Choosing the Right Colour Scheme for Your Home

Choosing the right colour scheme for your home can be extremely enjoyable. It can also be a bit intimidating. The sheer number of colour choices available may leave you wondering where to begin. Remember that decorating a home is an expression of your own personality. Don’t be afraid to trust your instincts. You will be most comfortable living with a colour scheme that reflects your own personal style and taste.

Making a preliminary list of favourite colours can be a good place to start the process. One option when choosing colour schemes is take a cue from your furnishings. Look for a colour palette in a favourite painting, cushion or drapery. Once you’ve chosen a few colours, take them on a tour. To avoid jarring changes in style and ambiance, you’ll want a palette that takes the whole home into consideration. Take note of how the light at various times of the day affects the colours. A trip outside may inspire you as well.

There are a variety of types of colour palettes to consider for your home’s colour scheme. An analogous palette features colours next to each other on the color wheel, such as greens and blues. A monochromatic colour palette consists of varying shades of a single colour. A complementary color palette includes colours in opposite sides of the color wheel. You need not feel bound by any one particular type of palette. A monochromatic room in deepening shades of sage green may benefit from a pop of a complementary-hued coral.

White and black hold unique roles in a colour palette. White has a cohesive effect, connecting incongruent colours. White can also subdue dramatic shades. White trim is a popular option for achieving a unified effect. While the drama of the colour black can be overwhelming to some decorating styles, touches of black, such as a black ottoman or end table, can add a feeling of solidity or gravitas to any décor.

Once you've chosen a base color, purchase some sample jars of paint. Since paint always changes colour when it dries, it is a good idea to paint several sample squares of a colour in various shades on a wall. Wait a day or two before committing a colour to a whole room.

Achieving the Home You Want on a Budget?

For many people, interior decorating is something that is rarely done. Many people may feel that the inside of their home is not well decorated and to get the look and layout desired would be an excessive expense. This is certainly not the case as there are a number of inexpensive and simple things that can be done to update and improve the interior look of any home.

When it comes to furniture in the home, there is no need to purchase brand new and expensive items to get the desired look. Existing furniture may be able to be repurposed and revitalized. By simply stripping and repainting an item such as a wardrobe, this can be repurposed and utilized in the home in a new and exciting way. Living room furniture also does not need to be replaced. With a well fitting cover, any sofa can regain new life. If different pieces of furniture are desired, there may be great finds available at the local thrift store. Antique furniture or pieces that simply need a little bit of attention and work may be perfect for the home.

Another area where an inexpensive change can be made is the flooring. If a room is carpeted, by pulling up some carpets, the homeowner may find that there is a nice wooden floor underneath. With a simple polish, nice hardwood floors may be achieved. For carpeting that simply needs to be revitalized, having a company professionally clean the house will breathe new life into the carpeting.

Painting is something that can be easily done by the homeowner and does not have to be a major expense. When it comes to painting multiple rooms, it is always wise to use colours that are in the same colour palettes or colour family. Having traditional and tasteful colours will insure that time and money does not need to be spent in the near future when one decides to repaint the walls.

With a few simple touches and some thoughtful planning, interior decorating in the home can be done inexpensively and give the house a fresh and revitalize look.

Top Tips To Improve Your Home Interior

Even seasoned design experts can benefit from design advice every now and then. Whether you plan to work with a designer or tackle your decorating challenges yourself, basic design tips can help to fuel the process and offer inspiration during the process. Basic design tips that focus on balance, simplicity, impact, function, details and color can significantly improve the interior of your home.

Balance refers to the sense of proportion in a room. Symmetry in design is a reflection of balance. For instance, two identical sconces flanking either side of a fireplace gives a room balance. Balance also refers to the judicious use of pattern and color, casual and formal elements and masculine and feminine.

Keep it simple in the design of your home. Pare down your possessions to include the items you truly love. It can be very freeing, for example to remove curtains from a window to allow more light in. Remove extraneous items such as area rugs, to allow a visual focus on beautiful furniture or place floating shelves in a space for simple storage and display.

Impact is another area of design that is often overlooked. While you may have a beautiful space with many lovely pieces, does one piece in particular stand out? If not, you are missing visual impact in your design. Creating visual impact can be as simple as painting one wall in a room a bold color, or hanging a huge painting over the fireplace.

Function refers to the "usability" of your space. Do all the pieces serve a function? Think about adding durable upholstery fabric, smart storage solutions and surfaces such as scratch-resistant stone. Utilize nooks and crannies to create reading, office or storage space to improve the functionality of your home.

Pay attention to detail in your design. This may include delicate tassels hanging from a curtain panel or nail head trim on a camelback sofa. Recover old pillows with elegant silk or add a luscious piece of fringe as trim to a bedspread or comforter. These small touches personalize your home with elegance and detail.

Another tip for designing your home is to use injections of color. When choosing a color palette, consider not only the look you want to achieve, but the colors that please you. Think about the color of the clothes you like to wear and go from there. A favorite painting may also be a way to launch your color scheme.

The Basics in Home Decor

Home is the place that everyone wants to get back to. However, not every house becomes a home, at least until those who are living in it become comfortable. If your living space is not quite as welcoming and cozy as you would like it to be, some decorating may be in order. A house, or an apartment, or an office space, can be made homey by making it a desired destination. Here, to that end then, are the basics in home decor.

There are three things to consider and discuss when decorating or redecorating any living area in any place. They will be related to whether of not the space is aesthetically pleasing, whether or not it is physically comfortable, and whether or not one can afford it. Considering these ideas will help to make the whole process less stressful and more enjoyable.

Of course, you are going to want a space that is nice to look at. When entertaining others, or enjoying it on your own, having an aesthetically appealing space is vital to well being. Use colors you truly enjoy, and textures that are calming. Use a style that you will want to spend time with day after day.

The same consideration will be necessary in regard to physical comfort. If the new furniture is not comfortable to sit on, you will not be happy at all. The room needs to be easy to access and move around in, too. Comfort is about more than just soft seats. It is about how easily one can move about the room in order to enjoy the amenities within it.

And as with anything else, the bottom line must be taken into consideration. If you are spending time in a room that has put you in debt, you will not enjoy it as much as something you can afford. Quality furnishings can be found at reasonable prices, but you will need to do the required research and comparison shopping.

Ultimately, the basics in home decor will come down to these three things. Do you like the way it looks? Do you like the way it feels? Can you afford it? If the answer to these three questions is yes, then you are well on your way to creating an enviable home environment for yourself as well as for others.

Home Design - Tips and Ideas

The green revolution is an excellent new trend that is impacting many different areas of modern life with environmental wherewithal and consciousness. One of these areas is home design. People that are having their houses custom built or who are building houses themselves are getting in on the green trend and incorporating it into the designs they are using. The following are some tips concerning green home design and construction:

Counter Tops

Counter tops are always an important part of a house’s design. They are found in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas of the house. You can investigate using ceramics, recycled glass, or bamboo for counter tops, thus reducing the amount of conventional wood you use. Bamboo is the latest thing in sustainable wood, being a quickly self renewing and easily harvested wood type. You might also consider using reclaimed wooden or marble counters here.

Carpeting

An interesting and encouraging fact is that one in four recycled plastic bottles is made into carpeting. Look for carpets made from recycled materials to encourage this green trend. You can also simply purchase used carpets rather than buying them new.

Paint

There is an increasing selection of eco friendly paints available for painting both the interior and exterior of a house. These paints often do not contain toxic materials or volatile organic compounds. You can use these sorts of paints on both the interior and exterior of your house. They look great and help the environment at the same time.

Lighting

Even lights and light bulbs are going green. New energy efficient bulbs are available that can save a homeowner a lot of money on energy bills. Another idea is to install dimmer lights. You can reduce the lighting as needed to economize still more.

Curtain Poles

Curtain poles come in a variety of options, including metal, wooden, brass, and composite styles. There are many styles of designer curtain poles that of course span a wide variety of colors, finishes, and embellishments. More than one option can perfectly suit your room, so serious attention to curtain poles is crucial to proper interior decorating.