Modern Home Decorating

I’m trying to plan my holiday trips for this year. I just graduated college and am able to actually go to the tree lighting for the first time! Does anyone know when the actual tree lighting ceremony is in Dec 2010?? I’ve googled and found information on 2009′s ceremony and also found information that said the tree lighting would be the week after Thanksgiving, but a more accurate date would be VERY helpful. I’m hoping to book my flights soon!

Thank you!!

Tree Lighting Times at Rockefeller Center

http://411newyork.org/guide/2007/06/13/tree-lighting-times-at-rockefeller-center/

Tree Lighting is expected on Wednesday, December 1, 2010.
Please note the Wednesdays after Thanksgiving can fall in November as well as December as seen in our list above.

Good luck and we hope the calendar will be very helpful to you in your planning around the tree.

Are you an interior designer? If you are, it is your job to design spaces for your clients. These spaces can be a small as a standard bedroom or as large as a whole hotel. While there is a good chance that some of your clients will have a preference as to what type of furniture they want in their establishments, there are others who may be a little bit more flexible or be willing to hear your own personal suggestions. If you ever have one of those clients, and there is a good chance that you will, you are urged to think contemporary furniture.

As an interior designer, you likely already know that contemporary furniture is a term that is used to describe modern furniture or recently designed furniture. Also, as an interior designer, you likely already know that contemporary furniture looks great in just about any establishment, but what you may not know is that there are a number of benefits to going with contemporary furniture; benefits that may not only help your clients, but you and your interior design business as well. Just a few of the many benefits of going with contemporary furniture are outlined below.

Contemporary furniture has a timeless feel. Since the word modern is often associated with contemporary furniture, there tends to be a few misconceptions developed. Contemporary furniture can also include older furniture styles, but, to be considered contemporary pieces of furniture, those styles must be modernized or improved. In fact, that is another benefit of going with contemporary furniture as an interior designer; it comes in a wide variety of different styles. There are some pieces of contemporary furniture that look as if they are straight out of the future and other pieces that give the feel of old antique furniture; furniture that your grandmother may have used.

In addition to a wide variety of different styles and beauty, design wise, contemporary furniture would also be a good choice for many of your clients due to its comfort. Contemporary furniture is not only made with appearance and beauty in mind, but it is also made with comfort in mind. Comfort and beauty is actually what makes contemporary furniture one of the first choices among many public establishment owners. Whether one of your clients is planning on opening up or redesigning a bar, a fine dining restaurant, or a hotel, they will want an environment that will appear as if it is modern, but warm, welcoming, inviting, and comfortable as well.

As previously mentioned, many public establishment owners prefer contemporary furniture. That is why if you suggest it to your clients, you will likely find that most agree with you. One of the reasons for that is the modern feel. This modern feel benefits all public establishment owners, but it most commonly benefits those who are interested in starting a smaller business. For instance, if one of your clients was interested in starting a small hotel or bed and breakfast, there is a good chance that they would have competition from larger hotel chains. To compete with those competitors, they must set themselves apart, while still staying in line or in sync with the competition. Modern, contemporary furniture, including sofas, desk chairs, and tables, can accomplish just that.

In connection with preference among many public establishment owners, contemporary furniture may be able to help improve your business portfolio or samples. In all honesty, any type of furniture, as long as it looks nice and is strategically placed is likely to help your portfolio, but contemporary furniture may be able to do more. When looking for an interior designer to do business with, a potential client wants to find an interior designer who has the same tastes or thoughts as they, themselves, do. Since many public establishment owners, who are most likely to seek your services, want contemporary furniture in their establishments, they may be able to see right away what you can do for them; thus increasing your clients and hopefully your profits.

In short, going with contemporary furniture can not only assist you and your interior design business, but each and every one of your clients as well. With the popularity of contemporary furniture at an all time high, you are urged to at least suggest it to your clients, if they don’t already have contemporary furniture in mind.

Gina Sarento
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/interior-designers-the-benefits-of-going-with-contemporary-furniture-123316.html

You can use tapestries and rugs to create a delightful atmosphere, to make an uncomfortable big room look smaller in size, to increase the general effect of the room’s theme or to fill a desolate-looking room with warmth. The ideal tapestry or rug will be the one which will give the desired effect to your room so go for that rug or tapestry which you feel is ideal.

You can use rugs for multiple purposes in decorating your interior. Hang them on the walls and railings as tapestries or place them on the floor. Rugs are not only long lasting but they are also very portable.

Do not buy a costly and thick rug if the room is crowded most of the time. You buy a rug to have some color on the floor and possibly to act as an insulator. Such a kind of rug should be purchased in a dull color because it is not brought for the purpose of being the center of attraction. After all, your loved ones and guests will just pass through the rug.

On the other hand, tapestries will give out an impression about your personal style and fashion and as such they are intended to be seen by people. You can hang the tapestry on the wall near the entrance so as to give some impression about your home to your guests. The design of the tapestry should not be too much and it is essential that the tapestries be in warm and rich colors.

You interior decoration will give your guests some hints, about the kind of person that you are, right away. Keep this in mind the next time you go shopping for a tapestry or rug so that it will give a positive energy to your main entrance.

Adding numerous tapestries to a room will also add a lot of depth to your home decor. When doing this, make sure the tapestries and colors compliment each other so there is no clashing.

Jackie Kent
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/where-to-hang-tapestries-in-your-home-85983.html

Five practical areas to discuss with your designer or to keep in mind when plan shopping for your new home project. Here they are:

Roofline-The steeper the roof the more the cost in most cases. If you have noticed lately, there are allot of new home developments where the roof of the home is quite high and large. This is usually because the home itself is a smaller square footage and the roof makes it look bigger. Always remember that the roof area equates to more sheets of plywood, more shingles and more labor. Gable roofs are less expensive than hip or cottage roofs. I suggest a 6/12 roof slope or less to keep the roof cost on budget. You might want to discuss this with your designer.

Windows/doors-This is a crucial part of design. Let’s look at a few things that effect overall cost. Obviously the amount of windows, size of the windows, whether they open or not, as well as rounded top glass will effect your budget. The average home usually has 12-15 windows. Opening or venting windows cost more than a fixed or picture window. Rounded glass can cost as much as double the cost of an average window so use them sparingly. Wood windows usually cost more than conventional vinyl (PVC) windows. A door example is a double French exterior door is more expensive than a standard patio door.

Wall heights-The trend in the new home building industry today is to design and build with 9 foot walls and ceilings. This gives a home larger feel vs. a traditional 8′ wall height. This will affect the cost of the finished home as there is more wall area for drywall, siding, etc. In a 1500 square foot home or less, I would recommend 9′ ceilings to take advantage of the space. Two story walls, referred to as balloon framing, really adds to the cost of framing.

Vaulted ceilings-This is a raised ceiling in the home, usually going to a peak. It is a great idea to integrate into the design if you want the cost of standard 8 foot high walls with the higher vaulted ceilings giving the perception of a lager space. There are typically two types of vaulted trusses used in a new home design. The first on is the Scissor truss vault which gives a gentler raised ceiling and is less expensive, and the second is a cathedral vault which typically is a full height vault with a ridge beam. You see these allot in a Chalet style cabin. (steeper vault)

Foundation-A full concrete foundation (8 foot basement) in most cases will cost more than a crawlspace or slab foundation. If you don’t have allot of storage designed into the home, a full foundation may be required and is also a great re-sale feature. A sloped lot may accommodate a day-lite or walkout basement option as well. Basement development, as well as extra space over a garage, are the least expensive ways to add square feet to a home.

So if you are about to get plans designed for your new home or just looking for a plan online, keep this five points in mind. Your wallet will thank you.

Larry Clark
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/building-a-new-home5-key-issues-to-consider-at-the-design-stage-38164.html

If people want something different for their home, they exert extra effort just to get that décor that they want. Unique pieces are important to people because they want their abode to stand out. However, it does not necessarily mean that being peculiar has to be bizarre. For example, if people love music, they try to incorporate this in almost every aspect of the home. They would buy for musical metal wall décor; music inspired designed rugs and the likes.

However, there are a few tips on how to choose your décor. First thing, you need to consider here is the price of the item. Of course, you have to look at the price tag always. If you think, you can afford it and do not want to browse the other shelves, and then buy it. Nevertheless, if you feel like you need more options, you can always go back to the first item afterward. There are so many décor to choose from and it is impossible that you will not find something affordable and unique.

You can even mix and match items that do not usually go together. For example, you can put musical metal wall décor together with an abstract painting. You can even put printed décor side by side and try to have a colorful and creative atmosphere. Nevertheless, it is still better if you know when to stop adding. They say that less is more. Keep everything in order or at a minimum so that your guests will not feel that you overdid the house decorating. You might want to read magazines and watch television programs so that you can improvise some of their décor.

Another tip is to make sure that the décor you plan to buy is in good condition. You have to inspect the item thoroughly because there might be flaws or defects in it. The difficult thing here is when you reach home and then look at the item for the second time; you will see that it is not perfect. Some stores allow you to return or exchange the item within a period so make sure you have it replaced before you run out of time.

Whatever décor you desire, whether it is musical metal wall décor or just a simple one, just try to look for the one you need. There is nothing wrong if you take your time finding other options. It is only natural that people do not make their choices hurriedly because they might make the wrong one. Try to remember what you want and how much your budget is so that you have an idea what to buy. Spending more than what your limit is might get you into trouble. However, it is also okay to do this sometimes especially if you do not do this often. Have fun buying and searching for your home décor. It is not often that you get the chance to get chill, enjoy and relax out of work and home.

Alyssa Davis
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/tips-on-choosing-your-decor-707340.html

My Fiance and I are planning a beach wedding for April of next year (in Myrtle Beach, SC)! I want to rent a huge house and have the wedding on the beach, right outside of the house then have a cookout / reception there. My Fiance and I are not the "fancy" type ..we are jeans & t-shirt kind of people but I DO plan on wearing a wedding dress. My questions are, how should I decorate the house for the cook-out reception? And would it be okay to do a beach themed reception when we come home? We live in West Virginia and will be having our reception at the Knights of Columbus banquet hall.

Also, is it okay to skip the dancing at the house – besides the fun party dancing after a few drinks.. and save the first dance, father daughter and all that for our reception at home?

*Asking here because it’s where I get the best answers. Asked in "Weddings" and got one so far! )

that is so cute… go to theknot.com i got lots of ideas there..my wedding isnt until 2012 but im already looking. goodluck

I use sweethome 3d but it’s only okay, I was wondering if anyone knew of a good free download for some home design software… Sweethome 3d does not do landscape design, I would like one that does both, but I don’t really want to pay for it.

Try and look up Instant Architect it’s free and might be what you are looking for or if you want to google it just type in free home and garden design and pick from a list.