Home Decoration

Completely make over your bedroom without changing colors, fabrics, or furniture! You can do it all with lighting.

Bedside Basics
When lighting a bedroom, you want to create an atmosphere of quiet relaxation, while providing bright spots for reading and other activities. Develop a combination of general and task lighting based on these examples, and remember that dimmer controls let you vary the light to suit different moods and tasks.

Swing-arm or other bedside fixtures cast a peaceful light and illuminate bedtime tasks. If you want to add mood lighting without making the room too bright, supplement your bedside light with soft sources such as a fireplace or candles. A dimmer switch can also give you more control over the room’s brightness.

When your bed is the focal point in the room, create drama with recessed downlights near the head of the bed. Separate controls allow snoozing and reading simultaneously on opposite sides of the bed. Table lamps elsewhere in the room will help make the space usefully bright.

Active people love a room awash in a bright, warm Active people love a room awash in a bright, warm glow. This design combines an overhead fixture, which casts a wide beam of downward light, and uplight fixtures that illuminate shady corners. By wiring the overhead light and the uplights separately, you can have some or all of them on at one time.

Highlight the View
To show off attractive artwork, wall-hung collections, or areas of interest other than the bed, consider lighting that highlights those areas. These track fixtures, for instance, are easy to adjust, creating dimension with shadow. Be sure to install additional sources of ambient lighting to boost the room’s overall function.

Avoid unflattering and distracting shadows at your dressing table with lights on each side or one light directly above the table. Side fixtures should have shades that direct light either up or down at a 45-degree angle from the wall.

Types of Light
Knowing the different kinds of light will help you choose and arrange fixtures wisely.

Ambient Lighting
The most basic and practical form of illumination, ambient lights mimic the qualities of natural lighting. Often directed from a central, overhead fixture, they create light that surrounds you uniformly. It’s best to control this type of light with a dimmer switch, which allows you to adjust the light according to time of day or task.

Most bedrooms start with one ambient light source, which is a good beginning, but you’ll need other types of lighting to create dramatic highlights around the bedroom. One drawback to ambient lighting is that it often creates shadows in front of you, as you work or read with the ambient light source at your back.

Task Lighting
Intended to illuminate a task or a specific area, this bright light is generally work-oriented (reading, paying bills, needle-crafting). To generate task lighting, choose a fixture with a shade that focuses the light onto one spot. If the shade is open at the top as well as the bottom, it can supplement the ambient lighting.

Accent Lighting
If you get a headache from your task lighting, your ambient light is probably too dim and causing an uncomfortable contrast. Remedy this by increasing the wattage of the bulb in your ambient light, installing more lighting, or covering your work surface with a light-color covering to reflect the task light rather than absorb it.

Used to create drama, this light type also is known as point-source lighting because it focuses attention on something important. It does not have room-illuminating qualities, so it should be combined with ambient and perhaps task lighting. Select a fixture with a strong beam of light that can be directed onto a focal point such as art or a vase of flowers.

Kinetic Lighting
Kinetic means motion, and this kind of light flickers and dances to create drama and interest. It can come from candles, mirror balls, or lava lamps, for instance, but the hypnotic quality of candlelight or a wood fire is more conducive to a bedroom than a strobe light would be. Just be sure to place candles on a nonflammable surface and in a place where they won’t be knocked over.

The Right Height for Lights
Don’t underestimate the proper placement of task lighting. It can save you eyestrain, headaches, and accidentally pairing blue socks with black pants. Here are some preferred placement measurements for different task lights. (Adjust them accordingly if you’re a great deal taller or shorter than the average person.)

Abide by this general rule: The diameter of the beam spread out of the bottom of the shade for reading and writing should be about 16 inches.

For a dressing table, have 2 lights 36 inches apart (on either side of the mirror you use) and about 15 inches above the base of the table.
Similarly, for lighting a dresser whose top is used for grooming, place 2 lights 36 inches apart (again, on either side of your mirror). Assuming the dresser reaches your waist, the lights should rise 22 inches from the dresser top.

For bedside reading lamps, the bottom of the shade should be 20 inches above the level of your bed. If your night table is extremely tall or short, you may need to choose lamps to compensate.

At a desk, work lamps should be 15 inches above the desk’s surface, whether they are mounted on the wall or sitting on the desk.

Advice on planning the perfect master suite.

Architects and designers create spaces following a basic design rule: Take advantage of your room’s good points. Use these ideas to help make the most of your space.

1. Plan for the bed. Provide a blank wall suitable for a bed and oriented toward the best view the room provides. Allow a wall 14 to 15 feet wide if you’ll have a king-size bed flanked by side tables. Placing the headboard against an interior wall frees up exterior walls for ample windows.
2. Make the most of rooflines. Placing a master bedroom on a new upper level creates a private getaway, but it can create challenges when designing rooflines and integrating the space to maximize the impact. One alternative is to expose angular ceilings for added design interest. In this house, for example, careful planning gave the master suite four dramatic bisecting gables.
3. Control sunlight. Give adequate thought to managing daylight at different times of day and year. Movable daylight controls, such as draperies and shutters, provide flexibility, but you can also take advantage of awnings and deep eaves that shade windows.
4. Build it in. The architect regularly looks for opportunities to design custom built-ins. It’s efficient storage space and eliminates the need to bump out into the room with furniture. Many people prefer built-ins to furniture as it gives a room an all-of-a-piece look.
5. Define spaces with storage. Use storage to separate spaces within a master suite. Try a configuration composed of a bedroom and a bath separated by a short hall fitted with two closets.

Bedroom Lighting

Bedside Basics
When lighting a bedroom, you want to create an atmosphere of quiet relaxation, while providing bright spots for reading and other activities. Develop a combination of general and task lighting based on these examples, and remember that dimmer controls let you vary the light to suit different moods and tasks.

Swing-arm or other bedside fixtures cast a peaceful light and illuminate bedtime tasks. If you want to add mood lighting without making the room too bright, supplement your bedside light with soft sources such as a fireplace or candles. A dimmer switch can also give you more control over the room’s brightness.

When your bed is the focal point in the room, create drama with recessed downlights near the head of the bed. Separate controls allow snoozing and reading simultaneously on opposite sides of the bed. Table lamps elsewhere in the room will help make the space usefully bright.

Active people love a room awash in a bright, warm glow. This design combines an overhead fixture, which casts a wide beam of downward light, and uplight fixtures that illuminate shady corners. By wiring the overhead light and the uplights separately, you can have some or all of them on at one time.

In this article, we will tell you on how to go about choosing curtains for bedroom. Well, when it comes to decorating the bedroom, bedroom curtains truly deserve a special mention. They can be used to your advantage, not just to keep away the sunlight that finds its way into your room via windows and doors, but also to secure your privacy. Bedroom curtains serve as great decorations to accentuate the charm of your room.

Bedroom Curtain Buying Tips

• It is very important to be clear about what kind of a curtain are you looking out for? Are you wanting to redecorate your bedroom, by shopping for some different kind of curtains that can lend a new refreshing look to your bedroom? Or you want to buy curtains that match well with the furnishings of your bedroom? Well, in that case, you have to keep the theme of your bedroom in mind and accordingly make the right selection of color and pattern.
• Buy the curtains that give a pleasing and attractive look to the room and get well blended with its entire look, while maintaining their distinctive identity.
• Decide before hand, whether you would like to go in for dramatic curtains or the simple ones.
• Once you are clear about the style and design, the next thing to ponder is whether you want the color of your bedroom curtain to blend with that of your room or wish to pick up colors that stand out.
• If you want to give your bedroom a soothing feel, then think of the colors that relax you and help in revitalizing your energy.
• If you want to buy curtains for show purpose and not to block the sunlight, then you can also check out some silky fabric or net curtains.

In this article, we will provide you with some ideas on how to go about choosing mattresses for bedroom. It is of prime importance to do a careful planning about the right bedroom mattress, because if you make a wrong selection, you might have to repent in future.

Bedroom Mattress Buying Tips

• Be clear about what kind of a bedroom mattress you require.
• Depending on your choice, you can either go in for a soft or hard mattress. Instead of going in for the brand that promises to provide you with very soft mattress, it is wise to test it on your own by sitting on the mattress for a few minutes to feel the comfort level.
• Make sure that the mattress you choose to buy is comfortable and of superior quality, so that it lasts for a longer duration of time.
• Don’t buy a mattress that provides less than 10 years warranty.
• Take proper measurements of the bed, as that would decide the size of mattress you should go in for. Singles can check out single bed mattresses, while the couples need to look out for a good quality double bed mattress.
• Have a look at your body. If you’ve gained a lot of weight in the recent times, then you might require bedding that can provide your body with some extra support.
• If you are suffering from some health ailment, then it is advisable to consult your doctor about the right mattress for you.
• Set a budget so that you can realistically make a choice.

Have you ever realized that we spend about one third part of our lives in our bedrooms. It is the first place we see as soon as we wake up in the morning. Infact, we carry out all our day-to-day activities in our bedrooms, then be it reading books, listening to music or simply relaxing on our cozy comfy beds.

When we do most of the things in our bedroom, then why not make our bedroom a cozy and warm place by selecting the right bedroom furniture. Choosing furniture for bedroom requires careful planning and many factors need to be borne in mind like bedroom interiors, expenditure, personal taste etc.

Bedroom Furniture Buying Tips

• Never compromise on quality even if you have to pay an extra price for it.
• Go in for a durable piece of furniture and not for the one that is just attractive but not long lasting.
• Give due importance to fine craftsmanship, as it will also ensure the durability and save your repair expenses.
• It is advisable to do a close supervision, while selecting the bedroom furniture. It is due to the fact that there is a likelihood that you might find both, the good quality as well as bad quality furniture being sold under the same roof. Thus, it becomes of prime importance to ensure that the furniture you are planning to buy is made using quality material.
• While shopping for bedroom furniture, place a higher importance to comfort than anything else.
• Pay attention to the fact as to what all you do in your bedroom. Are your activities in your bedroom just limited to sleeping or you do perform other activities like reading books while in bed. If that is the case, then you must buy such bedroom furniture that can accommodate a moderate size lamp that can provide you with adequate light to read during the nighttime.

In this section, we will give you some ideas on how to go about choosing flooring for bedroom. Well, when it comes to flooring, there are multiple options available to you, each having its own set of merits and demerits. There are a number of factors that need to be borne in mind, to make sure that you’ve made the right selection.

The most important consideration while making the choice of the right type of flooring is the look and comfort. Here, it becomes of prime importance to ensure that the kind of flooring you are planning to go in for is not just attractive, but useful also. Just going by the look won’t suffice your purpose. So, it is vital to apply your analytical skills and judge as to which option is the best for your bedroom.

If you do not have much time to take care of your floors, then go in for such floorings that don’t require much of maintenance and are durable. It is always a good practice to do your part of homework about the flooring type you are planning to shop for. Your budget is also to be considered, because that will act as a major deciding factor. If your bedroom experiences high trafficking, then it is preferable to go in for laminate flooring.

Popular Types Of Bedroom Flooring

• Bamboo Flooring
• Flooring Tiles
• Laminate Flooring
• Linoleum Flooring
• Marble Flooring
• Vinyl Flooring
• Wood Flooring