Decorating Tips Idea: 2011

Tips to Decorate a Living Room With a Leather Sofa and Chairs

A living room is the most important room at your home because this room is commonly used to accept any guest you might have. In this case, it is crucial for you to enhance the look of your room in a good way with giving decorated things that will be perfect for your needs. To help you in giving the best look for your living room, it will be good if you provide chairs and a leather sofa that will be good complement into your home. To help you in giving the best look for your room, this article will give better information and explanation that could be useful for you.

1. First of all, it is important for you to choose a set of sofa and chairs that will be suitable with your decoration style. In this case, you must understand the style of your living room which is modern, contemporary or classic. If you have a modern look, it is advised to choose the set in brown color that will provide a rustic look into your room.
2. For the next step, you should arrange the furniture that is made from leather. You can display the set in round shape that will make you more comfortable staying and seeing thee. For giving the attractive look, you can consider the installation of standing lamp that will light the room in a good way.
3. Also, you are advised to enhance the room with the use of leather furniture that is made from warm textiles. Also, you can consider the use of bird or leaf designs that will help you in beautifying the room rightly. To make them matched with the style of your room, you can add the use of blanket over the top of the couch.
4. For additional decoration, you can include the use of tables which are decorative and convenient that will be able to create the best look into your home. Keep in mind that the presence of those tables will give furniture layout. If you are interested in giving the best accent, you can add the use of light-colored leather furniture with a dark mahogany or cherry wood side and coffee table set.

How To Decorate And Live Well

By knowing the information above, it is your turn to do the right improvement for your living room that will be functional for you. In this case, you will understand that the improvement will give the best and attractive look into your home rightly.

Tips to Decorate a Living Room With a Leather Sofa and Chairs

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Ideas on How to Decorate a Living Room

Most decorating themes are dependent on the size and shape of the room and what it is going to be used for. Living room decorating ideas are no different in that the type of decor chosen is going to be largely dependent upon the room's size and how that room features in the overall utility of the house generally. Some people's living rooms remain completely empty for much of the day and are only used during the evening when the family is at home. Other living rooms are in use constantly with a continuous procession of small children and pet animals surging through the place. It is totally inappropriate to decorate the first kind of living room in the same way as the second kind: the adults would not appreciate small children and muddy pups clambering over an off-white three-piece suite and a home where adults live wouldn't really appreciate living in a room categorized as nursery-orientated. As with anything else, utility is the prime decider when it comes to decor - and that includes living room decorating ideas.

In a living room that has plenty of space it may be an idea to designate separate areas to create a more homely feel to the room: perhaps a home office space beneath the stair recess or a formal dining area where a straight edge to the flooring delineates the divide between carpet and hard floor, creating a more intimate dining setting. You may have a small room that is better for creating a sense of space, using lots of pastel colors on the walls and white gloss on the paintwork. Keep picture size to the minimum for the best impact on increasing the feeling of space. Keep your furnishings small and, rather than a three-seater settee, choose a two-seater to create the best impression of space. Make good use of mirrors - not just as looking glasses to reflect your image, but reflective glass that refracts light around the room. Your room will look much bigger. The best living room decorating ideas are ones which work with the lifestyle of the people living in the house being decorated.

How To Decorate And Live Well

According to London's Ideal Home Exhibition 2009, this year's living room decorating ideas are duck egg and taupe, which has been described as being relaxing and easy to live with. In their April 2009 magazine they feature a living room where the accent wall, along which the window is situated, has been decorated in a color produced by Dulux, called Sea Urchin, a shade of blue. The other walls have been painted in China Clay manufactured by The Little Greene Paint Company. The carpet is Champagne by Carmar Carpets and the rug beneath the coffee table is sold through the Next retail outlet and is part of the Vintage Damask range in teal. At the windows, the Harlequin curtains are Medina silk and combine the duck egg blue and taupe living room decorating ideas perfectly. The overall effect, from the picture featured in the April edition is quite breath taking, offering cool clean lines and a sense of lightness and freedom. The sense of relaxation in this living room decorating idea has been perfectly captured.

Ideas on How to Decorate a Living Room

Decorating Ideas offers advice on how to decorate your home. Includes living room decorating ideas, bedroom decorating ideas, bathroom decorating ideas and more.

Christmas Interior Decorating - A 3 Simple Step Guide on How to Find Your Inner Creative Inspiration

So Santa Claus will be visiting soon and you have not finished (or started) decorating your home for your guests or for your enjoyment. Or perhaps you look around your home and feel as if there is something missing in your decoration.

-Don't panic!
-Don't hide in the closet!
-Don't try to wrap yourself in a box to avoid decorating!
-Don't grab the scissors and stare at the tangled Christmas lights!
-Don't put an extra something in the eggnog to try to calm your nerves!
-Don't eye the ornaments and imagine your family as targets!

How To Decorate And Live Well

Follow these 3 simple steps, practiced by elves at the North Pole in charge of interior decorating, in order to find your creative inspiration for decorating the interior of your home.

1st step

Remember your goal. The goal is to decorate so you LOVE walking into your home and inviting people to visit. Not just admiring the outside Christmas lights, but the heart of the home (the inside!!) ... so you can FEEL that Christmas is near ... so people can talk about how wonderful your home looks (hey, there is nothing wrong with having fans admire your creative unique interior decorations). You make your home special every time you decorate because no matter how many ideas an interior decorator may give you; it is ultimately your personality (as an individual or a family) that chooses the ultimate Christmas decorating design. No home can ever be decorated the same because we all have different personalities, styles, and tastes that inspire our creative heart to reach our desired goal.

2nd step

Narrow down a mood. The second step to finding your inner Christmas decorating inspiration is to narrow down a mood that you want to feel in the room. What emotion do you want to portray in the room? Do you prefer informal or formal. March of the Wooden Soldiers with Laurel & Hardy movie or White Christmas with Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney movie. Making your own gingerbread house or buying one already made.

Now remember, there is nothing wrong with combining two moods and styles as long as there is harmony. How do you go about doing that? Simple: pick your primary mood preference then throw "decor sprinkles" of your secondary preference. You prevent two moods from clashing when the secondary preference is introduced into the room in small amounts - which I call "decor sprinkles". For example, say you want to decorate your home to reflect an elegant white Christmas look (the main mood preference is relaxed elegance) but you don't want it to look too fancy (the second preference is a decor sprinkle of fun!).

You can:

Decorate your home with wreaths sprayed with snow and have white elegant fabric bows, with silver bells. Place white felt fabric on all tables to resemble snow. Decorate your tree with clear Christmas lights, different shades of white & silver round ornaments, fresh cut white roses, beautiful soft doll angels with white feathered wings; and place under your tree presents wrapped in silver with white ribbons and bows. These are all primary mood preferences of elegance.

Then, add your décor sprinkles of fun! Add to your Christmas tree adorable snowmen figurine ornaments with red scarves and red roses that pick up the color of the red scarf on the snowmen; add mistletoe and red berry branches to the center of doorways; and insert small red & white stripped candy canes within your snow covered wreaths. The red color is your little SPLASH of fun! Be careful not to overwhelm the sprinkle of your secondary preference - the holiday magic word is "subtle". These are all secondary mood preferences of fun.

Remember, narrowing down what mood you and your family prefer for the current Christmas will inspire you and your family to start visualizing designs in your imagination that bring comfort and joy.

3rd STEP

Organize a decorating plan. Knowing the first two steps gives you a guide (a design blueprint!). So now you know your goal (1st step), and you know the direction of the mood you wish to use for your interior decoration (2nd step). The next step is to organize a decorating plan (3rd step).

How?

Look within yourself ... or much easier (less meditation!) ... look within the boxes that contain last year's Christmas decorations in order to organize your decorating plan. If you have a limited amount of decorations, then go window-shopping to sort through store decorations.

Take out all the decorations you have and sort out what you like and what you do not like. As soon as you start to sort, you will receive inspirational decorating thoughts that will guide you to pick this year's Christmas decoration design plan that will impress even Santa Claus.

Search and sort by:

Mood. Sort the decorations by moods (which are fancy, elegant, relaxing, whimsical, funky, playful, etc).

Theme. Organize by theme (nutcrackers, snowmen, a Christmas village, indoor animations, reindeers, etc.)

Color. Separate each ornament or decoration with the color that stands out the most. This goes for Christmas lights as well - separate the multicolor Christmas lights from the single color Christmas lights.

Taking the time to search and sort through your Christmas decorations will:

o keep you from wanting to use every single décor you own and inspire you to save them for other Christmases to come.

o help you pick out what matches or doesn't for your (a) comfort (1st step - goal) and (b) preference (2nd step - mood).

o help you plan a design that harmonizes with your personality and furniture. Just because you have a red bow does not mean you have to use it. A red bow attached to a red lampshade will not stand out; whereas a white bow would be a noticeable contrast.

o make planning future Christmas decorating easy since you already went through the process of sorting and stored decorations by mood/theme/color.

o save you money since now you purchase with a plan in mind that match your goal and the mood that you want to portray in your current Christmas theme, instead of just grabbing any (or all) adorable Christmas decorations.

Perhaps you do not like an ornament that was given to you by a relative, but you feel obligated to have it as part of your Christmas interior décor. REMEMBER, it is your home ... your comfort ... your creative Christmas décor. Do not let past gifts bully you into feeling that you "have to" display the item(s). Choose decorations that "YOU" want to represent in your home.

Extra Tip: if you have a guest that gave you a unique décor and he/she is planning to stay over for the holiday, then surprise them by decorating the guest room with the unique gift. They will wholeheartedly appreciate the thought you gave into displaying the gift, and feel happier during the happy holidays.

Christmas Interior Decorating - A 3 Simple Step Guide on How to Find Your Inner Creative Inspiration

For additional Christmas interior decorating tips check out Christmas Interior Decorating Guide with Ideas that Will Impress Even Santa Claus!, visit: http://www.adasdecoratingsolutions.com/foryou.html

Ada Gonzalez is an interior decorator who designs solutions that provide comfort & function with a BIG SPLASH of style without having to spend hi-end prices on furniture & furnishings. Her designs have been featured in the Life & Style section of The Journal News, Sound Shore Express newspaper, and the Lohub Blog of Westchester County. In April 2007 she won a design competition called "Interior Motives". She was honored as an Interior Decorating Subject Specialist March and April of 2007 for DETC (Distant Education Training Council) helping perfect learning materials for interior decorating students. Her ezine called Smart Decorating!, which offers FREE DECORATING TIPS, is her way of helping people across the United States learn to comfortably live in and love their homes - to get more information on her ezine go to adasdecoratingsolutions.

Email: ada@adasdesigninc.com

Enjoy The Charm Of Old World Decorating In Your Home

If you want to add appeal and unique style to your home, you should consider decorating in the style of old world decorating. Using a combination of antiques and well loved items combined with earthtones and organic materials this interior decorating scheme can add a great look to your home.

Great lighting in your home is pivotal for old world ambiance. To match with this decorating style, lighting fixtures can be bronze or marble. Try using antique lights in marble or alabaster and hanging chandeliers with an old world style.

How To Decorate And Live Well

Of course, the furniture is a necessary part of any style and this particular one has some of the most beautiful choices. Although many styles will work well with this look, aged oak and mahogany items usually look great with this design approach. However, if you want a more comfortable seating you can try sofas and chairs with ultra suede or other rich fabrics.

It's essential to decide on an appropriate type of window treatments for your home. You are trying to achieve a heavy antique looking style, therefore remember this when selecting curtains, drapes or shutters. Depending on the room you are decorating, you might try velvet drapes or sheers that are quite long and puddle on the floor.

Adding to your decor with paintings and knick knacks in your home will help augment the decorating scheme. For decorating with accessories, a time worn design theme is a good idea. Picking out accessories that match with your personal style and tastes will make the room your own.

One thing most people forget to give some thought to when home decorating is the floor, so you must be certain to take your old world decorating down to the floor by displaying intriguing area rugs. Don't forget that your floor decor is a component of your ambiance, so be positive to get something that matches with both the colors together with the decorating theme. Getting oriental style rugs in muted tones will act as a fascinating compliment to the decorating scheme and will work especially well with rich hardwood flooring.

While decorating with antiques may be expensive, they can also give your home a rich and unique look as well as work as an investment. Taking the time to buy items in the best condition possible and caring for them properly will help protect your investment as well as make your home look fabulous!

Enjoy The Charm Of Old World Decorating In Your Home

Lee Dobbins write for http://100decoratingstyles.com/ where you can learn more about decorating and get tips on other great decorating styles.

Decorating According to Feng Shui

Objects and layout of Feng Shui decorations have to be in harmony in nature. The designs are also influenced by the people themselves, where the designs are either subtracted or added its surroundings. The environment around the people is asserted with inner energy, which is also called chi. Chi as well as the life force helps in affecting the surrounding that people live in.

Not many people knew that feng shui existed until the twentieth century. The writings of Chui His who belonged to the Song dynasty and belonged to the early philosophy of the Chinese have been responsible for writing a lot on the common beliefs of Feng Shuis. Till then the knowledge available it was only less tribal and not much known to people.

How To Decorate And Live Well

The flow of nature's energy to create harmony in the surroundings:

Much interested was generated amongst the westerners about Feng Shuis. Initially they were skeptical but gradually they became interested in it. It is believed that has a lot of chi or energy is focused in wind and water. It is essential hence that all the possessions, landscaping, dwellings etc should be maintained according the flow of nature's energy that is chi.

There are a number of guidelines which need to be followed in Feng Shui. Clutter should be avoided pools of water, mirrors and crystals need to be used as they help in moving energy forces and help in redirecting energy in certain directions. If you are lying in bed or are sitting at your table, you should be able to have a clear view of the entire room. Doors should be in certain directions only, mirrors and water needs to placed in certain parts of the room only etc. Chimes also need to be hanged at the doors and windows accordingly.

Decorating According to Feng Shui

Phil Caxton is the editor of different articles with reference to interior design for Home-Decorating-Reviews.com. A website with tips on feng shui decorating and decorating styles.

Lounge Decorating Ideas: Top 3 Tips To Use For Any Lounge

If you want some lounge decorating ideas, then I am going to reveal some of my favorite ideas right here. If you know these techniques, then you will have 2 to 3 times the effect. If you don't, then your decorating efforts will go unnoticed.

So what to do?

How To Decorate And Live Well

If you want your friends, guests and loved ones to take notice and comment, then here's what to do. Think of the lounge wall that you want to decorate and ask yourself, which effect is it that you want to create. The choices you have include these 3 that you must know:

1. A scene of nature or cityscape that you can you feel that you can almost walk into.

This illusion of almost walking into a scene, and having the beautiful image as a backdrop is an effect that is almost magical, yet unknown by so many people. But if you know how to do this, then the effect you create will be exceptional. The most effective way is with a large tapestry. A scene of the forest, landscape or palace grounds will create an illusion of almost stepping into the scene.

This is one of the most effective ways to use large art to change a room into an experience for you, your guests and loves ones. So choose the art that will give you this effect and get maximal results. Your efforts will be 2 to 3 times more effective than with almost any other decorating idea.

2. A specific feel to a room such as romance.

You can give your lounge a specific feel such as romance with art which depicts scenes of nature and people within the scene that represents romance. French art with its romantic portrayal of even everyday life and subjects give the impression of romance and a washing over of feelings. These works portray life or scenery but in a romanticized way.

If you use a tapestry, the romance is further amplified as this is an artform which comes directly from this era of romance. It adds an unparalleled amount of feeling, warmth and romance to a lounge, and feels as if you're right at home but in a French room in the French countryside. If your lounge is a little cold or sterile, then this will create a wonderful effect.

3. A distinctive artwork that gives the lounge a theme based on that work.

Want a great work of art? Want to show off a certain theme? Then choose a piece of art which shows the subject that you like and this will create a lot of interest. A piece of art or tapestry which shows a work from an era or of a subject matter that you like will stand out. Again, if you use a tapestry, there is a presence about them that is beyond that of prints or framed art.

When you see one you will know what I mean. This presence makes the art a real part of the room and can be seen as well as felt. So choose the piece you like and see the effect for yourself.

So these are three ways to decorate your lounge effectively.

These decorating ideas for a lounge will give you an effect that is 2 to 3 times more effective, and will have your friends and loved ones comment and feel the effect this has in your lounge. Your lounge decor has a great effect on yourself and your guests so make the most of it and have great experiences together with your decor.

Lounge Decorating Ideas: Top 3 Tips To Use For Any Lounge

Looking for tapestries to decorate your lounge? Then see this wide range of wall tapestry art for your lounge room, from European mills and the US. Tom Matherson writes for Worldwide Tapestries where you'll find a wide collection of landscape wall tapestries of verdures, landscapes and countryside scenes for your living space and home.

How To Select Living Room Drapes

Whether you call it drapes or curtains- it really doesn't matter. It always depends on who you are going to talk to. Most homeowners call the fabric hanging on their windows "curtains" while professionals in the home building industry call it "drapes".

When selecting drapes for your living room, you must first identify the function you would want to have.

How To Decorate And Live Well

For example, they could be used as the focal point of your window decoration or treatment. Remember that they are more ornate, in comparison to curtains. Thus they naturally have more elaborate designs and different fabric texture that demonstrate their primary purpose - decoration. However, your options of them should not only focus on their capacity to contribute to the decoration in the living room.

They could also provide purposes other than to ornate. Say, they could help manipulate the light that enters the living room, keep the warmth or coldness inside it or increase the room's privacy. Selecting the wrong fabric, however, could affect the over-all appearance of them while failing to provide several necessary functions.

Another criterion for selecting them is the type of fabric you are most comfortable working with. Apart from your personal taste, the fabric selection also depends on whether you want them to stand out from the rest of the living room or to blend with the rest of the room as well as the location of the windows. Fabrics are available in an array of types but not all fabrics could be used as drapes. So be discriminative in choosing.

In the selection of them, it is also crucial that you know the length and the width of the window to which they will be used. As a rule of thumb, you must first obtain the measurements of the windows. Then compare this with the length of them you are planning to install. For example, full length drapes should have the length and width that would cover the entire area of the window, from the top edge of the window and perhaps touching the floor. Apron drapes, however, would only require a modest allowance to the fabric to give it a dramatic flow.

Once you are done with the selection of the type of them, the fabric and the exact functions you want them to achieve, you should be able to hang them properly to the windows. Otherwise, the drape treatment would not be effective and may as well ruin the appearance of the entire living room.

How To Select Living Room Drapes

For ideas on living room design, visit http://www.livingroomdesign101.com

5 Ways to Cozy Up a Large Living Room

Most people love large living or family rooms, but they tend to have a cold or cavernous appearance, especially when the ceilings are vaulted. While you love the spaciousness, you may wonder how to make the room feel a little more warm and inviting, or cozy. You want your home to have an atmosphere that is comfortable and welcoming, an almost intimate appeal that feels alluring.

There are several ways you can break up a large space in order to make it feel a bit more personal. This article will give you tips on creating a room that offers interest, appeal and, most of all, warmth.

How To Decorate And Live Well

Arrange Several Furniture Groupings

The easiest way to break the room up is to group furnishings in different areas, each for a purpose. Arrange your sofa, loveseat, recliner and tables in a small grouping around an area rug. This makes a wonderful conversation area when guests visit. Furniture should not be placed against the wall; this only makes things look impersonal. You may want to add another area that is designed for enjoying a good book. Place a rocking chair or recliner, along with a small table and lamp, in another location in the room - perhaps near a window.

If you have more space, consider placing an additional sofa and television, stereo and game station in an area that will be used solely for entertainment purposes. Creating areas designed to be used for specific activities is a great way to break the room up into smaller, more intimate spaces.

Use Paint or Wallpaper to Draw the Room In

In smaller spaces, most people avoid using dark colored paint. However, when you have high ceilings and a very large room, dark paint is the perfect solution. Consider painting the ceiling a dark shade as well to bring it down visually. Boldly patterned wallpaper containing dark shades is an option as well.

Avoid Decorating with Mirrors

Mirrors tend to make rooms look larger, especially when they reflect light from windows or other light sources. If you feel that you have to use a mirror, hang it where it reflects a favorite decor or accent piece.

Add Lots of Accessories!

Adding lots of accessories such as baskets, pottery, plants and bookshelves can really scale a room down. Using small to medium size accents helps reduce the appearance of a large room and balances bigger items like furniture. Consider placing a potted tree in one corner of the room to match the scale of a high ceiling.

Bulk is Great

For spacious rooms, bulky large furniture is perfect. Consider using "heavy" looking fabrics such as tapestries, and keep the colors dark. Dark colored wood is ideal as well; light colors tend to make spaces look larger. Avoid glass topped tables completely.

There you have it! Five great ways that you can visually reduce the size of spaces which look cold and uninviting. No matter how big the living or family room are, you can give them a cozy, warm appearance that everyone will appreciate.

5 Ways to Cozy Up a Large Living Room

Leon Tuberman has been in the home furnishings and interior design industry for four decades. He owns and operates a popular furniture store in California. They have a huge inventory of handcrafted American built solid wood furniture for your bedroom, living room and oak office furniture. It doesn't matter whether you're shopping for solid oak dining sets for your kitchen or dining room or a cherry tv stand for your media room they carry everything you need.

Cheap Decorating Ideas - Movie Decor and Media Rooms

If you are looking for cheap ways to decorate a room, movie decor is an easy, fun, and cheap way to go. You can decorate a child's bedroom, play rooms, home theater rooms, and theme rooms with movie memorabilia and posters. Plastering your favorite rock star, movie star, and movies is also a great way to add personality to a room. You can get memorabilia and posters for very cheap compared to other decorating techniques and styles, and it is also much easier to put up, take down, and change often.

Decorate a room dedicated to the wonder and magic of Walt Disney. Put up classic pictures and posters of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Pinocchio. Find figurines of Jiminy Cricket, Mickey and Minnie, and Donald Duck and place them on your shelves and bookcases, and show off your love for Disney and the classics.

How To Decorate And Live Well

Are you one of those music groupies? Then you need to put up HUGE posters of all your favorite rock stars, especially since half of them from the eighties are on their comeback tours! But do not just put a few up and call it good; completely PLASTER every last inch of your walls! That is the only way to be a true fanatic and groupie. Remember the next time you go to the concert to get your biggest poster signed, and then put it in a frame. That way you can write "I love you" all over it with your lipstick. Unless your a boy, then it might be creepy.

This next idea is for the animaniacs. Who loves Pixar? I think just about everyone, but if you are a 2-D or 3-D soon-to-be animator, you NEED to show how much you love Toy Story! Also, if you are a huge animation geek, try to find the posters for the Pixar shorts, not all of them are easy to find! You can then put a huge entrance rug of Buzz Lightyear or Mr. Incredible in the room to welcome all of the visitors to Pixarville!

Basically, if you are looking for ways to decorate for cheap, movie and media decor is the way to go, no question. It is also perfect for decorating dorm rooms as well, so if you, your sibling, or any of your children are heading into their dorm for the first time, get them a dorm warming present! The possibilities are endless, and I hope I got your mind turning of what would make the best room decor for you.

Cheap Decorating Ideas - Movie Decor and Media Rooms

Not sure where to start searching for movie merchandise? Don't worry, I've done your homework for you! I'm a nice guy :). Head over to Movie Merch [http://review-stand.com/moviemerch/] to get the run down on the best places to start looking for classy movie memorabilia [http://review-stand.com/moviemerch/] to decorate your room with.

4 Simple Ways to Decorate Your Dining Room Table on a Budget

Decorating a dining room table is not as difficult as you may think it is. Although there are some people who may spend thousands of dollars just decorating the dining table, it may not even take a hundred dollars to get a beautifully decorated dining room table that you can be proud of. With a little creativity and careful use of things that you already may have, you can come up with a great looking dining room table on a budget.

Use Placemats or a Tablecloth on the Dining Set Table

How To Decorate And Live Well

One of the easiest ways to add instant style to a dining table is to add placemats or a tablecloth. Some tablecloths and placemats are quite expensive, but it is not that hard to find inexpensive pieces at department stores or discount stores. To save some money, you can even make your own placemats or tablecloths by buying inexpensive fabric and using your sewing machine.

The fabric that you choose for your dining table is going to set the style for the table. If you want something clean and simple, use plain colored fabric and if you plan on only having placemats or the tablecloth on the dining room table you can go with patterns and designs.

Utilize the China You Already Have

Instead of just simply storing your good china in a kitchen cabinet or hutch, display it on your dining table. Lay out the china settings to add some interest to the table. It doesn't matter if you don't ever use those china settings, they are only for décor reasons and not for use. Since you already have the good set of china, you don't have to pay any money for a new setting to display on the dining room table.

Look to Nature for Décor Pieces

Nature provides us with so many different decorating options that are free. You can come up with some really beautiful and unique dining room table centerpiece ideas when you're outdoors.

· Vases of freshly picked flowers not only smell nice, but make a pretty centerpiece for the table.

· A bowl filled with pinecones and dried flowers can really set your dining table ready for the fall season.

· Or maybe you have an apple tree or know someone who does that can give you some apples to put in a bowl for a centerpiece.

· You can also use fruits such as lemons and limes.

· A simple potted plant also works well for a clean look on a dining room table.

Use Candles to Decorate Your Dining Table

Candles on your dining room table will not only add a romantic ambience to the dining room but can also add some great interest and style to the table. You can easily find inexpensive candles that can be placed in a row or a circle on the table and act as a centerpiece. You can also choose candelabra for the centerpiece as well.

Another creative idea is adding a glass bowl with water to the table and place floating candles in the bowl. There are so many different candles to choose from that you are bound to find something that looks great on the table and fits your decorating style.

There is no need to spend a lot of money decorating your dining room table. Instead stick to your budget and use these great dining room table decorating ideas for a stylish and unique table for your home.

4 Simple Ways to Decorate Your Dining Room Table on a Budget

Leon Tuberman has been in the furniture and interior design industry for 40 years. He owns and operates a popular furniture store in Los Angeles. They offer a huge assortment of solid wood furniture for your living room, bedroom and dining room that's built in the Heartland of America. It doesn't matter whether you're shopping for a mission dressers for your bedroom or a wood file cabinet for your home office then they carry everything you need.

How to Write a Will

A will provides information about the transfer of property, ornaments or land, from the testator to his beneficiaries, after his death. Everyone, regardless of age, needs a will. Without a will people wouldn't know where their assets would go. Writing a will is one of the most important things an individual can do in his or her lifetime. There are intestacy laws for those who do not make a will. But it is wise that the transfer of property be made in accordance with the deceased's wishes, as expressed in the will. A high proportion of adults own assets in the form of houses, cars, shares and insurance policies.

A person who makes a will is called a testator. Testators have the option of framing their own will or engage the services of an attorney. Prior to framing a will, a testator's objectives must be clear. An inventory of assets helps in estimating outstanding debts. A list of family members and other beneficiaries must be prepared. Testators must plan on passing their property to their heirs in the most tax-efficient manner. They may also establish a trust to provide monetary assistance to their spouse or other beneficiaries.

How To Decorate And Live Well

A witness is required to sign a copy of the will. The witness must not be a beneficiary of the will. Once the will is written, it should be stored in a safe place that is accessible to others after death. If a solicitor prepares the will, he should be given a copy with a note stating where the original copy could be found.

The death of a family member is something people wouldn't like to foresee. However, since death is inevitable, taking practical steps like making a will, secures the future of family members.

How to Write a Will

Wills provides detailed information on Free Wills, How to Write a Will, Last Will And Testament, Living Wills and more. Wills is affiliated with Living Will Forms [http://www.i-LivingWills.com].

The Advantages of Renting an Apartment vs. Owning a Home

Compared to owning a home, living in an apartment rental is incredibly easy. Why do the work yourself when you can enjoy the following benefits:

· Dedicated property and maintenance staff to call if anything goes wrong

How To Decorate And Live Well

· No back-breaking snow shoveling, lawn maintenance or pool/sauna care

· One single monthly rent cheque usually pays for everything (instead of several separate bills and fees when you own a house or a condo)

You Get More for Your Money

Believe it or not, you can usually rent an apartment or house for much less than the cost of buying it - especially if you live in a larger city. And if you want to be right downtown, renting is almost always more affordable than owning a condo (and you get a lot more living space, as well, as downtown apartments are usually much larger than downtown condos).

As well, apartment renters don't have to come up with the thousands of dollars in down payments, closing costs and fees for things such as building inspections, legal counsel, land transfer taxes and insurance.

And this doesn't even factor in the cost of borrowing - in the first five years of ownership, most mortgage payments are applied only to the interest, not the capital. This is money that you won't get back when you sell your home (and you'll still have all the hassles and extra costs of putting your house on the market).

That Tax Break is Not Guaranteed

Getting a big tax break is supposed to be one of the greatest advantages of owning a home - but you can't always rely on getting this break. If your annual mortgage interest payment, plus any other deductions you are entitled to, isn't greater than your standard tax deductions, you will not receive any tax benefit from owning a house.

If you rent an apartment, however, you'll always receive some form of tax relief, as a large portion of your rent is tax deductible every year.

Maximum Flexibility

Renting provides an enormous amount of flexibility. You can pack up and leave immediately at the end of your lease (which can be monthly or yearly, whatever best suits your lifestyle) - there's no waiting to sell and no agonizing about the housing market before you move. For many people, the freedom to live where you want and when you want is a huge benefit that simply cannot be overlooked.

Minimum Risk

For homeowners, the stakes are enormously high should their finances crumble. When they can't pay the mortgage, the lender has great leverage - the house and all the equity invested in it could be in jeopardy. That's not to say there aren't consequences if a tenant can't pay the rent - but the financial devastation that comes with losing your home is far greater than being evicted from your apartment.

In addition, there are several social service programs that are run by all levels of government to help people in need pay their rent so they won't be evicted. Are the banks as lenient or supportive when it comes time to pay the mortgage?

Ultimately, making the decision to either rent an apartment or buy a home involves much more than simply comparing rental rates, mortgage payments, lease lengths and tax breaks. It's a combination of all of the personal circumstances happening in your life - both now and several years down the road.

The Advantages of Renting an Apartment vs. Owning a Home

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Do it Yourself Laundry Room Decorating Ideas

If you're like most of us, you probably spend more time in the laundry room than you actually want to but you never really think about how you have it decorated or styled. In fact, the laundry room is probably one of the most used but most ignored places in the entire house. It just doesn't occur to us that it can be decorated well, and made much more pretty, inviting, and enjoyable to use.

If you take a weekend and simply concentrate on updating your laundry room design style, you may find you're not nearly as bored when you're in there doing the chores.

How To Decorate And Live Well

Most laundry rooms look way too utilitarian. They're drab, dull, and just plain uninviting. This makes decorating easy though, because just adding a touch of color to the room will dramatically change the entire look and feel.

Now you don't want to paint all the walls a dark color of course, because if your laundry room is like most it's small. And painting small rooms in dark colors will make them feel even smaller and more claustrophobic than usual. Dark colors will actually make your clothes seem more dingy and drab too, and that's likely to make us depressed or annoyed.

So one of the best things you can do to spruce up both the look and feel of your laundry room is to add touches of light and bright colors. Try painting the trim in a soft yellow or pastel tone for example, or experiment with bright primary colors such as green and blue.

Since it's not likely anyone but you will actually see the laundry room, you can really have fun testing your creativity when decorating this area. If you've always wanted to try some whimsical home accents, paint a wall mural, or even try out some funky stencil designs and paint colors... this is the place for it. Your laundry room can become your new artists pallet.

First, think of a design theme you'd like to try. Maybe you've always wondered what striped walls might look like, or maybe you'd like the room to feel like you're a little kid in Grandma's backyard. Try painting clothes on the wall as if they're hanging on the clothesline, then add a bit of grass and wild flowers, and puffy clouds above for the sky.

If that sounds too challenging for you, another excellent laundry room theme is a retro style. Paint various laundry words on your walls in different sizes and colors: Soap, Iron, Wash, Dry. Then hang framed art prints which display vintage ads for laundry soap, or old labels from detergents used in days gone by.

And remember that just because you're decorating a laundry room, that doesn't mean you have to pick a cleaning style theme. You can actually do whatever your heart desires here. Try creating a beach style theme to make it seem you're by the sea shore, or paint giant sunflowers on the wall. Do whatever makes you happiest when you design this room, because the goal is to make you smile while you're going about the mundane chores.

Do it Yourself Laundry Room Decorating Ideas

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How To Decorate A Traditional Living Room With Hardwood Flooring

A traditional living room should have all of the traditional elements
including hardwood flooring. In colonial and Victorian times, houses of note
were built with highly polished hardwood floors covered with fine carpets to add
design, warmth and insulation. If you are designing a traditional living room in
the fashion of colonial or Victorian times, be sure you begin with the right
foundation - only then can you design a truly exceptional room.

Arrange Floor Coverings

How To Decorate And Live Well

Refinish and treat your hardwood flooring so that is shines with warmth and
beauty. Then, select a large rug to cover the middle of the room. The rug may be
oriental or have another pattern comprised of small elements. Avoid solid colors
or contemporary designs as these are indications of casual or modern rooms.

Prepare Wall and Window Treatments

In a traditional living room of the past, wall treatments consisted of
wallpaper, wainscoting, picture molding, and paint in almost any combination.
You might hang a chair rail molding over wainscoting. Paint both the wainscoting
and molding white. Hang wallpaper with a floral, hunting, or small stripe
pattern above the wainscoting to finish the look.

Another option for a more formal room would be to install the same chair rail
molding and wainscoting, but create large picture frame moldings above the
wainscoting and fill in the top with a green or blue paint. Pictures in gilded
frames of still-life, portraits or country scenes could be hung centered inside
the picture frame molding.

Windows in your traditional living room should be treated with wooden blinds
or shutters. You should then hang full draperies complete with a liner and heavy
panels at each window. The colors can be light, and the panels should be pulled
back to let in the light, but might have a sash or draw to close the draperies
should you prefer a bit of dark in the room.

Select and Arrange Furniture

Once the floor and walls have been arranged, it is time to assemble your furniture.
Traditional living rooms are almost fussy in their detail regarding furnishing.
A sofa or settee should be placed on the rug and flanked by another sofa or two
upholstered chairs. Furnishings should be small and upholstered with floral or
striped prints which coordinate with the rug and drapes.

Traditional living rooms had more than one seating area, so create another
area for conversation in a corner or by the fireplace with two arm chairs or
straight-back chairs facing each other over a small table. Bring in ottomans,
footstools and stacking tables. You should have a wooden or brass and marble
coffee table along with a large wall piece such as an armoire or curio cabinet.
As you arrange your furnishing, be sure to leave walkways along major traffic
areas.

Add Decorative Touches

Finally add curios, lamps, mirrors and pictures with gilded frames and other
decorative touches to complement your hardwood flooring. Candlesticks, chests, and collectibles all can find a home in a
traditional living room. In fact, these rooms were often a showplace of any
manner of items, so feel free to feature your treasures and keepsakes on the
mantle or in the curio cabinet.

How To Decorate A Traditional Living Room With Hardwood Flooring

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How To Arrange Your Living Room Furniture

Arranging furniture in a living room should have some purpose. It should be easy to distinguish activity areas in your room and each of such area should be reflected or easy to make out. You have to bear in mind a few factors before you start out to buy new furniture or arrange the existing furniture. Some of these factors are :

1. Measure the area of the room. This plays an important part in your arranging the furniture business. Smaller rooms need a single sofa, a chair, and a couple of end tables. If your living room is large then it requires a large sofa, coffee tables, and a couple of extra chairs ;

How To Decorate And Live Well

2. You have to make a list of those things that may affect the process of arrangement ;

3. Another simple idea is making a scale drawing of your new living room on a piece of paper ; this helps in experimenting with new ideas and new looks and also you can have an imaginary view of your living room before moving in the furniture ;

4. Next step lies in creating a point of focus; any of these namely a bookcase, or a show case, or a piece of modern art hung over a piece of your furniture, or a fireplace can act as the point of focus. You have to highlight this focal point by arranging the furniture and lighting as complimenting the focal point ;

5. Please bear in mind not to group out all the focal points together ;

6. You have to create depth. How do you do this ? Simple....by arranging the furniture in specific angles and laying carpets on one another to get that effect ;

7. There should be some gap left between the sofa and the coffee table to place your legs comfortably ;

8. The furniture should be so arranged that there should be place for conversation ; you can arrange a love seat and couple of chairs for the purpose of setting up a romantic area; neither place the sofas and chairs too close to each other as it may become difficult to move about or sit nor place it too far away so that it may become difficult to converse with each other;

9. Ensure walking space between one end of the room to another end ;

10. Area rugs define the seating areas well in a room ; do use them;

11. One of the important tips in arranging a complimentary room decor is to chose neutral or lighter shades for walls because basically furniture of any style, scheme or color can be selected by this type of wall decor ;

12. While you are placing the furniture always arrange the larger pieces first and the complimentary pieces or the pieces that relate to the main piece is to be arranged next. For other activities you can add always the accent pieces. Now, all you have to do is arrange the furniture in that place, where you think it will look best.

How To Arrange Your Living Room Furniture

Living Room Furniture [http://www.lovablefurniture.com/designerfurniture/living-room-furniture-includes.htm]

Bedroom Design - How to Properly Arrange a Bedroom

It may seem simple to design a bedroom, but it can be quite complex. How you arrange your bedroom furniture can influence how well you sleep at night and how guests feel when they stay with you. Learning how to properly arrange a bedroom can benefit you when arranging a child's room, a guest room and a master bedroom.

It's always a good idea to arrange your bedroom periodically. Sometimes it is not easy to rearrange, especially if you have a small room but rearranging will give you a chance to really clean every corner of that room.

How To Decorate And Live Well

Guest Room
If you have guests to stay over frequently they will appreciate the effort that you put forth in order to make them feel safe and comfortable. There is nothing that makes a guest leave faster than if they cannot feel comfortable. When you prepare your guest room you want to keep it bright and clean looking. Don't clutter the room in extra stuff you just don't know where else to put it. Guests do not always show up when scheduled. A lot of times it is done last minute. Keeping the room bright and cheerful looking will always be inviting to your guests. Arrange the bed against the wall so when your guests walk into the room the bed will be the first thing they see. But you want to avoid putting the bed under windows in the winter time. If you have a twin bed in your guest room you will only need one night stand. If you have a double to king sized bed you need to have a night stand on each side of the bed. The only thing you need on the table is a lamp and one alarm clock. The dresser should be somewhere else in the room away from the bed.

Child's Room
You don't want to put the bed under windows because a draft may come in and make your child sick so always keep the bed against the wall without windows. You need one night stand or table to place a lamp and an alarm clock beside of their bed. Shelves are very important in a child's room in order to keep their favorite toys. It's good to place shelves in every corner of their room when possible so you can display everything. If more than one child shares the room you need to invest in a divider for privacy, no matter what age they are. Include one toy chest for each child to keep their toys in. Get creative on storage containers to personalize them with your child's favorite action heroes or princess. You can buy white contact paper and cover boxes to put little things in. Your child can help you do that. Add blinds to the window for extra warmth and privacy

Master Bedroom
This room is probably the largest bedroom in your home. You want the bed to be the centerpiece in your bedroom. Put the bed against a solid wall if possible. You can place the other furniture in between windows or on short walls. Furniture like dressers, wardrobes and chairs balance the room when placed on short walls. If you have a lounge or sitting chair in your room you may want to place it in a corner as long as it is out of the walkway.

There is no reason to complicate the bedroom by adding things that are not necessary. Bedrooms should be a private place to get away from the world. Making your bedroom more personal will have a cozy and comfortable affect on you.

Bedroom Design - How to Properly Arrange a Bedroom

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How To Design A Contemporary Living Room With An Electric Fireplace

Designing a modern living room is accessible today to more people than ever before because of the contemporary electric firebox. It is an inexpensive addition to any living space whether the room is large or small, is in a condominium, a loft, an apartment, or a single family home. Because an electric firebox comes in a variety of styles, people can choose from models that include mantel packages, electric log inserts, corner units, and wall mounted electric fireplace packages.

Regardless of space limitations, most electrical units offer the same benefits of being able to be plugged into any 120 volt electrical outlet and are safe to operate around children and pets because they are constructed of cool to the touch materials. The most reputable units are tested to make sure they meet UL standards and have an automatic shut off feature if the electric firebox becomes overheated. As an added bonus, most models can be thermostat controlled for energy efficiency and the flame effect can be operated with or without the heat being turned on.

How To Decorate And Live Well

A Wall Mount Electric Fireplace Offers Beauty And Space Saving Designs

For individuals who live in condominiums, lofts, apartments, and even single family dwellings, making wise use of available floor space is always a must. A wall mount electric fireplace is a space saving device that will bring any living room to life with traditional, classic, or modern designs that can accommodate a wide array of floor plans. There are many styles to choose from and include wall hanging units, or built-in electric models, including units with panoramic wrap-around window designs. With its patented flame technology, the realistic effects allow the viewer to have the ambiance of a real fire from any viewing angle so you can place it wherever you want it to be.

Not only is the wall mount electric fireplace a great space saving device, but it is also cost effective to operate. Individuals can enjoy the ambiance of a real fire for 3¢ per hour with flame only and about 12¢ per hour with the flame and heating element turned on. It is an eye-catching, space saving supplemental heat source that can heat the rooms that are regularly used by the entire family rather than heating the other rooms that are unoccupied for the majority of the time. Each unit provides about 5,000 BTUs per hour and uses a quiet fan to force the generated heat into the room.

A Wall Mount Electric Fireplace Helps Bring Advanced Technology Into A Home

As technology advances with wall-mounted televisions and digital picture frames, it is easy to see why wall mounted electric fireplaces have become so popular. These fireplaces enhance a more modern décor, safe floor space and provide a great "fire" experience. For individuals with advanced technological tastes, the wall mount electric fireplace has moved into the traditional hearth's technological slot. These units come in classical, traditional, and modern designs that include white brushed stainless steel, black stainless steel, and a unique wood finish that will compliment many decors. In addition to their modern appearance, they still offer the same random flame effect that a traditional fire produces, which creates an amazing illusion of the real thing and is a pleasant experience for all those who see it.

An Electric Unit For Easy Modern Living

Designing a contemporary living room involves making life easier as well as more beautiful. A wall mount electric fireplace does this with style and ease. Wall mount electric fireplace packages do not require gas fittings, masonry work, venting provisions in exterior walls, or expensive chimney installation. Many models simply hang on the wall and plug into a standard household outlet. Other units may be either partially or fully set in a wall requiring and may require hardwiring. Both allow you to sit back to enjoy the warmth and realistic flame of a fireplace.

A wall mount electric fireplace is a natural choice when one has limited space available and/or wants to add a contemporary element to their current furnishings. It requires no physical square footage of ground space and is available in a wide range of models that include hanging models, corner wall packages and built-in wall units. Furthermore, a wall mount electric fireplace can add an interesting focal point to any room. These units take up little space and are on par with other technological advancements. Yet unlike a computer, this advancement adds warmth and character to any room.

How To Design A Contemporary Living Room With An Electric Fireplace

Rick Morse is the CEO of Electric Fireplaces Direct. With a wall mount electric fireplace individuals can include the technological advancement of an electric fireplace to their home.

Creative Decorating Ways to Turn an Old Plate Into a Wall Decor

With a little creativity, old plates can be recycled into attractive wall decors by: using a plate hanger, mounting on wall as decor, vandalizing the plates with creative quotes, converting it into a wall clock, transforming broken plates into mosaic crafts, and utilizing as wall border.

Old plates don't have to be thrown away or be kept inside a stock room. There are several ways on how to use them as wall decors by following these creative ideas:

How To Decorate And Live Well

Using a plate hanger

A plate hanger holds the plate in place when hanging it on the wall using nails. If you want, you can arrange them on your headboard or cupboard creating an elegant effect. They may come in groups of three or more to create an appealing look. One thing to consider when hanging a plate decor is to make sure it compliments well with the other details in the house. The colors as well as the theme are important factors to take into account.

Mounting on wall as decor

A nice way of converting old plates into decorative ideas is to mount them on walls either in random or with arrangement. See to it that the plate designs go well with the interior fixture. You can also mix and match different sizes and designs to have a contemporary result.

Vandalizing the plates with creative quotes

Sometimes vandalism is not destructive at all as long as it is done creatively to come up with an art craft. This depends on your style of course. Quotes, messages or abstract drawings may be reflected on the plates, so that they can be displayed as decors.

Converting it into a wall clock

Old plates can be recycled into a wall clock. You just need to drill a small hole at the center to hold the long and short hands of the clock in place.

Transforming broken plates into mosaic crafts

Fragments from colored pots can be pasted on an old plate to create a mosaic. Once done, you are now ready to display them as wall decors.

Utilizing as wall border

In lieu of wallpaper border, smaller plates like dessert or salad plates can be used as substitutes. The eclectic appearance produces an exceptional impact on the wall.

Creative Decorating Ways to Turn an Old Plate Into a Wall Decor

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Latest Trends on How to Decorate With Exposed Walls and Bricks

New home decorating trend: exposed stone and brick. The designers Aidan Mortimer, Hugh Petter, Director and Nicky Dobree explain how to make the most of original features in your home.

What are your favourite types of stone for a project?

How To Decorate And Live Well

AM English stone is fantastically varied in colour, texture and finish, from beautiful honeyed Bath stones and clean, white Portland to Cotswold stones in rustic oranges, browns and pale creamy tones. Looking further afield, Coral stone from the Dominican Republic is stunning with an amazing texture that it owes to the sedimentary coral it contains.

HP For the external walls of a house it is hard to beat English sandstone or limestone - their warm, soft colours seem to come alive in our low, golden sun. Both work well for either ashlar (dressed stone masonry) and rubble stone walls. The good news is that with growing demand, a number of quarries have re-opened.

ND I love to expose stonework in period properties - it's a great way to create drama as well as uniting internal and external spaces. I often use naturally hewn slate on exposed walls or in a fireplace. As well as being tactile, slate is hardwearing, non porous and reasonably stain resistant. It can be laid in slabs, tiles and random cuts and has either a smooth or rippled finish.

What practicalities should you consider with stone?

AM Too often, stone is selected for its looks rather than long-term durability. Choose stone according to its use. If, for example, the stone is for external walling or copings, consider its weathering properties to determine suitability. With flooring, take into account the texture and hardness of a stone, especially on busy thoroughfares.

HP Whenever you use stone, understand how it will perform in context, for example, how absorbent of water, how prone to frost damage and how absorbent of red wine it is? Joints in stonework generally look best when they are as small as possible. It is also important that the scale of the blocks you choose is in relation to the scale and complexity of the design

ND Make sure that softer sedimentary stone, such as limestone, has been well sealed before installation, otherwise it will stain. Also, be aware that high- gloss stones will highlight dust and finger prints and can be very slippery if used on the floor, so you may want to consider a honed or a matt finish. It's also important to think about the stone's thickness when planning floor levels.

How would you incorporate brickwork into a decorating scheme?

ND Make sure that softer sedimentary stone, such as limestone, has been well sealed before installation, otherwise it will stain. Also, be aware that high- gloss stones will highlight dust and finger prints and can be very slippery if used on the floor, so you may want to consider a honed or a matte finish. It's also important to think about the stone's thickness when planning floor levels.

Latest Trends on How to Decorate With Exposed Walls and Bricks

You can find more information on interior design and interior design ideas at house to home, helping you create a look you'll love

How to Choose the Right Living Room Set Collection - Sofa and Loveseat

Choosing the right living room furniture's can always be a tough decision since it's not always that you get that exact room that you've pictured in your mind. But maybe you can so long as you learn to do a little early planning before you go shopping, exercise some common sense and take note of the things to consider too.

First, start with the preplanning by pulling out your trusty measuring tape. You would need to have a rough idea of where the furniture pieces are going to be and measure the space you have so that you don't buy something too big or too small. Once you've taken down the measurements, jot them down and take them with you while you're out looking for your furniture. Sofa and loveseats are a great trend these days for living room furniture, so if you're thinking about getting those, don't forget that you need to know the layout of your room too.

How To Decorate And Live Well

The layout will help you decide on the style and type of your sofa and loveseat which is very important so that you would be able to properly plan for your home and not throw together random odds and ends. It would also help to have the layout drawn to scale on a piece of graph paper, using other sheets of paper for different ideas.

When you're settled with all the numbers, picture your living room completely done with the sofas and loveseats then scribble down the colors, fabrics and styles that appear in your little vision. This would help you narrow down your furniture choices when you get to the store. Having a budget also will help you, so make sure you know exactly how much you have to spend so that you don't get something you cannot afford.

Once you're out and about looking for the right sofa or loveseat, take your own time trying and testing it out. Sit on each couch and see if it gives you immediate comfort, if it doesn't then give it a miss cause if it's not comfortable now, it will probably just disappoint you again later on. If you've found a piece that you like, don't just sit in once place but test out each seat and see if it's good enough for you. look out for squeaky spots due to poor manufacturing, check the piece for color fade spots or stains and take note of the fabric as well. If you have any questions about the fabric, washing or cleaning details, lifespan and all of that, you should direct them to the sales assistant and get all your answers first before making the big purchase. After all, if you're going to be spending money on it, you might as well get something of good quality, right?

If you're working under a tight budget, then you must just know when to budge. Sometimes you can never find the perfect sofa or loveseat that you may be looking for, so just work with what you have. Don't give the piece a miss just because the color's a little different from what you want or cause the arm of the chair is a shaped differently. Limitations like budgets makes you compromise and just take on whatever that falls within your affordability and space at home.

How to Choose the Right Living Room Set Collection - Sofa and Loveseat

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How to Decorate a Room With a Black and White Theme

If you are having trouble picking colors for a room or you have always just loved the contrast of a black and white style, then you may be considering a black and white room for your home. A black and white style can be contemporary or even have a French country feel to it. Even though some people may think that the colors black and white are limiting when it comes to décor, there are so many different ideas that you can implement when decorating a black and white themed room.

Keep the Walls Light

How To Decorate And Live Well

If you are going for a black and white style, the last thing that you want to do is paint all of the walls in the room black. Keep the walls light with a white or soft ivory color. This lays the perfect backdrop for handing pieces of art and black shelves on the wall. If you do want some more contrast on the walls, think about painting crown molding and trim black to add the contrast that way.

Add Patterns to the Black and White Room

If you want to make sure that the room doesn't end up looking boring, then make sure that you have patterns in the room. Patterns can range from stripes and checks to paisleys and toiles. If you are really daring, you can even include animal prints like zebra in the design.

· A couch or chair with a black and white pattern goes great in a living room or family room.
· For a bedroom, add a comforter with a black and white pattern to add some interest to the room.
· For a black and white kitchen or dining room, consider patterned window treatments or fabric on the chairs.
· You can also add black and white pattern to rooms with such things as blankets, towels, pillows, and wallpaper borders.

Change It Up with the Seasons

If you love to decorate your home for the different season, a black and white theme is a great background for all different types of seasonal decorating. You can choose to add small accessories like knickknacks, candles, and vases or you can add larger pieces like a blanket thrown on the back of a couch, an area rug added to the floor, or pieces of artwork hung on the wall.

· For Christmas, red decorations go great with a black and white scheme.
· If you want to decorate for the fall season, you can simply add orange elements to the room.
· For spring and summer, consider lightening the room up a bit more with turquoise or yellow accents.

Decorating a room in a black and white style doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. You simply need to shop around for pieces that will fit perfect into the black and white color scheme as well as the specific style you are going for. Also, don't feel like you have to strictly stick to the black and white theme. A hint of color here and there can add some personality to the room. Even though it is a black and white room, be sure that you add your own style and feel to make the room yours.

How to Decorate a Room With a Black and White Theme

Leon Tuberman has been part of the furniture and interior decorating business for 40 years. He is the owner and manager of popular furniture store in Los Angeles. They carry a large selection of Amish made solid oak furniture for your home office, dining room and bedroom. It doesn't matter whether you're shopping for American made solid oak dining furniture for your formal dining room or a Amish bedroom furniture for your master bedroom then they carry everything you need.

How to Decorate a Trailer Home

Decorating a trailer home presents several challenges due to limited space and long & narrow dimensions. However the fact is that decorating a trailer home is no different than decorating a normal living place. With little creativity and innovation you can turn your space into a well decorated and stylish home. Below simple tips will help you make your trailer home look the best.

Exterior:

How To Decorate And Live Well

The exterior will build the first impression. Paint outside of your trailer home, front porch and steps with nice colors. You can also use a small set of chairs and tables to add a welcoming look.

Do not forget to add lots of colorful plants on the deck area, near steps, on trailers etc. However you should be careful that you do not add too much flowers that overwhelm the place. Grow plants or use some colorful potted plants that do not grow too high.

Walls & Ceiling:

Choosing a color scheme for your trailer home is the most important concern. Using lighter colors makes interior look bigger. You can add some nice textures to the walls by using faux painting techniques. Paint dark panels as white. It is advised to give your ceiling white color as it will make your ceiling look at height.

Floors:

Consider renovating floors of your trailer home with light colors. You can use wood laminate in the floors of bedrooms and living room. You can also place some nice rugs matching your color scheme. Use large tile like laminate or wood tiles in the kitchen floor.

Windows & Curtains:

Use light curtains or stylish blinds that allow natural light enter your trailer home. You can make your window look longer by placing the curtain-rods above the actual window height.

Mirrors:

It is always a good idea to place mirrors opposite to window to make room look spacious.

Lighting System:

Use modern globes for holding light bulbs. It is better to use frosted bulbs that emit soft light. Make dark corners look cozy by placing table lamps.

Furniture:

Do not overwhelm your home with lots of heavy furniture as it will dominate the room. Use small and delicate furniture.

Storage System:

Using closet systems will give your trailer home a nice and tidy look. Place boxes under the bed as additional storage area. You can also get some old drawers, add wheels to it, cover with nice cloth and place it under your bed.

Rooms:

Use delicate and less furniture, stylish curtains, flower vases and modern rugs to make your room look great. Using round tables in living room and dining room will work best.

You can decorate living room by using narrow or sectional furniture and wall arts. You can also place a plush-love seat and a recliner. Hang one or two large art pieces on the wall.

Decorate your bedroom by adding nice hanging baskets from the ceiling. Using nice quilted bed sheet matching room's color theme will add more charm to the room. Place a nice rug in your bedroom. Use contemporary lamps and beautiful flower vase. In the dining room, use round dining table with a removable leaf and small chairs.

Bathroom:

Keep your bathroom simple and tidy. Use simple and light shower curtains. Do not use too much accessories and use decorative baskets and boxes for placing small toiletries. Place wash clothes and hand towels on the shelves.

Kitchen:

Use wooden flooring and light colors in the kitchen. Do not use too much accessories on the counter and use that space as storage area. Make sections inside cabinets by using static and hanging panels. Use small and simple lighting fixtures.

How to Decorate a Trailer Home

Matthew Kepnes is an expert at buying and decorating trailer homes. Trailer home decorating can be challenging and rewarding. You should also know what to look for when buying a trailer home. You can find additional facts about trailer homes on his website.

Home Recessed Lighting - How to Transform Your Living Space With Recessed Lights

Recessed lighting is meant to enhance a living space without taking up room meant for other decorations. You won't find light fixtures hanging down from the ceiling or poking out from the wall, but instead the lighting will peek out from within the ceiling and walls with a pleasant glow. This lighting effect takes the focus off the light fixtures themselves and puts it on the room space by creating an ambient base layer of light upon which to build the room's decor. When renovating a room that gets used a lot like a family room or den, recessed lighting is always an excellent choice.

The family room is an area that is often used for a wide variety of different activities like reading, playing board games, eating, watching television, and entertaining guests. Dimmer switches are a must for recessed lighting. It gives you the flexibility to adjust the light intensity or adjust the down lighting to side lighting ratio. For instance, if you have a gathering of people in your family room for cocktails and they are standing up and moving around, chances are, if 100% of the room lighting is coming from the above recessed lighting, you'll have unnatural hot spots in the room especially if the ceiling is low. To avoid these and the unnatural shadows on a persons face from direct down lighting you can dim the recessed lighting and turn on some sconces and table lambs to have more light hitting them from the side and front for a more flattering appearance. Meanwhile the recessed lighting can do it's job of highlighting the room's decor in a subtle way by filling out all the nooks and crannies of the room.

How To Decorate And Live Well

There are a number of other areas in your home that can take advantage of some of the features of recessed lighting. Grand Living rooms with high ceilings, wall paintings, period furniture, beautiful hardwood floors with elegant rugs just beg for the accenting and spotlighting that strategically placed ceiling recessed lighting can provide. Clear bulb halogen lights provide great accent lighting for this purpose because they render the colors of paintings, decorative arrangements, and vases at a level almost akin to daylight. Clear lamp halogens are not the best for general lighting however. They highlight the outlines of objects too sharply and produce distinctive shadows. It is much better to use recessed halogen lights with frosted lenses that allow a gentler dispersal of light so that with gatherings of people glare is not an issue and skin problems and wrinkles are not highlighted. While at the same time the grandeur of the living room can be conveyed with works of art and period furniture bathed in sharper accent lighting from the clear lamp halogen bulbs. Switches and dimmers that allow for the separate control of accent lighting and the softer dispersed lighting help accomplish this effect.

Another area where recessed lighting can work wonders is the outdoor area of your home. Decks, verandas and outdoor entertainment areas that have some covering structure or crossbeams where recessed lights can be housed can benefit greatly from outdoor recessed lights. These illuminating lights are great when entertaining family and friends late into the night. There is no need to move the party indoors when the sun goes down because you can turn on these lights beforehand and leave them at a dim setting and then as the sun goes down they can slowly be brightened. This is a great option for cookouts, pool parties, cocktail gatherings, or just a simple soak in the outdoor jacuzzi. Beyond the outdoor entertainment area is another part of your home's exterior where outdoor recessed lighting may be used.

Security lights mounted as recessed lights is a lighting option that can add style and ambiance to the exterior of any home. When a walking area is defined by step lights on the border of stairs your guests and family members experience a great feeling of confidence going up or down them. They also convey a feeling of welcome just as a driveway bordered by recessed lights bathed in soft cones of lights lends this feeling to guests or family members heading up the driveway. Not only is the driveway easier to see, but from a security standpoint it is a little more confidence inspiring. Suburban homes and country estates benefit greatly from good recessed security lighting. While conventional outdoor light fixtures can provide basic, functional lighting for this purpose, outdoor recessed halogen lighting with frosted lenses do so with a flourish.

Recessed lighting for the home provides some unique challenges in terms of pre-planning, setup, and proper placement. However these are greatly outweighed by the benefits. Recessed lighting used both as task lighting and directional lighting has the ability to completely transform a family room, a living room, and even your great outdoors. They can highlight works of art as well as the overall quality design and workmanship that have gone into your space. This can be the new hardwood floors in your living area, the new what not in your den, or your newly tiled walkways and driveways. Either way, with some preparation recessed lighting can be a great lighting choice for any area of your home.

Home Recessed Lighting - How to Transform Your Living Space With Recessed Lights

If you're thinking of ways you can help cut your home lighting costs and for some cool ideas on home lighting in general, visit my site at http://homelightingideas.net where I discuss home lighting in general. Here you'll find an important corollary to outdoor recessed lighting where I discuss outdoor lighting fixtures

Ted Gambel has been an electrical tinkerer for as long as he can remember and his favorite topic is the area of home lighting and home lighting fixtures for better living

Use These Home Decorating Tips Simply Using Wall Pictures to 'Re-Shape' Any Room

The Basic Role of Pictures

Wall art plays an important role in interior design as it helps create the ambience of a room. By cleverly placing wall pictures in certain ways, you can change and create a new look and feel in a room.

How To Decorate And Live Well

The role wall pictures play in interior design are:-

pictures, mirrors or other ornamental accessories on walls help make the room look 'lived in' and they also inject your personality into the room;
color pictures and prints help connect with the rooms accent;
pictures help absorb noise in a room, otherwise a room with totally bare walls will sound empty and will have an echo;
pictures and prints can help enhance or change a room's 'look and feel'.

How to Lengthen a Room

If you have a small room in your house, you can easily achieve the illusion of length. This can be done in two ways. If you like bold statements then simply paint a couple of horizontal lines in a bold color across the middle of the wall in which you want to lengthen. These lines then naturally create the illusion of increased length in the room. An alternative way to do this, and a more subtle way, is to use pictures.

By strategically placing art pictures or photographs with any kind of strong horizontal line in the print, can accomplish the illusion of length. For example, if you chose two or three long rectangular pictures with horizontal panoramic prints such as ocean & beach pictures, fields, or scenic mountain pictures, then this will help extend the length of the room naturally.

Two, three or more of these horizontal landscape pictures will give the maximum impact you are looking for to help lengthen a small room. Also bear in mind not to overdo the room with furniture. Too much clutter makes a room appear smaller.

How to Broaden a Narrow Room

If you have a room which is a bit on the narrow side, there is a simple strategy to make the room appear broader. All you need is a tin of paint, a wall mirror and a large colorful wall picture.

Get your tin of paint, which should preferably be a darker contrasting color to your other walls, and paint one of the walls with this darker paint. Find a colorful and lively large painting and hang it on the wall you have just painted - colorful flower pictures are ideal for this.

On the wall adjacent to your picture, hang a decorative large mirror. What has happened here is that the mirror reflects on the large picture, and the additional darker color on the wall has immediately given the room some much-needed depth. This combination will then make the room appear wider.

By adding these simple additions to your narrow room, you have instantly created a balance in the room's dimensions giving the sensation of additional space.

How to Heighten a Low Ceiling

Rooms with low ceilings give an oppressive feeling, whereas rooms with a high ceiling give a light and airy feel with a large amount of space. To overcome the problem of a low ceiling, there are a couple of interior design strategies to use.

First of all put down a darker floor covering, whether it be a wooden floor, carpet or lino. Paint the walls with a lighter color than the floor, or use light colored wallpaper. If you can, use white paint for the ceiling as this always gives the room maximum light and instantly draws the eyes upwards.

Hang up wall pictures with strong vertical lines as this then gives the impression of height. Use portrait prints such as vertical landscapes, i.e. lighthouses, trees, cityscapes, or floral prints such as flowers in a vertical vase or tall long stem roses. Therefore, by combining the dark floor, light walls and ceiling and portraits prints, all adds to the sense of height in a room.

Summary

Art pictures and prints play an important role in home decorating for several reasons. They do not only reflect and put your own personality into the room, but they can also help as a solution to change the look and feel of a room by giving the illusion of height, width and length. This can easily be achieved by combining wall pictures, contrasting colors and decorative mirrors.

Use These Home Decorating Tips Simply Using Wall Pictures to 'Re-Shape' Any Room

Find more home interior design tips and advice from Claire's site at Home Design Tips

Curtain Rod Tips Or How To Hang Your Curtains In Style

Before, they were used to simply serve their purpose -- hang curtains. Today, curtain rods are more than just a tool. They have evolved into a more functional, more sophisticated devices that do not just hang curtains but also compliment and enhance the overall effect of the drapes.

Showing more skin, curtain rods are no longer the typical metal or wooden sticks used to hang curtains. They have evolved into remarkable works of skill or talent, showing every design as an intricate sketch of masterpiece.

How To Decorate And Live Well

Wooden curtain rods are now made more sophisticated and classy. Most of them are handmade and crafted with the most top-rated materials to bring out the beauty of the wooden material.

Various designs were sculptured in the wood, with different glaze materials or varnish as the finishing touches. Hence, you can make either a Victorian or a Western-inspired window with curtain rods that were made from high-quality wooden materials.

On the other hand, the solid and powerful effect of metal curtain rods is no longer confined to the usual plain metal stick. With the growing popularity of metal curtain rods, consumers now have more choices. They can choose from a wide array of metal curtain rods such as solid brass, chrome, graphite with brass, and brushed chrome.

With a wider range of choices, more and more manufacturers tried to develop newer, fresher, and more exquisite designs to compliment, contrast, or enhance the beauty of curtains. They can even modify plain curtains by transforming them into something more elegant.

Installing curtain rods has also evolved into an innovation, bringing ease and convenience in mounting curtain rods on walls, woods, or other types of surfaces. Hence, whether you live in a castle, cabin, or the classic abode, there is certainly a good curtain rod that will suit your taste, your style, and of course, your curtains.

However, curtain rods do not just differ according to their designs or structures. They also differ in sizes and shapes. Hence, it is important to measure your windows first before you go out and buy your curtain rods.

Here are some things you must consider when buying curtain rods:

1. Your windows

Your windows have different sizes, according to your plan when you were just building your house. And even if you have bought a ready-made house, window sizes are not standard for all types of houses. Hence, it is extremely important to measure your windows first before you start buying your curtain rods.

All you have to do is to measure the outside part of your window. This is where you will mount your curtain rods. It is best to have the correct size than to waste time and money by going back to the store just because you have to wrong size.

Keep in mind that as a rule, your curtain rods should always be longer than your window by as much as 5 inches. This ensures total coverage for your windows.

2. Your curtains

Of course, you should never start buying curtain rods without looking first at the curtains that you will use. The types of curtains you will use will determine the type of curtain rod that you have to buy.

For example, if you will be using the typical designs of curtains that flow straight down the wall, you will have to buy a chrome curtain rod, for heavier drapes, you need to buy stronger metals such as graphite with brass or solid brass.

3. Strength of the curtain rod

You would not want your curtains sagged unattractively down your windows, right? Hence, to avoid such dilemma, it is best to choose curtains rods according to their strength and capacity to hold a certain type of drapes or curtains.

For heavier curtains, it is best to choose stronger, more solid curtain rods. Supporting devices should also be considered. These brackets provide end-to-end support for the rod, as well as support for the middle portion of the curtain rod.

4. Your budget

Curtain rods can be very expensive especially if they were made from high-quality materials. Hence, if you cannot afford to buy those expensive kinds, it is best to stick the ordinary.

Keep in mind that decorating your home with good sets of curtain rods can change the way people will look at it. However, it does not necessarily mean that you have to spend more than what you can afford just to decorate your house.

So the next time you buy your curtain rods, consider these factors and you will definitely make a big difference. Even if curtain rods are generally seen as something that holds up your curtains, they can also reflect the kind of personality that you have.

Curtain Rod Tips Or How To Hang Your Curtains In Style

Lee Dobbins writes for [http://curtains.home-webzone.com] where you can learn more about different curtain rods [http://curtains.home-webzone.com] and choosing the right curtains for your room.

Interior Design: How To Handle Problem Areas

How often do you enter a room and find certain details or areas that you feel good about? Are there areas in your own home that you find nice or appealing? In interior design, these are good features of a room. There is a decorating philosophy that goes, "Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative". By following this basic interior design philosophy you can highlight the positive or good features of the room and come up with a pleasing design scheme. Let's say you have a beautiful fire place in your living room. This is a good feature and often a fireplace is used as a focal point in interior design. The first thing you want to do is accentuate this good feature by making it the focus of attention and building a conversation area around it.

It is rather easy to notice the positive details of any given room, making the task of accentuating the positive features easier, but how do you deal with the problem areas? The interior design philosophy teaches us to eliminate the negative and when it is impossible to eliminate it, just camouflage it. Do you have any area in your home that you wish doesn't exist or is it in a particular architectural style that doesn't go with your own personal taste or does it have pillars or columns that are distracting?

How To Decorate And Live Well

Here are some possibilities of problem areas that you might have in your home and how to deal with these.

How would you deal with a wall containing a distracting column?

1. You can make it disappear by installing cabinets that will fill the spaces on either side of it. This will make the column appear as if it were part of the straight wall because it is already in line with the cabinet's face.

2. If your area is big enough and you can afford to lose some space, just simply build a new wall that runs across the face of the column.

3. The simplest and least expensive way is to paint the wall and column with one color, making the column blend into the wall and thus make it appear less obvious.

Have you come across a room with a pillar planted right in the middle? I bet you wanted to hack that pillar right off the floor. The problem with a pillar placed right in the middle of a room is that it cannot just be removed as much as we want to. This usually is essential in the structure's integrity and eliminating this is definitely not an option. How then will you deal with this kind of a problem? Although this is not a positive feature of a room, you might want to accentuate it and make it stand out. Instead of looking at it in a negative perspective, try to make it a positive feature by making it the focal point.

1. You can paint the pillar a brilliant color, especially if you are planning to have a high-tech or avant-garde room.

2. You can also use some eye-catching device or paint it in stripes to catch attention.

3. If you are planning to have a traditional room, try installing an intricately designed capital and make the pillar stand out.

4. If you have a large room, a mid-room pillar may actually give you the opportunity to divide one big room into two. The pillar could be used as a starting point of a wall that will convert one huge room into two different areas.

5. The easiest and least expensive way to camouflage a pillar is to paint it with the same color as the walls. Although this is not a very effective way to eliminate the irritating center pillar it can at least make it less obvious.

6. The best way to make a mid-room pillar disappear is to mirror it. This is very effective since the mirror will just merely reflect the rest of the room.

Having vivid mental pictures and good imaginations of how things should look like will enable you to solve your interior design dilemmas. And with some help from the interior designer's well followed philosophy, you can create the same harmonious room that often only designers can achieve.

Interior Design: How To Handle Problem Areas

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Interior Design