Imagine a world without color. It would appear so dull, wouldn’t it? Black and white movies and photos look timeless and elegant but they miss out on vivid expressions, especially of underlying emotions. If a model and an actor are lousy at their crafts, they would fail to get their message across without colors to help them. A pout can be easily mistaken as a seductive pose and a demure smile can very easily be a smirk. Colors highlight a mood or an emotion. Just envision how a little girl dressed in a pastel, floral printed dress grasping red and blue balloons, surrounded by the greenest of grass and colorful flowers, with the blue sky and white fluffy clouds as backdrop can instantly incite a cheery smile or evoke a wistful remembrance of longing for the country life. Colors are that powerful.

A general rule of thumb to be followed is that lighter colors, the whites and the pales, will make a room recede away from the vision. This gives the room an appearance of being much larger than it actually is and will give any person the feeling that they are in a space which is larger that it indicates. The darker colors, along with the very bright colors, will make a room feel much smaller than it actually is because the color will arrest the eye and pull it in closer. This can help to shrink a space that appears too large and empty.

Colors are not only shown on the walls. Furniture also reflect the same illusions of space and mood. Dark colored furniture will make the objects look bigger and hence, make the room instantly fuller, eating up the illusion of space. Lighter shades in furnishings on the other hand, give an impression of more space, making the room look larger.

The area rug which is placed in the room can make a very big difference to the way that a room feels. If a person is putting an area rug into a space with white walls, they may want to choose a darker color for the rug. The walls will give the room a bigger sense of space, but choosing a darker color area rug will help to balance that out and make the room back into a normal sized proportion.

An area rug dyed in rich brown for instance in the center of a beige room has a well-proportioned size. The walls give space and the rug brings it a bit closer, so the place won’t look too roomy. A trendy entertainment center in maroon placed in a whitewashed den doesn’t look out of place and neither does it make the den look boring. In fact, it results to a well-coordinated space with the contrast of white and maroon. Without too many furnishings other than the essentials like the couch, coffee table, area rug and a beanbag or two, the entertainment center will already fill up the space with its dark maroon color, yet allow breathing space from the light color of the walls.

Finally, accessories can also bring a touch (or lots if it) to a room. If a room is dark, contrast with using lighter shades of accessories, and vice-versa. Achieving balance is creating an ideal home interior - well coordinated and balanced. This makes for a very attractive home.

Technorati Tags: color choice, Decorating & Remodeling, home decor, interior design

What could be more delightful that whiling away a sunny Saturday afternoon in the comfort of your glass enclosed Georgian patio? A gentle breeze sighs through the foliage of the black walnut and tupelo trees that dot the expanse of an immaculately manicured lawn. Standard bred horses graze in the adjoining pasture and the humming cadence of bees drifts from the honeysuckle vines that blanket the garden fence.

Georgian patios are not an unfamiliar home theme as this design has been around for many years. It is a modern twist to the classic southern porch used in early American homes common in many ancestral and plantation residence. The modern design adds enclosing the patio in glass, which also makes air-conditioning a fixture in the space. Old houses can benefit from retrofitting the roof or be trendy with a nature-inspired greenhouse design.

Enhancing a Georgian patio is easy. A rattan sofa set softened with brightly colored and patterned cushions are perfect for lounging. A maple rocker is the chair to be if you’re seeking a deep afternoon nap. Depending on your choice of color, your Georgian patio can be cheery and fun or subtle and calming. The former theme calls for bright colors like shades of yellow, orange and pink, while the latter requires pastels or earth-colored tones. Materials such as bamboo, wood, wicker and rattan that are ideal for outdoor spaces like the patio practically go with any colors. If you choose the bold hues, they will contrast with the dark furnishings but will serve as accents. Meanwhile, earth colors or light shades will blend with the furniture creating a continuous line of colors and patterns in the room.

The patio floor should also be included in the decorating plan. If you can improve the floor by replacing it with new flooring, please do. It will transform the patio to its original, brand-new look. Still, whether you replace the flooring or make do with cleaning, area rugs will aid in the transformation. An area rug for a furniture set or one that highlights a piece of furnishing can make the room warm and welcoming. There are many pretty rugs designed for outdoor use. The fabrics, designs and colors will suit the weather factors and the natural colors perfectly.

The patio will benefit too from flowers and plants. Extend the beauty of the garden to this place as well. A row of potted plants, a vase full of colorful flowers placed on a table and hanging plants give an effortless beauty to the patio. Outside looking in or inside looking out will both be a pleasant experience of being one with nature.

Recessed lighting will not interfere with daylight illumination and offers an intimate glow in the evening hours. Slatted wooden blinds can block an overly intrusive sun during the day, or one can choose lighter curtains or correctly coordinated cloth blinds that inhibit but do not obliterate the power of the sun’s rays. Valances are always appropriate.

If you wish for more decors, hang paintings, photos or other artworks. Choose frames that complement the other colors in the room. Therefore, it can be dark, wooden frames or lighter, brighter ones to go with the other decorative items.

Technorati Tags: Decorating & Remodeling, exterior design, home decor, patio

Ever notice those receptions where when you walk in everything looks perfect. Well one way to achieve this look is by using wedding chair covers on your chairs. No matter what material they are made from or the style in which they were made they will add a dramatic appearance to your wedding reception. In addition they may also be a mandatory addition to your reception depending on the condition of your chairs.

If you are planning to rent many of your wedding supplies versus buying them then chair covers are a wise investment. One big problem with chair rentals is that because a rental company makes money by using the same items over and over the chairs will get worn looking after a while. In addition you may find that they have bought rental chairs from several different companies and so you may get five or six slightly different chairs.

Because they come in different styles and materials they are very versatile and can be used in just about any reception setting. Most people choose to get white chair covers and then get a sash bow that is the same color as one of their primary wedding colors. Because of their whiteness they really help in getting the sash bow to stand out. Of course you can choose a white sash bow and have a monochrome look that does not detract from the other colors you use at the reception.

If you are going to be using a satin tablecloth or a satin runner or overlay many people try to use satin chair covers so that the look and feel is uniform for each table. I have seen receptions where they used a white polyester tablecloth with a colored satin overlay along with a white polyester chair cover and it looked spectacular. Because they come in different styles and materials, they work well with just about any combination of tablecloths, runners or overlays, and napkins.

If you are also planning on renting your chair covers then you need to make sure these all match or if that is not possible that you can find enough of the same shade to decorate one table. You may want to get the chair covers and sort them by shade and start on one side of the room with the whitest and work your way down to the more off white as you go across the room.

Make sure that prior to the reception you get a chair cover and you try it on several chairs to ensure it will fit properly. Chair covers, like chairs, are made in different widths and lengths and may not be the right size for the chairs you will be using. You do not want to find on your wedding day that all the chair covers you got will not work on the chairs.

Just as you will be checking on and planning other aspects of your wedding be sure that you choose the correct chair covers and that you check their sizing so you can have the perfect wedding.

Technorati Tags: centerpieces, Decorating & Remodeling, fashion, home decorating, receptions, sash bows, tablecloths, wedding chair covers

What is reflective insulation? It is a type of thermal insulation that uses the idea that heat loss can be reduced substantially by using highly reflective materials such as aluminium. For example, heat from the sun can be reflected back out so it does not heat up your home during the summer months when you are using air conditioning to cool the house.

For that reason, it is ideal to use reflective insulation on the roof and attic. Most energy transfer from home to environment and vice versa occurs through those spaces. Thermal insulation reduces the heat transfer from a building and its environment. When there is a difference in temperature between two bodies, heat flows naturally from the warmer body to the cooler one. To maintain a comfortable temperature within the home, we turn our heating systems on in the winter and use air conditioning during the summer.

A lot of the energy we use in our homes goes towards just maintaining a good temperature. Reflective insulation can help greatly reduce this huge waste of energy constantly heating or cooling the air.

A well insulated building allows little movement of the air so reducing the amount of heat that can be transferred from one body to the next. This will mean that you use less power to warm up or cool your home, therefore lowering your cost of maintenance. This is also in line with our aim to generally reduce the rate at which we are using fossil fuels and conserve energy so the method is very environmentally friendly.

There are various types of reflective insulation that are available through different retailers. You may insulate your roof and attic yourself but it is always better to have the professionals do it. They will conduct a thorough check of the roof, for example for damp areas that may give rise to problems with the insulation in the future.

Technorati Tags: attic conversion, attic improvement, Attic insulation, Attic Ventilation, Do It Yourself (DIY), foam insulation, Heating, home improvement, house insulation, insulate the attic, Insulation, Roof Insulation, roof padding, save energy, spray insulation

When can we say that the interior design is effective, that it has achieved its purpose? It is when we see a well-coordinated room with every single item in place. When the colors blend well with the furnishings creating a balanced look. When upon entering, we see everything from the walls to the floor in one continuous flow instead of broken lines and an unorganized appearance.

The choices of colors, theme, decorations and furniture are dependent on the owner’s preference. Home decorating is a personal project. Personality and style are expressed through the selection of things and the home becomes a reflection of who the owner is. A space also looks more homely with personalized items that show a glimpse of the owner’s life, such as photographs, vacation souvenirs, memorabilia and other things that are part of the owner’s experiences.

Home decorating being a personal journey and a manifestation of the owner’s self, may or may not be pleasing to others. Taste varies after all, so expecting that everybody who has seen your home to share your sentiments is absurd. The end goal should be a home that is comfortable for a human to live in and nice enough for visitors to come in.

Home furnishings usually assume a customized theme, especially if lifestyle furniture and other home decor accessories like wall covers or vinyl wall decors are systematically chosen with the target image at the back of the mind. The unique outlay of a home should also be comfortable and appealing particularly to the individual more than to the third parties like friends, because home decor as much as it is aimed at attractive dwellings, it is the owners who live in there most of the time when visitors are gone. A very synthetic and foreign look in a room may alienate a person if it was in the first place picked without considering personal tastes.

Home decorating is all about the homeowner’s choices. For one, it is her place and she’ll be living there far longer and way more frequent than her guests. Second, it’s her money we’re talking about. Others may prefer for the owner to splurge but it’s her budget that will rule. No matter what, it should be a home comfortable to live in and where the owner feels right to be in.

That is why one can easily read opulence or simplicity, casualness or sophistication in a person by looking at how his or her room is set out. What gives out this look is not just one item placed strategically in the room rather, it is the whole picture incorporating the furniture, rugs, mats, curtains and other items decorating the room: Each item complements with the others to form a picture representative of the person who chose it. What does your home decor say about you?

Technorati Tags: area rug, Decorating & Remodeling, home decor, interior design, rugs