Design Basics Moderation & Balance

It seems as though the eternal battle in the family dwelling is not between siblings or spouses, but rather between Design & Functionality. We all desire a space to be visually appealing, but at what cost? Can a Minimalist dwelling be adequate for 4 children who own every Spongebob Squarepants toy on the market? Can a French Country kitchen provide the storage space needed for a master chef moving about like a whirlwind? Where does style confront substance and is there a point where the two of them unite to face the challenges of the home?

The solution Moderation & Balance - Moderation - Anything, including design, can be deadly if not taken in moderation. If you love cupcakes, go ahead and eat one...maybe two...pushing it on three. Twenty or thirty though, and you will most likely end up flat on your back on a gurney (en route to the hospital) or doubled over in pain in the restroom! An overly designed space puts too much focus on how things look and not how they function. It is all well and good to have a beautiful space but when it doesn't meet the needs of the person living in the space what good is it? . We long for the handsome white marble countertops not thinking about our four kids who would give it "patina" as soon as the installers walked out the door or a gleaming hardwood floor that our dogs are giving "character" to with their chasing games. It is important to make design choices that fit not only our lives but our personalities as well. For example a feature or fixture that requires constant maintenance is best suited to a type A personality who has the diligence to make it what it ought to be. They may be able to pull off spaces that the rest of us can only drool over in a magazine. And a comfortably "lived in" design would only drive that personality type bananas.

We have to truthfully analyze not only the way we live but also what we actually want to gain from the space. If you want a tranquil oasis from a hectic life, don't fill up your space with "stuff", instead de-clutter for a serene feeling. On the other hand, if you want to achieve a comfortable put-your-feet-on-the-table sort of atmosphere you might leave a few purpose driven accessories to enhance the feel. Balance - The rolling meadows in all their beautiful glory, do not impress us with just the colors and textures that they provide, but also the life and interaction that they support. We want to see the butterflies dancing around the flowers...we want to hear the birds singing their songs...we want to smell the sweet nectar of the wildflowers that seems to make the bees go crazy.

Design Basics Moderation & Balance

It seems as though the eternal battle in the family dwelling is not between siblings or spouses, but rather between Design & Functionality. We all desire a space to be visually appealing, but at what cost? Can a Minimalist dwelling be adequate for 4 children who own every Spongebob Squarepants toy on the market? Can a French Country kitchen provide the storage space needed for a master chef moving about like a whirlwind? Where does style confront substance and is there a point where the two of them unite to face the challenges of the home?

The solution Moderation & Balance - Moderation - Anything, including design, can be deadly if not taken in moderation. If you love cupcakes, go ahead and eat one...maybe two...pushing it on three. Twenty or thirty though, and you will most likely end up flat on your back on a gurney (en route to the hospital) or doubled over in pain in the restroom! An overly designed space puts too much focus on how things look and not how they function. It is all well and good to have a beautiful space but when it doesn't meet the needs of the person living in the space what good is it? . We long for the handsome white marble countertops not thinking about our four kids who would give it "patina" as soon as the installers walked out the door or a gleaming hardwood floor that our dogs are giving "character" to with their chasing games. It is important to make design choices that fit not only our lives but our personalities as well. For example a feature or fixture that requires constant maintenance is best suited to a type A personality who has the diligence to make it what it ought to be. They may be able to pull off spaces that the rest of us can only drool over in a magazine. And a comfortably "lived in" design would only drive that personality type bananas.

We have to truthfully analyze not only the way we live but also what we actually want to gain from the space. If you want a tranquil oasis from a hectic life, don't fill up your space with "stuff", instead de-clutter for a serene feeling. On the other hand, if you want to achieve a comfortable put-your-feet-on-the-table sort of atmosphere you might leave a few purpose driven accessories to enhance the feel. Balance - The rolling meadows in all their beautiful glory, do not impress us with just the colors and textures that they provide, but also the life and interaction that they support. We want to see the butterflies dancing around the flowers...we want to hear the birds singing their songs...we want to smell the sweet nectar of the wildflowers that seems to make the bees go crazy.

Guidelines on Mold and Mildew Prevention

Having mold and mildew indoors can be a very unsightly sight and they can also be considered health hazards especially for children. Mold and mildew can worsen symptoms of a condition called asthma and in others can cause nasal congestion, coughing and wheezing. Even if you are a healthy individual, chances are that you could also develop an allergic reaction to mold and mildew in the long run. It is very important that we obtain certain actions to keep mold and mildew at bay by pursuing these easy steps. To put off black mold from thriving, use exhaust fans in the bathrooms to get rid of moist air because it encourages mold development. If your basements or cellars are always damp, think about putting in a portable dehumidifier inside. Make sure to patch up leaks without delay, whether they are on the roof, toilet, window or pipe and always dry any perceptible water right away. Mold and mildew can develop on damp settings and rapidly increase to susceptible surfaces such as wood or paper. When you observe or sense damage, then it is likely that you have mold inside the house. Get rid of whatever thing that has mold like your moldy carpet, rugs, other floor coverings and upholstered furniture.

Scour any noticeable mold and mildew on walls or surfaces with a bleach-and-water solution or a commercial mold remover. Keep in mind to make sure the labels of any household cleaner because it is a truth that common cleaning agents have harsh and toxic chemicals that are harmful to man and the environment. There are new cleaning products in the market today that are both safe and very effective for mold removal. Choose one that is made of organic and all natural formulation. Mold removal is safe to do if you have the right mold and mildew cleaner. Your family's well-being must take precedence, so always make certain that your safety comes first and foremost. If mold comes back, as in the cases when ordinary cleaners were used, some call in a professional cleaning service or ask their plumber if they know or can recommend someone. This might prove to be expensive and very time-consuming. But if you have not yet found any traces of mold and mildew indoors, do not wait for them to appear and start taking precautionary measures to prevent it from happening. You must safeguard your dream and live in a house that poses no threat to you and your loved ones. Mold and mildew can be eliminated as long as you are fortified with the right information and tools to aid you if ever mold dares to invade your home.

Equestrian Home Decoration

The Wide Appeal of Equestrian Home Decor : Equestrian home decor gives horse lovers a chance to show their love and appreciation for their four-legged friends. There are all kinds of home furnishings, accessories, and accents that feature a horse of some sort. It might be a table lamp with a horse sculpture on the base, a comforter that depicts horses running across a meadow, or a piece of wall art with a horse theme. There are many reasons for the wide appeal of equestrian home decor. First, many people simply admire the form and beauty of the animal. Also, a horse might be reminiscent of time spent on a grandparent's farm or a summer camp where you learned to ride. You might have seen examples of equestrian home decor in all sorts of homes, but the horse-themed decor that we're most fond of is found in homes with one of the casual styles of home decorating, such as western, rustic, southwestern, or country. Some people might be surprised to know that an increasingly large percentage of horse-themed decor is in homes of people that do not own horses. Take a moment to think about your favorite horses from books, movies, or television. A few that come to mind for us are Trigger (the horse of Roy Rogers), Silver and Scout (the horses of the Lone Ranger and his sidekick Tonto), Black Beauty, My Friend Flicka, and the mischievous Mr. Ed. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, many children in grade school had a lunch box that featured one of these horses.

Okay, let's take a little trip down memory lane. How many of us had a rocking horse when we were kids? How about a blanket with cowboys and/or cowgirls and horses? Anything else with a horse on it? Yes, there's a chance that you had some sort of equestrian home decor back then and did not even realize it. There are horse-themed figurines, statuettes, and pottery dating back centuries from different cultures that created the pieces to honor the horse. The pieces that still exist are often a real treasure for a collector. Whether you want to decorate an entire room with equestrian home decor or just add a few pieces here and there, you can find a wide variety of items to accent your home, such as a horse-themed fireplace screen, wall art, bedding, rugs, throw pillows, and so much more.

Adding equestrian home decor in your bedroom can be accomplished with a few simple horse-themed items such as a well-placed picture or two, a comfy floor rug, and a lamp and/or lampshade. Let's not forget the bedding and comforter. With their large surface area, they can show one or more horses in a pastoral setting or running free across a hillside. Equestrian home decor is great for kids' rooms as well. Here, you can brighten a child's room with images of colts and fillies playing in a field. The kids will love a wooden rocking horse. Children's bedding has many designs with horses to choose from. You can also take the room decor one step further with an age-appropriate lamp that has horses depicted on the base or the shade. The finishing touch would be a decorative, yet playful horse design on a wall border. Whatever your reason for being attracted to equestrian home decor, you can be assured that you will have plenty of decorative items to choose from.

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Room Decor of Different Time Periods

When one sets upon fashioning and furnishing a room, the one thought that occurs is the mood setting. The dilemma and confusion between an Empire chair and a Louis XVI chair would all seem same. Then the question about the reproductions and antiques arise, mislead - why would some one do that to me? The primary aspect that has to be determined when furnishing or rearranging in case of a flat is to know whether you want ultimate comfort or simply aim at formality. The room has to be defined by you mentally for the purpose. It has to be known well in hand if it is for a man's study or family library, living room or a reception room, a boudoir or a bedroom? Minor issues, but they go along way in confirming the interior décor. It is just like getting to know a game of bridge, you learn it gradually. And if you find all the picking, choosing, arranging and rearranging tedious and you have no singular interest in it, it is better to hire the services of an interior decorator.

If you are the kind of person who has a leaning towards formality, comfort and also own a house in a city and country. The task would be simpler as you could opt for summers, holidays and weekends at the country house while the flat or town house in the city could take care of formality. Each individual is capable of being creative. The subject of the matter is the deep chairs with wide backs and seats, downy cushions, soft springs etc. Bookcases and tables elegantly placed, lights soft and at appropriate places. Beds too can add to the décor according to the taste of the individual in terms twin, single or double beds.

From among the various tasks, the primary job is to choose the right kind of antique belonging to a certain period or periods while getting the blends and combinations correct. Even if you identify the right subject it is sure to have taken a beating due to age, but the unmistakable craftsmanship, color and the purpose of hardiness is unfathomable. For example, in case you want to buy a desk - preferably an antique desk, you are required to visit an antique dealer and when you are certain you have found the right piece suiting and enhancing your décor, then you could ask for your friend's opinion who is reasonably experienced. When decided, it is mandatory to know the period to which the desk belongs to. It should be the kind that which would give you delight and the dealer too. Most of the antiques are known to have the unique signature of the maker engraved or marked on it. Purchasing an antique is similar to the purchase of a prized pedigree. Referring to books and periodicals would enlighten and educate you further more on the subject. The seeds as an antique would have been sown. When embarking upon making private collection it is suggested that you would have to be constantly on the lookout for rare unique pieces. Although, most of them would reside with museums and private collections, they would definitely deserve a look to determine the kind of make, usage of craft and the hues and colors used. Some of them guard to their antiques with such care and aggressiveness that it is a matter of envy.

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Tips To Refurnish Your House Inexpensively

Whether you are starting a brand new phase of life or bored of the same look around, you will definitely want to change the decor of your house. Redecorating the house is easy if you have a specific goal in mind. You should have an idea about how exactly you want the new decor to look. This article will not only give you tips on home redecoration, but also help you achieve your goal within a small budget.

Maybe you have a traditional decor and you want to make it feel more contemporary. Maybe your house is more of a bachelor pad and you feel the need for a more formal ambience. Whatever the case, study each of the rooms in your house and try to understand what is making your rooms look renovation worthy. Is your house too cluttered with many living room furniture pieces? Do you want your home to look formal? Would you prefer a soothing environment in your house or an energizing one? Once you have understood what is wrong with your current decorations and decided exactly how you want the newly decorated house to look, the process of refurnishing will get much easier.

Now you must think about the changes you need in the color settings. Often the simplest and cheapest way of changing the look of the house is to change the wall colors. A boring room can get an instant uplift with a pop of colors. These days you can even get wall colors with beautiful textures that make their own style statement. You may not even need wall decorations if you choose the wall color smartly. As you decide about your color choices and other arrangements for each room, keep a notepad and pen with you and jot down all your preferences. This will keep you from getting confused later. Normally, people get overwhelmed by the myriad choices available in the stores and end up over shooting their budgets while purchasing things they did not want in the first place. Thus, keeping a log of your choice will help you stay focused during your shopping trip.

Best Way to Clean Mildew Off Wood and Bricks

Brick Cleaning and Maintenance
Last June we installed a new redwood deck. After waiting two weeks, my husband treated it with Cabot Australian tree oil. We now have areas that are almost black and others as pristine as the day the deck was installed. I have wiped off the black areas and have found the rag to be covered in a black residue. An apricot tree hangs over part of the deck but the color between the tree's droppings and the color on the deck is inconsistent. What is our problem and how can it be solved?

A: You've posed the first of what are usually many of our annual deck maintenance questions. Without question there's a fungus among us. You have a mildew problem. The clues are that the apricot tree shades the deck and the black residue covers the rag when you wipe the discolored area. The deck is protected from sunlight by the shade of the tree. Especially in winter, areas getting little sun are prone to be damp, making them perfect breeding grounds for mildew. Kevin had a similar problem in Alameda, Calif., with a deck that was on the north side of his house. It got some sun in the summer, but in the wet winter months the black slime came out. At one point he even started to grow a nice crop of moss. Fortunately, the solution is simple. Kill the mildew with a mildewcide, pressure-wash the deck and reseal it.

Wall decorating is an art in do it youself

Grouping and coordinating art and photos for wall decoration for major impact and effect takes time and effort. The rules of balance and scale apply to wall displays just as they do for furniture and accessories. Whether your style is Traditional, Tuscan, or Southwestern, successful displays make use of color, balance, and proportion. A large picture or work of art makes more impact if it is placed in a prominent spot by itself. Medium size or smaller art pieces used for wall decoration are more likely to be appreciated if they are grouped together on a wall rather than scattered throughout the room.

Test Your Grouping Before You Decide
Standard decorating practice states that it is much easier to arrange your photos or prints using templates before you make your final decision. Cut templates of all your photos and pictures from brown Kraft paper. Arrange them on a table or the floor until you have an arrangement that pleases you. Tape them to the wall with removable tape. Live with this a few days and decide if you would like to make any changes before you go forward with your wall decoration plans.

Carefully Choose the Correct Height
When considering wall decoration, location makes a big difference. Don't hang pictures for your height only. Consider the proportions of the wall as well as the surrounding furniture. A general guideline is to hang pictures 6 to 8 inches above the furniture. If the picture is hung too high, it will seem to be disconnected from everything around it. If too low, it will interfere with the use of the furniture and will not be viewed properly.

As with anything else in home decorating, rules are made to be broken, so if you are not happy with a particular location don't be afraid to go against this idea. Sometimes, pictures are meant to be viewed from a seated position. Be sure and check this out with your templates before you make a final decision. At other times, a huge piece of art may look better closer to the ceiling, away from the mantel or sofa. Only you can be the judge of the preferred location for any piece of art.

Wall Art Does Not Have to Be Square
Don't lock yourself into the idea that all pictures must be hung in straight rows. Let the shape of the area guide your wall decoration arrangement. If there is a dormer in the shape of a triangle, or if you have a cathedral ceiling, arrange your templates to fit into that space. All the outside edges do not have to line up in a straight line. If it helps, cut out a large template of a triangle, of the shape of the area you want to decorate. It may be a circle or perhaps a long rectangle. Then arrange your photo templates on this larger template. This will help you visualize your finished arrangement before you hang items on the wall.

Unify Your Arrangement with Color
If you have a mix of photos or pictures you like but they don't have a common theme, unify them into a group by using matching mats or frames. On the other hand, if the photos do have a common thread, it won't matter if the frames don't match. In fact, having some conflict in the grouping will add interest to the arrangement.

Check the Proportions
When working on wall decoration, you will be able to tell immediately if the framed piece you want to use is out of proportion to the wall space. A piece that is too small will immediately look lost and isolated. A good rule of thumb to remember is that the piece should be about two-thirds the size of the piece of furniture over which it hangs. If you find a photo or picture it too small, group it with other pictures to fill in the wallspace.

Look at the Balance
If you have arrangements with various sizes of photos, make sure you keep the heavier pieces on the bottom. A large picture at the bottom anchors the grouping and keeps it from looking top heavy. If you have a large picture you enjoy over the sofa, but somehow it is not quite wide enough, balance it out with two smaller pictures on either side. Remember, the bottoms do not have to be lined up, and they do not have to be lined up exactly across the middle. Play with your templates until you see an arrangement that makes you feel happy and satisfied. As I say numerous times throughout this site, the only person you have to please is youself. This is your home and environment and the only people you should be concerned about are you and the people you share the home with.

So there you have it, a few tips and suggestions to get you started in the right direction. Once you start really looking at your wall space as a display area, you will be amazed at the ideas that start to pop up in your creative mind (Yes, you are creative! We are all born creative and don't let anyone tell you any different!)

How To - decorating Light and Lighting Art

Lighting is often an overlooked element that contributes a great deal to the style and mood of a room. Some designers feel it’s an even more important than color, as it controls the way colours appear. The effort you put into selecting the correct lighting will pay off in terms of both flair and function. A good lighting scheme is a combination of ambient, accent, and task lighting.

Make a room plan before buying or installing lighting. Start by considering all the ways in which the room will be used: reading, relaxing, studying, playing games, watching TV, bathing, cooking, etc. Then consider what types of lighting will best meet those needs. A multilayered plan, combining the following three types of lighting, will provide options for meeting practical needs and creating different atmospheres.

Ambient lighting is the general, overall light in the room, including whatever comes in from windows, doors, skylights, etc. Ambient lighting also has to replace natural light at night and on grey days. Ambient lighting casts strong, even light throughout a space. Typically, this is accomplished through ceiling fixtures, often one large central overhead light. This can be practical but is rarely flattering or especially pleasing aesthetically. With a little more thought, you can provide ambient lighting that is flexible and attractive, through the creative use of pendants, chandeliers, recessed lighting, track lighting, and table and floor lamps.

Accent lighting is designed to highlight special features or areas. It’s usually highly focused, designed to emphasize art, architectural details, or vignettes. Really artistic accent lighting can sometimes take on the quality of an architectural element in itself, adding great style and drama to a room. Examples of accent lighting include: small lights affixed inside cabinets with glass doors or along bookshelves, to highlight the contents; uplights placed on the floor behind a large plant to create dramatic silhouettes and shadows; and track lights arranged to show off the contours and texture of a sculpture.

Task lighting is designed to provide illumination for specific tasks, such as sewing, cooking, hobbies, reading, personal grooming, etc. It’s meant to protect you from such risks as eye strain, or cutting yourself slicing a bagel while standing in your own shadow. Task lighting can be a form of energy efficiency; it may not be necessary to light a whole room if you have appropriate task lighting where needed. Almost every room needs some kind of task lighting, whether it’s to sew on a button in the laundry room or apply makeup in the bathroom. Wall-mounted, swing-arm reading lamps at bedside are a great example of stylish fixtures that provide task lighting. Kitchens and bathrooms particularly demand good task lighting. In the kitchen, under-cabinet lights can provide sufficient light for prep activities, but other fixtures, such as pendants or recessed (pot) lights, may be required to light an island or the stove area. In the bathroom, the harsh light from most overhead fixtures would make even a beauty look beastly. Install sconces on either side of the mirror for soft lighting that won’t send you screaming back to bed.

Some final tips: Don’t forget dimmers: they allow you to refine your lighting schemes even more, and save energy, too. And remember that non-electric lighting sources—candles and fireplaces—add feelings of warmth, softness, festivity, romance, and elegance, so include them in your plan.