Month: July 2019

Installing New Pool in Backyard

To start the building process of your new pool I would advise you to contact a swimming pool contractor. They will be able to come out to your property and evaluate all of the practical build challenges and advantages that are present. Once they provide you with the details of exactly what can and cannot be done on your property you can begin collaborating with them to come up with some really cool design ideas.

Depending on the type of environment and events you hold at your home you want to put a considerable amount of time into your swimming pool design to make sure your guest and family can enjoy your new outdoor space as much as you do. There are a lot of things to consider when coming up with your swimming pool design. One of the main things being how large and deep you want your pool, consider things like small children and pets If you know … Read the rest

Home Improvement

Rules to Designing an Eclectic Look

First let’s take a look at what eclectic is not. It’s not a random gathering of furniture, art, and design elements with no rhyme or reason. It is a fun, imaginative grouping of unrelated style furnishings that are pulled together by scale, colour, and/or theme.

If you are tired of boring décor that looks the same, then an eclectic style may be just the thing to showcase your unique expression and personality in your home.

Here are some decorating rules to help you create an eclectic look:

  • PLAY – Give yourself permission to go outside of your comfort zone and see what works. Sometimes trial and error leads to brilliant discoveries.
  • HARMONY – Find a common element that you can carry throughout the room. Whether it’s a texture, colour, or scale – you can create harmony by finding something in common to display in various pieces.
    Sometimes choosing the right pillows or decorative cushions can be just what you need
… Read the rest
Interior Design and Decorating

Pros and Cons of Silk

Silk – Pros

  1. Strength: Silk in the strongest natural fiber in the world. It has particularly good tensile strength which means it’s able to withstand great pulling pressures.
  2. Texture: Everyone knows how nice silk is to touch, it has a smooth, soft texture that unlike many synthetic fibers is not slippery.
  3. Elasticity: Silk fiber is very elastic. It can stretch up to 20% of its original length before breaking. And unless its elasticity is tested frequently it will bounce back to original size.
  4. Resilience: Silk fabrics are moderately wrinkle resistant which makes them great for both clothing and is an interior designer dream.
  5. Drapability: Silk curtains have the wow factor. They are so popular because silk has few rivals when it comes to drapability. The fiber is supple and elastic and tough enough to cope with frequent handling.
  6. Cleanliness: Silk fabric stays relatively clean. It’s smooth surface does not capture dirt easily.
  7. Absorbency: Silk fiber can generally absorb about 11
… Read the rest
Interior Design and Decorating

Organize Dining Room

  • Tablecloths: If you are lucky enough to have the closet space, hanging them is best because it keeps them wrinkle free. Any hanger will do but tiered pant hangers take up very little room. If closet space is unavailable, your tablecloths can be folded or rolled on mailing tubes and stored neatly in a drawer or on a shelf. Safety pin a tag to each one with the size and shape to make finding the one you need much more efficient.
  • Placemats: Placemats are best stored flat so they don’t curl or have creases when you go to use them. They can be neatly stacked in a drawer or on a shelf. If space is limited, an undershelf placemat holder is another option.
  • Cloth Napkins: Cloth napkins are best folded and store well in a drawer or basket so they don’t topple over. Binder clips are handy for keeping a set of napkins together and make grabbing them easier.
  • Napkin
… Read the rest
Interior Design and Decorating

Decorating With Candles

  • Groups – One of the most popular candle decorating ideas is to place different sized candles in groups. Choosing candles of different heights can add a dramatic effect to any room. Placing candles in different sized containers is also a great way to create depth and height when decorating with candles. If you prefer a more simplistic look, you can always choose candles and containers that are the same size and color. But for those who have an adventurous side, feel free to mix textures, sizes and colors to create a unique look for your home.
  • One – When it comes to candles one is not always the loneliest number. A single candle placed throughout your home will provide you with simplistic elegance. Single candles placed in a jar or candle holder can be the perfect addition to any bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, or den. This is a classic look that often appeals to those who prefer simplistic elegant looks in
… Read the rest
Interior Design and Decorating

Fabric For Upholstery Projects

  • Natural or synthetic

This is the first choice to make. There are natural fibers such as cotton, wool, silk, linen and rayon as well as synthetic fibers such as acrylic, polyester, nylon, polypropylene and olefin. You can also choose from a good collection of leather and artificial leather. Original leather is available in plain grains as well as embossed patterns. Synthetic fibers have a soft texture but are not as durable as the synthetic ones.

  • Durability 

Durability is an important aspect to consider if you do not want to repeat reupholstering projects within short periods of time. If you have pets and kids at home, you must go in for a material with higher thread count as they are dense and hold up well against rough and tough use. Leather and micro fiber fabrics offer the highest durability as upholstery fabrics.

  • Fabric types

There are different ways in which fabric is made. It is either woven or knitted. On a … Read the rest

Home Improvement

Custom Rugs

The Purpose of Rugs

Adding practical and aesthetic value to a space, a rug’s purpose is wholly dependent on the use of the space and is predominantly two-fold. Primarily rugs serve to anchor the furnishings that fill a space and denote the parameters of the space itself, creating differentiation between the dining and living areas for example. Additionally, a rug can also enhance the decor of a room, adding visual intrigue, unifying the colour scheme and perhaps warming or softening hard surfaces such as hardwood or tiled flooring. Furthermore, rugs have the ability to absorb sound, providing the benefit of noise reduction within rooms that have hard flooring. Ranging in size, shape, colour, pattern, theme and style, rugs are multipurpose pieces that can add value to any and every room of the home.

How to Choose the Perfect Rug

When choosing or designing a rug, ensure that your lifestyle remains front of mind. Consider the piece in the context of … Read the rest

Interior Design and Decorating

Buying Complete Curtain Sets

Curtain sets; serve many benefits apart from covering your windows. Many people prefer blinds over drapes and curtains but the real look is usually achieved with the help of curtains.

Some of the advantages of curtain sets include:

  • Curtains are able to keep a good level of light outside. Apart from functioning as appropriate insulation materials for windows, they add value to your ordinary windows. Since drapery is able to uplift the charm of windows, these are the best wall and windows enhancer, even to this date.
  • The aesthetic appeal in curtains is really great. If you compare curtains with blinds, you would learn that with curtains, you could actually play with patterns, colors with alignments (vertical, horizontal). The fabric of curtain sets is very much diverse, you can go for thicker ones or you can go for something that is as thin as the linen. The industry of drapery is very rich and mature in creativity today; hence, you
… Read the rest
Home Improvement

Duvet Covers

A Snug Fit

Duvet covers should be roughly the size of your comforter. A very large cover creates unnecessary gaps and air bumps. The maximum you can allow is 2 inches more than the size of the comforter it is intended to cover. To make sure you get a comforter that is tailored to fit, measure the down comforter or duvet before you go shopping. When shopping online, you can find the product dimensions in the production description or check the size on the packaging if you choose to shop locally.

An Easy Changeover

You will have to change duvet comforters often as part of the regular cleaning process. They feature zippers, snaps, fabric ties and Velcro snaps. You should choose an option that is easy to fasten and unfasten.

The Fabric Choice

This includes the type as well as the style of fabric. The first tip is to choose a fabric style and color that matches the overall décor … Read the rest

Interior Design and Decorating

Ground Pool Costs

That’s when they went to the pool store and that’s where they bought all their chemicals and all their replacement parts.

There was a time this was about the only place they could go, long before the internet. Every time the water in their pool was cloudy or green it was off to the store with the little sample bottle full of pool water to be tested by what looked like some pretty scientific equipment. It was pretty common, at that point, to leave with a large bag of chemicals.

One of my clients emailed me saying her husband just bought over a hundred dollars worth of chemicals after taking in a sample of their green pool water. My response was to take it all back and do as I tell you.

Above ground pool filters are not known to have to the life expectancy of the higher quality in ground units. Because of this parts are needed sooner and … Read the rest

Home Improvement