Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Home Interior Decorating


Home interior decorating is a perfect opportunity for you to express yourself. Home interior decorating allows you to showcase your interests; interests in furniture, art and even different cultures. Every decorating style is different, with some being elaborate while others are plain. However, there is a home interior decorating style to suit your personality as well as your budget.
Budget is usually at the top of the list when making plans for home interior decorating. It is easy to look at a picture and want to recreate it in your space. Sometimes the details in home decorating pictures are quite expensive which may introduce obstacles for you. There’s no need to be disheartened however, there are always alternate ideas to help you achieve your ideal space. Resources such as magazines, books, television programs and Internet websites are very helpful with suggestions and ideas for home interior decorating. Using these resources you’re bound to find alternatives to any problems you may have with home interior decorating.
If you are an individual who loves color and authentic home interior decorating, there are several designs to choose from. Primitive home interior decorating is interesting because it concentrates on old and handmade items. This is a wonderful opportunity to display collectables and handed down treasures. This style suggests using accessories and furniture which appear extremely old, worn, stained or antique. If you are a person who likes antiques, primitive interior decorating might be right for you. When choosing a paint color for this design, dark and warm shades are recommended. Deep grey or red brick would work well in this space.
Another home interior decorating design that you may find interesting is whimsical decorating. This design allows you to go wild with your imagination. Using any and all of your favourite colors, you space should be decorated thoroughly with various patterns and colors. This home interior decorating design is all about color. The important detail to remember however is, if you choose bold vibrant colors, stay within that hue of color. If you decide to use pastel colors, stick with colors in the pastel palette.
If you have difficulty moving from the past into modern home interior decorating, traditional design may be for you. This home interior decorating style combines the modern look with the elegant look of the past. Space is important in the traditional design. To help create a spacious atmosphere, neutral colors such as neutral, beige or mushroom is recommended for the walls. To add a punch of color to this traditional design, darker colors such as burgundy, mauve, blues and greens are suggested for the upholstery, fabric, rugs, etc. When choosing accessories for this home interior decorating design, china and crystal objects will compliment this style. You might also like to add some artwork to your space. Paintings with wood frames go great with this traditional theme.
There are just three of the many designs for home interior decorating. There are many and there is one, just for you. Browsing sources about home interior decorating designs will give you a better idea of their characteristics regarding color, furnishings, flooring and accessories. With your individual tastes and interests at the forefront, you ought to be able to find a style that works for you. Home interior decorating can turn your home into an oasis of pure enjoyment.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

What is the Value of Holding a Home Staging Certificate?

Not only will you learn staging secrets to apply when staging a home for sale, but a certification program will also prepare you to run a successful business. You’ll learn what to charge for your services, and how to practice proven networking techniques to generate new business.


Linda P. was really impressed by improvements made in her friend Lucy’s home by a home stager. She was surprised that the attention paid to a few small details could create a totally different look and feeling in Lucy’s house. With all of the homes on the market, Linda, who had always dreamed of being self employed, decided to start her own home staging business. When Linda enrolled for certification with Kim Kapellusch she got more than she bargained for. Along with skills for residential decorating, design and redesign, Linda learned how to create a successful business. First, she learned what would be the foundation of her successful business: Writing a business plan. Linda had always worked for others, so writing a business plan energized her dream to start her own business. She learned about insurance, contracts and financing fundamentals, and how to increase her income through affiliate programs.

The target market for residential decorating, design and redesign is invariably the end-user or homeowner who is looking to improve their surroundings. In order for Linda to be successful, she needed to learn more than hands-on skills. She needed to know how to sustain and grow her practice. Kim Kapellusch provided her with all of the tools necessary to do so, and Linda is on her way to a successful new career doing something she loves.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Different Types of Countertops

Granite

Natural Stone with a coarse grain and crystalline texture that is thick, durable, and virtually maintenance- free.


Paper Composite

Made of recycled paper (or pulp obtained from sustainable managed forests) and coated in water- based acrylic resin. Examples: PaperStone and Richlite.


Butcher Block

Strips of solid maple, white oak, or beech that has been fused together. It has a warm, rustic look and can double as a cutting board.


Recycled Glass

Aggregate of recycled, often postindustrial, glass tiles or chips. Examples: EnviroSLAB and IceStone.



Soapstone

Soft, easily carved stone that is generally dark gray and contains talc, which gives it the feel of dry soap.




Marble

Marble is metamorphic rock with a swirled, clouded pattern. Comes is a range of colors. Stains very easily.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Great Magazines for Home Design

Here is a list of magazines that are great resources for Home Design

Dwell

House Beautiful
Elle Decor
This Old House
Veranda
Traditional Home
Interior Design
Natural Home
Home Design
Renovation Style
Mid-West Home
Casa-Estilo- International

Miami- Design Architectural Review

Monday, December 6, 2010

Interior Design Cheat Sheet

Want to know a little secret? There is actually a science to making a room look good. It is all about understanding, and acting, basic design principles, overreaching ideas like balance scale. You also need to consider color, texture, light, and other specific elements. First, here are the basic principles that will impact your space.

Harmony

Make sure the mood of the room is cohesive or unified. The arrangement of furniture should fit they style of your furnishings. For example, if you are going for a minimalist. Modern look, do not have a cluttered corner of traditional accents. Harmony does not expel the chance for contrast. Using opposing elements like modern and traditional furniture can be successful when done in equal parts, like a checkerboard.

Rhythm

It is the repetition of elements in space and time. There is always a beginning and an end to the pattern: think of columns, or an organized grouping of photos, Symmetry arranging elements around a center line like a fireplace, is one way to repeat shape or color.

Scale

Scale compares the size or dimensions of one thing to another in order to properly keep a room to scale you need to take the sizes of objects into consideration. The heights and weights of your furniture should be relative to the size of your room. A giant sofa in a tiny living room will not work right; neither will tiny nightstands next to a king- size bed. This also relates to the proportion of objects. The shade of a lamp has to be in proportion to the base.


Emphasis

Every room needs a focal point, the area that draws your eye. Whether it is and existing focal point or a chosen one, you need to emphasis the area around it so that everything else leads the eye to the focal point by placing hot colors or small and visually interesting items away from the area.

Balance

Similar to establishing harmony balance is all about arranging furniture in a way that is pleasing to the eye. Centering certainly does the trick, but it is more about evenly distributing the visual weight of furniture so that no one piece overwhelms another. You need to arrange the elements of the room to provide equilibrium. You would not put an entertainment unit next to an ornate fireplace. If you have a large piece of furniture at the end of the room you need to balance it with another viually weighted piece at the other end.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Interior Design History

As a profession, interior design has a comparatively short history. Architects, artisans, and crafts people completed interiors before interior decorators began offering their services. Architects created the design of a building's structure and often the interiors. They would engage craftspeople to create and produce the furnishings needed to complete the interior. Other artisans lent their expertise with decorative embellishments and the production of handmade pieces for the interior. Of course all this was accomplished for the world of the wealthy and mighty, not for the average person.



Many historians have credited Elsie de Wolfe as the first person to successfully engage in interior decoration as a career separate from architecture. A about the turn of the 20th century, de Wolfe established a career by offering "interior decoration" services to her society friends in New York City. She was an actress and a society figure before she began to remodel her own home, transforming typically Victorian rooms with stylish simplicity by using white paint, cheerful colors, and flowery printed chinzes. Her friends recognized her alternative decor, which was great contrast to the dark, deep colors and wood of Victorian interiors. She is also believed to be among the first decorations to charge for her services rather than be paid only a commissions on the good she sold to clients.


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

A Material World

Fabrics are the heart and soul of decorating. Fabric adds important elements of comfort to every room by bringing texture, pattern and color to living spaces. Fabrics come in different colors, patterns, weaves, and textures, which influence the feel and the look that makes them function. The strongest fabrics are tightly woven; these types are perfect for heavily used furniture. It limits the wear and tear of the fabric.


Washed rayon chenille is one of today’s most versatile fabrics. This luxuriously soft and highly durable material looks right at home in spacious, contemporary lofts. Rayon also achieves an abundance of comfort for those who prefer the eminence of traditional, antique filled rooms.

LEATHER

Resists cracking and tearing, and is the longest-wearing upholstered material. Even better, leather ages gracefully, providing wonderful character and depth. It is easy to maintain, just clean with a damp cloth.



WOOL

Fabric brings warmth. Some wool is scratchy and gives some people the idea that they are "allergic" to wool. Wool fiber comes from a variety of animal coats, not all wool is scratchy but rather extremely soft. The wool fiber has crimps or curls which create pockets and gives the wool a spongy feel and creates insulation for the wearer. The outside surface of the fiber consists of serrated scales that overlap each other much like the scales of a fish. Wool is the only fiber with such serration’s which make it possible for the fibers to cling together and produce felt.



SILK

Is the fabric that makes its own statement. Say "silk" to someone and ask them what do they visualize? No other fabric generates quite the same reaction. Silk has had its reputation
as a luxurious and sensuous fabric for centuries. For those associated with
wealth and success, only had the best silk in their possession. Silk is one of
the oldest textile fibers ever known to man. It has been used by the Chinese
since the 27th century BC. Silk is mentioned by Aristotle and became a valuable
commodity both in Greece and Rome. Silk was sold for its weight in gold.

LINEN

Is elegant, beautiful, and durable. Linen is the refined luxury fabric. Linen is the strongest of the vegetable fibers and has two times the strength of cotton. Linen table cloths and napkins
have been handed down from generation to generation. Not only is linen fiber
strong, but it is smooth. With linen the finished product is always lint free.
China, silver and candles are enhanced by the brilliance of linen which only
gets softer and finer the more it is washed.