Some of the factors you need to consider when selecting drapes is the type of room you are buying for, the size of the windows, the type of ambiance you wish to create for the room, and the design and décor of the room. For instance, if you are buying drapes for your kids' bedrooms, heavy elaborate covering would look a little odd and could work out quite costly, whereas lighter coverings with simple designs could prove ideal.

On the other hand, if you have a room that is reserved for entertaining, where the décor is rich and elaborate, the heavier window treatments could fit in nicely. A family room used for relaxing might benefit from simply designed and easy to maintain coverings, whereas a kitchen might fare better with café style drapes or even blinds. Each room requires careful thought and consideration before you make any firm decision with regards to the right coverings for the windows.

Enjoy a great choice of fabrics, colors, and designs Whatever the design and decoration of each of your rooms, you should have no problem finding the ideal coverings for the windows amongst the vast choice available. From simple, easy to maintain coverings designed for rooms with heavy traffic or children and pets to rich, luxurious coverings with elaborate patterns and sumptuous fabrics, you can the right covers for every room in the home.

Having the perfect drapes to complement the décor in a room can really inject life into the room, helping you to achieve both the look and the ambiance you are looking for. If you are carrying out a home improvement program, finding window coverings to suit each individual room can really make a difference to the overall finish of your improvements, and can give each room a whole new look. Choose ready made coverings or create your own.

For those confident when it comes to sewing and design, you can get some incredible drapery materials at really affordable prices, and these can be used to make your own coverings depending on your needs. If you are not confident enough to make your own, you will find a vast choice of ready made coverings designed for all sorts of rooms in the home, from bedrooms and living rooms, to dining rooms and kitchens, so you can ensure that every room in the home boasts the perfect drapes to complement the décor. You can often get excellent deals on both ready made coverings and a wide choice of materials online, giving you an even better chance of finding the ideal window treatments for use throughout your home.

Even a small piece of quality stonework can make a lot of difference. My favourite examples of stonework for the sitting room are hearths, windowsills and table tops. For the more adventurous, a multi-stone floor inset would easily be the centerpiece of any room. However, nothing beats marble tiled floors, better still if accompanied by skirting made of the same natural stone.

The key is to use quality natural stones with top aesthetical and technical characteristics. Quality of the natural stones is driven by a number of factors, the state of the quarry, quality of the block, quality of the machinery and stone grading process at the cutting factory, commitment to quality of the stone supplier who chooses the quarry/factory/stone. You should ask your stone supplier for advice on different grades of a particular natural stone before you make a final decision based on quality and budget constraints. Based on my experience, quality should never be compromised.

Fire surround is a good example. In most cases, quality of the natural stone and craftwork play a bigger role that the design itself. There is only one step from a luxurious piece to a tacky one. My favourite stones for luxury fire surrounds include Statuario, White Cappuccino, Rosso Lepante and Portoro. Fire surrounds are made either of slabs or blocks. Most contemporary and some traditional designs can be made of slabs. Generally, a piece made of slabs costs less than one made of a block.

I always use an opportunity to mention marble windowsills. In Sweden, windowsills made of natural stones are as common as snow in the winter. The reasons for that are twofold, decorative effect and practicality (they are hygienic and easy to maintain). I believe that many interior design projects would benefit from the use of marble (or other natural stone) windowsills.

I strongly believe that the use of quality natural stones in interior design is an investment in the property that pays off.

Erika provides interior design advice to Stoneville (UK) Ltd. More info on natural stones can be found at http://www.stoneville.co.uk

Only when you stop and think about what you like will you be able to decorate and furnish a room or home according to your likes and dislikes. A home should express your own unique taste and preference - not someone elses.

Get inspired with interior decoration pictures and researching on furniture and colors Go to a newsstand and grab a good copy of a home furnishing magazine or better yet, go and buy yourself a good book on how to decorate a home or furnish a rent apartment. This should get you started soon enough. The next step to decorating and furnishing your home is to find out what colors interests you. Select the color and shade that makes you think of HOME - and then try combining the colors together. There are tons of quizzes and questionnaires online that can help you identify your favorite color…if you dont already have a couple of favorite colors in mind. However, note that sometimes your favorite color may not be the right color and shade to use on your home. For instance, if your favorite colors are lime green, bright sunny yellow and crimson red, its pretty hard to match the colors together and not make the home look like a circus tent!

Looking at pictures of well-decorated homes can help you identify your personal style as well. Select the pictures that you like and compile them together in a special interior decoration book that you will continue to look through until your home is decorated and furnished. Sometimes, looking at pictures, youll surprise yourself with the conclusions. From time to time, look through the pictures again and see if you can see similarities - like if most of the homes you like are with mirrors, white or dimly lit. Do the homes look very serene or open?

Take note of the make, color and design of the furniture and decoration of the room that you like If youre still stumped for answers and ideas, take a look at chairs, sofas, beds, closets, cupboards and try to identify the ones that you like. Note their type and make. Are they wood types mainly brown and earth-toned? Are they bright and cheerful? Or are they white or beige in color? Are they leaning more towards conventional types of furniture, bold and modern or are they classy types of furniture?

Decorating and furnishing your own home is not as hard as people make it out to be. Its only difficult and feels like a chore when youre not sure what you want your home to look like. Once you know what you like and what kind of furniture, color and look you like, decorating and furnishing your own home will be a walk in a park.

Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.furnishings-source.com on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.furnishings-source.com on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

But a home building may also have a provision for a guest bedroom in it. If the architect of the building has taken enough care while designing the building, a guest bedroom is located on the ground floor.

I have seen home designs where a guest bedroom is deliberately located on ground floor and used as a income source by giving the room o rent. This is common practice in crowded cities.

Because of its location on ground floor it is easy to give a separate access to the space without disturbing the privacy of the entire house.

Ideally a guest bedroom should have a good natural lighting and ventilation. A good view of the surroundings from the window is also appreciated. It is like treating the guest bedroom just like the master one.

Good quality furniture with easy access to attached toilet block is also strongly recommended. The most important aspect according to me is cleanliness. Since a guest has a very limited time span to spend in his bedroom, it is extremely important to take care of hygiene. A room which is easy to clean and maintain is preferred.

A bedroom, which is too small in area, will have restrictions as far as experimentations in design are considered. By experimentation I mean trying different furniture layouts or decorating ideas will be somewhat restricted.

A good example to study, is to start with bedrooms in large hotel. All rooms in a hotel come under the category of "guest bedrooms" The only difference is, we "pay" to stay there, which is not the case with a bedroom in our home. The architect of the hotel takes good care of providing natural sunlight and ventilation and a good view of the surroundings. Thought now a days most hotel rooms have air conditioners to artificially control the internal environment, a provision for natural control is a must.

Use of dark colors can be avoided. You can always try to be a little creative while designing the guest bedroom. The reason here is, the guest is there at your place probably to have a change in his daily routine life and if a room in YOUR home gives him such a nice feeling of "change" then he might visit again the next month.

As mentioned before in most cases the guest bedroom is located on the ground floor. This can be used creatively to provide an access to the landscaped backyard or an open patio with informal seating. The space must have a provision for sliding or folding door shutters so that can be easily closed if required.

So the entire success of the guest bedroom design project lies in finding out how the guest feels when he/she lives there. Was she comfortable there. Did she find things easily. Even small things like light and fan switches, water taps in bathrooms, wardrobe shutters, door and window hinges etc.. must be kept in well maintained and proper working condition for the guest. Small thing add up and can become a reason for uncomfortable environment for the guest. That's the meaning of the statement "easy to maintain" which I mentioned above in this article.

I hope this article was informative to everyone.

Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya

Shrinivas Vaidya is the webmaster of Bedroom-Design-And-Decorating-Ideas.com Visit today to find some great concept level design tips for bedroom sets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shrinivas_Vaidya

AMAZING MATERIALS

Yes, choosing the right material can make all the difference when furnishing a home for a family.

Have you always loved leather? Well it's not only great for minor spills that are quickly wiped off, it also wears well, even gaining a beautiful patina with time and use. Leather does not collect pet hair as a cloth couch or chair would, and crumbs and dirt will wipe off easily.

If you prefer fabric upholstery, think of luxurious Ultrasuede. Sophisticated enough for even the most formal rooms, it's looks belie the easy care of the material. You won't deal with fading or staining the way you are accustomed to with cotton, and many stains will come off quite easily with a damp cloth.

Do you have real ruffians running around? You can always count on slipcovers if you need to. Many decorators have used white or cream slipcovers to good effect, although you may consider a stripe or other pattern to disguise everyday wear. And because you can clean them thoroughly by removing them you do not have to be too concerned about occasional messes. Slipcovers also work well on fancy dining room chairs and can be removed for adult-only dinner parties.

On the other hand, try to stay away from delicate materials like silks or velvets which stain easily and are difficult to clean.

THOUGHTFUL CHOICES

If you have small children you may also consider choosing soft furnishings, like ottomans, to replace hazards such as hard edged coffee tables.

Area rugs can be great for keeping light colored carpets in good shape, but be certain they rest flat so children are not prone to trip over them. Selecting heavy rugs or using a special padding underneath to reduce movement would be especially recommended when using rugs on hard, slippery surfaces.

When choosing wood furnishings, light or dark, be sure it has a protective clear coat so that marks and spills do not ruin the finish.

GIVING KIDS THEIR OWN SPACE

Would your children really mind an 'adult' space in the home? If you make most of the home child-friendly, then it is not outside of reason to create one area specifically for adult entertaining or relaxing. Giving children a small area within the adult room where they can read books or sit at a small table for quiet games will teach them to respect and take care of nice things. This, along with making reasonable choices for the rest of the home, allows all in the family to enjoy their surroundings and each other.

Whichever room you are wanting to decorate, whether it be your bedroom, living area, kitchen or office space, you need to decide what you want to get out of that space. For example:

* do you want to hold dinner parties or entertain?

* do you want a quiet retreat to get away from the hustle and bustle?

* Is this an area for the kids to play in?

* Is this a room for your hobby?

Once you have decided what you want to use the room for, you can now choose a color theme to suit the function of the room. For example, mellow greens and neutrals for your 'quiet retreat room', lively yellow for the kids room, or pale tranquil blue for your office space.

So far we have established the function and color of the room in question, this then gives us the basis on choosing the right art prints for the area.

For example:

* bright colorful cartoon pictures for the kids room

* mellow pastel floral pictures for your quiet retreat area, or

* tranquil landscape and scenic pictures for your office space

Choose your Style

Like paint color, artwork can immediately establish or change a room's mood. Not only can it pull the room together, but you can use it to create a style uniquely your own.

* traditional & classic

* modern

* contemporary

* fun & entertaining

* casual

* romantic

The style of the room is totally dependent on your own personal taste and this is the time when you can inject your own personality into the room through artwork and textured accessories.

Suggested art picture styles:

Fun & Entertaining: Pictures can include bright colors both in the print and on the frame. Fun and entertaining pictures can include kittens and puppies, or comedian actors such as the Three Stooges or Laurel & Hardy.

Modern: With the strong black accents in the framed iron-work and the tapestries, striking black and white photos are a natural choice for a modern and sophisticated look.

Calm Retreat: To reinforce the mood of a nestled, cozy retreat, use artwork with neutral, earthy colors and a horizontal landscape subject.

You can even mix and match different styles to create a unique style of your own. For example, frame traditional black and white photo prints in a modern black iron frame.

Arranging and Hanging your Pictures

In order to get the maximum effect of your wall pictures in terms of adding character and a focal point to the room, you need to decide where and how you want to hang them.

Here are some suggestions to help you decide how to get the best effects from your pictures:-

Modern Gallery Look: To create a modern art gallery feel, particularly nice in hallways, lobbies and stairwells, give each piece ample breathing room. Stand at the center of the first piece and take one swift, or two small steps along the wall. This is a good center for the next piece.

Above a Sofa: When placing art above furniture such as a sofa, you need to hang the picture about six to nine inches above the sofa, or at eye level.

Cluster Arrangements: Tightly group an even number of pictures together to give a statement or a focal point. This works on either large or small wall spaces, depending on the look you want.

In a row: By placing an odd number of pictures in a horizontal line to each other gives balance and the sense of space. This works well in hallways or stairwells.

By deciding where and how to hang your pictures, whether it be a tight cluster or a single print above a sofa, you can then determine the size and shape of the pictures you need to buy.

When you have decided on the room's function, color and style, you are in a much better position to go shopping for wall pictures that fit in with the overall theme.

Summary

Wall pictures are an underestimated home interior design accessory. This is probably because most people do not know what to do with their pictures in order to get the maximum effect in a room. Before you go hanging up your pictures make sure you plan ahead what you want to get out of that room. Decide on the function, style and color of the room first before you buy your artwork. By doing this you are in a much better position to buy the right type of art picture to fit in with the theme and color accent of your room.

Claire Bowes is a freelance writer and the owner of flower-pictures-n-posters.com and landscape-pictures-n-posters.com. In addition to fine-art prints, these two sites offer landscape photography prints and flower posters.

Provided by ArticleFeeder.com

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So how do we create a feeling of balance without matched pairs of everything? You can use:

Color

Dark colors have more 'weight' than light colors.

Actual size

Height, depth and width of an object

Mass

A thick bulky looking object has more ‘weight’ than a fragile, delicate one. Just visualize a blown glass vase and a terracotta pot of the same size.

Number

A group of several like objects in different sizes grouped together creates 'weight.' Think of an assortment of silver candlesticks.

Light

A dark corner has more 'weight' than one filled with light.

If you want to prove this to yourself, gather together a group of assorted objects and use a tabletop/mantel and try out different scenarios. Be sure you have different sizes, colors, textures and shapes. You can put a larger framed picture against one end and a slightly smaller one in front of it. On the other end of your table put a heavy pot. Do the same thing with a matching pot at each end. Try pairing the picture group with an assortment of candles in candlesticks. Each time you create an arrangement, step back and look at it. In fact, if you have a digital camera, take a picture of it. If you do this for a while you will start to get a feel for balance. You can actually give the illusion that the tabletop is tilted slightly by throwing off the visual balance.

The same effect can occur in your room arrangements. If you doubt this, close your eyes and try to 'see' a room in which you felt physically uncomfortable or slightly disoriented even though there was no obvious reason. A room in which the heavy items are all on one side of the room, almost feels as though the floor tilts. Once you have a feel for balance you can start to create a harmonious home.

Stand in the doorway of any room in your house that you feel isn’t 'right.' What do you see? Does the burgundy chair stick out like there is a spotlight on it? Does the entertainment center overwhelm the room? Do you have a TV and a fireplace battling for focal point? Do your easy chairs look like they were made for children next to your mammoth sofa? Does your fireplace mantel look like you are setting up for a tag sale? Your room is out of balance.

Move the furniture around and try different arrangements until you have one that works. Unless you have a room that is just for show like a Victorian parlor, you need to be able to use the room comfortably. Once the practical set-up is done, look at the room from different angles. If the room is out of balance use color and accessories, plants and pictures, groups of like objects, light and volume to create an illusion of balance.

Try grouping the accessories on your mantels and tabletops. Balance the entertainment center on one side of the fireplace with a tall plant or group of plants on the other. Note: avoid having the tops of everything at the same height. You might as well draw a line around your room. Repeat the color of the chair in pillows, throws, lampshades or the matting around a group of pictures. You really will be amazed at the difference it makes.

We may all be born craving balance but except for the lucky few, we have to learn to achieve it. There is a myriad of books on the subject and it can help to read them and look at the pictures, but the best way to get a feel for balance is 'hands on.' Experiment with portable objects until you get a feel for what works and then enjoy creating your harmonious home.

Indra A Books, author of this and many other lifestyle articles is the owner and founder of ON THE GO 4 U, Personal Shoppers & Concierge Service in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company’s creed is to provide its clients with the ultimate life management experience. In addition to its shopping and concierge services, ON THE GO 4 U also publishes a monthly e-zine and conducts workshops on wardrobe, entertaining and decorating. For more information about the author and ON THE GO 4 U, please visit http://www.onthego4u.net

Content for this article was provided by Suzanne Copenhaver, Design Consultant to ON THE GO 4 U. Suzanne has years of experience decorating in less than ideal situations and always provides us with tons of insight. © 2005 Indra Books for ON THE GO 4 U

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The theme you choose can be as specific or abstract as you choose. You may want to create a specific world theme or style, such as country, rustic, Tuscan, Aegean, Parisian, or New York. Maybe you dont want to restrict yourself to something so specific but rather choose a colored theme, such as black and white, earthy colors, primary colors, pastels, or floral. Or you may want to go for something more generic, such as contemporary, traditional, formal, or casual. You may even like to choose to do each room in a different theme.

Before you choose your home décor theme or themes it is an absolute necessity that you research and plan. Open a file or scrapbook on home décor and start collecting notes, how-tos, photographs and articles on themes that seem to be of theoretical interest and practical guidance. There is so much information available on the Internet. Also, visit showcases and home centers and seek advice from experts on how to begin and sustain a particular theme in your home.

The great thing about a theme is that it provides a real sense of organization in your home. Themes encourage you to match things appropriately so that the final effect is utterly pleasing to the eye.

Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.stylish-home-decor.com on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

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