Up-To-Date Ideas For Office Interior Design

Designing an office in a corporate environment requires a review of the company's goals and objectives. It is also important to consider the type of client that the company hopes to attract. It's essential to understand that the look and feel of the office will be an influencing factor in making clients feel comfortable and at ease .

When choosing the office interior design that will be a good fit for the individual company, note that the most commonly seen theme these days is a modernistic one. A modernistic theme works well for an office environment because it gives a sensation of moving toward the future, a vision many companies claim as their own signature. Modernistic themes also work well in an office because of the clean look that goes along with the theme. Basic colors coupled with stark contrasts make for an appealing appearance that is sure to draw in the consumer's eye.

Home Office Interior Design Ideas

Decorating an in-home office will means there is much more room for creativity than when decorating a corporate office. In many traditional American homes, the office may be the one room where man of the house gets to have a say in the decorating ideas. This is because much of the rest of the home is usually decorated by a woman. For the home office to take on a masculine feel is very common.

When decorating a home office, the key is not to make the environment too vibrant. Incorporating the use of calm colors will be a good alternative to bold prints. An office is a place of work and therefore it's crucial that the décor not be distracting. One idea is to paint one focal wall in a calm color such as a cool green or radiant blue. This will give the room added color without making it feel too small or overwhelming.

The furniture chosen for the home office is also very important. An efficient work desk is usually the primary piece chosen. Many homeowners find it helpful to have plenty of shelves to keep study materials within easy reach. A comfortable work chair is an important item as well. Many people suffer needlessly because of sitting too long in an uncomfortable chair.

Office interior design is an exceptional way to bring expression into the workplace. For those decorating in the home or in a corporate setting, the interior design of the workplace is a great way to feel at home while working.

Office Decorating Ideas - Best Places to Display Art

Your office is probably the place where you spend most of your week in. 5 days in a week, nine hours (or more) a day; it's almost like a second home. It is thus important that we at least try to make our office space an attractive and conducive place to work in. To take away the monotonous setting of the typical office, where there're heaps of files and folders stacked everywhere, you can try to use art to spice up the place and make it a little bit more interesting. Read on as this article provides some tips on good places in the office to hang wall art.

Waiting Area

The waiting or reception area is often the first place anyone will see as they walk into the office, so it is important to give a positive impression of the organization. Art work displayed at the waiting area will not only project a good image of the company, but it will also be a welcome treat for any guests who are coming for meetings and presentations. In addition, it also serves to calm the nerves of the anxious applicant waiting for that job interview.

Office Cubicles

The main office area is the place where all the hard work is done. Instead of the usual "motivational" posters to spur the employees to work harder, why not use contemporary wall art prints instead? Looking at abstract art soothes the soul and can be just as inspiring as any motivational message.

Conference Room

The conference room is the place where fierce decision making takes place. Having beautiful art hung on the walls will definitely be a form of stress relief and a source of inspiration as the pressure mounts on the management team to move the organization forward.

Pantry

The pantry is another interesting location to hang wall art. As you're enjoying a break with your colleagues, sipping your coffee or having a snack, you can feast you eyes at the beautiful artwork on the wall, while also have an interesting conversational topic to talk about.

Let's face it. Finding the right décor for your office can sometimes be a pain. There can never be a perfect working environment. Having beautiful art in the office environment will certainly make your office a more interesting and dynamic place to work in.

Enjoy the art - and your work!

Basic Interior Design Ideas

When it comes to decorating your home's interiors a multitude of options come to mind. Depending on your taste, you can choose from antique showpieces, colorful modern art, beautiful marble sculptures or anything you desire to beautify your place. Today, loads of diverse interior paint designs are being employed by many not only to decorate homes but also in offices.

A paint design in essence signifies the shades that one uses to fashion the look of one's rooms. The knick-knacks you buy will matter too but the paint gives a background to these pieces as well. In a way, the color that you choose lends to the room a part of your identity. So, great care must be taken while opting for the tints for your house.

Either one can go for a single color or a blend of shades is also possible. Such an amalgamation can lend the room a look full of dynamism but only if the mixing is right. In these cases, a great deal of care is mandatory while picking out the colors. If the color combinations are not satisfactory then you could end up with a room that does not match your persona. Here are mentioned some basic home interior painting designs that are employed on a major scale by most interior decorators.

The most prevalent paint designs mainly belong to the neutral color line. This family includes paints like cream, beige and light gray. These shades work well with all stuff that is made of stone or even wooden attractions that everyone buys, sooner or later, to embellish the interiors. These colors add a subtle and muted look to your room and thus act as buffers for all kinds of furniture that you buy. Thus they act as great harmonizing shades for all present in the room.

Another very basic paint design is the evergreen combination of black and white. The majority of populace is disinclined to make use of only these two colors in their homes owing to the fact that their homes may not be as colorful as they desire. But contrary to this belief, the combination or rather the blend of black and white is seldom seen with any other colors. Plus there is also a major advantage that you may chance upon some new and exciting tint upon mixing these two. And to top it all these days you also get many dissimilar shades of white which can be employed to generate creative interior painting designs.

So, if you want to paint your home experiment with the basics. Who knows you might end up with a whole new creative design!

Add a Touch of Glamour to Your Home With Affordable Interior Design Ideas

A home is a place where people can be provided shelter and convenience. It is usually a place in which an individual or a family can take rest and be able to save personal property like cash, furniture and jewellery etc. Most modern-day households hold sanitary services and a place where they can prepare food.

Interior design is a versatile profession in which creative and technical solutions can be applied within a model to achieve an affordable interior environment. These solutions are practical, enhance the quality of life and culture of the masses, and are aesthetically attractive and touching.

One of the most commonly held beliefs about working with an interior designer is that it will always be more expensive for the people. It is our thinking that after all, we have to shell out our difficultly earned money for labour and materials, and more importantly, we also have to pay our design professionals something.

It is not easier to become an interior designer; the interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, observation and gatherings of knowledge into the innovative process, whereby the needs and resources of the client are satisfied to produce an interior space that meets the project goals. Home renovation can contain improvements to lawns and gardens and outbuildings like gazebos and garages.

There are a lot of interior designers who work for the betterment of their home renovation projects whole heartedly. When the interior designing company approaches a new client, he/she must always account for a strict budget for project completion as well as obtaining the best quality craftsmanship, materials and installation you can have for the value of your dollars. There are many designers who just give you suggestion for adding glamour to your house; these ideas are commission based that only offer you their limited selection of designs which can also be affordable.

Home improvement features that can add glamour to your home in an affordable budget include wallpapering and painting walls or installing wood panelling, adding new flooring such as carpets, tiling, linoleum, wood flooring, or solid hardwood flooring, upgrading cabinets, fixtures, and sinks in the kitchen and bathroom, replacing siding and windows, improving the backyard with sliding doors, wooden patio decks, patio gardens, jacuzzis, swimming pools, and fencing, up-gradation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, increasing the capacity of plumbing and electrical systems, waterproofing basements, soundproofing rooms, especially bedrooms and baths.

There are some more touching ideas like turning marginal areas into livable spaces such as turning basements into restrooms, home theatres, home offices or attics into spare bedrooms, extending the house with rooms, added to the side of the house or, sometimes, extra levels to the original roof.

If you really want to take advantage of pricing, professional tactics and quality service, you need to search for local designers who have some ideas in their profession. These designers have managed to form strong alliances with their reliable networks that save you huge discounts on materials, decreased labour and installation costs etc.

Purple Color in Interior Designing

Purple in the Interior Design

Violet has long been considered a difficult color to match and it has not been recommended in the area of interior design. Yet today it is one of the trendiest colors! Subtle blend of blue and red, purple matches a wide palette of colors to create an original and very modern atmosphere.

Symbolism

Paradoxical union of two opposing, red and blue, purple suggests mystery, wealth, but also melancholy and sensuality, according to the dominant that is blue or red. Violet is known because it can help us find inner harmony. In the study of colors, it is considered a relaxing color, but also conducive, favoring female sexuality and creativity! Complex and rich in meaning, purple conveys excellent psychological health!

Violet over the Ages

This color has long been associated with mysticism in the Western symbolism: indeed, in the Catholic religion it is the color of the clothes of the bishop and those worn by priests during Advent and Lent. In addition, it is the symbol of nobility, and it aroused little interest before the 70s, when it had also its revolution in the area of furniture!

Violet, the Alternative to Black Light

Violet has the ability to replicate the simplicity of a black, very popular in the halls or rooms, while offering much greater brightness. With shades of dark and electric violet, it seems clear and stylish. Nowadays, designers use purple quite frequently! This color has become very fashionable and you may wonder why. Violet has the feature that gives an impression of luxury to the simplest items.

Violet in Your Living Room

Violet is very frequently used to dress up rooms: elegant, contemporary, and dense, creating a sober atmosphere and design. Some people use it to the walls of the room: it allows them get black or grey furniture without a depressing result and violet can trigger the impression of a larger space! Indeed, purple, as blue and red, gives a sense of depth to any spaces.

A Violet Office

Purple was recently chosen as one of the most soothing colors. It has thus become the favorite color for offices, since it offers both relaxation and improves creativity.

Can Purple be Used Everywhere?

One might think that purple would not match a kitchen or bathroom. Yet, many people now opt for a soft purple (or occasionally electric) in toilets, corridors or in the kitchen. The most important thing is to create and maintain a harmony between the shades and parts of the house.

What Environments can be created using Purple?

By its wealth of shades, purple matches many colors, but beware! It all depends on the atmosphere you want to create. For a futuristic interior, opt for electric purple, intermingled with black or white furniture, preferably lacquered. For more originality, you can add a touch of bright orange. For a sexy and baroque design feel free to play with colors like plum, eggplant violet, purple or violet-gray with black lace that suggest sensuality! Such colors are perfect for cozy rooms.

Give Your Home a Vibrant Look With Innovative Home Decor Ideas

India is a country rich in culture and heritage. People celebrate numerous festivals that not only bring them closer but make people believe in their culture and heritage. As we know Diwali and Eid are on their way, this is the right time to think about giving your home a vibrant and colourful look. In earlier days, people were bringing a printed colour guide and thinking over different colour ideas but things have changed considerably now.

With the advancements in the internet technology, people can scroll through a wide range of outstanding colour ideas online. These websites allow the people with innovative home decor ideas and wall paint ideas. This way of choosing the right colour for your home is not only convenient but also gives you a bigger picture. This is the reason why a large number of people are now shifting to online medium.

If you want to give your office a more professional and contemporary look, then I would suggest applying dark shades as they create a sense of professionalism across the office. However, in case you look for giving your employees a clean and slate approach, then you can choose bright colors such as pink, cream, light green and many more.

A colour guide can help you deciding which color you want to apply. There are numerous colour ideas given in a colour guide that allow you to make different colour combination's suited to your home or office. The paints come in different varieties including interior, exterior, metal, wood, and under coats etc.

Searching for vibrant wall paint ideas online give you a bigger look at different options available. Moreover, you can search for new trends and colours on different websites. You can browse through different colour schemers that will help you choose the right colour scheme for your home.

Decorating Ideas That Integrate Your Personal Style

Home decorating is a constantly evolving thing, a task that has the potential for being never-ending. Tastes change, designs change, trends change, families change. Selecting accessories and editing or finding your personal style does not need to be a costly endeavor, it just requires some creativity, several guidelines, and an open mind.

Your house is so many things - your headquarters, your safe place, the center of your life, your universe. It's the place you return home to following a long day and you want it to become a comfortable, happy location to relax and enjoy with your family and friends.

Being comfortable in the home has even taken on a new meaning in today's lifestyles, with more and more individuals electing to work from home and creating home offices, and even telecommuting in order to save themselves the stress of back and forth commuting to and from their place of work. Many moms enjoy being full time stay-at-home moms, so they spend much of their time within their homes.

For these reasons and more, it's becoming much more crucial to design comfortable rooms, which implies more than simply adding new furniture or even a few new picture frames. Take a look at your living area or decorating project overall and determine how your space is commonly used - is the family more formal or laid back? Also, take note of what your preferred colors and styles are. You also have to take into account children and your pets, and add them to your plan.

Your Personal Style

More often than not families are considered "casual" in the manner that they use their house, which should strongly influence how your house is decorated as well as the type of selections that you'll make. Furniture styles vary greatly, too, from very relaxed and casual, to traditional and modern - all of these can be "casual" if done properly. It is possible to thumb through magazines and decorating books to seek out pictures of rooms that you will like, and after that either photocopy them or tear them from your magazines. Establish a "look book" from all of these photos. An excellent starting point for determining your style is if you begin to see common decorating threads in the photographs that you've selected. You may even discover that you like an even more eclectic look - elements of several different styles in one room.

The choice of colors that you make is really a personal choice, and it may tell so much about your tastes. But have no fear of being considered boring if you choose something along the lines of beige tones for your rooms. Choosing beige tones can indicate that you might want a calming influence within your rooms. Show your dramatic flair by having a red-walled dining area, or perhaps a wall filled up with colorful panoramic picture frames with artwork or family photographs.

A lot of people, including designers and home decorators, take color cues directly from your closet. If you're the kind of person that enjoys jeans and t-shirts, it could be that an appropriate shade for you is deep blue. You can take color cues like this literally, like deciding on a denim family sofa, or use it when picking accents. Likewise, if your closet is full of soft colors, it can suggest that you would probably feel more comfortable in rooms that are decorated in similar tones.

Now that you understand some of the ways that you can incorporate your own style into your home redecorating project, have a lot of fun including these ideas in your project. Start small or start big, but get rolling!

Cheap Decorating Ideas: How to Make Your Home Look Like a Million Dollars on a Shoestring Budget

When you're looking for cheap decorating ideas, what could be less expensive than using what you already have? These inexpensive decorating ideas will have your home looking like a million dollars on a shoestring budget. Budget decorating ideas come from many sources. Interior redesign, popularized by television programs, shows you how to use your existing furniture, art and accessories in new and creative ways to add spark to your home. Cheap doesn't necessarily mean low quality. It may mean spending less money by buying a few high quality home decor items rather than focusing on quantity.

Use furnishings in unusual ways:

-A long forgotten footlocker once used to haul clothing to and from summer camp can be put to good use as a coffee table. It adds a touch of the unexpected and creates an eclectic decorating scheme.

-Two-drawer file cabinets make great end tables in the living room. They're a comfortable height for holding a reading lamp, have ample storage and can be painted to match your color scheme.

-An old bureau or dresser becomes a chic storage chest when you refinish it in a coat of glossy black paint and update the hardware by spraying it with metallic paint that complements the metal finishes used in your decorating scheme. The chest works great in the living room, the bathroom, or any room where you need additional storage.

What's old can become new again:

-Time-worn dining room chairs can become a chic addition to a living room. Update the chairs by covering them with ready-made slipcovers or by wrapping the cushions with a length of remnant fabric that's stapled to the underside of the seat. Presto, you have side chairs for a mere fraction of the cost of new seating.

-A dining room or kitchen table can be placed behind a sofa and repurposed as a sofa table that holds lamps, plants and other decorative objects. When you're ready for a change, you can relocate the table to a hall and use it as a console table or as a desk in a home office. It will provide ample space for your laptop, paper work and supplies.

-Rather than having custom slipcovers fabricated for an entire sofa, have your seamstress make slipcovers for the seat cushions. Select a fabric that complements the main body of the sofa and create a mix and match look. It's a much less expensive option and gives the sofa a brand new look and feel.

-Leftover wallpaper mounted on poster board becomes inexpensive wall decor. Hang the art a single piece on the wall above a sofa or in multiples in a hall or above a dining room buffet.

-Simple accessories such as an odd plate left from an old set of dishware can add texture, dimension and color when hung on a wall. Add even more interest by hanging the plates in an arrangement that creates a geometric shape such as a rectangle or square.

Budget decorating ideas are all around you. You just have to use a bit of imagination and creativity. What's most important is that you're willing to experiment and have fun.

Home Decor Ideas: The Lighting Behind It All

Correct lighting makes the difference between a hospital room and a therapist office, so being armed with plenty of good home decor ideas does absolutely nothing if you haven't considered the all important aspect of lighting. Of course, there are many ways to go about accenting a room and it all comes down to personal taste, but there are certain combinations that can create a variety of different moods. Having a great grasp on lighting can enable even a novice designer to have complete control over atmosphere and mood.

High Ceilings

A room with high ceilings would best benefit from large windows, but sometimes that isn't an option or isn't enough. It can be difficult to tie the high and low planes of a room together without the proper lighting, because not much else really suspends from the ceiling like a light fixture. Staggering hanging fixtures, perhaps light and airy textured orbs which seem to be in fashion, can create multiple layers of depth and really help the upper meet the lower areas. Go through interior design magazines for some great home decor ideas.

High ceilings are also the best candidates for chandeliers, which can make a small room look cramped and over-ornamented. In a living room, a chandelier should be very basic and modern, but over a dining table a hanging fixture should be allowed to take on personality. Fire resistant canvas can also be used to create DIY hanging lamps that can be decorated for children's rooms, where a ceiling may be high to them but not to you.

Workspaces

Workspaces should obviously be well lit, and often look and function best without being obstructive. For this reason, hanging lamps could be utilized with light-focusing covers that make the most out of an open area. Desk lamps are available in so many different styles that they can really bring out personality and added functionality to a smaller and more intimate workspace. Table or floor lamps for reading should be soft but bright enough to comfortably illuminate pages or quiet activities. Plan ahead of time the actual use behind the lighting as it is much more important than the aesthetic qualities. Contemporary is synonymous with functionality so don't get too tied up with looks.

Lighting Tips and Tricks

Minimalist home decor can benefit from creative lighting. Colorful bulbs can cast a new tint to otherwise neutral furniture immediately changing the ambiance of a room. Spot lighting can bring attention to neglected artwork or sculptural pieces bringing out the most in what you already own. Illuminating decorative niches is a great way to add depth to a small room, installing recessed fixtures does the same on a slightly higher budget.

Why not get the best out of your existing home decor ideas but adding a touch of illumination. The home shouldn't necessarily be planned around the lighting, but the lighting should definitely accent your home. Complimenting modern design with contemporary light solutions is necessary to create a cohesive environment. It's amazing how many design problems can arise from the wrong lighting, but how many right choices there really are.

The ABC's of Home Office Interior Design

More and more, small business owners and freelance workers are using their homes as more than a place to eat, rest, sleep and spend time with family members. It has become the ideal workplace: a venue where one can relax while striving to meet deadlines or entertaining important clients. The popularity of the home office has climbed since the start of the century, owing mainly to the efforts of budding entrepreneurs to resolve issues of convenience and practicality in the face of increasing road traffic and a challenging market.

For individuals who have decided to make the transition to a home-based business, the immediate goal is usually to make the work space as neat and organized as possible without sacrificing comfort. Like every other part of the house, the home office should be equipped with just the right amount of furniture for its intended purpose, good lighting, and appropriate decorative fixtures. Unlike other living spaces, however, the main concern when planning its layout is efficiency rather than beauty.

Other than furniture, the presence of simple ornamental pieces such as large wall decor can greatly enhance the room's professional appearance. It is highly appropriate, for example, to hang a seascape oil painting over a black leather sofa on which potential clients might sit while you give a well-prepared product presentation. It is also acceptable and trendy to place an antique desk lamp on top of the solid wooden desk to balance out the ultra-modern look of a space-age personal computer. Lighting should be adequate to avoid eyestrain, but may also be muted to facilitate a relaxing conversation when the need arises.

Compared with more traditional set-ups, modernistic themes have become the norm. Not only do the sleek and clean lines create an impression of intelligence and sharpness, but they also convey a sense of dynamism, progressiveness and objectivity. When it comes to wall paint or wallpaper, muted hues are generally preferred since loud or vibrant colors may distract from the work to be done. Calm and soothing colors such as light green or blue also help light up the room without making it seem smaller.

Office ergonomics is likewise one of the major considerations in planning home office design, since a home-based worker still tends to remain behind the desk for most of the day. Because many telecommuters earn a decent living working from home, the cost of equipment and furnishings is rarely a problem. Hence, it is not uncommon to find makeshift office rooms with ergonomically designed chairs and furniture in addition to large wall decor and fine tapestry.

Despite the careful planning involved, working on an office interior design project can be both challenging and enjoyable. The benefits are numerous, and motivated by the idea that one's office represents his company's goals, ideals and identity, one can readily produce a workable plan in a short span of time. The fact that the interior decorator already knows the details of his own house better than anyone only makes the job easier.

Christmas Decorations ideas

Christmas decorations are one inseparable part of the Christmas holidays, without which Christmas would lose all its color, spirit, warmth and charm. And it's also great to get together with all in the family or the whole gang of friends for the Christmas decorations. Isn't it a joy untold to watch the hand-crafted stars or bells hung up on the Christmas tree or on the wreaths ? Don't you feel the festive tickle to see Christmas-themed table-spreads, curtains, napkin-holders, or carpets ? Ideas for Christmas decorations are plenty to satiate the festive craving of all and sundry. And the stores dish out a huge array of Christmas decorations too. You can either buy them home or decorate your home yourself with your own ideas and designs. Here's enlisted a few for you to get started with your Christmas decorations and Christmas planning.

The easiest and simplest of all Christmas decorations--get empty boxes or cartons and wrap them up in red, green, blue colored papers or colorful Christmas wrappers. Tie ribbons around some and leave them sporadically around the base of your Christmas evergreen or on the mantle.
Hanging cute Christmas stockings make good decorations too for your Christmas décor. You can cut out papers or fabrics in shapes of stockings or candy canes, have them colored by the kids and stick them all around the room to add that festive touch on Christmas.
Umpteen stores sell battery-operated candles especially for this holiday and these look radiant in and around your home as also on your Christmas tree. Anyone would like to go for these hassle-free Christmas decorations and give their interiors a total face-lift for the occasion.
A fetching idea for your Christmas decorations would be to deck up your house plants with little stars and bells and to place them on window sills.
Get holly boughs and mistletoes home. Hang them around and watch the magic of Christmas unfold before you. These Christmas decorations are traditionally passed down through ages and never fall out of the hall of fame
How about this ? Take a pin-up board and pin Christmas-related images or messages on them. You can also fix Christmas cards that you get for the year. This Christmas decoration would be best for your office cubicle or room. So bring your colleagues in the spirit of the holidays instantly as they step into your holiday 'den'.
Now here's another to rev up your Christmas decorations--take a white table-spread and stick little paper or fabric pieces in shapes of stars, bells, candy canes, gift-boxes, Santa hats and more.
Deck up your halls in Christmas streamers (bought or homemade) or in Christmas wreaths. You can hang a bunch of bells on the doorway too. Won't it be sweet to hear the jingles every time anyone enters during the Christmas season ?
Decorate white slender candles with red and green ribbons. Tie them into a bow or just spiral it around. They would swell for sure if placed in a cluster on your Christmas dinner table or over the mantle. Don't forget to leave a bell carelessly at the base. Your friends, folks or sweetie pie would surely love the shine and shimmer of the bell in the candlelight and you may collect few kudos for such thoughtful Christmas decorations.
For outside decorations, get some Christmas lights home. Glowing bulbs or lighted candles that run on battery would just suit fine outdoors. You can place a big cutout of Santa to welcome your dear ones too. Or you can let loose your own festive ideas.
Play Christmas numbers for the background scores to complement the tree, table and hall decorations. Well chosen Christmas songs are just the right fill for the holiday ambience.
Create cute bows for the special day and have them stitched to curtains or tied to door-knobs or around the glasses on the Christmas table. These Christmas decorations won't take much time and would be fun to do too. So get on with these.
Well then, welcome the season of joy and brace up to make merry with friends and family--it's Christmastime folks ! The merriest time of the year is here. So leave your worries behind, deck the halls with wonderful Christmas decorations and share the warmth and joy of the season with all far and near.

Home Office Decorating Ideas - Easy And Unique Home Office Decorating Ideas

You don't have to hire a professional interior designer to create a professional home office. There are many inexpensive ways to organize and beautify your space, while helping you to become organized and productive. It only takes a bit of imagination and creativity.

If you're on a budget or environmentally conscious, consider decorating your office with used items. Make a visit to your local thrift store for great deals on desks, chairs, hutches, armoires, shelving and storage units. Check your local newspaper for yard or estate sales or attend an auction. You might be surprised at the items you can pick up for next to nothing!

Art work is a welcome addition to any home office. There are many places on the Internet that offer bargain art work. Choose art that reflects your personality and inspires you. Many decorators use "Motivational" prints in commercial offices. These prints include words of encouragement and inspirational quotes for the business person. Avoid using art work that depicts any type of fighting, such as wild animals confronting one another.

Sculptures or knick knacks can make the home office feel more inviting and homey. Avoid using too many, as it will make the room feel cluttered. Instead, select two or three pieces and place them in highly visible locations or display them in cases attached to the wall.

Whenever possible include live plants in your home office setting. Live plants are symbolic of growth and prosperity, so if a plant begins to wilt, tend to it immediately. If a plant dies, promptly remove it and replace it with a healthy plant.

A popular home office decorating idea is the use of a water feature. Flowing water is symbolic of wealth and the gentle sound of flowing water is calming and relaxing. Water features are available in many styles, sizes and colors.

Some can be hung on the wall, while others are placed on the floor or desk top. When using a water feature, be certain to keep the water clean at all times, otherwise fungi and bacteria can grow.

Aquariums are an excellent addition to any home office. If you do not have space for a full size aquarium, use a smaller desktop aquarium instead.

Home Decorating Ideas - Decorate Effectively With Neutral Colors

Some people just don't like to be overwhelmed with color. Usually their home has beautiful white walls, and their wardrobe consists of wearing khaki on a daily basis. Although some people will immediately think of 'dull and uninteresting' when presented with the idea of neutral colors, a neutral color palette can be very comforting, uncomplicated, sophisticated, polished, and more. Decorating with neutrals can take a variety of directions and the result is anything but boring.

Your decision to decorate with a neutral color palette means that you will be working primarily with white, off-white, khaki, tan, beige, gray and black. So now that you have made that decision, what is your next step?

You should first determine the two or three main colors for your decorating project, and then select a fourth color as an accent. This is where the design decision becomes interesting. For example, you may decide that your main three colors will include off-white, tan and black. The accent color could be a deeper shade of the tan that you selected (or several shades of tan) and use it on accent pillows, in a patterned area rug, artwork, sculpture, etc. By using lighter and darker shades of tan, you keep the decor interesting but still quite neutral. Black can be quite striking and not overwhelming if used in small quantities.

Or, you may decide to go down a different decorating road and introduce a burst of cherry red in very small and select amounts as your accent color with the palette as described above. Imagine this home office decor: light wood floors with an area rug that has an overall black and off-white pattern. There is a loveseat upholstered in tan with black piping. The windows are dressed with off-white plantation shutters and the wall color is medium tan. The office furniture has a light wood finish, as does the end table next to the loveseat. There is a very simple silk floral arrangement on the end table with bright red flowers in it. On the wall is a contemporary picture framed in black that is neutral overall, with cherry red accents, and on the desk is a sleek, bright red clock. The overall effect is neutral, but striking and memorable.

Texture is another aspect of neutral decor - on the upholstery, walls, window treatments, floors, etc. Using a variety of textures is an effective way to maintain interest and variety in the room along with color choices. If you have carpet, think of using a berber or frieze; a textured paint product could be interesting on the walls; select a knubby window treatment fabric; use a contrasting upholstery fabric such as leather to offset other texture selections in the room; find a lamp shade with an interesting shape and texture. Remember that your goal is to maintain a balance of color and texture in the room, so don't get too carried away with the 'texture' idea. You don't want the result to look thrown together and uncoordinated. If you think that adding another texture to the room might be too much, it probably is.

So go ahead and plan for your neutral decor. There are many ways to create a neutral color environment that run the spectrum from soothing and quiet to surprising and bold, so your room will be anything but dull and boring!

Bring Home The Yuletide Season With Christmas Decor Ideas

Christmas time will be here in just a few days but even now, we can already feel its presence especially when you go shopping in malls, eat at restaurants or stroll around the popular places in the city. What makes these spots more inviting during this season are their decorations. Christmas accessories and wall decor can create a more christmassy ambience if you want to feel the spirit of the holiday season anywhere you like. whether it be a store, an office or your home, Christmas art and wall decor can definitely create a more inviting expression of the Yuletide season.

To prepare for Christmas, home owners usually decorate their living spaces to have a festive and special holiday atmosphere. Enhancing your home, room or office for Christmas can be a wonderful experience. This holiday, try to share this activity with your family, friends or your special someone. This can be a memorable event for all of us to really feel the essence of Christmas.

One way to prepare your home is by using modern wall art or modern wall artwork on the wall. I suggest to start your decorative ideas on the wall since it is the largest interior space. You can choose a particular theme or concept to set the overall effect and ambience of your home. As soon as you know how you want your walls to look like, you can then purchase or create your own accessories and decors.

To make your home more colorful this Christmas, modern wall art or modern wall artwork never fails to make the home more interesting and inviting. Ribbons and bows are also excellent accessories to dress up the furniture for the holiday. Tie colorful ribbons to chair backs, candlesticks, picks in plants, wreaths, garlands, basket handles, drapery tie-backs, stair railings, and doorknobs.

Also, pick modern wall art or modern wall artwork that complements the general look and feel of your home. If you have a ceiling art, you can also replace it by sticking a removable design over it just for the Christmas. Lastly, buy wreaths, ribbons, wall decors and bows of good quality. I normally use artificial Christmas wreaths and other accessories for a longer and more practical usage.

Interior Design Ideas For a Reception Room

Office environment sets a mood of everyone around. Depending on what kind of business you are in, you need to decorate your office accordingly. You should not go for dull interior design ideas for a marketing company, which is all about creativity and innovation. If you do then your employees will be set in a conservative office environment, while your business will demand avant-garde tone from them.

The first place one encounters when one steps into an office is the reception area. This place sets the tone of the visitors. The moment you see the reception-room of an office, you can define the office environment in no time. The reception-room is a place where your guests come to visit you, your customers come to discuss any queries, and your clients come to discuss business matters; therefore, it needs to be decorated in a respectable and a reasonable way.

How your reception area is managed and designed can help your company even win business deals, because it sets the first impressions. And, a good first impression counts a lot. You need to know what kind of reception-room will be best suited for your company, but there are a few interior design ideas that should be a part of all kinds of reception-rooms.

Your reception-room should have a sleek and stylish table. It can be rectangular or circular, depending on how big an area you want and how much space do you have. The reception table should be maintained on day to day basis. It needs to be clean and should have all the necessary items required by your customers.

The reception-room should have enough lighting. It should not be too bright or too dull. As per the requirements, you reception-room should be well-lit, because lighting helps in creating an ambience and environment.

It is always good to have reception officers who have a pleasant personality. In most companies, females are preferred as reception officers because a female nature is much more nurturing and pleasant while dealing with people than a male. However, the most important aspect to be kept in mind is that the reception officer should have a cheerful personality, be it a male or a female. Reception officers should be well dressed, professional and easy to talk to, because they are first employees of your company to have any contact with an outsider.

The furniture in the reception room makes a huge difference. The furniture should be comfortable, and there should be enough seating available. You would not want to have waiting clients without seating. Therefore, apart from having enough seating, the reception officers should be well organized and alert to manage accordingly.

The interior design ideas should not always be unique, but should cater to all of these little requirements. Your interior design ideas for a reception room should always go around the aspect of functionality. Make your reception room beautiful and functional both, if you want to leave a mark on your customers, visitors and clients, because a reception room is the doorway to your office, which needs to be attractive.

Living Room Decorating Ideas

An effective decoration of a room largely depends on its size and shape and mainly the purpose for which it is going to be used. Living room decoration can be either a simple task or a complicated one depending on the people that are going to use it. Simple if it is going to be empty for most of the time except when the family is at home; complicated if a lot of entertainment is going to take place. But that does not mean that it should not be the opposite also. It largely depends on the person who is going to decorate it. Another complication would be if a constant stream of children and pets are going to be traversing the room.

The shape of the room also has a big say in the kind of décor that it can take. In a large room with plenty of space, it can be segregated into some definite functional space. A small office space beneath the stairs or a formal dining area in a separate place by itself. The use of colors also has a telling impact on the atmosphere of a room. If not judiciously used a large room may look small and cold; if judiciously used a small room can be made to look larger and warmer. The wall art and other accessories in the living room sets its ambience. The more uncluttered the room the more comfortable it is to live in and spend time.

Keep picture sizes small wherever possible, or maybe a large one in one of the larger walls. Avoid substantially large pictures as far as possible. A two-seater settee, rather than a three-seater will create an impression of space. Mirrors are good accessories as long as they are placed in strategic positions as they refract light around the room.

Living room decorating ideas evolve and change from year to year and is sometimes set by the leading interior decorators. But it is best to look at what they have to offer and go by your instincts. It is "your" living room. And the choice of colors and accessories so wide that it is fairly impossible to get to know them. Understand what the primary, the secondary and the tertiary colors are, the color wheel and the basic principles of mixing them and you can come up with shades that could better the display in a paint store.

Blue is the most preferred color. Think of blue and the first thing that comes to your mind is the blue sky or the blue sea that instills a sense of serenity and tranquillity to your mind; and a living room is just where such an atmosphere should prevail. It is left to your creativeness, your imagination and your ingenuity as to how you decorate your living room. Close your eyes and imagine what kind f environment you would like to come to and plan your décor accordingly. Once you have settled on the colors for the walls and the ceiling, think of the colors for the doorways and the windows. Proceed step by step. Next comes the furniture which should complement the color scheme and finally comes the accessories like the mirrors, the carpets, the flower vases and the flowers etc.

This is the ideal way to give shape to your living room decorating ideas. Apply them a create an awe inspiring living room that you and your guests can really enjoy.

Inexpensive Interior Design Ideas That Look Great

Good interior decoration comes at a heavy cost. Well, this is a myth that will soon be cleared as you go through this article. There are many inexpensive interior design ideas that will be revealed to you, so that budget-conscious people do not refrain from rejuvenating the look of their house.

The biggest mistake that people do in the task of interior designing is that they try to change everything from the very start. The best way to approach a task especially for those who have a limited budget is to improvise on their exiting things wherever possible.

The foremost thing is to paint the walls. The colors chosen by you must be in accordance with the mood you want to invoke in that particular room. However, if your wall has cracks or holes, try covering them by hanging fabrics such as cotton or silk.

Another alternative is to hang a tapestry or an interesting painting. You may also make your own creations to adorn the walls. Or you may pick up an interesting piece of fabric or map. Now get it framed and your inexpensive wall hanging is all ready! Similarly, instead of fixing the imperfections on your floor, you may cover them by carpets or designer floorings.

With constant usage, storage cabinets may also have lost their finish. Replacing them is surely an expensive affair. But if you just want to make it as new as ever, why not simply paint it again? You may also consider changing its handles and glass. This would give you new cabinets without spending much money. For the task, you may approach a refurbishing company or consult a professional.

Furniture is also very expensive, if you wish to purchase a new set. However, you may use slipcovers instead to get rid of the boredom in your room and change the look of your furniture. You may also have different slipcovers made for different seasons. For instance, you may have yellow or white colored slipcovers for summers and for fall you may like brown or green colored slipcovers and so on.

Lightning is another important factor of interior designing. By adding on a few flow lights in order to bring focus to the new wall hangings and accessories incorporated by you will definitely change the look of your home drastically. After all, there is nothing old and worn out that you will now notice from flooring to walls.

Hence, there are various inexpensive interior design ideas that can be utilized to enliven your home. In fact, the same affordable ideas can be equally useful to rejuvenate even a home office, restaurant, or any other business set up by making a few amendments to these ideas.

Small Office Space Design Ideas

Planning to decorate your small office space at home? Having trouble finding suitable decorating ideas at less cost? With the challenging economic environment that we have lately, some of us have trouble refurbishing and decorating our small office spaces at least costs.

You should not worry on how to save on decorating costs because there are numerous options available for you. If you know what you want and you have creative skills, you can decorate your office space like a professional interior designer.

Having a small office space has its own disadvantages and advantages, but with your creative prowess and skills, you can transform the small space with flair. Always bear in mind that the primary motive in decorating a small office space is to maximize the use of the area and to create an illusion of wideness.

If you lack ideas and skills in decorating small offices, read this article and follow the tips mentioned below. Before you start your task, you should first assess what you want to achieve for your office.

Things to consider in decorating small office space:

Budget - Like any other projects and tasks, money is needed to make things possible. You need funds to purchase items and to pay the salary of professional interior decorator if you hire one.
Walls - If you to create an illusion of wideness, you should choose neutral color for your walls and use lighter shade for decorative borders. You should also select lighter shade of paints, like beige, lemon, tan, off-white and light green for your walls. Make sure that the shade you select complements with your existing furniture pieces and decorate items. If you want to look the room smaller, choose darker shades of paint. If you do not know how to mix and match shades of paint, you can use the color wheel.
Furniture pieces - Before you remove or purchase anything from your office, you should first make an inventory of all the furniture pieces you have. List all items that need repair, those that should be remove and those that you need to buy. You do not need to splurge on buying furniture items, if you have old furniture pieces in your storage area, reuse them to save on cost. When buying furniture, opt for desks with cubbies and shelves which you can use for additional storage space. Avoid buying items just because you like them or they are on sale, make sure to select those that complement with your existing office furnishings. If you have limited budget, you can buy items at auctions, garage sales or directly from manufacturers. Make sure to keep the furniture pieces away from the door to give an impression of space.
Lighting - To give the room an illusion of space, make use of the big window to let in the sunlight. Avoid using dim lighting, floor lamp and lamp stand for the room. Avoid placing your computer set facing the window to glare in the computer screen.
Decorative accessories - You can place bulletin board, potted plants and vase of flowers.

Always remember to decorate your office the best possible way you can to ensure that you have a conducive working environment because it affects your concentration and quality of work.

Interior Design Ideas For Beautiful Home And Office

Interior designing is a creative and innovative profession in which various techniques and ideas are applied to make interior of a building more attractive and unique. Interior decoration of a building or house reflects the lifestyle and class of people. It is usually costly but the results are worth it. Now everyone can get the interior designing guide to get new and new ideas.

This is field which comes with huge amount of opportunities. Many new corporations or existing one offer good pay to interior designers to design the workplace or renovate it. Upper classes of different countries and cultures are interested in making their homes look unique and they hire interior designers to do it for them. It requires creativity, innovations, ideas and requirement of the customer. This is a profession which can have a good profit margin.

If you feel that your house is looking shabby and old and you want to renovate it into something stylish and unique, then here are a few tips for you.

Theme room:

Home decoration is very important thing. Before decorating any room we should keep in mind that the room is of a boy girl or of a baby. If the room is of a boy than the theme of the room can be blue, it can be of Spider-man type. If the room is of a girl than the theme of the room can be pink, Barbie theme can also go with the girl's room. When it comes to master bed room this is mostly of elders like parents, descent theme can go with it. Decent look can be given to the room and it is bigger room than there is more option of decoration. There are many options when it comes to master bedroom as the master bedroom is pretty good in size. So, there is a lot of space for decorating the master bedroom. Another important thing about interior decorating ideas is it not always mean spending a lot of money.

Office:

Usually people think that offices do not need the interior design. This is wrong view. The office do requires the interior ideas. However the office interior ideas are different from the home interior ideas. While doing the interior of the office the identity of the office matters a lot. The interior should be done in such way that it reflects that the office is representing what type of business.

Office Interior Can Impact Productivity

The interior design element of an office space is an often overlooked part of running a business, but the idea that the productivity of an office's staff can be influenced by the design of the workplace is gaining credence. There are many different kinds of offices, and the primary function of a particular business will naturally direct the design decisions to be made. Banks necessitate a different design scheme than a doctor's office, a home office or a sales office. But whatever the setting, there are design challenges that can be met with increased employee and customer satisfaction as well as increased and improved employee productivity.

If you need help with the implementation of your office's interior design, there are designers and design companies that specialize office design. The best help will be provided by companies or designers that have experience designing for your specific type of business, and will know what methods make the work experience the most efficient and pleasant one available to your employees, and if applicable, any clients or customers that will interact within your business space.

These designers will also be able to provide access to the most cutting edge office furniture and décor available. There are also many companies and designers with websites and software packages available online to the business owner that would like help decorating their office space.

There are many aspects of design to consider when developing your office's interior design plan. Acoustics, or noise maintenance is one important design element and there are several companies that specialize in office equipment dedicated to keeping noise levels in offices at their best for productivity. The colors used in an office space should also be chosen carefully and considered with care. People are stimulated and subdued by colors and the appropriate color scheme can do just that to a staff and customer base.

Offices are also heavily trending toward "green" design, or environmentally sound design and building procedures. These include not only interior designs including materials for recycling programs, but also actual building materials used to create the office. It is important to incorporate environmentally friendly concepts in an office space that allow for the possible use of recycled furniture and low impact resources.

There are also websites dedicated to the use of feng shui design for increased productivity. This theory uses placement techniques to aid in increased positive energy. Plants and windows or other sources of natural light are also considered to be invigorating and important design tools for an office space to have. A little lovely greenery not only looks nice, but also increases the oxygen levels of their surroundings. Windows are good because sunlight naturally brings up energy levels.

Home Office Decorating Ideas - Simple Home Office Decorating Ideas For Maximum Efficiency!

One of the most popular practices in home interior design is the use of feng shui. Feng shui is an ancient Chinese art that dates back some 2,000 years. It is based on the scientific basis of energy flow. There are four different types of feng shui, with Black Hat Sect being the most common form practiced in the United States.

Feng shui uses colors, textures, and arrangement to promote positive outcomes. There are many books available on the topic of feng shui. Check your local library or search for feng shui tips on-line. When using feng shui, it's recommended that you study and practice one type, instead of using techniques from each.

You can find many great home office decorating tips in magazines and on the Internet. You may want to check out interior decorating books from the library or visit home decorating centers to get ideas. Additionally, there are several home decorating shows on television, which provide step-by-step directions for room makeovers, and provide tips for using items you already own.

Designing a home office should be a fun and rewarding experience. You can create a beautiful space on a shoestring budget if you take time to do some research. Once you know your requirements, it becomes almost as easy as arranging the furniture in your chosen space with the best possible efficiency.

While you are designing the home office have a list of electrical equipments you are going to have in your office. Electrical equipment may include computers, printers, photocopying machines, fax machines, LCD projectors, etc.

These gadgets require electrical points and must be thought during the design stage itself. It should not happen that you are short of wire for your LCD projector right at the time of presentation. SO planning a home office interior design will help a lot of time and money into emergency problems arriving everyday.

Best Tips and Guidance for Interior Designing

Interior decorating & designing is an art and practice for manipulation of adding new items and alteration of components to fixtures of the room. For most women, the interiors of their house and for men the interiors of their office is a dream come true. Therefore, they look for the best and try to decorate their house by upcoming themes and new interior design ideas. Interior decoration has not only popular in metropolitan cities, has also become popular in small towns too. Interior designers help us to rejuvenate and give picture and colors to our ideas. Interior decorators are experts and can guide us for the decor of the house or office. Today, even the media and event management companies hire interior decorators to update their offices and sites for an elegant look. With the help of interior designing ideas, the boring place can become a dream world.

Nowadays, women like to decorate their house on their own. Today it is possible with the guidance of lifestyle magazines, online sites and dedicated books. Various websites offer free tips on home decor furniture and accessories to decor home in perfect manner. Casa Modern, India crafts are some of the online websites which provide updated ideas for the variety of furnishings and accessories.

Some of the ideas for home decor are as follows:

1. Home decor for walls calls for the perfect color of the paint, and the paint product, the combination of the color with the furniture of the room. Popularly, known as color themes should combine with the themes of the interiors.

2. Nowadays, draping curtains have proved to be the best and inexpensive as decor of the rooms. The colors should be earthy on the walls as well as the furniture of the room.

3. Cabinets and storage furniture, if designed properly add to the beauty of the home decor. It gives an elegant look.

4. The lighting concepts should be perfect which will keep the interiors bright and stylish.

Therefore, there are lot more interior decorating ideas and tips available and required for perfect home decor. It also differs with the kind of room, like living room, bedroom, bathroom, etc. There are lots of factors related to interior designing. First and foremost is the available space. The budget is also one of the factors for interior designing. Good interior decoration helps in giving aesthetic appeal to the home.

Interior Design Ideas - How to Buy Unique Furniture For Your Home Or Office

You want your home or office unique and fitting just to you? In California Bay Area there is a lack of furniture stores. There are big box stores, but it all seems to look alike. Everyone can buy that stuff. How do you make your interiors unique and special, just for you?

Determine your stylee: In order to get interior furnishings that reflect you, you need to determine what your style is. Start in each room and ask these questions:Is the room formal or casual? What casual fabrics do I like? Leather, suede, or cotton? What formal fabrics do I like? Silks, metallic, brocades? What texture do I like? The more texture, the more casual. Smooth texture for more formality? What shapes do I like? Do I like curves and softer furnishings or do I like angular more modern items? Am I a traditional, modern or unconventional person?

Look at designer furniture - The designer furnishings are not usually available directly to the public. The designer is used to working with these companies and can help you fine tune each piece to fit you. The advantages of the designer furnishings is that each piece is not sold in bulk. You will not see the pieces elsewhere. You can usually use the exact fabric you love and have it put on the piece of furniture. You can choose the exact finish, color or metal detail color. And you can detail it any way you want to make it go with your decor. This is the way to get the designer look. When putting together a design, I know that I will not find these pieces in the stores just as I need them. The chances of finding something with just the right color, texture, detailing and look that I want is pretty slim.

Add your details - The main details are mentioned above like color, texture, shapes and style. But you can get even more detailed. How about adding contrasting welts, the cording on a piece of furniture or pillow, so you have 2 colors on your furniture piece? How about bead trim on your pillows or a fringe that brings out just the exact colors you want?Try fringe or beads in your exact colors on your draperies. What else can add you touch? The examples are endless. You can even print a picture on canvas and put it on a chair. Now that is unique...

What are your ideas? Please comment and put some of them below. It is fun to be a unique as you are and show it in your home or office? What are some of the ways that you have thought about doing that?

Trends In Interior Decorating

It is easy to see why you feel so relaxed when you are surrounded by nature. The

colors are calming and it just feels right to commune with this particular

environment. Environmental Decorating is a popular trend that addresses these

feelings to "get back to nature."

Extending this design area into your home or office can easily be done with simple

accessories. Faux textures that resemble marble, stone or granite can set a nice

background for any room with this theme. Look outside your window to see what

palette Mother Earth is offering. Take these colors and use them in wallcovering or

upholstery. Look for patterns that contain vegetables, florals, leaves or fruit.

Combine these items with natural wood or marble flooring. Top it off with wood

blinds and you have created an environment where you can relax and feel embraced

by nature.

Anyone can take responsibility to bring design trends into their home or office. The

trick to having a room that truly looks "put together" is to coordinate items as

simple as your bedspreads, pillows and comforters. Does your wall go with your

tables? Are your blinds complimenting your furniture? They do not have to match.

They do, however, need to compliment each other and give will help to give you a

more professional, "put together" look if you can accomplish this.

Do not be quick to spend money on your interior design. It is easy to look through a

catalog and buy everything you need that might match. It is savvy to find an

accessories store or website where you can pick and choose the items creating a

room that is uniquely about you and the life you lead.

A good way to dive into decorating is by looking at a trend you enjoy such as

Environmental Decorating. Buy one items you truly love and build your ideas around

that one item. Before you know it, you will have additional items that compliment

each other and a theme you truly love. All that is left is enjoy your new environment.

Complement Your Rooms With These French Door Decorating Ideas

It would be simply elegant to have modern or even traditional French doors in your home or in your office. Whether you are interested in giving this style a try or if you are simply contemplating plans for your future room interior, you should consider some of these French door decorating ideas.

A French door or a French window has multiple squared panes in its nearly full length. The purpose is not just for the convenience of seeing the outdoors, but also to add more light to the room.

If you take the time to compare modern and traditional French door styles, you will realize that both convey authentic beauty. Traditional French doors are usually made from hard wood and are associated with glass panes. And to support such wood and glass combinations, decorative grilles are placed between them. For modern French doors, the construction is done using a single large piece of glass that increases the amount of light that enters inside your patio.

In order to decide which kind of door to install, it's really a matter of personal taste. With such beauty, it is unlikely that you'll make a bad decision. Either choice will help to create a relaxing atmosphere and a beautiful room.

Some libraries are also using this type of door because of the convenience it offers. Now, because these doors are mostly glass, it means that prying eyes will be able to see what's happening in a room. For this reason, it may be prudent to add some decorative enhancements that do no negatively impact the attractiveness of the door itself.

To give an extra wonder to such paired doors, here are some French door decorating ideas you should think about:

Horizontal Mini Blinds - try wooden mini blinds with slats 1 inch in size. In aluminum, the slats could be half or 1 inch.

Window Shades - you can choose fabric roman shades or the bamboo roller shades.

Fabric Window Treatments - you could hang draperies or sheers.

Stained Glass - Abstract, floral and geometric designs are frequently used styles used here because this adds elegance to the room and the light that enters to it.

Painting - you may either prefer to paint your doors to project a captivating look or hire someone who's knowledgeable in the field of painting.

Decorative Decals - they are removable and can add instant elegance without damaging your doors. But first consider if you really want to distract from the natural beauty of wood.

Doorknobs - don't forget the importance of doorknobs. They can really make a door stand out as a piece of art.

These French door decorating ideas will hopefully help your room to become more comfortable and attractive than ever. Add the charm and design of these doors for convenience now and beauty for years to come.

Decorating Ideas With Window Treatments

Whether your dream room is formal and filled with fabulous antiques or if it is cozy and sporting worn leather, you can complete the vision with carefully planned window treatments. Privacy, protection from the sun and energy efficiency rank high on the list of consumer needs for their windows. Blinds and shutters will provide this practical layer of window treatments. Purchase the best that your budget will allow because constant opening and closing will wear on the mechanisms that work these coverings.

Let the (Partial) Sun Shine In

Often we want to enjoy the sun streaming into our home or the view of the trees outside our window but we still want the privacy of a covered window. The solution is installing shades with the top down/bottom up feature. Simply put, they can be lifted from the bottom to give a view of the outside world but still allowing the lower half of the window to be covered. When privacy is not a concern, they can be used as traditional horizontal blinds.

Top Down / Bottom Up Shades

I recommend these for your office or media room because they will minimize the glare on your computer or television while maintaining a well lit room. Do not underestimate the damage sun can do to your home and furnishings. Window film can also be used to control the harmful UV rays that will fade your flooring, furniture and artwork. This coating placed directly on the window panes will block out the heat and deflect glare while allowing sunlight to safely come through the window. You can purchase do it yourself kits or have it professional done.

Clothes For Your Windows

Now it is time to think about the fun layer of window dressing. A room looks complete when you add great treatments. What is the style of your room? What will it look like from the outside? Do you want them stationary or functional?

Panels

Panels are as popular now as when your mother was decorating her home. The difference is the variety in headers.

* Grommets create a modern vibe. The panel has metal rings along the top that threads on to your rod. They look best when used in areas they can remain stationary.

* Pinch pleats are strong in the custom treatment business. The most popular look is to hang them from metal or wooden rings. This look works well if you want to open and close your curtains often.

* Tab tops are fun for casual rooms. The tabs can be of different colors, have added buttons or be adorned with tassels. They should be used on windows that you do not need to close the curtains.

Valances

Valances are strong in window treatment decor. They add a finished look over your blinds by hiding the mechanical header. Hang them high enough so that they cover the top casing but they do not block the sun streaming into your window. There are so many styles of valances from box pleats to swags. Let your fabric design and the style of your room guide you on choosing the perfect valance.

Enter The Romans

My young clients seem to be drawn to roman shades. They can be easily lower when privacy is needed. When raised, they create a tailored look that works well in so many homes. They look great in a crisp cotton as well as a raw silk.

Window Treatment Crazy? Seek Professional Help

If you have a hard time visualizing the end results, choosing decorative window treatments can be daunting. A designer specializing in windows will take you step by step through the process. They will give you access to resources (fabrics, hardware, specialized blinds) that you would not be able to buy at your local big box store. They will also help protect you from costly mistakes. What kind of window treatments do I have in my upstairs office? Well, looking at my windows I see delicate wispy strands of silk like material. Even though the design is intricate and somewhat pretty, I think it is time to knock those spider webs down! Until next time, enjoy more decorating ideas and video at my site below.

4 Great Interior Design Ideas for Beginners

Some people seem to have a natural eye for design and always seem to have great interior design ideas. I am not one of these people. Just the other week I was setting up a new office and was looking for a nice accent piece. In the store I came up with a combination of items that I liked, and then decided to ask one of the employees for a second opinion. My idea was shot down as combining different styles. So I sought another opinion, and got a similar answer. I asked myself, "If I like it, isn't that good enough?" Maybe for the eclectic and a private room, but for a business office, it is not good enough. Interior design should make a statement, and "I have no taste" is not what I was going for.

So I started doing some research for interior design ideas, and I learned a lot. Here are four great tips that I found useful, and if you are design newbie, hopefully you will too.

It's o.k to copy ideas from wherever you can find them. Your friend may not naturally be a great designer, but if she watches enough HGTV, she may have become one over time. If she has a room you particularly like, feel free to copy it, substituting in your own tastes. Watch some home decorating shows, and read magazines, you will soon have plenty of interior design ideas from which to choose. Take ideas from wherever you can get them, and then tweak them to make them your own.
Look at your living space and keep only what you really love. If you don't like something, or could care less if it was there, get rid of it! Either throw it away, donate it to charity, or box it up if it has family value. Just because it originally belonged to Great Aunt Delilah, doesn't mean you have to display it. You can still keep it to hand down to the next generation, or hand it off to someone else in the family.
Don't worry about defining a certain style that you like, after all, if you had a comprehensive idea of all the design styles available, you probably wouldn't be having this problem! But do define some basics of what you like or dislike. For example, do you like bright and bold colors, or more muted and natural tones? Do you want warm or cool colors? Do you like simple, straight lines? Or more curved or complex designs? Do you like thick or thin furnishings? Do you like to be daring, or would you rather be safe? By answering these types of questions, you can come up with your own design style and some great interior design ideas to bring it to pass.
Don't forget to accessorize. Great interior design ideas do not have to be expensive, it is amazing what you can do with a little paint, some rearranging, and getting rid of things you don't really about. Then add a wonderful piece of art that brings the whole room together. The right painting or sculpture can make an entire room, just make sure it is something that love, and that you have just the perfect spot to put it.

There are so many interior design ideas out there, but hopefully these few tips will get you started, especially if you feel like a design newbie like I did not so long ago. I did finish my office with a modern yet comfy feeling, so I know I am heading in the right direction!

A Career in Interior Decoration

A certain school of thought claims that interior decorators are born, not made. However, as long as you have a basic artistic streak and a yearning to be creative, you can be groomed to any level of expertise in interior decoration. Giving a property buyer the benefit of one's creative streak in this way is one of the most lucrative and creative careers today.

Beyond any doubt, interior decoration is a satisfying profession for those who 'have it' these days. There is an unprecedented amount of up-market residential and commercial property being sold on the real estate market today. Moreover, the present generation buyers of properties can afford to have their new acquisitions packaged attractively. Engaging the services of an interior decorator was once considered a lavish luxury, but not anymore. With the increased spending power of the IT generation, a home is defined by its aesthetic appeal -- and a growing number of people are ready to pay for that.

The trend for professionally decorated interiors has percolated down from film stars to almost every upper stratum of society. Nor is the demand for interior decoration any longer confined to residences -- witness the offices of most successful doctors, lawyers and advertising agencies, as well as bookstores, music shops, shopping malls, restaurants, hotel lobbies... yes, the scope for interior decoration is virtually endless.

HITTING THE HIGH NOTES

Apart from being an inherently glamorous profession, interior decoration has a career has a number of other appeals to offer:

PEOPLE -- You meet a lot of them, and from a fascinating cross-section - from movie icons to business magnates; from well-known restaurant owners to fast-track lawyers; from neurosurgeons to the idle rich.

MONEY -- You earn a lot of it. Everyone has respect for artistic flair, and your efforts are supposed to reflect the property owner's own taste. This makes it an ego issue, and people pay a lot to support their ego.

CONTACTS -- A career in interior decoration is self-propagating. One successfully completed contract almost immediately leads to another, till you can actually pick and choose. Also, the people you come across can come in useful in many other respects later on.

NO SPECIAL TRAINING REQUIRED -- of course, a basic degree in the Arts can't hurt, but a period of internship under an established interior decorator will serve just as well.

EXTENSIVE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS -- You will not be operating on your own. A large enough contract will require the services of a carpenter, electrician, painter and a graphic computer designer. A lot of people will benefit from your profession - and that is significant.

LIMITLESS JOB SATISFACTION -- Expressing oneself artistically is one of the most satisfying experiences that a human being can have; being paid to do it is nothing but a bonus. It is no secret that one works best at what one enjoys doing - it is equally true that one of the biggest problems in today's professional world is lack of creative outlets.

Most people have an 'inbuilt' creative streak in some form or the other. Professional interior decorators who were polled recently firmly denied that theirs is a 'born' breed -- almost anyone can develop a flair, liking and proficiency in this field.

WHAT IT TAKES

As already pointed out, you don't require any special qualifications to become a successful interior decorator (as opposed to interior designing, which has far more demanding parameters). Basically, you should have an ability to judge spaces (including the potential for hidden storage space), lighting requirements, color schemes and contrasts, furniture styles, etc. and a 'feel' for upholstery and curtain fabrics. Finally, you will need to bring these out to maximum advantage within the framework of a given budget.

There are a number of books and journals available to the subject of interior decoration, though not so many on the Indian market. For the seriously interested, however, this will not present a problem. Any specialty bookstore can offer you a selection of imported publications. A subscription to Indian magazines like 'Inside Outside' would be helpful by offering information on styles and combinations currently favored in the country.

One of the most helpful things you can do is to visit properties that have been professionally designed, study the work done there, and even ask the owners in what respects they are or aren't satisfied with the end results. The places to zero in on are newly bought flats and offices that have engaged the services of an interior decorator. The point is not to judge the quality of the job done, but to get a feel of what kind of interior designing is popular on the real estate market, and therefore sells.

This costs you nothing, and people are always ready to talk on such subjects (after all, what is the point in splurging on interior decoration if you can't gloat about the results later on?) In this manner, you can build up a useful mental catalog of successful and unsuccessful approaches.

Getting an eventual interior decoration team together is another important factor. You should also try to establish a personal network of carpenters and painters who will be able to spend time on unscheduled projects. This way, you will be able to obtain their services as and when you need them. Sharing your design discoveries with them occasionally is a good idea, too. In that way, you will have some concrete prototypes to refer to when you actually get to work on a project.

PROGRESSING TO INTERIOR DESIGNING

This is a far more demanding -- and rewarding -- career field, and you will need a lot of experience in interior decoration before you can think of entering it. There are certified institutions that offer courses in interior designing, and you may want to consider such a move at a later stage.

Till then, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't make lucrative waves as an interior decorator. As a famous philosopher once stated, the only limitations we face are those we make for ourselves.

Small Office Decorating Ideas To Maximize Space

Offices create unique interior decorating challenges because of all the equipment and electronics that businesses use on a daily basis. My office is located in a very small commercial space, so it was especially difficult to design. There are a few small office decorating ideas and tips that I used to maximize the amount of square footage while addressing the practical needs of the business.

One of the most important things to do with small spaces is to utilize vertical space. Even though floor space is limited, there is additional square footage in every room that usually gets wasted. My office has a high ceiling, which means there is plenty of available room on the walls. I purchased a floor-to-ceiling shelving system that allowed me to store all of my office needs.

Some offices have a designated space where employees can take a break or eat a small meal. However, because of space considerations, I am not so fortunate. One of the small space office decorating ideas I implemented in my office is buying double-duty furniture that serves more than one purpose. I chose desks for the office that have surfaces that fold out so that employees have a place to eat their lunch.

In any sized office, efficiency is key. In order for a business to run smoothly, the space must be designed in a deliberate and effective manner. For example, I have to use the printer several times every day. Therefore, it does not make sense to put the printer on the other side of the room because a lot of time would be wasted every time a document had to be retrieved. I used common ideas regarding efficiency to determine where to put each piece of equipment.

Workplace decorating can be tricky, but with a little creativity I was able to come up with a design to fit all of my personal wants and business needs. Office decorating ideas maximize efficiencies and helped create a space that is comfortable for everyone in the office. Implementing these tips has made my small office run in a time- and cost-effective manner.

Area Rugs to Complement the Home's Interior Decoration

Interior decoration is all about making the home posh, stylish and fashionable. Area rugs can truly complement the totality of the home design. Nowadays, eclectic looks have become prevalent in home decors. That is why there are a lot of choices when it comes to these kinds of rugs. You might find these ideas handy for your own home.

Before you start, some factors to be considered first. You should know that there are a lot of varieties of area rugs out in the market these days. It's best that you determine the role of the rug you wish to place. Take note whether it should be the focal point, define the grouping of the furniture or enhance the color scheme, texture and warmth of the room.

Oriental area rugs are fine choices to accent the interior design. You can choose dhurrie, kilim or antique Persian of the finest qualities. If you have a room styled in English country themes, you can also go for Victorian area rugs with flowery hooks. For a room in French country fashion, Aubusson is a good example. A plain sisal goes for simplicity as well. For a room in Old World design, an Aubusson or Oriental area rug will do.

If you're a big fan of minimalism, you would want to keep the area rugs spare and plain. Alternatives include a solid-color chenille or solid-color sisal over a floor with a hard surface. For rooms influenced by the advancing technology of the modern world, a man-made rug will suit just fine. Sisal carpets or those with flat commercial style or shaggy style also work well.

For rooms fashioned in American country, garden and cottage themes, use a rag rug or a hooked rug. Floor cloths with painted canvas design are also quite effective. You can even go for trompe l'oeil, floral or another textile with the same motif in the room.

For your rooms styled with the arts and crafts, you might want to incorporate a William Morris or a Mission styled rug. To add a bit of an ethnic flavor to the decorations, you can select a wild and striking faux leopard, tiger or zebra rug. Other options are flat or coir-woven sisal and dhurries. Coir or sisal area rugs are effective for rooms with Latin themes. A recommended suggestion is a striped hand-woven geometric rug or a nubby one.

The main thing to consider is the overall ambience of the entire room or part of the house when selecting the appropriate area rugs. Whether it's a formal, casual, natural, fun or a luxurious room, there is always a rug to go with a particular theme. If you've plans to place a rug in your office, it's best that you go for a fairly flat, thin rug to make it easy to roll around with your wheeled office chairs.

You can always take a trip to your local mall in search of the perfect area rugs for your home. You can also go online for a more broader search.

Home Interior Decorating - Styles and Tips

Home interior decorating is a wonderful way for anyone to relay to the world their unique fashion sense. With so many ideas and styles available, someone is sure to find the one that fits their personality and taste to provide joy to themselves and others.

The sky's the limit when it comes to the different styles to choose form. Here I will provide four popular basic styles and certain elements and features they possess.

1. Casual Style

A casual style room is one that has a more homey, comfortable and warm feeling to it. Casual rooms start with simplicity. Simple textured elements in fabric and simple accessories accentuate the warmth of this design. Soft furniture and arrangements that avoid perfect symmetry are also some elements used in the casual room. Casual style can be easily incorporated into many other styles as well.

2. Formal Style

Formal style is mainly for people who like to attract attention and possibly envy of others. This style will work best in homes with high ceilings, large and tall windows, and some type of architectural feature such as a large fireplace or beautifully paneled walls. In the formal design it is important to have a central focal point to draw the eye. This could be that large fireplace or a beautiful picture window looking out on their well manicured lawn. Luxurious fabrics, crystal, and brass would be the ideal accessories for this type of style.

3. Contemporary Style

Contemporary style is for someone who likes the modern look of today. This style can be used in various types of dwellings such as: homes, offices, and stores. There are a few elements essential for this design and they are: Fundamentally, simplicity, subtle sophistication, texture and clean lines. This style showcases the space rather than the things that occupy it. keeping focus on color, space, and shape, the contemporary design comes out sleek and fresh.

4. Traditional Style

Traditional style rooms are comforting and classic, not at all wild, chaotic, or outlandish. Some elements in a traditional style space includes: Classic lines and understated details for furniture upholstery and gentle curves in the furniture itself, as well as the pillows and accessories. Florals, plain colors, muted plaids, and understated stripes are some of the fabric patterns used. Traditional style rooms are comfortable for any age group.

A large part of everyone's life is spent in their homes. This list of four basic decorating styles can open a whole world of possibilities to design a home like a professional.