Did you just accept the colors your house came in, or leave the choice of colors to your architect if you are building a new one?  Did you pick out fashionable and “in” colors for the interior and exterior painting of your home?  One thing you may have overlooked is how important the colors of your home are to your general wellbeing and to that of your family.

I realized how much the colors of a house can affect its inhabitants when a friend, who usually kept me company after office hours while I waited for traffic to lessen, casually mentioned that he preferred to go home after sunset because his house was less jarring and more welcoming in the early evening hours.  I had wondered why he waited for traffic to die down when he lived not far from the office.  His house had a cheerful yellow-orange exterior that I had always liked but he said that the color made the back of his eyes ache.  He has since had his house repainted after I pointed out the idiocy of being kept out of his house by its paint.

You may need the advice of experts to help you choose the quality and types of your house paints, but look to yourself and your family for the color choices.  What colors make you feel comfortable, safe and welcomed?  What colors energize you?

After you have determined this, it will be easy to work out your home’s color palette with your architect, designer or house painter and your home will really be sweet home for you and your family.

Image by Katie Sokoler via ColorMeKatie

New York street artist Katie Sokoler knows that there is no need to spend lots of money when it comes to decorating the walls of your home when you can just do it yourself!

It’s as simple as just buying your own brightly colored poster board paper, cutting it out, and taping it onto the wall!  It’s definitely a fun project for everyone to do, at very low costs.  It’s also a great way for parents and cildren to spend time together decorating the house.

While this may seem like a very amateur way to decorate the walls of your home, there are actually millions of possibilities!  One idea is to cut out many different shapes and abstractly group them together, or to cut out more common things such as cartoon characters, fruit, and letters.  You can also combine materials with this project, such as different colored yarn, ribbon, or colored tape. For those who are less creatively inclined, even just creating a mosaic of different colored poster board papers onto the wall can brighten up a room so much.

Image by Katie Sokoler via ColorMeKatie

To stick the paper onto your wall, simple masking tape will do the trick.  You can also find inexpensive spray on adhesives at your local arts and crafts store.  Just remember to open a window when using spray-ons indoors.

This project is definitely suitable for children’s rooms, toy rooms, and even in the college dorm, but with the same creative mind putting into choosing regular wall paper and home furniture, this project can really liven up any room in the house.

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Whether it’s contemporary, traditional, casual or eclectic, choosing the right window treatment that is in keeping with the style of the room can do much to enhance the look of the room. After all the trouble you’ve taken to achieve a particular look in every room in your home, don’t stop at the windows.

Rushing out and buying fabrics for your windows could very well turn out to be a mistake as fabrics that look good in the show room are not necessarily the best choice for your windows. Buying fabric that matches the decor of the room is by far more important. A tapestry curtain, no matter how fabulous it looks, would be completely inappropriate in a room that is designed in a contemporary style.

Here are some suggestions for different window treatment options that will help you maintain the decorating style in any room.

Traditional Décor

Typically formal and fussy, traditional decorating style is reminiscent of old world European design where even furniture styles had monikers like Queen Anne and Louis XV. Here are a few window treatment ideas that complement the traditional décor of the room:

• Chintz, velvet, damask, tapestry, silk and linen are the fabrics of choice that will you achieve the traditional look.
• As a rule, heavier furniture calls for curtains made from heavier fabric. If you are determined to have sheer curtains, use them as panels that can be seen when your formal draperies are tied back.
• Draperies and curtains should be long enough to touch the floor and even beyond. Extra long curtains that end in a heap of folds on the floor is tres traditional and romantic to boot.
• Decorative tiebacks, tassels, bows, elegant braids and swag cords add elegance and drama to the curtains. Add extra flair to the curtains with jabots and swags.
• Shades or blinds should be included beneath the draperies and curtain for light control and privacy.

Contemporary Décor

Contemporary decorating style is absolutely non-fussy; the emphasis is on minimal décor with clean lines. These few window treatment suggestions will blend well with a room that is designed in a minimalist fashion.

• Minimalist and non-fussy, blinds or wood shutters are perfect for a contemporary room. They provide adequate privacy and light control without detracting from the atmosphere of the room.
• If you must, add side panels and a valance of sheer fabric.
• Windows that are architecturally beautiful are best left unadorned. A simple border stenciled around the window could add extra drama to the window.

Casual Décor

Typically, anything goes in a casual style. There are no rigid rules to follow; only guidelines.

• Cotton curtains go much better with casual décor than curtains made from more formal fabrics such as velvet or tapestry.
• Colorful printed curtains that are shorter in length convey a mood that is informal, relaxed and playful.
• Add life to a plain window with Roman shades made with geometric pattern designs or different types of stripes.

Eclectic Décor

Eclectic décor is a nifty blend of two different interior decorating styles. The window treatment you choose should reflect this blend of décor styles in a non-garish way.

• Use a single swag to add an element of drama to the window
• To add a touch of romance to your windows let your drapery panels flow to the floor in a folded heap.
• Simple metal blinds provide privacy and light control.

I recently spotted this coat rack and thought I’d share it here with you.

Budget and recycling all rolled into on.

What a neat way to use unwanted faucet handles.

Just find yourself a suitable piece of board and then attach old faucets at appropriate distances for hanging coats and bags – the ideal thing to have at your front door, entry or even in the laundry.

Either go the eclectic look like this one with the different shapes and colors OR try a more defined look by using all the same faucets. In fact let your mind run wild and see what else you can recycle to use as hooks.

Wow – was the first this I said when I saw this – it’s pretty impressive.

Designed by Kristan Cunningham this is something anyone could do at home. Doilies framed in striking solid color frames – and you can pick up doilies for next to nothing at flea markets and second hand stores.

In fact I am just converting a lean-to on my home into a master bedroom and this might just be the inspiration I have been looking for. The room has one grey stone wall (original exterior of home) and I was thinking of going grey, black, white and burgundy (for some color). I think this idea might be just what I’m looking for – a bit of experimenting might be called for – I’ll let you know if that’s what I settle for and how it goes.

I think anyone could recreate this.

Making original art less intimidating and making it affordable to the average home owner is Eye Buy Art. This Canadian biz is brining art to the masses.

We think art is for everyone and we aim to make buying art easy, friendly, and affordable. Our name reflects our navigation – look, buy, and learn about art – and we hope to inspire new and existing collectors to buy art from these enthusiastic young artists at a pivotal time in their career.

This virtual art gallery is strictly curated – with the photographs displayed being chosen by a group of art professionals. The photographs are by photographers that have been deemed as “up and coming” from the UK, US and Canada.

A new image is released weekly and limited edition works are offered for sale – starting at just 25USD – so everyone can now have original artwork on their wall. All prints naturally come with a certificate verifying the work’s authenticity.

The artists earn 50 percent and 10% is donated to the Flash Forward Festival – an organization promoting photography as an art form.

I had to laugh – this is very cure and I love the idea. We are definitely going to have one of these in our home. A shelf where the books are hung from underneath – very quirky!

Get creative and make this shelf for yourself. Vague instructions can be found at http://dornob.com/diy-make-your-own-upside-down-bookshelves/ but I’m sure with bit of playing around you will get the idea.

An ideal project for a quite afternoon! Personally I would use some better looking brackets but the idea is great!

Have fun with your new quirky bookshelf.

PS No books were harmed in this project.

5 Quick Tips for Decorating with wall decals

1.    Go simple.  Less is best for stylish decorating.  Like many things in life choosing high quality effective products will be more successful than multiple cheaper, non matching products.  Choose one or two focal point decal designs and remember to consider the space around the wall decal design to achieve the best effect.

2.    Research your surface.   Decals are sign writing graphics applied to a surface.  These are designed to be applied to hard, smooth, clean surfaces.  Choose a surface that will suit the application of vinyl.  Smooth painted walls.  Painted wood.  Glass.  Metal.  Formica. Plastic.

3.    Think “Single location”.  Proper wall decals are not repositionable.  They are made from ultra thin vinyl that when removed will be stretched and misformed- near impossible to reapply.  So if you are spending $200 on a design and intend to move in a month or two, then your money will go to waste.

4.    Choose within your skill level.  Applying a standard wall decal is manageable with clear instructions.  However, if you choose a detailed design with lots of small pieces, the application will be more complex.  In addition, larger wall decals require more “handyman” skills that smaller ones.

5.    Research size.  If you have a large wall to decorate, then choosing a large size may be appropriate, but it may not.  Make sure you consider the effect you are trying to create.  Secondly, double check the suppliers sizing.  There is nothing more annoying than opening your package and finding the design is tiny for the price you paid.  If the supplier is not clearly showing the size, then ASK.

By following these 5 quick tips, you will be well on your way to successful decorating with vinyl surface graphics.

Does your home need brightening up, cheering up or just a change in the way it looks? Maybe you are tired of the way things look at the moment but, not surprising, you are reluctant  to do a complete home makeover. Adding a new touch of color will give you the look you are striving for without the time and money required for a complete home makeover.

Adding Color to your Walls
It’s amazing how much difference a new coat of paint can give to a house or just a room. Your choice of color combinations will be the basis of your whole home decoration and this should be your starting point. This shouldn’t be too difficult a job, in fact it might even be fun!

Do you want to paint whole colors on your walls or do you want to add extra character and drama by adding some decorative effects. You might want to get really brave and try out some wallpaper murals or faux finishing possibilities. You don’t necessarily have to be a great artist to do these, in fact they can be as easy as coloring in a coloring book, and the effect could be well worth it – certainly better than looking at that blank space on your wall!

Another option for adding color and interest to your walls is stencilling. Stencilling is quick to do, and a good option if you are not very experienced at home decoration. You can add depth to your design by choosing the stencil type where you add layers of colors. Add individuality in your choice of where you place your stencilling; it doesn’t have to be just at the top of the walls.

Wallpaper is also an option, of course, but think ahead to the problem of removing it when you want a change, and decide whether you really want that. Maybe consider just a decorative border.

Now add pictures, or whatever else you want to display on your wall.

Adding Color to your Floors
Did you do a double take at that? You neither have to paint your floors nor change your whole carpet to add new color or texture to your floor. Just scattering a few colorful area rugs in a variety of textures will let you add color to your floors with literally just the flick of your wrist. What’s more, it will save you money and you don’t need someone to fit it for you either.

Area rugs come in an amazing smorgasbord of sizes, shapes and styles; the best way to narrow your choices down is to try to find one or more than one that fit with your chosen color theme as well as the size and shape of your room.

You also need to think about the pattern of the area rug: should it be a simple pattern, or a complicated design? Traditional or modern, maybe geometric? Perhaps a Persian or Oriental area rug would look good, or one with a picture on it, like a painting.

You will find area rugs made of various materials including jute area rugs, sea grass area rugs and cotton area rugs, for example, so you should easily be able to find one which fits with your home decorating theme.

Adding Color Everywhere
Having given your walls and floors a new look, you can now think about other splashes of new color here and there to fit your new home decorating theme. Have fun with your home decorating and enjoy your new look!

It happens to the best of us when we set up our first homes. Furniture, down payments, shifting and other ‘important’ things drain our finances so much so that we are left with nothing to decorate our new home with. Artwork is generally costly and while nobody likes bare walls much, we are forced to live with them till the time we save some extra dough to buy prints for our walls. However, if you have just shifted into a new house, then you can be sure that you won’t be able to save much till at least six months or more, what with one thing or the other coming up. In such a situation, creating your own art work is the next best option, and if you are a fan of customization and originality, then it is certainly the best option. You can use your imagination to create extremely cheap and affordable art pieces for your home. These pieces will not just be unique and beautiful; they will also not burn a hole in your pocket. Some ideas for creating beautiful artwork yourself are-

Frame A Fabric: Even the most artistically challenged people can easily create a beautiful piece of artwork by framing a good looking piece of fabric. All you need to do is get hold of a rich looking or colorful material, paste it on a matching or contrasting mat and frame it. Try doing this with woven cushions, they look like real tapestries, or old pieces of lace, silk or brocade to get a “tapestry” look.

Go Botanical: If you like plants and flowers (who doesn’t?), then you can create artwork using dried flowers and leafs for your walls. You can put together a collection of dried flowers, leaves and stems on a colorful mat and frame it up in a shadow box. You can also make interesting patterns with cereals and grains (think of colored beans and pulses) and put it in a shadow box. For those who are too lazy or too unimaginative to do even this much, there’s an even simpler method- Just collect leaves and flowers that you find attractive and get a colored photocopy made. You can get the copy made to a size that you like and frame this up.

Tear Up Your Books: Well, I am not talking about defacing your favorite volumes, but you can go foraging at used book or garage sales for books that have good pictures or prints of famous paintings. You can buy these books for cheap and frame pictures that you like. If you are framing small prints, then try putting them up as a collection of two or more instead of mounting single frames.

Put Useless Stuff To Use: All of us end up having plates, baskets or artwork projects that are either too precious to use or do not co ordinate with anything else that we have. The best way of putting them to good use is by using them as wall art work. So hang up plates, dishes and coasters that have lost their sets on your walls and see them transform themselves into beautiful pieces of art.