Wednesday, August 30, 2017

How to Choose the Right Size Chandelier & How High to Hang It.


A chandelier is often the focal point in a dining room, so it's important to get a chandelier that not only works well with your decor, but is also the right size. Also hanging it at the appropriate height is important too. 

While there are no hard and fast rules, there are a few guidelines that will help you determine the right size for your dining room chandelier.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

4 Tips for Buying New Living Room Furniture


If you are in the market for new living room furniture, there are several things you need to consider. Though it sounds easy just to waltz into a store and pick out the prettiest of pieces, you need to plan ahead for the space.

Material

When you begin looking at living room furniture, one of the first things you should think about is material. Sofas and loveseats come in a variety of materials, including leather, microfiber, and other upholstery fabrics. You will need to think about which will compliment your lifestyle. If you have pets or young children, you may want to stick to a microfiber because it is easy to clean. If you want a more formal room, you can choose from a variety of upholstery, from carpet to suede. If you have a more modern taste, leather is also a nice option and it comes in various colors.

Sectional or Separates?

When it comes to choosing a sofa, many people are faced with choosing \between sectionals and separates. Sectionals have their benefits - they can seat many people, they often come with built-in recliners or sofa beds, and they make a nice statement in a room. Separate sofas and loveseats, however, are more formal than sectionals. You will also have more options when it comes to arranging them. If you are a fan of frequently rearranging, a separate sofa and loveseat may be a better choice.

Do You Really Need End Tables?

Another question many people often have is whether or not end tables are necessary. This is dependent on a few factors. End tables are great for storing your regularly used items like remote controls, lamps, and magazines. If your space is too small, then just skip them and save yourself the extra cost.

Is There Enough Space for Everything?

Before you purchase any living room furniture, you need to make sure you do not buy too much or buy something that is too large for the space you have. The size of many items can be deceiving. When you are in a large store and looking at each piece separately, they do not seem as big. Before you shop, map out the available space and decide where everything will go. Measure the walls and area where the pieces may fit, and be sure to take the tape measure to the store with you so you can measure items as you go.

Getting new living room furniture can be fun, but you need to be prepared. Do some research and planning ahead of time so that you can have just the right pieces for your room.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Andrew_Stratton/83489

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Thursday, August 24, 2017

Interior Decorating Tips Using the Color Wheel


Finding the right room color schemes in your home can be a decorating challenge. The secret to creating a great color scheme is by using the color wheel! Watch this video to help you better understand how colors work.

Using the color wheel helps you determine your interior color scheme. Each room color has its own way of making a room pop. Also, by adding white or black to a color, different tints and hues are created to make your room's color scheme more dimension.

Knowing how different colors relate to each other will help you create the ideal color scheme for any space in your home. Start your scheme with a color you love and decide what type of mood you want your room to have. Then, use the color wheel to choose the accent colors and tints that will help make the room great.

Monday, August 21, 2017

Ask the Expert: Choosing Furniture for an Open-Concept Space



Designer Shai DeLuca-Tamasi helps a viewer in picking out the right types of turniture for her open-concept living room and kitchen.

Friday, August 18, 2017

Big Ideas for Small-Space Decorating


Small rooms don't need to skimp on decorating style. Here's how to turn small spaces into function-filled, style-forward rooms.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Laying Out Your Living Room Furniture Like a Pro


The living room is one of the most essential and frequently used spaces of the house, so it follows that making this venue the most enjoyable is well worth the time and effort. However, many don't know the basic principles of design to make the living room user-friendly. Read on to discover these interior design tricks that will make any space a pleasure in which to spend time.

Consider the Focal Point

Is the view outside the window a city skyline or a well-manicured front yard? The living room is an ideal setting from which to enjoy this scenery, so the furniture should be situated accordingly. Similarly, living rooms may be arranged as a venue for watching sports and movies with the family, in which case the layout should be conducive to these activities and pointed toward the television. Wherever the focal point of the room, designers recommend that seating should be arranged so one may view the focal point in the most comfortable way. For example, if guests will be enjoying looking outside, then the sofa should be positioned opposite the window to allow them ease of view without craning their necks. Use of the furniture must also be considered; if one plans to lie down on the couch to watch the tube, the television should be positioned perpendicular to the couch so one can look straight ahead.

Plan for Seating

Will the room be used to entertain guests frequently? Or is the living room primarily occupied by the family? Plan the seating around the number of expected visitors and who will most often be in the room. If the living room is small, sofas are an ideal option as they have the largest seating to size ratio, whereas chairs and loveseats take up more space in the room while offering relatively fewer spots for guests. When it's time to throw a party, the room will look like it was designed by a pro if ample seating is already incorporated into the room's design instead of having to awkwardly shuffle metal folding chairs out of the closet.

Look at the Traffic Pattern

No, this doesn't mean to think about the number of cars passing by. Rather, when planning where the furniture will be placed in the living room, consider where the doors are located and what rooms are adjacent to the living room. How will family members and guests be traversing the space? Be sure that one can easily maneuver from their seat to the bathroom or kitchen without tripping. Also, consider the size of the furniture before purchasing the piece. If shopping for a studio efficiency, perhaps a six-by-two-foot coffee table is not the most practical choice. In keeping with basic feng shui, guests should be able to walk seamlessly to the door as opposed to shuffling between a bookcase and floor lamp.

The principles of design are intuitive and serve to make living comfortable and enjoyable through useful and aesthetically pleasing furniture layout. Use these tips to get started, and house visitors will be amazed at what a pleasant experience they have in a well-designed space.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ace_Abbey/851844

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Wednesday, August 9, 2017

3 Steps To Choosing Furniture


Do you ever feel overwhelmed when you walk into a furniture store or are browsing on an online furniture store website? Don't worry, you're not alone. With all the different colors, styles, fabrics, names brands, prices, and materials, it can feel like you just got hit with a ton of bricks

But maybe choosing furniture isn't really as hard as we think it is. There are 3 easy steps to take to know beforehand what to look for. That way when you're surfing the web or visiting your local furniture store, you know exactly what you want and won't end up walking around for hours trying to decide.

The steps are as follows:
1. Choose a style.
2. Choose the color(s).
3. Choose the shade of wood you want.

These steps seem pretty simple, right? Yet, online you will find (what feels like) too many different styles to choose from. But I will simplify it for you here for the moment. Basically, many of the styles can be put into four categories: Modern, Contemporary, Rustic, and Chic. So what are you looking for? Are you needing to add that contemporary twist into your home or maybe that rustic feel? First, we need to understand what these different styles really mean.

The Modern Style is what we would consider being from the 19th century till today. It comes about because of the art style, modernism. The furniture is more of a practical nature and is meant to not be excessive. Especially after World War II, when not many people had an excess of anything. It is usually compact and multifunctional, making it perfect for apartments and smaller homes.

The Contemporary Style ranges from the late 20th century to now. It has the sharper, crispier, clean lines. The style is constantly changing with the times and styles that people like today. It is characterized by more design oriented furniture instead of practicality.

The Rustic Style is what most people would consider farmhouse or cabin furniture. It is a lot of wood and wrought iron decorations and furniture. It also has many dull colors: grays, reds, and browns. It is perfect if you like the country feel.

The Chic style is more bright pastel colors with floral designs. It is also very popular in today's world. Many people like the distressed look that you find with chic furniture.

Once you decide on a style then you move to the colors you want in your home. Colors play on one's emotions. Brighter colors signal more urgency and fun, while duller hues are more homely and relaxing. The specific color can play on your feelings as well. Some extra research can help with that!

Lastly, you need to know what shade of wood you want on your furniture. There are three basic shades: light, medium, and dark. They all complement each style well so this is just a personal choice. Whether you like the natural look or a darkened mahogany look.

After you have decided on these three things you can easily walk into any furniture store and find what you want because you know what you want it to look like and if it will match with all your other furniture pieces. Have fun and enjoy your next furniture shopping spree with these 3 tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Zachary_Ashworth/2444565

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Sunday, August 6, 2017

How to Arrange a Bedroom



Learn how to arrange a room and place bedroom furniture in a way that works for the space.

To arrange a bedroom, consider door and window placement, the room's dimension and the size of your furniture. Place the largest pieces first and then work in the smaller pieces to create a bedroom that is arranged to suit your space and needs.

Start by placing your bed and dresser, the two largest pieces of furniture. Usually the bed is placed along the room's longest wall or opposite the bedroom door. Next, pull in smaller pieces -- such as night stands, ottomans, desks and extra chairs for lounging.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

How to Decorate Your Living Room | Interior Design


So the living room when thinking about design is one of my favorite rooms. Why, is because you entertain a lot and I love to entertain. So in the living room you want your sofa to be really comfortable for you, your family, and for your friends coming over.

Whichever way you like to entertain, some people like a few people. Some people are always entertaining tons of guests. You want to make sure that your layout is indicative to that, so if you want smaller group settings for maybe a group of four people here, four people there, great.

If TV viewing is really important to you, then you want to make sure that all your seats are facing towards the TV or to the fireplace. The TV you want to make sure that it's big, but not that it takes up the whole room. Remember it's a big black box, so anything too large is going to seem just really obtrusive.

Lighting, you want to make sure that you have enough task lighting, because I do my work in the living room. So I want to make sure that I can see my paperwork. But at the same token you want ambient lighting, which is lighting around the perimeter. So maybe you have a lamp in the corner. Maybe you have a low light here and there.

Another thing that I love to use are candles. Now you don't want to burn your place down, so if you don't want to use the real ones they have battery operated ones. And you can put those in your candle holders and nobody would ever tell the difference.

Those are some basics for a living room. You add your own personal artwork, maybe a nice accent wall, and you're set really. That's really all you need to make a living room just personal space for you.