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Posts Tagged ‘Interior Design’

Are you STILL thinking about painting your walls with color?

Many people are afraid to make the leap from ‘builder’s beige’ to a more daring color choice. What holds you back? Are you afraid the color will be too strong? Not match your furniture? Or you’ll become tired of it and have to start over again?

While you’re debating the work involved you are missing out on one of the basic elements of design that can change the entire look of your room for under $50. Your tired furniture can become new again and a mismatched room can have designer flare! So, how do you choose the right color?

The first recommendation is to choose a tinted neutral. Why is that? Instead of choosing rich, deep colors for your first project, you will likely feel more comfortable with a neutral such as beige or gray which will not date the room or create a jarring palate that you will easily tire of.

However, when you go to your local home improvement store you will be faced with a sea of color swatches – hundreds of versions of basic beige and gray to choose from. So before you go, consider these steps to choosing the right color for you.

If you like the feel of a warm and cozy room – think of fireplaces, brown leather and sunsets – then you’ll want to start with a beige tone.

Now, consider your furniture and accessories. What colors do you see? If you have a lot of black or navy you may wish to choose a beige with orange or pink undertones to keep the look warm. If you have browns or reds in your furniture, select a cooler beige with ashy tones to avoid ‘overheating’ your room.

If you prefer a cooler, airy look – chrome, glass and shades of icy blue – then select gray tones. Some stores will have a ‘true gray’ color swatch which you can use to compare with their designer selections. On comparison you will notice that each gray has undertones. Some will have blue or lavender tones, others may have green or even a hint of pink.
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Faux finished cabinets are finding a welcome home in today’s kitchens. From the most timeworn distressed looks to high-end lacquered finishes, a decorative painter can add just the right touch from his artist’s pallet to create the exact design and style most appropriate for your dream kitchen.

As we all know so very well, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s our source of comfort and joy. Whether we’re preparing a meal for our loved ones or just hanging out with our friends, the kitchen is the place everyone loves to be the best. And these days, the makeup of our kitchen environs is getting the attention it deserves.

Older kitchens are being remodeled and expanded. The kitchens in new homes are bigger than ever and are more accessible, too. Everything that goes into making a perfect space is being included — professional cooking equipment, granite countertops, sophisticated lighting, and especially important is stunningly beautiful cabinetry.

Giving the kitchen a particular feel can be easily achieved through decorative painting on the cabinets — whether the look is farmhouse French, Swedish country, or even slick contemporary.

A sophisticated and experienced faux finisher has at his command many finishes and materials that can fit the needs of the interior designer, homebuilder and homeowner. He is able to provide information on the best colors and most suitable techniques, plus bring unique artistic insights to the job.
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Men living alone need not be holed in unkempt pads and live like Neanderthals. The recent metrosexual trend actually encourages men to be more stylish both in their looks and their lifestyle. However, this is not reason enough to totally give in and be regular Marthas. Interior decorators emphasize that the trick to decorating and styling men’s pads is to maintain a balance of function, comfort, and masculine appeal. Speaking of masculinity, lacy curtains are definitely out for windows. Drapes may do but they require washing and at times, look heavy and dark. Most decorators’ usual and common choice for window treatments for men are wood blinds because they are functional but sturdy enough to be masculine. They are the perfect alternatives to shutters. Wooden blinds are inviting and warm. They also lend natural flair with their rich stains and colors.

Wood blinds come in different makes. There are vertical, woven wood, faux wood, and even minis. They are designed in different stains, colors, and texture, depending on material and the kind of wood used. Aside from the option of having them custom-made, they can be made with other features like cord tilt motorization, fabric tapes, light and UV control, and static prevention.

Just any wood blind won’t do; there are several things to consider before purchasing these shades. Basswood and ramin are the common wood blind materials. Ramin is less expensive but basswood is considered as premium quality for wood blinds because of its distinctive grain. For better stains, durability, and strength, basswood is usually preferred. Designers advise to pick blinds which come with no-holes feature. This ensures that the blinds pull together closer, leave no gaps between the slats, and make rooms darker, thereby, saving more energy. However, only basswoods come with this feature. Valance is also an important factor to consider because it provides cover for unsightly metal rails. Conventional wood valance is usually pegged at 2 inches and is common with ramin blinds. The 3-inch valance is found with basswood blinds and is considered more intricate. The shape of the blinds’ tail determines how close the slats pull together when closed. Trapezoid tails provide the maximum closeness possible and comes with basswood. Rectangular tails are the signature structure of ramin blinds. A set of basswood blind is the best choice for style, function, and durability. The price matters in wood blinds. The more expensive basswood blinds are considered the best and most functional. Ramin blinds work well for a cheaper price and the right maintenance. Read the rest of this entry »

For many of us, storage space within the home seems to be at a premium most of the time. Although the majority of homes include a large number of closets, they always seem to be full. The truth is, most home owners only use about one-third to two-thirds of their closet space. Because closets are designed vertically, there remains a lot of room even in closets that seem the most crowded as there is a lot of the area that contains only air. Depending on the location of the closet, there are many ways that you can maximize the storage capacities of your household closets.

Bedroom closets are the first type of closet that comes to mind. Bedroom closets usually contain most of our clothes. Clothes are a major space taker in a closet, but they can be reduced so that your closet has more capacity. One way to add to the space for storage within your closet is to use or add additional shelves. Most bedroom closets will include a shelf at the top that can be useful for storing boxes and other smaller items such as underwear and socks. There are many accessories available that can add to your storage capacity as well. Closet organizer hang vertically but contain several vertical compartments that are useful for storing clothing items that can be folded such as pants and T-shirts. You can also buy apparatus that hangs from the main bar in your closet, and is essentially a second bar. This is used to hang more clothing on. The idea of both of these pieces of equipment is to fully utilize the vertical space in your closet.

Other closets in your house are probably used for a variety of storage purposes, for games, books, food, and seasonal clothing. All of these shelves are useful in that they are ready for additional shelving to be incorporated, giving them some extra capacity. There are several different types of shelves for this purpose. One is the bracket shelving style. This type of shelf is easily adjustable due to the many slots on the mount into which the metal bracket is placed. The flexibility offered by these shelves is great, but they tend to be unreliable in terms of stability, and you may find yourself knocking the shelves themselves over gain and again. A more complex process in terms of installation, but a much more reliable model when it comes to stability, are installed wooden shelves with ledges. These shelves have to be measured carefully on installation, or they will be useless to you. The mounts are merely ledges nailed into the wall, the shelves sized planks that fit on top of the ledges. The whole project requires some attention to detail, and you lose the flexibility offered by bracket shelves, but they are a much more stable model.

There are a few ways to maximize the closet space in your home, depending on the use of the closet and the degree of stability and effort you want to put into it. Wooden shelves on mounts are the best way to go for a closet that needs stability, such as a pantry or game shelf, while mount and bracket styles are best for closet with goods of variable sizes that are prone to reorganization.
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