Thursday, August 16, 2007

A Change in Season Reflects a Change in Mood

by: ARA
(ARA) – Change is in the air. Fall is here and winter isn’t far away. It’s one of the busiest times of year for interior decorators.

“The reason we’re so busy is people really get energized in the fall,” says Thomas Pheasant, an award winning interior designer from Washington, D.C. “The change in temperature serves as a signal to start focusing more on the indoors to get ready for winter.”

Pheasant says one of the best, and easiest places to start, is in the room where you spend a majority of your time: the bedroom. “You don’t have to start moving furniture all over the place to change the look of the room,” says Pheasant. “Changing your bedding and curtains is often all it takes to make a dramatic difference.”

Pheasant says the same colors you see on the trees outside --- orange, gold, red, brown and olive green -- have great appeal indoors. “They really set the mood of the season, especially when combined with paisley and velvet textures.”

The bedroom isn’t the only place where bold color and texture changes will have a quick and noticeable impact. You can also set the mood of the season by putting some dried leaves or branches on the coffee table, and colorful pillows and a slip cover on your sofa. A seasonal bowl of apples on the dining room table, along with slip covers on the chairs, will also make a big impact.

So where do you start if you want to bring the fall “look” into your own home? “Start with materials. The kinds of fabric or color you choose can really change the attitude of the room,” says Pheasant. “Velvet and damask are formal patterns that are more appropriate for fall and winter. Linen, paisley and leather are more modern and better suited for spring and summer.”

Pheasant recommends you take his ideas to an interior designer for help implementing them. “Mistakes are expensive. Professional designers have resources available that most people do not. Hiring someone can make your life so much easier,” says Pheasant.

If you ultimately decide to take Pheasant’s advice, pieces from his collection of furniture and accessories are sold at Baker Furniture and over 200 other independent dealers throughout the country. Log onto www.bakerfurniture.com for access to a retail store directory.

Courtesy of ARA Content

About the author:
Courtesy of ARA Content

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Accessorize Your Bedroom For A Beach Décor Theme

by: Lee Dobbins
Using accessories is a fun way to accent your bedroom for a beach theme. You will find that you can dramatically change the look of your room simply by making small changes with the accents. See how easy it is to get a designer beach theme look in your bedroom without shelling out the big bucks.

If you’re not sure exactly what you want in your beach desing, try looking in decorating magazines and books to get a flavor of the accessories you would like to see in your bedroom. For keeping the beach look consistent, you’ll have to limit yourself to only purchase the accessories that match your theme.

Colors for a beach décor should make you think of the beach. Light and breezy with lots of blues and maybe even some yellows. If you prefer neutral tones think of the beige of beach sand and the color of shells.

Incorporate sea shells, ocean prints, and other seaside accents that will help bring out the beach in your bedroom. You should group your accessories in odd numbers. It always looks nice if your groupings consists of tall and short accessories mixed together. An interesting group of accents might consists of some shells aside a nice beach theme frame and a taller lamp.

Use beach theme prints and photos on your walls to establish the theme throughout your bedroom. Many people do not know how to correctly hang a piece of art and this makes a big difference to the visual appeal. Whether you are hanging a large oil painting or a small print, the middle of the piece should be at eye level. If you have a large piece of artwork you can try using it as a headboard. When hanging prints or photos behind a table, always place them 7 to 10 inches above the table. Hang pictures in circular, triangular, or rectangular geometric groupings to add interest.

When accessorizing your bedroom don’t forget about the lighting. When purchasing lamps make sure to buy ones that go with the beach theme you want to create. For beach style lighting try using clear glass lamps filled with shells or figural light house shaped lamps.

Area rugs can define a space and pull your bedroom together. Rest furniture completely on the rug for a warmer effect. Only use rugs that go with your beach accessories.

Using pillows can add interest as well. Use several at the top of the bed and vary the texture colors and patterns while still keeping the color and theme within your overall bedroom design.

Don’t think you have to buy everything for your bedroom at once. Shop around to find the perfect accessories to match the beach theme in your bedroom. You can find bargains at consignment stores flea markets and yard sales.

About the author:
Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.bedroom-designs-and-decorations.com/where you can find out more about decorating your bedroom. Read more articles on bedroom decorating at: http://www.bedroom-designs-and-decorations.com/articles8.html


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Accent lighting - Adding the right touch to your home lighting

by: Nicole Martins
Accent lighting - With highly functional task lighting, spaces like the laundry room are brightly lit so that you can see the whites versus the darks. However, such bright light does not create a soft mood or add drama; for this you choose accent lightings.

Accent the mood with wall dimming options

First stop in creating mood and accent around the home is to incorporate wall dimmers to light fixtures, including ceiling mounts and chandeliers. This approach is very commonplace and gives you options to fully accentuate the room or produce softer more gentle lighting.

Emphasize artwork and wall hangings with accent lights

Adding a wall mounted museum light or picture light is an excellent way to accent fine artwork; two sconces positioned on each side of the painting will also add emphasize. This can be done with any wall hanging: mirrors frames are nice to accent.

Living room: downlights can emphasize an area

For social areas such as the living room you can both soften lighting and gently accentuate an area. For example, adding a couple of down lights in the ceiling over a living room sofa, toned down with dimming options, can cast gentle pools of light. This can accentuate the focus to this area while providing spillover light to the walls and washing the whole room with pleasant light.

Accentuate and decorate a kid's room with string lighting

For kids rooms string lighting can create wonderful accent to a nicely decorated bedroom. You can buy them in shapes and themes such as: submarines, cars, hearts, stars and more. Not only will this add a nice accent and touch; colorful lights can be used at night for children afraid of sleeping in complete darkness. For more information about home lighting, please visit http://www.chandeliers-and-home-lighting.com

About the author:
Nicole Martins is a contributing author and publisher to http://www.chandeliers-and-home-lighting.com,an online resource providing you with great information, articles of interest and reviews of the best selling chandeliers online.


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