How To Redecorate Your Home On A Budget - IDEA INTERIOR DESIGN

Small Changes that Make the Biggest Impact: If you are looking to redecorate your home on a budget, consider these tips which require minimal cost and time, but provide maximum impact to any room:

    * Painting: This might seem obvious, but painting a room is the number one way to change its appearance. If you want a peaceful tone in a room, pastels in blues, greens and yellows can instantly make your room a haven of tranquility. If you're going for a more vibrant, energetic feel, brighter hues such as reds or oranges can give this effect. Sound like too much work? Consider an "accent wall". This is a wall that has a different color than rest of the walls in the room. You can then add little touches such as a shelf, picture, plant or that antique console or end table that you never knew what to do with. This wall can become the focal point of your room. You don't have to spend a fortune on paint either, and some of the "designer" brands are no better than the less expensive brands.

    * Slipcovers, cushion covers: If you have a couch or chair that has seen better days, but buying a new one is not in your decorating budget, you might want to try a slipcover. These come in various styles, fabrics & colors with some being loose-ftting & others that stretch & fit tightly over your couch or chair. Keep in mind that you can order custom-fitted slipcovers, but these are definitely more expensive than the regular, off-the-shelf variety. You would be amazed at the difference a slipcover can make in your entire room. Another alternative to a slipcover is a throw or afghan to drape across the back of your couch or chair. Also, just covering your cushions or buying new ones can breathe new life into a tired sofa and brighten up the room. Feeling ambitious? Visit your local fabric store & check out the variety of upholstery fabrics available. You could try just covering your sofa cushions or pillows, or cover the entire couch or chair. There is plenty of information online or in books on reupholstering furniture.

    * Small Touches: As mentioned above, decorating your home on a budget doesn't mean having to spend all your free time doing it. Sometimes just clearing off a cluttered table and adding an inexpensive vase with some fresh (or silk) flowers can refresh a room. Shop around at consignment stores, flea markets and yard sales for second-hand furniture, vases, artwork, etc. If the furniture isn't in perfect condition, but has a few scratches, these can easily be covered with touch-up varnish kits or a coat of paint. Artwork & vases or other decorative items needn't be expensive to make a big difference. Go to a discount store and buy a new pair of inexpensive drapes or a valance to instantly revitalize a room. Window scarves can add a unique and sophisticated look to room as well. For a bathroom, just replacing your old, mildewy shower curtain with a new one can make a huge difference, or add a new throw rug, hand towels or other bathroom accessories instead of doing an all-out remodel.

Create an Oasis No Matter How Small: As a mom to a pre-schooler, I'm no stranger to clutter. And when I look around and see clutter, I immediately start feeling stressed. Since I can't keep my home perfect, or even close, I've found that just clearing off one area, such as my coffee or dining room table(especially if I've been meaning to do it for a long time), can change my mood instantly. Just having one area of calm without clutter, can be an instant mood-lifter.

Also, rearranging the furniture from time to time can breathe new life into a room and open up space you didn't know you had. Indoor fountains and candles are another way to add to your "mini-oasis", and I'm a big fan of both. Nothing is as relaxing as water, and an indoor fountain set either on the floor(the dog or cat may want to use it as his personal circulating water bowl, however), or on your newly-cleared off tabletop can be the perfect calming touch and can also make a big change in the room. To go with your budget decorating, there are many inexpensive indoor fountains available. Place a candle near your fountain and you will instantly create a calm and relaxed mood in your room without breaking the bank. Hanging wind chimes near an open window or a ceiling fan can be very calming. I know all of this may sound a bit like "feng shui", and in fact incorporates some of the elements of it. It might not sound like redecorating, but the point is that small changes can make a big difference in your home and in your mood.

5 Steps to Creating the Home Dreams- IDEA INTERIOR DESIGN

Whether your home consists of 2 rooms or 20, your home should make you smile, feel like a big warm hug and be the place for you that you'd rather be than anywhere else! As you go about the process of making your house your home don't be as concerned with "decorating" in the traditional sense as you are with "creating" a home that reflects your sense of style and is pleasing to you. Above all, fill your home with love, joy, peace, compassion and warmth!

Trends come and go so focus on what will work for you and your family. Keep in mind that creating a home is a process that must not be rushed. Creating a home requires time, effort, thought, consideration, and patience. Your home will be ever changing as you grow through life. So....relax and ENJOY the journey!

   1. Surround yourself with the things you love. It is better to live with an empty space than to fill it with things you don't love. Take time to go through your home and identify the items you love and the ones you don't. Of the items you don't love, get rid of what you can and begin planning to replace or makeover what you can't get rid of right away. Some items, like a sofa or a bed, may take awhile to replace. What can you do to make them more appealing in the meantime? A slipcover? A coat of paint? There is always a creative solution to make items more "loveable".

   2. Focus on creating spaces that work for you and your family. Creating a home that accommodates your unique lifestyle is a priority. Rethink your rooms in terms of the activities that go on in that particular space or the activities you would like to accommodate in that space. Creating spaces for family meals-a table with plenty of chairs, for homework-a desk with adequate lighting and comfortable chair in a quiet area, for quiet time, family game night, may require some rearranging and reassigning of spaces in order to make your home work for you. If there's not a place for "it", "it" will most likely not happen.

   3. Bring in colors and patterns that make you happy. Consider how you want to feel in each room-happy, relaxed, energized-and infuse colors and patterns into that space that make you feel that way. I've included lots of sunny yellow and colorful floral patterns in my homebecause that's what makes me (and my hubby) feel happy, peaceful and energized. The "experts" say to never use yellow in a bedroom because it's an energetic color. I chose yellow for my bedroom because I want to be energized when I wake up. I want to feel like the sun is shining even when it's not. When I go to bed at night I turn the lights off and close my eyes, therefore the yellow walls don't keep me awake. You must do what works for you!

   4. Consider your God given senses.
      Sight, sound, smell touch and taste are all gifts God has given us. They are a very important part of everyday life. If we forget to include them we miss out on many delights.
      Sight can be satisfied by selecting only items you love to look at to furnish your home and by making sure you have plenty of ample lighting.
      Sound plays a very important role in influencing the mood and tone in your home. Beautiful music, laughter, positive words spoken in love all create a positive atmosphere of peace, joy and love. Whereas, "trash TV", yelling and screaming, and angry harsh words create a negative atmosphere of tension, stress, discord and hopelessness. It is important to never underestimate the power of the sounds in your home! The sense of smell is another strong influence in the home.
      Scent brings back memories. My children all recall the "scents of home"...favorite meals like corned beef and cabbage, brownies, candles in the scent of the beach roses from our favorite family get away spot, my perfume and their daddy's aftershave. What scents bring back happy memories for you?
      The sense of touch is especially important when considering upholstery fabrics and bedding. Soft and snugly is much preferred to stiff and scratchy. Flooring is another area to consider touch. Tile floors can be cold and uncomfortable in a bedroom for instance, whereas a soft cushy rug under your bare feet is so much more comfortable. Where can make adjustments for a more comfortable home in the area of "touch"?
      Taste is a consideration when planning your meals. Little things like adding fresh herbs to your favorite jar of spaghetti sauce add a depth of flavor that will delight your taste buds. There are many ways to "doctor up" fresh vegetables and basic dishes to give them a more pleasing and satisfying flavor.

   5. Details are the "little" things that make a big difference The details you add to your home are what add another layer of your unique personality to your home. Do you have any collections? I collect teacups. I have lots of them, each one a unique work of art. I have them displayed in cabinets, on shelves and in vignettes on tabletops. I use some in my bedroom to hold earrings and makeup items. I also have lots of books. Books are everywhere....stacked under side tables and the fireplace hearth and in bookshelves. Anyone can walk into my home and immediately identify my interests by observing the books displayed throughout my home. My collections are pieces of my personality reflected in my home. Other details to include when creating your home are artwork and family photos seasonal décor, creative vignettes on a side table, a dresser or a mantle. Fresh flowers are a detail I especially enjoy in my home. Think of these details as the jewelry that adds the sparkle and flair to your home.

Fashion Accessories For The Home - IDEA INTERIOR DESIGN

 

Fashion trends have come a long way and not just on the catwalk. That home needs updates with style, too. There are so many inexpensive ways to enhance every room of the house, from the water closet to the kitchen.

Tones and color represent who you are. Open and more out going personalities tend to have more modern looks to their homes while people who are all about business will be found with neutral colors, symmetric furniture, and steady shapes throughout every room. Depending on who you are will depend on how your home looks.

Themes can be fun to play with in different rooms. Your living room can take on whatever you want it to, from fifties memorabilia to unique and sometimes graphic art. The kitchen does not always have to be done in apples and kitchen related things, but rather decked out in bright bold visions and original crafts. Use your imagination and you can expand your horizons.

Window dressings can accent or take away from your interior decor. Shades, blinds, and even curtains can bring in more life to the room when used correctly with the rest of the decor. Wooden blinds work well with rooms that have more neutral tones to them, while drapes and curtains work better with rooms that have more of a contemporary look.

Flooring may be what needs to be changed to make it all work together.If you have changed and changed everything around, including where everything is placed and you cannot figure out what it is that is making it not all fall through, it may be the flooring. Carpets, throw rugs, and even hardwood flooring can change the entire appearance of a room.

Whatever the flare may be, different decor can either be inviting or deterring. Many unique and alternate styles can be found at thrift stores. Cast iron cookware, curtains, artwork that people have discarded; all of these can be used to create the atmosphere that you want in your home.

Using decorative privacy screens can enhance the feel of a whole room. These can be found with different scenes painted on them. There are some that have dried flowers pressed between the glasses, as well as taxidermy birds, stems, sponges, and other things. This simple piece strategically placed in a room can be the life of the room, enhancing many other parts to the room. Take time to explore small shops, antique stores, and thrift stores. There are treasures all over to make your home the place you always want to be.

Recessed Lighting - Contemporary Interior Decoration -IDEA INTERIOR DESIGN

Illuminating is a key element that helps to improve the style and usability of your home. Recessed lighting is an easy way to make the smaller corners look deeper, emphasize the features of the room, or throw a show of light to highlight the wall textures. You can emphasize the details and create enjoyable light highlights in every room to render a new look. It can provide remarkable and modest illumination for every part of your house.

 

Where to use

This lighting can be used in any part of your home. In a foyer or hall-way, it helps to highlight a spiraling stairway or entrance. You could use adjustable recessed lighting in the areas to illuminate the objects that you want to place the focus on. A single fixture helps to illuminate several areas, by changing a spot bulb to a flood. You could also stress the details in a corner with spot fixtures that are placed strategically.

It might not look good to use these lights in rows at the centre of the room, or place them very close to each other. The light fixtures' sizes should be proportional to the space between them. When these fixtures are used for task lighting, they should be placed overhead, so that your head or shoulders do not block the light.

Advantages

It is very convenient to use these fixtures. You can embed them directly in the ceiling. They do not pose any inconvenience, as there aren't any dangling cords or switches connected to them. There are no lampshades or bulbs that block your view. You can make the choice from the many types of recessed lighting depending on the ambience of your home, the accent you want to create, the purpose you want to use it for.

You can install recessed fixtures sandwiched between the ceiling joists of a new building. You can do this even if a home is being majorly remodeled. You can obtain recessed fixtures that are intended for structures already in place. These fixtures can be slipped into the existing ceiling space, after making holes to accommodate the wiring. The fixtures offered by us are IC housing rated, and so these can be used safely even when ceiling insulation is present. When your ceiling is not insulated, you can choose a non-IC housing rated fixture.

This lighting is sleek, practical, flexible and very reasonable. These fixtures are invisible; the unit, the bulb, and the wiring are all hidden away within the ceiling joists and you can switch it on using a wall switch. So, all you see would be bright discs focused on a counter, a painting, a curio, or an arrangement.

You can alter the brilliance, and set different areas of the room in various brightness. These lights provide you the flexibility of trying out different options of illuminating your living spaces. You can switch some lights on, and keep other off to give a good look to your rooms. Depending on the ceiling height and its design, you can choose the kind of recessed lighting that best suits you room.

How To Design the Perfect Bedroom - IDEA INTERIOR DESIGN

Whether you've just moved house, or are redecorating, your bedroom cannot be forgotten about. It's your personal space where you spend time relaxing and it should reflect your personality.

Firstly, you need plan the colour scheme of your room - the safest option is to go for a neutral offset and brighten it up with lively, colourful bedroom accessories. Clean lines and neutral background tones juxtaposed with eclectic, bright accessories will liven up the neutral offset.

Ideally, you want a relaxing atmosphere in the evening and then an airy, light feeling when you rise in the morning. The best way to achieve these contrasting moods is by choosing appropriate lighting - you could use a dimmer switch to create a calm, dimly-lit ambiance in the evening and in the morning you can let the natural light seep through your window by choosing lightly-coloured curtains. For dark mornings, you could use a bedside lamp which creates the illusion of daylight.

As your bedroom is your place to relax, you'll want it to be clutter free and therefore you'll need to think about the design of your room and storage space. Storage is key for creating space, make use of baskets, racks and dividers as they can be moved easily if need be. Also make use of the storage space underneath your bed, you can purchase plastic boxes to store items under your bed that you may not use too often. Fitted wardrobes hide storage hidden away and multifunctional furniture maximises space.

Try to choose furniture that's light and easy to manoeuvre and then you can move it around if you fancy a change. Place your furniture in corners and ensure you have enough room and space to move about freely. Try to avoid placing furniture in front of a window as it make the room look smaller and may block natural light from entering your room. If you are unsure where to place your furniture to create the most space, you can use special bedroom design software to plan your new bedroom and to ensure you are getting as much free space as possible.

Your bed will be the focal point of your room and will probably take up the most space, ensure your bed isn't too large for your room as it will leave you with little space for anything else. To make your bed look stylish, invest in original bed linen, and a striking headboard. Mix different fabrics on your bed, one type for headboard, one type for your linen and another for the cushions.

Whether you want a carpet or wooden flooring is your personal preference and each have their own benefits. Wooden flooring is easy to keep clean and can be livened up with stylish, textured rugs. On the other hand, carpet gives a homely feel and is soft on your fee. However, it does need to hoovered and can often be difficult to keep clean.