Decorate Your Kitchen Cheaply

Are you bored with your kitchen? You don't need to spend thousands of dollars to give it a little face lift. Just follow these tips and you'll make big changes on a little budget.

Need a colorful window treatment? Simply purchase an inexpensive basswood shade and paint it in a bright color. You can use a partially dry brush and paint randomly for an aged look.

Paint your walls a bright, sunny yellow and randomly paint over a few areas with a deeper yellow, a dark peach, and terra cotta. Mix the paints with a glazing liquid and wipe each coat with a wet cloth before the paint dries.

Paint your old cabinets with a few layers of paint using a dry brush. You can purchase pin stripe tape for automobiles and apply it just under the molding for an attractive accent.

Using a fabric panel with hook-and-loop fastening tape to create skirting around your under-counter areas. You can cover aging appliances such as dishwashers and wo cabinets with a colorful new curtain that hangs from undeeath the edge of your counter tops.

Use your mismatched dishes and cups to decorate a stylish shelf hanging on your kitchen wall. Brightly colored dishes and hanging teacups make cute decorations.

Use your treasured family photos to decorate a shelf or nooks. You can use cheap picture frames and a cute shelf as an expression of your home and your life.

If your counter tops are not what they once were, remove the old surface and replace it with colorful, mismatched tiles you can purchase for next to nothing at a discount home store. If your counter tops are uneven, use a piece of plywood to even out the surface before you put down the tiles.

If your refrigerator has seen its better days, have a local supplier cut chalkboard to fit the front and glue it directly to the surface of your refrigerator. Use pine boards to make a border and you will have your own personal note center right on your refrigerator.

Decorating your kitchen need not be expensive. With a little imagination and a little work you can tu even the most boring kitchen into a work of art. Colorful curtains and paint will make a huge difference in any kitchen. No matter how small or dark the space may be.

Don't miss http://homeorganizationhelp.com for more ways to organize and decorate your home on a budget.

Duvet Covers Make it Easy to Keep Your Baby Fresh

When cold winter nights arrive, the first thing that's on your mind is the comfort, care and warmth of your baby. There is always so much to lea and to be aware of, as well as so much still to be leaed and experienced through the day in raising your child. When it comes to keeping your baby warm, obviously the temperature in your home is a critical factor. You're conceed as well with their cleanliness, diapers, food and drink, as well as what bedding would make them feel most comfortable. Whatever you decide upon, it should be designed to ensure the health and safety of your child, and make their small world happy and a great place to grow up in. Nighttime requires coverings to keep the baby warm, as well as afteoon naps and breast-feeding time. If you decide on duvet covers, acrylic blankets or a fleece blanket, you will want it to be resilient enough to withstand stains and prevent accidents, and last through many washes.

Here is an idea that works well when it comes to purchasing baby linens. Purchase four top and four bottom sheets. They can be fitted or flat, but should be uniform in size. Sizes vary and you can find different ones to fit a cot, cot bed, crib, Moses basket, or whatever sleeping arrangements your baby has. The best combination is one that offers warmth and breath-ability, and a fleece blanket or cotton blanket will provide exactly that. Check for wholesale fleece blankets online for easy savings.

If you choose a sleeping bag, it's a good alteative, but you'll need at least two of them as your baby has a tendency to wriggle at night. The sleeping bag will ensure the comfort of your baby, but it will restrict its freedom of movement. The sleeping bag will also eliminate the need to purchase a top sheet or blanket. If you really want to spoil your baby, try on mink blanket. You'll be glad you did! When your child is one year or older, you might check out duvet covers and pillows, but most of all you just want to make them as comfortable as possible. When they are comfortable so are you!

By Terry Price- A fleece throw blanket can be pure joy! http://www.blanketscoverssofas.com/contact-us.html or A mink blanket is your ticket to warmth and comfort: http://www.blanketscoverssofas.com/2-ply-mink-blankets-for-sale.html Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Price

Hire Painting Contractor for Professional House Painting Job

Painting is one of the most commonly done home renovation or repair. It gives a new look to the house without making any changes to its structure. It is the easiest way to add new appeal to home aesthetics. Though many people like to paint their house on their own, it is advisable to hire a painting contractor for the task. A painting contractor does not only give you the perfect finish but also provides you with the best of professional services.

A painting contractor executes the project in a more professional manner, thus giving better results than any do-it-yourself work. A painting contractor would know what material would suit the best for the climatic and weather conditions in your local area. Also, the painting contractor is well aware of the local trends of the market. Moreover, a painting contractor�s crew would wrap up the complete project within fraction of time that you would have taken to paint your house single-handedly. So, there�s time saving also!

Hire a painting contractor instead of getting the complete home improvement done. This will fit better into your budget if that is your conce. Painting contractor does interior painting, exterior painting, wallpapering, paint removal, paint preparation, and special finishes.

For more tips and guidelines please visit http://www.allremodel.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natasha_Salve

Glider Rocker Cushions All You Will Ever Need to Know

When searching for glider rocking chairs and cushions, you may be amazed at the large variety of cushions and glider rocking chairs available to choose from. Understandably, you may find yourself becoming overwhelmed while making a particular choice.

There are a number of stores having stylish glider rockers as well as glider rocker cushions. Many times it may be quite difficult to find the right glider rocker for your style. It may also be difficult to find the right cushion to complement the glider. For this reason you may want to take your time before you purchase a glider rocker with a glider rocker cushion.

An excellent addition to any glider rocker is Adirondack fuiture. The best type of fuiture to select for outdoor use is Adirondack all weather fuiture. This fuiture is definitely one of the most popular of all outdoor fuiture.

If you wish to buy any outdoor fuiture, you obviously need to consider how the fuiture will handle harsh summer and winter conditions. You will be astonished to know that most of the Adirondack chairs can be kept outside and it will not have any adverse effect of harsh weather on it. These tables and chairs are made up of a very strong material that can be left outside without any problem and the natural elements will not be able to harm it. That is the reason that this fuiture is known as Adirondack all weather fuiture.

If you want to feel comfy in the ambiance of your garden chair, then an Adirondack chair is definitely for you. These chairs are beautiful accent pieces as well as excellent places to rest after planting a row of vegetables in your garden. You know the most wonderful and marvelous thing about the Adirondack chair is that they are among the most comfortable in garden fuiture. They have slanted seats with extensive armrests that contour to your body and allow your body to completely relax. They are not only comfortable but also complement all of Adirondack all weather fuiture.

The big things that matter when making your purchase are the benefits of the outdoor fuishing and you personal style. Whether you are selecting a glider rocker, cushions or Adirondack all weather fuiture, choose the Adirondack fuiture that matches your style, and is able to last for years on end, you won't regret it.

Jennifer Akre, owner of numerous home and patio decor websites, makes it easy to find fantastic Adirondack Chairs and beautiful Adirondack Fuiture . Lea how to decorate your patio and garden in style - click the following link: http://www.adirondackchairs-store.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Akre

Decorating with Authentic Zebra Decor

We all take a certain pride in the interior of our homes. We all try to create a beautiful extention of our personalities.

You will find that while reading this article you will see all kinds of wonderful opportunities where you can use Zebra decor.

Often the only thing stopping us or inhibiting us is our budget and imagination.

Decorating with Authentic Zebra Decor is a very fullfilling excercise. Using the natural canvas of the Zebra and blending it with you current environment will definately add to the prestige of your room.

The products available are ever growing and you will find e.g. Zebra Skin Rugs - the skin with the head tanned flat, often with a felt backing used on the floor or as a wall hanging.

Next....

There are various area rugs crafted from off-cuts of Zebra and other game hides giving you a selection of pattes and earth colors that will delight you.

Then there is...

Fuiture - Sofas, chairs, ottomans. Accessories - mirrors, lamps, pillows, etc.

The important thing to remeber is that Zebra decor wil be the main attraction where ever you use it, it has a majestic wild style that normal decor cannot compete with.

Once you have seen Authentic Zebra Decor you will fall in love with it, you will make all kinds of plans to afford it.

Imagine the interior of your dreams....

Now take a step towards it!

When choosing your Zebra decor it is very important that you get it from a reputable supplier. It is vital that the Zebra skin was tanned properly, else you will experience all kinds of problems with hair loss, texture of the skin, retu policies and guarantees.

Tonie Konig is the owner of a wholesale business dealing in Zebra and other game decor in Cape Town, South Africa. He is involved with one of the top tanneries in the world and supplies some of the most gifted decor manufactures and retailers. To see some of the products you can have a look at his website http://www.zebracraft.com. Free Interior Decorating E-mail Course http://www.zebracraft.com/ezine.html

Decorating The Bathroom Dress Your Mess For Less

The bathroom may be the hardest room to decorate. Its use and nature make the room decorative uninspiring, and its limited size and necessity of function make it difficult to add very much. Further, making a major change to the room�s d�cor generally requires huge sums of money, when you consider the expense of changing tiled floors or walls, or replacing existing fixtures such as showers and sinks. However, there are a few thrifty things you can do to tu your bathroom from an eyesore into a place of decorative elegance.

The first thing you have to do is decide what color range you can use. If the bathroom has existing features such as ceramic tiling or fixtures, you have to choose any other piece you bring in to match those colors that are already there. This is only a slight stifle to your creativity though, as there are an unlimited number of shades and colors you can match up with others. Even if you don�t like the original colors of the room, you can always balance them out with opposite colors in your d�cor.

The easiest way to decorate a bathroom is by using fabric coverings. You can throw carpets down to cover up boring tiles and add some color to the floor. They will also soak up water and help prevent slippage.

If your toilet looks out of date, get a seat cover in a funky color and tu it into an artistic eye catcher. Or go the whole way and get a whole new toilet seat. They are relatively inexpensive, and they allow you to change the look and feel of a fairly permanent piece. Here you will have to find a balance of comfort and style.

Bathrooms are functional areas, and they need to stay organized. Choose your containers with an eye towards color and style, and you will be adding natural d�cor touches to the room. There are soap dishes, toilet paper rings, and toothbrush boxes which can be purchased in matching sets. Buying items in the same or similar colors will give the bathroom a finished look that shows its appearance was planned with an attention to detail. In a room that is as small as the bathroom, one wrong color can unbalance the whole effect.

Bathroom accessories such as towels and washcloths are only temporary residents of the bathroom, and will be cycled in and out at various intervals. Buying a few matching linen sets allows you to change the look of the bathroom every few days. You can get a set in black for when you�re in a dark mood, and a set in red when you�re feeling particularly sensual. Always keep an eye on the rest of the colors in the room however, and try not to purchase anything that will clash with the colors already present.

The shower curtain is one of the most important d�cor pieces that you can easily change in your bathroom. They are prominently displayed, usually taking up a large section of the visual area in a room. This is the piece that can pull the whole bathroom together, so choose it carefully as every other color you bring into the room will have to match with this piece.

When it comes to bathrooms, take what you were given, and make it something that is your own. Play off of the features that are already in the room, balancing out what you don�t like and reinforcing what you do. By making small touches you can make the d�cor of any bathroom fit your style.

Joey Lewitin is an author, artist, and designer of home d�cor accessories made from imported stone. Original designs from him and other artisans can be seen at Pebblez.com � Stone Home D�cor and Rustic Accessories

Futon Chairs and Other Futon Furniture

Beds are not the only type of futon fuiture on the market today. Futon bunk beds and futon chairs have experienced an explosion in popularity in the last few years. All types of futon fuiture have made huge strides in recent years. Once confined mainly to college dorm rooms, futon fuiture is now found in many classy and expensive living room sets. Futon chairs and futon bunk beds have many advantages over traditional chairs and bunk beds. Futon fuiture is more versatile, unique, and functional than standard fuiture.

A futon chair is similar to a futon couch in that it has a mattress that rests on an adjustable frame. Futon chairs are smaller than futon sofas, they are usually designed to accommodate one or two people in the upright position. Most futon chairs can be set in three positions, upright, reclined, and horizontal. There are countless different futon chair frames available. Some are made of wood and others are metal. Many wood frames are constructed with high quality oak and are great pieces of fuiture for a nice living room. Futon chairs provide the comfort of a recliner with the versatility and style of a futon bed.

Futon bunk beds have become hugely popular in recent years. They feature a futon couch/bed on the bottom and a flat futon mattress on the top. A futon bunk bed is a great idea for people living in cramped areas like dorm rooms or small apartments. Not only does a futon bunk bed contain multiple beds, but it also has a couch on the lower level. There are many different models of futon bunk beds. Some have lightweight metal frames with a ladder built onto one side. Others are made of wood can have freestanding ladders.

Futons Info provides detailed information about futon covers, mattresses, frames, chairs, and bunk beds. Futons Info is the sister site of Platform Beds Web.

Decorate Your Home for Joy Using Design Psychology

What Is Design Psychology?

Design Psychology exceeds "traditional" interior design practice by considering the effects of design elements on our five senses, as well as our emotions. Rather than decorating to impress or to follow a certain style, you can choose specific lighting, color, pattes, and other design elements to support your happiness and well-being.

Design Psychology includes an understanding of both physiological and psychological effects of design elements. For instance, our pituitary gland releases tranquilizing hormones when we view sky blue. Knowledge of physiological effects of color can be applied to home decorating to make sure a room uplifts, calms, or energizes.

Our physiological reaction to aspects of design leads to our psychological response. We all know that a trickling waterfall not only looks pretty, but relaxes those nearby. But do you know that certain textures make you feel irritable, while others comfort? Or that undulating pattes uplift the spirit, while geometric pattes cause anxiety?

With an understanding of design psychology you can choose elements of vision, hearing, touch, smell, and even taste which bolster positive feelings and contribute to happy living.

How Do You Get Your Home Decorated and Fuished Right the First Time?

Using design details chosen to encourage joyful living is easy. First, lea about lighting -- the most important factor in residential design. Next, use colors appropriate to the natural setting, lighting, and desired emotional response. Then think about reactions to pattes already in the space and add harmonious pattes based on nature; pattes proven to make people happy. Other design details in your home also come into play -- sounds, accessories, fuishings and arrangements for comfort.

Once you understand the science of Design Psychology, you can follow your own inspiration and creatively employ design elements.

Just as master artists study the physical body and anatomy, your background knowledge in Design Psychology prepares you with underlying theory. The practice or application of design details in Design Psychology is the ART of Residential Design.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

Home Decor Can Make Your House a Sanctuary

In today's fast-paced society, it's sometimes difficult to achieve balance in life. All too often, we spend countless hours at the office and more hours commuting or chauffeuring our kids to and from after school activities. We wired to the max, with our cell phones, our BlackBerrys, our computers, and our iPods always within arm's reach. We pride ourselves on our ability to multitask, but somewhere in the process, our ability to simply relax and enjoy life gets lost. One of the best ways to get back on track and bring balance into our lives is to use home decor to transform our houses into our sanctuaries.

The inevitable question is, Who has time for home d�cor? But think about it for a moment. Work may bring feelings of accomplishment, but it probably doesn't refresh your spirit. When you make your home a priority, it becomes a place of respite, a place that helps rejuvenate your body and your soul. When you make a few simple changes, you'll feel a greater connection with your home environment. When you do that, you may find that your desire to multitask diminishes, and you just might tu off the electronic gadgets and simply enjoy your surroundings with those you love.

The first step in using home decor to enhance your house is to take the time to inventory each room in your house. This isn't a fuiture inventory, or a count of the number of clocks or lamps you own, but an emotional inventory. Take a notebook and a pen (or your PDA) from room to room, and jot down how you feel in each room. When you walk into the kitchen, do you feel energized, or do your shoulders sag? Does your bedroom make you feel as though you've walked into a safe haven, or does it feel sterile and uninviting?

Next, take an emotional inventory of your outdoor space. Is the front yard a place you rush through to get to the front door? Does your patio make you feel relaxed, or is it simply additional storage space? Does your backyard conjure up feelings of community and sharing, or does it represent the yard work that you never get around to doing?

Once you have completed your emotional inventory, begin thinking about the small things you can do that will change the tone of each room and of your outdoor space. Perhaps bath lotions and candles will make your bathroom feel more luxurious. Maybe well-placed mirrors will give a small apartment a more spacious and less suffocating feel. Picture frames with photos of family and friends will warm up any room, as will decorative plant stands with houseplants.

When it comes to the outdoors, the possibilities are endless. You can choose to do major landscaping, or you can add simple things like bird feeders you can see from your kitchen window or bird houses that are visible from the living room window. Hammocks in the backyard absolutely invite relaxation, while wind chimes can calm even the most frazzled nerves.

By taking an emotional inventory of your living space and adding simple home decor items, your home will become your sanctuary and you will feel the same connection with your environment that you may feel with your personal electronics.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon Inteational, one of the worlds MOST popular inteet marketing companies on the web. Lea more about Home Decor Creates a Sanctuary or Majon's Home Fuishings directory.

Feng Shui Move 9 Items Increase Life Potential 9 Times

Quick Feng Shui Enhancers for 2006: Year of the Dog

Happy Chinese New Year! May the year of The Dog bring you the comfort of loyalty, companionship, and deepened relationships.

You most likely already know that with Feng Shui, the Chinese art of placement, you can move fuiture, use different colors, and place accessories in specific areas of your home to Increase Wealth, Deepen Love, and Improve Health.* But, I bet you didn�t know that your Feng Shui also changes every year. Now, before you think that you have to redecorate every year, you don�t! All you need to do is move 9 items in your home according to a sage-old formula. No formulas today, just the quick concept with what to move and where to place it!

Concept of Yearly Energies: Generic to everyone, unlike your basic Feng Shui,* there are nine yearly energies ranging from the best of the best, to the worst of the worst. Each of the nine energies sit in each of the eight magnetic directions with one in the center position of your home. Explained in a different way, each of the nine equal-sized sectors or areas in your home has an energetic influence with specific attributes that change every year. One sector will have the best energy, one will have the worst, and each of the others has a value in between.

What to Move and Where: The key is to enhance the good energies to make them even better and reduce the bad ones so you are not under their detrimental influence. Segment your home into nine equal sections as if you were putting an invisible tic-tac-toe board directly on top of it. Each square has a different directional location determined by a compass, each with a specific energy (North, South, East, West, Northwest, etc.). Look around your home to consider what existing items in your home that you can move to each of the nine areas to maximize this year�s potential.

In the:

East: place �moving water� such as a fountain or fish tank to enhance �new beginnings and/or recognitions along with scholarly and academic endeavors.�

Southeast: place �moving metal� such as a metal wind chime (preferably with 6 or 7 rods) or chiming clock with a metal sound to seduce �sickness� (the second worst energy).

South: place �still water� such as a glass vase or something blue (a blue, glass vase is perfect) to reduce �cutting energy.� Cutting may mean broken bones, cutting your skin, and even cutting with your tongue so be careful and think before speaking in this area.

Southwest: place something made of wood in this area to help future good fortune. Because the southwest is energy of �intimacies and relationships,� create a double-good move by placing a wood sculpture of a pair (pair of lovers, dolphins, doves, etc.)

West: place �moving metal� such as a metal wind chime (preferably with 6 or 7 rods) or chiming clock with a metal sound to seduce �severed fate and bankruptcy.� (This is the worst energy - it is best to avoid this area as much as possible).

Northwest: place �quite metal� such as a metal bowl, sculpture, or accessory to reduce �arguing and bickering energy.�

North: place �moving water� such as a fountain or fish tank to enhance the best of the best energy. Whatever the room, good things will happen here. You may even have unexpected good luck specific to what room it is in.

Interestingly, the moing after I moved the bed with our heads pointing North (because of this year�s best energy, it has good Flying Stars, and is one of my husband�s good directions), the first words out of his mouth was, �Whew, I slept great!�

Tip: Always prioritize sleeping direction to combine good yearly energies, natal Flying Stars, and one of the best directions for the �more fragile� person sleeping in the bed.

Northeast: place something made of earth such as anything made of ceramic or stone to enhance my �just right� favorite energy which I call �ease and graciousness.�

To enhance �bright future� energy in the center, place �moving water� such as a fountain or fish tank to enhance the best of the best energy.

Deepen Feng Shui: Depending on the room that each energy is occupying, whatever happens in that room will be influenced by that energy. For example, if the East area is your bedroom, there may be new beginnings in your relationship. If East is your office, you may have new beginnings an/or recognitions that relate to projects especially ones that include writing.

Next year gets even easier to maintain your good Feng Shui: These items and the locations will help increase good things in your life all the way through February 3 of 2007. After that date, the energies move according to the formula that I told you about.

I sincerely wish you only good things!

*To clarify a popular misnomer, there is not one Feng Shui map generic to everyone. For consistent Feng Shui, if you moved in your home between 1984-2048, there are 2048 maps and only one is specific to you and your home.

Jami Lin, master of Feng Shui, Architect, & Interior Design Jami Lin Feng Shui and interior design http://www.jamilin.com

site@jamilin.com

Discount Mini Blinds

As with other discount items you want to buy, discount mini blinds are available, but sometimes come with a tradeoff between quality and price.

For that reason, consumers should seek out the best-priced mini blinds � rather than the cheapest. In other words, buyers should look for the highest-quality mini blinds at the best price rather than simply shopping by price.

That said, consumers can certainly find good deals online. If you shop online you should be able to find high-quality mini blinds at reasonable prices. The reason for this is that online retailers do not have to pay the high cost of a sales staff, and as such, can pass on the savings to their customers. All leading makers of mini blinds have presence on the Inteet, either with their own websites or through popular shopping sites.

Furthermore, if you do the measurements and installations yourself, you�ll be sure to save on miniblinds. That�s the best way to get discounts on the purchase of mini blinds.

Most types of mini blinds can be easily dismantled, shipped and installed, and the suppliers readily provide you with detailed instructions to put them in your home. If you know the size of your window, have a particular design in your mind, and have decided upon the material and color of the mini blind, you can do online shopping. It�s that easy.

Mini Blinds Info provides detailed information about vinyl, discount, wood, faux wood, custom, and aluminum mini blinds, plus advice on cleaning mini blinds. Mini Blinds Info is the sister site of Wood Blinds Web.

Discount Bedroom Furniture

For those of you who are planning to refurbish your rooms, you don�t have to worry about buing a hole in your pocket, as it is possible to shop for Discounted Bedroom Fuiture. Put in a little bit of extra effort of exploring the options around. It will be worth your while, as you might be able to get Discount Bedroom Fuiture that does not have any semblance of being discounted.

There are lots of options that you can explore on the Inteet, that offer fuiture that can be tailor-made according to your requirements. But of course, this time around the fuiture does not only have a pleasing effect on the eyes, but also spells good news for your bank balance. Exactly in the fashion in which you come across several options in regular Bedroom Fuiture, similarly you can come across a range of fuiture in the Discounted Fuiture section. So you can find a range of beds, tables, chairs, chests of drawers and armoires, all available at a discount. The good news doesn�t end here, as the range of fuiture also stretches to office fuiture. Nonetheless, one look at them and you won�t be able to tell that the fuiture happens to be discounted.

You will be able to save a great deal of money if you exercise options such as going for used fuiture. You could also weigh the option of buying smaller beds to save money. Look out for the seasonal sale, to ensure that you get a discount. Try doing a comparison by looking at a fair number of shops, instead of simply zeroing on what to buy right at the first store you enter. You can also fulfill your dream of buying that oate antique bed that you had been craving, now that it is on sale. Many times you will also find some of the exquisitely carved beds or pieces of fuiture that are a sheer delight to own. So in case you get them either second hand or at a discount, do not miss a chance to get hold of these prized possessions. For those of you for whom change is a way of life, consider the option of Discount Bedroom Fuiture, as you would be able to dispose off fuiture with a lesser guilt and make way for new fuiture easily.

Bedroom Fuiture provides detailed information about bedroom fuiture, antique bedroom fuiture, bedroom fuiture sets, cheap bedroom fuiture and more. Bedroom Fuiture is the sister site of Air Beds.

Do You Have a Master Bedroom You Shouldn t Tips for Remodeling Your Bedroom

The word "master" is an antiquated term that suggests control, domination, and inequality, and in today's cooperative partner and/or single parent household, the label "master suite" has become obsolete. In that light, master bedrooms would more properly be called "main bedrooms" in today�s society.

Far removed from the activity of family rooms and busy kitchens, the bedroom is the place where your day begins and ends. Surprisingly, however, main bedroom redecorating frequently ranks near the bottom of most people's home renovation lists. But if you want an immediate uplift of your emotional state, there are few projects that will do that more effectively than remodeling your main bedroom.

Remodeling Your Main Bedroom for Happiness

The main bedroom, with its softened textures, serene artwork, and muted pattes, intimately captures the warmth of a home. Passion colors, such as red, purple, royal blue, rose, or the gilt of gold, add drama and indulgence. Plan your main bedroom design with private times in mind, beginning with the purpose of the bedroom. Do you want a Passion Boudoir, Reading Room, or Private Sanctuary?

Passion Boudoir

French women are known to create the sexiest bedrooms in the world, and like many French women, today's homemakers often plan for sex and decorate accordingly, creating evocative, enticing bedrooms. Here are a few suggestions for creating a Passion Boudoir:

Flattering colors contribute to personal beauty and are erotically appealing. Choose seductive colors like Rouge Red, Lipstick Reds, Creamy Peaches, and Subtle Pinks. Make sure the colors enhance your natural beauty. Be daring and use bold colors on the walls.

Luscious fabrics will set the stage for sensuousness. Use silky, velvet, and chenille textures in combination with nubby textures. Use fabrics that remind you of a favorite shared memory. Exotic pattes, such as animal prints or tropical florals, conjure images of faraway joueys.

Locating mirrors in unusual places, such as the tops of dressers or side tables, reflect dancing candle light. Tropical plants and trees, uplit with special lights, also cast exciting shadows.

An intimate bistro table, set with two chairs, invites private conversations. Dressing tables, fuished with feminine accessories and intimate objects, add mystery and romance to a room.

Just the presence of a bed tray suggests the possibility of the ultimate pleasure: breakfast in bed, while soft lighting, candles, essential oils in a diffuser, and gentle oscillating fans effectively complete the d�cor in a Passion Boudoir.

Reading Rooms

If you're one of the many people who love to read in their bedrooms, you might consider designing your main bedroom with lounging and reading books in mind. Since eye experts wa that it's bad for a person's eyes to read while lying down (because we tend to hold the book too close), you might begin by enabling proper reading posture by installing padded headboards.

Another consideration is lighting. Eye experts claim that readers need at least two reading lamps of at least 175-200 watts, but that type of lighting would seem quite harsh in a bedroom setting. In fact, as my friend Madi, a devoted bedroom reader, says, "My reading time is some of my most important time, intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally. It's the most intimate time I give myself; it compares to what others may call meditation. Just being in a space that's warm and comfortable with a good book is the greatest thing in the world to me, and any bright light would change the ambience of that quiet time."

Madi certainly isn't alone in cherishing her reading time, or in opposing harsh lighting in the bedroom. So instead of individual lights, consider equalizing the overall lighting scheme by adding other less obtrusive lights across the room.

Good colors for Reading Rooms include Old World Ivory, Antique Amber, Sage Green, and Slate Blue. These soft colors reflect light without glare and also support peaceful feelings.

Squishy pillows, luxurious Afghans or throws, landscape paintings with distant horizons, and mirrors for private reflections add feelings of indulgence. A great lounge chair with a floor lamp and nearby tea table completes the additions to a perfect Reading Room.

Private Sanctuary

Perhaps you'd rather tu your main bedroom into a personal retreat, where you can escape and unwind from a busy day. Surround yourself with photos of friends, family, and places you love, as well as your favorite artwork and meaningful mementos. Under-fuished private sanctuaries can also give you the space to contemplate and daydream.

Good colors for private sanctuaries include dark Forest Greens, deep Chocolates, Mochas, Navy or Cobalt Blues, and Eggplant. Darker colors create a womb-like feeling and aid deep sleep.

A writing desk, accompanied by a comfortable chair, induces joual and letter writing. A small refrigerator will make you feel as if you can enjoy your time in the bedroom without interruption, and a television offers the opportunity to watch your favorite movies and shows. Room-darkening window coverings also encourage deep sleep and aid in the restoration of your soul.

Living Room Fuiture in Bedrooms

Bedrooms can truly become living rooms when they're fuished luxuriously -- like a private suite. Adding fuiture usually considered living room pieces automatically upscales the importance of your bedroom. Sofas, rocking chairs, or matching overstuffed chairs help create the feeling of an oasis.

The bedroom is the most personal of all the rooms in our home. In fact, as a Realtor, I've been in houses on home tours where the main bedroom was off-limits. That may seem strange, but it only served to add to the mystery of the home. I've also been in a delightful home where the living room itself had actually been tued into a fabulous main bedroom!

Only you can decide the best bedroom setting for your personal preferences and lifestyle, but if you want to make a dramatic change for the better in your life, there's no better way to accomplish that than remodeling your main bedroom!

Copyright � 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved. (You may publish this article in its entirety with the following author's information with live links only.)

Jeanette Fisher teaches home makers five easy steps to makeover their homes for happiness. She is the author of interior design and real estate books and teaches interior Design Psychology, Free Design Psychology ebooks. http://www.designpsych.com

Glass Dislay Cases

Glass display cases have their own charm that sets them apart from cases made of acrylic and other synthetic materials. They are perceived to be aesthetic pleasing and bring class and elegance to the room or office. Apart from this, they have excellent lighting and heating properties.

Glass display cases are popularly used in homes, large corporate offices, museums, and high end retail stores. Glass display cases come in many varieties like tower displays, hexagonal or dome shape display cases, large cabinets, or wall mounts. Riker Mounts are very popular display boxes. They are used for displaying a range of curios from coins to swords as table tops or wall mounts. Websites like DisplayCaseStore.com have many varieties to choose from.

The fragility of glass psychologically extends to the collectibles in the display case, adding value and mystique to them. It is for this reason that jewelry, china, rare manuscripts, botanical specimens, and antiques are generally exhibited in glass display cases. Apart from these items, they store and exhibit books, sports memorabilia, shot glasses, spoons, and cards.

Glass display cases have unmatched illumination properties. As glass allows maximum amount of light to pass through the display case, the need for putting in extra lights for the collectibles is reduced. Glass display cases diffuse harsh light, making the collectibles shine with a softer glow.

Glass is also resistant to heat, so they are often used in bakeries and delis for warming and displaying food items. Halogen lamps can be put in glass display cases since glass can withstand high temperatures. The display case will not crack due to temperature changes since glass is resistant to temperature variation. Glass does not generate a static charge, so fragile items like silks and old manuscripts are safe inside glass display cases.

Glass display cases actually showcase a collectible, create an elegant ambiance, and are a practical and safe storage option.

Display Cases provides detailed information about display cases, custom display cases, and more. Display Cases is affiliated with Home Entertainment Centers.

Cottage Style Home Decorating It s Wise to Containerize

You don�t have to settle for clutter taking over your cottage style home. Containerizing is the key. Here are 11 tips to help you get and stay organized at home.

1. Point of Entry. Entering your home should be a pleasant experience. Place a basket near the front door to containerize shoes, a small table with a drawer to hold keys, and a pretty �indoor mailbox� to hold the mail until you can sort and process it.

2. Remote Chance. Your living and family rooms do not have to be taken over by black plastic remote controls. Place a basket with a lid or a pretty covered box on the coffee table to containerize remotes.

3. Book Nook. Books don�t have to all go on shelves. Arrange them in a pretty garden u, stack them neatly on the coffee table, or put them in colorful baskets next to your favorite chairs.

4. Shining Dining. Contrary to some popular beliefs, the dining room table is not a desk. Take the papers to your home office or kitchen desk area and put a vase on your dining table to containerize flowers!

5. Kitchen Kudos. The kitchen is an easy place to containerize. Store your utensils in a colorful ceramic planter or pitcher, your vitamins in pretty fabric lined baskets, and roll your kitchen towels and put them on your counter in a wicker basket.

6. Blooming Bathroom. Clutter can easily take over the bathroom, especially if several family members use the same one. Store Q-tips in a pretty creamer from the kitchen, cotton balls in a clear glass vase, and combs and brushes in a basket. A picnic basket can hold magazines and an old silver or ceramic wine chalice works dandy for containerizing toothbrushes. The container for towels is the towel bar.

7. Sleep Tight. Magazines and other papers strewn throughout the bedroom prevent a good night�s sleep. I keep my magazines in pretty baskets of all sizes and shapes and types. Put your remotes in nightstand drawers next to the beds. Hang all clothes in the container they belong in�the closet. Store videos in dresser drawers or a colorful photo box that has a lid. Your bed is the container for you and should be made daily.

8. Laundry List. A hamper is the most important container for the laundry room, or two or three of them for pre-sorting laundry before it goes into the washer. Cabinets or shelves near the washer and dryer are necessary to hold your laundry supplies.

9. Bargain Basement. Basements can often become a �black hole� for clutter to congregate. Install shelves to sort and hold belongings, or use plastic bins and crates.

10. Garage Guru. Guess what garages are supposed to �contain?� Cars! As for all the other �stuff,� shelves, storage bins, and hooks on the walls are the keys to an organized garage.

11. Home Office Hero. Be the �home office hero� in your family and keep your home office organized. Containerize papers in file folders and holders, or in filing cabinet drawers, and put office supplies in attractive containers such as planters, baskets, and pretty covered boxes.

An orderly cottage will set the stage to showcase your pretty cottage style fuiture and decorative items rather than drowning out their beauty. And you�ll feel at ease in your well-managed and lovely home.

c 2006 Kathryn Bechen Designs. All rights reserved worldwide.

Visit http://www.KathrynBechenDesigns.com to sign up for Kathryn's full color photo e-newsletter of decorating tips and resources, and to view her color photo blog. Kathryn is an interior decorating consultant, former professional organizer, and published author who has been interviewed by and featured in San Diego Home & Garden Lifestyles magazine, the Omaha World Herald, RealtyTimes.com and others. Her originally authored articles have been published in newspapers and across the inteet and she has recently released the e-book, Moving With Ease: The 8 Week Plan for an Organized & Stress-Free Move Whether You Hire a Mover or Do It Yourself! based on coordinating her own 11 household moves during 25 years of marriage. In addition, she has taught seminars and spoken to groups as large as 400. c2006 Kathryn Bechen. All rights reserved. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Bechen

Decorating Your Teens Bedroom

When your kid gets to be a teenager, that little kids fuiture and bedroom d�cor just won�t do. Your teen wants a cool new look, and here�s how you can get it.

First of all, don�t toss out that old bedroom fuiture yet. Unless the fuiture is totally banged up and broken, you may be able to give it a cool new look with some paint and new knobs. Before you start on that, however, you need to figure out the theme of your teen bedroom design.

Todays hot new looks are centered around retro, mode or �cool� designs. Teens actually have pretty good design sense (probably from watching so much TV!) and you can design a really neat room just by adding some new accents. Of course, your teen may need a new desk to do their home work at if the old one no longer works but you can give the old fuiture a new look as mentioned above.

Luckily, you don�t have to spend a lot on accents for your teenagers room. Most of the discount department stores like Target offer hip fuishings and accents at discount prices. You can buy inexpensive shelves, or build them yourself, and use it for them to put all their stuff that might normally be thrown on the floor. This will help the room look neat and reduce the clutter.

You can give your teens bedroom a fun but sophisticated look by painting the room in a "cool" color like chocolate, sage or purple and using accents to as focal points. A flokati or rag rug will lend a sophisticated air and you can even put the down as area rugs on top of wall to wall carpeting to give the floor a whole new look. Replace the kids ruffled or theme curtains with tab topped curtains in a denim or canvas for a more adult look.

Bedding for you teen can be plain, or funky - whatever goes with the room. Depending on your teens taste, a neutral colored bed set with nicely textured fabrics like silks or a velvet duvet can add interest with out being too flashy. Or if you want to make the bed a focal point, how about an animal print set or something in bright colors like hot pink and orange?

Accents are where you add interest and give the room personality. Some fun accents include chairs shaped like a giant shoe, faux fur covered lamps in wild colors, bean bag chairs of all types, phones in all shapes and sizes, funky accent pillows, rugs and wall art.

Lee Dobbins writes for Bedroom Designs where you can lea more about bedroom design themes.

Cottage Style Home Decorating 10 Tips for a Cozy Cottage Style Home Office

Would you rather have a comfortable cottage style home office instead of one with an industrial blue chair and metal filing cabinets? My 10 tips will get you started.

1. Bright White. Paint your old brown wooden desk and wooden chair white with a satin finish paint. It will brighten up your room immediately and the satin finish will be more durable and easy to clean than flat paint.

2. Charming Chair. Buy a twin sheet and pillowcase in your favorite cottage style print. Put the pillowcase over the back of any regular office style chair (the kind without arms). Fold the sheet in a square and place it on the seat. Both can easily be removed for washing.

3. Creative Containers. Look through your kitchen cabinets to find any pretty containers to hold pens, highlighters, scissors, stamps, etc. Mugs and small pitchers work well.

4. Rug Regard. Purchase a colorful cotton rug to spruce up the floor and add happy color.

5. Pretty Paint. Paint your walls your favorite color. Color is important for productivity as well as calm.

6. File Faux. Consider whitewashing your wooden filing cabinets using � paint and � water and applying with a soft rag. Metal filing cabinets can be taken to a body shop and spray painted a pleasing color.

7. Art Smart. Hang some of your favorite art in your office for enjoyment. Frame old greeting cards or your children�s artwork for a quick dollarwise solution. Frame your certificates in favorite frames.

8. Screen It. Hide your copier, fax, and other office equipment behind a white shuttered screen when not in use.

9. Lamp Luster. Buy an inexpensive floral lampshade for an old lamp you already have.

10. Flower Finesse. Buy fresh flowers for your home office to add cheer and happiness while you work. I bought a sweet bouquet at the grocery store today for just $4.99. -cont�d-

Put on your thinking cap and you�ll be sure to come up with your own creative ideas for creating a warm and inviting cottage style home office for yourself that you�ll want to spend time in every day.

C 2006 Kathryn Bechen Designs. All rights reserved worldwide.

Visit http://www.KathrynBechenDesigns.com to sign up for Kathryn's full color photo e-newsletter of decorating tips and resources, and to view her color photo blog. Kathryn is an interior decorating consultant, former professional organizer, and published author who has been interviewed by and featured in San Diego Home & Garden Lifestyles magazine, the Omaha World Herald, RealtyTimes.com and others. Her originally authored articles have been published in newspapers and across the inteet and she has recently released the e-book, Moving With Ease: The 8 Week Plan for an Organized & Stress-Free Move Whether You Hire a Mover or Do It Yourself! based on coordinating her own 11 household moves during 25 years of marriage. In addition, she has taught seminars and spoken to groups as large as 400. c2006 Kathryn Bechen. All rights reserved. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Bechen

Get Some Spice In The Bedroom With A Mexican Decorating Theme

Is your bedroom dull and bland? Why not spice it up with a bit of Mexican home decor?

No matter how much money you have, you can get a great Mexican look in your bedroom with a few simple changes such as painting the walls and coordinating your bedding and pillows to reflect a Mexican theme. Some things to consider when redecorating include lighting fixtures, flooring, wall paint, accessories, window treatments and fuiture.

Decorative accessories are key to pulling your Mexican home d�cor theme together. One inexpensive way to transform your bedroom is to change out the accessories - just this one thing can dramatically alter the look of your room! Concentrate on getting bedding, pillows and artwork, that compliment your Mexican theme. Be certain to incorporate plenty of old rustic pieces along with wrought iron pieces and you could even try some colorful hand painted wooden pieces to add some punch to your bedroom. Unique touches like vintage hand painted Mexican pottery can help add interest to the room as well as be fun to shop for.

One vital thing to consider when decorating your bedroom with a Mexican home d�cor theme is what you put on the walls. For this design the room colors make a big difference - you should consider adding reds and bright blues either as wallpaper or paint. Try using a stucco on the walls, or maybe go with faux paint that resembles plaster. You don't have to get too fancy or spend a lot of money on this, but it can make a huge difference.

Window treatments can have a large effect on your Mexican home d�cor look. To acquire a fabulous look in your bedroom try using a simple valance or shutters or install a wood valance painted with distressed paint. There are many window coverings that can go with a Mexican theme but you should try to avoid anything that is too contemporary looking as well as formal heavy drapes.

It's not crucial that you coordinate your bed, bureaus, and side table but the bedroom should maintain a variety of bright colored or rustic pieces. To really enhance the Mexican theme, try fuishings with a painted distressed finish.

Lighting is key in any room and the bedroom is no exception. To enhance your Mexican inspired design, you will have to consider light fixtures in terms of both style and type. The majority of bedrooms need nightstand lamps as well as an overhead light. You might consider a tin chandelier with scrolly metal wall sconces or something in wrought iron.

What's on your floor can augment the design style, but if you can�t afford new flooring in your bedroom then just buy lots of area rugs with a Mexican design. If new floors are in your budget, try rustic hard wood floors and cover them in folky handpainted mats or woven Mexican area rugs.

When decorating your bedroom, don�t forget about wall art! You can make even the plainest walls look interesting with great wall art and decorative accessories. Try applying a hand painted mural or hang some vintage Mexico travel prints on your bedroom walls to really bring out the zing in your Mexican design theme.

Getting a great Mexican design in your bedroom can be as much or as little work as you want it to be. Smart shopping and paying attention to detail will help you design a wonderful new Mexican home d�cor style that will have your friends and neighbors begging you to redecorate their homes!

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.decoratinghowto.com where you can get more great bedroom decorating ideas. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins

Dramatic Powder Room Makeovers

Your guest bathroom, or powder room, presents a great place to start with your home makeover. This small room takes less money and effort to decorate than your larger rooms. Plus, you get a chance to develop you personal home interior design skills without committing to a huge project.

Because guests view this little space privately, visitors take more time to notice the interior design details. For this reason, you want to showcase great design to make a good impression. Also, hospitality shines in a well-appointed guest bath where it takes just a couple of splurges on extravagant fixtures to make a huge impact that your guests will remember. Company may not remember your living room walls because they're focusing on the people in the space, but they will remember your powder room.

What if you don't have a powder room and guests use your children's bathroom?

Children appreciate being treated as adults and don't need a childish bathroom. Don't use juvenile-patteed wallpaper or accessories.

Keep bathtub toys in the bathtub (in one of those plastic-coated wire baskets) and hang a ceiling to floor curtain in front of the bathtub. This curtain can be hung in front of the normal plastic liner from the ceiling. For small bathrooms, where the daylight comes in over the bathtub, use white or another light-emitting fabric. A curtain made of soft gauze or cotton does double duty: it softens the space with fabric while masking the bathtub, which is not a guest-bath feature.

Powder Room Basics

To finish any proper powder room, you need a great sink, faucet, and cabinet with a large mirror, plus the toilet. If you're working on a budget, look for sinks on sale at a warehouse store or at Habitat for Humanity's thrift store, ReStore. Don't buy a poorly constructed cabinet; look for an antique dresser or buffet that spans the wall space.

Dramatic powder rooms emphasize remarkable mirrors. You may be tempted to keep the ugly wall-mounted medicine cabinet, but if you truly want an impressive guest bath, hang a spectacular mirror instead.

Store toothbrushes and other necessities in the cabinet below and move medicines to the kitchen, out or reach of children.

If you need to replace the toilet, which only needs to be functional because the other details will outshine it, look for a toilet which blends in with your home's style.

Powder Room Makeover Tips

Besides the bathroom fixtures, your flooring, walls, and ceiling offer the most economical home makeover opportunities. Because of the small area, you can use large ceramic tiles that mimic stone, marble, or even wood. Also, linoleum comes in a multitude of interesting pattes and has the benefit of being warmer to bare feet than tile.

The area that makes the greatest interior design impact, the walls and ceiling, give the best place to have fun with your home makeover. Decorative paint finishes, like subtle layering of glazes, add the designer's touch without the expense. Choose colors that harmonize with the rest of your home to reinforce your color theme. Use color psychology to make your powder room present a cooling oasis or a warming shelter.

Use an essential oil diffuser to help your powder room smell as good as it looks. Avoid unnatural sprays that cause irritation to those with sensitivities.

The final interior design detail, exquisite lighting, doesn't need to kill your budget. Perhaps your dining chandelier would make a better statement in your bathroom than it does in your dining room. If you life in a climate with high humidity and hot summers, a ceiling fan helps keep the room cool. Look for a fan with lights that point upward. Lights shining down on you in a small space feel over-powering. Also, use wall sconces on either side of the vanity mirror instead of the usual builder's light fixture above the mirror.

Finishing touches, guest towels, hard soaps, and lotions make your guests and yourself feel pampered. Choose generous, thick, and soft hand towels to add softness to an otherwise hard surface space.

Because people feel more comfortable in smaller bathrooms which offer privacy, a guest bathroom offers the perfect place to practice your design skills. Splurge a little on lavish wall finishes and guest towels to showcase your home's interior design.

Copyright © 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved. (You may publish this article in its entirety with the following author's information with live links only.)

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Jeanette Fisher, author of Joy to the Home Joual and interior design and real estate books, has researched the effects of environment on emotions for over 15 years. Besides flipping houses, Jeanette teaches college courses on Design Psychology and professional real estate investing seminars. For free Design Psychology reports, visit www.designpsych.com

Essential Home Landscaping Equipment

Whether you have a large yard or not, having the right tools and equipment can go a long way toward helping you speed up your routine landscaping tasks and get the results that you want. Not only having good landscaping equipment is important, but also taking good care of your tools and making sure that they are kept in a safe and convenient place as well.

Many home landscapers either build or buy a small tool house or room where they can store most of their landscaping equipment, such as tools, fertilizers, insecticides, and so on. This is usually the best storage solution overall, as it helps keep everything together and within easy reach. But if that is not possible, perhaps clearing a section in your garage will work too. The main point is to try to keep your landscaping equipment close at hand and well organized.

There are certain home landscaping tools that just about everybody needs. Some of the small hand tools that are very commonly used is a hand planting shovel, hand fork and hand cultivator. Having both a bow rake, and a broom rake is also a good idea. A weed spud can be a lifesaver to help with removing weeds, and having a good pair of shears or pruners is important too. Other small tools that are useful include your garden hose, a hand mower, roller, watering can, and a wheelbarrow.

Some other equipment that can be very useful, although not necessarily as vital for most landscaping projects is an edging sickle, a good lawn edger, pole pruning shears, hedge shears, and lopping shears. Of course, if you don't already have a built in sprinkler system, then you'll need a good assortment of sprinklers to keep everything watered. For your hose, it's recommended to have a reel to keep it stored properly and to avoid cracking and weak spots in the hose that can interfere with the water pressure as you apply water to your lawn and landscaping.

Some smaller extra items that can be useful to have around from time to time include plant ties, stakes,some burlap, chicken and garden wire, measuring cups and spoons, sand, peat, moss, lime, fertilizers for each time of year that is needed, and insecticides. Just be sure that you keep dangerous chemicals like insecticides in a very safe place away from small children. And also take care when handling insecticides on your own.

Of course, no matter how prepared you are you'll always find that you have to run out to the store from time to time to get what you need. But if you can think and plan ahead as much as possible, you can cut down on these extra trips quite a bit.

There are other items that can be useful at times but are not generally necessary. If you have enough room in your garage or tool house you may wish to include a pressures sprayer, seed spreader, soil testing kit, rotary tiller, and lawn sweeper. And of course many of the motorized landscaping tools can help make your job quicker and easier. If you can afford these and have the room, why not include them as well? However, you should be able to do a fine job with the essential home landscaping equipment that we have mentioned above.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including home improvement. You can find free landscaping ideas and front yard landscaping ideas by visiting our Home Improvement website.

Designing The Perfect Bathroom For Your Needs

Often times the design of bathrooms are not given much consideration. Many people focus on the d�cor of the bathroom, while neglecting the functional design. Of course, depending on the type of bathroom you're building, you will need to keep different factors in mind. This article will consider the design factors for three different types of bathrooms.

Master bathrooms
The design and functionality of master bathrooms vary widely. Some are relatively basic, while others have a whirlpool or other features. Some are even divided into multiple rooms! You just have to decide what features you want yours to have!

Commercial restrooms
When designing commercial bathrooms, two major factors to consider are privacy and sanitation. Privacy is usually solved one of two ways � for single stall restrooms, a lock on the door; for multi stall restrooms, locks on the stall doors. That way it's easy to tell which stalls are in use.

As far as sanitation is conceed, one feature that will help a lot is tile floors and walls, and a drain in the floor. That way, you can just bleach and hose down the entire bathroom on a regular basis. Any feature that will make sanitation easier or simpler should be given consideration.

Of course, durability should be a given in commercial bathrooms. People will treat fixtures roughly, so they should be built to withstand the abuse.

Kids' bathrooms
If you're designing a bathroom for your kids, the main factors you probably want to consider are safety and durability.

With safety in mind, you should consider to as much as possible use non slip surfaces. Also, kids WILL spill water in the bathroom, so try to design the bathroom in such a way that spilled water will not cause damage or a safety hazard.

Durability is pretty obvious, for the most part � minimize glass and other delicate decorations and fixtures.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Visit www.wdbathrooms.co.uk - your supply house for great bathrooms!

Corner Entertainment Centers

Scarcity of space is a problem prevalent in most urban homes. The problem becomes all the more compounded when you realize that you don�t have enough space to organize your media and entertainment equipment such as the TV and VCR.

Look around and you will find that the every room in your home has some unused coer. Simply stated, coer entertainment centers are the ideal solution to dealing with your space problem providing storage areas for today�s typical mega media equipment.

There are many variants of coer entertainment centers available. You have the option of choosing between existing centers and custom made centers. Custom made entertainment centers have the advantage of fitting your requirement to enhance your audiovisual needs.

When deciding on an entertainment center, consider features such as the size of your TV and DVD player. The size of the TV is especially important because if it is too big and heavy and the center�s size is not in proportion, it will become a safety hazard.

Entertainment centers are designed to hold everything from gaming systems to CD/DVD players and books. Also, if you work from home, you can choose an entertainment center that has additional space to hold your computer.

Also, keep in mind that though it might take you some time to search for the perfect coer entertainment center, do remember there is a fuiture style and size to match every television on the market- from trim coer stands to room-spanning home theater units. Before buying a coer entertainment center, select a design that fits in with your home d�cor.

All said, coer entertainment centers can solve your space problems on one hand and provide the perfect storage space for your TV, CD/DVD player, computer system, books, and other knick-knacks.

Entertainment Centers provides detailed information about entertainment centers, coer entertainment centers, entertainment center fuiture, and more. Entertainment Centers is affiliated with Flag Display Cases.

Creating Personal Space for Each Member of Your Family

As a family you are forced to share many common areas of your home. The kitchen and living areas are enjoyed by each member of the family and are hold some of our dearest memories. Even though it is a pleasure to be together, everyone needs a small retreat to call their own. Giving each person a place to be alone and reflect on who they are will increase the level of cooperation within the home and promote individual interests.

An overbearing mother/wife who wants each area of the home to reflect her taste may be creating frustrations among the other members. Instead or one recurrent theme throughout, bedrooms should be reserved for the individual tastes and interest of those who reside within them. Since the husband and wife share a bedroom, a separate study or game room decorated to the taste of the man of the house is a good way to promote his interests. If the square footage of a home does not permit a study or game room, allowing the husband to choose colors and items for the living room is helpful.

Color appreciation is different among individuals, and although one person may love pink or blue, it may evoke a completely different emotion from another member of the family. I remember finding out that one of my girls hated pink (with a passion). Immediately, I redecorated her room to a color she loved and changed the d�cor to something she had an interest in. Her attitude and self esteem were miraculous changed. Taking time to understand the color psychology of all the members of the family will help create an environment where everyone feels comfortable.

Textures, like colors, can evoke different emotions. Some members of a family may enjoy leather, while others find it cold and uninviting. If the interest in texture varies, don�t be afraid to mix and match throughout the house; inevitably, people will migrate to what they like best. When it comes to personal space, the keeper of the cave should choose the materials.

A house becomes a home when everyone feels comfortable in the surroundings that reflect who they are. Take time to develop a decorating scheme that is in tune to your family. If decorating isn�t your thing, or if you can�t see past your own style, hire a professional. You will see a change in the amount of time your family members spend at home and how they actually like being there.

Judy Gaman, BSHS, CMA, CCRC, CID is the owner of La Dame Aux Lavande Designs, a design and remodeling company in Southlake, TX. She is a co-author of Executive Medicine: Optimizing Your Chances for a Longer LIfe and What Not to Build (Creative Homeowner 2006 release). She has written many articles and has been quoted in many others. http://www.ladamedecor.com

Designer Look On A Budget 10 Tips To Decorating On A Budget

The first step in decorating your home and giving it personality is to know yourself your likes and dislikes. Know your lifestyle,habits and desires.If you don't know yourself take a look in your closet. Your clothes will tell you a lot about your individual style,fabric choices and color pallet.

1. Start by making a wish list then take the time to really see the room finished and what you want the room to look like.

2. Collect home decor magazine pictures and put them in a idea folder.

3. Collect swathes and samples of fabric,paint chips and photos of the rooms you like and staple them to a sheet of paper for your idea folder.

4. Take important measurements of the room. Draw a simple floor plan include windows,doorways and bookcases.This will help to avoid purchasing mistakes like an oversized sofa that swallows up the room".

5.With your folder in hand shop discount stores, super centers,garage sales and thrift stores for items that look like those in your idea folder. Look for fuiture pieces that have the similar line and shape. Remember the fabric can be reupholstered. An Old lamp base can be new again with a new shade, old art re-framed think of way to revamp used items.

6.Try color washing the walls.Mix 1 part paint 3 parts water and just wash the walls with the mixture in a circular motion.A quart of paint goes a long way.

7. Mix two bed in a bag sets a solid and a print for a designer look.

8. Replace old outlet covers with wall paper border, fabric, tissue paper and anything that can be hot glued on.

9. Repaint an old coffee table or recover a chair pad with the same fabric as the window treatment fabric.

10. No sew window treatments will add drama to your decor. Achieve this by wrapping yards of fabric over a pole, play with it to create a unique look. Add tassels and trim with a hot glue gun for the WOW factor.

Celeste Alexander
decoratingsista@yahoo.com
Serving Metro Atlanta

Different Types of Contemporary Chandeliers

It wasn�t long ago that the mere mention of the word �chandelier� would conjure up images of lavish glass and crystal objects hanging in every room of some 18th century mansion. All right, so that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but the general impression people have regarding chandeliers is that they are too bold, too fancy, and most of all too expensive. While this may be true of some higher end chandelier designs, there are many different types of contemporary chandeliers that can add originality and style to your home at a very reasonable cost. What�s more, these chandeliers can offer a whole new way of looking at the rooms you may be taking for granted. Let�s examine some of the different types of contemporary chandeliers that may be a perfect fit in your life.

The main purpose that a contemporary chandelier serves is to give your home�s mode d�cor an additional focal point, without being over-the-top. While a crystal chandelier is certainly a beautiful piece in the proper setting (such as a spacious dining area or a Victorian style bedroom), many of us live in more laid-back settings. Different types of contemporary chandeliers represent perfect complements to nearly any mode interior living space.

What are some different types of contemporary chandeliers? For starters, contemporary chandeliers can be made of many different metal finishes, such as bronze, brass, nickel, chrome, and silver. They can also be designed with glass, which tends to be more expensive than chandeliers made of metal. What really sets contemporary chandeliers apart from fancier counterparts is the attention to shape, design, and function. In fact, most contemporary chandeliers implement various color schemes and pattes, which help to add a distinct and warm glow to any room. Contemporary chandeliers also feature unique pattes of not only shades and holders, but also of the lights themselves. The features on most contemporary chandelier shades are what make them so distinctive, and in most cases the only limit to these designs is your own imagination. As for the lights, very few contemporary chandeliers use candles, but instead offer porcelain lighting for a subtle ambience. How many lights are used in most contemporary chandeliers? This is again dependant upon your personal taste of style; these chandeliers can feature as few or as many as you desire. The options truly are limitless with these different types of contemporary chandeliers!

The days of classifying chandeliers as pricey or garish are certainly behind us. With so many different types of contemporary chandeliers available, we now have the ability to tu our own homes into something of an art gallery. These intimate pieces are sure to give the rooms in your home a different personality, and they are sure to become a topic of conversation (and admiration) among your family and friends. Whether you decide on a contemporary chandelier that is simple and understated, or one that is bold and colorful, you can�t go wrong with adding any one of the many different types of chandeliers to your home�s interior.

Jo Williams has an interest Home & Garden related topics. To access more information on chandelier or on crystal chandelier, please click on the links. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jo_Williams

Discount Office Furniture

Office fuiture is a broader term inclusive of such items as architectural files, bookcases, computer fuiture, conference tables, file cabinets, multimedia storage, panels, task lights and waste receptacles. All of these items are generally used in offices, hospitals and other similar working establishments. They come in a variety of colors, styles and materials including leather, wood and wrought iron.

Country, traditional, transitional, and wicker fuiture are popular styles. Most of them are graced with innovative designs and are complemented by decorative and fine art.

A welcomed development in the office fuiture market is the discount system. It began in the 60s and has become quite popular in recent years. The main advantage of discount office fuiture is that it is cost-effective and enables one to acquire the finest in office fuiture at discounted prices. Even executive fuiture such as wood veneer desks, l-shaped and u-shaped fuiture, as well as reception fuiture is offered at discounted rates. Though this fuiture is offered at discount prices, design, sophistication and comfort are not compromised.

A discount sale through the Inteet has the added advantage of not having to approach retailers or wholesalers. Online catalogues are provided by most companies and a huge selection of choice fuiture items are only a click away. Many of the discount office fuiture shops offer a full warranty and reasonable prices. A majority of the warehouses and stores in this country and abroad have online shopping facilities and supply quality office fuiture to individuals and commercial establishments within a minimum number of days, thereby making shopping fast and comfortable. Further, most of the companies provide services such as custom design, office design and space planning.

Discount Fuiture provides detailed information on Discount Fuiture, Discount Office Fuiture, Discount Bedroom Fuiture, Discount Patio Fuiture and more. Discount Fuiture is affiliated with Wicker Dining Room Fuiture.

Eliminating the Feng Shui Fear Factor

Increasingly in my practice I have noticed that more and more clients are actually becoming afraid to make changes to their surroundings using Feng Shui Principles. I am always mindful to ask them why they are so nervous to make some simple adjustments and the answer is always the same. They read in one book or another that making certain changes in a particular area can have �disasterous repercussions.� Although I certainly follow Feng Shui Principles as they were taught to me from The Masters, I am discouraged to see so many people that have been too reluctant to make some changes on their own because of these books.

The purpose of Feng Shui is to Transform and Improve, to change the flow of Energy into a positive one to help bring about all we would like to create in our lives: Increased Wealth, Enhanced Health, to Find or Strengthen Relationships, a Happy Career and every other aspect of our lives. As Professor Lin Yun has taught for years, this is achieved primarily through the thought process of INTENTION. Actually, the changes we make are the least important aspects of what we are hoping to achieve; our Intentions are the most powerful aspects of Feng Shui as the flow of Energy comes after our Intentions are in place.

Although there are many Feng Shui Principles that do not support a good environment, I happen to feel that my clients have enough intuition to know if they have made an adjustment that is not working out well. Perhaps they have hung a mirror and now find they are not sleeping or they have hung up some artwork that just doesn�t do anything to make them feel peaceful or inspired. If they can trace it back to whatever changes they have brought about, they can simply undo it; they can take down the mirror and restore their sleep or hang something that makes them feel wonderful every time they see it.

During a Consultation I will always advise my clients on important aspects of Feng Shui Principles and provide them with handouts so they have them in mind while making changes. However, as one lovely woman recently put it, �I won�t touch a thing until you get here.� I don�t believe the beautiful art of Feng Shui was ever intended to make anyone afraid to change their surroundings because in doing so they might create a bad situation. Feng Shui was intended to help you feel peaceful and serene, not cause fear and worry. There is nothing you can do that can�t be undone and with the wonderful Intentions you are surely sending up, I don�t believe anything bad can befall you!

We need to stop the �Fear Factor� from finding it�s way into Feng Shui so while we are armed with a full knowledge of Feng Shui Principles, we are also inspired to make changes and try new things in our spaces. Feng Shui is every bit a state of mind of positive thinking and a solid thought process filled with good intentions as it is about the changes we bring about in our environments. So go ahead, make some changes and see how you feel; I would bet your outcomes will help create Positive Transformations!

Written by: Carole Provenzale Certified Feng Shui Consultant Feng Shui Long Island http://www.FengShuiLI.com FengShuiLI@aol.com

I have been a Certified Feng Shui Consultant since 1997 and founder of Feng Shui Long Island that same year. I provide Consultations for all of Long Island and New York City for homes, offices and realtors. My consultations are always caring and very affordable. Please visit my website for my qualifications and further services at http://www.FengShuiLI.com or email me directly at FengShuiLI.com.

Decorate Yourself Happy How to Decorate For Everyday Pleasure Joy

Because psychologists relate true happiness to joyous occurrences happening frequently, decorating your home to promote everyday pleasure makes sense. If you're planning a home makeover, provide for the cumulative total of all the little pleasure moments.

When people rate their happiness, it is the ratio of pleasant to unpleasant emotions and experiences that count. These happy experiences may be simple pleasurable, everyday happenings, not always grand events.

Design Psychology, a new method for residential interior and exterior design starts with planning spaces to support emotional well-being. Homes decorated to support desired emotions create happy spaces for joyful living.

Design Psychology Ideas for Pleasure

1. A tea table in the Main Bedroom provides an intimate space for conversation or individual reflection.

2. A reading nook provides a quiet space for escape.

3. A game table provides a place for playing together.

4. A meandering pathway in the garden provides an enticement to stroll.

5. A garden bed provides the perfect place for relaxing and leisurely afteoon naps.

I mean a real bed, not a flower bed, although you need flowers too!

Let your imagination flow freely, enjoy the process, and focus on your goal of providing pleasurable daily moments at your home.

Joy to you!

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Jeanette Fisher, Design Psychology Professor, is the author of Joy to the Home eNewsletter. Discover innovative Interior Design Psychology and makeover your home to support happiness, productivity, and well-being. For Design Psychology information, see http://www.designpsych.com/ For more information about �Joy to the Home,� see http://www.joytothehome.com/

Hall Cabinets Benches and Accent Chests Increasing in Popularity

I remember the 70's very well. Hallways in houses and apartments were almost always decorated the same way. There were two options. Option one was no decoration at all, just barren hallway. Option two was a variation on the theme of family pictures cascading down a staircase wall in a forty-five degree line. You remember those houses, don't you? Like me, you may have even lived in one. A hallway, entry way or foyer decorated with family pictures. Wow, doesn't that take me back...

Nowadays, thankfully, family pictures are framed and sitting on tables in the "family room" or hanging on the walls in this most comfortable of family sanctuaries. No longer do people feel the need to assault visitors and guest with the grimacing mug of Uncle Charley as soon as they enter the house. The welcome replacements to family pictures have been hall cabinets, benches and accent chests.

Hall cabinets, benches and accent chests, whether alone or with a picture or mirror above, are an excellent way to decorate entry ways, foyers and hallways. From Bombay chest beauties to settees and chaise lounges, more people are starting to realize that having one piece of fuiture in areas such as these makes a tasteful statement about a home's overall decor. Pieces such as these can set the mood for visitors and guests and often are a telling mark of the style and preferences of the owners. I have an accent chest in my home that sits in a smaller hallway connecting two rooms and a gorgeous, hand painted three door cabinet in my entryway, above which I have placed a framed print. I have had more compliments on these two pieces than any other, although I have been complimented on my overall style many times. Since these pieces are often the first that people see, the warming effects they lend to an area is especially appreciated.

Isn't it time you took that 8x10 of the most recent family reunion and placed something a little more elegant in your entryway? Pick put something that reflects your individual style and tastes, and put that picture somewhere where it will be seen often by those who can truly appreciate it.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

To purchase a fuiture visit www.ezbuyfuiture.com

To lea more about other types of fuiture visit homeandofficefuiture.blogspot.com/

Down Bedding Guide

Down, feathers, goose down, duck down, these can all be a little confusing when shopping for your down bedding. The first thing to keep in mind about down bedding is that not all down is created equal. Duck down and goose down are two types of downs one will run across when shopping for bedding. The first questions many may have are, "What is down," and "Isn't down the same thing as feathers?"

Down is a soft, feather-like, insulating substance that is taken from the belly of the goose or duck. Some notable characteristics of down versus feather is that down insulates while feathers shed water from the goose. Also, down doesn't have a hard shaft like feathers. If you have a down product that claims to be 100% down you can easily verify this by squeezing the bedding item. If the bedding feels like it has little sharp sticks in it then you've got a blend of down and feathers. Down products are allowed to be advertised in the USA as containing 100% down as long as they are 95% down. This is a sign of a lower quality down bedding product. If it's a comforter most likely it cost between $100 and $200. Higher quality down bedding products for queen-sized beds normally start around $350. The best down comforters available, called Eiderdown, can cost as much as $10,000.

Goose down is the right choice for you if you are looking for quality bedding. Duck down is the down of choice if you are looking for a cost effective down bedding product. There is a noticeable difference in performance between cheaper down and higher quality down. Some people have complained that cheaper down comforters cause them to become overheated. High quality goose down, on the other hand, is a more breatheable material and it also wicks away moisture. These qualities are what make goose down the more desirable material for those who appreciate fine bedding.

There are also different grades of goose down. Down quality can be defined by the region where it is grown. For example, Hungarian goose down bedding is considered to be among the finest down available. This is because Hungarian goose down is harvested with refined techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. Canadian down bedding is also a great quality down. The goose down that is currently among the lowest grade is that down which is from China.

This article is intended to help give direction to those shopping for down bedding products. More bedding products can be found at http://www.SleepDelights.com.

Eye Catching Sun catchers

Sun catchers are the perfect complement to any window. They may be mass-manufactured, or may be created as arts and crafts objects. Also, sun catchers are the great way to express your own personality or reflect your desired hobby. Celestial, lighthouse, butterfly, and floral sun catchers are just a few of the unique styles available. Custom sun catchers are a great choice for adding a personal touch to your home. Sun catchers add sparkle and beauty to any room in your home. They come in a massive variety of styles that dazzle the eye faraway beyond the paint-n-bake sun catchers of childhood.

A suncatcher is something like the optical equivalent of a wind chime, and certainly many designs unite both the two. The most common window-hanging style brings attraction and panache to any room. Choose a color and patte that harmonizes your decor. Window-hanging sun catchers can be the focal point of a room. Whichever you choose, you'll be delighted with the beauty sun catchers add to your decor.

Sun catchers aren't limited to windows. You can also find sun catchers for your garden, indoor plants, and for the rear view mirror of your car or as garden stakes, to append color to your flower garden in the off-season. While glass sun catchers are the most popular, don't forget about crystal sun catchers that reflects prisms of light, and lucid stones such as thinly sliced agate that make stunning natural sun catchers. There are sun catchers with pressed flowers, beads, gemstones, and even character themes for a child's room.

Valentine�s Day comes hot on the heels of Christmas, New Year and the Chinese New Year. While people do not normally decorate their homes extensively for Valentine's Day, now you have got in the decoration mood, why not have a few special Valentine oaments about the home to indicate the day. By their nature, sun catchers are very cheerful and optimistic, so are ideal for a heart warming Valentine�s Day, reflecting not just the sunlight but the light coming from your heart too. If you are lucky enough to find a good Valentine sun catcher, it will be an eye-catching feature for some time to come that are colored in reds and pinks and have heart shaped decorations. Seasonal sun catchers are also fun and easy to decorate with. Prefer a sun catcher for each holiday, or modify your sun catcher with every season. It's a hasty way to bring a bit of holiday decor to a room without a lot of work or dragging boxes of holiday decorations out of storage.

Tamil Selvi is a SEO copywriter for smdblue.com She has written many articles in various topics. For more information visit http://www.smdblue.com She can be reached at tamil@searchenginegenie.com

Furniture Stores

A piece of fuiture doesn�t just serve a functional purpose. It is a part of the home decor, expected to coordinate with the house�s ambience and have a style and personality of its own. The fuiture industry has risen to this demand and has gone a step further in providing a plethora of design and style options. Fuiture stores of all possible kinds swarm the market. Retail fuiture stores, lifestyles stores, exclusive baby fuiture stores, office fuiture stores, home office fuiture stores, used fuiture stores, wholesale and discount stores, and unfinished and ready-to-make unassembled fuiture stores are all making their presence felt. Specialized fuiture stores for every demand are easily found in the local markets as well as online. The easy availability of good-quality fuiture present in specialized stores and displayed appealingly sometimes creates a need among consumers where none existed before.

The best way to find local fuiture stores is to search the Yellow Pages or mail-order catalogs. Surfing the net for local stores is not a very productive effort. However, some websites like www.fuiturefan.com give a listing of various fuiture stores scattered across America. Caution should be the name of the game while making purchases. Good quality, high-demand products, including vintage, antique and authentic rustic pieces, come with a heavy price. For those short on cash, many stores offer financing, easy-payment deals, and down payment options during purchases. Sometimes these tu out to be sneaky. It always helps to check the various written policies (damaged products, refund etc) and the reputation of the store before going for any deal.

It is always better to buy from stores, whether offline or online, as they provide good quality products in eclectic styles catering to everyone�s taste. Brands include Ethan Allen, Ashley, Millennium, Wesley Allen, Geovanny Turanu and many more. Most stores provide free local shipping, and the product is packaged appropriately for damage-free delivery.

Online stores like www.fuiture.com and www.fuiturefind.com enable a customer to shop in the comfort of their home. Most websites feature room planners and style guides to aid a customer in his hunt for the perfect fuiture. It�s safer to check the websites for the BBB logo. The BBB (Better Business Bureau) is a non-govement mediating organization that seeks to settle disputes, if any, between a business body and the consumer.

Fuiture Stores provides detailed information on Fuiture Stores, Online Fuiture Stores, Discount Fuiture Stores, Used Fuiture Stores and more. Fuiture Stores is affiliated with Fuiture Rental Stores.

Desktop Wallpaper

The terms �wallpaper� and �desktop picture� refer to an image used as a background on a computer screen, usually on the desktop of a graphical user interface. 'Wallpaper' is the term used in Microsoft Windows, while the Mac OS avoid mixing terms by calling it a 'desktop picture'. Earlier, the term �desktop patte� was used to refer to a small patte, that was repeated to fill a screen.

Images used as computer wallpaper are usually a data file or structure representing a rectangular grid of pixels. They are points of color on a computer monitor, paper, or other display device, with the same size as the display resolution in order to fill the whole background. Users with widescreen monitors have different requirements, although images designed for standard monitors can often be scaled up or cropped to the correct shape without loss of quality.

Wallpapers are available in double-width versions for displaying on multi-monitor computers, where the image appears to fill two monitors. Smaller images can be tiled or repeated to fill large areas and depending on how skilfully the wallpaper is created, the effect can look good. However, if the joint is too obvious, or the image repeats too many times, it would look very repetitive.

Wallpapers are also appearing on color screen mobile phones scaled to a lower resolution. These are often sold at a high price to telephone users. Some phones have a software which allows images to be uploaded from a computer. Mobile telephones with cameras use images from the camera or from an exteal source, as the wallpaper.

Wallpaper styles are as varied as people. They can be created using photographs, drawings, 3D renders or abstract patte with complex gradients. It is useful to have plain areas so that icons can be clearly seen atop the wallpaper.Typical categories of wallpapers include cars, models and celebrities, holiday photos, abstract art, movies, pets and scenery. Wallpapers has a positive effect on the spirits of a computer user as he sees it many times a day. Therefore, selection of an image that appeals to an user�s personal tastes is important.

Wallpaper provides detailed information on Wallpaper, Desktop Wallpaper, Wallpaper Borders, Animated Wallpaper and more. Wallpaper is affiliated with Discount Wallpaper Borders. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elizabeth_Morgan