Modern Home Decorating

I’m going to be going away to college and staying in a two-person dorm. The college is 11 hours away from home and I want some creative things that my friends and I can make so I can take the items with me and decorate my part of the dorm with them.

What are some creative and unique things that we can make? Thank you!

You could make a collage for each of your friends. Put pictures of you and your one certain friend on it and maybe inside jokes and stuff. Then make one like that for each of your friends you want to remember.

Plant stands are both decorative and versatile and they’re not just for plants either! You can use decorative plants stands for many uses in the home and they are perfect for adding some charm to an odd corner or small wall. In addition, a nicely fashioned pedestal plant stand is ideal for displaying extra items when you’ve run out of room on your mantle or shelving.

The appeal of either a living or an artificial plant is enhanced by putting it on an attractive plant stand. Unlike live plants, silk ones will allow you to enjoy greenery without putting time into watering. But artificial plants can be a bit boring so they should have a stand to add to its character. Putting a plant on an interesting stand will help to bring the outdoors in and will add an element of softness and nature to your home.

No matter if you plan to put plants, pictures, or other items on your stand, you need to remember these cardinal rules when you set out to choose a stand. The stand should enhance whatever you are putting on it. The perfect plant stand for any type of plant is readily available, and makes it easier than ever for you to make a statement with not only your beautiful greenery, but also with your plant stands!

You also need to think about what the stand will be supporting both in weight and size. Consider the proportions of the plant in relation to the stand carefully as you want a good balance. You want to reconsider pairing a heavy, overpowering stand with a small, decorative plant. A fern, however, would look gorgeous on a pedestal that is delicate and petite. Think about the décor of the room you will be placing your stand in too – a light airy room will look perfect with wrought iron stands, but a more formal style of décor might look better with traditional wooden plant stands.

And don’t forget about color! Always consider the colors of the flowers of the plants you will be displaying as well as any picture frames or plant pots or containers. Complementary colors or neutral tones should be considered when purchasing a plant stand.

Size is also important. Make sure that your plant pot will fit on top of the stand. The top of the stand needs to be a little larger than your container. This will be more aesthetically pleasing as well as more stable.

For plant stands to remain standing upright, all that is usually necessary is a solid and level floor. When displaying heavy or large items, you should take care to get a stand that can support the weight while still being appropriate for your flooring. As an example, a pedestal of light weight probably would not be the right thing if the floor has plush carpeting. If you have hardwood floors, however, this base will work just fine.

Show off your flare for style in your home by finding unique and creative ways to decorate with plant stands. You will surely get a lot of compliments on your home and decorating ability as these little stands let you express your creative side in a big way.

Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/decorating-with-plant-stands-how-these-unique-items-can-enhance-your-decor-709535.html

The theme could be anything. Something creative and we can use anything around the house.

Is there something that you and your daughter love doing together? Is there a place that you really want to go, or did go and you both loved? Is there a certain type of animal that you both like? Movies? You could do anything!

Supplies = Feathers, Pipe Cleaners, paper, tape, glue, scissors, markers/crayons/coloured pencils, tissue paper, coloured paper, bubble wrappers, googly eyes, and etc.

It is time to liven up your bathroom’s decor. The white acrylic bathtub, white sinks, and cream vanity are certainly nice but the bathroom just looks boring. If you plan to resell your home in the near future, you need to make it look nice! The two rooms that people look the most closely at when they are searching for a new home are the kitchen and the bathrooms. Therefore, you need to make sure you keep these rooms updated. One quick tip: do not go too extreme with your creative designs. You want everything to look modern but do not go too crazy. Refrain from decorating the bathroom with your school colors or deciding that everything needs to be gold. Try to make it less outrageous and more creative. Here are some great ideas for everything from vanities to shower enclosures!

If you want to find a high quality bathroom vanity, you need to start doing some research. Most people have vanities custom-made for their home, but there are several beautiful pre-made options. Decide if you need a single vanity or a double vanity first. There are great options for both. You can opt for a vanity that sits on the floor or one that is wall mounted. You also have many choices when it comes to the counter top, sink styles, and faucets. Would you like the warm, elegant look of marble and granite or would you prefer a finished wood for the counter? Sinks can either be mounted into the vanity itself or sit on top of the counter, which is also known as a vessel sink. Check out all the options, you will love the outcome!

When it comes to shower stalls, you have more options that you even thought possible! Try to find one that has beautiful glass sliding doors. Glass really helps open up a smaller room and looks beautiful no matter what type of decor you have already. Another option is to live out on the edge, literally. Tile your shower enclosure but have the top line scalloped and chipped. Then match that pattern along the top of the shower door with a ragged wave cut. It will look contemporary and cool!

Good luck coming up with creative ideas for your bathroom!

Jane Worthington
http://www.articlesbase.com/bath-showers-articles/get-creative-with-shower-enclosures-681567.html

Other than the kitchen, the bathroom is the most used room in the house. But unlike the kitchen, a well-designed, decorated, and accessorized bathroom is more than just a place for personal hygiene. With creative bathroom decorating ideas you can turn your bathroom into your own personal spa-like retreat where you can escape from the world, relax and rejuvenate yourself.

There are two main considerations for decorating a bathroom. First, if you’re in an older home remodeling bathroom ideas are more challenging because older homes typically have much smaller bathrooms then homes built over the last 20 years. Still, decorating a small bathroom can often be easier because small subtle changes can have a much larger visual impact. The second consideration is the amount of money you’re willing to spend.

The Details in the Budget

Whether your bathroom is large or small one thing is certain, you’re going to have to spend money if you want an updated bathroom. How much money you need to spend depends to a certain extent on the size of your bathroom and how much updating you feel you need to do to give the look and feel you desire.

If you only have a couple hundred dollars to spend then generally you’ll be limited to mostly cosmetic changes such as paint, hardware and accessories. Though this may not be much money to spend, don’t discount the effect that a new coat of paint, some new hardware on the doors and drawers, and some additional accessories such as an inexpensive prints or new towel racks may have on your bathroom. Often that is all that is necessary to give your bathroom a very fresh and updated look.

If you’re willing to spend a little more money, say $300-$600, then your budget could also include things such as shower curtains, rugs, upgraded towels, additional storage units and/or mirrors, and perhaps even additional or upgraded lighting. Throwing a beautiful rug on your bathroom floor, and adding storage units and unique mirrors can definitely change the look and feel of your bathroom. And since we all judge the quality of a hotel by the quality of their bath towels, having those plush bath towels in your own bathroom certainly goes a long way to making your bathroom feel more luxurious. Updated light fixtures can also add that additional touch of elegance that can really set your bathroom off.

Beyond this point, ideas for bathroom remodeling tend to include the more costly aspects of decorating including changing out fixtures, sinks, toilets and bathtubs, and adding additional furniture. If you’re somewhat handy you may be able to replace the sink and tub faucets on your own, perhaps to the more currently popular darker oil rubbed looks or polished nickel. Beyond that, replacing sinks, vanities and bathtubs will generally require a contractor and/or plumber. You must be very careful when using a contractor since this is typically where the cost of bathroom remodeling can quickly jump by thousands and thousands of dollars.

A couple of other options available that can offer some bathroom remodeling help include simply resurfacing your bathtub instead of replacing it. Resurfacing is only a one to two day process and can generally be done for around $500 or less. Re-grouting or re-tiling walls is another option that can easily brighten the bathroom for minimal cost.

Finally, one of the newer methods of giving your bathroom an updated look is the installation of acrylic liners over your old bathtub. Your bathtub is measured to ensure a perfect fit, and an acrylic liner is molded and inserted over the old bathtub. This method can even be extended to the shower and walls and can this give your bathtub, shower and walls a totally updated and new look. Acrylic liners can cost anywhere from $700 to well up into the thousands depending how much you want to have done.

Our bathrooms, unlike many other rooms in the home, tend to be very personal to us. It’s the first place we go in the morning and the last place we leave at night. We spend a lot of time in our bathrooms, and we want to come away feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Great bathroom decorating ideas don’t necessarily have to be expensive, they just need to provide a bathroom that is warm, inviting and comfortable to be in. A well designed bathroom helps us prepare for the day ahead. Update and Enjoy!

Cindi Collins
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/bathroom-decorating-ideas-ideas-for-everyones-budget-132923.html

There are so many decoration ideas for the bathroom, that it is really a shame to have a drab and unappealing look to this room. It is probably because we all take longer in this room than we used too, so employing a few bathroom decorating ideas to liven it up makes it all that more enjoyable. After all, if you are spending about half an hour a day in the room, why shouldn\’t it be more relaxing?

It is often a good showing point for your ideas when your friends come around to see how you have used your bathroom decorating ideas. We all take it for granted that our living area and kitchen will look well presented so there is absolutely no reason why you cannot do the same for your bathroom too.

The chances are that your bathroom decorating ideas will follow the same used in the rest of your house so that every room matches to a degree. In this instance, you may have a home that has many small tables placed around it with plants on them, well, why not extend this very simple idea to your bathroom. Low tables like this are also a good place for books or magazines as who doesn\’t like to read when they relax in a warm bath?

This can also work the other way, if you have used certain decorating or furnishing ideas in your bathroom then why not extend some of those to other areas of your home. Why not take that colorful tile that you have used around the hand wash basin into the kitchen for instance.

If a bathroom tile has a particular pattern there are many places where it could be used to augment the feel of the home including the kitchen. Of course, bathroom decorating ideas might start with tiles on the floor and sink, but they do not end their.

Beside the tiles, there are many creative things that you can do with the soap and the soap trays. There are even articles in home decoration books and magazine illustrating how easy it is too make your own soap rays.

An unusual idea came from one magazine which showed how to make dispensers from clay which would not be a material that would automatically spring to mind. I have always found that even if you do nothing else, a relaxing picture, perhaps of woodland, lake or seashore can make a great deal of difference to a bathroom. Whatever you do, don\’t allow the bathroom to become bland when it has so much potential to please the eye.

David Barnard
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/bathroom-decorating-715519.html

Your home is your most private, personal space. You spend a lot if not most of your time there eating, sleeping and working, thus stamping an ordinary house with your moods and personality, making it more special and unique. Naturally, you want your home to look at its best. You want it to have a relaxing, inspiring atmosphere that you can’t find anywhere else.

Such an atmosphere can be achieved by placing flowers in your home. A pretty bunch of flowers can brighten up any room with a spot of color. Just looking at them can make any person lose the stress acquired during the day! There’s something about flowers that cheers people up, so why not take advantage of it by following these helpful tips on decorating your home with flowers?

1. Vases are not the only things that you can use for holding your flowers! Experiment with clay pots, china porcelain, crystal, steel, or glass bowls, cups, champagne glasses, teapots, water pitchers—the list is endless. Just make sure that the container is clean and polished to complement the beauty of the flowers you will be placing in them.

2. For wide, open spaces, use blooms that are big with loud colors such as hydrangeas, gladiolus, and lilies. Big flowers can easily catch attention in a large room. You don’t want the flowers to go unnoticed right?

3. Match the room’s decor with complementary or contrasting colors. If you want to introduce a soothing effect in a room, use flowers in colors such as blues and greens. For a warmer look, oranges and reds will do the trick. For a subtle arrangement, yellows and peaches are the best choice of colors.

4. How do you know which flowers go well with each other? There are no hard and fast rules, but you may want to choose just one type of flower for your bouquet (this is called a monobotanic arrangement) or one color with varying shades (called a monochromatic arrangement).

In decorating you home, be creative. You may be very busy to go out to buy flowers on the streets or in the malls, so you can opt to just have your flowers delivered. It’s easy—there are several flower shops online. One such service is Island Rose of the Philippines. They use an innovative delivery system that guarantees you to have the best roses fresh from the farm. Their flower delivery is fast, efficient, and stress-free. Flowers from Island Rose are also considered some of the best in the world. Why not start decorating your home with flowers now? It doesn’t have to be stressful when you can buy flowers with just one click of a mouse.

Timothy Spencer
http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/decorating-your-home-with-flowers-724175.html

I work at a nursing home in Arkansas. We are re-decorating everything with a country theme. In the dining room, the windows where the food comes out and where the dirty dishes come in have to be labeled. They did say "Serving Window" and "Soiled Dishes". We’d like to have something a little more "country". Can anyone give me some suggestions for cute labels?

Chow Line and Wash Bucket

When you’re on a tight budget but want to redecorate your home, you can still do so when you make the right choices. Discount fabrics will allow home owners to decorate their homes without spending too much. Aside from decorating, these fabrics can be used for many other ideas. Since drapery fabrics are usually quite heavy, they can be used for slipcovers, throw pillows, and duvet covers, to name a few. There are indeed lots of creative ways to use discount fabric.

You can create pretty decorative pieces even without sewing. For instance, you might try folding the fabric in an accordion-like style, and then create a beautiful jabot curtain by draping and feeding it through sconces and rings on the wall. Putting a tack in the middle of a drooping curtain will fix that in a jiffy. You can also use adhesive strips to create beautiful décor without sewing. It can be ironed onto the back of the fabric you’re using, so that it will hold two pieces together or even stick the fabric itself to the wall or another surface. Make sure to check first if the adhesive strips you use are washable or not. If you are using non-washable fabrics, this may not be important, but if you wash your curtains, it’s going to be a big deal.

If you prefer sewing, then you have lots more of great options. Novice sewers to experts can use a particular kind of sewing that makes good use of discount fabrics. Solid fabrics or ones with simple designs should be suitable for beginners, since stripes or plaids usually make it difficult for novices to match them properly. You want to have a professional look and feel to your work, not just home-made. Using tone-on-tone fabrics, where the colors are the same on both the pattern and the background, will allow you to get a patterned appearance. This kind of pattern has more allowances for mistakes.

You can also make pillows and table runners with your discount fabrics. Like I said a while ago, the heaviness of these fabrics makes them ideal for a lot of uses, not just curtains. A foam pillow with a drapery fabric slip over it will work great on your bed. If you want, you can put zippers for easier removal and cleaning. And speaking about cleaning, you can easily spot-clean these kinds of fabrics, so you don’t have to go to the cleaners.

If you’re a beginner sewer, making table runners with discount fabrics will be easy for you. Just put a backing of plain material, add some fringe or beading on the ends of the cloth, and voila! You have a lovely decorative piece for your home. Save money on bedspreads and bedroom décor by making duvet covers. If you use the same fabric, you can also make pillows and curtains to match. This is really an affordable technique that also allows you lots of leeway in decorating. Using discount fabrics will definitely let you mix and match colors and prints for your personal decorative purposes.

Syahrul Azlan Idris
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/inexpensive-home-interiors-with-discount-fabrics-129448.html

I have always loved decorating, art, I love to paint, I love furniture, fabrics, and fashion. I’ve done faux finishes in my home, though I’ve never taken formal classes, and have decorated a few friends apartments.
I love the odd, unusual and creative arts. Metal, glass, wood works.

I’ve heard there’s a difference between a home designer and a decorator. How would one start out? I am taking classes here and there, but it’s not the complete picture. What type of companies would you work or intern for? I’d love to be on the cutting edge of unique and unusual things.

This would be my second career in life, so I’d like to do it sooner rather than later.

Hence, I love party planning. It’s like decorating to me, but you get to be more dramatic and change it often. I’ve done a few bridal showers and a few parties, but on a small scale.

Can you make a living at it, or is it more of a hobby? And do you have to be in a large city? I am in a midsize but growing town.

Thanks

First, focus on getting a degree in interior design. It sounds like this is a better focus for you. Talk to your professors about jobs and potential opportunities. Those professors are your KEY to finding an interneship sometimes.

Party planning is NOT like decorating. There are parts of that include decorating, but they aren’t the same. You need a different education and license to be a wedding or party planner.

Both decorating and planning HAVE to be a full time career. Both require a lot of time, effort, and calling. It’s easier to find a job in a larger city.