Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Planning is Key for Decorating Projects

Planning is Key for Decorating Projects


When you are considering decorating or changing any room, first think through the entire project, big or small, and formulate a plan. What type of changes do you want to make? How can you make the most impact on your spaces for the least amount of cash? What do you really need in order to make the kind of space that you and your family will enjoy for several years to come? Develop a schedule for larger projects that require remodeling, or changes to flooring and structure.

Research Internet sources like BestArt.com for great deals on framed artwork, or find great
Historical & Antique Replicas for the Home & Garden at Design Toscano. Don't forget that you can make a big impact for little money with some paint and fabric. So don't despair, whatever you budget, you can create the kind of living environment that you'll love.

Tags:

Monday, February 26, 2007

Great Idea for Child's Room

Try painting a wall with magnetic primer, and then cover it with chalkboard paint. Kids can then hang magnets, and draw and write on the washable wall with chalk!

Busy families can also benefit from the same paint in the kitchen. Hang magnets and keep schedules and lists to keep everyone in the family up-to-date.

Look for these paints at rustoleum.com......


Tags:

Friday, February 23, 2007

Coni Art Glass- Handmade Glass Balls, Christmas Ornaments, and Spirit Balls

Coni Art Glass- Handmade Glass Balls, Christmas Ornaments, and Spirit Balls

"Glass Balls ...
These handmade glass balls bring light and happiness to home décor. Often used for Feng Shui design, the colors promote creative energy in the home. Float them in ponds to protect the fish from predators. When the sun shines on the glass balls, the light scares away the predators.
Used year round, these glass spheres also make beautiful Christmas ornaments. The colorful hand blown glass balls, spheres and hearts are a versatile and affordable decorative accessory (used in homes, hotels, restaurants, and offices), and make great gift items. They come in many colors and patterns. We welcome special orders for your design ideas, and color combinations.
The wholesale glass balls are the perfect home decorating idea, or party decoration. They make unique gifts and party favors. Interior Designers love to use the decorative balls grouped in a beautiful glass bowl, as a centerpiece or focal point of a room.
Hang them in windows as sun catchers. Also known as Friendship Balls, Spirit Balls, Witch Balls, Fairy Balls or in German as "kugels", which means ornamental balls, they are beautiful called by any name. Lighting designers are making beautiful light fixtures with these handmade glass balls, too. The witch balls (also known as spirit balls or fairy balls) and Gazing Globes, were traditionally used to protect the garden. The 5 inch diameter mouth blown balls can also be used as gazing balls. Spheres come in the following diameters:3 ¼ inch ( 8 cm ); 4 inch ( 10 cm ) and 5 inch ( 12 cm ). "


Tags: ,

Monday, February 19, 2007

Home Decor: Little cash, big changes

Home Decor: Little cash, big changes
Take a look at this insightful article to help you make the biggest impact on your spaces with the least amount of cash.
Home Decor: Little cash, big changes
"A change of color is the quickest way to transform the look and feel of a space.
By HEATHER WOOD The New Mexican February 17, 2007
Use imagination, fresh eye to enliven that tired roomAre you tired of your living room décor but don’t know where to start to transform your space? Stuck with the same old stuff and short on cash? Ready for a new look but not the credit-card bills that come with it? With a little creativity and effort, you can bring a fresh look to any room in your home or office at little or no cost. Resources such as the Internet offer nearly limitless information, photos and products for affordable decorating. An increase in catalogs from home retailers such as Pier One, Crate and Barrel and Restoration Hardware means more inspiration. The explosion of do-it-yourself home-decorating shows on cable TV has encouraged average homeowners to become weekend warriors of paint and fabric. There’s never been a better time to become a hands-on home-improvement type.

Where to startBefore you start tearing your home apart, take a good look at the space you want to redo. What is it that’s really bothering you? Too much clutter? A cramped room arrangement? A lack of color — or, on the contrary, a circus of colors? By assessing what doesn’t work, you’ll be better prepared to determine how to fix it. Make a list of the space’s challenges, jotting down ideas for your ideal room. Go online and search “no- and low-cost decorating.” Pick up one of the many home-retailer catalogs you no doubt have stacked somewhere in your home and see what appeals to you. Get out your camera, stand in each corner of the room and snap away. It’s amazing what a picture can reveal by offering us an image of the entire space. It’s hard to envision a new look when you’re staring at your usual surroundings. Start by clearing the room of all clutter. That’s right — piles of papers, books, magazines and catalogs, random objects and other things without a home. Next, clear the room of all accessories, tabletop photos and mementos. When you move them, group like items together: metal objects, ceramics, glass and wooden items. Group by color, theme and style, keeping collections intact. Finally, remove the artwork, plants, lamps, etc. Now you’ve got some breathing room in which to start creating your “new” space.Pieces of a puzzleGood room arrangements always consider traffic flow — and yours should, too. Perplexed about how best to go about it? There’s a reason highly trained professional interior decorators and designers work first on paper to create a room: It’s called space planning. By making scale models of a room and the furniture to go in it, you can save your back — and a lot of the time you would have spent trying to fit your 8-foot sofa into a 7-foot, 5-inch space. There is myriad space-planning software available via the Internet. Better Homes and Gardens offers a free “arrange-a-room” utility on its Web site. If you’re electronically challenged, there’s also good, old-fashioned graph paper. However you choose to do it, you’ll need to measure the width and depth of all your furniture and cut out little replicas drawn to scale. (Usually, a quarter-inch equals a foot.)Sound like too much work? Start sliding pieces around the floor. Regardless of how you approach it, take into account the following:
The room’s intended purpose — TV watching, for example, or book reading, or both.
The number of people who normally use the space.
Whether you entertain in the room. If you do, is there a place for everyone to set a drink or book?
Whether there are too many or too few furnishings in the room.
The room’s focal point. Is it a fireplace, a picture window, an entertainment unit?
The purpose of each furnishing, piece of art or accessory. What does it bring to the room? What story does it tell us about the person or people who live here? What does it offer in terms of form and/or function? Don’t be afraid to try something new as you move your pieces around on paper, on your computer or on your floor.Cost-free creationsOnce you’re comfortable with your floor plan, it’s time to make the room look fresh. ► PaintA change of color is the quickest way to change the look and feel of a space. Painting walls, baskets and other wooden items gives a quick update. (This approach is not recommended for antique or heirloom pieces, however.) Most people have a variety of leftover wall paint in the garage or shed. Why not make a bold move and paint a large “frame” around the area where a bed’s headboard would go in a color that works with the wall color? With a level and some careful taping, you can add a classic yet hot-and-trendy stripe to a wall in a day. ► PillowsIf you’re handy with a sewing machine, you can take scrap fabric from almost anything — sheets, clothes and vintage fabrics — and update your throw pillows in an afternoon. Stretch a decorative fabric over an inexpensive canvas and staple to affix — instant wall hangings. Or create instant valances for window coverings with tapestries from your travels. ► Excess lumberThe extra door molding or window framing hiding in your garage could make a lovely border for an unfinished bathroom mirror. Just paint or stain and install. It’s a quick change that can be easily modified each time you change the color scheme in your bathroom. Karen McAloon, host of HGTV’s popular series Design Remix, is a master at turning excess lumber into picture frames, side tables, shelves and ceiling beams. Granted, she’s armed with a team of tool-savvy technicians, but shows like this give us an idea of what’s possible when we look at something in a different way. ►ArtworkOne of the most daunting aspects of a room makeover is hanging the art. A good rule of thumb is to hang items lower than you think you should. And don’t be afraid to try wall groupings. There are endless possibilities for creating groupings — even entire how-to books dedicated to the subject. Pull out some paper grocery bags or other scrap paper and cut them to the exact sizes of the pieces you wish to hang. Lay the “paper arrangement” out on the floor near the wall it’s to be hung on. Once you have a good feel for the arrangement — keeping in mind balance, scale and symmetry/asymmetry — hang your paper mock-ups on the wall using easily removable sticky tack. This allows you to move the mock-ups around until you have the configuration that works best. You can even mount your picture hangers and hardware over the paper dummies, ripping them off just before you hang the actual piece. ►LightingA common decorating oversight is the lack of proper lighting. The average homeowner rarely invests in enough lighting. Now’s the time to “shop” your home, borrowing table and floor lamps from other rooms to create a warm, well-lit space. Make sure you have ample task lighting — overhead lighting is rarely adequate for reading. Arrange your lamps according to necessity. A floor lamp in a dark corner can create the feel of a larger room. An uplight behind a plant creates drama and interest.A table lamp provides reading light and a warm glow. When you do come into some decorating cash, lamps should be at the top of your list.►RepurposingOne of the hottest decorating trends in the last decade is “repurposing.” Years ago some creative designer took a bold step and used an ottoman as a coffee table. While this was probably considered avant-garde at the time, it’s now a mainstay decorating approach. Look around your house for items that could serve another purpose. A large basket, turned upside down, becomes a bedside table. A bookshelf becomes a headboard. A petite antique china hutch becomes a unique dresser with a place to display pretty perfume bottles, family photos and the like. A retro thermos becomes the base of a hip lamp. You get the idea.► Natural interestOften overlooked, Mother Nature offers us a large array of items to use in our decorating scheme. Just as the addition of plants makes a room immediately feel both calm and alive, bringing in the outdoors keeps us connected to our larger natural environment. Pine cones, rocks and branches ground and add interest to a room. A collection of rocks in a bowl makes a unique centerpiece, as do willow (or other) branches displayed in a large vase. But before you go ravaging your backyard, see what’s already available. Many people are surprised to find they’ve got collections of rocks or other natural elements spread throughout their home.► AccessoriesYou’ve arranged your room, played with color, hung your art, added lighting and relished the results. Now it’s time to accessorize. Accessories are what make a room unique. They reflect the homeowner’s specific tastes and interests. And they tend to be highly personal. Keep like items together: Group metals, ceramics or glass pieces together. Arrange in odd numbers, stagger heights — nature’s landscape is filled with irregularity. If you adore symmetry, be sure to throw a curveball in the mix by trying something at a unique angle or by staggering heights of objects in the grouping. Even if you love a busy backdrop, be sure to leave plenty of “white space” for the eye to rest. Too many objects d’art can result in none of them standing out.If you find yourself with some holes to fill, discount home retailers have created a nationwide passion for “all things home improvement.” The abundance, and relative affordability, of home décor items is unprecedented. Consider chains like Target, which offers Design For All; West Elm, which has Polished Style; and Pier One, with the It’s Your Thing line. All offer a continually rotating stock of styles, colors and price points. These may not be original, one-of-a-kind heirloom pieces, but, for the average consumer, they can offer a good fit both for both budget and style.You don’t have to break the bank to have a beautiful space. Ask yourself if there’s a different way to showcase a vase of flowers or a seating arrangement. See if you can push your comfort zone when it comes to color. And last, but not least, trust your instincts. It’s your room, after all."


Tags:

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Decorate Your Bedroom

Decorate your bedroom with things you love. Use soothing neutrals, soft pastels, calming blues, or restful greens. Your bedroom should reflect the things that make you happy.

Add fluffy pillows and duvets, comfortable furniture, and any items that will make you more relaxed and happy in your surroundings. If at all possible, avoid having your home office/computer in your bedroom. Make this room a soothing oasis.

After all, this room is for you.

Tags:


Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Coni Art Glass-Handmade Decorative Glassware and Home Accessories

Coni Art Glass-Handmade Decorative Glassware and Home Accessories
"Coni Art Glass is an importer of fine mouth blown art glass and decorative glassware, offering high quality handmade glassware at good prices. We design many of our own pieces. All handmade, mouth blown glass pieces are crafted by skilled artisans in Romania, many of whom studied their craft in Murano, Italy. Each piece of glass is beautiful and unique. The innovative and creative aspects of mouth blown glass and hand blown glass art, indicate how inventive and masterful our artists are. They conceive contemporary art glass works that are imaginative, innovative, colorful and elegant.
Romanian glassware, with its exceptionally high intrinsic worth, has been sought after and treasured for many generations. We are supplied direct from Romania Glass Factories – no middlemen- designing or choosing every individual piece ourselves, and supervising the production very closely. The hand blown oil lamps, tea light holders, votive candle holders and glass balls are welcome gifts or home accessories that will be loved and valued for years to come. The mouth blown glass balls are also used as Christmas ornaments. The Christmas ornaments are treasured collectibles, too.
The Romanian blown glass makes a wonderful wedding gift, or a great party favor or party decoration that will make your event truly unforgettable. The vases, mouth blown oil lamps, plates and bowls are sought after wedding accessories, or wedding décor, and make great wedding favors! The wholesale vases are favorites of florists, and florist supply houses. Romania is the home of contemporary glass art that is not widely available in the rest of the world, but is universally exhibited and recognized. We endeavor to keep prices affordable so that your gallery or home be graced with the sought after works of mouth blown glass and hand blown glass art."


Tags:

Monday, February 12, 2007

Choosing your shower door

Choosing your shower door
Choosing your shower door
Tips on buying a shower door for your bathroom renovation project, including price, material and styles. Something as simple as changing your shower door can update and totally change the look of your bathroom.

"Replacing a shower door can be part of a total bath renovation or a simple way to rejuvenate the look of your bathroom. Following these tips will help you select the shower door that will work best for you.
The first point to consider is how much money you have to spend. This will help you to narrow your selection to the shower doors you can afford. Next, measure the opening the shower door needs to cover. Allow this measurement to help narrow your choices down even further. Once you have a budget in mind and measurements in hand, you still aren’t quite ready to start looking at new doors. Take a good look at the bathroom where the shower door will be hung (or the other fixtures you have selected if your shower door purchase is part of a complete renovation).


Hudreds of brand name Bathroom Vanities and Cabinets at QualityBath.com to choose from - Lowest price Guaranteed plus Free shipping.

Take your cues from the existing furnishings of your bathroom. If you have brass-toned accents, continue the look in your shower door frame. The same is true for chrome. Is your look modern? The clean, contemporary lines should be complemented in your shower door. Rose etchings in the glass would be best suited to a romantic or traditional look.
Speaking of glass, the doors of your shower can be made of glass or a hard plastic such as plexi-glass. Plexi-glass is often easier to install because it is much lighter than glass and is much less cumbersome to handle. Whether you select glass or plexi-glass, you can still choose frosted, lined or plain glass. Frosted glass is a particularly good choice if you are modest and will not be using a decorative curtain in front of the shower door. Mirrored surfaces are yet another choice for your shower door. Finally, think about the way you want the door to open. It can rest on top of the tub and slide open like a pocket door or it can sit on hinges and swing open like a regular door.
You are finally ready to start looking for the shower door that will satisfy your design elements and your wallet. Look at doors outside of your price range first to pick out features you hope to find in a less costly version. You can find designer doors at boutique-style fixture stores and their less-expensive counterparts at chain store “big box” stores. You can also scour close-out stores and liquidation sales to find a pricey door within your budget. Many times these doors aren’t imperfect – they are overstock or the byproduct of a business that has decided to close. Occasionally you may need to replace a screw or smooth out a small imperfection, but typically the savings is enough to make it worthwhile.
If your home is full of unique pieces and architectural elements, you may want to consider hiring an artisan to make the door for you. It may surprise you just how reasonably priced a custom-made door can be. A shower door can be small enough to be an affordable piece of functional art.
You may find the perfect shower door for your project only to find it is too small to fit across the space you need to enclose. Many times you can extend the wall far enough to make the door fit. Framing out the wall and affixing the drywall is a relatively easy project, and is fairly inexpensive to hire a professional if it is beyond your skill level. Just make sure the cost of adding the extra wall doesn’t take too much of an extra bite out of your budget. Remember that tiling can be very expensive – even for small areas. In addition, it is exceedingly difficult to match new tiles against ones already in the room. Unless you have surplus tiles left over from the original tiling project, you may want to avoid buying any shower doors that may require any tile work.
Buying a new shower door for your bathroom can be a fun project. Taking a little time to think about what door is right for you before heading to the store can save you time and aggravation – and perhaps some money. "


Tags: ,





Sunday, February 11, 2007

Interior Design 101, Texture-Patterns

Interior Design 101, Texture-Patterns
Textures and Patterns
Staff Writer

"Patterns and textures will serve an important function in your decorating. They will add interest and character to an otherwise plain color scheme. Your choice of patterns and textures will follow your decorating style, the limitations of your environment and you personal preferences.

There are so many choices of available that the task of selecting textures can be overwhelming. If you keep these rules of thumb in mind you will be able to make knowledgeable selections and maybe even use optical illusions to create a dramatic arrangement.

Patterns can effect how you see proportion. By following these rules of thumb you can wisely select patterns to enhance any room.

Complex Patterns that use several colors and diagonal, criss-crossing lines are busy for your eye. They can liven up a large area, but it may be overwhelming for a small room.
Vertical Lines add height to a short room, or add more height to a high ceiling.
Horizontal Lines add space, width to an area.
Remember the Size and Scale of your space. General rule of thumb, the larger the space, the larger the print, the smaller the space the smaller the print. Yet adding a large print to a small area can give you a feeling of grandeur.
The same grouping or pattern used throughout an area can draw together a wide open plan. It will create a flow and sense of continuity.
Colors affect how we see patterns. High contrast patterns create an energetic feeling and colors close in value create a more subdued environment.
Texture affects color. Rough textures will absorb light while smooth textures will reflect light.
Always remember to select patterns and textures that appeal to you and work well with your overall plan. It is always wise to collect samples of what you love be it pictures, paint chips or color swatches. Feel free to experiment, remember as a renter, if you buy it, you keep it. If you love something in an apartment, you will probably love it your house too!"

Tags: decorate samll areas with texture patterns

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Glass Accessories: Decorating Tips for Your Home Interiors

Glass Accessories: Decorating Tips for Your Home Interiors
How to Select Glass Accessories for Your Home Decorating Needs

"I've come to love glass accessories, whether they are candle holders, vases, figurines, sculptures or bowls. I think it's important in your decorating to have
at least one really great, artistic glass piece.

There is a mystery to glass, perhaps because it catches light and glows from within. It can be an explosion of visual and tactile possibilities. And I found
a whole new appreciation for pottery, in general, after taking a class in pottery making. It's much, much harder to achieve than you would think.

Most interior designers incorporate studio glass objets d'art into their designs. So do I. But before you run out to buy some, educate yourself a bit and
find artists whose work touches you.

There are different types, sizes and techniques of art glass, so here are a few basic things you should know before you make your selections.

  • Stained or Art Glass - Stained glass art first showed up primarily in religious and public buildings, especially in French and German churches.
    However, now stained glass is making it's way into the home. After WWII, abstract and expressionist artists began to explore stained glass, developed new technologies and developed a growing interest in art glass. Think about bringing in beveled glass to your entry way or turning your bathroom windows into stained glass art. You can also incorporate the art form on to tables, walls and cabinets, as well as hanging panels in your windows.
  • Crackle Glass - Invented in the 16th Century, crackle glass is produced by briefly submerging very hot glass into cold water during the glass-forming process.
    When you reheat the glass, you can expand it by blowing into the blowpipe. the cracks grow larger as a result. The most unique pieces are made using either transparent or opaque glass.

  • Fused Glass - Another old technique is to fuse melted glass together during the firing portion in the kiln after heating it to a high
    tempoerature. It's a difficult method that requires constant experimentation. The colors and textures of the glass come from the various minerals and chemicals added at the time the
    glass is manufactured. Compatible metal pieces, enamels, paints and other substances enhance individual art objects.

  • Dichroic Glass (Two Color) - Depending on the viewing angle, this type of glass shows different colors. It has been coated with thin layers
    of different metals to a thickness of one-millionth of an inch. The metals are evaporated and vacuum-deposited on the glass to such a fine degree that certain wavelengths of light will pass throug the glass and others will be reflected.

  • Studio Glass - With studio glass, the artist melts the glass, forms it, colors it and anneals it. Glassblowing was invented 2000 years ago, but it
    wasn't until the 1960s that individual craftspeople, working alone instead of in a factory, began to blow glass, starting the Studio Glass Movement.

    Hand-Blown Glass - When you dip the blowpipe into a pot of molten glass, inside a high-temperature furnace, you get hand-blown glass. The pipe and
    glass are removed from the furnace and by blowing through the pipe, the ball of molten glass is expanded into a thick bubble. Additional glass is added to the bubble along with color. The bubble of hot glass is then formed. During the shaping process, the piece is frequently returned to the furnace to keep it soft and pliable. Halfway through the process the piece is transferred to an iron rod that allows it to be opened up to form the mouth of a vase or bowl.
    When the artist is happy with the shape, it is carefully broken off the punty and placed into a temperature-controlled oven (annealer). There it is slowly cooled down to room temperature. When finished the piece is inspected by the artist and signed."

We have found beautiful examples of both Dichroic Glass (Two Color) and Studio Glass at Coni Art Glass. The glass artist, Cornel Plescan, lovingly designs each piece. We especially like the glass balls, which can be used as beautiful Christmas ornaments, but also year round as centerpiece decorations, or hanging in windows. All of his glass pieces are mouth blown, and well proportioned. The glass is of very fine quality, and best yet - his prices are far below what you will find in the stores! Unbelievable quality and value.


Tags: ,

Monday, February 5, 2007

Making a Decorating Trend Your Own

Making a Decorating Trend Your Own

Eight Great Ways to Incorporate the Black and White Trend Into Your Home

2007's hot trend may be black and white, but next year it may be shades of red and coral.No matter what the decorating trend, most of us can’t afford to redecorate whenever the latest and greatest hot new trend appears.

So, what do you do when a trend shows up that you love and can't live without? Take a look at one trend for 2007– using black and white – let's see how many ways we can incorporate that color scheme, without spending a fortune.
Here are eight fabulous ideas:

  1. Invest in inexpensive soft goods with a shorter lifespan.
    Items like pillows, bedding, tablecloths, placemats or throw rugs. No matter if the room you are decorating is painted white, tan, or even red, bringing in soft goods in black and white should fit well into the existing scheme. Without major investments in furnishings, you can use the trend to your advantage.
  2. Use paint to full advantage.
    Use black paint and refurbish a dining room table, or your old coffee table in your living room. Complete the look with a couple of yards of black and white fabric stretched around the seats of the dining room chairs and stapled on, or make sofa and chair throw pillows in the living room. You can use a patterned fabric to make a simple slipcover for each seat. On your table, use placemats in bright green, turquoise, or red, and your everyday white dishes will look polished and new - like a designer planned the whole thing.

  3. Do over a small room.
    A tiny powder room, guest room, or laundry room could be just the spot to indulge your black and white fantasies. Put up some subtle patterned black and white wallpaper, or add a fresh coat of white paint to the walls and lots of black and white graphic art framed in black. Add a valance or window treatment in black and white to tie it all together.

  4. Walk on it.
    Vinyl floor tiles are inexpensive and easy to install - just figure out how much you need, then buy half of the tiles in white and the other half in black. This classic look is great for an entryway, kitchen, or hall. It is also a look that pairs well with many other colors – think golden yellow walls, mirrored furnishings, or even a crystal chandelier. To create an illusion of more space, even in a small area, install the tiles on the diagonal, so when you enter the room you see the pointed corners of each tile facing you.

  5. Timeless.
    Use classically timeless patterns or prints like stripes or toile. These patterns can outlive a trend and often become a treasured favorite. Toile patterned wallpapers, drapery fabrics, pillows, placemats, or tablecloths might be added into your existing living or dining room and feel right at home.

  6. Add trim.
    If you are you tired of plain white drapes or boring white chandelier shades, give them a trendy pop with borders of black braided trim from a fabric store. You could even use black grosgrain ribbon attached with fabric glue, for an even less expensive upgrade.

  7. Stencil it.
    Stenciling is a craft that is easy to learn and quick to do. Try stenciling a narrow scrolling black border above a chair rail or choose an arched design for over a doorway. Stencils can add the extra punch your room needs. And, if you don't like it, or tire of it – it is only paint so can be covered up in the future as your taste changes.

  8. Spray paint.
    Take a garage sale find and turn it into a trendy piece by spraying it with white or black spray paint. Use white with black details, or do the opposite beginning with a coat of black paint and add white embellishments.

There you have it – eight great ways to use 2007's black and white trend – and it hardly cost anything. Everyone you know will think you’re the most creative (and trendy!) decorator around.


    Tags: ,, ,