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Posts tagged: Decorating

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Home Decorating-Old World Style

The “Old World” Style of Decorating is one that brings all of the elements of nature into play. Metals, clay, stone, wood, and countless other elements combine to create an atmosphere that is as charming as it is ageless. This is what old-world means in a modern kitchen. Despite the idea that this would be an inexpensive method of decorating the truth is that this style of decorating for a kitchen, probably more so than any other room in the home, can add up fairly quickly. The good news is that the results are typically breath taking when all is said and done.

The kitchen of a home is often the family center. This is the room in which meals are prepared and sometimes eaten. It is also the room where families congregate and discuss plans for the evening and the events of the day. It is often the location in which homework is completed and heartaches are commiserated with pints of ice cream. Your kitchen is the one room in the home that will probably experience more emotional moments than any other room in your home. For this reason it makes perfect sense that it would be the most expensively and extensively decorated room within your home.

When beginning with the walls for an old-world kitchen you may want to consider plaster or some soft of faux finish that looks like plaster in order to give the walls of your kitchen a truly ancient appearance. Aged yellows and shades of gold are an excellent choice for these walls as it will blend nicely with the terra cotta and stone accents that should grace the remainder of the kitchen as well as the darkly stained woods. Of course the walls are just the beginning.

You will want to insure that the lighting doesn’t go against the old world home decorating that you are incorporating by being too modern and bright in appearance. Wrought iron light fixtures and chandeliers as well as low light wall sconces work wonderfully in an old-world style kitchen. Keep in mind that many of the old style home decorating ideas can spill over into the rest of your home from your kitchen or can be used in order to set your kitchen apart as the warm center of your home. Either way a kitchen such as this will make a stunning impression.

Candles may also be used in order to enhance the old world appearance of your kitchen. Of course candles are a great touch in every room of the house as far as I am concerned. They can be used to create an atmosphere, set a mood, or simply as a method of adding a subtle hint of fragrance to the air. In addition to candles, grapes are another great addition to an old-world style kitchen. From wine to the simple pleasure of grapes straight off the vine these tasty fruits are almost a must in a kitchen of this nature. Wrought iron wine racks large and small are a common addition to most kitchens of this nature. These racks may be used to hold wine as intended or can be used for other creative purposes such as to hold kitchen towels or some other creative means for those who do not drink wine.

Pottery and terra cotta are also welcome additions in this type of kitchen. They, much like the plaster, the colors, the wood, and the stone add another degree of warmth to a room that simply exudes warmth and charm to all who enter. Use pottery to hold commonly used utensils, straws, toothpicks, fruits, and vegetables that do not require refrigeration. Use platters as art and terra cotta planters to hold herbs that are growing along the windowsill. In other words, let your imagination soar when creating the old-world atmosphere in your kitchen. You just might be surprised at where it takes you.

categories Home Decorating

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Home Decorating: Bathroom on a Budget

When it comes to home decorating there are few rooms that have quite the impact of a bathroom or kitchen when being decorated. There is something wonderful about taking a tired old bathroom and making it seem bright and shiny once again. Most people, however, cringe at the thought of a bathroom remodel fearing the absolute worst when it comes to their financial situation once all is said and done. The good news is that small steps can lead to big changes in rooms as small as bathrooms. These small steps do not have to have large prices in order to be highly effective.

My suggestion with a bathroom is to assess where the worst blemishes and eyesores may be. Painting the walls can be a good place to start but you should first decide whether you are planning to remove any cabinetry. This is one room where it is best to save the painting for later in the project rather than the beginning. The vanity in many bathrooms takes up a good deal of real estate. Gone are the days when chunky cabinets were the popular choice for bathrooms. Now people want the bathrooms to have the appearance of a wide-open space. This means that cabinets and vanities are becoming smaller rather than larger.

Most homeowners find that the removal of bulky cabinetry in the bathroom often leads to some degree of patching required for the drywall and noticeable gaps in flooring. These will need to be addressed fairly quickly, which means that now is a good time to select color options for the walls and flooring. Smaller bathrooms do well with lighter colors on the walls in order to give them a larger appearance. Use towels and decorations to bring in darker accents but keep the walls light and bright. Also choose paint that can withstand the high humidity of bathrooms.

Flooring in a bathroom also needs to be able to withstand high heat and humidity as this room is rather abusive to floors and walls. For this reason, hardwood is not the floor of choice for most bathrooms. Ceramic tile is an excellent choice and not terribly expensive. There are also some laminates that are designed to respond well to a high humidity environment such as will be found in a bathroom. Choose flooring that will accent the walls and the overall sense of décor you are hoping to achieve when decorating your home and bathroom, as this is not something you are going to want to change often.

The toilet in a bathroom is fairly simple to purchase but I recommend leaving it be unless it absolutely needs to be changed. This is not a simple procedure for the novice and experts are expensive. In this case “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is an excellent motto to live by. The same holds true with the shower. If, however, you simply cannot live with your shower (or bathtub) as is, you may want to try hiring professionals to come in and resurface your tub. This is much less expensive than purchasing a brand-new tub and will have yours looking bright, shiny, and as good as new. Again you can avoid the high cost of a plumber despite the fact that you are paying for professionals to resurface.

To top things off, you will be amazed at the difference that new knobs, fixtures, and hardware can make in a bathroom. Add a couple of lamps for subtle lighting and some decorative touches of your own and you have a brand new bathroom without spending a king’s ransom in order to do so. The shower curtain and ‘guest’ towels should be your largest splurges in your bathroom, as they will tie the room all together. You shower curtains and towels will blend the colors and designs in order to create the overall atmosphere you should be hoping to achieve in your bathroom. And all of this can be accomplished one step at a time no matter how sparse your budget may be.

categories Home Decorating

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A Cabin Theme for Your Home Decorating Needs

When it comes to home decorating there is one thing that must be said-people seem to long for the simple life and cabin living. Of all the styles of decorating and décor this is one that seems to be repeated most often but in different ways. Seriously there are all kinds of ‘cabin’ décor websites, magazines, brochures, books, and how to videos all over the place than probably any other style of decorating.

One reason for the phenomenal popularity of this particular type of home decorating style probably has a little bit to do with the simplicity of it. There are no hard and fast rules, there aren’t fancy faux finishes and textured painting that needs to be done in order to complete the look and there aren’t overly complicated rules for what is and isn’t acceptable. From the bear budget to the champagne and caviar crowd there is some sort of décor available that will suit not only the home decorating needs but also the need for quality as well.

Another thing that many find appealing about a cabin themed home decorating plan is that it simply exudes warmth year round. From the dark colors to the flannel materials and the soft homespun simplicity of the design many find it simply irresistible. One thing that is obvious in this style of decorating is that it appeals to those who love home and hearth and warmth and good will far more than modern touches and design elements. This is not a hard plastic sort of design style and it shouldn’t endeavor to become one as the two styles are almost systematically opposed to one another.

If you want the warmth of a Montana cabin in your home every day of the year this is one great way to do it. Bring the bears, the moose, and all the furry forest friends to frolic in your living room, on your light fixtures, and in your dreams as you fall into restful sleep each night. From the bedroom to the bathroom and the kitchen in between the cabin style of home decorating is one that is making great waves in the market place.

You will find many stores online and locally that cater to the cabin loving audience for hardware, knick-knacks, and what knots galore. The thing to remember is that the design essence isn’t the little touches you add along the way, it’s the warmth of wood, fire, leather, and wrought iron. These are the materials that will establish the cabin appeal more quickly than any of the little touches you can add along the way. Drywall and plaster simply cannot carry the look. Knotty pine or some other rich style of wood is the best option for walls when pulling off a cabin home appeal.

More importantly than anything though is the need to include a little bit of yourself in the design. Do not hesitate to carve your initials with a heart into the wood of your walls. It is one more thing that will be not only endearing but also appropriate to the home and the atmosphere. There is a type of innocence about a cabin style home and the little touches such as that will leave a lasting impression.

categories Home Decorating

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