Home Decor

Simple Guidelines to Help You Choose the Right Chair and Ottoman Set

I could never understand why some people never choose to spoil themselves every now and then, even when there is nothing standing in their way. I mean really, why wouldn’t we want to enjoy life’s simplest and sweetest offerings? Why wouldn’t we feel the need to reward ourselves for constantly trying and pushing forward? It is perfectly normal to wish for a carefree day, a day filled with nothing but comfort, relaxation, and small earthly pleasures in the form of delicious food. I don’t know about you, but such days are my own personal life-savers, for they keep me sane.

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Teleport Your Kitchen into the Past with Charming Retro Wallpaper Designs

As much as we try to decorate our homes and make them look as modern and fancy as possible, we always seem to lean towards the cosiness and the familiar feeling of warmth and security we felt while growing up in our grandmother’s kitchens, tightly holding on to her skirt as she would prepare the most delicious pastries ever. Oh, that smell; even nowadays as I pass by a bakery or a pastries shop I stop for a memory flashback: my granny’s kitchen and me trying to follow her footsteps into becoming a great baker. Oh well, worth the try.

I think about my grandmother’s kitchen often; she cared about it so much and always kept it sparkly clean. Along with the smell that plays with the desire for food, her kitchen had a charm of it’s own emitted through every pore of that space: the retro wallpapers that covered the walls, the set of fine china and the hanging cooking pieces all perfectly arranged for an easy reach. In the attempt to make my kitchen look a little different than the average designs seen on the Internet and interior design magazines, I decided to take the best parts from my granny’s kitchen and incorporate them in my otherwise very modern and equipped with high technology kitchen.

The first thing I’d suggest you do in case you’re up for the same challenge, is to buy retro wallpaper to cover the walls in your kitchen. The walls are a huge decorative element and nothing will say ‘retro’ more than a nice wallpaper combined in colour with the rest of the kitchen furniture. Go with pastels, as you can never go wrong with these nuances of colour. They go perfectly well with either metal elements or furniture made of wood. Before you buy retro wallpaper, determine what kind of colour and design would best suit the surrounding area around the walls on which you chose to install them.

Next thing would be to get as many fine china as possible: plates and cups being the most important pieces you need to have in your palette. Kitchenware and glassware can really bring you back in time like a time machine; remember when you used to eat in ceramic plates with artistic drawings on them? Or your favourite cup with the little classy people drawn on it? To make the entire picture even more retro, get a hanging rack which you’ll attach on any of the walls in your kitchen. Hang all the cups and exhibit the plates: is there a more familiar look?

For a final touch, don’t forget to decorate with fresh flowers. We may still be blinded by the blings and the shiny appearance of high technology, but as people grow old, they understand the importance of human connection with Mother Nature. Fresh flowers in yellow and red colours along with some green leaves will contribute to the retro kitchen you’re aiming for and will allow you to bring a little nature inside your modern, technology-driven kitchen. Just like granny used to do.

Your Guide to Turning Your Home into a Stress-Free Zone with Aromatherapy

There are times when we wish we could just live in Neverland with Peter Pan and never grow up. This is because, though living in the world of today is a great deal simpler than the life people had in past centuries, there are so many activities we get to do on a daily basis and so many things that get our attention which could lead to exhaustion. This could lead to stress that we might not even be aware of that can affect the quality of lives we have. Along with this, city life and the growth of cityscapes results in taking us further from our connectedness with nature and the rising number of vehicles adds to the degree of air pollution. All this has taken its toll on our skin without us even realising it, being out and about doing errands.

As much as it is important to get everything done as soon as you can, it is just as important to be in your optimal self, so pampering oneself should not be reserved just on special occasions. If you haven’t considered treating yourself with some aromatherapy yet, this is your right time. You’d be surprised how much of a celebrity this will make you feel. This ancient practice is so much more than just a massage session. The reason behind its growing popularity lies in the positive effects on a person’s well-being.

Instead of waiting to make your appointment in a spa and spend more than you can afford, you can create your own aromatic experience and turn your home into your personalised spa. To make the most of aromatherapy, along with buying oils, there is a device – the oil diffuser, that you can use to easily disperse the oils into the air to be able to fully reap their benefits. You can do your own research to find the reliable shop and choose from the many essential oil diffusers. Read More →

Custom Curtains Are the Just-Right Decor Accessory to Jazz Up Any Room

Curtains have the ability to enhance your home décor by creating an appealing focal point. Whether you prefer a bold or a more subtle style, they are the perfect accessory to help put together the room’s overall design. One of the best ways to incorporate curtains into a room’s design while making sure they are the perfect fit for your space, is to have them custom-made. These decorative elements come with a variety of undeniable benefits that make them totally worth the investment. Read on to discover the wonders that custom curtains can do for your home.

Create Quick & Easy Design Focal Point

Using curtains behind your bed or headboard to either cover a window or for decorative reasons, is a great way to draw more attention to the bed. For the ultimate stylish impact, include colourful, textured or patterned custom curtains. This will certainly help jazz up the ambiance in the room.

Make Your Space Look Bigger

Installing the curtain rod beyond the window leaves an impression that the window is larger and the ceiling is taller than it really is. If there are two or more windows on a single wall, it would be a great idea to have a custom curtain made to cover all of the windows together. This is a great decorative tip as hanging separate curtains on all windows may cause the room to look smaller.

They Can Cover Up Anything That Looks Messy

If you have an open shelf or a visible storage of any kind, you know how keeping it organized can be a real struggle. Custom curtains are an effective way to hide all the mess.

They Make Great Room Dividers

Curtains are versatile elements that you can use to divide a room and completely change its look and ambiance. They can also be used to create casual areas or to provide privacy within the space when necessary.

Colour Tips

In the past, it was a huge trend that the curtain fabric is in the same colour as the wall paint. Luckily, this trend has changed and today things are quite the opposite – you should actually avoid having all your interior design elements in the same colour so that you do not create a monotonous atmosphere. For the ultimate trendy effect, choose a hue that is either a tone or two darker or lighter than the colour of your walls. Moreover, if you want to create a more versatile look, choose patterned curtains to spice up the look of the space.

Vinyl Adhesive and Sealants Buying Guide

Although the product of the late 1800s, vinyl became one of the more popular flooring solution in the 1950s. Its use has grown and expanded greatly due to its versatility, durability, ease of maintenance and low cost. So, if you are looking for a resilient flooring that can take a beating yet still look trendy and polished, go with vinyl. Ideal for both residential and commercial applications, vinyl flooring is available in wide array of styles, in either a form of tile or sheet.

Of course, the design you decide to go with will depend on your interior and room it is intended for. You can go for prints that imitate natural materials like wood or stone or you can combine different patterns and materials to create a unique design that adds interest and drama to a space. Vinyl is also very easy to install. With just few tools you can have a brand new floor. This may be one of the main reasons growing number of homeowners are opting for this type of flooring. However, majority of them focus on design and often overlook the more important matter – vinyl adhesive. Read More →

Transform a Room With Dramatic Wall Mural Designs

It really depends on your personal taste and preferences, but if I have a say in it, white, completely naked walls are the first thing to change if you want a design that’s going to be individual, special and emit a certain type of beauty and energy. Yes, you can always go with the eternal whiteness, but have in mind that it won’t be unique and you probably won’t feel the beauty of the furniture elements and the overall style they’re supposed to contribute to your room. Point is, your walls are a large design element, and leaving them all white won’t do much for the look of your room. Besides painting and experimenting with colours (and creating a rather expensive mess) you can try out something a lot more modern, easy to manage and definitely more stylish: wall mural designs.

Designing a room with wall mural designs can be especially convenient for walls that are of unusual shapes, like round creations, or very high ceiling walls. These generally end up being white because people are afraid of adding colour to them, but quite the opposite is actually very beneficial for the overall design: if chosen properly, a wall mural can complement and even emphasize the beauty of your furniture and decorations. Here are a few ideas on how to use them:

A dose of sophistication

Elegant furniture in white or beige nuances and even some elegant wooden pieces would benefit from a Chinoiserie for example. Chinoiseries are a popular Hollywood Regency style elements and represent the imitation of Chinese motifs and techniques in Western art. Using a wall mural design in soft green colour decorated with flower patterns in gentle silver or gold colour would be the ultimate decorative element for adding sophistication to a room. Soft green has been always seen as the colour of royalty.

Personalization with wall murals

You can always customize a wall mural and create something that will fit your taste and preferences. And the entire wall doesn’t need to be covered with it; it can be just one larger piece that will provide a colourful background to any scenery: a dining set, or even a small coffee table with two sofas. Talk about the perfect coffee corner in your house.

Don’t limit their use

Wall murals don’t have to be used only in living rooms or kitchens; you can always add a splash of colourful creativity in the bathroom as well. While other rooms can benefit from all types of wall murals regarding materials, the bathroom needs a mural made of something that will be waterproof. Think ceramic tiles in colour to create a wonderful mosaic.

Benefit from designing a scenery in a kids bedroom

Kids bedrooms can look a lot more fun with a large and themed wall mural on the walls. There is no kid who doesn’t like staring in a blue sky filled with stars, or a green jungle full of trees and animals. Yes, it’s not just going to be an amazing decoration to the room, but it will also be an amazing source of inspiration for play and creativity boost for your children.

While there are so many options you can choose from, the right wall mural design will ultimately be the one your overall interior design and style taste dictates. Besides amazing pictures of random stuff like buildings, flowers or similar, you can use your own photographs to create amazing wall covers. The possibilities are truly endless.

Your Guide to Buying Stylish Accent Chairs

If you have done quite a lot of decorating or are thinking of doing so, you know it can be a complex process, more so because of the confusion where to begin with. You do not have to do a great deal of change actually, to bring some freshness to your home and it is easier than you might think. The secret often lies in simplicity: add a certain piece of furniture and you are sure to spark up your interior. For instance, when placed strategically, an accent chair aside from providing additional seating can take any room décor to a next level. While often used in living spaces as seat for extra guests, they can also be placed in bedrooms – place them in a corner with a lamp and small side table and voilà, you get an outstanding reading area.

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A Must-Read Guide (Before You Buy Blinds)

I’m all about glass walls, space openness and as much natural light as possible to lighten up the house. I’ve always hated curtains; I used to beg my mum to throw them away because the apartment I used to live in faced the northern side and it got sunlight for only 2-3 quality hours a day. Afterwards, darkness overwhelmed the place and nothing looked as beautiful as it should have. Why? Because honestly, natural light makes everything look in its best possible version. Luckily, my parents don’t have another building facing them so their apartment has tons of privacy, and if that was the only reason, I’d say they don’t really need to buy blinds. My apartment on the other hand, is a whole other story.

When you live in an apartment with your significant other and that apartment faces another building where a lot of nosey people live, the thing that should concern you more than your interior design is securing your privacy. I mean sure, maybe you’re the cosmopolitan type and don’t really care what people see and say, but at the end of the day, that funny look they give you when you say “Good morning” on your way to work, it can ruin your mood, even just for a few hours. And don’t get me started on how much you don’t enjoy the lovely sun on Sunday mornings, when all you want is to sleep away the aftermath of the previous night. Am I right?

So, the obvious solution to all these small inconveniences would be to buy blinds and have them installed on your windows from day one. You should enjoy the convenience of having your privacy and a dimmed bedroom on Sunday morning. When you visit a blinds store (whether a online or an offline one) you’ll face a vast offer of blinds which will be a pleasant surprise, especially if you also care about matching them to the overall room design.

• Woven wood blinds – these go perfectly on windows facing a garden, a backyard or a balcony. Mainly made of bamboo, these blinds allow you to let just enough light in so you can read your newspaper.

• Roman shades – the dining room and the living room would benefit most from this type of blinds, especially if the room has sort of a formal touch. They can be gathered into billowy poufs giving the room that high-style statement a formal setting so much needs.

• Tight weaves – my personal favourite. These go with any style; vintage, modern, and even with more elegant interiors. Mainly made of twill or microsuede, tight weave blinds these are opaque and offer just the right amount of privacy for your bedroom or living room.

• Honeycombs have horizontal rows of air pockets and as such are amazing because they keep the heat during winter and let it out during summer. Talk about an energy saving option.

• Blackouts are made of a material that’s 100% light blocking which makes them perfect for bedrooms as well as for theatre rooms, if you have any in your home.

Bottom line is, you really just need to decide you want to get blinds and then decide which type will best fit in your room style. Or, if you need something to help you make up your mind quickly: I’m sure you want to be able to walk around your home in your underwear, dancing and singing and not worrying a bit if someone is watching you through the windows.

The Only Bed Frames Guide You Will Ever Need

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book”. It is no news that we spend one-third of our day in the bed -it is the place where your day ends and begins. And we definitely want to feel the ultimate comfort while in it. So, when it comes to finding the right bed for your bedroom, it is not just the mattress you need to pay attention to, the frame of the bed plays an important role as well; it helps establish the design scheme in the room and it is a crucial element which provides the needed bed support. With the wide range of bed frames available, it is a must that you are familiar with all the different styles, sizes and materials before you buy one in order to make a more informed decision.

Size

Think about it – do you sleep alone or you share the bed? Do you have a small or a master bedroom? The answers to these questions should help you determine the right size for your bed frame which will leave you enough room to freely move around and place other furniture pieces. Read More →