Step by Step to a Canopy Bed

Posted on April 29, 2010 by MaryJo

Buying a canopy bed for your house is a big decision and something you will want to put some serious consideration into before you take the plunge. Taking some time to look at a canopy bed guide and go through the buying process step by step will save you time and money in the long run. You will not only need to decide which style of canopy bed to choose but also how best to integrate this new purchase into your existing home. Everything will need to match if you really want to achieve the right effect. If you work your way slowly through the steps below the end result should be very pleasing.

1. Check out the space available in your bedroom

Thanks to the four posts, and any drapes or curtains you may want to add, a canopy bed is a very imposing piece of furniture. The first thing to do is measure up your bedroom and be realistic about what size of bed can comfortably fit in.

2. Note the existing furniture you already have.

Is your bedroom already filled with contemporary, minimalist furniture or do you already have a number of traditional or, say, farmhouse style pieces of furniture? There are many different styles of canopy beds available and it is essential that your new bed matches the overall look of your existing room.

3. Summer or winter?

Do you live in a predominantly warm or cold climate? On the whole, if you are planning to have canopy drapes or curtains on your bed, you can choose between heavy, luxurious materials that give an enclosed feel to the bedroom or light wispy fabrics that allow light and air into the bed. Clearly the former is good if you want to create a cozy feel while the second choice is right for a warmer climate.

4. Focus on the bedding.

Almost as important as the canopy bed itself is the canopy bedding you choose to go on it. There’s really no point of going to the considerable expense of buying a four poster bed if you’re only going to dress it in cheap linens. When shopping consider both things together and don’t skimp on the duvets, blankets, pillows etc. These are the things that will complete the look.

As you can see choosing the actual bed to buy is one of the last and easiest decisions to make. To be successful you need to start with the right preparation.

photo credit: Kevin H.

What to Look for When Purchasing Kitchen Blinds

Posted on April 29, 2010 by MaryJo

Those kitchen windows are an excellent place to show off your design style with flair. The decorating material you choose to showcase these windows with is important. Whereas cloth curtains were a common choice in the past, many people are now choosing to install blinds in the kitchen -as blinds offer beauty, elegance and effortless maintenance.

Blinds in the Old Days

In the past, grandmother, would lovingly wash, iron and hang dainty curtains in the kitchen windows. Today, who has the time to take on the additional work to maintain cloth curtains-especially curtains close to a sink or stove that become dirt, grease and food magnets? Although curtains may provide a homey look, blinds are a better choice for today’s kitchen for a comfortable, yet modern look.

What Blinds are Made of…

Blinds have come a long way. They’re now manufactured using materials more durable and requiring less maintenance than in the past. They’re made using hardwoods – such as oak, faux wood, or composite material comprised of a combination of wood and composite materials. The list goes on: vinyl blinds, aluminum, and yes, even cloth. For the kitchen, faux wood or composite blinds are a popular choice because they’re easier to maintain in the kitchen and are designed to meet today’s fashion expectations.

photo credit: delphwynd

Custom Blinds Deliver Benefits to You…and Your Windows

Materials used in window coverings do create treatments that are light weight and eye-catching. Many blinds and shutters come in a variety of posh sophisticated, trendy and classic colors. Blind slats can be thin or wide to suit your taste. And the possibilities of using blinds as window treatments are endless- and more sophisticated than kitchen curtains. You have the flexibility to open blinds to let in full sunshine or adjust blinds to allow minimal light to enter the kitchen. They can be vertical or horizontal, yet the direction of the blind is more of a personal preference than one style better than the other.

Blinds can be custom-made to fit any window and any size. Some people have enormous windows and prefer just a bit of blind for added privacy or to block sun or prying eyes.

With so many choices, it’s going to be easy to find blinds that blend well into the décor of your kitchen.

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New Ways to Decorate

Posted on April 29, 2010 by MaryJo

Homes, are genuinely the place we go to relax, get away from the stress of jobs and a place to share time with our loved ones. But, if we lack an inviting and comfortable decor in our living spaces we may want to avoid them altogether. One of the best ways to ensure that we will enjoy our homes is to spend time decorating them with items we love and want to share with others.

There are lots of design styles, but all that really matters is that you find items for your home that feel like you. You don’t need to live in a decorator’s showroom, you just need to make your own personal imprint on the space in which you live. Give it a personal touch by infusing it with your own taste and style. One great way to try out a new style is with temporary and versatile design options like removable wall decals. These can really work well in kid’s rooms where their always growing into new phases. Since they are removable, they allow you to personalize the space and yet, leave room for updating with new decals when your decorating tastes change or your kids outgrow the old ones.

Making your home feel comfortable with decorating is not hard with some of the great and affordable design pieces available today. Finding something that fits you and your home, can be as simple as trying a new piece of art, like large metal wall art. This type of wall art can really allow you to personalize your home with just the right style and appropriate to your lifestyle. There are so many choices on the market today, you are sure to find something that will add a personal touch to your home. Picking something you love will be felt by all who enter your home.

photo credit: somethingstartedcrazy

5 Items of Furniture a bedroom should not be without

Posted on April 28, 2010 by MaryJo

The bedroom is a one of the multi-purpose rooms that none of use could manage without. You rest there at the end of a hectic day; and you make yourself beautiful there as you prepare for the day ahead. It can be a place of romance, it can be a place of comfort you can even stay there all day if the fancy takes you. So with that in mind you have make sure its fully loaded with the essential items of furniture and here is our top 5:

1. A Bed: Without a doubt a bedroom would not be bedroom without the bed. And there are plenty to choose from out there. From Bunk beds to King size the choice of bed is all about personal taste; some like them with firm mattresses some like them with soft ones or even the fantastic Memory Foam Mattresses which match the contours of your body as you sleep. Whichever type of bed you prefer you simply have to have one in the bedroom. Doh.

2. A Wardrobe: A good wardrobe is essential. In a lot of cases its quite amazing how many clothes you accumulate over time so a spacious wardrobe is a must have if you can’t bear to part with last seasons fashions. Again there are a myriad different types of Wardrobe you could choose, but so long as there is plenty of hanging space as well as space on the floor to keep all your shoes then you will not go wrong.

3. Dressing Table Controversial this one? Definitely not! Every modern woman needs a dressing table. A dressing table is where the magic takes place. Its where she feels comfortable as she sits making herself look beautiful for the day ahead. Dressing Tables should not be underestimated.

photo credit: johncooke

4. Bedside Table: These small innocuous pieces of furniture are a definite must have. They work exactly as advertised and should be placed beside the bed where they become invaluable simply as a convenient location for your alarm clock.

5. Chest of Drawers: Finally no bedroom will be complete without a chest of drawers. Everyone needs somewhere to keep their underwear after all.

Of course there are other items of furniture that could be included in this list but these are the bear minimum you should include to build yourself a better bedroom.

Stunning Stone Work Construction

Posted on April 27, 2010 by MaryJo

When it comes to building and remodeling homes, natural is in. The organic textures and rustic look of natural stone is being used in cutting edge home designs. Imagine, somewhere a design conscious city resident is sitting next to a stone wall fireplace in a top-level loft of a downtown skyscraper enjoying a view of the city. Wordy, yes, but the point is that stone decorating offers variety and oh so much style. Whether placed in a traditional cottage inspired home or in a new-age modern loft, the versatility of stone offers tremendous design opportunities and ideas.

In can be used in virtually any type of design and its natural look fits right in with any type of home decor. Homeowners can even create their own stone masterpieces with a little research, a lot of care, and a bit of elbow grease, or they can hire a local contractor to build stunning pieces for them. Home builders and remodelers in the Phoenix construction industry are kept on their toes with requests for custom stone wet rooms and natural stone back splashes, as well as stone designs of all other sorts.

DIY outdoor stone work projects are a little easier to achieve than indoor projects, but again having a certified contractor do the job can save you time, energy, and disappointment if the project doesn’t turn out as you expect. Just a few outdoor stone projects include: Garden Walls, Outdoor furnaces, Stone walkways and driveways, and Garden edging.

2 Stone Remodeling Ideas For You To Play With

Interior Stone Walls Without having to redo all of your walls, you can have a Phoenix contractor, or any certified contractor in your local city, install a single natural stone wall. One idea is to build or add it on an outside facing wall where you can have large windows flanking each side of the stone face. With in the stone wall you can have you contractors include square or rectangular insets, in which you can place candles or other decorations. With a stone wall you can use stones of various sizes and colors to create a truly unique surface that is brimming with eye-catching and dynamic textures.

Fireplaces and Mantels If you want to do something new with your fireplace that doesn’t just involve changing the tile, than stone might be a perfect choice for you. Natural stone can be used to frame a warm and welcoming fireplace, and gives rooms a certain distinct character that is hard to achieve with tile. One idea for creating a stone fireplace takes from the interior stone wall idea, in which you can create in interior stone wall with space for a fireplace. You can have a traditional setup where the fireplace in near the floor, or you can create a space for the fireplace near the center of the interior stone wall for a unique, modern look.

photo credit: GrungeTextures

Chandeliers- Not Just For Mansions

Posted on April 27, 2010 by MaryJo

No one will mind if you have the smallest house or if you have the simplest house in the world yet you own a chandelier. No one will sue you for having a chandelier in your homes, right? No one will ever blame you for having the that nicely decorated light at your ceiling. Most of all, it is not a sin to have a chandelier in your ordinary home. Anyone has the right to own a chandelier as long as he/she has it without doing something wrong to have it. Whether you want an antler chandelier or a traditional one – there are plenty of options

Chandeliers were developed in the 19th century particularly when highly refractive crystal was used to make the most of candle and gas lights. As a light fixture crystal chandelier was practical – as it still is today. Whether chandeliers are made from deer antlers or brass – there is style to suit most homes.

Chandeliers are not just for mansions, churches and abbeys, motels, restaurants, law firms, boutiques and other large structures. Glass chandeliers are available everywhere because anyone can own it. It is not specified on the box that the only people who can buy chandeliers are the ones who have spacious homes, structures or buildings. It is just up with you if you are willing to have one or not, but if I were you, I would buy one chandelier for my house. It is exceptionally satisfying to have one on your own than you would stare at it every time you visit the stores.

Chandelier lighting simply adds beauty to the ceiling and to the house, as well. It illuminates the dark areas of your house just like what wall lights do. Wall lights are simply lights, yet chandeliers are lights for your house and it adds beauty to it. Chandeliers give you a double purpose with just one buy. If you have a problem about its design, size, light color or price, you can visit hardware stores all over the town. You can choose from a classic design to a modern one, the biggest to the smallest size, the brightest white to the blue ones, and you can choose from the most expensive to the cheapest chandeliers ever.

photo credit: heatheronhertravels

Use a Pine Dresser For Both Storage and Display

Posted on April 26, 2010 by MaryJo

What piece of furniture is perfect for storing linen or displaying collectibles, and still looks attractive in your home? When you need extra storage in your kitchen or living room, what should you use? The answer to both questions is the pine dresser. With its handcrafted appeal, a pine dresser warms the home in a visual manner while also giving you functional storage space.

When placed in the living room, this piece of furniture provides a cozy touch. You may even want to center your entire room design around the dresser, and it allows you added display space for your collectibles. Perhaps you can store your favorite tea time accessories or your inherited china there. And in the recesses of its interior are extra storage spaces for blankets, towels, or other linens.

A solid pine dresser in the kitchen is both decorative and useful. Miscellaneous cookware, dishes, linen, or other handy items are provided a storage space. A country charm will come from a dresser that also brings warm character to the room. If your kitchen has a large blank wall to fill, a new or antique dresser will fit in perfectly while still being of use in the room.

photo credit: gunnyrat

You may be reminded of a country cottage when the dresser is painted white or stained in a cheerful light finish. The natural appeal and pattern of wood including its distinctive knots and grain, will be on attractive display when you add a pine dresser to the room. You can use a dresser with any home design, as there are a variety of styles available to choose from. For a more rustic look, choose plank pine.

Or to offer more protection to your valuable items and save you from more wood to dust, add glass-paned doors to the dresser. There are any number of shelving and cabinet options available in the configuration of a pine dresser. As an example, tongue and groove backboards will add both visual appeal and depth to your dresser.

For use in more traditional settings, choose a dresser with carved panels, moldings, and graceful curves and embellishments. A visually appealing display of plants or flowers combined with brightly colored china and pottery will lend an appeal to a display placed atop the pine dresser. In fact, the pine dresser can become the very centerpiece of the room when used as a showcase for a fabulous collection of plants or ceramics.

Any kitchen or living area can be charmingly completed with a beautiful yet functional piece of pine furniture. The warmth and charm it imparts to the room add just the right touch to your furnishings. With a collection of your china and greenery arranged on top, you will add a warmth and depth to the room which might be lacking. Convenient space is provided for storage of any manner of items. And so, to bring timeless appeal, natural beauty and charm to your home, choose a pine dresser as the perfect touch.

Finding The Perfect Lime Green Curtain

Posted on April 25, 2010 by MaryJo

A lime green curtain can be a funky addition to any bedroom. Lime is a color that goes well with other bright colors, such as bright orange; other shades of green, or whites. The shade brightens the room without being too overbearing. Teens will especially love a bright curtain as a way to express their personality.

The search for a curtain can start at a local big box, decorating, or home store. The Internet is a useful resource for comparing prices and curtain styles without having to drive all over town. The Internet also connects users to a larger variety of retailers who may not be available otherwise. Before setting out to find the perfect curtains, one should measure the window or windows in question so that a properly fitting curtain can be purchased.

If you check out Wal-Mart, you’ll find that they offer a Bacati string panel in bright green for about forty dollars. Although it is not exactly a traditional curtain, a string panel can serve a similar purpose and can even be suspended from a doorway.

Target sells the lime-colored Eclipse Twill Thermaweave Window Panel and a matching valance. This curtain is said to block noise, save energy, and block light with its twill weave. It costs twenty four dollars and ninety eight cents, and is available online and in select stores. The matching valance is twelve dollars and ninety eight cents. Green is a popular color for kitchen curtains as well.

For someone looking to get even wilder, Amazon offers a lime and black zebra print curtain for showers. It costs about thirty dollars and is made from a 50/50 mixture of cotton and polyester. It is even machine washable for sanitation. Drapes of a similar pattern are available from The Camo Shop for about forty five dollars.

A lime green curtain for the shower or bedroom is an appealing addition to any household.
photo credit: gfpeck

Save Space With A Single Futon

Posted on April 25, 2010 by MaryJo

Futons have been around for ages but the traditional size has been for the double. Only recently has the single futon come on the market and offered exciting new options for how to use this space saver in almost any room.

In the past, a twin bed was the only way that you could make use of a room where a larger bed would not fit. Today, you can get a futon in the single size is the only one that will fit.

Whether it is a bedroom or a sitting room or even a guest room, you may have a limited amount of space available to work with and the single person futon presents a multiple use piece of furniture that doubles as a place to sit during the day and sleep at night.

If you’ve been looking for a fashionable way to fix up a small space in room in your home, you don’t have to continue searching for an expensive piece of custom made furniture because a well crafted futon in the single size make great sense and can be quite economical.

The design ideas may already be coming to mind as you start to think about that bare corner or partially furnished room that needs to have a piece added for overnight guests or young relatives who pop over on the weekend. Guests of all ages can relax comfortable in a space you’ve got set up that requires no extra effort on your part.

The variety in fashionable futon cushion covers as well as frame choices means you can pick out a single futon bed for your particular empty space and have a new look in virtually no time at all. There’s plenty of flexibility to choose from when you make your first choice a single futon.

photo credit: Mr Wabu

Granite Worktop Color Choices

Posted on April 24, 2010 by MaryJo

Whenever someone thinks about granite as a worktop material they instantly picture the dull grey stone that is used for country lanes and to repair roads. Although a person can purchase a granite worktop in this hue there are many, many other colours available to choose from. Most people are absolutely amazed at the different hues and textures which are available as granites from all over the world make their way to the kitchen renovation market place.

Granite is an igneous rock which means it is formed deep under the ground from magma which makes its way up from the mantel of the earth. The age of the formation can be determined by the size of the grains you see when the granite slab is cut. The larger the grains, the longer the granite outcropping took to form. Sometimes the grains can be as large as peas which indicates the rock was molten for tens of millions of years before it finally cooled and solidified. Most people like the larger grain structure from older rock but for small worktops the finer grain is oftentimes more appropriate.

The other variable in a granite worktop is the colour. The standard hue of course is grey but mineral content can change this dramatically. The choices range from black to red to even white and pink. In fact, it is said you can find a granite to match any colour scheme in your kitchen either as the same color or as a complementary. Since most people don’t change out their worktops very regularly I would choose a hue which is fairly basic and could go with many different colours of wall paint. Black is always a great choice because it goes with most anything but, like a black car, it is difficult to keep looking sharp because it shows up water spots and any speck of dust.

The best thing to do if you are thinking of renovating with granite is to get several samples and lay them around your kitchen with colour swatches to see which would be the best match.
photo credit: A&A Design Build Remodeling, Inc.

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Monthly Archives: April 2010

Step by Step to a Canopy Bed

What to Look for When Purchasing Kitchen Blinds

New Ways to Decorate

5 Items of Furniture a bedroom should not be without

Stunning Stone Work Construction

Chandeliers- Not Just For Mansions

Use a Pine Dresser For Both Storage and Display

Finding The Perfect Lime Green Curtain

Save Space With A Single Futon

Granite Worktop Color Choices