Modern Home Decorating

Summer is the time to transform your boring room into something more bright and playful to reflect the summer season. You may be thinking about those earth colors like brown and green to be what makes your home summer-like but this isn’t the case. There are in fact other home decorating colors you can try out.

A red rose and white living room. There is no question that red is a woman’s color. By combining the brightness of red and neutrality of white, you can create a very complex appearance for your home.  Keeping some walls white while adding a few red or black accessories will be what you need to get this look.

Pink bathrooms and bedrooms. Using floral designs with a pink background will be the perfect way to create that soothing effect on your bathroom or bedroom.  Use some pink shade for your beddings as well to complete the look. The lighter shades of pink will be a better choice as they are more subtle in nature.

Having a summer home decor is definitely easy if planned the right way like the colors, expenditure and trends. These feminine color schemes are soft colors and are definitely homely. Try them for a wonderful summer home decor.

More tips can be found here

If you are to get the right aesthetics for your home, you will need to start off by painting the rooms the right colors. Home decorating colors will need to harmonize with the color of your walls and ceilings so this is the place everything starts.

Ceilings painted a lighter hue than walls — a pale blue or off-white if the walls are a medium blue — will open up the room. Crown molding will stand out more if it is painted the same color as the ceiling rather than the color of the walls.

Generally speaking, one coat of tinted primer and one top coat will give good coverage. But when applying a darker color over a lighter color, the surface may need another go with the roller. If you’re using a flat or a matte finish over gloss, sand the wall lightly first to get good adhesion.

The other thing that you should be aware of is the kind of paint that you use. Glossy ones usually show more surface imperfections when compared to the paler ones.  You can choose to use the glossy kinds of paint in rooms where you will need to wash the walls regularly.

For more information, you can read the source article at yournabe.com

Thanksgiving can be a great time of year. It’s the start of the holiday season, a time for family and close friends to get together to appreciate each other and eat great food. Everyone has a great time enjoying each other’s company. However, if you are the host or hostess for the event, Thanksgiving can be a great deal more stressful. You have a lot more work to do then just showing up ready to socialize. Of course you have to put together the dinner, but besides that you are responsible for cleaning up your home and decorating it appropriately for the season. This can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. I’ll share some tips to create a fun and seasonally appropriate atmosphere in your home, through the use of stuffed animals. Using these plush toys as an extra decorating tip can do a lot for creating the right look for Thanksgiving.

The first thing you should consider is color. Thanksgiving decorating revolves around fall colors. These include browns, oranges, rusty reds, and golden colors. Colors that you can see in all the beautiful fall foliage. First, pick out some animals that are naturally within this color rage, and get a few plush toys of those varieties. Look for things like stuffed foxes, stuffed bunnies, plush chipmunks, stuffed moose, and stuffed squirrels. Before you know it you’ll have the perfect home decorations.

<b>Overall Decorations for the Home</b>

Here are a couple examples for you. You could get a stuffed fox of a rusty-red color and put it on your couch. This will certainly brighten up your room. Or, on the coffee table surrounding the lamp, you could place some fall-appropriate acorns and a plush squirrel or chipmunk. You should use toys that are more natural in color and appearance in order to get the best, most authentic result. You could also create a “salad bowl” to house a stuffed animal filled with leaves and pinecones from the great outdoors, and put this anywhere you need an extra decoration.

<b>Dinner Table Decorations</b>

You probably already have some typical dinner table decorations, such as turkeys and pumpkins. But you can add even more fall cheer by including some stuffed animals with these arrangements. For example, get a little stuffed beaver to hold one or more of the pumpkins. If you are using fall colors for everything to as recommended, then these should complement your dinnerware. You could also create a unique Thanksgiving centerpiece. You could get some nice fall flowers and add a stuffed animal. Also you could get some fall leaf vines, and attach them to some natural-looking brown teddy bears. Then, just wrap them with the vines around your guest chairs for festive holiday seating.

<b>Extra Decorating Tips</b>

Maybe you want to decorate your entrance on the outside so your guests know they have the right house. Just take a run of the mill autumn wreath and pair it with a stuffed bunny, so it looks like the bunny is on a swing. Or have the animal hold a welcome sign. Of course, this animal doesn’t have to be a bunny. Use whatever type of plush toy you think would work best for you and your guests.

Remember, stuffed animals can be used in many ways to make your Thanksgiving truly special. Not only can they be used for decorations, but if you have any children coming for the holiday, they can play with them once dinner is over, and even take them home if you don’t feel like storing them and using them next year in another new arrangement. Be creative, with fall colors and natural appearing plush toys, and you will have a beautifully decorated home for Thanksgiving.

Corina Volegna

Indian baskets have a unique purpose and place in the culture of Native Americans. I enjoy using these hand-made baskets to bring southwest style to my home. It is interesting when you start studying the history of Indian basket weaving and find that the use of baskets actually started centuries ago and is one of the most ancient forms of art known in Indigenous history. Indian baskets, weaved by Tribes like the Pueblo, Apache, Navajo and Tarahumara are famous for their detailed, handmade designs and elaborate styles. As you learn about basket weaving, you will learn that in most Native American Tribes, women are responsible for basket weaving and learn the art as little girls from their mothers. Baskets are used for many purposes in the daily lives of the Native Indians and help the people financially.

As you will learn, Indian baskets not only look great as accessories to rustic and southwestern decorating, but they are also very useful. At first, baskets were made out of necessity by Native people as a way to hold valuable things like food, clothing, animal hides, blankets and even water. Years ago, Native American Tribes moved often and needed ways to protect their things while still being able to move them easily. Unlike pottery, baskets were resistant and would not break. Now days, Tribes still use baskets in their homes and dwellings to protect their things and keep them organized. They also serve as a means of income for many Indian people, and play a significant part in Native events and rituals, such as Navajo wedding ceremonies, and in rights of passage ceremonies.

There are different types of Indian baskets and each Tribe has different variations. Southwest style, Native baskets are some of the most beautiful in the world and are considered a true form of art. The way these baskets are made is truly amazing and is very exciting to watch. The two types of baskets made by this Tribe are the yucca or sotol as it is also known, and pine needle baskets. Baskets made of Yucca are very well-known and are made in different shapes and sizes. Pine baskets are more commonly found in the mountain region where pine trees grow, but are smaller than the yucca baskets and more delicate.

There are different types of weaving designs Native people use in basket making that differ between Tribes. The guari type, the most popular weave among the Tarahumara in the mountain region of Northern Mexico, is curved at the top, somewhat square, and has four well-defined corners at the bottom. The petaca is another style of weave used commonly in the canyon regions, and is round and often double woven. Sometimes the leaves are run back and forth on a rough stone to smooth the sharp edges before the basket maker starts to weave.

Native Indian baskets come in various styles, designs and colors based on the Tribe and the region where it is made. Even if you are not able to go to the tribal location and choose an Indian basket of your own, you can still enjoy a piece of this American Indian form of art. It is easy to buy southwestern style baskets online and in stores that sell one of a kind, rustic and country style interior decorating accessories. Bring Native customs and traditions to life in your home with one of a kind, handmade Indian baskets.

Craig Chambers
http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/use-indian-baskets-for-chic-rustic-home-decorating-365258.html

Trend Forecaster Kate Smith will visit the Ninth Annual Spring Home and Garden Show at the Woodlands this February 19 and 20 at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Lucky visitors will be able to learn from her how home exteriors are decorated with color.

A tip she shares with everyone is that you should always pick a color that naturally pops out when you look at your home. Color can also be used to give that illusion of a larger home and more space.

Many of Smith’s trending ideas apply to a home inside and out. She helps homeowners find a connecting color throughout their house. She will discuss interior decorating at the show, explaining how complex color palettes can be used to craft elegant and sophisticated room designs that work in the living room or on the patio.

Article from The Paper Magazine

Once you have your sunroom completed, then the hard part of the job starts the decorating. You may have some sunroom decorating ideas in mind but once you start looking in magazines for sample colors and types of furniture, you will realize that the decisions are not as easy as you first thought. If you don’t put a lot of thought into your decorating you may not be able to achieve the exact effect you want the sunroom to have.

If the sunroom is straight across the back or the front of the house, then you can make it look like a patio in the way you choose the decorations. A sunroom with an interior done in wood is well suited to rattan furniture or even wicker so that it gives the room an outdoorsy look.  You can choose vintage cushions and pillows to give your sunroom a rustic or country feel. Showpieces placed on shelves, plants in standing and hanging planters and colourful mats on the floor will all add to the ambiance of the sunroom being a place where you can relax.

There is a range of designs in wall coverings that will really enhance the sunroom as well. You can have the interior done totally in wood with pine walls and ceilings or you can have drywall that you paint in bright colors. Wallpaper in floral or other designs will give a nice cozy feel to the room. You may like the paintable wallpaper which shows out a design through the color you choose or one that has mosaics or tiles on the wall.

The way in which you decorate the sunroom also depends on the way in which you intend to use the room. You may want to have small tables and chairs where you can sit and enjoy your coffee in the morning with the newspaper or it may be a place where you want to have comfortable soft chairs for entertaining guests. It may even be a place where you want to work out and so you will need a place for your exercise equipment.

Soft light colors in the sunroom will give it a relaxed atmosphere. Large windows to let the sun in should also have appropriate window coverings so that the UV rays won’t cause your furniture or pillow coverings to fade. These lighter colors will give the room the appearance of being larger than it actually is. Coordinate the colors of the blinds and the cushions with that of the walls and the floor mats. If the sunroom is attached to the house, you should also think about coordinating the decor with that of the rest of your house so that all the rooms seem to have the same background.

Whether you have a small or large sunroom, you need to place the furniture so that there is plenty of room to move about. If the door to your home is in the middle of the room arrange the furniture at both ends so that you won’t block the access to this door. Make sure that when you are seated you won’t have to stand to let someone else in or out.

Ling Tong

Like we predicted late last year, this year’s home decorating trends will still focus on the muted and grayed but with the addition of punches of deep colors with vibrant hues.  Muted shades of gray, blue, green and purple can be considered neutral and you can mix and match them with all your favorite color to give it that timeless and elegant look.

Trends

Giving your space new life is as simple as adding small color additions to your color setup.  This is a quick way of bringing new energy into the New Year.

When painting a wall, it is always best to pick a neutral color that you like and build off it.

Full article on ABC 15