaming system, CDs, DVDs, and any other gadgets you might keep in the room. The great thing about an entertainment center is that it will help keep the room organized and clean, where everything has its place. For some extra character, use the top of the center to display some sports-themed items.
When it comes to game rooms, another must is comfortable seating. You can choose to buy seating in the colors of the team or school you are featuring. Or, if you prefer, you can go with a more neutral color such as tan or cream. You can then create more of a sports feeling by adding decorative pillows to the chairs or couches. You’ll find that most professional and collegiate teams have decorative pillows available. Or if you prefer, simply throw a sports blanket on the back of the couch or chair.
Creating that sports-themed game room should be an easy process, as there are so many different sports décor items readily available. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have much of a budget. Simply use those items you already have, such as old baseball cards, old sports equipment, and any other sports memorabilia that someone might want to donate to your new game room.
Decorating Tips for a Guest Bedroom
If you’re fortunate enough to have an extra room in your home, turning it into a guest bedroom is a great way to help your houseguests feel right at home. Guest bedrooms are usually kept simple, but you can still choose to add some of your personal style to the room. By balancing simplicity with style, you’ll be able to make the room appealing to any guest who may stay in your home. If you are unsure on how to go about decorating your guest bedroom, then here are some simple tips you can follow.
Keep the Colors Neutral
In a guest bedroom, you should mostly stick to neutral colors, although it’s okay to add a pop of color here and there. By sticking to neutral colors, you can make the room more appealing to guests and also more comfortable for them. Even though neutral colors are dominating the room, you can still incorporate some colorful style with different décor items such as paintings, flowers, and pillows. You shouldn’t be afraid of having a stylish guest bedroom. On the other hand, by keeping it on the neutral side you don’t have to worry about red walls frightening your guests in the middle of the night.
Provide a Comfortable Sleeping Area
You might choose to furnish your guest bedroom with some of your old furniture and a mission bed. You just want to be sure that the bed is still safe and stable. It’s advisable, however, to invest in a new mattress so that you are able to provide a comfortable sleeping area instead of your 20-year-old mattress. You can also easily stain or paint your old bed another color to match the décor of the room. If you find that the bed just isn’t working, then there are many inexpensive and simple beds available that would work great in a guest bedroom without breaking your budget.
When you go to purchase bedding for the guest bedroom, don’t buy the cheapest sheet set you can find. You want to try to find something in the middle that will be comfortable yet still fits in your budget. A basic cotton sheet set, along with a comforter or a blanket, should suffice. You can even add some style and color to the room via the bedding set, as long as it’s relatively subtle.
Provide Storage Space
When you have guests who stay in your guest bedroom, you’re going to want to provide some storage and closet space for them. Therefore, if you typically use the bedroom’s closet for your own storage purposes, you might want to think about storing those items elsewhere for the time being. Of course, much of this will depend on a number of factors, including who the guest is and how long he or she is staying. If you’re having a family member who’s only staying a day or two, then that may not matter. But if you’re hosting someone from out of town who is staying for a week or longer, you’ll want to provide them with ample storage space.
Although decorating a guest bedroom can be a fun task, it’s important to keep in mind that even though the room is in your house, it’s other people who will be using the space. Thus, it’s always best to keep it on the simple side, adding your stylish touches here and there.
About the Writer…
Leon Tuberman has 40 years of experience in the furniture and interior decorating industry. He is the owner and operator of popular furniture store in California. They have a large inventory of handcrafted American built solid oak furniture for your bedroom, dining room and living room. If you’re looking for great quality American made solid oak bedroom furniture then they probably have everything you need.
Tips for Decorating a Baby Nursery
An important concern of new parents is how they are going to decorate the baby’s nursery. Decorating a baby nursery is certainly a lot of fun, but there are some essential things that new parents need to keep in mind concerning the decorating process.
1. Keep Safety in Mind at All Times
An important aspect of your nursery décor is that you keep safety for the baby in mind at all times. In other words, you may find that you’ll have to sacrifice some design elements that may be unsafe for your baby. Important factors to consider include: no small pieces that could create choking hazards, no strangling hazards, no items containing toxic chemicals, and no uncovered electrical outlets.
2. Set a Budget and Stick to It
It’s not at all hard to end up way over budget when it comes to decorating your baby’s nursery. It’s very easy to get lured in by all the cute baby items that are available. Therefore, be sure that you create a reasonable budget for the room beforehand and then stick to it. If you’re working with a tight budget, make sure you spend the bulk of the money on a quality crib and furniture, rather than decorations for the walls and other décor items.
3. You Don’t Have to Choose a Theme
One thing that many new parents insist on is that they have to choose a theme for their baby’s nursery. Yet a nursery’s décor can look just as nice without a theme as with one. By keeping the room simple with some great furniture and nice paint colors, you can create a wonderful nursery for your child. Once your baby becomes a toddler or young child, then it will be easier to change the room according to what he or she wants. A nursery theme is only one decorating option—don’t let others convince you that this is necessary.
4. Use Your Creativity and Talents
Some of the best baby nurseries have been designed by parents who have used their creativity and talents to come up with a completely unique design. If you can draw or paint, for instance, you can design your own mural for the nursery wall. Sewers and knitters can also create items to complement the nursery’s décor. Many new parents find that they like the nursery so much better when they have contributed their own talents and designs to the décor of the room.
5. Make Sure the Nursery Is Functional and Practical
In terms of the functionality of a baby nursery, some new parents have to learn the hard way. Above all else, the nursery needs to be practical rather than just aesthetically pleasing. The key to a functional and practical room is to find furniture and baby items that you will actually use. So although that rocking chair might give the room that perfect look, if it’s not comfortable to sit in, you will never use it and that money would have been wasted.
Most new parents genuinely look forward to decorating the baby’s nursery. By following these tips, you can create the best baby nursery possible for your little one.
About the Author…
Leon Tuberman has been in the home furnishings and interior decorating industry for four decades. He owns and operates a popular furniture store in California. They offer a huge assortment of solid wood furniture for your living room, home office and dining room that’s built in the Heartland of America. Are you searching for wood end tables for your living room or oak file cabinets for your home office then they probably have everything you need.
How to Buy Bedding Sets
When it comes time to choose your bedding, there are hundreds of different options available. Put some time and effort into buying the best bedding set you can, as it will play an important role in the décor of your bedroom. There are certain things you need to remember before you buy your next bedding set.
Determine the Color and Style
Unless you’ve already found a random bedding set that just jumped out at you and you are decorating your bedroom around that, then you’ll need to determine what color and style of bedding sets you are looking for. This typically depends on what style and colors you have chosen for your bedroom. For example, no matter how much you love that zebra-print bedding set, it won’t go with the décor if you’ve already planned a beach-themed bedroom.
Other people will decide to shop for a bedding set first. Then they will base the décor of their bedroom off that. Even then, you still want to have some sort of an idea what you want to do in the bedroom. This way you are not aimlessly shopping.
Set a Budget
The wide variety of bedding sets that are available today range from expensive to inexpensive. While you might be able to purchase a very inexpensive bedding set for 50 dollars, a luxury bedding set may cost up to 2,000 dollars. Therefore, it’s best to decide beforehand how much of your decorating budget you’re going to want to spend on your bedding set.
If your project includes decorating the whole bedroom, you need to be sure to set money aside for other items you might need. Also keep in mind that not all bedding sets contain the same pieces for the bed. So you might also end up having to buy extra sheets and pillows for the set as well.
Know the Size of the Bed
Before you even start looking at bedding, you need to know what size bed you have. It’s not a bad idea to take measurements of the mattress as well. Know the correct size the first time around. That way you won’t end up going back to the store and returning items. When you go to measure the mattress, just be sure to measure its length, depth, and width, especially if your mattress is a pillow top.
Research Bedding Materials
Bedding sets can be made of one of several different materials. The price is usually determined by the type of material that’s used, so you’ll need to choose something that’s in your budget. You need to also look at thread count for the sheets. Luxurious sheets tend to have a higher thread count and also be more expensive.
Cotton is the most popular bedding material, although there are several different types you can choose from. At the more expensive end is Egyptian cotton, which is also very luxurious. The most common and least expensive material that is sold for bedding is standard cotton. Other materials you might choose from include silk, flannel, and chenille.
The bedding set you choose can easily add to or take away from the décor of your bedroom. You can avoid ending up with bedding that’s a mistake by planning accordingly before purchasing the right bedding set for your bedroom.
About the Author…
Leon Tuberman has 40 years of experience in the home furnishings and interior design industry. He owns and manages a popular furniture store in California. They carry a large selection of American made solid oak furniture for your home office, dining room and bedroom. Are you looking for a oak file cabinet for your home office or a wood bed for your master bedroom then they probably have everything you need.
Feel a Nice Variety by Switching Your Kitchen Curtains
You can find dining room drapes in quite a range of contrasting materials and styles. One of the ways that you can assure that you are picking out the right drapery set is to imagine what it will look like when it is covering your window.
There are many distinct looks that you can achieve just by switching the dining room curtains and you may even find that you want to alteration things up on a regular basis.
It is good to know a little bit of variety in your life once in a while, and your inside decorating plan is no exception. As homeowners, lots of times we have a disposition to get things set up one time and then forget about it and never change it again. This is fine for a while, but in order to change up the atmosphere a little bit it is important to do something a bit different. Just by changing your dining room drapes you can change the entire look of the room.
Formal occasions are great, exciting times in our lives. If you forgot to host an event, you’ll know what an honor it is and also understand that paying attention to the details is important. You can really add some richness to your room in an affordable way just by adding some deep and rich fabrics. You could even say the dining rooms are the foundation for the aura of your room.
If you choose dining room draperies that are deep burgundy with golden details you are offering your guests rich design with a touch of warmth. Red is a really great tone for dining room curtain because the color has a tendency to stimulate the appetite. Gold is a wonderful choice for giving the space a formal feeling.
While this rich look is wonderful during the holidays or on special occasions, it can get old real fast. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to have my dining room feeling like a formal room on a daily basis. Why not change things up by buying a second option for the space. Different cloths and colors can make it look and feel like a distinct room entirely.
In contrast with the deep burgundy and gold dining room curtains, you might want to select a neutral, light material with dark burgundy detailing. For instance you might think about some nice off white shear dining room draperies with some little burgundy flowers set in with a sewn pattern. You don’t have to alteration the color scheme in the room in order to segue from one set of dining room curtains to the next.
Change is really nice.I change my clothes on a daily basis, and I like some clothes better than others. Having a couple sets of dining room drapes is pretty much the same thing, it allows you to dress your area differently for either your moods or occasions. This methodology to varying your dining room works so well because you can do it on a small budget and it doesn’t really take much time.
Easy Decorating Tips for Homesellers
These days, trying to sell your home is no easy task. Currently there are many more homes for sale than there are buyers, which makes it a buyer’s market. Particularly in a buyer’s market, you’re going to want to make sure that your house is dressed to impress.
What this means is that in order to get your house to sell a little faster, you might have to do some quick and simple decorating. If you are currently trying to sell your home, consider some of these decorating tips to help things move a little faster.
Paint the Walls
Any walls that are loud or vibrant should be painted with a more neutral or softer color. Although the new homeowners could come in and do this for themselves, sometimes the color of the walls can be distracting and you run the risk that this might take away from the appeal of the home for certain potential buyers. The other great thing about painting the walls is that it gives the home a fresh, clean look.
Keep the Décor Simple
Potential homeowners are not interested in seeing your house with 20 pictures of your family hanging around; they want to envision what it would look like if it was their home. Thus, when listing your home for sale, it’s always a good idea to go around from room to room and take down some décor items.
You want to keep the décor simple and neutral, particularly when it comes to your family pictures and other personal items of that nature. For instance, rather than having five pictures on the wall, cut it down to one. Even better, put something like a mirror or a clock there instead. By keeping the décor simple, you give potential homeowners the freedom to better imagine what the house will look like with their possessions in it.
Replace Anything That’s Broken
Take the time to fix things in your home before you have people come look at it, whether it’s a broken door or even just a light fixture that has a burnt-out light bulb. Go through your entire house to find the small things like light fixtures, doors, trim, cabinets, and appliances that might need fixing. Most of these fixes will be relatively simple. Sometimes all you might need is a bottle of caulk for the bathroom sink or a pull handle for a cabinet in the kitchen. Potential homebuyers will appreciate these repairs, as they make a house seem well-maintained and much more appealing.
Keep It Clean and Organized
You need to make sure that your home is always ready to be shown once you put it up for sale. This means that you’ll need to give your house a good cleaning from top to bottom when you first list it and then maintain that cleanliness on a daily basis. You want to be sure that there aren’t any dishes in the sink, dirty towels on the floor, or toys all over the place when people come over to look at the house.
While you’re trying to sell, organize your home so that everything has a place where it can be put away. Put things you’re not using at the moment (such as seasonal items) in a separate storage facility. This opens up the storage areas in the home, giving you plenty of space in which to organize your stuff. Keeping things clean and organized is important. After all, some potential buyers will see a messy, crowded home and walk right out, without even looking at it.
Chances are, you want to sell your home fast. By making some of these simple decorating changes in your home, you will make your house much more appealing to potential buyers.
About the Writer
Leon Tuberman has 40 years of experience in the home furnishings and interior design industry. He owns and manages his family owned furniture store. They offer a huge assortment of solid wood furniture for your living room, home office and dining room that’s built in the Heartland of America. Whether you’re looking for a oak end table for your living room or a mission chest for your master bedroom then they carry everything you need.
3 Ways for Arranging Furniture When Decorating Your Home
In decorating your home, you want things to be stylish and show some character, but you also want it to be functional. The furniture takes up the bulk of the space in most rooms, whether it’s oak bedroom furniture or the living room furniture. This is why arranging your furniture is such an important part of the process when you are decorating your home.
Typically, the way you arrange your furniture depends on several different factors. Of course, the type of room you are decorating will be a factor, but so will what furniture you are working with and what style you are going for in your décor. Although you are going to approach arranging the furniture in each room differently, there are some basic tips you can follow in every room.
Choose the Focal Point of the Room
You’re not going to be able to arrange your furniture until you’ve decided where the focal point is going to be in your room. This might be a natural focal point, such as a fireplace or a bay window, or it might be one of your pieces of furniture.
Pay attention to where your eyes are drawn when you first walk into the room. This is the part of the room you want to focus on. Once the focal point is decided upon, you can now plan accordingly where you want the furniture to go in order to emphasize that place in the room.
Plan Your Design
Often homeowners like to play around with the design of a room before they get it the way they want it. Start by arranging the largest pieces of furniture first.
If your largest piece of furniture is your focal point, then that will be easy to place. The largest pieces need to be arranged first since they are going to take up the most space and be more dominant than the smaller pieces in the room. In a bedroom, this might mean figuring out where your bed goes first. In a family room, it may mean planning where the sofa will go.
The placement of your furniture should relate to the focal point you’ve chosen. Not everything needs to be facing the focal point, but the furnishings should be arranged so that they show off the importance of the focal point. You need to also be sure that you are not putting all the larger pieces together, as it will throw off the balance of the room. Once you’ve figured out where you want to place the larger pieces, you can then move on to the smaller one, such as side tables and chairs.
Consider the Purpose of the Room
When arranging the furniture, it’s important to keep in mind the purpose of the room. In your dining room, for example, you need to pay attention as to whether there’s enough space for people to comfortably pass by the wood dining table when others are seated there. In your living room, on the other hand, you want to be sure the seating is close enough together so that people aren’t shouting in order to hear one another. Two key things to keep in mind when arranging the furniture in any room are functionality and purpose.
Realize that when you arrange the furniture in your home, it’s never set in stone. Once you get the furniture in place, you can always leave it there for a couple of weeks to see how it works out. If you don’t end up liking it, you can always start over and create a different layout for the room.
Home Interior Decorating
As far as home interior decorating is concerned, every nook and corner has to be studied so that the available space is utilized to the maximum. A good interior decorator should be able to help you in selecting the correct interior decorating solution for your home. Before actually starting the work, you need to be sure whether the emphasis is going to be on beauty, comfort, or the appearance of your home.
You need to attend to all parts, namely, doors, windows, floors, furniture and accessories. For windows, curtains, blinds, rods and panels should be attractive and appealing. Some people prefer light colors, while others prefer heavy and striking upholstery. Doors can be tastefully designed and the material itself can be exotic.
There is a wide range of flooring options available. You can choose from marble, granite tiles, bricks, slates, concrete, or steel. To add more color, suitable carpets can be spread. Rugs can be used to complement them.
Walls, pillars, and other standouts can be decorated using artifacts, paintings or wall hangings. Modern arts are becoming a common choice.
Not just the living room, but also every part of your home needs your attention. The kitchen should be convenient and easy to use. The gas tables, racks and shelves, cooking range, utensils, and all other accessories should be chosen carefully and arranged neatly to avoid messing them.
Further, furniture selection should be done wisely. The sofa sets, chairs, dining table, dressing table and cots must reflect your taste.
Pottery and decorative plants are also a welcome addition in home interior decorating. Sculptures or a mini-fountain may seem incredible. An aquarium can add beauty to your home. You need to pick the right colors and paints for your wonderful home.
The author is an interior designer and his latest ecommmerce is selling contact lens and train horns online.
4 Ways to Decorate a Dining Table
Decorating your wood dining table is much simpler than it might seem. It’s true that some people do spend thousands of dollars on their dining room table décor, but it may not even take a hundred dollars to create a beautiful dining room table you can be proud of. You can look around and see what you already have. Then with a little creativity, you can come up with a great-looking dining room table on a budget.
Keep Placemats or a Tablecloth on the Table
You can instantly bring style to your oak dining sets by adding placemats or a tablecloth. While some tablecloths and placemats are rather expensive, there are more inexpensive options at department or discount stores. If you’re really looking to save money, you might want to consider making your own out of inexpensive fabric, using your sewing machine.
Whatever fabric you choose is going to set the style for your dining room table. If you want a clean and simple look, use plain-colored fabric. A patterned design might work well if you plan on only putting placemats or the tablecloth on the table.
Utilize the China You Already Have
Rather than simply storing your good china away in a kitchen cabinet or hutch, consider displaying it on your dining room table. When laid out, the china settings will add interest to the table. It doesn’t matter if you don’t plan on using those china settings any time soon, as you are only displaying them for décor purposes, not for use. This is a great decorating option for those who already have a good set of china, as you don’t have to pay any additional money for a new setting to display.
Look to Nature for Décor Pieces
Nature provides us with so many different decorating options that don’t cost a thing. When you spend time outdoors, you are surrounded by inspiration for some really beautiful and unique dining room table centerpiece ideas.
· Creating a pretty centerpiece can be as simple as a vase of freshly picked flowers—and they smell nice too.
· For an autumnal touch, try a bowl filled with pinecones and dried flowers.
· Try apples in a bowl for a classic centerpiece, if you have an apple tree or know someone who does.
· Other fruits that work great are lemons and limes.
· If you’re looking for a clean look, try a simple potted plant.
Use Candles to Decorate Your Dining Room Table
Not only do candles on your dining room table add a romantic ambience to the room, but they will also add some great interest and style to the table. You can create an instant centerpiece by placing some inexpensive candles in a row or a circle in the center of the table. You might also consider a candelabra for the centerpiece. Another creative candle idea involves adding a glass bowl with water and floating candles to the center of the table. With so many different candle options available, you should be able to find the perfect thing that fits your own unique decorating style.
There’s no need to spend a lot of time or expense decorating your dining room table. Follow any of these great dining room table decorating ideas for a stylish and unique table that fits in your budget.