Chandeliers have played an important role in transforming a place from looking drab to looking fab! What was earlier just chosen at random has now become a thing of fashion. A chandelier is given utmost importance while beginning to do the interiors. It has been seen that sometimes people have done up the interiors of the house after choosing the chandelier of their choice.

A variety of chandeliers have come into the market in the last few decades that have transformed the whole idea of lighting in houses. A wide range of chandeliers both contemporary and conventional have come into the markets that have been made with extreme delicacy of craftsmanship. These also include shiny and elaborate crystal chandeliers and delicate and sleek modern lights that are not as out there.
Choosing a chandelier that matches your home will not only make your home look customized to your taste and choice but also make the home look well in sync with each element. Matching the decor with your chandelier becomes important especially when you are choosing a look that is extreme. For instance, if you are choosing a look that is edgy, clean and sharp then going in for something that is very elaborate will make the chandelier look out of place, on the other hand if you choose the same chandelier for a room that is traditional and laden with things that speak of conservative comfortable surroundings the same elaborate perhaps crystal chandelier will fit right in.

Whether I was consciously aware of it or not, I learned early on that being surrounded by things that make you feel good can help you survive in any situation. The older I get and the more life’s challenges are thrown at me, it serves as my motto. Being an interior decorator in my heart and also as a side profession, I find myself always trying to make a nest no matter where I land. My husband and I have moved a number of times and while there have been some really cool settings that we’ve lived in just by virtue of the home itself, there’s been other times when it only became a true home and respite by means of what we did with it.

I think this is a very important quality to develop because with the economy the way it is and especially in certain localities where the cost of housing is almost over the top, we don’t always get to choose our dream house. In fact, most times, not! But, with some creative imagination one can transform their living space into one which makes them just crave to walk through the front door, even if the outside does not have the idyllic setting found in a Universal Studios neighborhood set. Choosing items in colors that fill us with warmth and good memories along with pretty colors of paint can truly take us from ick to ahhhh. After all, isn’t home suppose to be where the heart is? So, put your heart into wherever you live, even if it’s a rented room in someone else’s house. Make it your special space where you can feel safe and recharge your spirit.

In one of my earlier articles entitled, Bohemian Baby, I mentioned that I’ve always thought outside the box… and I have not just been this way when it comes to decorating my own home. When I have done work for a client or even a personal friend, I always step outside the norm when it comes to creating an inviting space. Currently, we live in a rather large space which provides me with endless opportunities to create little vignettes, which in a subtle way invites a person to sit down, read a magazine or have a cup of coffee and just feel ’embraced’. Since we live in a Anaheim, a very old city in Orange County, we are surrounded by some really interesting and historic houses. They are not all buffed out in true decorator style, many have been left rather ramshackle, but they still have a lot of character. So, every time I see one which is in the latter condition, I think to myself, ‘how could I simply but remarkably turn this into a place where the resident just loves coming home?’ People often think you have to put a boatload of money into your house. Not true. So many things can be made attractive by colorful paint, inexpensive flooring and replacing a few fixtures and lighting. Play off what’s there, bring out the best and don’t let size, non-ownership or lack of wealth stop you from making your space special in some way.

I recently was commissioned to re-style a small commercial bathroom in a building which contained a non-working urinal and had been used strictly as a “men’s bathroom”. The unsightly fixture obviously worked at one time, but was not worth repairing as it was just one of a number of bathrooms in the building and was not really needed. The building had been cosmetically enhanced and they wanted to make the little bathroom one that customers could enjoy using. So, after a major cleaning of everything, two colors of paint were chosen and a quick trip to one of my favorite thrift store venues to find some eclectic items for the wow factor. I knew the client was wanting to keep the cost minimal so thrift stores were an excellent option especially here in Southern California. The choices of decorating items I find are endless and frankly there are some real smokin’ deals if you have a good eye.

So, creating an ambient atmosphere does not end with just the homeowner or renter. It includes commercial retail settings also. Remember, if a customer feels comfortable and ‘at home’ in a store, they will linger, perhaps finding more to purchase. Your ‘feel good’ barometer may not include geranium pots on the windowsill, but let it serve as a metaphor. Do not let economics and location stifle your ability to feel good wherever you are, whether it be in your own personal living setting or even a work office. Life as we know, does not always treat us fairly and go the way in which we hope, but we can nurture our spirit and our heart by finding whatever serves as our ‘geraniums on the windowsill’.

The best little house in the whole town

The complete transformation of your house requires that you pay scrupulous attention to each and every corner of your residential premises.

First step: clean out unwanted things

The primary step in commencing with the makeover is that you clean out your home of everything that is no longer needed. Look for any old tables that do not match your furniture, any lamps that have no purpose to serve and discard all those random pieces of furniture that you have no idea why you bought.

Begin with the bedroom

Your bedroom is the first place that you have to give a makeover to. Since this is the place that should provide you with utmost comfort and relaxation, you need to bring in the right kind of bedroom sets that are a sight to look at while being comfortable.

The complacent living room

Since this is the place where you spend most of your time, make sure that you make it the most comfortable too. Add a lot of seating space to cater to your whole family or to accommodate any guests or friends. You may add comfortable and stylish recliners, or elaborate sofa sets to add luxury to your living room. The addition of an entertainment center will add to the beauty of this room and provide for entertainment aptly.

Set up a home theater system

Having your very own home theater system will make your home the favorite place to hang out with all your friends. Add the finest home theater seats to give comfort a whole new meaning. Enjoy your favorite movies with friends and family within the warm comfort of your home.

The grand dining area

This is where the family discusses its most important agendas. So make sure that you have ample space to accommodate all the family members or any guests that come to visit. Also, make sure that the place is well lit to provide for maximum culinary indulgence.

As far as bedding, there are lots of choices and styles available, and almost every color can go with hot pink if it’s done well. For example, since this color is so bright, it works well with calmer or less bright colors. Picture a room that is mostly white, or a neutral color like beige, with a bright pink comforter set and shams. Very pale colors, like pastel pink, or other pastels can work too. Bright shades like hot pink can predominate the room, or add a little drama. Teal and light teal look great with hot pink, and black, white, and grey look fabulous. And how about lime green? There are so many colors that will work with this that there’a a lot of room for creativity.

Hot pink is popular for a girls’ room, and there are many bedding sets designed with this color. Common themes these days are geometrics, animal prints, florals, and themes, like hearts or peace signs. Girls traditionally love pink. In today’s market, it’s available in lots of variations in bedding sets, with a myriad of colors and themes. Little girls still love princesses and fairies, but bigger girls tend to like colors that pop, like neon purple, bright yellow and green, and of course, hot pink. Polka dots, zebra stripes, peace signs, flowers, hearts, leopard spots… even owls and monkeys can be found in this color on girls’ comforter sets.

A good way to start decorating a bedroom with this color is to start with the bedding and go from there. Choose a bed set you like, and there are lots available featuring hot pink, and then see what you like with it. What other colors are on the bedding? Do you want to choose one or a few for wall colors? You can do most of the walls in lighter shade of a contrast color (found on the comforter), and have one darker wall, or paint the walls white, neutral, or any shade from the bed set.

You can look online for color inspiration, or even go to Home Depot, Lowe’s, or your local paint store and get (free) paint chips that have different color combinations on them. If it has pinks like your bedding set, and you like the other colors they’ve suggested, you’ve got your colors.

Several centuries ago these floors were used by stone masons, but never used terrazzo for countertops. Only recently this material was used in countertop design. Terrazzo countertops and floors are not much different on how both are designed and made. These countertops are getting more and more popular in houses, apartments, and business buildings due to their versatile nature.

Terrazzo countertops can be beneficial to you as a homeowner. The idea of owning these types of floors was built on being “green”. The idea of terrazzo countertops are now the same. When the stone masons came up with terrazzo flooring hundreds of years ago, the idea was made to recycle materials. Back then the rich would want their floors to be made from marble and also from statue and furniture pieces. Later down the road they got the idea to add goats milk to the concrete mix to give it shine. The same idea is now being used with countertops. These are one of the most environmental-friendly additions you could add to your home. This is because they are made with recycled pieces of glass and marble.

Terrazzo countertops are heat resistant. Normally when someone moves into a new home, it is very important to them that their kitchen has counters that do not maintain or conduct heat. Marble and tile have the tendency to maintain heat for a period of time. However, these countertops do not maintain any heat. The countertops do not burn, scorch, or darken when there is an extremely hot object directly on its surface.

Another good thing about these countertops is that they are resistant to scratches. All kitchens desperately need this feature. Granite and marble can be very easy to scratch, but with much more concrete and glass, terrazzo can withstand whole lot more use. Dropping cooking utensils, sliding pans or pots across the surface will not leave any scratches. On rare occasions when you do get a scratch on your countertop you can easily buff out. Most scratches buff out with a chamois.

Almost every time we cook, clean or are just in the kitchen, we spill something. Sometimes we may not see the thing we have spilled. In a short period of time it becomes a stain, but that is not the case with terrazzo countertops. As long as you seal all the countertops monthly, you can maintain their resistance to staining.

Whether or not underfloor heating is right for you depends on a number of factors and in this article we list the pros and cons of underfloor heating so that you can make an informed decision.

Pros

1. No more unsightly radiators and of course the extra space you get from not having them.
2. Unlike radiators the maintenance costs are virtually not existent.
3. On a cold morning a warm floor on your bare feet feels amazing.
4. Water left on a bathroom or kitchen floor will evaporate much faster.
5. Most people aren’t aware that underfloor heating can actually be used with almost any type of flooring including: stone, hardwood, carpet, etc.
6. Your heating bill will be reduced around 25%.

Cons

1. Traditional radiators cover a smaller area and as such often heat up faster.
2. Certain furniture such as pianos does not fare well on a heated floor – the list is fairly short but it’s worth checking beforehand.
3. If you aren’t in the process of renovating or a new build then the cost of pulling up the floor and putting it back to allow installation can be prohibitive.
4. You need to use an expert to install it, for the same reason as point 3, if there are any issues it is difficult and costly to fix.

Electric underfloor heating systems are significantly cheaper than the water alternative when it comes to installation. However, when comparing cost for cost you have to factor in the higher energy bill that comes with electrical.

If you are looking to retro fit underfloor heating to an existing property then you need to be aware that the easiest way to achieve this is to lay the pipes/cable on top of the existing flooring and then cover this with another layer of flooring. This obviously causes the floor level to rise and means that skirting boards and doors will also have to be raised.

Undoubtedly the trend for making our homes more energy efficient will continue both for environmental reasons and to reduce costs for the consumer. Demand will continue to increase and this will lead to further technological developments. If the cost is the prohibiting factor for you today, then waiting 5 years or so may make all the difference.

The Fabric

It is the most important consideration to make when choosing your covers for any given part of the home. The fabric you select should be high in quality and easy to wash. An anti-piling fabric is also important to choose for your covers. This feature will ensure that the covers remain in top shape even after several washes. There are so many fabric options today and you will definitely find one that is suitable for all our cover needs.

The Prints

The general prints or patterns on your covers can determine how good they look on the items you choose them from. You can choose stripes, floral designs and even block prints depending on your individual preferences. There are so many presentations available today. The secret is to use pretty covers over plain items such as floral throw pillow covers for a plain colored chair or couch. Bed covers, sheets and pillow covers can be selected in matching patterns to have a great looking bed.

The Colors

Just like patterns, you will find a wide range of colors to choose for your covers. You can choose anything from warm, bright colors to the pretty cool colors to work your area as you find most suitable. The colors you choose are mostly all a matter of personal preference. For instance, while some people love bright warm colors for bed covers and sheets, others would rather choose cooler shades. When decorating your sitting area, you can select a mix of colors for the throw pillows or one color for all the pillows. The choice will all depend on the overall feel and look you want to achieve in your space.

The Decorations

Covers can be quite trendy depending on the decorations they come with. They can have fringes, embroideries, ribbons, frills and even laces. There is an array of options for you and you can make selections to match with the area you wish to decorate. When choosing decorations for your home, you should consider factors such as the ease of use and maintenance.

Scented candles

Scents and fragrances have the power to soothe troubled minds and aching bodies. If you just want to relax at night and savor the peace and quiet, you can turn off the electrical lights and let scented candles fill the room with its golden radiance along with the sweet scent of chamomile or other therapeutic scents and let the feeling of serenity flood your whole being. Popular scents for relaxation are mint and lavender.

Bring in calmness with green plants

Green is the color of life. Having plants inside the house not only gives you more of the life-giving oxygen, but it also relaxes your eyes. Plants also lets you connect with nature and its presence heals your soul and tired mind. Choose plants that don’t require a lot of maintenance like geranium, spider plant, weeping fig or succulents. You can also try bamboo plant arrangements. Bamboo is a symbol of strength and durability.

Water fountains

Water makes up 80 percent of our body. It’s not surprising that we respond positively to the sound of a bubbling brook or the sound made by trickling water. If you live far from a brook or river or a spring, you can still enjoy the relaxing sound of water if you have a small water fountain inside your home. It is relaxing to hear it and it’s equally relaxing to look at it.

Wind Chimes

The sound of wind chimes as they are swayed by the wind has a relaxing effect. Hang them on windows and doors and enjoy the therapeutic sound.

Before Starting

Before beginning the decorating of your tree, you’ll need to prepare your tree. If you’ve opted for a real tree this is as simple as placing it in a pot in the room of choice. Should you be using a fake tree this year, once all parts are together fan the branches out.

It’s best to take a step back throughout the process to make sure that the tree is symmetrical. Once you’re happy with how the tree looks you can begin decorating.

Lights First

Before baubles, candy canes or any other decorations make their way onto your tree, you should begin with the Christmas lights.

When placing lights on your tree start from the top and weave around the tree, taking care not to go too close to the edge or centre of the tree. How many lights and the colour of lights you use, is completely up to you. But remember more is not necessarily better.

Extra Sparkle

Tinsel is the Marmite of Christmas decorations; you either love it or hate it. If you’re one of those who love it, you can make it look better than before by weaving it around the tree from the bottom upwards.

If you’re looking to add coloured beads to the tree, as with tinsel you should begin at the bottom and weave your way around.

Large / Heavy Decorations

Christmas tree decorations come in all shapes and sizes nowadays. If you’ve got either large or heavy decorations these should be the next things to go onto your tree. The heavier decorations should go around the bottom of the tree and larger decorations dotted around the tree.

For those with a six foot Christmas tree, ideally you should be opting for eight to ten large decorations. These will help provide your tree with depth.

Decorations

The selection of tree decorations on offer for your tree are that varied you may be finding it difficult to decide what to go for. As with lights, remember more is not always better.

How you place the decorations across your tree will depend on your style. But we recommend placing decorations deep on the branches of the tree too. This will help to add depth and interest to your tree.

Looking for a sophisticated look to your tree this Christmas? Consider a minimalistic approach and stick to a maximum of two colours. Popular festive colour schemes include:

• All white
• Blue and white
• Red and gold
• Purple and silver

I found myself constantly having to take my photo and art framed down from the wall, open the frame in the back then change out the artwork. Then I would re-hang the frame, only to have to do it again the next week when they had more and more to display.

This got me looking for an easier way to make the change each week, and eventually a friend gave me a great idea!

She said, “Who else has to change out artwork every week? Think ‘posters’.”

Of course! Movie theaters change out their posters on a weekly basis depending on what films are playing, and what films are coming soon. So I checked around and what they are using is simply an industrial grade version of a snap frame.

So I went to my local department store who specialized in frames, and found so many great ideas on how to use snap frames to display my kid’s artwork. They are easy to use and quick to change out, and this has saved me an incredible amount of time.

Most snap frames are of the wall and counter top variety. If you can find frames that open from the front, I have found this to be ideal. Front opening designs make it the easiest choice, and if you have as many as I do, then you’d be wise to go with the front opening design.

One design we found holds up to 100 individual pieces of artwork at a time. This is especially good for a children’s room because not only is it a display, but also serves as storage. Any multi-tasking item is welcome in our home.

Some you will find specifically designed for posters. These are great for when your daughter goes from Frozen one day, to Brave the next, only going back to Frozen the next. In our living room we have a couple of more high-end poster frames for some of the printed art we’ve collected over the years. So if my husband would rather a city skyline theme for a party, it’s not a problem.

If you have time demands that can be eased by just some simple ideas to help you, then easy-change snap frames could do the trick. They are easy to use and save time every time!