Home Decorating & Furniture

Home Decorating Hacks You Should Know

Sometimes, a home, as cozy as it is already, needs a fixer-upper. But how do you fix a home which seems okay as it is? By using just a simple hacks, to up the ante so to speak. Here are a few home decorating hacks you should know.

Start with the door. Making a great first impression is always a good thing. And the best way to do that is to decorate the door. A decorated and well-painted door has that ‘welcome’ appeal. For example, orange and yellow colors convey warmth and joy. Skip the screen door, because that is not only an eyesore, it’s outdated. If you want to take it further, add a good mat and a door accessory.

Let your sofa have a ‘conversation’ with your chairs. It’s a simple trick you can find at hotel lobbies and even rooms to invite people to sit and have a conversation. The furniture are arranged ‘U shape’ or ‘H Shape’. In the ‘H shape’, two armchairs which sit side by side is facing the sofa. In the middle is a coffee table. While the ‘U shape’ places the coffee table in the center, the two armchairs on its left and right side, and the sofa at the middle. All chairs and the sofa are facing the coffee table.

Another furniture tip is that don’t push the furniture against the wall. Doing that sets the limit of the room. ‘Floating’ furniture gives the illusion that the room is a lot larger.

Let natural light in. Want to save on lighting expenses but still make your home fabulous? Go for natural light. Sunlight not only provides good lighting but disinfects your home. It’s also invigorating foe some to get much needed rays. This also means who no longer need thick, expensive drapes.

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall. Mirrors make the room look bigger. They also bounce light across the room. So be sure to put a mirror in each of your rooms. Place the mirror on walls which are perpendicular to windows so they can effectively bounce light.

Low ceiling? Use your illusion. If your house has a low ceiling, there are some tricks you can use to make it look higher and well, less claustrophobic. One is to hang your curtains higher than your windows. The ideal height is around three inches, or just the right height before it gets too short. Two, use mirrors. It’s not only magicians who use mirrors for tricks. Mirrors make a room look larger, a leaned one makes the ceiling look higher. Another hack is to use vertical stripes, the lines make your walls seem longer.

Scale a rug using furniture. Ever seen a living room rug that seems out of proportion? It’s either too big or too small. To avoid this, make sure all the feet of your living room furniture can fit inside the rug. We’re talking about the sofa, two arm chairs and the coffee table. If the rug is too big, there will be lots of excess space. You want the rug to end just a few inches from the furniture feet. This creates a proportion which is not only visually great but the rug ends are tucked properly that they will not be hazardous for people who move around.

Decorating Your Living Room with Neutral Colours

When we say “neutral colours” many people think of it as a boring color scheme, but nothing could be further from the truth. For many individuals when neutral color schemes are mentioned, they immediately think of only beige. First of all, there are hundreds of shades of beige to choose from and there is a lot more to using beige in your living room’s interior design. Think about the way you will combine colors, neutral and otherwise. No matter what color scheme you end up choosing, the key to having a successful living room design is finding the right balance. There are a few simple, but creative strategies that can help you transform your living room into a beautiful space.

White and Dark Neutrals

Who said that all neutrals had to be lighter shades? You most likely think of beige if asked to name a neutral color, but darker hues can be neutral too. Some of the dark neutrals include dark brown, navy blue, some blacks, charcoal, gray and even deep gold. Some of these darker neutral colors work perfectly to bring balance to the living room and can be the perfect choice for sofas or recliners. If you prefer, you can use a dark neutral to anchor your living room by using it on an accent wall, area rug or for window treatments. Offset these with a lighter colored sofa or living room set and you’ve got a match made in heaven. Dark neutral shades are going to look best with lighter neutrals.

Using Monochromatic Neutral Colors

If you’d like to go for a more sophisticated look in the living room while not worrying too much about making everything match perfectly, you might want to try a monochromatic neutral color scheme. Start out with a base color that you prefer and really love. For instance, how about a deep, espresso brown? This is a classy color for living room furniture. Then you are going to use lighter shades of this dark neutral for other room elements. To achieve a balanced look, remember to use shades from both extremes lighter and darker.

Using Neutrals with Splashes of Color

Maybe you’re the type who prefers neutral furniture and walls but want to be able to express a more creative side. You can achieve this goal by using a neutral color as a backdrop and adding in brighter colors. The neutral shades tend to make splashes of colour literally pop visually. To keep this style balanced, you will want to use two or three accent colors max. If you add too many colours in it can become too busy and you’ll lose the effect. Choose neutrals for your furnishings and add in splashes of colours with your accessories like throw pillows, rugs, lampshades or window treatments.

Tips to Set Up Fabulous Open Living Room Designs for Dreamy Residences

Designing the constituents of a home starts with space planning. A living room not only brings all the family members together, but facilitates a series of activities like entertainment and meetings. A corner of a spacious living room could very well serve as a valuable little office with communication, internet and printing facilities. Create a welcoming aura for the family and guests with a promise of relaxation and serenity. An aesthetic well designed contemporary living room takes the breath away.

Interior spaces would depend upon the design choice and the cost factor too, that decides many things. If space is congested, a large living room would subtract from the bedrooms and the passages, kitchen and bathrooms. A compromise will have to be worked out all right, with the family deciding upon the priorities. An extensive living room has many advantages, though.

Residences often represent a company or a philosophy that finds expression, perhaps at the entrance, the gate and the interiors too. The entire set up would then work like a huge advertisement and rightly so. Get down to the task of sprucing up the living room with an adequate budget. If renovations have to be made, it is well worth the effort, time and expense. The spirit of the home often depends upon the living room that is common to all and guests too.

Expenses on furniture and carpets, curtains and cushions

Luxuries apart, certain aspects like abundant lighting fixtures, curtains and furniture, cushions and carpets are essential, the more colorful the better, matching or contrasting with walls and floors, according to the planned effect. Adornments like art works and show pieces elevate moods and feelings. Electronics has become compulsory in the present day set up.

A new construction has many advantages

While extensions and refurbishments can be challenging, a new building raises interesting and dynamic possibilities. A palatial living room, perhaps enclosed in glass, with a view that sails across greenery or the blue sea front could be mesmerizing. Not all sitting rooms can achieve such a fairy tale effect, but designs can create wonders that look like masterpieces.

What would be the dominant color scheme? Many people go for the minimalist grays and browns, creams and yellow. Those are fine, but a dramatic effect is achieved by introducing a couple of dark and shining shades of red or blue. The soothing impact with uncluttered expression remains with a streak of lightning like effect. Contemporary themes would work out fine with some lavish marble tiles too on the floor or walls.

Top 5 Super Cute Nursery Decor Ideas You Must Know

Whenever you are up for decorating the nursery, you should know that there are few ideas that never grow old. In this article, I have made a list of five super cute ideas that you can use in the decoration of your home nursery. Have a look:

• Let’s Get Back to Pastels

There is nothing cuter than pastel colors so the first tip for today would be to set a theme of pastel colors for your home nursery. You can choose all mild tones of pink, green, blue, yellow and more. From the furniture to accessories, try to keep everything light in color. Keep in mind that the nursery should be soothing for the eyes of the baby so avoid any sharp colors.

• Wooden Accessories are Always a Good Idea

When we talk about decorating the nursery, we can’t forget about using wooden accessories. Try to choose the crib with a solid wood frame that can also be turned into a child’s bed as your baby grows up. You should also invest in some good wooden rocking chair for yourself such as a glider chair. A glider style rocking chair will make the nursery look simple and cute. The glider will also provide comfort to the parents for the long feeding sessions.

• Floral Designs are Super Cute

Yes, floral designs are super cute. Flowers are not meant for girls only; they can be used in the nursery for a boy as well. You can paint the walls with some nice floral print, or use the floral wall stickers as they will cost you less than paint. You can also use artificial flowers to decorate the nursery. They will make the nursery look perfect and the artificial flowers will stay the same even if the baby grabs them or plays with them.

• Try to Personalize the Nursery

Making your baby’s room more personalized is always a great idea. You can use funny bedsheets and glider slipcovers with cute prints to give a room more personality. Also, you can go for some funky curtains or get personalized curtains based on what you’d like your nursery to look. Other than the bedsheets and curtains, you can customize accessories like lamps. You can cover the lamps with some cool textured pieces of fabric so that it looks customized.

• Wall Art

Wall art is again a great idea. You can use different wall hangings or paintings that make the room look cute overall. If you don’t want to spend money on paintings or wall hangings, you can use large stickers too or fun pictures and paste them on the wall of the nursery.