Home Decoration

Many of us would like to have a kitchen that reflects the light and airy side of nature. A kitchen that has less clutter and more space and light is always more appealing and even relaxing. A Mediterranean style kitchen is exactly what you need. With simplicity defining every corner of a Mediterranean style kitchen, this is the perfect kind of style for all those who don’t want to try too hard for cleanliness. Since the design and styling is absolutely simple, it not only looks appealing but is also very de-stressing to work in. the themes and design ideas for a Mediterranean style kitchen is usually taken from the nature. To know more, read on.

The Inspiration

The Mediterranean style is reflected in households of places like Egypt, Libya, Algeria, southern France, Spain, Turkey, etc. Here, the winters are warm and these places are surrounded by the sea. The kitchen window usually opens up to a water-body in order to combat the harshness of the sun. In these places, the ceilings are quite high to allow enough air to come in. the floors are usually wooden or are covered with natural stone slabs or unpolished marbles and the walls are bright, decorated with ceramic tiles.

Themes and Designs

• Mediterranean style kitchens offer natural solutions to cool off and also have enough options for technological functionality. Opting for a simple theme like focusing on colors instead of the furniture will definitely be of more use.
• Since most Mediterranean houses are built around a courtyard, it always helps if you have a kitchen garden or a backyard. It increases the flow of fresh air inside the kitchen, making it less stuffy. If you cannot have a backyard, consider having a corner or a window sill for potted plants.
• The kitchen walls are usually plastered with lime since they allow the walls to breathe. Keep in mind that they need to be renewed almost every year with a fresh coating.
• When choosing a color, keep in mind that the color palette for Mediterranean style kitchen is ruled by three major regions - Greece, Africa and Provence. In the Greece palette, a strong contrast of colors is used such as lime white wash for the walls and blue borders for the windows. The Provence palette is dominated with colors inspired from sunflower and lavender, olive gardens and vineyards like dark tones of green and blue, lilacs, dark pinks, yellows and terracotta. The African palette is dominated by terracotta color, inspired from the mountains and deserts.
• The interiors of a Mediterranean kitchen are generously decorated with Ceramics. The most popular designs include flower patterns or geometrical shapes. They are not only decorative but also quite convenient when it comes to cleaning and maintaining. You may also use Mosaics on the floors. Make sure you use heat resistant material near the stove / furnace.
• You may also use Carpets or Small Rugs in the kitchen. Most of them are made of strong or coarse fabrics and also provide protection to the floor against any accidental spillage. The designs are usually very vibrant and the most common ones are geometrical patterns like eight cornered stars, triangles, squares, circles, spirals or abstract themes.

All of us are so much concerned about our hygiene that we avoid eating from the road side vends, have water purifiers at our home and throw away anything that shows the slightest sign of getting spoilt. However, most of us fail to maintain hygiene in our refrigerator and freezer. When was the last time you cleaned your fridge? I’m sure it must have been a long time back. If you want to maintain your good health, develop the habit of cleaning your fridge on a regular basis.

The best time for cleaning the refrigerator is when you have to do grocery shopping, since at that time, it is almost empty. Cleaning a fully stocked fridge is very cumbersome. Still feeling lazy to do the job? We have provided a number of simple steps below that will help you in cleaning the refrigerator and freezer in the easiest and quickest way. Waste no more time and start cleaning!

Refrigerator Cleaning Tips

Read the steps given below to know how to clean the fridge.

Items Required

• Mild Dish Soap
• Dishcloths
• Kitchen Sponges
• Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Water

Procedure

• First of all, turn off the refrigerator by taking out its plug from the socket.
• Take each and every thing out of the refrigerator and empty it of all the food items.
• Throw away the items that have become moldy or spoiled. At the same time, wipe all the jars and bottles.
• The next thing you will have to do to clean your fridge will be to turn the temperature-control knob to ‘Off’.
• Then, you will be required to remove the drip pan at the lower end of the fridge, if you have one, and clean it.
• Now, take out each and every part of your fridge that is removable. All the shelves, wire racks and drawers should be removed.
• Use the dishcloth to wipe any food matter from the shelves, wire racks and drawers.
• Take water in a tub and fill it with water. Put mild dish soap in it to make the water soapy.
• Wash the shelves, wire racks and drawers with the soapy water and then rinse them with lukewarm water.
• Put the shelves, wire racks and drawers in the dish rack or on any other clean surface and let them dry.
• Use the dishcloth to wipe out any food matter from the inside of the fridge.
• Now, dip the kitchen sponge in the soapy water and wash the interiors of the refrigerator. Make sure to wipe the compartments and door racks also.
• Rinse the inside of the fridge with lukewarm water. Make sure that no soap residue remains.
• Your fridge is now clean. However, you will notice that the bad odor still remains.
• To make your fridge odor free, make a solution of 2 tbsp baking soda and 1 quart warm water. You can also make a solution of 1 cup vinegar and 1 gallon warm water.
• Dip the kitchen sponge in this solution and wipe each and every corner of the fridge with it.
• To prevent the occurrence of odor, keep a box of baking soda in a corner of the refrigerator.
• Use the soapy water to wash the outside of the fridge, along with its top and gasket (rubber molding around the door).
• Now, rinse it with lukewarm water.
• Vacuum the condenser coil, situated at the back.
• Let the refrigerator dry.
• Now, put all the shelves, wire racks and drawers back inside.
• Turn the temperature control knob back to what it was initially.
• Finally, put back all the food items inside the refrigerator.

Maintaining Your Freezer

For maintaining the freezer and keeping it sparkling and spotless, you have to clean it on a regular basis. For cleaning the freezer, follow the same steps recommended in the case of a refrigerator, except for the soda box.

Gnats are basically household pests that are very difficult to get rid off. They cannot be simply shooed out of the house and multiply almost instantly! Sometimes, even insect sprays seem inadequate get rid of gnats. They basically look for warm and moist places inside the house where they can breed and also get food. This means, your indoor plants, garbage can, kitchen drainage pipes, are all potential breeding grounds for gnats. So if you see these small black insects flying around or settling itself in your coffee, you know where all to look for! Check out these home remedies for getting rid of gnats. If nothing works, call the professionals. 

• The most popular home remedy is the vinegar bottle trap. Fill a bottle almost till the top with vinegar and close it. Poke several holes inside the cap and place it at a strategic corner or a place where you think the gnats are breeding. Gnats are attracted to the smell of vinegar; they will climb into the bottle through the holes but won’t be able to climb out. This method is very effective and you can place many such traps in the house.
• In a bowl, mix some vinegar with a little bit of dish washer. The vinegar will attract the gnats and they will climb into the bowl. The dishwasher will cease friction and even if the gnats try to wiggle out, they will keep slipping inside.
• Look out for over-watered indoor plants, or other moist corners around the house. Disinfect them as they may have the eggs of gnats. Spray generous amounts of ‘Gnatrol’ or any such disinfectant / chemical agent that is meant exclusively for getting rid of gnats.
• Another way is to place a rotten fruit on a plate at the window sill or just outside the door. The gnats will get attracted by the smell of food and you can dispose them off in bulk by spraying a chemical agent.

Make sure your house does not have moist or damp corners, clean out the trash regularly and keep the carpets and the rugs in sunshine often to make sure there is no moisture in them to breed larvae. Place window screens to prevent gnats from entering inside. Always keep bug sprays at home to wipe them off as soon as you spot them. The more you delay, the more tough it will be for you get rid of them.

One thing that almost every kid grumbles at is, taking a bath and cleaning up. The very sight of a dull bathroom with the soaps and the brush can make any kid gripe in frustration. But what if you could transform that drab bathroom and instead make it into a fun place where your kids can actually have a great time! Yes, it is very much possible to accomplish this feat. What’s more? You can do this by yourself and in fact involve your kids in the whole event. They will feel that they are an important part of decision making and will bond closer with you. Check out these design and color ideas for decorating a bathroom for children.

Plan Beforehand

Have a solid plan at hand as to how you want the bathroom to look like. What kind of theme would you be following, what colors would you like to use, what wall-papers would you use, etc. should be decided beforehand. With a solid plan in hand, you can proceed from one task to another without any hassles and confusions. Involve the kids as it is their bathroom and ask them if they have any plans or ideas in mind. Organizing is the keyword here and if you have helping hands, delegate some responsibility to them also.

Shop Hopping

Now that you have a plan in hand as to how you want to go about decorating the bathroom, it is time to go to the stores to get what you require. This includes paints, glue, stencils, clip-art knick-knacks, wallpaper, brush, etc. Let your kid pick the stencils for art work on the walls. The most popular paint colors to go for would be very light shade of blue, green, beige or a sandy color. Pick a wallpaper to go around the borders of the bathroom in a similar shade. Buy paint brushes of appropriate sizes and you may also buy thinner for the paint.

Getting Started…

First things first. Make sure that you take adequate precautions so as to keep injuries at bay. Take down the shower curtains, previous borders, cosmetics, toiletries, and other bathroom accessories. Make sure these are kept in boxes outside the bathroom so that the paint drops don’t spoil them. Cover the floor with newspapers to protect the flooring from accidental spillage and dirt. Start by cleaning the walls and removing cobwebs and dust. Use sandpaper if necessary. This is important since the new coat of paint must give a smooth look to your walls. With kids around, it should not take more than half an hour to get done with this.

Applying the Paint

Now comes the fun part! Take the paint in a small bucket; add thinner if you think the consistency is too thick. Start by painting a single coat on the walls one after the other. Usually 2-3 coats should suffice. Don’t apply more than 4 coats as it may peel off sooner than you think. Moderation is the key here. Allow the paint to dry before applying the final coat. If you want, you may get the adhesive wallpaper border which is easier to apply.

Modern Art!

Get the stencils and carefully draw out the shapes at strategic places like just below the shower, near the windows, near the sink, above the door, etc. Fill them with color carefully. Now place the accessories and knick-knacks that you have bought according to the theme you have chosen. Your kid will love to do this so don’t hesitate to involve them. All they need is clear-cut instructions as to how to go about it. Place the bathroom accessories, toiletries, etc. back as they were after the paint dries. Your lovely bathroom for children is ready!

Loft is the name that is usually given to open spaces, devoid of bedroom doors and brick walls. However, loft is a wider term that also encompasses a pad with an unfinished look, like cement walls or cement columns. It might also consist of an industrial look, with steel beams running along the ceiling. A huge hall, without any proper partitions for making separate rooms, is also termed as a loft. Many people prefer to live in lofts, considering it to be modish and urbane. Decorating a loft is not a very easy task. To help you out in the same, we have provided a number of loft design ideas and styles below.

Contemporary Loft Design Tips

• You just have a single room and whatever you put up there will be visible to everyone else too. Make sure that you put something worth showing to others.
• You can adorn the walls of the loft with vintage ads and posters, available at local antique shops. You can even experiment with trendy mirrors. They not only make the loft look good, but also make the space look larger.
• You can hang picture frames, with black and white photos, on the wall. Putting up shelves, with a variety of decorative items, is another good idea.
• Lighting plays a very important role in giving the right look. Lofts usually have cement or unfinished ceilings, so track lighting or cable lighting will work the best. Use the lighting to highlight specific parts of the loft.
• As for the kitchen, stainless steel appliances will work the best. Since the kitchen will be an open one, they will look much better than others.
• Appliances like kettle, blender, coffee machine and martini set, displayed on the kitchen counter, serve the purpose of accessories.
• Never ever underestimate the power of a classy spice rack and chic wine rack. They not only serve your needs, but also add spice to your décor.
• Use contemporary pieces of furniture, in neutrals shades like white, beige and tan. As for the dining table and coffee table, materials like wenge wood, frosted glass, stainless steel and even marble tops are popular.
• If you want to add a little color to your room, you can go for an assortment of bright colored vases, kept together.
• A house without some greenery? Nah! You can either keep potted plants in the loft or even create your own Zen garden.
• Remember it is your place, you have to live in it and you have the right to decorate it the way you want to. Just be yourself, mix colors, fuse styles and be creative. The only thing is don’t create a mess.

The best way to celebrate any joyous occasion is by throwing a party. The fun is further enhanced if it’s a dinner party, complete with music, dance and the like. However, a good and enjoyable party also involves a lot of preparations on the part of the host. He has to decide on a lot of things, right from the invitations to the party menu to the dinner table layout. Infact, it is not only important to have good menu for the dinner, you also need to lay the table in a proper manner - it adds to the value of the food. In case you don’t know how to set the table for dinner party, just follow the guidelines that have been given below. 

Setting Dinner Party Table

• You should always start with the tablecloth. To give a glamorous look, use one in either silk or satin. Make sure to have a protective layer underneath. The tablecloth should hang about 1½ feet over the edge.
• The second thing to be placed on the table is runner, preferably of a bright color. Warm serving dishes should be placed along it.
•  Next will be the trivets for warm dishes and in between them, the candle holders.
• The dinner plates should be kept in the center, while salad or bread plates should be placed slightly above and to its left.
• While placing the cutlery, starting from the outside of the plate and move towers the inside. The cutlery to be used first should be placed the farthest from the dinner plate.
• To be more precise, the salad fork should be placed farthest from the plate and then, you should keep fish fork and then, dinner fork. Thereafter will be your dinner plate (to the right), then dinner knife, soup spoon and fruit spoon.
• Dessert fork and spoon are placed towards the top of the dinner plate, in a horizontal position.
• The blades of all the knives face towards the plate. The blunt surface of the knives will be facing outward.
• The coffee cup is always placed to the right of the dinner plate, just besides it.
• The glasses are always kept on the right hand side of the dinner plate, to the top left of the coffee cup. Moving from left to right, you will place water glass, red wine glass, white wine glass and champagne glass.
• Now, comes the turn of the napkins. Napkins are folded in rectangles and placed below the salad and dinner forks. You can also place them on top of the dinner plate.

Flower arrangements and seasonal décor are always placed as the centerpiece on the table.

A dining room is one place where all members of a family gather to have meals together. Apart from the having food, this place also sees members of a family gather around the dining table and simultaneously engage in casual light banter and discuss about their personal day-to-day issues. Due to all these reasons, people take extra care while choosing furniture items for their dining room.  

Infact there are number of aspects people consider or should consider prior purchasing dining room furniture. For instance, the dining room furniture pieces should be such that they perfectly fit one’s lifestyle as well as are durable. Incase you are planning to purchase any furniture item for your home’s dining room like  table and chairs, there are a number of aspects you need to consider. Read on. 

• Size of Room
  Before you set out to buy dining room furniture, it’s vital that you have an approximate idea about the size and shape of the dining table and chairs that you are looking for. It’s important that the dining room furniture you choose blends in with the rest of the room. It’s good to have area measurement of the dining room before you go shopping for its furniture. As a rule, the standard distance between the table and the wall should be 1.2 m. Use a glass table top to provide a feeling of space incase your dining room is small. 

• Size of Table
  Count the number of people in your family first to determine what size of dining table you will require. The dining table should be big enough to comfortably hold the number of cutlery items you will require while having meal with your family. If you have a small family, you could also use an extendable table in the dining room. The advantage of having extendable table is that the size can be easily increased or decreased depending upon the number of people who will be having meal. 

• Storage Space
  Irrespective of the fact whether you live in a small flat or a grand mansion, there will just not be enough storage space available. So it is a wise decision if you buy dining table with in-built drawers / shelves to store knick-knacks like table napkins, spoons, table cloth and so no.  however, it is also important that you actually sit around such a dining table at the time of purchase to ensure there’s still sufficient leg space for the diners.

• Style Matters
  It is very important that the dining room furniture you buy is such that it does not look out of place or in other words, easily blends in with the rest of the house. As such, it’s advisable that you go through various home interior decoration magazines like Inside Outside, etc. to select the right furniture that will suit your lifestyle. Do take the advise of the store manager or an interior decorator incase of any confusion.

• Budget
  Dining room furniture is costly and so having an approximate idea of how much you wish to shell out on purchasing the set is important. This will help you decide what dining room sets come within the purview of your budget and which ones do not while buying. However, it would be worth spending a little more on dining room furniture set if that ensures durability.

Highly practical, the sheer curtains add a real class to your kitchen. The sheer kitchen curtains are not a part of the latest trend. Infact, they have been popular amongst the people since many years, as they aid in blocking the sunlight. They are just apt for highlighting the big size windows. Kitchen sheer curtain is very light in weight and can be used independently or along with some other heavy fabric. Read on to know more about the sheer curtain for kitchen.

Depending on your requirement, you need to decide as to whether you want to use sheer curtain alone or in combination with other thick material curtain. If you like sunny kitchens that are blessed with plenty of sunlight, then you can go in for a single sheer curtain. Besides having adequate sunlight, if you also wish to have some privacy, then get your sheer curtain customized in such a manner that it is three times the width of your kitchen window.

Sheer Kitchen Curtains, Sheer, Kitchen, CurtainsIf uniqueness is your style statement, then you can leave the top portion of your window open. This in turn will provide you with an additional advantage of having sunlight from the top. It will greatly help in brightening your kitchen and giving it a warm feel. The best thing about going in for kitchen sheer curtains is that, they are less expensive and also very easy to maintain.

If you are fond of keeping indoor plants, especially the orchids inside your kitchen, then there can certainly be no better idea than going in for a sheer curtain. This is owing to the fact that, on one hand, where sheer curtains keep the plants away from the direct rays of sun, on the other hand, they provide them with adequate sunlight to help them keep alive. Usually made from synthetic material, the sheer kitchen curtain is easy to clean. However, if you have opted for organdy sheers, it is not advisable to wash them at home. It is best to get them dry cleaned.

The lace curtains usually make their way under the drapes. However, they can also be used independently for the purpose of diffusing the light that enters through the doors and windows of the kitchen. The lace kitchen curtains help a great deal in softening the light. Do not commit the mistake of hanging these lace curtains from the same ring as that of the cloth curtains. This is due to the fact that, none of the curtains will hang properly. Read on to know more about the lace curtain for kitchen.

Hang these curtains in such a manner that they can be removed without any hassles. Hang the kitchen lace curtain on a separate rod that is duly supported by hooks and brackets. When you plan to clean the kitchen lace curtains, soak them in warm soapy water overnight or atleast for 12 hours. Add a few spoons of borax or ammonia in it. Rinse them thoroughly before hanging on the wooden frames for drying. Always stretch them to ensure that their shape remains intact.

For the creative people, there can be no better idea than to embellish your kitchen with a curtain made by using your own imagination. Not only it acts as a great pocket friendly option, but also it gives you an opportunity to show your talent and make a kitchen curtain according to your personal choice. The making of kitchen curtain doesn’t involve any cumbersome procedure. Infact, it is very easy to make a kitchen curtain. Well, in this article, we will tell you on how to make kitchen curtains.

To begin with the task of making a kitchen curtain, the first and foremost thing to be considered is the fabric. Depending on your choice and requirement, make a choice of the material that you would like to go in for. Don’t opt for quilted fabrics, as they tend to shrink very soon. Good fiber options are cotton and linen. Prefer not to go in for the silk fabric or a fabric that has some proportion of silk, as it fades very quickly. Buy a larger quantity of the fabric, which is approximately equal to two times the height and three times the width of window.

In case of curtains having rings, it is advisable to stitch a 3-inch hem at the edge of the curtain panels. Then, attach a ring to each curtain panel, but make sure that you maintain some distance between each ring. This will help to ensure that the curtain can be easily pulled. If you don’t want to take the pains of stitching the rings to the curtain panel, then you can opt for the clip on rings, which can be attached very easily and do not require any stitching.