Thursday, October 16, 2008

Tips on Western Home Decorating

Bedroom Decorating Ideas - Tips on Western Home Decorating

One way to give your home a warm, comfortable look and feel is with western home decorating. As you might expect, there are some items that depict cowboys and rodeos, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Come along while we explore the wide variety of furnishings and accessories that fit right in with the western style of home decorating.

Whether you just want to add a few decorative pieces here and there, or decorate your entire house, western style décor can add charm and down-home coziness. If you don’t already have a few ideas about the look and feel you want, try browsing through a few home decorating or interior design magazines. Also, print and/or online catalogs from western furnishings stores have lots of ideas and suggestions. No matter where your creative ideas come from, the best advice I can offer is to pick at least a few items that reflect your personal interests and maybe even a side of your personality that others might not be aware of. That makes your room(s) unique while allowing you a perfect opportunity for some self-expression.

One of the great things about western home decorating is that it can be done fairly quickly and in a way to fit almost any budget. Since the flavor and feel of a room usually comes from the accessories and accents, you can often decorate a room without buying new furniture and other high-dollar items. You can create the feel you want with items such as an accent rug or two, a few table decorations, a decorative lamp, sofa or floor pillows, some wall art, and whatever else you want that will match or complement the overall desired ambiance.

Often, a fresh coat of paint on the walls will do wonders for a room. Many people like the living room and other common areas to be somewhat of a neutral color. An off-white, light tan or sand color works well for western style decorating, since those are subdued earth tones. A good paint color for bathroom trim might match something in the natural landscape such as a sky blue, forest green or dusty rose color.

Floors are often overlooked when it comes to decorating, which is a shame because area rugs and accent rugs not only serve a useful purpose, but they might also be considered as art for your floor. Rugs that go great in a western styled room include animal skins (real or faux), rugs with a southwest design, sheepskin rugs, and rugs that depict wildlife or horses. There is also a leather shag rug that is made with strips of suede sewn into a rag rug that would look great in many western rooms.

Lamps and lighting fixtures are an essential part of almost any room, but we sometimes neglect to make them fit in with the overall room décor. There are plenty of lamps and lighting fixtures to choose from, including ones made from antlers or small logs or ones with depictions of western scenes that add interest and visual appeal to the western style of home decorating.

Decorative pillows with a bold design and/or a splash of color might be just right for adding a bit of panache to the room. Bright colors or a bold design on a sofa could overpower the room, but pillows and a few other accessories and accents can give you lots of flexibility to get the overall look and feel you want. You can set the mood of the room to be as wild or as mild as you want.

Some items, such as sofa pillows, floor pillows, or table centerpieces, are usually affordable enough that it might be fun to have one set for everyday use and another set that can be put in place in a matter of minutes when certain guests are expected. That way, you can enhance the “wow” factor to fit the occasion.

Small bronze sculptures or horse figurines are a good example of decorations that you can display on a table, in a curio cabinet, or on a knick-knack shelf. One of my favorite things to display is a baseball-sized geode, which is a certain type of rock that has been cut in half to reveal the crystal formations inside.

Wall art includes paintings, drawings, photographs, and more. No matter how a room is decorated, too much bare wall space can often make a room seem unfinished. Plus, items on the wall can reflect your hobbies or personal interests as well as being decorative. Some of the rugs that have a southwestern design or a depiction of a scenic vista or animals are great for hanging on a wall, like a tapestry. It may sound a little unusual, but even things like samples of barbed wire or different kinds of horseshoes can be mounted and framed to make something that really goes well in a western style room.

Whether you prefer the traditional ranch style of western home decorating furnishings or the western style with a contemporary influence for your western home decorating, you can be assured that you’ll have plenty of accessories and accents to select from that offer down-home appeal and casual charm.
Western Home Decorating Has Many Aspects | Myia's Renovations and Realty

Interior Design Tips on Moroccan Home Decor

Bedroom Decorating Ideas - Moroccan Home Decor

One of the hottest trends when it comes to interior design, home decoration is of Moroccan origin. There are many reasons why the Moroccan decor is so popular that include designs, fabrics, beautiful colors that blend so well together and the fact that this type of decoration can withstand the test of time. Besides, Moroccan design can blend well with other types of decoration in your home. If you have a traditional design or a modern house, you can mix and match - making the design more eclectic when using the population of Moroccan origin design home decor. Home decorating Moroccan AccessoriesMoroccan Ceramics: You want to use ceramics in Morocco at home and decor is not only decorative, but a large part of the Moroccan culture.

The pottery is still made by hand and can be some parts that are true works of original art. The pottery which is made from natural clay are added color and drama to your home and give works of art that can be the focal point of any table. Moroccan table: You will also find that the table is very intricate and well designed when it comes to Moroccan accessories. You can see the Mediterranean in the design table are carved by hand or with established mosaic patterns that are made of glass or clay. The tables are a focal point and many of them are a work of art in themselves. Carpets Moroccan Zone: You really need to have a rug in a room to feel more relaxed and warm. No home is truly complete without this, even if you are wall to wall carpeting. But you do not have to limit itself to using only Moroccan carpets on the floor.

Because these are rugs woven so ingeniously, can also be used to hang on the wall instead of a painting. The rugs are woven and tied hand and make a big wall to the designs and floor designs. Morocco Mirrors: Mirrors are one way that you can make a smaller room look bigger. You can use the mirrors of Morocco that are made of bone or metal frames watermark. The use of mirrors as the walls instead of paint is cheaper, although the mirrors that are carved and dyed with henna art of giving more run for his money. You can add mirrors in any room in the house as if it were a photo or a painting. They are very well by adding sconces beside them to reflect light. Morocco Lighting: Do not forget lighting. Many people ignore this aspect of interior design, so do not forget to use lamps, lanterns, sconces and chandeliers in your home decor Moroccan.

The lampshades are often part of a species and animal skin that has been stained and hand-painted or tattooed with henna. Get the same type of lighting throughout the house to be functional as well as offer beauty. Separators Morocco room: You can use room dividers in many different ways to add drama to their rooms, as well as the section to privacy through the use of screening can create space and make a room more inviting and more functional. For even more dramatic style, add lamps screens lamps or a star. If you have a home office in the main hall of the house, room dividers are a perfect way to section off this space. There's so much you can do when it comes to creating a home that includes decoration of Moroccan origin. These are just some ideas. Once you start adding this Mediterranean design to your home, you'll naturally start gravitating toward lighting, rugs, furniture and accessories that have the design of Morocco. While Moroccan home decor is almost new, its application has been able to stand the test of time.Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/essential-accessories-of-moroccan-home-decor-566620.html
Interior Design: Essential Accessories of Moroccan Home Decor

Recycled Cabinet Hardware - 2008 Home Decor Trends

Bedroom Decorating Ideas - Recycled Cabinet Hardware

The trends for 2008 home decor are all directed toward “Going Green”, whether the focus is on environmentally friendly products, recycled products, or simply bringing more of the outdoors inside to add a more serene feel to your home.Focusing on cabinet hardware trends for 2008, you will find there are many fantastic options to becoming more “Green.”Environmentally Friendly & Recycled Cabinet Hardware.

If you are looking to replace your hardware, you should consider checking out the many available environmentally friendly and recycled hardware choices available. Several companies now specialize specifically in recycled cabinet hardware, using recycled aluminum, glass, and wood from construction sites. In addition to recycled products, there are many companies specializing in hardware (specifically cabinet knobs) made from renewable resources, such as cork or bamboo.

Hardware made from recycled glass is not only a great way to go green, but is also a great way to incorporate seasonal color into your home when you use colored glass. There are a number of companies on the market who are focused on producing sustainable/renewable products for your home and business. Their line of lead-free pewter and recycled glass cabinet hardware is an excellent choice for incorporating stylish “Green” products into your home.

Using recycled products when replacing your cabinet hardware is a great way to help the environment and lessening your carbon footprint on the planet while still being able to keep your cabinets and home stylish.

Bringing the Outdoors In

In addition to taking advantage of the many options available for recycled and green-friendly hardware, there are fantastic options to bring touches from the outdoors into your home. For your cabinet hinges consider hinges that are simple and don’t detract from your cabinet knobs and drawer pulls; this will allow you to put the entire focus on brightly colored knobs and pulls that bring a bit of the outdoors into your line of sight day in and day out. Examples may include bright red daisy-shaped cabinet knobs and pulls that will bring attention straight to your cabinets.

Alternatively, you could put the focus on the hinges while using a more subtle cabinet pull; you could incorporate leaf-shaped hinges into the room or a fine vine-shaped hinge so that it adds to the natural look you are trying to portray. Your local home improvement store will have many viable choices for you to get this project underway. However, if you have an exact idea in mind and can’t find it, you can always go the custom route. There are many cabinet hardware designers who can create for you the perfect hardware, to your exact specifications.

Whatever your taste, you will find it easy to incorporate environmentally friendly and recycled cabinet hardware into your home. With these items becoming more and more common on the market, it is taking less and less research to find great products and you will, in no time, give a fresh new look to your cabinets while still being able to Go Green.

Jennifer Akre, the author of this article, is an owner of different niche sites that offer clients and customer not only products, but information relating to furnishing and decorating their indoor and outdoor living space. Whether you want to redecorate your living room or create the ultimate outdoor oasis, there is a ton of helpful advice to take advantage of. Today, she shares her insight when purchasing environmentally friendly cabinet hardware, charming cabinet knobs and sleek pulls. Thanks to; eNewsMediaMagazine » Blog Archive » Cabinet Hardware - 2008 Home Decor Trends

10 Ways Improvements to Boost Your Home Value

Bedroom Decorating Ideas - Best home improvements

Do not spend a fortune doing up your home - you will not get your money back. As house prices continue to fall, research from Abbey shows that previously profitable improvements, such as extensions and new kitchens, can leave you out of pocket by many thousands of pounds.

According to the study, the more you spend the more you stand to lose because the cost of the work will not be reflected in the sale price. The average cost of an extension, for example, is £33,800 but it would add only £13,568 to the property's price.

Despite that, Lloyds TSB reports a near 20 per cent jump in the number of people who want to borrow money to improve their home compared with the same time last year. Some homeowners have decided to expand their properties rather than move while others are hoping that their improvements will help them to sell at a better price. So how can you boost the value of your home?

Get the decorators in

1 This is the only home improvement that will really boost your returns. Abbey says that the average cost of painting and decorating a home is £1,330, but the cosmetic improvement adds £3,557 to the value of the property. Opt for neutral colours and don't forget the woodwork.

Avoid big names

2 Installing designer kitchens and spa-quality bathrooms used to be a fail-safe way of adding thousands of pounds to the value of your home. Not any more. These days a new kitchen costs about £18,700 but will add less than £5,000 to the value of a home. The average price of a new bathroom is £7,700 and will add just £2,892 to the property price. So stick with the basics if you are redoing these rooms.

Know the right price

3 The cost of home improvements has risen by 20 per cent over the past two years, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. RICS blames the rising costs of transport and raw materials, as well as a shortage of tradesmen as Polish builders pack up and return home. Avoid being overcharged by spending £17.99 on The Property Makeover Price Guide published by RICS' Building Cost Information Service (bcis.co.uk).

Do it yourself

4 Another study by Alliance & Leicester shows that almost a third of homeowners are planning to save money by doing their own home improvements. However, you will spend even more money and potentially devalue your home if you botch the job.

Clean is beautiful

5 The easiest, cheapest and most effective way to add value would be to clean ...everything. For £35 you can hire a steam cleaner for the week to sort out carpets and upholstery (carpet-cleaner-hire.co.uk). Lined curtains should be dry-cleaned.

The white stuff

6 If your bathroom still looks tired after a good scrub, freshen up the grouting and the mastic. Use a grout pen to rewhiten any discoloured grout lines. It costs £3.98 from B&Q, where you can also buy a tube of mastic sealant for £3.73 (diy.com). If you are still having trouble or need to restore Victorian tiles, go to tiledoctor.co.uk.

Let there be light...

7 Maximise natural light. Simon Buhl Davis, who runs Savills' Interior Services, has managed to shift difficult homes by removing net curtains. He recommends installing colonial shutters to the bottom half of the window or slat blinds (theshutterandblindcompany.co.uk).

...in every dark corner

8 Compensate for the lack of natural light in gloomy places such as basements or lower-ground floors by installing twice the number of light fixtures. Fit dimmer switches.

Get rid of clutter

9 You might not need to move at all once you have got rid of surplus belongings. Use eBay and Gumtree but save time and postage by asking buyers to pick up their purchases. Donate or swap your stuff on freecycle.org. Charities such as the Salvation Army may also be able to pick up bulky items from your home (www1.salvationarmy.org.uk). If all else fails get a skip (skiphiredirect.co.uk).

Hide the dog/children

10 Smelly pets and messy children put buyers off. Ben Rymer, of Strutt & Parker, recommends packing them off to Granny's and dressing your home with fresh flowers and glossy lifestyle magazines. However, buyers are more price-sensitive than ever. So if your home really will not sell, the first thing to change might be the asking price.


Best home improvements to boost your home's value - Times Online

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Roman Shades Window Decorating

Buying a home with character and life gives you an excellent chance to try your hand at decorating it and making it into a home to be proud of. Older homes often have quite a bit of character, but may need to be remodeled or decorated to help enhance the character and make it into a comfortable living space. By using dcor pieces, you can turn any home into a welcoming and inviting space that you will love and enjoy.Even if you are not a decorator, you can make a house into a home. A home should express your personality, and through decorating, you can make the home feel like an extension of yourself. From roman shades to curtains and more, you want every facet of your room to express your own personality and decorating style.Home decorating is a process that takes a little time and effort, but it is well worth it. From looking on websites to reading books and magazines, you can get inspiration for your home from many different sources. By looking around at different sources and getting ideas, you can better determine what styles and designs that you like and enjoy.The windows are a very important facet of a design plan. What you choose for the windows can enhance or detract from the rest of the dcor of your room, which is why you want to put some thought into your window coverings. One window covering that you want to consider is roman shades. They are very flexible in design and are a functional and beautiful way to cover your windows. What do you need to consider when choosing your roman shades?Roman shades can be made from many different materials, including fabrics. Coordinating them with other facets of design in your room can help to bring the entire room together.Roman shades can be made to fit any size and shape of window. The window only needs to be carefully measured and the shades simply cut to fit your window without having to have them custom made, which is more expensive and time-consuming.If your home has a lot of woodwork on it, you will want to enhance it. Roman shades can offer you this great flexibility, because they do not cover up the window casing. By enhancing the features of your home, rather than hiding them, you can help to bring the natural beauty of your home out.Roman shades can easily be made. You can make them yourself or you can find someone to make them for you with the fabric that you choose. This can save you money over buying them custom made. You have the added flexibility of choosing the right fabric for you and your room, too.When choosing roman shades, you want to remember that they can help enhance your room and windows, so make your choice carefully to make the most of your room and your home. You can even find them to match your designer shower curtain. Enhance the character and personality of your home with roman shades today!About the Author:Greg Hansward repeatedly produces detailed reports on topics dealing with shower drapes. You can have a look at his work on designer shower curtain on his site. Business Web Directory Blog » Blog Archive » Window Decorating with Roman Shades

Home Decorating Business Ideas

Though most women take much interest in home décor for some reason or other, what they are ignorant about the fact home décor can also be used as an ideal home based money making business opportunity.If you are women with austere sense of space and beauty and some interior design experience to back you up, you can become home decor expert and offer home décor advice over the internet. You can become home décor consultants. You can also offer your home décor consultation service over the net to come up with some good home improvement ideas for those who look for some useful tips on the net and don't have the budget to pay the interior decorators.You can be an entrepreneur by venturing into a home based business by joining an affiliate program of online home décor store or outlet for selling their items.Home décor business also offers some unique home based business opportunities on the net. You can take up them as a part time or spare time home-based business activity, which can turn out to the most ideal home based business for women. There are many home décor online stores which offer home based business opportunities to women, Milano Direct is one such home decor online store which has offered the best home based money making business opportunity to thousands of women on the net.Besides the net there are some other home decorating business opportunities which can be taken up in your spare time. For example you can sign up as a sales representatives with a company specializing in home decor or home decorating products and have shows where you present the items—and sale them. You can offer these shows in your own home or go into other people's homes. These shows can be a great deal of fun and a way to earn a handsome amount.If you have a flair for interior decorating and are of independent nature you may want to start a home decorating business all your own. There can be a number of items you can specialize in like draperies, kitchen remodeling, carpeting, art and accessories, or color scheme choices, just to name a few, as the focus of your home decor business. The possibilities are endless plus you can also have your own home decorating ideas to integrate them for the home decor home business concept.For starting the dome décor business the contacts with the following can be of much help: • Interior designers • Home builders and contractors • Architects • Art galleries • Carpet companies • Paint companies • Antique dealers • Lighting specialists • Furniture stores and dealersThese contacts can help you to be in touch with the prospective clients. Which means you can get to work more quickly, and often with more upscale clients than you could reach on your own, especially when you're just starting a home decor home business.You don't have to be a business person to make any plans for your home decor home business. You just have to think carefully and put in as much of research as you can. Learn what people are looking for right now in terms of interior decorating. Go to different furniture stores, home décor stores to see what they're stocking. You can also talk with owners and also with the customers what's hot and what items they would like to buy.Only after you do proper research and clear what you want to get into you can go ahead with the formalities.I wish you good luck in all of your ventures into the home décor business.
Home Decorating Business Ideas

Be a Interior Designer Yourself

This article emphasizes on the idea that can make you an interior designer yourself. It throws light on boosting present interior decoration of your home using your own creativity and imagination.The word ‘Interior designing’ gets expert interior decorators to your mind. Hold down, but that time is gone and those days are gone when the interior designing was restricted to the experts. Nowadays, people are more aware about interior designing. Many prefer doing it themselves in their own creative manner to reach their imagination. You never know you can also get the best outcome out of your creative skills than those experts.Interior designing is made too complicated by the public mentality. However, it’s not as complex and expensive as people expect it to be. It just needs creativity and it doesn’t need certification or any diploma in the stream. You don’t always need the best pieces of expensive artistic accessories in order to do interior designing. Rather, you can achieve serene and comfortable ambience with simple elegant and inexpensive interior decoration also.The biggest mistake people make while decorating is they overlook usage and concentrate more on beauty of home. This not only gives rise to a lot of problems but it also gives an artificial look to your home. While designing your house, see to it that each and every feature of the house is intrinsic to the over all purpose of your home. So make sure you maintain quite a good balance between both of them. You need not redecorate your home always in order to get a new look, you can simply get it by reorganizing and boosting the interior decoration you have. You can also know more information about home decorating ideas in this site.Here are some tips enlisted:Getting free space works wonder. Simply put the things that you are tired of looking at to retirement. Just clear away all the unnecessary stuff. Make sure you make your home free from all the useless stuff like materials and equipments that are of no use now. Don’t even think of big sofas and tables if you have limited space. Get those small pictures and sceneries away. The new trend of interior decoration is to use less and keep it plain and simple. Carpets give the basic theme or look to the interiors. So, you may consider replacing carpets so as to create a new theme. Here comes the kitchen, the most important part of your home. Keep it clean and lightly coloured. Or, if you wish darker colours you may recreate as you want. Remember to keep the function of the place in mind. So make sure to keep good space in bathroom. It must be spacious.Go ahead Good Luck.About the Author:Adam Peters is the author of more resources published at http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com .A website with tips on home decorating ideas and decoration ideas. Thanks to; Boosting present interior decoration | Link Salad