Basic Interior Designs

Image Source:www.oregonbuild.net
An interior decorating project will be much more successful if you pay attention to a few key guidelines.  Once you know the basics of interior design you can create rooms that really work.
Have you ever walked into a room that was full of nice things but just didn’t “feel” quite right?  The chances are that the person who decorated that room might have great taste but simply did not know the basics of interior design. 

Many people fall into this category but you don’t have to be one of them. 

Most of us know what we like but just have no idea how to pull it all together to create a warm and inviting room when interior decorating.  We are giving you a mini course on interior design which will help you make more informed decision with your home decor.  You will learn the basics of interior decorating and gain the confidence to take great decorating ideas and use them together to create one cohesive look.

Remember, when decorating you should enjoy the journey and not see it as a task to be accomplished.  When starting an interior decorating project remember to keep it fun!  While learning the “rules” of interior design is important, you must always keep in mind that your interiors should reflect your lifestyle and tastes. 

• proportion
• balance
• contrast
• Rhythm
• Harmony
• Pattern and Texture

by: Larla

We all have a junk drawer, a place where we just stuff everything from receipts, coins, pens or anything that could fit in.

At one point, we might be looking for something but couldn’t find it anymore because of the pile of junk inside the drawer. If that happens, then it’s probably the best time to clean up that drawer.

You need to visualize what you would want your drawer to contain. It can just be important documents, old receipts, keys. You can put other things as well as long as it does not look cluttered.

First, remove all the contents and throw out those that are of no use anymore (old batteries, pens with no inks) or things that have their own places but were just stuffed in the drawer.

Sort the contents by finding small compartments/ dividers where you can still put them in your drawer but in an organize way.

Make it a habit to clean up your drawer at least once a month so nothing gets lost and keep the contents in order.

The bedroom is the first place you see when you open your eyes and the last place you see before you sleep so you would want your bedroom to be cozy and relaxing.

To start with, choose colors that are pastel or neutral for the walls.

You can also choose the color of your fabrics or theme for your room to match the walls.

To save on décor, you can put on pictures and other art works to make it unique.

Have extra storage space to avoid clutter in the room.

You can also match the beddings and pillow cases to the color scheme of the room.

Invest on good and long lasting mattress and pillows.

The feel of your room should reflect your personality and style as it is your private domain. It is your personal world from all the places in the house

Decorating the home has become quite expensive but with a creative mind you can turn simple things into eye worthy decorations or pieces.

You can start with things that you already have like pillows, scarves, picture frames etc.

Pictures are a cheap way to decorate as all of us have them. You just need to place them in frames and hang it in the walls or on top of the table.

Pillows can be arranged in various ways. You can place them on the carpet floors or on the sofa. You can even sew designs on the throw pillow case for added effect.

You can can place candles on tables, you can also put scarves to add color to other decors.

Frames or paintings can be arranged on the walls and centerpieces of unique designs to table tops.

You can also check garage sales for cheap furniture or why not ask friends or relatives for items that they are not using anymore. With new paint, you can turn an old dresser or table to brand new.

All you need is your patience, creativity and imagination. With the right materials and items you can turn your home from drab to fab.

Summer is here and everyone wants to get outdoors to soak up the sun. One of the good things about the clear weather is that it allows you to expand your living space without going through a costly renovation. For a lot of cases, you don’t even have to do much decorating - all you need to do is sweep off the dead leaves from your porch and place comfy furniture outside. Outdoor furniture is definitely a must if you want to enjoy the weather, but it doesn’t necessarily have to cost a lot. You can get two lounging chairs or a wrought-iron table with a glass top and four chairs. Wicker furniture looks great too, but you need to place them in a shady area since they don’t withstand the elements well. For a more relaxing space, enhance your outdoors with potted plants and flowers.

Having the right color for your kitchen would definitely be an added inspiration to cooking fabulous meals. Who wouldn’t enjoy cooking in a wonderful looking kitchen.

Think carefully on what color you would want your kitchen to look like. You would only want to do it once or probably not in the next couple of years.

Different colors, have different meanings as taken from www.about.com
• Red: Stimulating/Increases Appetite
• Orange: Stimulating/ Increases Appetite
• Yellow: Stimulating/ Increases Appetite
• Green: Relaxing/Balance
• Blue: Relaxing/Decreases Appetite
• Indigo: Relaxing/Decreases Appetite
• Violet: Balance/Relaxing/Decreases Appetite

You can either opt to follow the above reference as a guide to choosing the color for your kitchen or you can color your kitchen the way you have always wanted. Do net let other people affect your decision in choosing the paint for your kitchen. It is your kitchen anyway.

Designers have long realized the need to bring nature into the home or just about any space that needs softening up. Be it a large or small room, the earthy look makes a space look inviting and pleasing to the eye. Many of the furniture and crafts from Asian countries make good accessories or center pieces for a space and it also makes them blend in with the room itself. Warm subdues colors for the walls and the ceiling makes a bedroom rather restful and a pleasurable place to be in inviting one to take it easy. For work spaces, stick to lively brilliant colors to bring out the exuberance in people encouraging creativity and keeping them active. Pastel colors never seemed to loose appeal for their soothing effect on anybody seeing them so use them for children’s play areas and rooms to get them rested and calm.

Add bamboo or rattan furniture from tropical stores that are offered in many shapes and sizes to fit in your room. As with all approaches to designing, never over-do a space with too much decor and avoid clutter as much as possible to maintain a clean look.

Many things can be done by regular people like me in terms of making a space look inviting, adding a personal touch with a little sweat and elbow grease. There are some things to consider before undergoing a project such as cost, plans, special requirements and the decision itself to do the job or would it be better to hire a professional to do the job. Many weekend warriors have experienced projects that have gone terribly wrong ending up spending more than they had hoped to save. There might also be special requirements such as electrical, plumbing or gas line piping which may require the skills of a licensed professional. Before jumping in, draw up your plan and take a step back to see the project from a distance to see whether the endeavor would indeed be within your capabilities and available timeframe.

Your child’s room should serve more than as sleeping quarters with a little improvement in terms of new furnishings or improving existing ones. It not only makes the space more enjoyable for your growing child, it also serves more than one purpose such as a play area if the room is well planned. When thinking of renovating a child’s room, always put safety first, eye level cabinets that do not have nooks and crannies that can get little hands caught. Also avoid furnishings with ledges where your child can get a foothold and climb up making it a danger for falls and other accidents. Play with colors to encourage creativity and if your child is in the stage where writing becomes compulsory, consider having or putting up a doodle wall which has surfaces that are specially treated for easy clean-up ready for the next days doodles. One can also settle for cheaper sheets of paper (brown ones also work) which may come in many colors from arts and crafts stores, mounting a few clamps to hang them from and viola, you have an instant doodle area for your child.

Interior designing can be used both for aesthetics and practical purposes as with the case of flush appliances that are installed as if they were not there. Up front, the kitchen wall might seem to have row upon rows of shelves but in fact they have the dishwasher, fridge, range, wine chillers and microwave hidden underneath the beautiful wood panels that were designed specifically for the job. These forms of kitchens are designed around these appliances so they can be integrated into the design of the space. A seemingly bland wall can hide a flat screen TV allowing the room to look uncluttered and crisp (though many love to watch them, many dislike the looks of modern television sets which usually come only in black or silver.)