Posts Tagged interior design tips
Simple Home Interior Design Tips For Everyone
The way our home looks says a lot about who we are and even more about our personalities, that’s why the way in which we arrange our home interiors are very important in how we live our lives. We live in a fast moving world where we are bombarded with what we should wear, eat and put in our homes but rarely do we have the time to give thought to the facts that maybe how we arrange our rooms just might have an effect on or moods, creativity, energy levels and who knows what else. Maybe it’s time to take a serious look at ourselves and our home interiors.
There are a few simple ways in which we can spruce up our home life and our home interior design by focusing on some points that are very important:
• Harmony – All the rooms in our home need to have a strong sense of harmony to them.
• Focus Points – Rooms that have a center focus point that draws your attention will flow better. Things like your art displays, an architectural wall piece or even figurines are good suggestions.
• Balance – This is successfully done by balancing the rooms’ visual weight and subtly spreading it out to the other parts of the room.
• Color – This should be an obvious one. Using positive colors can shift energies around and make the world of difference. A candle or two can be used to dramatic effect.
• Proportion and Scale – Use only furniture and items that complement the total size of the room, not dwarf it or throw it out of proportion.
• Rhythm – Create the illusion of visual stimulation through movement by arranging your room in such a way that the viewer’s eye keeps moving around from point to point. This should not be confused with scattering things all around.
Home interior decor and design is often a highly sensitive subject as many people feel that they really know what they are doing but the result is quite the contrary. Items that you already own like candles and figurines can be easily re-arranged and placed on shelves and corners to create impressive dramatic effects and also improve lighting in areas that are often neglected due to obstructions or whichever.
The correct use of lighting in the home has the potential to literally transform any old lounge or study into a vibrant and stimulating room, just try it and see. Experimentation is the key and you won’t know if you don’t try.
If you want to try and mimic popular styles then consider looking at some alternative ideas for home interiors inspiration. Some of the most popular home interior designs would include; Asian, Arty interior, Gothic, Traditional, Mediterranean, Tropical and of course Modern interior designs.
A quick look into some of these styles mentioned will transform your home interiors and open up many doors of possibilities for re-inventing your home and injecting it with fresh life.
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Home Interior Design Tips on Decorating Your Space With Wall Art
How to Decorate your Space with Wall Pictures
If a room in your house lacks character, by simply placing some fine art prints on the walls can actually make quite an impact. Wall pictures are a necessary accessory in your home and are great to tie in with the room’s style and color accent. Before you go off to buy some new pictures for your walls there are a few things you need to plan and decide upon. Here is a home interior design guide on how to decorate your space with wall art.
Shop for Wall Art by Room
The kind of home you have and the mood, ambience and style of decor you create, should be perfectly designed to suit your lifestyle. Deciding on a style for your room should be determined by the lifestyle you choose and not by what’s the latest home interior design trend.
Whichever room you are wanting to decorate, whether it be your bedroom, living area, kitchen or office space, you need to decide what you want to get out of that space. For example:
- do you want to hold dinner parties or entertain?
- do you want a quiet retreat to get away from the hustle and bustle?
- Is this an area for the kids to play in?
- Is this a room for your hobby?
Once you have decided what you want to use the room for, you can now choose a color theme to suit the function of the room. For example, mellow greens and neutrals for your ‘quiet retreat room’, lively yellow for the kids room, or pale tranquil blue for your office space.
So far we have established the function and color of the room in question, this then gives us the basis on choosing the right art prints for the area.
For example:
- bright colorful cartoon pictures for the kids room
- mellow pastel floral pictures for your quiet retreat area, or
- tranquil landscape and scenic pictures for your office space
Choose your StyleLike paint color, artwork can immediately establish or change a room’s mood. Not only can it pull the room together, but you can use it to create a style uniquely your own.
- traditional & classic
- modern
- contemporary
- fun & entertaining
- casual
- romantic
The style of the room is totally dependent on your own personal taste and this is the time when you can inject your own personality into the room through artwork and textured accessories.
Suggested art picture styles:
Fun & Entertaining: Pictures can include bright colors both in the print and on the frame. Fun and entertaining pictures can include kittens and puppies, or comedian actors such as the Three Stooges or Laurel & Hardy.
Modern: With the strong black accents in the framed iron-work and the tapestries, striking black and white photos are a natural choice for a modern and sophisticated look.
Calm Retreat: To reinforce the mood of a nestled, cozy retreat, use artwork with neutral, earthy colors and a horizontal landscape subject.
You can even mix and match different styles to create a unique style of your own. For example, frame traditional black and white photo prints in a modern black iron frame.
Arranging and Hanging your Pictures
In order to get the maximum effect of your wall pictures in terms of adding character and a focal point to the room, you need to decide where and how you want to hang them.
Here are some suggestions to help you decide how to get the best effects from your pictures:-
Modern Gallery Look: To create a modern art gallery feel, particularly nice in hallways, lobbies and stairwells, give each piece ample breathing room. Stand at the center of the first piece and take one swift, or two small steps along the wall. This is a good center for the next piece.
Above a Sofa: When placing art above furniture such as a sofa, you need to hang the picture about six to nine inches above the sofa, or at eye level.
Cluster Arrangements: Tightly group an even number of pictures together to give a statement or a focal point. This works on either large or small wall spaces, depending on the look you want.
In a row: By placing an odd number of pictures in a horizontal line to each other gives balance and the sense of space. This works well in hallways or stairwells.
By deciding where and how to hang your pictures, whether it be a tight cluster or a single print above a sofa, you can then determine the size and shape of the pictures you need to buy.
When you have decided on the room’s function, color and style, you are in a much better position to go shopping for wall pictures that fit in with the overall theme.
Summary
Wall pictures are an underestimated home interior design accessory. This is probably because most people do not know what to do with their pictures in order to get the maximum effect in a room. Before you go hanging up your pictures make sure you plan ahead what you want to get out of that room. Decide on the function, style and color of the room first before you buy your artwork. By doing this you are in a much better position to buy the right type of art picture to fit in with the theme and color accent of your room.
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Home Interior Design Plans For the Elderly Person’s Bed Sit
Having an elderly relative living in your home can often benefit the whole family. The cost of professional care is becoming beyond the reach of many and, for the older person, living with an extended family can provide continued interest, security and the best possible care. The accommodation of an older family member within the home, it has to be admitted, is potentially fraught, but with some thought and patient planning it shouldn’t be too disruptive.
Home Interior Design Tips For Elderly People
The room you choose for the older person will, ideally, be at ground level so as to minimize difficult journeys and should if possible allow space for more than just sleeping. If it also has a large window with an interesting view, this should make your decision easy. The provision of areas for relaxing, bathing, cooking and dining will allow the senior citizen to remain active and somewhat independent from the rest of the household – a situation that is likely to suit both parties.
Dividing these areas of activity (by employing screens, curtains or items of furniture) is important for the occupant so that he/she can appreciate the changes in his/her day and can entertain without private areas being on view.
Designing a room or bed-sit for an older person is best achieved by placing yourself in that person’s shoes and by thinking through how to compensate for the possible limitations imposed upon their lifestyle. You don’t want to be too pessimistic, but it also pays to plan for days when the person’s capacities could be reduced. Some of the more obvious provisions are:
- A comfortable, easy access chair for the room occupant and seating for guests.
- Bright lighting to help cope with failing sight. Wall and ceiling-fixed lights plus well-weighted table and floor-standing lamps are suitable. A switch by the bedside is helpful, as is a low-wattage light that can be left on overnight. Remember to highlight any changes in floor level. Perhaps also consider positioning sockets and switches nearer to hand height.
- Warmth – older people generally like (and need) warmer room temperatures than the young. Central heating radiators and open fires need to be easily accessed and controlled and suitably guarded.
- Storage at an easily accessed level and with openings that are not too difficult to operate.
- The elimination of all sharp comers for safety reasons, and the removal of any electrical cables that could be tripped over. A smoke alarm is another wise precaution.
- In the bathroom, it’s a good idea to install grab rails around the bath and/or shower and perhaps a lockable mirrored wall cabinet. You might also like to consider fitting an ‘engaged’ door sign rather than a lock. Mixer taps and an electric temperature controlled shower will help better manange water temperature.
- Curtains on a corded track, operated from the side, to ease opening and closing.
- Non-slip floor covering and well-attached loose coverings. A fitted carpet of the type that can be easily cleaned is ideal.
The decoration of the room in a familiar style (most likely to be traditional) and the incorporation of existing possessions will help to make the elderly person feel quickly at home. Inviting them to make decoration choices will involve them further. Pretty patterns and cheerful colors will do much to lift their mood and the addition of plants and even a pet will bring life to the room.
In addition certain electrical gadgets, such as remote control for lights and curtains, could well smooth the life of an elderly person.
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