Home Decor

Making a home look beautiful and inviting is not just about the look of the place you also have to think about the textures. Remember that you and your visitors touch many of the walls, furniture, floors and cupboards in your home so they all need to be touch friendly.

If you have wooden furniture and cupboards make sure that the wood is smooth and there are no sharp or rough edges. The last thing you want is for a guest to catch themselves on a splinter from the wood or scratch their leg on the dining room table. If the wood is soft wood then it has already been treated and you will have no worries of splintering but it may warp. If this is the case, try and keep water away from it as the warped wood has a rough texture and also does not look nice. If you have wooden parquet floors make sure it is made from smooth wood.

Wood is not the only texture in a house, think about the furnishings. Your couches are made up of many different textures whether it is leather, fabric or suede. If leather is not treated properly and polished on a regular basis then it becomes rough and begins to crack, not only does it not look nice but it also does not feel nice. Fabrics can wear with time and begin to be ropey which is very uncomfortable to sit on, so this needs to be watched and if necessary replaced or covered.

Floors come in all sorts of textures and materials. If you have stone or ceramic floors, make sure that they are filled in correctly with grouting, every couple of years you should re-grout to give a cleaner look and also a smoother finish. If you have linoleum or Amtico make sure that you do not drop hot liquids as this can ruin the floor. Carpets come in all different piles and textures, some shaggy and some short. What you have is a personal choice but be aware that shaggy carpets tend to malt hair and wear much more quickly than short hair carpets. Although a shaggy may seem softer to begin with, in time if it becomes patchy it is not so nice to the touch or the eye.

Taking care when choosing and using the different textures in your home is very important. Touch is very sensitive and often sits in our subconscious, you can love the look of a home but if it is rough and uneven then you will always have a nagging doubt about it in the back of your head.

You may have spent a lot of money on a fancy door that gives a great impression when entering your home but if you have bad quality and old internal doors, all the good impressions will be washed away.

Doors may seem to be the last thing on your mind when you are redecorating but in fact they are one of the more important areas to be covered when recreating your home. The internal doors of a house are what separate each room from the other; they are like a boundary and should be thought about with great care before being chosen. If you want your house to have a light and airy look to it, like a summer home then think of cream or white doors. If you have children running around then make sure you choose doors that wipe clean very easily.

Glass doors are very attractive but not always the most practical. You can see straight through them and every tiny mark shows up, also there is always the chance of them shattering or cracking if they are banged too hard. Wooden doors in time can warp, especially if you live in a hot climate. But, on the other hand, metal doors are heavy and not really suitable for inside doors. Look around at what is available in the market and choose something that is practical yet gives the right feeling to your home.

Often kitchens are open plan these days but if you can, try and incorporate a sliding door that can be made invisible. You never know when you will need to shut the door. The latest fashion for a bathroom door is with a little bit of glass to let in light and make them stand out as different from the other doors. If you don't like this idea then you don't have to use it, having all the doors the same provides a certain amount of uniformity and looks very smart.

Whatever you choose, remember that doors provide first impressions before you even walk into a room so should be welcoming as well as practical.

If you have decided to do some work in your home that requires more than the simple decorator or builder, you will need to find a good and reliable project manager with a supporting team of professional workers.

How many stories have you heard of disaster renovations? The builders left in the middle with the floor half done and no plumbing or the electrical board was all messed up and so on. There is no 100% guarantee that the contractor you take to do major work around your house will not mess it up. But there are a few pointers you should look for and investigate before hiring someone.

If you know what you want to do in the house then make sure you have clear plans drawn up by an architect or interior designer. Today plans can be drawn up on a computer and a 3D version can be viewed so that you do not have to imagine what the place will look like, you can actually see it. When interviewing contractors, try and assess how well they understand the plans you are showing them? Do they have sensible questions to ask or does it seem like they want to make their own interpretations. Do they think on the same wavelength as you? This is very important as you want to have a good rapport with whoever you work with.

When receiving quotes from contractors, make sure you have counter quotes from others which all talk about the same work and materials. Ask for references and go and see the work that your potential contractor has carried out in other places. Find out if your potential contractor is an easy person to work with or difficult. Doing work in your home is a very stressful time so you don't want to make it worse by using someone who is not easy to work with.

When you decide on a particular contractor, draw up a basic contract before the work begins. Whatever you do, don't pay everything up front; there is nothing wrong with giving a small retainer or paying an amount each week but only pay relatively to the amount of work that has been done. If there are materials to pay for, ask to see the receipts so that you can be sure you are not being cheated. Having said that, it is important to trust the contractor you are working with and feel totally comfortable with his work. Don't be afraid to point out small things that need fixing even before he has finished - it is your home and you are paying for the work so you have every right to comment.

You may have the most beautiful home in the area but if it is not kept clean and tidy no one will appreciate it, least of all you.

If you do not have much spare time on your hands then it is worth investing some of your spare cash, if you have, in a cleaner or cleaning company. You can contract cleaners to come on a regular basis to your home and clean when you are not around, so that they don't get in your way. Make sure you use a reputable firm or a cleaner that has been recommended to you so that you don't have any trust issues. If there are particular areas that you want attending to then make a list for the cleaner and prioritize for them each week what you want them to deal with.

Many of us are not lucky enough to have the spare cash to afford a cleaner so we have to do the job ourselves. After a long hard day at work and then cooking and looking after children it often gets too much to start cleaning the house as well. If you have kids that are of a responsible age, then think about giving them chores around the house, in return for payment or favors. Have a Rota going so that each week, someone else does a different part of the house making the job more interesting and exciting. Make up songs to sing as you go around the house.

Cleaning a home is so important and will add to the whole atmosphere of the place, even if you haven't got the best decor in the house or feel that you need to paint, a good clean and tidy home will stand out more than the dirty walls. Set aside some time each week to clean and you will benefit from it.

You wouldn't believe how many of us take our floors for granted. We walk on them, kids spill food on them and animals often soil them. But floors are such an essential part of our homes that they need to be given plenty of attention and respect.

If you are considering doing a home make over, then maybe you should look at the floors. Floors determine a lot about the look of the home. A dark wooden floor has a certain medieval look to a place whereas a shiny white ceramic floor definitely makes a room look more modern. Before even choosing a floor you need to analyze what the room is used for and the sort of traffic that goes through that room.

For example, a room that is a main artery in a house or apartment will be used a lot and therefore you will need a practical floor. It needs to be something that can be cleaned easily and will last a long time. A cashmere rug is not a good idea for an area like the hallway but a hard wearing ceramic floor may be a consideration. If the room is rather dark then you should immediately abandon any ideas of using dark floors, these only add to the gloom. If there is no natural light in a room then it is best to stick to a light color floor that can reflect what little light there is.

What type of floor covering is another discussion entirely. In the kitchen, you obviously need a floor covering that is practical and can be cleaned easily after food spillages, carpets are not a good idea here. Children also make plenty of mess so consider using a fake wooden floor in a child's bedroom that can be wiped clean easily rather than smart parquet or carpet. A parent's room which is a haven for 2 people is the place to put in plush carpets.

By changing the floor of a room you are definitely changing the character of that room, subsequently choosing the new floor covering should not be done lightly. Look around at what your neighbors and friends have done especially if they have similar lifestyles. Changing a floor is an investment in your home and educated decisions need to be made. If you do decide to change your floor, you will immediately notice the difference and then be able to tackle other areas of the house décor.

Stripes can add a lot of glamour to a room and make it much more interesting. Once people were very conservative with the way they decorated rooms. Either standard flowery wallpaper was used or plain colors were painted on the walls. As fashions and the interior decoration market developed, so did peoples tastes. Ideas have become more and more sophisticated and different as time goes on.

One of the interesting ideas today is to take one wall of a large room and decorate it with stripes. These stripes could be made up of colors that are painted on the wall. With a bit of masking tape and some tasteful colors you can do this yourself. Place the masking tape along the wall horizontally, in a very straight line, use a spirit level to make sure it is perfectly straight. The distances between each stripe is totally up to you and the sort of pattern you are trying to achieve. If you want wide stripes then make use of the wide masking tape that is available, if you want narrower stripes, then obviously use the narrow tape. Make sure the tape is applied very smoothly to the wall and there are no bubbles or kinks where paint could potentially get in. Now all that you have to do is choose your colors. Once the paint is dry, peel off the masking tape very carefully and you will have stripes. You can paint on top of an existing color or paint a new base underneath and then stripes on top. Or you can buy a ready made wallpaper with stripes.

The stripes do not have to be horizontal only, you can make them vertical or on a diagonal. You can have a mixture of the two. But before you start painting all over the house, draw out your ideas on a piece of paper so that you are clear in your head what you want to do. The worst thing is to start a project and then not like the way it is coming out and try and cover it up.

Once your stripes are finished you can accessorize the room with some flowered or abstract cushions and curtains in similar colors. The whole effect is refreshing and definitely different. No one will accuse you of being boring with stripes and patterns in your rooms.

You can have the most beautifully decorated home in the world but if it is not tidy then it will never look good. I am not talking about it being clean; cleanliness is also something that is very important. But tidiness makes a good impression also.

Tidiness needs to be present in every room in the house from the bathroom right through the kitchen and living room to all of the bedrooms and the entrance way. For example it is not pleasant to walk into someone's home and see papers lying around the place. It makes the place look untidy and more like an office than a home. Find a good storage place for all of these papers; if they are letters then buy yourself a letter holder. If they are newspapers then you can buy a very attractive newspaper and magazine holder. There are plenty to choose from these days and you are sure to be able to find one that suits your decor.

In the kitchen, mugs and coffee and biscuits and things may be easily accessible if they are on the surfaces but it does not look neat. On the other hand you don't want the place to be sterile. So find some attractive containers for the coffee and tea and sugar that blends into your kitchen. Keep the mugs in the cupboards. If you have bread on the side then buy a bread bin to hold it, this is more practical and also looks nicer.

If you have a lot of books in the house, then invest in some attractive shelving that will hold the books nicely and fit in with the decor of the house. If you have a few ornaments spare, you can add these to the bookshelves to make it even more attractive and it can become a feature in the house.

There are plenty of things that can be added to a house to make it more attractive and keep it tidy. If you have a tidy house then you will feel like you have a tidy life. It does not take a lot of effort to have a tidy house and is worth it for the benefits attached to it.

If you have children, grandchildren or at some point are hoping to have kids, then you need to consider this when looking at how to decorate your home. Children by nature are not tidy; they don't understand the concept of keeping things neat. Little kids are even worse and like to get hold of pens and paints and make as much mess as possible.

If you have room for it in your house or apartment, then I suggest you create a children's corner. This could be a whole room or part of a larger room that is totally dedicated to the kids. Here you can decorate it in bright colors and make the whole place very attractive. If you consider yourself an artist then there is no reason why you can't paint a mural on the wall, one of the favorite Disney characters or some animated vehicles or dolls or some such thing. Put some comfortable floor cushions around the place and make sure all of the toys are very accessible whether from a toy chest or in easy to use cupboards.

If you are very daring, then leave a corner of the room undecorated. Here you can get your kids to decorate. Buy some non toxic paint that kids can use. Prepare the room by covering the floor and any furniture that is close by. Now you can call your kids in and start decorating. You don't need brushes. Pour some of the paint into trays that are large enough to fit their hands and feet in and let them go wild painting the corner with their hands. They can make hand and foot prints. If you have paint left over, then get a large piece of paper and let them make hand and foot print posters. Date and name them and if they are really good you can put them up in the room framed or unframed.

Another great idea for a children's corner it to paint a strip of magnetic paint. This is a special paint that acts like a magnet. You can make a strip of it and then all of the kid's artwork and any important notices and so on can be put up in a semi ordered fashion using magnets. The magnetic paint can be mixed with other colors to make the color of your choice. It can be bought in most hardware stores.

When decorating your home, you have to remember the children as they are such an important part of all of our lives. So make sure you set aside some time and space for them so they can feel part of the whole decorating job that you are undertaking.

Whoever said that the entrance way to a house or apartment is not important? In my opinion first impressions are very important for getting the right message across.

I have been to homes where the garden and entrance way is such a mess that you don't want to go into the house. And when I actually did set foot in the house it was just as bad. There were dirty dishes everywhere and you could not see the floor for all of the dirt, food and shoes spread all over it. The people who lived there were the nicest people possible but after visiting their home I definitely began to think of them differently. I just thought that if someone lives like that then what sort of values did they really have. A bit unfair maybe but that is what happened to me after gaining first impressions.

On the other hand I have been to houses where the entrance way is spotless and looks like a museum. To the point that you are scared to actually walk through it in case you break something or make it dirty. I have even been tempted to take off my shoes at some entrance ways in fear of taking a morsel of dirt into the perfect spotless house.

There is a happy medium that can be found between the mess and the museum entrance way. Make an entrance way that is welcoming and at the same time neat and tidy. Some plants can often enhance the entrance way or some family pictures or pictures of your favorite scenery. If you like painting yourself then you could paint a mural or even some sponge painting in two tone colors which is attractive and inviting. Put some shelves at the entrance way to hold some hanging plants and don't forget to have a name plaque for your family. So at least when you visitors come they know they are at the right house!

The first impressions that a visitor gathers at the entrance to your home will influence the time he spends in his home and how he enjoys himself, so it is worth giving it some attention.

Often the choice of cloth and textiles in a room is undermined and not given the attention that it should have.

Lets take an example, maybe a bedroom. At one glance, the textiles in that room are curtains, carpets, bedding, towels and sometimes cloth cupboards or shoe holders. In order to make a room look nice you want everything to coordinate and compliment. Since the carpet is probably the largest area to be covered in the room, it is best to start by choosing the carpet colors and quality first. If the room is to be used by children then choose a carpet that is hardwearing and can be cleaned easily. Don't choose a high pile if you can avoid it as they tend to gather dust more and are definitely harder to clean. Neutral colors like blue or dark beige are often good choices.

Once you have chosen the carpet, the next item should be the curtains or blinds. It is best to choose a contrast color to the walls and carpets as you don't want everything to blend into each other. On the other hand you don't want the room to look like a circus. So go for something in between. If the walls are plain then choose patterned curtains and if the walls are patterned then go for plain curtains or two tone colors. Before you choose the type of fabric examine why you want curtains. If you are adding curtains or blinds to the room, just for the effect and to look nice then go for a lighter fabric. If you want to cut out light at night then you need a heavier fabric which will probably need to be lined. If you want also to keep the cold air out, a heavier fabric is needed. How the curtains are made and what finish you want is a whole different subject which I will discuss another day.

The last textiles to choose in a bedroom are the bedding and towels if you keep towels there. Choose bedding that is cotton or cotton mix with a high cotton count. That way it will be soft and not crease too much. Personally I don't like the shiny finish that is applied to some bedding but that is a matter of personal taste. Again choose something that does not disappear in the room, you want the bed to be noticed but not too much. Whatever you choose, make sure you can mix and match with other sets so that when you are washing one the other is free. I will elaborate more in the next article.